Apple Orchard Field Trip

Field trip day!  They are just in preschool, but I cannot believe I'm accompanying them on field trips.  I love to watch them in their school element, lining up with their classmates, following directions, answering questions and playing with friends.  Even though I get to spend every day with these fellas, watching them interact with the world outside of our home in such "big kid" ways is refreshing...you know, all of the grief they give me about, say, putting on their own jackets and zipping them up AT HOME just disappears at school.  (Pats self on shoulder Good, job, mama)

It was a crazy Monday, getting us all ready, including baby C, fed and out the door on time, to school, watching the fellas (and C) play with their friends in the classroom, drop off the baby at Aunt L's (thank you!) and head over in the chilly damp morning to the apple orchard. 

Load 'em up and move 'em out!!

But what fun!  No pics of the haywagon/mud-bogging tractor ride, because we just barely made it in time due to dropping off the baby - but I'm so glad I did - it was NOT going to be a stroller friendly day due to the huge amount of MUD!  Thank goodness they had their boots on!

"Cheese!" "They're leaving!" N worries and M freaks as the class lines up while I try to take a cute shot under the apple tree!

Watching the apple polishing machine

depositing apples into the cider press

Fun on the playground

 M was having fun on the slides but he was so fast the photo is literally a blur!

Craft time - look at the concentration!

Of course we all had cider and donuts for snack, as well.  M and I thought that was the best part, but N said, "all the parts!" were his favorite.  Take a good look at the last photo.  It's a small board from an old apple crate with a clothespin attached.  They are decorating it with foam stickers to make a "recipe holder" to which they will clip an apple crisp recipe in minutes.  Cute, right?

So I hung them both up on the knobs of the cupboards (because I have to display everything for a little while, right?). About 2:00, M asked for his, then handed it to me and said, take this part (the clothespin) off so I can use it for a ramp for my cars!  How clever is THAT?!  So I obliged, he thanked me, and scampered off to drive his cars up a ramp. 

Repeat one minute later.

That's when I decided THAT was the best part of the trip...my fellas using their imaginations to create toys!  Such little engineers. 

Also?  I don't have to figure out what to do with that craft in the future.  (They had been slated for Christmas gifts.  If you give my child a gift this year, be prepared to receive something fabulous in return!)

Another also...keep an eye out for N's green dino hat he's sporting.  Its last known location is exactly in that craft room, but only because that's its last photo.  It's his halloween costume because is SO not down with wearing a costume of ANY sort.