It's a U-Pick kind of day

Happy Fall! Yahoo!!! My favorite (FAVORITE!) time of year. I'm so happy to usher it in, though I don't complain...I love all the seasons for various reasons (Spring symbolizes renewal, Winter is cozy and snowy and gorgeous, Summer means relaxation and awesome outdoor time, etc...) but fall...fall and I get along really nicely. Good things happen in the fall, to me. Six years ago (whoa!) my adorable boyfriend proposed, then five years ago that adorable boyfriend went from fiance to hubby. A couple years after that we found out our precious boy was on the way. I love sweaters, I love those days when you can wear jeans, some kicky sandals and short sleeves still, I love butternut squash soup (which I made yesterday), I love the beautiful changing leaves, I even love the crunch they make when one steps on those that have fallen, I adore decorating the outside of our home with mums and kale and rich colors of fall. But my most favorite are PUMPKINS! Our son has QUICKLY become the orange gourd's biggest fan, letting us know each and every time he sees a pumpkin. And today, we all got our share of pumpkins, apples and all things fall!

Cary was blessed with a GORGEOUS day off, so we went to this great U-Pick place called Anderson Orchard. Originally, I found it on pickyourown.org, soon Cary also heard of it through another source and we were set! This place was beautiful...and so worth the drive for the delicious apple cider slushes alone!

When we arrived, we headed for the raspberry patches (um, the word patches does not accurately describe these massive expanses of raspberry bushes). It's the end of the raspberry season, but we still got a beautiful abundance...FOUR POUNDS of raspberries! I've got lots of plans for these suckers: smoothies galore, warm raspberry crisp, and even a glaze! Plus PLENTY for freezing too.

McKinley absolutely loved helping us wander through the rows, he even got in and picked the berries - not even noticing the stickers on the bushes. He didn't care, he just loved it so much! He would weave in and out of each row, running back and forth from Mommy to Daddy and back again, helping collect and distribute the berries to our bucket. I think we all enjoyed the fact that he could truly run freely among these many, many acres without a care in the world. We didn't have to watch for cars, strangers (though it was busy, no one bothered anyone at all), nothing of any kind of harm. Every child needs some time like that. The best part was during McKinley's treks back and forth between me and Cary when he looked up at me and said, "Hey Mommy? I having fun!" Oh, I melted. Into a big ole' puddle of love.

McKinley verbally expressed how Cary and I felt too. Spending a nice, quiet day like this in a HUGE, peaceful orchard with fresh air, the lovely smell of ripe berries and smooshed apples and only the sound of the grass underfoot...well, it does the soul a lot of good.

Cary and I agreed to relinquish our new found raspberry-picking obsession (I mean, really...FOUR POUNDS???) and head for the apples! You name the variety, they had 'em. We ended up with some yellow delicious, Jonagold and Scarlet-something-that-I-can't-remember-but-are-really-yummy. We got a whole peck! I love using that word - hahahaha!

After driving through the orchards and jumping out to climb apple trees (thank you, Cary), and sneaking a taste of our delicious finds we headed back up to the orchard store to pick our pumpkins. We ended up with what is no doubt the largest pumpkin I can ever remember having as an adult (because I've had them every year...it's a must - carved or not), some cute mini gourds, and some little bitty pumpkins for our pumpkin painting party currently in the planning stages. This place was a real treat today. There's something about the small things in life as simple as picking a pumpkin that just makes for wonderful family memories and put smiles on our faces. Cary and I were both transported today, back to our youth. Me, remembering picking raspberries, blackberries, gooseberries and many more from our own little patches and three cute apple trees right in my own backyard...and Cary remembering picking strawberries with his Mamaw, and going to a local orchard in his hometown that's still open today. I hope we're making sweet, tasty memories for McKinley's childhood like the ones we have in our hearts. What a wonderful day!

I'm so thankful to have been able to share it with my husband and my son.

Lynn