The Vance's: October 2013

pumpkin patch adventure #2

>> October 24, 2013

With the fantastic fall weather we've been having we decided to take the kids out to another local pumpkin patch. Matt had to take off a day of work in the middle of the week for Lucy's speech therapy appointment so we thought it'd be fun to make it a family day!

I also thought I was a genius for suggesting a pumpkin patch day in the middle of the week to avoid the weekend crowds. Umm, I was dead wrong. As were were driving up to the farm we noticed bus after bus along with a full parking lot of cars! I guess I completely forgot about those fun preschool field trips that occur during the week. Luckily as long as we timed it right, most of the groups weren't in the same area we were so it wasn't too chaotic.

It was fun visiting a new farm and letting the kids explore new activities. Carter loved the rubber duck water races. Such a clever little thing to nail down a gutter at an angle and provide some water. Super simple and lots of entertainment!

They had super cute swings too.

And the hay barn! There were actually 2 hay barns at the farm. This one was a huge empty barn full of hay the kids could jump into. The other one was a hay maze. Picture a super old wooden barn with low beams just at the right level for an adult to bump their head with hay bales set up in a maze. Then picture 438 preschoolers running throughout the barn, on 3 levels attempting to find the exit. Add in a super fast slide, 19 adults who are stuck in the middle, no electricity and you have pure chaos. I was so happy to leave that barn as soon as I found Carter amongst the other 900 children.
But…this first barn was awesome. :)

And our favorite activity….the corn pit! Instead of a sandbox there was a huge pit full of dried corn! Carter loved running through there, making corn angels, having races and getting corn in every single little crevice of his body.

It took Lucy a little while to warm up to the idea, but once she climbed in she was all smiles.

This picture cracks me up! I don't think she was really trying to clobber him, but still hilarious.

After a quick snack and some hot cocoa we made our way over to the pumpkins.

Little Lucy. Huge scarecrow.

Even though it was foggy and cold, it was still a beautiful fall day.

Such a great mid-week family day that was so desperately needed. We will for sure be back again next year!

annual StoneyRidge trip.

A few weeks ago we made the drive back up to Bellingham (well, technically Everson) for our annual trip to StoneyRidge Farm. Yes, we realize there are many other wonderful pumpkin patches closer to our house but there is just something about Stoneyridge that brings back wonderful memories. This was our 5th or 6th year in a row going and it never gets old. We always meet up the same friends, walk around the farm in the same order, eat the same food and take pretty much the same pictures. It's tradition. And I LOVE it!

The morning we left it was dumping rain at our place. Luckily driving an hour north provided plenty of sunshine the entire day!

I got right to work taking pictures of every single second of the day. Of course, the kids weren't as enthused.

Best family shot we could get.

Every year I see these cute families patiently standing in line to go and patiently stand in front of the sign and grin a big smile while posing next to the pumpkins. And then there is my family. This pretty much sums up every year. But again, why break tradition?

Carter and the Glanzer girls loved feeding the goats.

And Lucy adored the ducks. This was the first time she let me put her down from my arms and didn't move for about 15 minutes.

She wasn't as fond with the barrel of pumpkins.

Then the food eating began. We always grab a bag of fresh, warm apple cider donuts.

Then it's off to the hot dog stand by the campfire. The kids play on the playground, the parents chit chat and we finally head over to the apple pie store for a delicious piece of homemade apple pie. My favorite part!

There is a huge tractor that provides hay rides down to the pumpkin patch but we never like waiting in line and always walk down together. Well, if you are Carter you run and drag your mom along down the path.

It was a gorgeous day!

Carter and Ellie always love to play on the tractor together.

And then we let them loose! We ended up with 6 kids playing together when we got down to the pumpkins and this was the first year we could really just let them run around together and explore. It was so fun to watch them chase each other, giggle and "pick" their perfect pumpkin.

Carter, Leah and Ellie were the 3 musketeers!

Finally it was off to the apple orchards for a little snack. Lucy wouldn't let that apple go for about 30 minutes.

We ventured back up to the farm, played a little longer and then said our goodbyes. It was the perfect day with some truly amazing friends. Can't wait for next year!

the start of fall.

>> October 7, 2013

We love summer around here. But, as the weather has been changing we've been embracing all the fun that fall has to offer!

Part of that means spending more time inside. The kids have been playing so well together (most of the time).

Fall also means lots of yummy baked treats! I probably bake 3-4 times a week and always try to have the kids help me. It's so much messier but I love how they are learning where our food comes from and trying new flavors as we try new recipes.

She is growing up. Way.too.fast.

These 2 love baths. It's not just a part of the nightly routine, but it's a whole experience. The toys, the splashing, the bubbles....very exciting stuff around here.

And they both love books. We go to the library every week to pick out new books and listen to story time. But, Carter usually requests to visit the bookstore at least once a week too. He sits for over an hour just reading through books and finding new stories. I love it!