Royal Oak Orchard

Ahhh this takes me back. When we first moved to Lakewood, Ireland was new to Thunderbird Preschool and they had a field trip to Royal Oak Orchard. Brent couldn't take time off of work and we didn't know anyone well enough for me to feel comfortable leaving Brigitta and Sydney. I was told if I didn't find a way to go, Ireland would be the only kid there without a parent. So we didn't. We went as a family the following weekend instead. Oh how far we've come!

After the hay ride, I was a little bummed to find we wouldn't have a choice in the type of apples we picked, we were confined to just a few rows. The apple of the day was Jonamac.

 Turns out Brigitta and I love Jonamacs! I went for the biggest ones I could find while Brigitta favored the little ones that were just her size. I picked out Gita's outfit the night before with call colors in mind and man alive, she was NOT happy about it. The orange t-shirt was a particular sticking point for some reason. When she changed into pajamas, she tossed it at me and told me to "go ahead and give it to Sydney." 

 Fall=apple picking!

 Brigitta couldn't resist eating that little apple as soon as we got back into the hay wagon. 

 It rained a bit but we didn't mind since I brought the big umbrella.

 The playground is so fun! Brigitta spent most of her time in the play houses- maybe because it was raining!

 The owners of the orchard are religious people so if you look around, you can find crosses here and there. Like here...

 ...and there.

She also loved that fantastic ship! Only apple cider donuts could tear her away. Well that and when we went to the gift shop to buy a bunch to take home. She definitely liked the gift shop!

 The owners show an educational video inside the teepee. They talked a lot about bees and how they help the apples. Apparently however many seeds are inside an apple is how many bees visited the apple blossom and  cross-pollinated it. Iiiinteresting...

 Brigitta really wanted to ride the carousel but I couldn't figure out where to buy admission. I told her if she could figure out where we pay for it, she could have a ride. At first she stood shyly by my side when the operator noticed us and asked if we needed help. Finally, she mustered the courage to ask. 

And she got her ride!

This trip kind of feels like coming full circle although technically that will not come until Sydney is a Sr. in Preschool. By then, I won't need to worry about a babysitter at all!