November 6, 2013 / staceyj

Our Fall Round-Up

apple orchard, Center Grove Orchard, fall decor, fall fun, Halloween, Halloween school treats, Halloween treats, happy halloween, painting pumpkins, pumpkin patch, Pumpkin World, pumpkins

We love fall. We love Halloween. We love pumpkin patches and apple orchards. We love silly family photos with floppy hats and swords. We love candy, trick-or-treating and the Monster Mash. And we would love to share our adventures with you in our fall round-up!

Beaut.two and I kicked off our fall fun by heading to a local pumpkin patch. In my humble opinion, this is THE local spot to get any type of pumpkin or gourd or squash that your sweet fall lovin’ heart desires. Welcome to Pumpkin World!

If you are looking for traditional pumpkins for carving and decorating…they’ve got ’em!

Gourds for birdhouses? No problem. They’ve got one or two for you to choose from.

Something a bit more on the exotic side of the pumpkin/gourd/squash world? Well…they’ve got that covered too. Last year we went this route for our fall decor after a visit to Pumpkin World. I really enjoy walking around and dreaming about how we can decorate not just for Halloween but all the way through Thanksgiving.

Beaut.two was my guide for the day through this cornucopia of squash. Fun horticulture fact: pumpkins are actually squash, at least according to Wikipedia. In hindsight I think I may put too much blind faith in that whole Wikipedia thing-y.

First we searched for the perfect pumpkins…

…then we measured them to ensure they would be just right.

Once we picked our newest family members…(is it weird that I humanize common objects?)

…we loaded them into a trusty Radio Flyer wagon. And by we I mean he. He loaded. He loves showing off his muscles and brute strength. And what kind of mother would I be to deny him such joy?

What a trooper!

Our haul: Cinderella, peanut and Pokemon pumpkins, with some ambercup and carnival acorn squash thrown in for good measure.

My eyes! My eyes!

Beaut.two’s work for the day was far from over. He wheeled our newly acquired treasures to our truck.

And then helped his mamma load the pumpkins in the back all nice and snuggly next to our weekly groceries. The pumpkins and the pumpkin bread mix (heaven in a Trader Joe’s box) became fast friends.

After a short drive home, my boy was at it again…hauling pumpkins to our front steps.

We stopped to admire our work and take a wind-blown picture for good measure.

Here is the final product.

Me while gazing at our front door: “I think it was well worth all the effort don’t you?”

Beaut.two: “Can we go inside and have a glass of lemonade?”

Me: “You bet buddy.”

Beaut.two: “Can I watch an episode of Phineas and Ferb?”

Me: “Sure. You were a great help today!”

Beaut.two: “Can I have two cookies and an arm massage?”

Me: “Now you’re just pushing it.”

Beaut.two: “Lemonade and Phineas and Ferb it is!”

In addition to the pumpkins on our front porch, I hung an open frame I had in storage with some jute ribbon. I really like how it turned out. It is simple and rustic and fall-y.

The kids wanted to paint pumpkins again this year so I let them go nuts in my craft paint stash.

We had purples…

…and metallics…

…and polka dots.

We celebrated my birthday this fall with swimming, shopping, homemade gifts…

…and this! These funny face photos capture our family more accurately than anything else. We are silly and weird and nutty and I wouldn’t trade a second of it for the world. My birthday left me feeling grateful, celebrated and optimistic for the future.

Our fall wouldn’t be complete without a trip to our local apple orchard. Without a doubt, it is always one of our very favorite family activities each year. There are various places to stop and take fun photos. Here is this year’s traditional shot…

And last years. What a difference a year makes. My babies are no longer babies. Hold me.

We spend a fair amount of time riding various vehicles at the orchard. Mini tractors this year…

…and last.

Beaut.two ditched the whole mini-tractor gig this year and went for a serious upgrade. Mini tractors? No way Jose.

We raced and became red-faced…this year…

…and last year too.

We took a dip in the corn pool…

…and took a corn cannonball for a spin…

Our adventure in the corn pool last year was a bit more subdued. And my children were still babies.

Not grown-up kids. Excuse me while I wail over here for a wee bit. Wahhhhhhh!

And…I’m back! We took in some serious slide action.

And owned that Super Slide like it was our job…or at the very least a very lucrative side gig.

In my humble opinion, I think the slide last year was way more fun than the new one they installed this year.

The individual lanes made it easier (and safer) to race and you didn’t have to worry about crashing into others. You could just be free to slide, as carefree as can be.

Oh! And who can forget the giant jumping pillow?

I was sore for 2.13 days after this little stunt. Don’t judge me. Jumping on that pillow is exhilarating and exhausting and made my legs and hips and calves really sore. Reference aforementioned recent birthday for reason why.

Beau on the giant pillow last year. He destroyed me on the jump height front but do I win on the style point front? After all, I am wearing bright orange pants!

Our family (minus Beau since he’s taking the picture) picture at CGO last year.

And this year…P.S. Please ignore my windblown mass of bangs. I was not having a stellar hair day. Thanks for your help.

We did some new things this year…like going to the orchard with our best friends.

Oh…and racing inflated zebras.

We also experienced the large corn maze…

…and had some moments of slight panic as the sun was setting and we were letting two four-year olds lead us. Is it just me or does everything in a corn maze look the same?