Trip to Riley's Apple Farm

Some years ago I learned that we could go apple picking here in So Cal - fairly close to our current location but we never went.  Some months ago I told Eric I was excited that Kayla was growing up because now we could do things like... apple picking!  Last weekend, when we went apple picking, Eric said "this would have been a good date, with just the two of us."  Oops!  Guess we need to get on the same page.  Actually, I don't know that I ever mentioned it to him when it was just the two of us... maybe we would have gone... probably not.  But we've gone now - 2 kids, double stroller, ergo carrier and all!  Shoulda gone when it was just the two of us!  :-)

Going out as a family to a place 30+ miles away is a chore!  But let me save that tangent for another post.  We went apple picking!  Sorta.  It took us over an hour to find the dang apple trees first of all.  So we had some fun with the pumpkins first.

And, as it turns out, bee covered pears.

Not that Kayla was into either of them.  I don't think we could have picked a worse day - she wasn't in a good mood at all.  But when you're all set ready to go somewhere with an infant and a toddler - you go!  Actually, she wasn't in a bad mood at home, but by the time we got to where we were going something switched and she wanted nothing to do with anything.  But we made the best of it.

After walking up some serious inclines, using our baby steps (with Kayla) and leg muscles (with the double stroller)

We finally found the apples!

We picked some apples for baking...

And some apples for eating...

And Kayla picked some apples just for handing them to dad...

By the end of our couple of hours there the only way we could get Kayla to move was to carry her (no walking or riding for her!)

This could be why...

Not 5 minutes into the ride home she was passed out cold!  Hadn't even had lunch yet (because the lines for the yummy smelling bbq were too long). 

But, that nap was short lived.  She woke up by the time we stopped by the house to get lunch, less than an hour later, and didn't go back to sleep.  When you have a crabby toddler who doesn't take a nap you/we just kinda give up keeping control.... and this is what happens...

All the diapers out of the box with the toddler sitting precariously on the ill fitted lid!  Oh well - at least she went to be early that night. 

All in all, the apple picking was an experience.  Maybe we shoulda waited a year.  Maybe we shoulda only taken the single stroller.  Maybe we shoulda tried to eat before noon.  Maybe we should asked for directions earlier than an hour into wandering around the farm.  Shoulda, woulda, coulda.  Now we know... for next time.  Because there will be a next time.