Nearly Perfect Fall Day

Sometimes, it is so beautiful, you just have to spend the entire day outside. Today was one of those days. I gathered up my more adventurous kids, we picked up a friend, and away we went into the great out of doors.

We began our afternoon at the apple orchard in town. Our favorite orchard in Jordan closed this year. Nothing could beat all the fun we would have there in a day. And though apple picking season ended two weeks early this year, the kids managed to entertain themselves pretty well at this little orchard in town. I was surprised with how much fun they were having, espeicially Bethany, who has been so sick lately.
We spent at least two hours hanging around the orchard/farm. The scenery was calming and pretty. It felt like we were farther away from home than we were. Some of the kids' favorites:

Pumpkins

Horses

Wagon rides

Vineyard

(did you know that traditionally roses are planted next to the grapevine rows as the roses will exhibit fungal infection before the crop is wiped out?)

Jumping off hay bales....like a bazillion times.

After a snack of apples, fresh donuts, and honey sticks at home, we took off for a walk, exploring nature in our own backyard. The path was beautiful today, and the kids had so much fun rollerblading, scootering, riding in the wagon, and exploring the "cave".

After exhausting our exploration, we walked down to the park to play, and to burn off a bit more energy.

I think these kids must have been energized by the oxygen in the air, because after 4 hours, they still kept going(or maybe the respite with all those wagon rides helped them conserve some energy??). We ended our day with a walk/bike ride down to the stop sign(highway). We saw two young deer bounding through the tall grasses, and met quite a few of our neighbors who were out enjoying the gorgeous day as well.

We finished our nearly perfect day with fresh apple slices dipped in caramel sauce I had made while the kids ate dinner, and fresh apple cider. Days like today which are filled with so many fabulous moments are rare....and with the cold winter hovering just around the corner, and all of my kids growing bigger and faster every day, I am going to cherish each and every single memory of today!