Apple Hill, for those who don't know, is this great area in the foothills of apple ranches and other ranches. (visit www.applehill.com for more information). They have all kinds of activities. Based on what we discovered, we chose to go to Apple Ridge Farms. They had all kinds of stuff - including farm animals - that should interest Nicholas.
The drive up was great. It was quick and easy. We were there around 10-ish. We got there and saw there was a little market/fair on the grass, and Jon got some homemade beef jerky that he insists is great. I don't know, I can't eat the stuff.
Our first stop was to try and get Nicholas to ride the pony ride. He wanted to see the ponies, pet the horses, even tried to feed them, but riding them was a no go. I think kids see the horses and think they are so big, but oh well. Onto the hay maze.
Now, the hay maze isn't huge, but it was perfect for Nicholas. Just the right size. It had some hay bales to climb on, and lots of different ways through, but not enough different ways for him to get confused. He has a ton of fun. He loved hiding behind bales of hay and having me and Jon "look" for him. Then he would pop up and say "Here I am!"
The next big hit was the farm animals. They had cows and pigs (who Nicholas said were lazy because they wouldn't come talk to him). And they had goats and sheep. Nicholas fed the animal food to the goats and sheep. He loved it. I ran out of quarters for the food (50 cents a cup) and he wanted to keep doing more. But he loved it. Then he ran to the cows and was mooing at them, trying to get them to move. Same with the pigs - but he oinked at them. He tried climbing the gates to get into the animals, but Jon stopped that. It was such a great time seeing him have so much fun.
We took a hike. It said easy, and I am sure it was for someone who wasn't super pregnant. But it was in the sun, I was pregnant, and it ended with this hill. I mean, Nicholas did the hill without a problem. But all I could think was "Does this hill ever end?" Note to others: Don't try hiking while 7+ months pregnant. It is a bad idea.
We ate their tri-tip sandwiches too. They had great BBQ sauce, but told me they didn't sell it. That was too bad. I would've invested a lot of money in the BBQ sauce.
They had a little pond on the property. Jon showed Nicholas how to skip rocks. Nicholas took this to mean "throw rocks." We had to sit and wait patiently as our son threw every rock he could find into the pond just to see the splashes. He had so much fun, it makes me wonder why I ever pay to take him anywhere. Just take him somewhere there is some water and rocks, let the kid throw rocks and see splashes every day, and he's perfectly happy.
Nicholas was getting tired, and Jon put him on his shoulders.
And then, because it is Apple Hill, we had to go shopping. We went to their shop and got homemade apple juice, an apple pie, a caramel apple, some apples, and an apple lolly pop for Nicholas. He loved this lolly pop. Jon loved the apple juice - and once Nicholas tasted it at home he loved it too.
The lolly pop - Nicholas ate it all the way home - at least until he fell asleep and I could steal it from him so it didn't get the car all sticky. Then once we got home he had to have it back. Last year he grabbed 2 apples out of a bin - one for each hand - and ate them all the way home. This year he graduated to a lolly pop.
As for pictures of me - well, I was taking the pictures. And there are a few, but those all make me look as big as a whale, which I was, so I am not putting those onto the blog. Besides, Nicholas is so much cuter.
It was a great way to spend a Saturday and we had a ton of fun. Apple Hill is a family favorite of ours.
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