Cox Farm 2011

 Well, it's that time of year again!  COX FARMS!  This is one of my favorite outings with William.  We've made it a tradition for the last 3 years and every visit is more fun than the last.  I usually pick him up from school about 30 minutes early because it's about a 45 minute drive to the farm.  For two years, we have played at Cox Farms with one of William's most special pals, Caroline.  

She's a sweet heart and these two have been buds since mother's day out.  Caroline are her mom are two people I will miss terribly.  They both have a piece of my heart and it has been a delight to watch William and Caroline forge a bond like brother and sister - true protectors of each other.  So this trip to Cox Farms was a little bittersweet since this will be our last visit for awhile.  It was only fitting to spend 3.5 hours on the hay slides with our very own Sweet Caroline.

The day was beautiful, but much warmer than I thought.  Luckily, William was in shorts and Adeline was able to shed her tights for some fall sunshine.  The kids hit the ground running while Cherlyn and I diligently tried to keep our eyes on them.  I had Adeline in the stroller which made our travels easy!  The farm is HUGE and even though it's crowded, you still feel like it's half empty.  The lines are pretty short since there are slides EVERYWHERE.   The kids never get frustrated or loose time waiting for a turn.  William and Caroline (Connor too!) zipped down about 100 hay slides.  

Cherlyn and I couldn't believe their energy level because the only way to get to the top of the slides was to hike (or run) up the steep hills....and these kids RAN up those hills!  They loved all the slides, but William's favorite was a tall twisty slide that came out of the side of a red barn.  I laughed to myself because he LOVED this slide yet it was EXACTLY the same as a tunnel water slide at Wolf Lodge and Broadmoor.....and he's terrified of those!  Won't even entertain the idea of going down them.  I guess fear is thrown to the wolves at Cox Farms for the ol' WBB!  

William wasn't interested in the hayride through the haunted forest, so while we waited for the McCalls to return from the ride, I took some silly pictures of the kids and William road another 20 times down the hay slides for good measure.  Our group reunited at the children's zoo where they caught a glimpse of pigs, cows, chickens, sheep and a few other stinky animals.  

By 3pm, my crew was ready to roll.  So we bid Caroline good-bye and William spent a few minutes picking out a pumpkin for himself and Adeline.  We got a few cute pictures on our way out of the farm and headed to the car for a snack.  Adeline was an absolute GEM the entire 3 hours at the farm.  I am so thankful for her easy going attitude and always happy disposition.  She loved watching William run around and enjoyed riding in the shaded stroller.  

We got back to our house around 4pm and all of us were pooped.  William kept telling me how much fun he had at Cox Farms and that he was so happy Adeline got the chance to see where he likes to go in the fall.  He's so sweet to his sister and truly gets excited for her "first" of everything in life.  I think he's reminded me about 4 times already that this was Adeline's first trip to Cox Farms.  

He's also asked repeatedly how big Adeline has to be before she can do the hay slides with him.  Now THAT will be one fun fall outing for sure!!  I just know it'll be twice as thrilling to watch both my kiddos enjoy the pumpkin farm together one day.

We love you Caroline!!!