Autumn Festival at Remlinger Farms

About 10 minutes from our house, in Carnation, Washington, is a great place called Remlinger Farms, pretty famous in our area for it's produce market, pies, and fresh crops. They also have a fair style park that rotates different themes and events throughout the year. It's mostly kids stuff, so we've never been interested, but this year we decided their Autumn Festival would be the perfect outing for Ian. It was clear as soon as we arrived that it would become our Pre-Halloween tradition.

It's a bit spendy to get in, and very crowded since the Autumn festival is only open to the public on weekends in October and early November, but we arrived early and were glad we did. We parked right away and only had to wait in line for about 10 minutes.

We went straight for the choo choo. It's a fairly authentic steam train that runs a 15 minute track through woods, near the Tolt River, and through the park, including their 4-H farms. Ian got right up close to cows, emus, alpacas & llamas. The train also went through a long, dark tunnel that he actually liked and wasn't at all scared.

After that, he sat on a few tractors much like at the zoo in Arizona...and quickly found that he likes them much better in the small toy variety or from a distance. Next was the petting zoo, featuring...as most, goats and sheep. The goats were pygmy billygoat varieties and much smaller and friendlier than those in the petting zoos we've been to recently. We didn't trust the sheep. They had this look in their eyes like "kid, you're this close to being lunch" and Ian was wearing a sweater, so we didn't risk it. We tried the pony ride, but he freaked out, as expected, so we left that area and continued on...at least we could say he tried. Maybe next year when he understands better that they're not scary at all.

From there we went into the hay maze, which he loved, but Shawn and I couldn't handle the hay...instant histimine response for both of us, so we got him in and out pretty quickly. We then went through a tunnel layout, which he also really loved, and he talked about tunnels and choo choos all the way through lunch.

He was most excited about their full sized school bus and old fashioned fire truck...along with almost every kid in the state. He got his hand stepped on in the frenzy and that was about the end of his patience for the day. We got a few pictures in the small pumpkin area there, but figured that the gravel and chain link fence killed the ambiance of pumpkins and decided to wait for those pics at their big pumpkin patch a bit further out on the farm.

As much as I wanted his picture with a few of the many scarecrows around the farm, he was having none of that. At this point, I think he was wondering why we were trying to pose him with pumpkins and hay stuffed clowns. I can imagine it all probably seemed a little strange. One day it will all be second nature. I also wanted to shop in the market and buy a pie, but Shawn rolled his eyes at me and said no way. That part is separate from the kid area, so I guess that's a good trip for me and Trish one of these Friday afternoons. The shops scream Trish start to finish.

We didn't see everything... there was a log boat ride for kids as well as an old car ride through a self guided track. There were also old fashioned trucks he could climb in/on, a bouncy house, inflated slide, and a climbing wall. There were plenty of little kids there as well as lots to do for the older kids. It would be a great place to have a birthday party when Ian gets just a little older.

We piled back in the truck and headed about 3 minutes back out the way we came and parked at the pumpkin patch. We boarded the back of a tractor cart filled with hay and rode into the patch. In the same lot is a corn maze, which looks like it would have been a ton of fun about 20 years ago. They do a midnight flashlight maze run for teenagers on Friday nights. Spooky!

Ian still didn't get the concept of posing in a pumpkin patch. He was a bit overwhelmed and tired by that point so we walked around for about 20 minutes and headed back to the truck. Part of what I envisioned in this tradition was letting Ian pick his very own pumpkin, but again, Shawn was the big party pooper and said no... so we left pumpkin-less. Off to the grocery store for our pumpkins, I guess! I was bummed, but maybe by next year, when Ian "gets it" a little more, Shawn will have come to his senses. On the bright side, we got several decent shots of me and Ian, which is rare. I'll take what I can get!

He crashed out within minutes and is fast asleep now. His school is closed tomorrow, so we're planning to keep him up as late as possible so he'll sleep in for Shawn (he's taking the day off to relive his 'home alone' experience of February).

Below are some of the more memorable shots at Remlinger Farms.

He was not at all interested in the scarecrows...regardless of how harmless they looked

Tractors are much less intimidating when they're the same size as Hot Wheels.

The goats were cute and friendlier than those at the petting zoo's we've been to recently. I think this one was eyeing that tasty sweater.

He was leaning, so we'll call it 3 feet. He was 30 inches at the Physical Exam in Guangzhou, so that makes about 6 inches in a year. It will be fun to get a picture against this chart every year.

He might have played in this hay all day if Shawn and I weren't instantly in need of Benadryl.

Ian & Me in front of the hay maze... that pesky sun created streaks in half my pictures.

What's this? Another picture of me and Ian? He loved the tunnels, that's for sure.

Another tunnel.

He lasted about 5 seconds. We didn't even make it out of the stall before we had to take him off the horse. Oh well. There's always next year.

That's right, Ian. The cool kids sit at the back of the bus.

Posing in the old fashioned fire truck

Not really understanding the purpose of it all. Great, squash. Does this mean it's time for lunch?

Soon, he got the hang of it. These things are round...and they roll!

I'm giving Shawn a command of some kind, I'm sure. Doesn't every mother have a photo where she's telling her husband how to take the picture?

He was probably hinting that he wanted this pumpkin, but we missed it.

More of me and Ian in the big punkin patch.

Now I'm just showing off.

Ian's final pose before he asked me to carry him back to the car. I also realized just how much he's grown when I see how small this sweater is from last winter.