Minor inconveniences

These last four weeks have been...exhausting. There's been work travel (for me for once). There've been Halloween parties and family visits. There've been milestones with the kids and lots of funny stories, but no time to tell anyone about them. There's been worry about some family and conflict with other family. I've had more projects and plans and permits and presentations to do than I can possibly squeeze into my schedule. There was a presidential election that made at least 70% of people I regularly encounter completely unbearable. The time change jacked everything up. The last month has been tragically devoid of cupcakes.

This morning I had to work to make up the three hours I missed yesterday due to voting. I should have stayed to work more, but I really needed to go grocery shopping and the idea of doing that on the way home tonight in the dark almost made me cry.  Now that I'm home, all I want to do is sit in front of the fire and drink hot chocolate with a half-gallon of Bailey's in it.  And eat cupcakes.  Of which there have been none.  I mentioned that.

But despite all the annoyances, we didn't have a superstorm wipe out half our town, so I guess I can't really complain. And we've been having fun too.

Someone can climb up on the chairs now. Nothing is safe.



We went back to Tate Farms on Halloween and practically had the whole place to ourselves.
The weather was fantastic too!

Rewind: Favorites from Tate Farms

I know this is old news, but Tate Farms is awesome. They're only open during the month of October, although you can hold birthday parties there for a couple hundred dollars - you know, if you happen to have that lying around. They have all kinds of things for the kids to do: hayrides, slides, a petting zoo, a jumping pillow, swings, a corn train, face painting, tractors to climb. You really can spend the whole day there.

This year was our first time to visit during the day. I posted pictures of our trips on Facebook forever ago, but never got around to sticking them up here. So, here are some of my favorites. The rest are on Flickr.

He just wanted to ride the tractor behind me, but I wouldn't let him until we got some pictures. Hence the sad face.



I had a lot of fun practicing shooting in manual. I'm slowly getting better at figuring out weird lighting conditions!



(Except for when I'm rushing and forget to adjust the ISO and end up with a really grainy picture.)



Micah liked the jumping pillow a lot better when we were there at night and it had fewer people on. They didn't seem to bother his cousin, though.



Fake tractor or real, it didn't matter to Micah. They were all fun to climb.



The kids all decided to fill up their shirts to make corn bellies.



This was taken just after we got there, when Micah was still trying to figure out where he wanted to go next. There's so much to do, he couldn't decide.



Micah kept calling the irrigation equipment robots. "Mommy! Look, another robot!"

(Except for the allergies)

Although the afternoon temperatures continue to flirt with 80 degrees, Fall is still creeping along in the form of chilly mornings, hayrides, and changing leaves. This is my absolute, hands-down favorite season.

At the beginning of the month, Todd, Micah, and I visited Tate Farms for Todd's office picnic. It was our first time there, but I can guarantee you it won't be our last. Between the playground, the (real, live, cut-your-own-off-the-vine)pumpkin patch, the hayrides, the farm equipment, the corn crib, the giant two-story slide, and the petting zoo, there's a ton of stuff for kids to do. And although he had a good time this year, by next year Micah will be old enough to really, thoroughly enjoy it.

Fall is the time of year when we finally get to really play outside, without the drenching sweat or threat of heatstroke. We've been trying to get out as much as possible, whether to play in the sandbox, go for a walk, or just stomp through the trees looking for pinecones and other interesting things.

Last weekend, we wandered up Monte Sano to check out the playground in the State park. This evening, we'll be meeting my sister and her family up there for a picnic. Micah's down for his nap, so I'm about to go load up all the supplies we'll need. I'm kind of ridiculously excited about it.

I've said it a million times before, and I'll say it again. I love Fall.

Picked directly from the Pumpkin Patch

Oh, I am so glad it's Fall.