Apple picking

Okay, so I'm like a week behind here. But last weekend Saoirse went to spend a few days with Grandma and Grandpa, leaving Rowan to have some alone time with Mom and Dad. On Sunday we went to Wiard's Orchard. It has really expanded since the days I was an undergrad here. Back then it was just a place to pick apples and eat cider and donuts. Now there's a "country fair" there on the weekends in the fall, and it's a big family destination. We went in a bouncy castle, Rowan rode a small tractor. Rowan went on her first pony ride, which she absolutely loved. She wasn't scared at all, grabbed right on to the saddle, even leaned forward to pet the pony's mane. She was bouncing along with the motion and singing. Very fun. We went through a corn maze, which would be scary as hell at night, but in the afternoon is pretty full of families, so not scary at all. Just hot and dusty. Chris shot an apple cannon, but didn't win anything. We went on a hayride. Rowan loved being right up behind the farmer driving the tractor. And, of course, we did pick some apples and eat some cider and donuts. Rowan caught right on to gathering apples and filling the bag. She kept picking apples up off the ground and adding them, though. So we were both adding apples from the trees and emptying the ones we didn't want behind her back. We were all exhausted after several hours of that, Rowan was asleep by about 7:30 that night. We plan on taking both girls later this month, when Saoirse can come too. It's so cool that the girls are getting old enough to do this stuff now.