Fall Traditions: Orchards & Patches

I am barely going to get this one posted in "fall" even though we visited both the Apple Orchard and the Pumpkin Patch in September and October. I figure by not posting them til after my Christmas pictures are taken I just extend the memories just a little longer.

 

We spend more time eating at the Apple Orchards than anything else but who can pass up warm Apple Cider Donuts? Each Orchard is handpicked based on what treats are served!

Together since Chloe was born 3 months after the girls and the best of friends.

And sometimes life is just too rough.

We have been visiting Bishops and Apple Hill since the big girls were little. Both of these places are fun for both adults and kids. The only sad part is both have become so commercialized over the past 7 years. Paul and I were in sticker shock this year when it cost us $36 for our family to ride the 2 minute train around the pumpkin patch. I understand we are a big family, but seriously it is a ride around pumpkins with a cute little musical tune that is played throughout the cars to make you feel it is so much more. It was pretty easy to limit it to 2 paid activities this year at that price.

All Lesnau activities commence with the use of the van potty.

The girl car

The boy car

We went with our friends and it is so fun when you go places with other large families. To us it is no big deal having 3 parents with 12 kids all under the age of 10 but when I look at pictures I understand why we turn heads.

Love this picture of my Bella. The babies have all started saying each others names in play and Isabella is always Bella. I love it because she has always been Izzie or Isabella to us. 

Thankfully there were many other memories to be made besides the expensive ones; hanging out with friends at both places, lots of yummy apple snacks, family time & the realization that our kids are getting older. There were no strollers this year, no diapers to be changed, no bottles or time outs for nursing and no hurry up to get home for naps. Life is really getting easier when it comes to taking our family of 9 out on adventures. It also amazes me how much my kids remember year after year and this is the exact reason we will continue our Fall Family Traditions. Now if only my kids would forget about that dang Elf on the Shelf that they reminded me will be here in the morning...

Only way to get everyone in was to angle the camera!

My Babies!!

Fall Traditions: Trick or Treat

I am so happy this holiday has left us. It is one the kids love and I despise. Who ever thought it was a good idea to have kids wait all. day. long to be able to put on costumes and knock on doors asking for candy never had kids of their own. Maybe I would enjoy it more if we went trick or treating at 8am so that I wouldn't have to answer 49 times in one day that we would go out after dinner. Yet then I would have to deal with crabby sugar high kids all day so really it is just a holiday that I will continue to find silly.

I love when the calendar turns to October because it means I can decorate for fall. I love all things orange, things that smell like pumpkins and just the warmth that fall decorations bring. This year one of the twins asked if we could put skeletons at the end of the driveway. The other twin was quick to answer with 'no because mom only does cute Halloween decorations not scary.' In years past I have tried to get into the Halloween spirit by coming up with themed costumes for the kids. Last year I probably spent over $200 in completing our Frozen theme. It was fun and they were cute but in the end it rained and the kids spent less than 3 hours in their expensive matching outfits. This year I vowed we were not wasting money on garb for one evening. Instead we rummaged through our dress up box, borrowed from neighbors and only ended up spending $6 on clown hair. No one complained and everyone was excited for their costume. Aubrey even wore a clown outfit that was mine. I was trying to tell her how old it was but I decided saying it was 25 years old made it old enough without stating exactly how old it was!

Aubrey

Kenzie

Bella

Even though I don't get into Halloween the kids had a blast and Paul & I enjoyed hanging out with our friends. Nothing like adding 9 more people into a house who already have 7 of their own. We enjoyed a fast pace meal of pizza and salad and when all the kids started getting to antsy we moved everyone outside to start trick or treating. Not a one complained! The best part of the night was hearing the homeowners responses when they opened their door to 13 kids all under the age of 10. Just when they thought they were done handing out candy Isabella and Tate would make their way to the front for two more cute "Trick or Treat" and "thank yous" which often got said in the wrong order. We knew it was time to call it a night when kids started shedding costumes, buckets got too heavy to hold and kids were tripping on one another.

Natalie

Tate

After candy was checked the babies each got one piece and they were totally content. The big kids got to eat until their tummies were full. I think Drew kept expecting me to tell him to stop so that boy was shoving candy in his mouth as fast as it would go. I don't think he liked the way a Sugar Daddy slowed him down so he did come and give me a partly eaten sucker. It always amazes me how many empty wrappers I find in their still full buckets of candy when the night is over.

Drew

Rylan

This year was the year of mix-matched costumes, Reeses peanut butter cups and day light savings which had my kids up way too early the next morning. Though Halloween is a tradition I could easily do without but I don't think my kids will let us skip this fine day. So until next year we will continue hiding and sneaking this years candy as I decide if Halloween 2016 will be themed or hodgepodge.

The first house the quads ever trick or treated at. They really had no idea what we were doing but after 3 pieces of candy got placed in their bucket it didn't take them long to figure it out. Kenzie was down the drive way in no time heading to our other neighbors. 

Our neighbors who spoil our kids. All of the houses in our neighborhood are on at least 3 acres which means we get no trick or treaters. Our two neighbors had stopped us earlier in the week to let us know a treat would be ready for them!

Fall Traditions: Painting Pumpkins

As the kids have gotten older we have definitely  started creating some fall traditions to enjoy each year. I actually enjoy the small things the kids start asking to do once school starts more than the fall holidays themselves. Some things we try as a family but they just don't stick and they don't become traditions. Others we have done since the girls were little because Paul & I  felt it was our duty as parents to do them. Now there are things we will continue to do each year because the kids ask for them and they have become family traditions/favorites.

Aubrey 2010

Natalie 2010

2011

2013

The kids Paul's final creations.

2014: 1st Annual Redneck Pumpkin Carving

Since I have been majorly lacking in the blog posting department the last several months I will have a "Fall Traditions" series over the next couple of weeks. Don't worry they will be short and sweet with little words and lots of pictures!

First up was the tradition we started last year which would make this year the 2nd Annual Lesnau Pumpkin Carving Redneck Style. I gave up carving pumpkins last year when I started thinking about the mess 7 kids would create gutting pumpkins. And actually I saved Paul a ton of time because this was his event and I watched from a far. I don't do mess and I get bored with carving of pumpkins after I mess up the triangle nose. Paul use to go all out and cut out these amazing characters but it usually meant the kids enjoyed it for 10 minutes and it took him til 1:00 in the morning to finish. And that was with only 3 pumpkins to carve. Can you imagine how many days it would take to do 7? The first ones would be a rotted mess before the last one was done.

Redneck pumpkin carving is awesome; takes less than an hour, each kid does their own work, clean up includes a bath and a fold up of a plastic table cloth and the best part is I will have them until almost Thanksgiving as porch decorations.

I may buy a pumpkin as they go on sale after Halloween to cut up just to allow each kid the experience of pumpkin gooeyness running through their fingers and because we all enjoy the pumpkin seeds but one will be more than enough for this family. So with this project completed we can check family tradition #1 off our fall bucket list.

Why is it so hard for them to all look at me and smile?? Someday I will laugh at these types of pictures, correct?