Eckert's

We went to Eckert's in Millstadt this year, and for the first time we DIDN'T get lost. It is at least the third time we've been, and every time we get lost. But not this time!

We jumped on the new pillow balloon things, and the kids loved them!

 

Giant tire swings are always a hit.  I didn't see them last year, so I don't know if they were new or if we just missed them last year. 

I LOVE this picture...I love how C is looking at Z.  So cute, my boys!

We fed a few animals.  No one really loved it. 

Rode the wagon train tractor thing.

Headed out to pick apples.  Bummed because I got a Groupon for us to go out cheaper (no way could we or would we have paid $60 to go to Eckerts for the day...Groupons and another B1G1 made it doable).  At any rate, we had to go earlier in the year than we did last year, so the Fuji apples weren't ripe, and we ended up with Golden Delicious, which are not at all my favorite.  Sidenote, I didn't start liking apples until I was an adult, and only now do I like Fujis, Galas, and Granny Smith apples.  We got them, but Z (who feels about apples like I do) grabbed one, took a bite, and said, "no, Mom, this one is mushy"...that sums up how we feel about apples.  :)  But we got some Golden Delicious and I made a pie...and when it is baked and covered in sugar, who cares if it's mushy?!

I love this picture because it just captures L's habit!  The kid LOVES to collect stuff. He will walk around with all the red blocks, or will pick out the orange beads, or with all the Cars cars, or with all of the shapes flashcards.  And heaven forbid you should try to mess with his collection! 

There is this huge tunnel slide that the kids loved.  I think they went down it 5 times each.  They were moving sloooowly on those last few times up the hill.  Poor L (my pokey puppy on any given day!) was so far behind the other boys that Nate just carried him up the last time.  :) 

And then my camera ran out of batteries.  We watched the pig races, and I was so proud of Z for actully volunteering to be involved--he cheered for a pig.  But this is big, this was the first time I have ever seen him raise his hand to be involved...normally he looks at me like I'm nuts if I even suggest he raise his hand. 

We ate some funnel cake (man, I love that stuff), and watched the pumpkin cannon, where Z volunteered again!  This time he got to crack the stem off of a pumpkin (fun stuff, right)? 

We had a great time, and the boys were wiped out.  They made it home before they passed out (thankfully). 

Outside fun

Boys. 

Outside.

Fun.

I am so glad that the boys love to be outside.  It is so much better than being trapped in the house.  But only until it is cold out...then it's not so fun for me.  I have finally convinced them that it is more fun in the backyard:  gated in, easy for mom to keep an eye on them, nothing (well, they are 4 boys...) for them to get into trouble with, I can see it and hear everything from the kitchen window.  The front yard....well, not so much fun.  So I have been working on pumping up the fun in the backyard, and I think I have finally won! 

Here's a few pics...and yes, Z has been using that stick with two swings.  His new favorite thing is to sit on the stick and swing between the two swings.  He has only fallen once ;) 

Playing in the leaves

The two oak trees in our front yard give us quite a lot of leaves.  Nothing like Mom's old front and back yard, which I am sooo grateful to not have to deal with anymore...one of the few silver linings of not having Mom around anymore ;)  The acorns have had a bumper crop this year, too, which has made L so happy...the kid collects stuff like you wouldn't believe!  There are so many acorns that Nate actually took the shopvac out into the yard to suck them all up (after they were all in  a pile). 

At any rate, we (ok, Nate) normally mows them all up and then puts all the clipping in the mulch pile.  But before we mow them, we normally do a quick rake up so that the kids can play in them.  Z loved it, and after a bit of time, the little boys did too.  Z kind of attacked it like a slip n slide, where he ran and slid.  C loved to just drive the cozy coupe through it.  L wasn't totally into it, but N got into it and loved playing with Z.  We tried teaching them to throw the leaves up and let them fall back onto themselves, but that turned ugly quickly!  Leaves on me, leaves in hoods, down pants, in hair, being hit with leaves and sticks...well, we tried.  :)  The good part of the boys playing for so long in them is that THEY did a lot of the grinding up of the leaves.  The pile, when they were all done with it, was probably half the size that it was when they started. 

Eckerts

We haven't dropped off the face of the planet...more on that later...

Today we went apple picking at Eckert's (yes,this mama did take a lot of pictures, so be prepared).  I don't remember the last time I went and picked fruit of any sort.  Eckert's has a fall fun farm, though, and we had 3 free passes (courtesy of Frugalouis!).  It was a sunny, beautiful fall day. 

And fun farm it is!!!  Not only are there apple orchards and a pumpkin patch that you ride on a wagon to get to, there are carnival rides, tractor rides, pig races, slides, sandboxes, animals to pet and feed, food, and a pumpkin cannon.

We got there a little after 9 this morning (I somehow got us lost, but we made it there by sheer luck, I think!). 

Z was a pro at feeding the goats and cows and deer, I guess from past times at different places (Grant's Farm, I guess?).  C loved them as well, and warmed right up (but he loves animals of any sort).  N was worried at first, but then started to like them, and L just really didn't care one way or the other. 

 
We jumped on the wagon to tow us out to the orchard.  Our first stop was for Fuji apples, then we got back on again to get Granny Smith.  And let me say, YUM.  I rarely just eat an apple whole, but these were so good I was happy to eat them.  The little boys have never just eaten a whole apple, but they loved to do it today.  Again, C attacked the apples and loved to eat them.  Z loved them too (in fact, he ate 2 whole apples for dinner tonight, too!).  All the boys enjoyed picking the apples off the tree, and we had to keep the little boys from grabbing the rotten ones off the ground.  Z was in charge of the bag to collect the apples.  We probably walked home with about 4 pounds of apples, and ate probably another 2 as we picked.  :) 

 I love this pic, and that it was unposed (although we did tell Z to go sit by Daddy, the other boys just kind of plopped down). 

After all the apples had been picked, we looked at the time and decided to forego the pumpkin patch (we're going to a different one later this month).  So instead of waiting for the wagon again, we just hiked down this huge hill.  Z sprinted down, and the little boys all kind of looked at it, then decided that they had better turn around and go down backwards (like they do on the stairs) or at least on their bottoms.  Pretty cute. 

From there we hit the big long slide that is "under ground".  Z loved it and probably went down it half a dozen times while the little boys petted and fed more animals.  Then we hit the pig races...wish I had a video of all the boys making their pig noises!

We rode on a tractor ride (pretty lame, actually), but as we were on the ride, Z saw the apple barrel ride, and he was so pumped.  I am NOT a spinny ride person, but Nate is.  So I took the little boys to the sandbox while they waited in line, then we walked over to watch.  Nate had the thing spinning like crazy...so much so that I was thinking HE would be the one to deal with the sick kid, not me!  Apparently at first Z was kind of wigged out, but Nate played it off as no biggie, and then Z decided it was fun.  And no puke or dizziness when they got off :) 

We finished by watching the pumpkin cannon and eating funnel cake (for me, mostly!)

We were leaving by about 1150 because we had to get home for a soccer game for Z.  I thought we would have time for the boys to grab a quick snooze in the car, stop at McD's, then be awake til we got home, Z and I would go, and Nate would stay home and put the little boys down for a real nap. 

The best laid plans.....I got us lost, AGAIN.  Twice in one day.  From the same place.  You would think I would have been more concerned about it when we were leaving, but apparently I didn't have enough concern.  We got so turned around we finally had to stop and ask for directions.  When I finally had a chance to look at a map (at home), I realized we thought we were going south but were actually going north.  Ugh, what a mess.  Needless to say, kids napped for nearly an hour, we didn't have time to get lunch, boys weren't going to nap again.  So we all went to Z's game, where Papa Dan joined us as well.  We grabbed McD on the way home from the game (yes, at 215!), had the kids eat, and put them in bed to "nap".  The only person who slept was Nate :) 

We played outside some more, chatted with neighbors, went on a walk, ate a quick dinner, bathed them down (sand, dirt, apple juice, funnel cake, peanut butter...the signs of a good day), and popped them in bed around 630.  Then we watched How to Train Your Dragon with Z.

Fun, fun day.  Everyone was (is) pretty wiped, but we had a great time...another fun thing to look foward to for next year!