I know it is only April, and the last time I remember it being this hot in April was back in 1999.  Why do I remember because I got engaged on May 1st and I had been driving with my roof down for a couple of weeks already.

Saturday was the first really hot day and also the Pancake Breakfast at our local fire station.  J really wanted to go so we donated a hefty sum of money for some pancakes (which J and Apple LOVED), waited in line to sit in the firetrucks and chatted with some of Ottawa’s Finest.  It was great.

J was really in his element.

Apple was a little bored.

But, today~ WOW! What can I say about today?  It felt like the middle of July, minus the bugs.  J went in and out, he doesn’t like to get too hot unless the pool is set up.  I used him for a photo assignment, jumping all around the backyard.

Then Apple woke up from her nap and wanted to go outside with her brother.  They chose the swings.

Just look at J’s face.  He was gearing up to push her very, very high!

And she loved every minute of it.

I am looking forward to so many more days of swinging in the backyard, together with my kids.  And many more HOT days this Summer.

Today was the most perfect way to say good-bye to summer for another year.  What started out as a cool Fall morning, turned sunny and warm by noon.  And after lunch and naps (yes, naps, not just Apple) we set out to Mountain Orchards.  We normally go to Jockvale Orchard close to home and pick a basket of apples, but we decided to go further out this year.  And when the flyer for Mountain Orchards landed in our mail box two weeks ago, we were set.

The flyer boasted wagon rides, hay bales to jump in, a corn maze and plenty of place to picnic.  I do not think that they were prepared for the power of the flyer.  We had set our minds to go somewhere else, East of the city, but changed our minds quickly at the proximity of Mountain.

We even had to take two cars because Big Brother A came with us. Sorry we don’t have a mini van folks, but it was well worth the extra gas and inconvenience of two cars to see the joy on J’s face having his Big Brother with him.  Opa was thrilled as well.  This has to be our first outing, other than a restaurant, in over a year.

We were all hot, all except for Hubby who wore shorts, and happy to pluck apples from the trees.  We got lost in the corn maze and J found the way out.  Apple was happy as a, well an apple until the very end, but I am sure she was hot with her fleece on.  We didn’t want to take her out of the carrier to take her fleece off for fear of not getting her back in.

All in all the most perfect way to spend the last day of summer.  And because the line up for fresh apple pies was so long, we stopped at Farm Boy to pick up one of theirs to celebrate the day.  I will be sure to make a crisp with the ones we got today, but I need to find a store with brown sugar, everybody is sold out. What is with the shortage of brown sugar?

I hope you all found a fabulous way to enjoy this last day of summer and if you get a chance and you live in the Ottawa area, be sure to stop by Mountain Orchard with the family, you won’t be disappointed.