Our first tradition is apple picking. Who doesn't love a good apple?! I know I do! We always try to get a huge group to go together. This year we had our Uncle Matt, Aunt Erin, Magnolia, baby Zaza, Uncle Jon, Aunt Sam, Holly, our neighbors Jay and Hudson. This year we even had my sister and law and her son join us. What a group! We head over to our favorite place called Indian Ladder Farms, if you're local it's right in Altamont. We love it there. Not only can you get your apples there, but they also have the best cider doughnuts! They have a lovely store/gift shop and cafe inside. Along with animals to check out and a huge sand pit for the kids to play in. If Henry didn't have to take a nap we could honestly stay there all day. We all have so much fun. Bonus, if you don't like to pick apples then they have a bunch that are pre-picked for sale. This also happens to be where we take a our Christmas card photo. I am very cheap so if I can get a nice family picture for free, you can count me in. It can be a little tricky getting both kids to look at the camera at the same time but it's worth it. The apple orchard provides the perfect back drop for a beautiful family photo.
Next up on our list of fall traditions is the pumpkin patch. Another big favorite for our family. We normally head out to Pick a Pumpkin pumpkin patch but this year our plans got a little derailed. We wanted to go on a Saturday but the weather was supposed to be very cold with a lot of rain, even possible flurries. A few of the kids had just gotten over being sick so we really didn't want them out in that. Last minute because Daddy goes into work late on Thursdays we decided on a quick morning trip to Sunnyside Gardens out in Saratoga. It took us about 30 to 40 mins to drive there, it's actually not far from our church. We invited my sister to come along and we had a great morning. They had a huge selection of pumpkins to choose from along with a train we could all ride (for a small price of course). They had plenty of treats to choose from and a cool train display that the kids loved. I personally prefer Pick a Pumpkin. It takes a little but longer to get too but well worth it in my opinion. They have lots of free activities for the kids that include animals to look at, a corn kernel pit to play in, a corn maze and you get to go on a tractor to the pumpkin patch (for free). While Sunnyside Gardens is very cute and the kids had a great time, it's just a little much when it comes to spending money. They had a lot of character cut outs for the kids too look at, but you had to pay for the train ride ($3 per person which includes both kids and adults), and you also had to pay for a tractor ride ($5 person again both kids & adults), we decided to skip that for the train ride instead. We did have a good time but I am definitely looking forward to a Pick a Pumpkin next year!
They did have a huge pumpkin that the kids could sit on which was pretty sweet!
Character cut outs, they had a lot to look at. Trolls, Peppa Pig, The Incredibles & a ton more!
They also had a little photo opt inside which was so cute! Side note, Penelope looks so grown in this picture and kind of makes me want to cry a little.
Once we finish at the pumpkin patch, we carve our pumpkins. It usually ends up being the next night but this time we had planned it and we got to carve them after dinner the same day we got them! I try to go for very simple designs because let's face it, right now at 2 & 5 who do you think is carving the pumpkins? Oh yes that's right, that would be mom. This year we went with a ghost for Henry and a cat for Nella. Pumpkin carving is a family affair for sure. We usually end up at my mom & dads all around the dining room table making magic!
This picture pretty much sums up our night. Moms are happy it's over, Mimi is ready to run for the hills, baby is over tired, Adora is a moody teenager and then we've got Henry who's ready for more candy.
Another one of our favorite fall activities is when we head over to our local church to attend their Harvest Festival. I'm pretty sure just about every church has some sort of fall celebration. And you guessed it, it's pretty much all free. We went to Faith Baptist right in Rexford (our first church we decided to go to together before we even got married). They have truck or treat, where everyone decorates the trunk of their car as something (people go all out for this and you will see some pretty sweet designs). They had a bounce house, a rock climbing wall, inside they had tons of games for the kids, a little photo op and food and drinks (for a small price. We're taking 25 cents for popcorn & 50 cents for a doughnut. Now those are prices I can get behind!) All in all it's a great time for such a small price, it's totally worth it in my book, and another chance for your kids to get another wear out of their costumes.
Next up we have Halloween. Our evening starts around 4:30. I feed the kids a quick, early dinner (usually just sandwiches and some fruit) and we head over to my moms. The cider trucks (it's just our local fire truck, they hand out cider and doughnuts FOR FREE!) always goes down her street at around 5 o'clock, so we try to get over there for that. We have our favorite friends, Magnolia and Holly with us for trick or treating. This year we had sweet Eloise tagging along. We grabbed some doughnuts and cider from the truck and went on our way to get some candy. We generally just go up and down my parents street and then head over to Scottie's parents for more treats from Grandma & Papa. Once we finish up hanging out there for a little while we head over to Scottie's Uncle Dave's and Aunt Karens. They love Halloween and always have yummy treats for the kids and adults. That's our last stop before we call it a night.
Everyone killed it this year with their costumes. Nella was a cat, Henry was a mouse, Magnolia was Jesse from Toy Story, and Miss Holly was Curella De Vil!
My sweet little niece, Maya, was an avocado and Miss Eloise was baby Groot.
Trick or treating at Grandma and Papa's!
Another Halloween in the books. November is a blur. We have my birthday right in the beginning of the month, then we've got my mother-in-laws birthday on the 15th, Penelope's the next day, her party is squeezed in there, then Thanksgiving. Once Thanksgiving is over I'm in full holiday mode. We start decorating for Christmas & get our tree! What are some of the fall traditions your family likes to do?
Here's a sweet little throw back of our Nella Bean on her first Halloween!
No comments:
Post a Comment