Seasons Turning

I welcome every October with excitement-- the weather finally cools down, the leaves change colors, and all the Fall festivities begin.  Cox Farms is one of our favorite Fall activities, and we make a point to come every year.  This year was particularly special, because I'm starting to realize we are in our last year out here.  As in, this is our last visit to Cox Farms, and our last Fall on the East Coast.  While I've been wanting to move back home since the minute we got here, I'm starting to feel really nostalgic from all that we've experienced these past 4 years.   

The seasons bring a real rhythm to life, and reminds me of how quickly time passes. Three years ago, Linus made his first trip to Cox Farms with friends Iain and Maben.

October 2009

The following year there were a few more friends, and a set of 3 baby siblings.

October 2010

We managed to miss a visit in 2011 but you can see how fast the group has grown.

 

And this year, we had 9 kids total, but were only able to catch 4 in the picture.  

Manually pumping water, milking a fake cow, feeding corn to a conveyor belt.  It really is too bad that we have child labor laws in this country.  I mean, kids have so much energy, I think their productivity would help us out of this recession.  If I ran for president, that would be my platform. 

Goat City and hayrides = a great way to get covered in allergens and fecal material.  But the kids love it, so what the heck, why not?

 

We paused to have a lunch of mostly kettle corn, but managed to get a few good pictures of the monkeys at their best.  Linus and Maben are pretending to be super heroes.

In a few months, we'll look down at our new baby boy, and our existence as a family of four will only be a memory.  The same way having just a dog, then having our first child feel like realms in our imaginations, past seasons in a way.  And to think that one day we'll look back at our East Coast experience as just another season in our lives, rich with as much experience and color as Fall itself.