Annual Fall Activities

Tanner's Orchard

Collin and I made our annual trip to Tanner's with the ward's playgroup on a Friday morning.

Unfortunately, this particular Friday they decided to charge the weekend rate ($5 per adult, $7 per child) without publicizing it. Fortunately, they also decided to run the weekend activities (pony rides, barrel train rides). Unfortunately, my child is a pansy and wouldn't do any of the special rides. Fortunately, children under two get in free (Collin), and a worker lady came up to me in line and whispered, "My manager said to let pregnant ladies in for free today" (thank goodness I'm actually showing this pregnancy!).

In case you think my pansy comment was out of place, this is Collin in the PARKED barrel train ride. He would have nothing to do with parting with me to go on the moving ride.

Side Story: This month Collin has gone from calling this machine a "car," to calling it a "corn car," to (just today) calling it a "tractor." I can't believe how quickly toddlers learn!

All in all, I was pretty put out by the commericialism of it all and didn't spend a dime. Don't worry; they are making plenty!

Apple Blossom Farm

Instead of returning to Tanner's with Daddy on Saturday, we decided to head to the farm about two minutes from our house. We'd never gone before, but the playground was free (for everyone, all the time), and it was far less crowded.

We played on their large wooden toys (a dump truck, a train, an airplane, a fire truck).

Side Story: In September we went to this farm with the ward's playgroup, and Collin kept calling all the steering wheels "lights." I told Ryan about it that evening while we were driving to St Louis. We were both stumped, until we starting passing the monstrous windmills in southern Illinois, and Collin again began calling them "lights" too. LIGHTBULB: The ceiling fan in our living room has a light in the center, so Collin calls it a "light." Thus, all fans (and steering wheels with 'spokes') are called lights. Of course, now he's caught on and each time he sees a windmill he blows air to show wind. Smarty pants!

While we were there, we also took a hay wagon ride. Collin loved it! We planned on picking pumpkins, but the patch was pretty well-picked over, so we just bought two pumkpins in their store.

It was a great day. You can probably tell from the pictures that we have had an unusually warm fall around the midwest. It was in the mid-80s both days we were at the farms. Crazy for October, but really very pleasant.

Unrelated Fall Activity

Ryan needed to change the oil in his car before we headed to the farm, and we've been acquring some tools for Collin. So while I cleaned up the house, Collin and Daddy headed outside to work on the car.When I went to check on how things we going, this is the cute little boy I found. He couldn't have been happier in his goggles with his own tools under the hood. How cute is that!?