When I was young, autumn fun didn't have to cost you as much as a fancy dinner out. No!
And before the end of October we set out--
Small One in tow--
to prove that was STILL true.
Fortunately, thanks to a wonderful farm family and some other people, we found it is!
After a couple of false starts, we headed towards a farm I thought
would fit our idea for autumn fun quite well (link and info below).
After a bit of exploring Small One and I tried out the corn maze
(first photo). It wasn't hard to figure out, but it was great exercise and had some lovely views of the countryside and autumn color!
Pumpkins were all over,
as were "cobwebs" and other autumn themed décor.
Small One, of course, wanted a really big--HUGE--pumpkin.
This is the moment she found out Papa had one rule about choosing a pumpkin...just ONE rule...
can you guess what the rule is?
Does this photo help?
LOL
Small One finally found one she could pick up...
and it was a very lovely one too.
Will get to that photo in a bit...
but, before the choosing of the pumpkin, came a VERY fun tractor pulled wagon ride which left us shaking at times, giggling at others and very thankful we had some here:)
Perhaps I shouldn't post a pic of that as I don't want to give the surprise(s) away
LOL
Total cost: Less than $3 for the pumpkin.
We'll definitely be back!
Later on, we found another farm giving away FREE pumpkins!
We only wish the farmer had been around because we were so very grateful for this lovely gift!
Soon, we met up with a friend of mine,
my BFF to be exact, who I see all together too rarely since she has moved.
Off we headed to a neighborhood park where our grandkids played for awhile on the playground equipment and then discovered another FUN and free pastime--thanks to a family there who apparently had the same kind of philosophy as I do re: autumn fun.
Yep! Leaf piles on a lovely bed of grass are always a recipe for LOTS of fun:)
And, the experience stays with you even after you leave.
Total Cost: nothing
On the way home we swung by a place to pick up another necessary ingredient for autumn fun---
caramel apples,
specifically gourmet caramel apples.
No need to show you this one, but they were the most expensive part of our day and still under $10 for 2 of the most yummy treats known to man (or in our case--girls).
Next up: pumpkin carving
One of our two carved pumpkins--
designed by Small One and carved with lots of love by a REAL Farmer Boy,
which just happens to be a Papa too.
Although we had other autumn adventures including a mini birthday celebration for the Small One.
my load of dishes is just about done, so I'll end this post with another autumn tradition from my childhood...
Wishing you all a very blessed November filled with love, simple blessings and priceless memories.
Blessings,
Aimee
Notes:
A HUGE thank you to the Jim Dandy Farm Family for the awesome time we had there
(I am still smiling when I think of that GREAT wagon ride--teehee!). Thank you also for your kind permission to post photos taken there!!!
Here's a link to those who would like to know more:
13 comments:
What a wonderful day for you and small one- precious memories made for her and you!
How fun for you with a day out with little one and not alot of money spent. I went to Bauman farms last week and got a few goodies and looked around. No cost but for food I bought. Apples that will turn into applesauce and pies! Loving the crunchy leaves and cooler weather! Hugs and happy autumn to you and your family! God bless!
It looks like a fun time was had by all. We've been enjoying autumn here on the farm too. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)
Your granddaughter is so adorable! Cute pics of her in the leaves. So much fun, going to a pumpkin patch. I miss doing that with my kids.
@Terri~
Hello my southern bloggie friend! It was a great day--actually several days. Lots of fun, lots of memories.
Blessings,
Aimee
@Becky~
I love Bauman's--they DO have good baked food, nice staff and produce too! Glad you were able to go there! Yum--apple desserts sound SO great this time of the year. Hope you are well --keep enjoying the blessing that is autumn my friend:)
Blessings,
AImee
@Teresa~
We did--it was fun being the first to introduce Small One to some of the old time autumn traditions:) It is a great season isn't it? Really love it!
Blessings to you fellow PNW'er and bloggie friend!
AImee
@Linda~
Thank you so much! It was fun taking photos of her in the leaf pile and watching her facial expressions! A bit of a challenge because it was really late in the day and there was LOTS of movement! I understand...when our kids are little is a very magical and wonderful time. Miss it too.
Blessings, Aimee
Hi Aimee, I love that first picture of the small one running. Just try to keep up! It looks and sounds like an exceptionally fun day was had by all. I love the smell of lying in a pile of fallen leaves. My childhood comes back in a flash. :-)
Blessings,
Betsy
How fun! I love Fall everything. She's adorable in those leaves.
It looks like you found just the right places to enjoy autumn's best, Aimee :) You got some great photos...especially like the leafy ponytail. Bobbing for apples can be such fun, and I think my granddaughters have not tried to do that yet...I wonder if my grandsons have where they live on the East Coast. I'll have to ask! Thanks for posting :) xx
Always so much fun visiting farms in the fall season. I absolutely love all these pictures! Especially the one of her "buried" in the leaves. Just one of the reasons fall is my favorite time of year! So much beauty and fun!! So how many pumpkins did you come home with? ;-) Have a wonderful weekend!!
Blessings,
Jill
Your little one is so engaged with the natural world - a lovely sight to see.
@Betsy~
Thank you! I loved that one also. Yep, the Small One can easily outrun her Grandma. LOL. Those memories of childhood can be magical--here's hoping our grandkids keep some of our adventures with them:)
Blessings,
Aimee
@Tori~
Me too! Autumn is definitely my favorite of the seasons. Thank you:)
Blessings,
Aimee
@Gracie~
I think so Gracie! Thank you! She had them in her hair all through the store and afterwards. You do need to ask about your grandsons and I would encourage you to have your granddaughters try it out too. Small One really enjoyed it and we had a lot of fun watching her "bob" :)
Blessings,
Aimee
@Jill~
I totally agree--farms and the mountains call to me in the autumn. Glad you enjoyed the pix--that is one of our favorites too and another version of Small One/Leaves is my current screensaver. We came home with a total of two pumpkins that day--could have taken home more, but decided that was a good number to start with.
Blessings,
Aimee
@Lorrie~
Thank you! That is my goal--to give her a big appreciation of nature:) Fortunately, she seems to really like it.
Blessings, Aimee
To all--sorry about the tardiness in posting. Currently having sciatica/back pain. Thank you for all your understanding. So appreciative of all your very kind comments my bloggie friends:)
Aimee
You know how to have fun! That's my idea of good entertainment.
@Sallie~
Definitely! I like my fun simple, inexpensive and memorable:)Blessings,
Aimee
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