Then on Saturday we went to the Apple Orchard. The day started out a little hairy as we got down to Stillwater only to realize that the bridge was closed. This means that we have venture all the way down to Hudson and cross the bridge there. Don't get me wrong it is a pleasant drive but it adds about 45 extra minutes to the trip and we were within 15 minutes of our final destination. So we turned around and got onto the road to Hudson. Jonah was in the back of the car with the boys and their two car seats so they were all a little jammed in there but having him next to them seemed to keep the boys happier for much longer than they would normally have been. We arrived at the apple orchard and headed straight for the bakery to sample some of the scrumptious goods they have for sale. Then after finding out how the apple picking experience was to go and exactly which of the apples were currently available for picking, we headed out to pick a bag full of apples. Will, naturally, went straight for the low hanging apples and the ones on the ground. We had to persuade him that the most delicious apples could only be reached by sitting on Daddy's shoulders and picking the really high ones. You are able to try each of the different variates of apples and can purchase may different kinds even if they aren't available for picking. So needless to say we came home with a lot of apples. I think that Will probably ate 3 apples during the course of the day and Jake almost ate a whole one by himself, which is a lot for him. The favorite of the day was the Zestar. Never heard of it? Well that is because it is a new variety of apple developed by the University of Minnesota and is only currently available locally. I know you are jealous but feel free to visit us during apple season and you too could have this delectable apple!
Sunday was a bit quieter. We went to church and then into Stillwater while the boys napped (Jonah stayed with them). Stillwater is the town that is directly across the river into Minnesota. There is a quaint older section with a lot of shops and great old buildings. So my mom and I had fun just looking around at all of the shops.
Monday we visited the zoo. We have a membership to the zoo and have been there many times since we moved here, but I have never actually driven there by myself. So this was an experience. I had to drive on freeways following Map quest directions, for those of you who have ever followed these directions probably know what I am talking about. For those of you who haven't let's just say they do not always take the most direct route and can be very confusing. But we made it allright and it was a good day, the boys love the zoo. We tried to see as much as we could but is a very big zoo and we can't see it all in the time we have allocated before we need to leave to get in home in time for naps. We ended up leaving later than I planned and got stuck in some road construction so we were late for naps. They still were able to get a little rest but not as much as they really needed.
So Tuesday was a bit of a rest/ cranky day. We went to story time at the Library. Wow I am not sure what I was expecting but let me just set the scene for you. There is a smallish room, maybe 14x14 or so and then there was around 15 toddlers and their mom/grandma. So the room was pretty full. Many of these very active toddlers found sitting and listening to a story difficult so it was not a relaxing story time to say the least. The story teller was good and has a great story voice, so I think we will give it another go but maybe not every week. The boys were very fussy and tired that day so I ended up fussy and tired by the end of the day as well, or was it that I was tired and fussy and so the boys ended up tired and fussy as well. It is hard to tell some days. Never the less we were tired and fussy so we went to the Library and that is about it.
On Wednesday we went for a drive along the St Croix River. We stopped at several places along the way to look at the changing leaves and beautiful fall colors. We also found a nice place where boats can be loaded into the river (can you tell I am not from a State with a lot of water? I still don't know very many boat/water terms). There was a path following the river and the boys were able to throw rocks into the river- so much fun!
During the course of this trip, as we were driving along we came accross a Bald Eagle in the middle of the road, right in front of us, trying to get some lunch. It was almost hit by a car itself and flew off of the road. I pulled off and pulled out my camera, lementing the fact that I had taken the longer telephoto lense out when we went to the zoo. I was able to get a few good pictures. Evidently Bald Eagles are pretty common here so I will be on the lookout in the futures in the hopes of getting better/ more close-up shot.
That was a long post. Well like I said the week was packed full of adventures!
