weekend + black island farms

our weekend started out right with daddy being home with us saturday morning. usually he plays football on saturdays so we don't see him in the morning. we lucked out this weekend.

brooklyn's favorite meal of the day/warming up with daddy by the heater vent

after breakfast we went on a family jog. it was a little chilly but felt really good once we got going. brooklyn loved having both of us there to hand her sticks or pretend to run away from her. i think we burned a few extra calories.

the jog obviously didn't wear her out, because when it was time for a nap she wasn't ready. so james and i took her to the park to run off some of her extra energy. it was such a beautiful fall day. my goodness.

after her nap, she was pleasantly surprised to find out that it was finally time to 'go see the pigs' aka, go to black island farms in syracuse. i found a deal on entrance tickets earlier in the week and thought it'd be such a fun fall family activity, and it did not disappoint. thanks again lisa!

/brooklyn was jumping up and down with excitement before going into the farm. her enthusiasm makes doing things like this so much fun!/ 

there were all sorts of activities awaiting us and we honestly did most of them. the place was filled with pumpkins, corn stalks, a live band, farm animals, and everything else that you'd associate with fall. they even sold hot chocolate and cider.  

/brooklyn hears a MOOOO. just excited to be there./

the activity i was most anxious to do was the hay ride out to the pumpkin patch where we would get to pick our very own pumpkin. pumpkin heaven. "punkin" as our driver called them.

the ride out there was beautiful. we were pulled by a tractor past the corn fields and right into the heart of the pumpkin patch. i was giddy with excitement! holy cow you guys!

/letting brooklyn pick her pumpkin./

/our pumpkin loot. i chose the big fatty that brooklyn's sitting on. i've got big plans for her./

after our pumpkin picking adventure, we did all the activities the courtyard section had to offer. everyone did the slides. i took the pictures. chelsea may or may not have been trying to induce labor.

/her face is priceless in this one./

/brooklyn loved playing the 'drums'/

/she even convinced 'the daddies' to ride the cow train with her. she rode that thing twice./

/the corn cannon/

the corn box is a genius idea. i want one of my own. brooklyn would have stayed there for the rest of the night if we let her.

we did the corn maze for about ten minutes and then decided to find our way out after it got freezing cold and dark. 

brooklyn's other favorite activity was the cow bounce house. they let me get in with her and she was ecstatic. she jumped and jumped. you'd be right to guess she slept really well that night. 

i didn't get any pictures of all the cute farm animals. but you know what those look like. brooklyn loved all of them and wanted them all to come right over to her. she acts so brave. 

we couldn't leave without getting some kettle corn. brooklyn loves popcorn and i love kettle corn, how could we not? totally worth it. it's been an awesome sunday evening snack to boot. 

we stopped at the grocery store on the way home to get a few things for sunday dinner and also some hot chocolate. we all met back at cream gables exhausted and ready for bed. but not before we had some green grapes dipped in caramel and pecans (i give all the credit to her). those things are delish and way easier than eating a caramel apple. genius.

our sunday was like most. we attended our meetings, brooklyn in tow, because she had a runny nose and i wasn't about to take her to nursery. we had our usual crockpot roast, potatoes, carrots, and onions and then relaxed the rest of the day. haley came for a short visit and i loved catching up on her life and chatting the afternoon away. 

this week we are looking forward to decorating for halloween (eeeeee!), getting flu shots, our annual october 1st celebration (it doesn't have a good name yet), and general conference this weekend. i can't wait. bring on the orange and black.

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