Fall Fun

I can never decide whether fall or spring is my favorite season, but I am really enjoying fall this year. It may be because Drew is walking now, so it is easier for us to spend time outdoors together. We've also had some fun outings as a family this fall.

We took a tour of a replica of one of Christopher Columbus's ships, the Nina. It is supposed to be "the most historically accurate replica of a Columbus ship ever built." I was amazed by how small the Nina was. I cannot imagine crossing the Atlantic Ocean in a ship that size, with the crew sleeping on deck (the cargo hold would have been full of provisions). I now have a much better appreciation for how much courage it must have taken to set out on a voyage in such a ship, especially into unknown waters.

Our trip to the apple orchard was also fun. We enjoyed exploring a big corn maze (my husband has an amazing sense of direction!) and took a hay-rack ride to pick a pumpkin. Gracie chose two miniature pumpkins, one for herself and one for Drew. My only complaint about the apple orchard was that each activity cost money. They even charged five dollars per child to play on the playground (we went to the park instead of paying to play). The best deal of the day was the hay-rack ride to pick pumpkins. The only charge was for the pumpkins, and the miniature ones were only a quarter each.

I think one of Drew's and Gracie's favorite things this fall has been raking the leaves in our own front yard. We have a huge silver maple tree in our front yard, so we have plenty of leaves! Drew and Gracie each have a small plastic rake and we have spent time outdoors raking leaves almost every day for the last week or two.