The days are getting shorter, the air has turned cool and crisp, and the leaves are showing off their colors. Fall is upon us and with it, all the fall festivities. Admittedly, I love this time of year because it means the Christmas season is near. And while we’re already listening to Christmas music and considering putting up some decorations, it doesn’t mean we don’t enjoy the festivities that come with fall.

One of our favorite events is the annual trip to Thornspring Pastures’ Farm Fest. Each year, they invite us to join them on a weekend in October to experience all the fun the farm has to offer. This year, the temperature was perfectly “fall.” We all grabbed a yummy warm drink from a vendor and wandered through the activities. We spent a good amount of time on the human gerbil wheels and tractor pulls before moving on to foot 8-ball. The kids played some volleyball and shot some apples from the slingshot and competed against each other in the duck races. There are a few other attractions, too (like the giant slides,) but the favorite for our group is almost always the jumping pillow! They could probably spend hours on it. We couldn’t leave without reaching each other through the corn maze and taking a hay ride around the farm (my personal favorite.) After a few more bounces on the jumping pillow, it was time to head out.

Later that night, our older kids got to return for the Blood Trail, a really unique presentation of the Gospel message. Thornspring Pastures puts on this event every year on a couple weekends in October. It’s a thought-provoking experience that our older ones seem to enjoy.

We fill our fall days with things like making scarecrows, carving pumpkins, sipping apple cider and watching some Charlie Brown. Personally, though, the Farm Fest outing is my favorite activity of the fall season each year. Not only do I love the farm and the atmosphere and the time of year, I also love seeing our kids laugh and let loose and make memories. That’s what these outings are all about, anyway.