pumpkin patch

We made our fourth annual trip to Shaake's Pumpkin Patch last week. My parents joined us and we made an evening of it. I went to look in my blog archives for our previous visits and apparently I neglected to blog two of the past three years. (2010 here)

checking out the chickens

As per tradition, we had to see how we the kids are measuring up.

The kids tolerated that for about a minute and were ready to head to the patch. They had a blast roaming up and down the rows looking for the pumpkin.

 

Will was having the time of his life. He really loves digging in the dirt and any excuse to pick things.

 

Lauren preferred to stick close to Memaw. She is going through quite a cuddly/huggy phase right now. She also enjoyed stacking small pumpkins and pointing out how "yucky" the rotten pumpkins were.

john fam 2013

 waving to the tractor

After we found 4 perfect pumpkins we stopped at the play area. 

Memaw gave the kids a ride to the parking lot in the wheelbarrow and we headed to Red Robin. Another fun night!

apple picking

 A few Saturdays ago the weather was too gorgeous to spend indoors. We scrapped our original plans (which mainly consisted of cleaning) and went apple picking. All the facebook/blog/instagram posts from our friends out in the orchards got to me. We went to Cider Hill Orchards (on the recommendation of my friend Holly) and it did not disappoint.

This picture doesn't do it justice, but it really is quite picturesque.

The kids got right down to business.

double fisting the apples

mastering the apple picker

sampling, lots of sampling

Lauren quickly discovered that it was easier to gather the apples that had already fallen to the ground and she set to work filling a half-peck bag. It smelled a little gross down there, but she was content and easy to keep an eye on, so we let her be.

More sampling while we waited for the ride back.

We took a hayride around the orchard and enjoyed chatting with one of the owners. We were really impressed with him and his family and the whole operation. We definitely plan on coming back next fall.

When we first arrived the smell of apple cider doughnuts was in the air, but we decided to wait and buy some after picking. We regretted that decision as they were GONE by the time we returned from the orchard. We had to settle for the lunches I packed. For dessert we roasted marshmallows, or more correctly, Will roasted our family's quota of marshmallows and Lauren ate them.

Will wanted to get pumpkins too, but it was naptime. We did make a quick stop to feed the ducks. They were not shy and ate the food right out of our hands. Not Lauren's hands, she threw her pellets the other way and ran off as soon as a duck advanced her direction.

I'm glad we made time to fit this activity in. Now I need to figure out what to do with all of our apples.

2013 :: week 43

Sunday afternoon Will and I decided to get out and enjoy the beautiful fall weather by taking a walk around the neighborhood. Will is really into shadows, specifically the size of his own. One of the best things about kids is seeing the world the way they look at the world. I can't think of the last time I thought about my shadow, and yet Will and I had a five minute discussion about shadows, light and the way the earth moves.

Happy Birthday, Lauren! Our kids are now old enough to have expectations. A birthday isn't a birthday with out party horns in Will's book. We made a special trip to Target just for those babies. Thankfully they didn't make much noise.

Will got his school pictures back on Tuesday. They are so very Will. The hair, the glasses, the smile, the posture...very three-almost-four year old Will.

Wednesday evening Will joined TJ and watched a few innings of World Series Game 1. He actually paid attention was asking questions about baseball and the players. His best taunt (in his mind),"You're (Cardinals) so bad, you should go to the Yankees!" 

One of my favorite things about our neighborhood is the beautiful trees. I love walking and driving under the canopy of changing leaves when we get out and about. Ask me again in a few weeks when all the leaves drop and we're spending our nights and weekends raking leaves and I might say otherwise.

Friday evening we trekked over to Bass Pro to get some pictures with the Peanuts gang.

Saturday was our ward's trunk or treat. Lauren got to lead part of the parade of costumes. Another fun night visiting with our church friends and eating too much candy.

happy birthday, lauren!

2013 :: week 42

Sunday evening my mom got out the doll crib my grandpa built for her when she was a little girl. I remember playing with it when I was young, and it is fun watching Lauren play with it and my old Cabbage Patch doll, Faye, when we visit my parents. I did not pose Lauren in this photo, that's all her.

No better way to celebrate a cold and wet Columbus Day than by spending the evening reading a Columbus-themed mystery.

Tuesday evening Tony helped out with the childcare at our Relief Society monthly meeting. Here Lauren is climbing in the toy oven and giving me flashbacks to my childhood fear of ovens thanks to Hansel & Gretel. Hands down the scariest Fairy Tale.

Wednesday evening has turned into our library night. After storytime we took a few minutes to explore the activities area. Tony helped Will draw a dinosaur, because apparently when he reads Will turns into a dinosaur. In the back you can see Lauren standing on a chair. I know it is not safe. Anyone have any tips on how to get your kids to stop doing that?

Thursday we visited the pumpkin patch. We had planned to go Monday night, but inclement weather forced us to change our plans.  After we found our pumpkins we played at the play yard for a bit. Will loved the tire swing while Lauren was content to climb.

While we were at Great Clips waiting for Tony and Will to get their hair cut, I decided Lauren needed a trim too. It still needs to grow a bit longer before we can even it all out, but it looks a lot healthier now. Lauren was very excited about getting a turn in the chair.

Will and Lauren went to a Halloween birthday party and got to wear their costumes. Lauren is a ladybug and Will is Robin Hood.

2013 :: week 41

We were all going a bit stir-crazy after the afternoon session of conference, so we headed to the park. As is her usual, Lauren wanted to do lots of swinging. And proof that she copies everything Will does, she has recently started yelling "doggy, doggy!" when she swings even though she doesn't know what an underdog is.

It's that time of year when I start to think about taking a family photo and ordering Christmas cards. Usually I stress about our outfits or bemoan my lack of weight loss, but this year the thing that has stressed me out the most has been Lauren's hair. Right now it is best described as sort of a mullet/bowl cut hybrid. The sides of her head that were formally bald spots in her baby days continue to give us trouble because those hairs grow at ludicrously slow rate. The same can not be said for her bangs and the hair at the base of he neck. It is a daily struggle to keep her from looking too unkempt. I tell you all that because I think I finally found a hairstyle that keeps her hair out of her face that she doesn't pull out immediately. Look for it this winter on the Christmas card we send to you.

TJ's bus got stuck in some bad traffic so we went out back to kill the time before he got home. The kids enjoyed some freezy pops while we waited.

At the craft store Wednesday morning I let Will pick out some Halloween figures for us to paint during Lauren's naptime. He painted a "Frankenmonster" and I painted a witch. I feel very confidant when I say more paint got on his body than on the monster.

Thursday afternoon the kids and I went to the farmstead. Will wanted to try something new and bottle fed the goats. It was the first time we attempted to bottle fed this year . It was a bit overwhelming for the kids when we went into the pen, so we set up shop on the the other side of the fence. Lauren yelled at the goats while Will got the hang of how to hold the bottle. It was a relatively quick trip, and we had fun, as usual.

Friday afternoon we met our friends at the park and had a picnic. There were a lot of hedge balls next the the playground and the kids enjoyed gathering up a nice cache, then throwing them down the hill.

Saturday morning we made an impromptu trip to an apple orchard. On our way out we stopped and fed the ducks.