Mountain Trip - Days 3 & 4

On Saturday of our trip we woke up to more fog and we headed to Hillcrest Orchards for a day of apple-picking and farm fun.  We arrived early because they get soooo busy on the weekends…fortunately we got there early enough to beat the crowd.

First up was apple picking!  We did the five pound bag again because I knew we wouldn’t be able to eat them all if we picked more than that.  The kids loved picking and so did their Momma!  ;o)

After Brian took our bag of apples to the car we headed straight to the jumping pillow to let the kiddos burn off some steam.  We had never seen a jumping pillow until we came to this orchard last year, but I have to say it is a really cool thing!  I’m not even sure how it works, but it’s just this massive pillow looking thing right on the ground and it’s super bouncy like a trampoline.  Jacob loved it last year and Brian reminded me that Olivia hadn’t, but this year both of them had a blast.  

After they got their bouncies out we headed to the playground.  On the way, everyone had to stop and take a picture as an apple thief!  

After playing on the playground for a bit (I didn’t even snap any pictures) we headed to the big slides.  The kids slid over and over and I think they would have done it all day if we had let them!  They loved it!

Next up was the petting zoo where the kids held baby chicks, fed baby goats, and petted a brand new week-old baby calf as well as some kittens.  There was this big goat house out there and one of the big goats was in the tower, and they had a bucket on a pulley so the kids could fill the bucket with hay and send it up to the goat in the tower.  Olivia wanted so badly to use the pulley to send the bucket up, but the goat kept grabbing the rope and pulling it up himself.  It was so funny.

By this time it was lunchtime, so B got in line for hot dogs and hamburgers while I snagged a picnic table.  After lunch we headed straight inside the farmer’s market where they sell the apple cider donuts and ice cream and we all got dessert – hand dipped ice cream for the kids and me, an apple pie with ice cream for B, and a half dozen apple cider donuts to go!  The best part!

We were pretty beat after that, so we headed back to the car and settled in for the hour and fifteen minute drive back to the mountain house.  On the way back, we passed several medians that were just FILLED with gorgeous purple and white wildflowers and they went on for miles!  I had to snap a picture because I couldn’t believe how beautiful they were!  I wish our city would do something like this.

On the way back to the house, we stopped in the little town of Hiawasee because look what we found… a mural!!!!  Since the kids were with us, I couldn’t resist taking some pictures of them in front of it as well.  Oh, and Brian.  Haha.

We spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out at the house, inspecting our apple haul, and taking a quick walk through the neighborhood.  I say quick because both kids whined incessantly the entire time so we had to turn around and go back to the house pretty much right after we left – ha!

By 5:30 or so the kids were driving us nuts (witching hour is REAL, y’all) so B and I cracked open some beers and sat out on the back deck while the kids ran amuck.  For dinner we decided to stay home, and we found the BEST little pizza place that delivered to the house!  We were so excited to not have to leave!  The kids got bathed while we were waiting for the pizza to arrive, and then we had a delicious dinner and watched the Georgia/Missouri game. 

We stepped outside for our last sunset and then B worked on the puzzle that we had all been putting together all weekend.  Jacob snuggled up in my lap for a long time so I was basically in heaven and Olivia laid in her sleeping bag while watching the game.  After Jacob crawled out of my lap I crawled in Olivia’s sleeping bag with her and she thought it was hilarious that we could both fit in there.  Meanwhile Jacob passed out on the carpet.

During halftime B scooped Jacob up and carried him to bed while I carried Olivia.  Both of them fell asleep within two minutes and B and I had the rest of the evening free to watch the rest of the game and enjoy a couple more brewskies.  We got another win, too!!  WOOT!

Sunday morning we got up early, enjoyed our apple cider donuts from the orchard, said goodbye to the mountains, and then we were on our way back home… but not before stopping one more time in front of the mural!  

God bless Brian for putting up with my shenanigans.  ;o) 

It was another amazing trip and we are all so blessed to have created so many wonderful memories together that we can all look back on one day.

*Linking up with Home of Malones for Thoughts for Thursday.