I love you a bushel and a peck!

The McKendrick family gets together each year for a trip to an apple orchard.  It is one of my favorite things we do as a family, and I'm so glad this has become a tradition.  This year was Grandma and Grandpa D's first time joining us since 2007 when they left for Honduras.  Grandpa D loves everything fall, but most importantly he loves all the goodies that come along with this lovely season including: taffy apples, apple cider donuts, apple cider, and warm apple pie made in a paper bag.  Needless to say, it is always more fun to go to such places with him as he buys more than we ever would and always shares with the rest of us.  Even if he didn't buy anything, we would still love his company, it is just an added bonus :)

This year we headed out to the country side of Elkhorn, WI to a quaint little orchard called, The Apple Barn.  The crop was severely damaged from the drought this year and they lost more than half their usual produce production.  Apple picking was not allowed this year, as they had to pull the fruit off much earlier than normal to save what they could.  Instead, you could fill up a bag or basket with apples that were placed in big crates fresh from the tree.  The kids were a bit bummed about this because to them, no apple picking meant no tree climbing.  They did however, get to play in a jump house, and hit some balls at the baseball "tent", so fun was had no less. 

We took a hayride, pulled by a tractor "dressed" like a train, to the pumpkin patch.  The pumpkin crop did well as the fields were irrigated leaving many to choose from.  The kids ran wild in the patch, and Grandpa D joined, trying to hunt down the best, most desirable pumpkin he could find.  He succeeded.  So much so, that I thought his was fake when I saw it sitting next to the cart!  Each family got their own pumpkin to carve in our first annual pumpkin carving contest.  Zaylee loved watching all the action, as she rode in the carrier.  She was such a good girl, despite missing her nap for the afternoon.  I love introducing her to all the things we do as a family, even though she won't remember!

We headed home after we gathered our pumpkins.  Chili was in the crockpot ready for us to enjoy, with cornbread and Fritos as well.  The boys watched football in the basement, while the women talked in the kitchen.  It was a wonderful day indeed!

Paul, Zaylee, and I also took a small walk through Camp as this time of year brings out the true beauty of those 48 acres that surround all of my growing up memories.  The trees fill with color, and the grounds fill with piles of reds, oranges, and yellows.  I spent many of days raking pile after pile with my dear friend, Sarah, and jumping in them only to rake it up again.  We made mazes, leaf "houses", and had wrestling matches in pits of leaves.  Paul and I have shared some of those memories too, from our high school days of weekends at camp.  We would all transport leaves from different areas to the center of the pine  trees next to our house, and would proceed to have WWF wrestling fights among the crinkling sounds that filled the cool nights air.  Such wonderful memories!

Have I mentioned I love fall?