Who needs apple picking when you can climb and play?

One of my favorite things to do in the fall is to pack up and head to the East to a cute apple growing community for all of their fresh baked apple deliciousness, enjoy the cool weather, drink fresh apple cider, and, since having kids, watch them run around and play. 

Last year we didn't get up there much and I was really bummed. 

Next to Halloween, it's one thing I look forward to the most in the fall. 

This fall has been so busy so far, and most of the shops close down for the season between Halloween and Thanksgiving before the snow comes and the cut your own Christmas tree lots open. So I decided, what the heck and this past Sunday the kids and I packed up and went on an adventure to check out a farm we have only been to once in December once the season was almost completely over.

They had a blast on all of the new and the improved stuff that they had available for kids. 

From the miniature village with a sheriff's station, school, shops, a beautiful little church complete with pews, and more to a maze with areas to climb, to swings, slides and even a decommissioned boat, Moose and Squirrel had a blast.

They were coated in so many layers of dirt from running, falling, and the occasional temper tantrum that they left dirt marks on the bathroom floor of our house when we got home. 

All of our shoes are still coated in several layers of dirt 3 days later. 

With my minions, the dirtier you are, the more fun you're having. SO you know they had a ton of fun.

I spent the time just following them through all of the different areas, making sure they stayed safe, were polite, and taking as many non-blurry pictures as was human;y possible.

We ended up leaving without any apple products on this trip, but we did leave with enough memories to last us until the next time we go and are able to make even more.

Kindergarten, birthday parties and babywearing, OH MY... an update on life lately

Holy cow has it been a crazy last few weeks.

Moose got moved into a Montessori Kindergarten class and has been doing great.

We had parent-teacher conferences on October 7th and he is above and beyond where he needs to be so early in the school year.

The teacher's only negative remark is that he likes to talk, and show how much he knows, so he has to be reminded to use an inside voice, do his work quietly, and raise his hand. Which doesn't surprise me since we have been working on those kinds of things at home with him for a long time.

Moose has 2 volumes: loud and louder.

And when he knows about something, he likes to blurt out the answer to show just how much he knows and to get the acknowledgement of just how smart he is.

He's a smarty pants and likes to hear others tell him.

Anyway, it has been a great move for him and he is making some friendships that will hopefully last him a nice long time.

In between getting him into kindergarten and settled, helping him do homework, and all of our other daily craziness, I spent the last few weeks preparing for Moose's epic Harry Potter themed 5th birthday party, which took place on October 8th.

It was no easy fete hand carving wand gifts, preparing a "Prisoner of Azkaban" themed photo booth,  creating a dementor from scratch with a dollar tree plastic skull, "creepy cloth" and random items found around the house, and lots of other things.

I have been a crazy bundle of stress trying to get everything put together and perfect for the big day as to not disappoint my little wizards, but my Wizarding World loving friends and family.

In the end, the party went off with only a few flaws, but the kids had a great time, the food tasted great, and I got to see all my hard work in action.

I'm thrilled it's over though.

Last week, Squirrel and I (with a guest appearance from Moose and our puppy Hagrid) participated in a couple of great scavenger hunts in honor or International Babywearing Week (IBW), hosted by Risaroo Baby Carriers and Risaroo Wovens facebook groups. We had some good laughs, some great snuggles, and great adventures.

Through out IBW, I entered lots of great giveaways from some amazing babywearing companies, and then Monday evening, I got the honor of purchasing my first Cari Slings woven wrap for just the cost of shipping. I am very excitedly awaiting it's arrival to try out a short wrap to see if it will make a quick carry option for when we are on the go.

Now with Halloween hovering in the near future, my focus has gone from party planning to cloak making for Moose and Squirrel to wear when they dress up as Hogwarts students in a mere 19 days and creating Disney masterpieces for me (and possibly the boys) to wear when we head to The Happiest Place on Earth (aka Disneyland) next month!

I swear, life seemed to move so fast before Moose started school, but the last few months have literally flown by.

I have some great products to share in a few days once I can get some good action shots, so be on the lookout for those!

That's all for now, so I'll leave you with a few fun pictures from the party and a couple of favorites from IBW.