A Day at the Museum

We woke up to a Saturday with absolutely no plans... no soccer, no swimming, no parties, no errands, no grocery shopping. What to do with a full day on our own? We drove to the Air and Space Museum at Dulles Airport. Even though we had been there before, the boys did not remember it. After all, Evan was only two and Keagan was "zero" years old. We thought Evan would be fascinated with the space shuttle Enterprise and the airplanes, but he really couldn’t have cared less. But I thought it was wonderful!

Both boys were more excited to see and ride the glass elevator. However, we were able to show the boys the P-38, or Lightening, the plane that Wes's grandfather Toole flew in WW2. 

We all agreed that the best part of the trip was the IMAX movie, "The Blue Planet." The big screen, the wonderful images taken of Earth from space, and the special effects made the movie memorable. Now that we have our Smithsonian membership card, we plan to return. 

Dressed Up with Somewhere to Go

This afternoon I took the boys to see the Veggie Tales production, "God Made you Special." Since the venue was a only a five minute drive from our house, I figured it would be a fun way to spend an afternoon. Keagan decided to wear this outfit because he "wanted to be cute." I had to agree.

We were not disappointed with the performance. Evan especially liked the confetti shot from a cannon at the end of the show, and Keagan, well, he danced his way through the first half and then had enough. He is already in bed for the night.

Apple Pickin'

For three weeks the trip to the local orchard to pick apples has been penciled on our calendar. It was a bit of a disappointment this year as there were very few apples on the trees. We were literally crawling under the branches of the trees looking at the fallen apples and grabbing those with the fewest bruises. However, the boys had a blast climbing the trees and using the apple picker. And you can bet we got enough Granny Smith apples to make a few apple pies.

Farm Life in the Fall

For two years I have heard and read stories about a local farm that hosts a fall festival every year. This year I told Wes that we would definitely make the trip to Centerville to experience the annual Fall Festival, but when we arrived in mid-afternoon and saw the rows upon rows of cars, I thought it would be too crowded to enjoy. Then we had to pay $60 to get in, and I thought Wes was going to faint in the hay right there in front of the many, many people. I began to wonder what we were thinking, and then we got around the corner to see a vast expanse filled with corn field mazes, animals pens, hay mazes, slides, and more. We didn't know where to begin. We took a hayride around the perimeter of the corn fields, across a creek, and into a haunted barn with disco lights and music....Keagan's favorite part of the day. 

Wes found a hut giving away apples and cold apple cider...his favorite part of the day. Evan found the corn maze with Fun House mirrors, and he laughed until his face turned red....His favorite part of the day.

But we also rode every slide, did the Tarzan rope swing, and searched for pennies in a haystack. We visited every animal pen and fed the milking cow.

On our way out, we each selected a miniature pumpkin. It was a great way to spend a fall afternoon.