Hill Ridge Farm

I'm sure if you live in the triangle area, you've at least heard of Hill Ridge Farm, if not been there already. This year was our first trip...actually we went twice. Two weekends back to back.

The first weekend we went was when my friend Sarah and her family were visiting us from Texas with their 2 year old daughter. Unfortunately Ethan had a very bad cold with a double ear infection- and it was raining. Ethan wasn't really himself, so I was glad we were able to go the next weekend for a re-do.

The next weekend we went with my cousin Beth, her husband, and their son. It was a beautiful sunny day, and Ethan was back to his normal, energetic self. Thank goodness. Side note- that was one of the WORST upper respiratory colds he has ever had. 8 days worth of pure misery. I'm so glad that's over!

I think Ethan's favorite part of the whole experience was the train ride. He is really into trains right now- and talks about them constantly. His second favorite? The big corn pit. He thought (and I did too!) it was pretty cool.

Here are some pictures from our farm adventures-

 

My poor kid- can you tell how great he feels?

 

Now that's better! Finally feeling like himself again!

 

Train selfie!

 

On the hayride to the pumpkin patch

We are looking forward to going again next year. If you haven't gone, you should!

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Black, Gold, and Eric Church

Yeah, yeah, I know. It's been a while. Sorry. Life has really gotten in the way of my blogging these last two weeks. What little free time I have had, has been spent on the couch resting, or trying to catch up on sleep. I promise, I have a lot of catching up to do- so be on the look out for some additional posts!

Two weekends ago, Evan and I traveled up to Boone/Blowing Rock for a kid free weekend. Ahhhh, let's say that again. Kid.Free.Weekend. What was I looking forward to most you ask? SLEEPING IN. Relaxing, and actually sitting still for longer than 2.5 seconds.  It was glorious.

We started our evening off on Friday by eating at a new restaurant in downtown Blowing Rock called The Town Tavern. It was delicious. The next morning was unusually cold for the first weekend of October. It was blustery and frigid when the wind hit you. It was a high of 47, with a wind chill of around 40 or so. We walked around downtown Blowing Rock, and Evan wanted to try the chicken salad sandwich at the Blowing Rock Market. Since I wasn't hungry I enjoyed a nice cup of hot chocolate. After walking around a bit, we headed back to the cabin to get ready to go tailgating at the football game. Appalachian State is in a new conference this year, with a new coach. We are definitely in a transition time with some growing pains.  If you are an ASU fan, you know that in more recent times, we have been used to winning. So, this new transition comes with a bit of a shock. Needless to say, the game was boring, and we were not winning...and it was cold.

 

 

 

 

Things didn't get interesting until...

The two girls in front of us noticed that Eric Church was sitting 3 rows down from us with his wife, and one member of his band. What?! Eric Church and his wife both graduated from ASU around the year 2000. They have one son named Boone, and another on the way. We are big country music fans- incase you didn't know. :)

I was so excited! I have never been that close to a celebrity before. I finally convinced Evan to come with me to go meet him. Surprisingly, he was not being swarmed by fans. I really don't think people recognized him. He had on his big glasses (I don't think he ever takes those off?) a hat, and a hoodie. No security or anything crazy like that- just trying to enjoy what normal people do. I felt bad drawing attention to him but- my thinking was that this kind of opportunity would never happen again.

Evan went down and broke the ice for me. He introduced himself and asked if it was okay if we took a picture with him. He was very nice and said "absolutely!". We only talked for a few seconds- he was eager to assume his incognito position on the bleachers.

The rest of the football game was spent spying on Eric and his wife. Hey..it was fun!

We had a slow morning on Sunday, and headed home around lunch time.

A big thanks to my parents who took great care of Ethan for us while we were gone. He had a blast.

Happy Friday everyone!!!

Preschool Progress

Well, we made it to October which means Ethan has been in preschool for just over a month. He has enjoyed every.single.moment. Every day when I pick him up, he is quick to ask me "mommy can I go back?"

 I have been so impressed with the program and curriculum that is being taught. This is way more than I could have ever expected out of a preschool! Every month there is a color, shape, and theme. This month the color is orange, theme pumpkins, and shape is triangle. The school sets up a pumpkin patch on the grounds so that each child gets to pick out their own pumpkin to paint. Also, this month the fire department will pay a visit...with the truck of course! I think Ethan must have put in a special request for this day. :)

On Tuesdays Ethan goes to music class, which he loves. Thursdays he goes to chapel for a bible lesson. At the beginning of each month I get a calendar so I know exactly what each day will hold. I love reading and learning about all the different activities he will be doing. This also helps to guide my conversation with him.

Ethan's teacher takes pictures throughout each month, and shares them with the parents. I especially love this. Here are some pictures of some of E's recent artwork, and some photos that his teacher took.

 

Making apple stamps

 

Lucky for Ethan the train comes every Tuesday and Thursday right before school is over. He loves this! Obviously this is a big attraction!

 

Toast anyone?

 

 

This woman is talented. She can get & hold the attention of 10 2 year olds!

 

 

Apple tree with finger prints as apples

 

Coffee filter leaf

 

We are so thankful for this preschool program, and can't wait to see what the rest of the year holds. It's amazing to me how much he is already learning!

 

Hope everyone has a great week!