Hiking in the Metroparks

In early October, we went hiking through the nearby North Chagrin Reservation.  It was a beautiful Fall day, and we enjoyed the fresh air and all the nature so close to home.

We took our turns on the fitness bar, hanging and stretching.

This way, Daddy!

Along the trail

Mommy and her sweet girl

Goblins in the Garden

Holden Arboretum does a fantastic job with their annual Goblins in the Garden event, so we didn't want to miss it. The trick-or-treat displays are so creative and well done - I look forward to seeing how they put it all together.

The weather was beautiful in the morning, but we got caught in a downpour later in the day. Luckily, we had gotten through the trick-or-treat trail and the maze before the rain started, and we did some art and enjoyed yummy Halloween cookies while waiting for the rain to pass. There was definitely plenty to do!

This was Ainsley's first chance to wear her Rapunzel costume this year, and we got a bunch of compliments - everyone loved the long hair!

Rapunzel in the graveyard

The Once-ler's wagon & truffula trees

"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot,
nothing's going to get better. It's not!"  -The Lorax

Crossing a bridge, ever careful with her dress

Stopping to smell the flowers

Nature's display

In the Old West jail

Follow the Yellow Brick Road!

Ahoy!

Fresh-picked apples from local orchards

Lots of people and lots of fun!

Pumpkin-head witch on her broomstick

Doing some art to wait out the rain

A few creative entries on Scarecrow Row:

This one was called Empty Nesters

Apple Picking

This year, we visited Patterson Fruit Farm in September to make sure we didn't miss the apple picking season (I was so disappointed last year!). The weekend we went was perfect - beautiful weather and a lot of people enjoying the fall festivities.

We started with a picnic in the field - apple fritters, apple dumplings, apple donuts and apple cider - we tried a bit of everything. Delicious! Then we explored the mums & pumpkins before making our way down to the orchard for picking.

Ainsley enjoying her donut

So many mums

Silly girl!

Tons of pumpkins

Let the apple picking begin! Ainsley really had a good time running down the rows and rows of apple trees, finding the perfect ones to pick. She even ate one right off the tree - they always taste so fresh & crisp!

All by myself!

Chalk Fest 2013

This year's Chalk Fest weekend started out a bit rainy (which is never good for sidewalk chalk art...), but it cleared up in time for the talented members of our community to create beautiful works on the sidewalks outside the Cleveland Museum of Art. 

We ran into Ainsley's friend Luka from her preschool class. He and his mom had some chalk and were going to draw their own picture. It's crazy when you realize your three-year-old has a life and friends outside of your world. 

Ainsley was actually more interested in the live band than the drawings, so we danced our way around the maze of artists and chalk, enjoying ourselves the whole way.

Dancing through life

We had met this gentleman, Tim Haas, at a benefit for the Cleveland Restoration Society the week before the Chalk Fest. He told us he was going to be a featured artist at the event, so I made sure to look for him. Here, he replicates photo of his granddaughter Lucia in chalk. So talented!