Apple Picking

Another fun fall activity is apple picking.  We decided to head out to Markham Orchards to enjoy the cool weather and pick some apples.  We were very surprised to find out how many people had already been to the orchards and how many trees were already pretty bare.  Luckily we were only looking to fill about one bag so we had enough to choose from.  All of the kids (even Kenzie!) took a try at picking some apples.  Kylee liked trying to help Pete use the Apple Grabber (no idea what it's official name is!?) to reach some of the apples that were way up high.  There was also a bit of sampling going on while we were walking among the trees! : )

Ticonderoga Farms Pumpkin Patch

We decided to start the Pumpkin Patch season off with a visit to Ticonderoga Farms.  It was their preview weekend so it wasn't too crowded which was really nice (and it was cheaper than the normal weekend price!)  It turned out to be a great day ... the weather was good, the crowds were small, and we all had a lot of fun!

There are a lot of different things for the kids to play around on and climb in and out of.  Lots of tunnels, a pirate ship, swings, teeter totters, a jumping pillow, and some musical instruments were some of the things that kept the kids entertained.

Probably the best part for everyone though was the slides!  We really like the set up at Ticonderoga because there are about 8 slides in the middle of the farm.  You can just stay right there and keep sliding but on different slides each time!  The kids like these slides because there is no "rule" that you have to sit and go feet first down the slide ... I didn't get any pictures of the different attempts but Kylee and Ryland tried some belly and backwards sliding. : )

There are a few fire pits set up also.  The concession stand conveniently sells all the ingredients necessary to make s'mores!  Yum!  I think I could have stayed there for a while making a few more to eat. : )

Back by the hayride there is also a cow train for the kids to ride on.  Ryland wanted to give it a whirl.  Kylee was unsure at first so I went on with Ryland ... thank goodness I did.  That little train gives quite a bumpy ride.  It was so bumpy that Ryland was actually coming out of his pants!? ... and that was with me holding him!?  He loved it though!  After we did the hayride and the new slides a few times Kylee was up for a ride on the cow train ... I was not!  Pete ended taking over the cow train duties and went on with Kylee and then again with Ryland.

Here is a bit of the cow train ride when Pete and Kylee were on it. If you listen closely you can hear some of the moans and groans coming from Pete as he bounces along. : )

We definitely had a lot of fun at the farm and only left because they were closing ... we were the last ones to leave actually!  We just might have to go back again before the season is over. : )

School's in Session!

Kylee's school year is off to a great start!  She is in the Butterfly Class and goes to school 4 days a week.

Here is a picture on her from the first day of school ... note the outfit of choice for her new class. : )

This is the second day of school when we had a bit more time to get some pictures outside. : )

Garden Maze at Luray Caverns

At the end of the summer we decided to try the Garden Maze (and Fudge Factory ... well the Fudge Factory gift shop!) at Luray Caverns.  It turned out to be a great little adventure.  It was hot so we thought it might be a bit much but the maze had misters throughout the whole thing that really helped in cooling everyone off.  The big kids were super and had fun looking for the four checkpoints that we needed in order to stamp our tickets.  Kenzie was very content in her backpack and enjoyed being along for the ride ... she even took a little nap while we were walking around.  We finished in about an hour or so which we thought was pretty good considering we had two kids walking around with us (and that we backtracked in order to find all of the checkpoints.)

Happy Birthday Pop Pop

Knoebles

 At the end of the summer Amy called to tell us that she had unused passes for Knoebles and they were heading out later in the week to use them.  It didn't take much thinking on our part, Kylee and Ryland LOVE Knoebles.  They were very excited when they found out that we were heading to Pennsylvania to join Nana, Grandad, Aunt Amy, Jack, and Aunt Laura to join them at the park.

It turned out to be another great day at the amusement park.  Kylee and Ryland rode just about everything that they were big enough to ride!

Kylee, Ryland, and Jack loved "driving" the cars.  There was no line so they went on a few times in a row!

This is one of my favorite pics from the day.  It may look like just an empty car but nope ... Ryland is in there driving!  Ha!  If you look really close you can see a little piece of his head over the steering wheel!  Ha!

The whip is always a big hit with the kids.  They even got to ride on the big whip with Pete this year.  As you can see, Kylee is getting to be a little braver on some of the rides and putting her hands up. : )

We are already looking forward to heading to Knoebles again next year ... hopefully Kenzie will enjoying the rides as much as her sister and brother do! : )

Frying Pan Farm Festival

Over the summer we went to the Frying Pan Farm Festival with our friends, the Schlegels.

The first day we spent riding the rides.  Even though Ryland wasn't tall enough to ride most of them he managed to keep a smile for most of the day and we found a few that he enjoyed.  Kylee was excited to see that there was a Scrambler at the fair and Pete even toughed it out and rode all the spinning rides with her. : )

Kylee and Bryaden took a spin on the little Jeeps.  It was the same Jeep ride that we put the two of them on two years ago, when they were 2, at the same festival.  Oddly enough Ryland wasn't tall enough for this ride either!? : (

We were able to get some good pictures of the two big kids though.  Here is a comparison of them from the last time.  I'm sure you could figure it out but the top three pictures of from this year and the bottom three are from 2010.

We went back to the farm the next night for a Touch a Truck event and an outdoor movie of Cars 2!  We got there nice and early to make sure we had good seats for the movie.  After eating a picnic supper the kids decided to get up and dance to the music playing over the speakers.  (Kylee wasn't as into the pictures of her dancing.)

Then we headed over to the Touch a Truck and all the kids had a blast pretending to drive all the different trucks that were set up.  Even Kenzie got to drive a tractor!

It turned out to be a great two days at the farm and hopefully they will do the same thing next year.  The kids had a lot of fun!