Strawberry Picking

On Sunday, the Spence Family headed out for a day of family fun! We took an hour drive to Eckert's Farm in Belleview, IL. for strawberry picking. We have been to Eckert's in the past for peach picking, apple picking, and Halloween fun, but today was our first trip to pick strawberries. We had a good time, but we can safely say that summer is definitely here...it was hot! Kyle enjoyed the tractor ride out to the strawberry fields and he was excited about finding the strawberries only for a very short while. He was more entertained by running up and down the field. We didn't stay in the strawberry fields for long and only picked a little over a pound of strawberries. We will be sugaring the strawberries, so we can enjoy some strawberry shortcake...YUM!!

After the strawberry picking, we headed over to the "Fun Corral" for some Kyle style fun...including an airplane swing ride and a pony ride. He LOVED the airplane swing and rode it three times! Kyle also had fun exploring the tractors which were on display and got the chance to climb/drive them. John and I also had our fun while we were there, by shopping in the Country General Store and the garden center. Below are several pictures to highlight our day at Eckert's Farm.

Kyle on the tractor ride

Kyle finding a pretty red strawberry...

and another one! Kyle getting his exercise in the strawberry patch What a cool tractor!

Kyle's first airplane swing ride with Daddy watching!

And another swing ride!

Kyle riding the pony with Daddy!

Family Fall Fun

Last Sunday we took Kyle to Eckert's Fun Farm in Millstadt, Illinois for his birthday. We had a blast and enjoyed the beautiful weather. Kyle went apple picking, pumpkin picking, rode carnival rides, and rode a camel. The following pictures will outline all his fun activities! If you are looking for a fun fall outing this is definitely worth checking into!

Kyle going in deep to find an apple.

Kyle has been learning many signs so I thought it would be cute to get a picture of Kyle holding an apple while signing apple.

One of the many apple trees filled with tons of apples.

Of course, Kyle headed straight to the largest pumpkin he could find.

Where's Kyle???? Look close...he is hiding in there.

Kyle loves the airplane swing ride. I used to love this ride when I was little!

Kyle's first camel ride. I didn't trust myself to ride with him so

Daddy rode with Kyle.

Weekend Family Fun - Part One

Yesterday we went peach picking at Eckert's Orchard in Belleville, IL. It was a little bit of a drive, but it was totally worth it. We really had a great time! Kyle was so excited because we took a wagon ride to pick the peaches! He is fascinated by anything with wheels, so this was right up his alley! He sat on the wagon and watched the huge wheels go round and round! We were pleasantly surprised by how much Kyle enjoyed actually picking the peaches. We picked a total of ten pounds of peaches. I need to decide what yummy treats to make with all these peaches. If you happen to have any suggesstions I would love to hear them!

Kyle looking for the perfect peach!

I think I may have found one!

Oh, here it is...the perfect peach!

Delivering his perfect peach to the basket.

Examining all the peaches he picked.

Can you find Mommy and Kyle?

Eckert's has three locations in Illinois. There are many fun activities at each location...from picking your own strawberries, peaches, blackberries, apples, and pumpkins, kids play areas, barnyard petting corral, country store to purchase homegrown produce, and much much more. Each location has different activities at different times of year so check the Eckert's link for all the fun details. We will be heading back in September for the apple picking and also in October for all the fun Halloween activities they have to offer. In December their Christmas Tree Farm is open if you are interested in a live tree. Below is a picture of some of the Christmas Trees they have growing on the property.

Stay tuned tomorrow for Part Two of our Weekend Family Fun. I hope everyone in the blog world had a wonderful weekend!