Apple Jack Festival 2015

We trekked our way out to Kimmel Orchard last weekend to enjoy their apple picking season! So technically festival isn't until next weekend but a few of friends decided the weekend before would be a good choice since it would be WAY less crowded and the apples weren't picked over. Boy were we correct!!! The weather was AMAZING. Like the most ideal welcome fall weather, the morning was quite chilly, like babies in sweat pants and sweat shirts and then the afternoon was nice and warm and enjoyable. The crispness in the air was THERE! To go along perfectly with the crisp apples! 

We talked our buff Katie into joining us. Have I talked about how much of a lifesaver she is? She truly has become like a family member to us, we love having her around, Max knows her as aunt Katie and has yelled "katie's home!" when she comes in the door, it's so sweet. She helps with kids tremendously, makes Casey and I laugh, shares with me more about dental school than I ever hear from Casey, helps clean, and is just an overall best friend to our family. We are already so sad over the fact that we'll move away from each other after this year :(

 The barn is just FILLED with practically homemade goodies everywhere, it seems so cozy with all the homegrown varieties.

 Our awesome 2015 crew!

 Quinn was stoked to go apple picking, as you can see.

 We got doughnuts before we went into the orchard because the doughnuts are pretty much the main reason we go.

 The group helped us devour them before picking began.

 I LOVE this new diaper bag of ours! It's by colorland and is such a comfortable backpack! I wish it had tons more pockets like my other one (not old or last because I still use it!) but it is just such a freaking comfortable backpack.
 Couldn't survive with out ergo carriers! We get them new off eBay for half the price. Gotta have two for twins, we use them all the time!

 Maxson and James were so adorable the whole time. They were running wild and so beyond happy to be running free with each other and not constantly have parents yelling at them to come back. I SLIGHTLY understand how the pioneers survived, ha.

 We found the grape vines!

 The grapes weren't as mind-blowing as our first year but still fun to squirt in your mouth.

 Apple trying begins! We bring a pocket knife and cut into the apples for everyone to try to decide which variety is our favorite to take home!

 Bryson

 The Honey crisp were of course the crowd favorite. Casey really like the Fuji ones and myself the Jonathan Golds. Max wouldn't try a bite and the babies devoured each slice.

 Some of our cute friends and their little families!

Max was very upset to take a picture.

 Once I gave him the choice to "be happy and take a picture with mommy and keep picking apples" "or be mad and stop picking apples" he chose to happily take a picture with me. Fascinating how kids make their OWN choices, right?!

 Oh hey photo bombers thanks for ruining my cute picture with my 2 year old.

 Trying to take a sweet picture feeding my baby in the orchard

 Much better

 Waiting to take the tractor ride back to the big red barn.

 Katie!

 Our awesome crew.

 Love this family of mine!

 We then bought another dozen doughnuts to come home with us because, hello, they're that yummy.The hot ones are just out of this world.

 The drive home was beautiful!!!!!! Those Nebraska backroads are beautiful!

See our 2013 and 2014 visits to Apple jack festival too! I was INSANELY ginormous last year, I still can't believe how large I was.

Applejack festival 2014

We made it out to the applejack festival once again this year and had a blast (remember how much fun we had last year?). When we got there in the morning it was raining cats and dogs and seemed like it may not let up. But we along with the friends we were with decided to brave the weather and just go for it knowing that the rain would make a fun memory right? Plus we had our umbrellas and had already driven the hour away, we were not going to be deterred. Also our really cool friend brought Apple Jacks to snack on for the car ride there which was excellent!

After looking around the barns for a good 30 minutes admiring the amazing fruit concotions of butters, syrups, sauces, and spices, it completely stopped raining, cleared up to some great blue skies and we went and had a grand old time!

 The first thing we insisted on doing once we got there was to pick up a box of these amazing apple cinnamon donuts. OH MY HECK. They are definitely on my list of all time favorite donuts. Casey made sure to pick up 8 or more different boxes to find the hottest one available. The were so dang scrumptious. I think there were nay 3 left in the box by the time we left and it was only Casey and I eating that dozen… I don't regret my decision one bit.

 We were brilliant this year in that we carried Maxson around in the ergo this year! We all loved it so very much for so many different reasons for this trip.

 Apple picking we go!
Well actually Casey and max along with our friends went apple picking because that was too much walking for me…

this picture was texted to me while they were apple picking. cat nap.

It wasn't until after probably almost 2 hours Max came out of that backpack and as soon as he did he began running down the apple aisle slipping in the mud, too funny. He just hung out there for a good 2 minutes for some reason.

 Both Casey and our friend, Ross, got some good arm/shoulder workouts holding up that 30+ pound child trying to get him to pick the perfect apple, ha.

 Max was real proud every time he got an apple down.

 Our friend decided to climb the tree himself to pick a huge batch of awesome apples, we were all laughing.

 Because of all the rain, the parking lot was a BEAST. (We got there early enough where we got to park IN the real parking lot, ha). These awesome volunteers were so muddy by the time we left helping push cars that were stuck out.

 Posed picture time :)

 You guys, my belly is huge. 31.5 weeks here.

It's obvious I love Maxi dresses while pregnant but sometimes they're length just gets TOO hot! Does anyone else knot them up?

 And these are our new friends, Ross and Aly. They are some pretty cool cats. We love new cougar friends.

The end.