Fall Fun at Martin's Orchard

Oh, I love this orchard.

We live up the road from one of the largest pumpkin patches in the country,

like the Disney World of Pumpkin Patches.  

But, somehow, I almost prefer this simple orchard and pumpkin patch.

They have a mini corn maze.

 

Nice to not get lost for hours or lose anyone like you can in the big ones.

(Not that, that has happened - we only lose our children at Universal Studios)

 Corn play

Can you tell who wanted to bury herself?

 

Cy

He loves this jacket,

it is getting so small for him, but he is in denial about that.

Watch out

 

scary guy in the bushes.

It melts my heart when I see him help the littlest one.

Marin was scared to go down the slide

after the first time down was at mock speed.

She was adamant about removing her jacket.

Stubborn as the day is long that child.

 my crew

So it was nice they still had raspberry picking

Marin ate a few along the way

I heard a lot of "mmmm"

& 

"ahhnt more"

  

 

 Off to get pumpkins...

Lydia called it the popcorn pumpkin.

We opted not to take that one though.

Love fuzzy, wuzzies

This is a silly pic - she was pretending that teeny tiny pumpkin was heavy.

Aliza looked at our bounty and was so happy to see all the raspberries!

"Wow, that is a lot of raspberries"

in her 4 year old little voice.

How did God make kids voices to sound so so so so precious, how?

 

Just the girls

 

They climbed up and down and raced each other.

The boys kept racing on opposite sides...

Evan finally figured out dad was having Cyrus get a head start sometimes!

Lydia found the teeniest tiny apple.

 She ended up finding more and collecting them.  

 

Marin found a slippery tunnel.

She probably would have spent the whole day in it - if I let her.

Llama hanging out.

(Llama makes me want to say pajama)

 

I love that fall sky ~

especially with those big black tires!

Aliza told us it was the best day ever!

She says that a lot - which is quite beautiful.

I love how little ones truly appreciate the simplest things in life.

Give her a new .99 cent coloring book

 and you would think she was given a whole candy store!

 

We all just kept saying how great of a day it was.

Lydia even mentioned how she does not even care if we make it to Pumpkin Disneyland Vala's this year because we got to go to Martin's and pick pumpkins!

An attitude of gratitude...very beautiful.

Our Lady of Good Help Shrine

We traveled to Wisconsin this summer and this special shrine was right in our path.  I did not really "plan" to make a special trip there, rather God planned it for me.  So, we stopped on our way to our "real destination".

When we arrived, the gift shop had just closed.  But we got to go inside the Chapel and under the Chapel where the apparition is said to have taken place.  Although at the time of the apparition that spot was a forest as Our Lady appeared to Sister Adele in the forest.  I took a few pictures here and there, but I always feel so strange taking pictures inside churches.

 

So outside here are Lydia & Cy with Our Lady of Fatima

Outside with Jesus.

I am not sure if that was "appropriate" to let our 3 year old ride the lamb.... 

They had nice grounds and it was quite peaceful.

Our Lady of Good Help definately heard my prayers this day as I have been praying for 2 years and now since my visit to this special place my prayers are being answered, nothing less than a miracle!

Our Lady of Good Help, pray for us!



The Holy Family Shrine

We went here yesterday

to the glass church.

(that is my brother, holding a non smiley baby!)

Lydia sketched away in her book.

We are doing a local "Let's Go Play" booklet where you "go play", get the clue/rubbing to show you have been there or draw your own picture as she is doing for this one

and when we have 20 "adventures" as I call it, we will be eligable for a drawing/prize!

I am hoping we win a boat!!  ha, ha!

this guy just had fun dancing on the rocks

Really, he thought it was great!

I love how it is so easy to please young children

they truely find joy in the simplest things!

This is the back of the church. 

It sits on a hill where if you are driving along I-80 you definately see it.

This is the entrance.

Wish those cones would have not been there!

And I did not take any pics inside as people were busy keeping God's House clean.

Bless them.

(the buckets and mops would not look so pretty in pictures)

You can visit their website here.



Caterpillar

Late last summer we found a caterpillar. 
It was huge, deep bright blue and orange and polka dotty and fat, I mean it was the chubbiest little caterpillar you ever did see! 
I so wish I would have taken a picture. 
We put it in our bug box with the intention of taking it to preschool to show the children
 and then let it go.  However, the little thing spun its chrysalis in a day!
  So, we thought we would check on it and it get to see it emerge in a couple weeks or so. 
Well, the done thing never did!
I did not bother empting out the contents of the container before I just stuck it in the garage (all winter long). 
And what do you know?

Today, I happen to glance at it, then look away, and then say,
hey, that looked like a wing!
My thought was, poor thing finally emerges and was stuck in a cage!

But

it was

ALIVE!

This is quite the happy situation as I was going to be excited to share our baby birds in our yard.  The mama bird built her nest in part of our swingset.  I carefully instructed the children they may peak but not to touch.  I only got to snap a couple of over exposed, not good pics with the intention of grabbing a different lens the next morning. Well, Lydia and Cyrus that morning thought they would be so helpful and put leaves and grass in the nest to help keep them warm......

Well, sadly these little creatures are no longer.

Though I am not a bird fan, I did feel horrible!

Poor little things, next time I guess I will have to be quite specific in my instructions.

RIP

God's little creatures.