West Ham Photo Day

It was Photo Day for the Hammers and a game against Chelsea. We had decided not to buy the photos and hoped to catch a good photo of the team together.   After hearing the parents complain about the quality of the photos, we are happy that we made that decision.

After the pictures, we were ready for some soccer.  There was a lot of rain in the forecast and we got very lucky that was a little bit of rain but it was very manageable.  Chelsea was a formidable opponent and there was a little too much offense in the end.  The defense helped save the Hammers from a bigger loss. 

Our Hammers.

Gaver Farm Fall Fun Festival

The boys had off their first of numerous days in the month of October and we decided on Gaver Farm.  We had been checking social media ad it was really crowded over the weekends so we had hopes for it to be better on a Monday.

Apparently, other parents had the same thoughts and there was a line to get in.  Fortunately, Gaver is huge and there are so many activities that despite it being crowded, there was either no wait or minimal wait on everything except for the jumping pillow.  The jumping pillow is always full of kids and you typically just have to wait for the group in front of you's turn to end.

Gaver has a lot of slides and the boys make sure to take advantage of all of them.  We had time and they were able to ride them numerous times. 

This year, we actually walked through the corn maze.  Previously, the boys have showed little interest but I asked and they were up for it.  We definitely got lost for a bit, which is normal, right, but eventually found our way.

As the boys get older, they are able to take advantage and appreciate all of the ball games that they offer.  Connor never tires of the slides and while Jackson was building a log cabin, he took so many turns down this slide and the other nearby ones.  Jackson was obsessed with the log cabin building and it was hard to pry him away but we eventually convinced him.

Despite how much the boys really like the corn maze, I had them get out quickly because it was
overcrowded and DUSTY. The amount of dust coming out of that little house was insane.

Luckily, I was able to direct the boys to Pigskin Pitch and the animals, which are penned.

Penned in alpacas are on Connor's list as he still is scared of them after the Baugher's incident years ago.  We spent a good bit of time watching this mama pig take care of her piglets.  The boys were in awe of  how she was able to feed all of them.

We had picked up cups of food and the boys were excited to see the goats.  Last year, Connor was able to try to feed the goats. This year, he was NOT interested.  He was scared of the goats touching his hand, jumping over the fence and I'm not sure exactly what else because he was not having any of it.  What he was capable of doing was tossing the food in through the fence.

Eventually, I gave Jackson his cup and he took care of feeding the goats.  He was so proud of himself and appeared to think that he was having a conversation with the goats.  Jackson LOVED every bit of it as much as Connor did not like it.

After cleaning our hands and using sanitizer, we were off to board the tractor that was going to take us to the pumpkin patch.  On our way, we spotted the christmas trees that Gaver has been growing. Despite it being so far away, we may have to consider driving out here to get our tree.

Once we arrived, I cautioned the boys to only pick pumpkins that they could carry.  Jackson really struggled with this concept and was trying to pick the biggest pumpkin.  He is really strong and could carry most of the pumpkins a short distance but I had to remind him that he had to carry it long enough to be able to get to the tractor.

After we picked our pumpkins, it was time to leave as the boys have soccer practice on Mondays. We had so much fun at Gaver and this is definitely on our list of places to go and explore during Fall Fun Festival season.

Star Wars Jammies for the Win

It was finally cold enough for the boys to be able to wear long pajamas.  And,  it wouldn't be fitting for our Star Wars loving boys to reach for anything other than R2D2 and Yoda.  We recently discovered how amazing that  the Hanna Andersson pajamas are and that they do Star Wars along with the Peanuts gang. It's a total win win.

There is nothing better than freshly showered boys and adorable pajamas.  And, it will probably be 20 degrees warmer in a day or two so they'll be back in to the short johns.

Apple picking at Larriland

Michael had to go in to work and the boys and I decided that Fall Festivals aren't really his thing so we decided that it was the perfect day to pick apples at Larriland Farms. Upon arriving, we were happy to see that they had  jonagold, which would be good for eating and baking an apple crisp and red delicious for Connor.

We have been picking apples the last couple of years and each time it is just as exciting.  The boys grabbed their bags and led the way by following the signs to the red delicious.  Jackson isn't as big of a fan of apples as Connor is.  Connor and I were able to indulge in some apple immediately after picking.

Even though he doesn't eat the apples as much as Connor and I, Jackson was happy to help pick.  If he is going to eat apples, he does like the tart ones so the joanagold were going to be good for him. Unfortunately, it wasn't time to pick the granny smith apples yet. We discuss the possibilities of coming back when the granny smith apples are in season.

After apple picking, we checked out the surrounding grounds.  Larriland was very organized compared to Baugher's.  It wasn't overly crowded, you didn't need to wait in a long line to get to the apples and in the same long line to get back to the starting point AND all the animals were penned, which is a big thing for Connor after he was chased by an alpaca at Baughers.

The boys and I found a table by the pond and shared some apple fritter donuts and lemonades, both of which were delicious.  After the snack, we checked in on the animals before we left.

We can definitely see future trips to Larriland for apple picking.