Our Royall Family

Sunday, September 29, 2013

Going On An Adventure

This park is very large so after eating lunch and playing a couple games, we decided to explore through the woods. I knew there was a large large and several playgrounds so we just went walking to see what we could find. Along the way, Emma had her binoculars on to spot some things. She saw lots of animals (squirrles, birds, creepy crawly things, fish) and while walking through the woods she would look at the trees, sky, leaves, cars, and just about everything she could see. Emma loves to explore just like a favorite tv character, Dora the Explorer!

Got her binoculars ready to explore.

Lake Burke

Part of the lake.

Emma gazing out at the lake.

Putting on the binoculars to get a better look at some things.

So peaceful, even if Mason was screaming and squirming all over me.

Look how tall Emma is!

Daddy showed Emma how to skip stones, but she would rather throw the rocks!

A little girl and a big lake.

What do you see?

Daddy and Emma looking out at the fish at the pier.

Gazing out at the waters.

More views of the lake.

Walking through the woods.

On the way to the playgrounds.

Choo, Choo All Aboard

When the kids went to an open play at Gymboree over the summer, I had a chance to talk to one of the employees about local things to do with young kids. This lady had given me a list of places to go and we decided to make a day out of it and go to Burke Lake Park. I had looked up information about this park before and had seen there was a carousel and a train there, as well as many playgrounds, a lake, mini golf course, and hiking trails. What I didn't realize was that there was a $10 entry fee since we lived in the neighboring county. Crazy right! Well, we paid the fee and went to have a fun filled day at the park.

One of the first things we wanted to do was go on a train ride. When we got there it looked like the carousel was not working so we told Emma that it just wasn't running today. Little did we know that they alternate between running the train and the carousel. Oops! But after we went on the train ride, Emma had forgotten about the carousel ride anyway. Right before the train departed, Mason was playing around and hit his mouth on the rail. At first, it looked like just a little blood, but then there was just blood pouring from his mouth through the whole train ride and for about 30 minutes total. Poor guy! We think it had to do with the fact that his mouth was overly sensitive because on Friday he hit his mouth with a bathroom drawer and bled, and he was getting some teeth. We will definitely keep an eye on it though.

The carousel

Walking around waiting for the next train.

Talking on the phone like such a big kid.

My two guys excited to go on a train ride.

Our family

Us girls rode in the front, well for a little bit at least.

Our ticket stub.

Both kids decided they needed to snack before riding on the train.

A mouthful of crackers.

She wouldn't stop eating for a picture so I took one anyways.

And even stole a kiss!

Riding with Daddy.

Brother and Sister riding together.

Loving on her Brother!

Mason's turn to ride with me.

Playing with the levers....

And then he hit his mouth and screamed before the blood came gushing out!

First sightings of blood.

Handing the conductor the tickets.

Trying to clean up some of the blood.

Relaxing on me during the train ride.

Going through the tunnel.

Bright sunlight after getting out of the tunnel.

Watching the scenery pass by.

Looking at the people as we pass by.

A windmill

The runaway tracks.

A view of part of the lake.

Heading back and got a full picture of the junction.

Yay! Emma liked that train ride!

Saturday, September 28, 2013

Apple Picking At Maker Miller Farm

After getting our balloon animal, we headed to the apple orchards. There were so many types of apples that we didn't know where to begin. I'm glad they gave us a diagram of where types of apples were because this place is huge! We headed to the sweet red and green apples! I didn't think we would spend so much time in the orchards, but we did and we had a blast!

Right away, Emma went up to the apples on the ground and wanted to put them in the bag. After explaining to her that she needed to pick the apples off of the tree, she began to have fun pulling them off the trees. We didn't notice anyone eating the apples in the orchard, so we were hesitant at first to eat one. But then we saw lots of people eating them and joined in! Some were delicious and some were not!

This weekend at the farm was their fall festival, which meant they had booths set up with different crafts and types of food. We quickly went through that and then checked out the inside market. I had seen online that this farm has some delicious apple cider slushees and apple cider donuts. Since we drove all this way, we thought why not try them. The line for the donuts was forever long, but I waited in line for them anyways. And it was worth the wait for that time, but I wouldn't wait for them again.

My camera battery died so I was unable to get pictures from the rest of the day at the farm. There was a large play area with a castle, boat, and playground to climb all over. Emma really had fun running around there, but it was a little harder to keep an eye on both of them with all of the kids in this area. Emma also went on a cow ride, like one she had been on at the farm on Father's Day. I think the difference this time was the fact that she had to ride by herself and that they went on a long route. We were shocked that Emma wanted to go on it, but I guess we should have figured she would have gotten scared/upset while on it. I ended up running after the tractor to walk the rest of the way with her because Emma was crying so hard. Thankfully, there was a couple that was walking along with their child that talked to her until I got there. Lesson learned, not to do that again. Over all though, we had a great experience apple picking and would definitely come back again next year!