Play: Family Fun at The Farm at Swan's Trail

We took a day off last week to celebrate Finley's 3rd birthday at The Farm at Swan's Trail. It's a great farm to visit in the Fall. They have it all - pumpkins, pigs, kittens, fishing, slides, hay barn and hay maze for the kiddos, a huge corn maze in the shape of Washington state, baby bunnies, a pig show, a play corn bin, goats, a cow train, chickens, wagon rides, ducks... In other words, enough to keep your kids busy for a few hours or more!

The pumpkin patch was a lot of fun and kept us busy for quite a while. Grady tried to sit on every single pumpkin he passed.

Me and the birthday girl.

The pumpkins are priced by size. The smallest ones are $1 and they go up from there. We got 4 pumpkins for $11. The pumpkin above is priceless, of course.

Don't forget to stop by the pig show, too. Little bitty piggies and a big fat piggy running around. What could be cuter? Grady was mesmerized. (Mmmmmm....bacon.)

Play, Stay Away, or Just Okay
I give this outing a super duper Play. I love this farm. It has so much to see and do. The best part (for this frugal lady) is admission and parking are free! Yippee! You just pay for the different activities you're interested in. And they're open on weekdays which is an added bonus. A lot of the other pumpkin patches and farms are only open on the weekends so this is great for those of you who need a weekday outing or want to meet up with your mom's group.


Details ---
Where: The Farm at Swan's Trail (7301 Rivershore Rd. Snohomish, WA)
When: Daily 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. through October 31st
Cost: Admission and parking are free, prices vary for the different activities
More Info: The Farm at Swan's Trail website


Happy Pumpkin Picking!

Bird Lovers Unite at Juanita Bay Park

Do you have a bird lover in your family? Pack up your binoculars and head to Juanita Bay Park this Tuesday for a bird walk led by the Eastside Audubon Society and the Juanita Bay Park Rangers. Meet at the Juanita Bay Park parking lot at 9 a.m.


Details ---
Where: Juanita Bay Park (2201 Market Street Kirkland, WA)
When: Tuesday, October 18th 9 a.m.
Cost: Free
More Info: No registration necessary. Contact the Eastside Audubon Society for more information (425.576.8805) or see the Kirland Parks Guide.

Play: Flower World

Flower World is not just a garden store. In fact, I know nothing about the garden store because we didn't even look at it!

Instead, we spent an hour or two wandering around their grounds looking at the ponds, fountains, animals, stepping in a bit of animal poop and shopping for pumpkins. There was definitely enough there to keep the kids busy and entertained.

Grady has been walking for months now but I'm still a little hesitant to let both kids run wild when I'm out by myself. I usually keep Grady strapped down safely contained in the stroller and let Finley walk. I did bring the stroller, but there was really no need. This place is contained and safe enough to let the kids out on their own.

Grady looks like he's never seen a goose before. Oh, wait. Maybe he hasn't.

Please be my friend!

Again with the blank stare.

There's a smile. Well, kinda.

Who wouldn't smile at that handsome face?

After chasing the animals for a while, we walked across the street to Produce Market to pick out our pumpkins. Finley and Grady each picked out a pumpkin to take home. I vetoed this one that Grady tried to pick up. I'm sure it was half his size.

When we got home Finley decided she wanted to paint the pumpkins. 20 more minutes of happy and entertained toddler? Well, ok.

Play, Stay Way, or Just Okay
Flower World gets a definite Play rating. Total spent was $1.63 for the two pumpkins. Melt down count was an awesome zero! For the kids at least. Not for my car. The lovely burnt rubber/oil smell has returned so I think we'll be putting our kid outings on hold until we get that figured out. Bummer!