It was the best of times, and it was really, really cold

Or, a sub-50's day at Lucky Ladd Farms

Feeding the animals (and a little disappointed none of the fainting goats fainted)

Emme was SO COLD, so I gave her my gloves.

A trip to Sapphire, North Carolina

Make like a tree

Honeysuckle Hills Farm

On Saturday, Wes and I took the kids to Honeysuckle Hill Farm.  This is one of the many farm/pumpkin patch places that pop up around here in the fall so that we city folk can go out to the country for a bit, spend some of our money, pet animals, and climb on tires.  Oliver and I went to a similar one last year.  I saw the advertisement for Honeysuckle Hill this year, though, and just couldn't resist.  A sand pit?  Bunnyville?  A tractor tire playground?  They had me at "Hillbilly Pig Races."  I knew how busy Walden Farm got last year, so we made sure to be there right at 10AM when they opened.  Oliver made a bee line for the sand pit while Emme and I checked out the animals -- three little pigs, some chickens, several goats (with two babies who could climb through the gate to see the visitors up close).  Emme loved me standing her up next to the gates, where the friendlier animals would come and nudge her hand, looking for food.  The goats had clearly learned where the feed came from, and the little white goat was happy to help Oliver get it out.  We went on a hay ride, Oliver tried to ride the small-tractors-turned-tricycles (himself), and I Em explored the pumpkin patch full of pumpkins just her size.  We went back to the animals at the end for the pig races, by which time the baby goats were napping from all the excitement.  Our own babies were just as worn out, and Em, at least, fell asleep on the way home.  We definitely enjoyed the beautiful weather and will look forward to another trip out next fall.

He wasn't a skeleton

He was an x-ray!  (And if you put him in the dark, the bones glow.)

Oliver at Walden Farm