fun with Ian

We just had a wonderfully rewarding and busy weekend, taking care of our sweet little Ian for 4 days and 3 nights.  He's much more entertaining than anything else going on around here!  And totally consuming of our attention and thought.  I guess when our kids were little we were just so absorbed in it that it did not seem remarkable, but at this stage in my life, it seems like a daunting task to raise up a child.  

We were a little bit pleased with ourselves that we actually managed a couple of outings with him.  On Saturday afternoon we drove about 15 miles to an orchard to stock up on delicious things.  But we also got to introduce Ian to some farm animals and implements--

Ian the tractor jockey

 He really liked sitting up on that little seat, and the fact that he can sit pretty independently made it all the more fun.  He sits pretty good now on the floor, although we do keep some soft stuff piled up behind him for the occasional topple over.
The orchard we visited was the Sunrise River Farm in Wyoming, MN.  I also bought some pumpkin butter, something I had not tried before.

I sampled it on my breakfast toast, and it passed the taste test!  Sort of like apple butter.  But why are these things called butter when there isn't a speck of butter in the contents?  Just wondering.  

On the jar lid I found these instructions for using the contents to make a pumpkin pie.  Might need to make another visit to the orchard for more jars!

And, of course, we brought home some apples.  Two varieties -- Sweet Sixteen and Zestar.  So good!