Fall Is Here

And for us, that always means a trip to Linvilla Orchards for pumpkin and apple-picking. Normally we go in October, but obviously we have other plans this year!



The girls had fun exploring the usual haunts at Pumpkinland, and Emily was pleasantly surprised to find they added a couple princesses this year!







Next we went for a hayride, and thanks to the fact that it's a weekday and that it had been pouring rain just a couple hours earlier (don't let the blue sky deceive you!), we had the ride almost all to ourselves. The girls got a little antsy as the tractor driver was waiting to see if anyone else would join us, but soon realized that a hay fight was the perfect way to pass the time.







Once we got going, both girls had a lot of fun, and for the first time, Emily was really interested in identifying all the trees and plants as we were passing them. We saw the pumpkin patch, apple and peach trees, and raspberry bushes.





Seeing the apple trees got us all excited for our last stop of the day: the apple orchard for apple-picking!







With all the rain we've had recently, and even earlier today, the girls and I were prepared for mud with our rain boots, but considering everything seemed to have dried up quickly, all they were really good for was a photo op!





As always, we had such a fun day and made out with a nice bounty of apples, but not too much since we won't be home to enjoy them for much longer!

Coloring Teamwork

Today is Pop-Pop's birthday, so yesterday the girls made a card for him. It might be a little uninspired (and similar to the card we made for Mimi what seems like ages ago), but I knew it would be something both girls could easily do without much help from me.





I was right, and both of them had a lot of fun with it (although Kate made a strange smile to show for it). The card says it all: Happy Birthday, Pop-Pop! We love you!

A Mythical Adventure

Today Emily and I went to Tyler Arboretum to celebrate her best friend Caitie's birthday. Despite a week straight of rain, with more forecasted today, the skies were clear and the sun was shining bright, making it a perfect day for outdoor discovery as we toured the treehouse and magical habitats exhibitions.




We walked through a path lined with scarecrows decorated by other visitors on our way to the first treehouse on our tour. After we walked through the covered bridge and down wooden steps, we found a surprise waiting for us: a chest filled with dress-up clothes! Emily was thrilled with the "cowboy" hat she found, along with the log chairs, the first set of many we'd see.





Next, we arrived at the troll bridge, complete with a little hut with a tiny door perfectly sized for a little troll. Just beyond the bridge was a bamboo tunnel that led into two circles with more log chairs and a bright purple fairy door in the second one.






After knocking on the fairy door and pondering what a cattail-like stem might be for a fairy (one little girl suggested a hairbrush, while a little boy suggested a toilet plunger!), we moved onto our second treehouse. It was a little bit of a tease for some of the kids since the top deck was inaccessible, but they enjoyed the lower deck nonetheless.



From there, we started the magical habitats exhibition by checking out the gnome home. Woodland gnomes apparently like to live under or between large trees and enjoy eating berries, nuts, mushrooms, and...ant eggs? Yuck!



Past the gnome home, we entered the magical path, with villages, hamlets, and castles, created for gnomes, fairies, wizards, goblins, and other magical folk. We even spotted a few flower fairies in the trees!








Next we found the strummin' and drummin' exhibit, a giant guitar created from a huge fallen scarlet oak and an oversized drum made from its stump. Inside the guitar were different instruments the kids could use to make their own music.





Our last stop included a birdhouse treehouse and a giant nest complete with giant bird eggs. The kids didn't mind that our tour had come to an end because they knew it meant that it was almost time for cake!



We then went inside for pizza and cake, and the kids were all smiles -- even Caitie's baby brothers, Nick and Ben, who are getting so big!



Because we weren't quite ready to leave after saying our goodbyes, Emily and I explored the last set of treehouses on our way out...until we started getting attacked by stink bugs. Then neither of us needed any convincing to get out of there!



Happy Birthday, Caitie! We had so much fun today!