My two kids don’t agree on much. They both have different favorite meals and snacks. They love vastly different types of music. Their hobbies are pretty much opposite (even if they both like their devices).
So I was surprised they still love going apple picking after all these years. I think we’ve made it to an apple orchard nearly every year we’ve lived in the suburbs (eight years now!), and so this weekend, knowing how busy our October is slated to be, we decided this was the time for our annual tradition.
Even my 12-year-old was excited… and she hasn’t seemed to like any of my ideas lately! After we returned, I started thinking about what it was exactly that the kids enjoyed so much. It feels like such a simple experience. We ride a tractor. We pluck apples off trees. We watch where we step as we travel as far as we can into the orchard. (You can always tell where a ton of people have been–wasted apples litter the ground, with some of them smashed, turning into brown goop). And we fill our bags with green and red apples.
This year, after a solid hour together, the boys ventured off on their own to find an elusive variety (i.e., one that wasn’t fully ripe yet), while my daughter and I fed a horse and visited the gift store. We met back up with the boys and finished our trip by buying some cider and donuts.
The whole apple picking adventure this year lasted only four hours door to door… but we all loved it. The kids even asked if we could go a second time this season (to which I looked at my calendar and was like uhhh, our weekends are pretty packed, but “let’s see what we can do.”)
So I guess I do get it. We had time outdoors. My husband and I were fully present with the kids the whole time. We ate and brought home apples galore. And, of course, a sweet treat at the end always helps.
It feels like such a simple trip. And beautiful. And fun. And I realize: I want more Sundays to feel like this apple picking did.
Do you and your family go apple picking in the fall? Or what are your favorite fall side quests? I want more ideas… I mean, if I can squeeze them into our already busy month.
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This is me attempting to share random writing and things I’m thinking about like “old school blogs.” It also means I’m attempting to just write and POST, as practice for putting myself out there. So, pretty please, forgive any errors/typos. (And yes, clearly I’m a recovering people pleaser; otherwise, why else would I put this caveat in there?)
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