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.