It has become our Halloween tradition to visit a local farm near our house known as Mainstay Farm. It is family-owned and operated and has everything from a petting zoo and tractor-pulled hayrides to a three-story treehouse and playground area. We were lucky to have two of my nieces join us this year - Payton and Addison. They are the youngest daughters of Waylen's sister, Krista. They are so much fun to be around and love playing with Scarlet, so it made it even more exciting to have them along on this special outting.
The farm is absolutely fantastic. They have thought of everything that a kid could want to do and see. They also have great things to eat, which is a highlight for us grown-up kids. They have the most amazing pumpkin pie and even pumpkin ice cream that can be purchased at their snack shacks. We partake every year ;-) Scarlet got her first taste of the ice cream this year and it was a big hit.
Here are some pics from the day:
Striking a pose before we set out through the field/parking lot. Will was plum tuckered out from the 2-mile drive to get there.
This is the back of the hay stack area that faces the parking lot as you're walking toward the entrance.
Inside the haystacks area, the kids have so much fun running and jumping on top of them. The girls helped Scarlet have a positive, first-time experience.
She did really well getting her balance and running down the long line of them.
Will was still tuckered out.
Sweet Addison, age 9.
Lovely Payton, age 11.
Next, we were on to the petting area. This year there were only goats in this area. It was still fun though. They love eating the food you can get for 25 cents from the little bubble gum machine.
Scarlet wasn't much on heeding warnings. Luckily, the goats were very gentle with her and we never felt teeth...only tickling tongues.
...And Will still slept.
I love the pumpkin patch. Mainly because of the colors, but also just because I love this time of year and Scarlet really seemed to get into the spirit, too.
She brought me this gourd and said, "Momma, yook at dis weird yittle punkin." (translation: Look at this weird little pumpkin).
I think she eyed the ice cream shack...
He woke up just in time...
For the hayride!
He was very jazzed about it. He laughed and shouted the whole time.
Scarlet loved the hayride too, but she definitely wasn't keen on the noises coming from the tractor. She kept telling us that it was too loud.
Sorry for the severe overexposure of this pic, but you can at least get a good idea on the size of the tree house. Scarlet is about to slide down a kiddie-sized slide on the first level.
For big kids and adults, the maze seems to offer at least minutes if not many minutes worth of entertainment. Payton and Addison made it through in under five minutes this year, but told us all about the time they got lost and couldn't figure on how to get out. You can see them both (barely) in the top left corner.
On the playground, Scarlet gave the girls a real run for their money. I think she wore them out. She loves to slide.
So Daddy took over. He's turned professional as a slide-spotter.
Another fun activity for big kids and adults were the ginormous hot wheels. I saw many daddies on these. Payton and Addison took a turn.
If you're in the area next year or want to make the trip to go with us, we'd love to have you - it's a blast!!
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