Festivities this Fall - "The Little Red Hen" and local fairs

After glancing over literally thousands of pictures in a few minutes late last night, I noticed there were quite a few fun pictures and activities from our Autumn days that were not shared. Though I will not go back and recap everything, I cannot help but mention a few. :)

I have always enjoyed taking my kids to local children's events and programs. At the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, a Preschool Program known as Pea Pods is offered for kids and their parents. This Fall, they offered a free preview day for moms and their children. The theme for that day was "The Little Red Hen." At the mid-morning session, the children were able to play in containers of rice, make a craft with seeds, beans and rice, make their very own bread from scratch and have a special storytime with the Little Red Hen herself. It was a little crazy with both Parker and Cooper (this is actually supposed to be for children more around the ages of 4-6, but moms can bring their younger tots. If I had to do it again, I would have loved to had it as one on one time with Parker.)

 

It was a busy morning with both of the boys, but a fun one at that. Before leaving to head home for lunch, we took a stroll through the backyard play area, where the kids enjoyed sweeping out their house, shoveling the sand and dirt around to their liking, and looking at a picturesque view of their "big backyard."

Local Autumn Festivals, such as "Apple Day" in downtown Excelsior, are always at the top of my Fall Bucket List. This year, we visited several different community street fairs. The boys stretched their hands through gates to pet the soft fur of the alpacas, snacked on local fresh-grown juicy treats,  and patiently waited and watched the crowds and activity as their mama perused several of the local vendors (most of which happened to be vintage steals...my favorite!! I will have to share about my finds later!)

One of the highlights of the morning for me was getting to check out the local library sale with the boys. "New" books for $1?! You just can't beat that! Each of the boys were given $1 to spend on a book from the sale. For $1 they could buy 1 hardback book or 2 soft books. After sorting through each of the children's boxes, Parker chose "I'm Mighty!", a fun hardback book about a little tugboat who is small but mighty (it looked like it had never been opened or touched). We literally read that book every day for at least a month after buying it; I would say it was worth the buck! For Cooper, we chose two Berenstain Bears books that were in great condition! I am such a fan of that whole series.

Minnesota photographer, Stan Tekiela, was at one of the vendor booths signing books. Though I did not own any of his publications, I had seen his books around Minnesota in a number of shops and bookstores over the last several years and thought it would be nice to own one. I admire the beautiful pictures and stories that he takes and gathers from the Minnesota wildlife. On a whim, I decided this would be the perfect day to get a book for Parker and Cooper. After sifting through a variety of popular children's titles, I chose "Baby Bear Discovers the World."

 

 What a cute little story it is!!!

 

The weather was so beautiful this fall that anytime we were outside enjoying it, the boys and I were happy. It was easy to go to these events. Whether playing at the local park or strolling through community fairs, a good time was had by all. I am already looking forward to next year's Autumn days!!