Saturday was
probably my favorite day of our mountain trip because we headed out to do
something that has been on my bucket list for years… apple picking!
But first –
breakfast at the mountain house with a view!
There are
several orchards around Hayesville, but most had already stopped offering the
pick-your-own-apples because they were already picked over. We did, however, find one orchard called
Hillcrest Orchards in Ellijay, GA that still had some apples left, so we set
out to find it. It was about an hour and
fifteen minute drive from the mountain house, so the kids settled in with more
Frozen for the drive.
Thankfully we
had gotten up early and we arrived just shortly after the orchard had opened
because apparently everyone else had the same idea that we did that day and the
place ended up being packed by the
time we left!
It was a
perfect sunny day with highs in the low-50s so it was ideal for what we had
planned. Upon arrival, they warned us
that their apple crop was dwindling, but we didn’t care, and we purchased a bag
to fill anyway. I was so glad that we
did, because there were plenty of apples left, and we picked until our bag was completely
full. Jacob picked the first apple,
followed by Olivia, and then B, and finally me!
I was so excited that I had to get B to document it! Bucket list check!
They had horse
drawn carriages as well as tractor pulled buggies pulling people from one end
of the orchard to the other. So
cute! And the orchard was so picturesque
that we used the opportunity to snap a few selfies and some cute pictures of
the kiddos! Olivia was more excited for
taking pics than Jacob… can you tell?
Once our bag
was filled to the brim, we stopped by the indoor market to check out all of
their goodies – homemade apple bread, apple fritters, fresh fruits and veggies,
and so many other yummy things. They
were also selling apple cider donuts – another item on my personal bucket list
– so we stopped by the little café and grabbed a half dozen plus a couple of
waters, and we sat down to take a little break.
The apple cider
donuts tasted like pure heaven. As I
said on Instagram, they were warm and crisp on the outside, soft and light on
the inside, and they left the perfect trace of sugar on your lips after every
bite! B and I each gobbled up two of
them, and the kids each had one. Jacob
announced halfway through his, “I don’t like these.” And about 20 seconds later Olivia followed
suit. Saaaay whaaaa?!
With that, it
was time to head back out into the orchard for some of the other fun
festivities that they had to offer.
First up, a giant blow up bouncy thing that was embedded in the
ground! I’ve never seen one like that
one before… it was very different and the kids had a blast!
Next up, a
little mini corn maze that actually wasn’t a maze at all! It was basically an entrance to a giant
playground made of tires and pipes and wood.
The kids played on that forever and then they decided to try out the
tractors at the entrance.
After the
playground we headed to the petting zoo where they had baby goats, rabbits, and
baby chicks that you could hold. The
kids loved feeding the goats, but I think I enjoyed it even more! They are just so stinking sweet! And cute!
I mean, look at them!
After we fed
the goats we held the baby chicks. I was
so nervous when Olivia held them because I was afraid she was going to squeeze
them too hard. Can you tell by the look
on my face how concerned I was? Ha!
They had a
little handwashing station just outside the petting zoo that just calmed my
germaphob heart, and after a little bit lot of handwashing, we let the kids go down the massive slides they
had. There was a sign at the top that
said, “Slide at your own risk” and we had signed liability waivers upon
entering the orchard, so I was pretty nervous about them. It turned out that there were plenty of kids
Olivia’s size that were sliding, and there was really nothing to be worried
about, so we let the kids each slide several times. They both loved it!
By then we had
been there for a few hours, so we decided to call it a day. When we left we were thankful that we had
come early because there were probably two hundred people waiting in line to
get in when we left! It was crazy!
On the way back
to the mountain house we stopped by Subway for a quick lunch, and then the
babies settled into the car and watched… you guessed it… Frozen.
Olivia went
down for a long snooze when we got back to the house, and B and J played with
the new football game that Jacob had gotten at Subway while I read out on the back
deck. I mean, look at that view! I could have sat out there all day!
When Olivia got up from her nap, we took a few family pictures:
Saturday
evening B and I wanted something good for dinner, so we drove about 30 minutes
to the quaint little town of Murphy, NC to eat at Shoe Booties… a restaurant
that my parents had recommended to us. B
and I both dined on filet mignon, baked potatoes, and honey glazed carrots with
a Caesar salad for me and cream of spinach soup for him. We each paired our steaks with a glass of
wine and we each had meals fit for a king.
It was such a nice treat after eating chicken fingers, sandwiches, and Mexican
the previous couple of days.
After dinner,
we stopped by none other than DQ for dessert and the kids were in heaven! When we got back to the mountain house, B helped the kids sort their gems that they had found gem-grubbing the day before as they were all clean and dry, and then we
all piled in the bed for some snuggles and some selfies, and then it was off to
dreamland for everyone!
Sunday morning
we got up early, packed up the car, and we were just getting ready to leave
when “The Great Mountain House Lockout of 2016” occurred. Before I get into that, though, a little back
story for you. The entryway to the
mountain house has a main traditional wooden door with a deadbolt and there is
also a glass door (kind of like a screen door) outside of the regular door. The glass door has one of those deadbolt
types of locks that is only accessible from the inside because it is only meant
to be used when you’re inside the house.
All weekend long, Jacob kept locking the glass door when we were in the
house and all weekend long he could never get it unlocked. B and I were constantly telling him to stop
playing with it, but he continued to do it over and over, never being able to successfully
unlock it himself.
So anyway, the morning
we left, B and I had literally just loaded up the last of the luggage, and we were
heading inside to grab the kids when I tried to open the glass door. It wouldn’t budge. Jacob had, you guessed it, just locked the door. He and Olivia were both inside staring at us
through the glass, and B and I were both outside staring back at them. My heart immediately sank and then panic
ensued. Both of us started shouting
at him to unlock the door, but we knew that it was pointless since he hadn’t
ever been able to get the door unlocked.
Most of you are probably thinking – just go in through the back door! Well, the back doors all hang off of the side
of the mountain, so there was no getting to those. There is
a basement door on the side of the house, but we weren’t even certain that our
key would open it, but I yelled at B to go try it anyway. Meanwhile, Jacob kept trying – and failing –
to unlock the door, so I yelled at Olivia to try it. She couldn’t get it open either.
The whole
ordeal probably lasted all of about 2 minutes, but it felt like a lifetime, and
finally, after trying repeatedly to
get the door unlocked, Jacob had success!
Sweet, sweet success. And, sweet sassy molassy, was I
grateful!
Thank goodness
he works well under pressure. He gets it
from his momma.
The rest of the
day was uneventful. We loaded the kids
in the car, and stopped for one last treat on the way home – donuts for
breakfast! We were able to drive
straight through with no bathroom stops again, and the kiddos did really well
in the car. Olivia did get a little
delirious toward the end, but nothing to write home about.
B and I endured
Frozen a couple more times on the way home, and we made it home in time for a
late lunch and a long nap for Olivia.
It was the
sweetest trip with all of my favorite people, and we really couldn’t have asked
for more. I think we will just have to
start making this an annual thing!
And before I go,
a quick disclaimer about the lock-out situation – I just want to put it out
there that our car was literally parked at the porch of the mountain house just
15 feet away from the front door where the kids were playing. B and I were both in and out numerous times
so the kids were never left alone longer than 15-20 seconds so they were never
remotely in danger.
No need to call
DFACS! Haha.
And if you missed the first half of our trip, you can see it here.
