Kaity and I ...

Monday's are my special times with Kaity. Every Monday! Wow. It has been an entire year now of Monday afternoons with Kaity. We have grown to love each other very much. I am very blessed in so many ways. What a rich experience it is to be a grandma!

Since we'd had so much fun over at Schwallier's Saturday night, when it was crammed packed with people and we spent the majority of our time being lost in the corn maze, I decided to take Kaity back and just let her "loose" for a little while to run and play where the air is fresh and clean and there are so many healthy things to do and see! We started out with donuts and THEN went over to the goats after we had finished eating. 

Kaity loves it out here! I'm so glad. I WISH Schwallier's was open year-round; but alas, only during the months of September and October!

I love how Kaity loved the goats -- and they loved her too.

The tube slide in the barn is super fun. Kaity was not one bit scared.

She loves the corn as well. Kaity is a very tactile learner.

And she is very careful and sweet with the kitties too.

We walked through the pumpkin patch, but left each pumpkin where it grew ... Kaity's mom likes to do the pumpkin carving with the kids. But Kaity at least consented to a nice picture out in the pumpkin patch.

Below: "I love this place, Grandma!" Kaity shouted and she ran up and down the rows of delicious apples!

And of course the duck pond and water pumps are always a hit with all of the kiddos. Kaity played with a little boy we met named Ezra. They sent the rubber ducks back and forth to each other.

She was finally exhausted from all of that pumping and requested we go over to my house to play for awhile.

Kaity brought a whole bad of stuffed friends to play with us today!

She loves to play at the Beach House. Look at her happy little face.

I love you Kaity, dear!

A fall tradition ...

We've had a cold wet first two weeks of fall, but finally caught a "break" in the weather late Saturday afternoon. I picked up the kids and we drove out to our favorite fall place, "Schwallier's Basket" over on Alpine and 9 Mile.

 It wasn't quite as crowded as the usual weekend here because many people probably thought it was too wet and muddy ... and they were probably kind of right! We were glad we went anyway. The kids love to feed the goats.

 Because ... the kiddos love animals of all kinds.

 We played with baby goats, soft kittens, jumping bunnies ...

 These boys ... love them!

 We rode the wagon out to the corn maze and all FIVE of us did the maze together.

 Emma and Chris each had a map and 3-D glasses to guide us through the crazy twists and turns of this beautiful field of corn.

Naturally, we got almost hopelessly lost!

 It was wonderful to be out in God's wonderful creation with the children once again. I can't think of anything I would rather do.

 Kaity was a trouper out there in all that corn. She likes to keep up with the big kids, so she did not whine or complain about us being lost.

 Matthew, on the other hand, was a little bit tired of our wandering around in circles! I don't blame him! He just wanted to find the EXIT and get out of there! This was after we wandered for 30+ minutes. He did not start out so glum. :)

 We finally found the way out ... yes! And then we wandered around the orchard for awhile. Beautiful place.

 And we rode the wagon back to the main farm.

 Eating apples as we went ...

 I love these children so much.

I love autumn more and more every year it seems. I am learning NOT to dread what follows (winter) because every season is SO beautiful.