Fall Fun

I think that the best part of having kids is that you get to take part in all the super fun kid-friendly traditions that come with holidays.  I'll never forget the year, just before Hubs left on deployment, that I dragged him to the pumpkin patch.  We went on a hay ride, visited the petting zoo, and of course picked out two huge pumpkins.  And the whole time Hubs rolled his eyes and teased me about how we were the only ones there without a small child.

Well, I don't care for party poopers, so last year, when our Parents Place class went on a field trip to the pumpkin patch, I did a little happy dance that I could act like a kid without my husband chiding me the whole time.  No matter that when we got home he teased that Bunkey would never remember a minute of it and didn't know a thing about Halloween or care about candy and trick-or-treating (for the record, yes, we did take him to one house, because even though he wouldn't remember it, I would, and because you only get to have one first Halloween!).  Anyway, so we went to the patch last year, and secretly I think Hubs was a little sad he missed out.

This year, I tried again.  I mentioned the idea to Hubs, and while he didn't make fun of my excitement for pumpkins, he did have a pretty crammed schedule (it's his last quarter before graduation, and his normal requirements plus thesis prep are a bit overwhelming) and just didn't see a way to make things work.  So I did some research and found two places that looked promising and toddler-friendly.  Meanwhile, I invited a neighbor and her six-month old to join us...and told her to choose which of the two places we went!

Well, A and I must have the same taste, because she picked my top choice!  Uesugi Farms is about 45 minutes away from here, but oh so worth the trip!  They have several attractions appropriate for a variety of age ranges, making it a perfect option for a group of families or even those with both older and younger siblings.  While many of the areas are free, the others are pay as you go, making the trip as affordable or extravagant as you'd like!  Since our kiddos are both under 3, A and I only had to pay for ourselves, so for less than $10, we were each able to get tickets for the Enchanted Hayride and a Train Ride.  For another $5 we each got lunch at the Snack Shack on the edge of the farm, and for a final $10 we brought home the pumpkin of Bunkey's choosing.  Yes, the day was a little pricey when you consider that I could get a pumpkin at the grocery store for $3, but the memories (and pictures) make the $25 day well worth it.  And Bunkey giggled and grinned the entire day, which only solidified my satisfaction with the outing!

Kiddos could sit in the Pumpkin King or Pumpkin Queen thrones!

On our train ride!

You kid brings you a flower?  Mine brings me a rock!

On the hayride, going through the marigold fields

Picking a pumpkin...but this one was vetoed for lack of a stem!

Mama's Visit: Santa Cruz & Gilroy

Hey There!  I know it's been another long stretch between posts, but I have a good excuse:  my mama came to visit!  Yes, even with my Mamaw passing, my mom was able to keep her original plans to come see us on the Left Coast!  Mom left Illinois on a Wednesday, flew back to Virginia, and woke bright and early on Friday to get on another plane to come here for two weeks!  It was a whirlwind visit, but we managed to see and do everything on Mama's must-do list (and more!) and had a ton of fun together.  I didn't realize how much I missed having my mom close by to go to lunch, go shopping, cook dinner, craft, or any of the other things we love to do together!

So...  I thought I might recap the last two weeks for you, sharing all the fun adventures Mama, Bunkey, and I enjoyed during her visit!  Allow me to take you back to two weeks ago, February 17th

Bunkey and I took off for the airport exactly an hour before Mama's plane arrived and got there right as she was landing.  The mean rent-a-cops at the airport wouldn't let me stay at the curb just outside baggage claim even though Mama was at the carousel and collecting her suitcase at that very moment so I had to drove around the airport twice before they'd let me stay put long enough for Mama to hop in the car.

I thought she'd be exhausted after so much traveling and such an early departure, but Mama assured me she wasn't and that she just had to go to the Farmer's Market near my house.  Without even making a pit-stop, we headed right to the community college parking lot that houses the weekly market.  I introduced my mama to my favorite flavored walnuts, hummus, pesto, pies, flowers, and more!  She had a blast and loved every minute, even picking up soe goodies to munch on while we cooked dinner later that evening.  Following the market, I took her to lunch at the same adorable restaurant, The Trailside Cafe, that my girlfriend took me to a few weeks ago.  Yum.  Now I want a BLT.  Except that it's Friday and Lent.  No meat for me.

On Saturday, we ate breakfast and packed up the car for a drive north, to Santa Cruz.  The drive was gorgeous and we couldn't have asked for better weather!  And parking?  Too easy, as Hubs would say!  Except that he was playing golf, so he didn't join us...but if he were there, that's what he'd have said.  Our first stop was the Boardwalk and the ticket counter to purchase passes for the 1911 Looff Carousel.  Even though he didn't really know what was going on, Bunkey loved the merry-go-round and his ride on "Secretariat" (as we refer to all horses!) and of course all the music and lights!

After our ride, we wandered up and down the Boardwalk, and then decided on a pier-side cafe for a tasty lunch of fish tacos!  We also hit up a surf shop on the way back to the car so that Mama could get Little Brother (an avid surfer) a tee shirt!

Then we drove inland about 45 minutes to Gilroy, the garlic capital of the US.  The drive was full of twists and turns, but boasted amazing forest views, so despite scaring ourselves a few times, we really enjoyed the scenery!  My GPS wasn't picking up the name of the particular garlic market I wanted to visit (one I see every time I drive north for Drill each month), so I tried to get us as close as possible, until I knew where we were.  We found the place, Garlic World, and were slightly disappointed.  I thought the market would be nothing but garlic products and food combinations beyond my imagination.  Instead, it was really like a small roadside market/grocery with just a few garlic-y extras.  Oh well.  I still left with a garlic braid and a garlic keeper that my mom wrapped up as a birthday gift "from" Bunkey!

After the market, we closed the triangle of our adventure, driving yet another 45-minute leg to return home!  This drive wasn't quite as scenic for me, being one that I make fairly often, but we arrived home mid-afternoon, and opened a bottle of wine to enjoy with some of Mama's farmers market finds from the previous day!  

We fed the baby, and I went over his routine with my mom.  Then she graciously babysat while Hubs and I enjoyed our first night out sans baby since we arrived in California!  Hubs treated me to a belated Valentine's Day dinner at Tarpy's Roadhouse.  I had a fabulous lamb dish that simply melted in my mouth!  We tried hard not to discuss the baby while we were out, but it was oh-so-difficult!  That said, I truly relished the time away and the opportunity to pass the responsibility off to someone else for an evening.  It really made me realize just how much we need an evening to ourselves every now and then...which is good because I have a sitter set up for two evenings coming up in the next two weeks!  Anyway, I loved my evening away, but couldn't wait to get home and peek in on my sleeping baby boy.  Thanks, Mama, for looking after Bunkey for us!

An apple a day...

I know I'm a little behind the times, but I only just jumped on the LivingSocial and Groupon bandwagons.  I joined LivingSocial a while ago, but cancelled my membership since they sent me too many emails and I wasn't using the service...ever.  But now that we're in a new area, and with a new baby we're in a totally new phase of our lives, I'd been struggling to find family friendly weekend activities that would get me us out of the house, and also exploring all that Monterey Bay has to offer!  So I renewed my subscription to LivingSocial and also signed up at Groupon!

I was thrilled when the very first offer Groupon sent me was for a local apple orchard!  Picking apples was a fall activity my family did several times while I was growing up and I remember it was always so much fun.  I know Bunkey will never remember this experience, but I want Hubs and I to build a wonderful foundation of memories for him, even if he only remembers through the pictures he'll see in a scrapbook years from now.  So, after reading the fine print ($10 for 10 pounds of apples was a pretty good deal considering the orchard's regular price is twice that and the commissary on base sells the same type of apple for around $1.60 per pound) and telling Hubs that we'd be making tons of apple desserts in the coming weeks, I purchased the coupon!

Today, after Mass, we drove about thirty minutes to nearby Watsonville and Clearview Orchards.  We were loaned a 10 pound bag to use, and the proprietors pointed us in the direction of the most ripe and least picked over groves of Fuji and Gala apple trees (the only two varieties grown at Clearview).  Thankfully, there were convenient paved paths throughout the orchard, because we forgot the "backpack" carrier and needed to push the stroller!  The area was super hilly and I'm so glad we were pushing Bunkey instead of just carrying him!  After all, I hadn't realized we'd go directly from Mass, so I was wearing wedge sandals rather than flats!

It took us about an hour to fill our bag with yummy fruit and pause for some family photos, but when we hiked back to the "Apple Hut" we found that we'd only collected six pounds of apples and we'd paid for ten!  But the proprietors must have anticipated that, because they had baskets set up for people to either unload excess or add on a few more apples.  So we topped off our bags and made our way back home!

I put on a pot of homemade potato soup (with homemade veggie stock) and ham and cheese sandwiches with a special honey mustard sauce, along with homemade apple crisp for dessert!  Look for the recipes soon in an upcoming What's Cooking Wednesday!

Hope y'all had an amazing weekend as well!