A Trip to the Pumpkin Patch

Sophia's preschool class had another field trip today and this time, it was to a fairly local pumpkin patch.  I had decided early on that I would take Jack with us.  I knew that it would be something that he would thoroughly enjoy, and siblings were more than welcome to attend.  Yes, he was thrilled and talked about it nonstop this week, leading up to today.

Of course, the weather was not very favorable for this outside venture; that is, it took me nearly 30 minutes (the whole ride home) to thaw back out.  And that is saying quite a bit, considering that I have my own personal furnace baking inside me right now.  Yes, the wind was downright wicked and the temperature hovered at 40 degrees. 

The wagon ride was short and sweet.  Just enough for the preschoolers to say that they rode on one. 

And then, we hopped off so that the kids could each pick out their very own personal pumpkin from the patch. 

Jack was rather indecisive, but finally settled on one long enough for me to have his name written on the bottom.  Thus, he was not changing his mind again.  Ha!

 

All smiles despite the frigid temperature:

Eventually, we were able to congregate inside a small building so that the kids could have a snack -- freshly-popped popcorn and some apple juice.  And, a story too!

Even though the weather was hard on us, we made the best of it ... and I chuckled as I listened to my two little ones chatter in the back seat the whole way home about how fun it was.

Carving Pumpkins

While I was at work last night, the kids carved their pumpkins with the neighbors next door.  I had planned to do this tomorrow night (our only real "open" night of the week), but it was a great chance to spend time with their friends and check that Halloween task off of our list of things to do this week!

I can imagine that there was some chaos involved (six kids all scraping gooey guts out of their pumpkins), but it was a wonderful idea to do it outside.  Less mess and better clean up, I'm sure.

Clearly, Jack was not sure of this whole messy activity:

Over time, he must have warmed up to the idea a bit, while the girls are nearly experts by now.

That's my smiling girl -- how fitting that she would choose a "happy pumpkin" face to match her personality.

The five youngest kids, posing with their masterpieces:

And kudos to the photographer (Steve), who knew that I would want to have that special night documented with pictures.  He knows me so well.

Our Little Spartan Family

We are big Michigan State Spartan fans in the this household, especially during college football season.  A lot of the Fall Saturday afternoons are spent with the game on and us in our green and white colors.

We decided to take a quick family picture on the day of the annual Michigan/Michigan State game.  This was no small feat, as we were using the timer on the camera and working with five individuals to all smile (or at least look at the camera) at the same time.  I am not going to share exactly how many outtakes there really were. 

In the end, this was our best photo:

Wow -- my belly is certainly looking big these days.  Little Brother is definitely growing and measuring a little ahead of schedule (as is typical for me and my babies).  We will meet the little man in less than 14 weeks.  Time seems to be flying by ...

My little ones

Two sisters, who are so very different in looks and personality.  I couldn't love them more if I tried.

And it wouldn't be real life if I didn't include one of the outtakes.  Clearly, Jack was done with this whole photo-shoot thing ...

 

 

It was a great game that day; a real upset to Michigan fans in the last 10 seconds of the game.  Thank goodness for a chance to rewind and watch the last few seconds that I missed.  (I had started baths for the kids when I heard Steve yelling for me from the back family room). 

 

Go MSU!

Trick-Or-Treating at Sleepy Hollow State Park

Every year, the state park that is located about 15 minutes from our house, hosts a trick-or-treating night.  It seems that it is an event that the campers look forward to, as they reserve their camping sites more than six months in advance.  A lot of them decorate and then pass out candy from 5-6 pm on the chosen date.

We have never participated until this year, as we were invited by one of Steve's coworkers to come to their site and go trick-or-treating with them.  The weather was cold and rainy, but we made the best of it.  After all, I already had the kids' Halloween costumes and it was an opportunity to get a little more use out of them! 

A quick family pic before the kids changed into their costumes ...

Samantha was not thrilled when I insisted that she wear at least one long-sleeved shirt under her mermaid costume.  I also urged her to wear both gloves and a headband.  (Side note:  Despite having an extra layer of clothes on, it was actually Samantha that was COLD and begging to head back to the camp site long before her siblings were ready to throw in the towel.  Hmmmm).

Hopping down from the changing station, aka the back of the van:

A mermaid, a lady bug and a pirate -- all dressed in boots and gloves for an hour of chilly/rainy trick-or-treating:

Jack was a complete hoot to watch.  He was faster than each of the girls, and ran from one site to the next saying, "trick-or-treat" and "thank you" to each and every person.  It was like he just simply knew what to do ...

Often, we actually had to encourage Jack to just slow down and wait for us.

Posing by one of the spooky campy sites:

Over all, it was a nice time.  The kids each ended up with a full gallon-sized bag of candy (which I am rationing out) and tired little legs that forced them to sleep well that night.  I think that we will definitely try to do this again next year ...

A Field Trip to an Apple Orchard

I chuckle to myself each Fall when I get a letter home from school announcing that one of the kids is taking a field trip to a local orchard.  You see, growing up on an orchard all during my childhood ... and now working there ... means that my kids are an active part of it too.  They go with me to the orchard every Sunday morning and sometimes during the week.  They love it!

So, the idea of going to another orchard is kind of anti-climatic for me, but I guess that, to the kids, they just view it as a chance to go somewhere that they already enjoy.  They look forward to it with such anticipation and I love to capture that feeling in pictures.

Sophia and I went on her field trip last week, and it was so special to spend some quality one-on-one time afterwards too.  (A special thanks to Grammy for watching Jack at home!).  We know how to dress for outside weather -- boots, jeans, warm outerwear -- unlike some of the other kids in her class that dressed in poor shoes for traipsing through the orchard!

Starting our venture out into the orchard -- through the wet grass!

I couldn't resist a quick picture of my little girl next to an apple tree:

With her friend, Isabella:

First in line, following our tour guide:

Finding the last few dandelions of the season:

Receiving a quick lesson in grafting:

Learning about 18-bushel bins of apples:

Checking out the "cider apples:"

Watching cider being made:

And the highlight of the field trip?  Cider and donuts!

Posing with a few pumpkins before we left the orchard:

Afterwards, I surprised Sophia with a lunch date.  Just her and me.  It was a perfect day!