Hickory

 Sometimes, so much happens between blog posts, that you don't know where to start.  It gets a bit overwhelming, particularly during action-packed autumnal months.  So, I'm just taking it a little bit at a time.  Starting with our trip to Hickory Nut Gap Farm..

It was a beautiful fall day, and the farm was a 20 minute, windy drive through the peak-colored trees. The farm had lots of activities, plus horses, cows, goats etc. We spent the whole morning putzing around the farm.

Owen bravely hopped in the stinky hen house and held a baby chick.  

In one of the barns, there was a huge pile of hay with a rope hanging from the rafters.  Though the boys did not quite get the "hang on and then let go" concept, they still had fun jumping around in the hay.

We picked pumpkins from the pumpkin patch. Owen picked out an enormous pumpkin.

There was a little country band there with not so many listeners.  Owen plunked himself down in the back row, then gradually moved closer and closer.  Eventually the singer was talking specifically to Owen and trying to get him to sing along.  Owen was delighted.

Here's Caelum with "Caelum's pumpkin."  He loved that thing.  Now that Halloween is over, we baked it up and ate it in some pumpkin whoopie pies.

This was a fun maze because it had farm trivia questions posted along the way.  Depending on your answer and the corresponding turn, you either made some progress through the maze or ended up in a dead end.

We tried to get a nice family picture, but that did not happen.  Look at that blue sky though!

I was sure we'd really miss Underwood Farms, our go-to pumpkin picking/petting farm animals place in California.  This farm was a fantastic replacement.  Yay for new traditions!