Old Mcdonald's Farm 2016

I'm sure I have said this before, but I kind of love how having children has opened us up to new experiences and opportunities that we didn't take advantage of before kids were a part of our lives.

Not to say that we couldn't do these things, but that we didn't do them. Life was good before kids, but there were some things we were missing out on.

Granted, memory making is not always a walk in the park, and life with little kids can pose challenges (poopy diaper or the occasional potty training accident in the middle of an outing, anyone?), but the joy of the experience outweighs the inconvenience.

Two years ago we visited Old Mcdonald's Farm in Sale Creek and we had an ok experience. Truth be told, there were a lot of people, the lines were long, the weather was uncomfortably hot for the end of October, I was pregnant, and Jack needed a nap. Perfection it was not. But looking back at the photos from that year, I am glad we went.

Last year we were a bit jaded and opted to make the drive to Ellijay, Georgia to visit to Burt's Farm in the middle of the week and enjoyed a more low-key experience without all of the lines.

We didn't have a set plan for a trip to a pumpkin patch this year until some friends asked if we wanted to go to Old Mcdonald's with them. We almost said no, but we knew our kids would have fun so we agreed to the plan.

This time we went on a Saturday and arrived as soon as the farm opened. Since we arrived early in the day, we were able to walk in and ride the pedal-propelled go carts right away (no line). We actually got to ride three times before there was a line and we moved on to something else.

We only waited a few minutes for the wagon ride and were even able to go on the actual hayride this year. Timing is everything at a place like this!

The kids had a blast on the big barn slides and playing in the corn bins. Initially Isaac hated the corn, but I got in and had him sit in my lap and he warmed up to the experience.

After lunch we visited the petting zoo, wandered through the hay maze and Jack and Daniel tried their hand with the pumpkin sling shot.

We still aren't brave enough to take our kids into the corn maze (I don't want to get stuck with a fussy toddler), maybe we will try it next year.

We ran into several friends, so I guess that means we are officially "local."

If you are in Chattanooga and looking for a good pumpkin patch to visit, Old Mcdonald's is great, as long as you plan on going early in the day (expect it to get busy after lunch). Cost is $12/person and kids 2 and under are free. Pumpkins less than 5lbs cost $2 and 5-20lbs cost $5 (or something like that, I can't remember the exact sizes, expect to pay $5 for a decent size pumpkin).

Our previous trips to the pumpkin patch:
Burt's Farm 2015 ⎮ Old Mcdonald's Farm 2014 ⎮Crow Creek Pumpkin Patch 2013 ⎮ Crow Creek 2012 and Burt's Farm 2012

The Compassion Experience

I believe I was a teenager when I was first introduced to Compassion International – my church youth group sponsored three children over the course of several years.

Compassion is a Christian organization that brings together children in the poorest countries with sponsors from around the world who are willing to help through financial assistance. The sponsors and children are also able to communicate via letters and some even eventually meet.

The program has had success in getting these children a secondary education, with a path for college and a future employment. The sponsorship also provides for medical care and other needs.

Over the weekend, a local church hosted a Compassion Experience. This event allowed us to have a glimpse into the lives of three children (now grown) who had benefited from the Compassion program. They each had very different lives, but all were touched by poverty.

Daniel and I regularly talk about how we can teach our kids the importance of compassion and empathy for people who have different life experiences from us, and we felt like the Compassion Experience would be a good opportunity to plant that seed.

With young children, this experience wasn't a perfect fit, but Jack did choose to walk through all three stories.

We all listened to the story of Carlos in Guatemala together, then Isaac decided that he was finished so we decided that one of us should just let him play outside.

Jack and I listened to the story of Kiwi in the Philippines and then we traded and Daniel went with Jack to hear a story about a child growing up in Uganda.

Each story led us through a series of rooms. As we listened to each child's hardship, we had the opportunity to see how they lived, what they ate, and how they were expected to contribute to their family.

Jack is almost five and some parts of these (true) stories were pretty intense – for the Philippines story they had him listen to a kid friendly version.

When we finished, we asked him what he thought. He said he was sad that the mom of the child in Uganda had died. So even though he was young, he still connected with the story.

Mostly he enjoyed playing with the food in each country, and I have to confess that I am pretty sure the headphones were probably his favorite part.

I think that two years from now he would have a better understanding of what the stories were about and why we were there.

Still, it was a good experience and if you have a chance to attend one of these free events, I would definitely recommend it.

There are so many children in our world who need help, and if nothing else, it is a good reminder of how much we have to be thankful for, every day.

Ocoee Whitewater Center

For some time, Daniel and I have been kicking around the idea of taking our kids to ride the Virginia Creeper Trail. With Jack teaching himself to ride his bike this summer (and then taking him on an 11-mile ride while on vacation this summer), we felt like we could totally handle the experience.

But, as happens more than we like, life got in the way. By the time we got around to planning our trip, our lodging options were limited because we put off finding a place. Then we talked about camping somewhere like Big South Fork, where we could still bike and hike, but we kept putting off committing to an actual plan.

Last minute plans are not Daniel's favorite, but I was determined we would do something fun for the long weekend... and then I came down with a stomach bug. Thursday afternoon, I collapsed on the couch and I didn't end up really getting off the couch until Sunday.

It was a miserable weekend, but it turned out that not having planned anything was for the best.

By Monday I was feeling like a human again and Daniel had the day off so I suggested we take a drive and go to the Ocoee Whitewater Center in Cherokee National Forest (about an hour-and-a-half from where we live). At the last second we decided to throw Jack's bike in the back of the car.

My initial plan was that we would walk/bike on the Rhododendron Trail #332. This was supposed to be a flat 1.6 miles, one-way, from the Whitewater Center to Powerhouse #3. But in the end, we just did about a mile stroll around the Olympic course at the Whitewater Center.

It was a gorgeous day and after a brief walk/ride, Jack hopped off his bike determined to explore the gorge itself. So we let him.

I had brought extra clothes for the boys, but didn't bring swimsuits or towels – it's October and I hadn't really considered that the kids might want to get wet.

Well, get wet they did! Jack ended up climbing around barefoot, in shorts, wearing his bike helmet for protection in case he slipped on the wet rocks.

Isaac was determined to get in. Without a swim diaper, we opted to let him skinny dip (not a first). This little one of ours is so ready to be big. He insists on tramping around, not wanting to hold our hands, completely unconcerned about the water that is swift and too deep for him. He is unbothered by rough terrain, he just wants to go. He wants to be where his big brother is, doing what he is doing. Truth be told, he was not a fan of being stuck in his stroller for most of the day, but I think he still had a good time.

Jack had a blast. He started out rock hopping, but soon was waist deep in the water. He found little areas that he could slide on the rocks, letting the current push him through the shallow waters – what was too deep for his little brother, was perfect for him. And when he wasn't playing in the water, he was biking as fast as his little legs would let him – often just out of our sight.

I love that our boys both love the outdoors and exploring, being immersed in nature. We are excited that while we can do fun things with them now, once Isaac is a little older, we will be able to do even more. And that is a lovely thought.

Monday was Canadian Thanksgiving and I was thinking about my family, spread all over. It's been a long time since I truly celebrated this holiday (I normally try to at least make a pumpkin pie, but with being sick that wasn't going to happen), but nonetheless, I am thankful for my family and that I got to spend the day with Daniel and our boys.

SuperFly Jump Park

Our church recently rented out the SuperFly jump park in east Chattanooga for a preschool family gathering, and we had a fantastic time (even the grown ups!).

There were trampolines to jump on, foam pits to jump into, an American Ninja Warrior course to attempt, and so much more.

I made it across two of the Ninja obstacles without falling in, and across the slack line (with the aid of a rope for balance). Daniel climbed across a climbing wall, in addition other obstacles.

Isaac was determined to go up the stairs to the trapeze swing – I spent part of my night steering him away. Jack had an amazing time doing as much as he could do.

I think the favorite activity was to run up the nearly vertical trampolines and then slide back down. I was able to hold Isaac in my left arm as I ran up the slide, and then held him in my lap to slide back down with him. So much fun.

Jack was so sad to leave (crying in the parking lot), and he wasn't the only one. We will have to go back one of these days.

Up until now I have put off taking Jack to a jump park because of the size of the park, and concern about injury, but now that we have done it, I think we could manage going back with a small group.

This event was perfect for all ages and gave us the opportunity to connect with some friends from church that we don't see as much any more.

Jack thought it was an awesome small group outing, we said it was actually a big group outing :) It's nice to connect with a bigger group.