Pumpkin Village at the Dallas Arboretum

I can't believe I haven't published a post on this yet, but since I'm playing catch-up....this one is worth blogging about.

The Dallas Arboretum's Pumpkin Village is a sight to see. I've never seen so many pumpkins in one garden before. I think I read somewhere that they had 15,000 pumpkins decorating the place - and that didn't include the ones that were on the houses.

We had my Aunt Winnie and Uncle Laird visiting for a day this fall, and I thought everyone would enjoy the Arboretum.

There were tons of photo opportunities. These are just a few :)

 

There was a line to get in the carriage....I don't understand this, but Payton didn't want to wait, but Ian did....

I told everyone to pose for the infinity pool pics :)

Cedar Bluff

The next morning, we went on another hike before we had to go back home. The hike was called Cedar Bluff Loop. The view from the top was gorgeous. It was only a mile long, and the kids didn't even complain.

After the hike the kids played at a playground next to the campgrounds. They really liked the old aluminum slide. They said it was super-fast.

Then it was time to head back home. We all had a very nice, relaxing time. The drive isn't but 3 hours. The scenery is beautiful. And now we know how to fish ;) We would go back again :)

Hike, Fish, Relax

 The first morning at Beavers Bend, Daddy took the kids exploring around the cabin while I was cleaning up breakfast. They found a trail, so we all went exploring. The trail led to a secluded part of the lake. It was so peaceful! Payton started collecting clam shells while Ian and Daddy threw rocks.

For lunch we picnicked next to a calm part of the river. Then the fishing began. 

We didn't get any fish, but the kids now want to go try fishing at the pond next to where we live :) 

Beavers Bend also has a 20 minute train ride that goes through  scenic area of the park. We got to listen to the history of the park along the way. And we got to see an 8 point buck and a doe. 

By this time, we were all a little tired, so we went back to the cabin to relax.

OKLAHOMA!

A couple of months, I noticed that Payton going to have a long weekend break from school in October. I thought it might be prime time for leaves (well almost) and I wanted to see some Fall, somewhere close by. So I hunted up a place for us all to go for a couple of days away.

What I found was Beavers Bend State Park, close to Broken Bow, Oklahoma. Beavers Bend is in the southeast part of Oklahoma and has Broken Bow Lake and Mountain Fork River. When Scott heard there was a lake, he decided that we would take the kids fishing:) - I smile at this because Scott and I don't know much about fishing. In fact, when I told my good friend Melissa about our 'fishing trip' she couldn't stop laughing. How hard could it be? Right?

We went to an outdoor sports store to buy fishing poles for the kids. We figured that since we didn't know what to do, at least we could probably find someone at the store that did. We did. Gary got us all set up with all the dingy-ma-bobbers to put on the kids' rod and reels. Payton picked out a pink princess one and Ian got the Star Wars pole. Gary told me how to set them all up with the weights, bobbers, and hooks, Scott didn't trust my memory as to which order they go in. He ended up looking it up on his phone :)

 So anyway, we stayed at a private cabin, just outside the park. It's name was 'Dale's Little Piece of Heaven'. The cabin was perfect - a little 2 bedroom, with a wrap around porch/deck, and a hot tub. The first night we were there, we got settled and then ate at a quaint place called Grateful Head Pizza Oven and Tap Room. The pizza was great and the beer was cold :) Then back at the cabin the kids practiced their casting technique before ending the night with a splash around in the hot tub.

There were some leaves changing, so I had to zoom in to get pictures of them.

Dress up

I love Saturday mornings. Usually, we don't have to be anywhere before 10 am, so we get to lounge around in our PJs for a while - just hanging out.

Payton and Ian get to play.

This particular Saturday morning Payton decided that she was going to be a princess and Ian was a pirate.

Pumpkin...ahem...Patch

Saturday afternoon, I decided I better take the kids to a pumpkin patch before all the pumpkins disappear. (Due to the drought, I've read from several sources, that you better get your pumpkins early this year or they'll be gone.) So I looked up several patches close to us and Payton helped me choose this one because of the wagon ride through an old Ghost town.

I pulled into the parking lot and immediately wished I'd gone to the pumpkin patch where they actually grew the pumpkins on site. Oh well. There was no turning back once the kids saw the bouncy houses.

So I got a couple of pics. The kids got their pony rides, ran through a maze (that took all of 60 seconds), bounced, and took a ride through a Ghost Town. At least, we were on a wagon.....um...pulled by a Hummer :)