Field Trip to the Pumpkin Patch

A few weeks ago Hannah got to go on a field trip to a "pumpkin patch" with her preschool class. Rachel and I got to go with her.

We got to class a little bit early so we collected leaves.

We walked a few blocks to the community center.
I have to say this was the saddest excuse for a pumpkin patch I've ever seen, but the kids loved it, so I guess that's ok.

The class gathered around this purple plastic kiddie pool and covered their eyes while the teacher hid the pumpkins under the hay.

They each got a turn to find a pumpkin. Hannah was the last one to take her turn, and there were no pumpkins left because one of the siblings had taken one. She was so sad! Of course, Mrs. Miller got the pumpkin and hid it while Hannah closed her eyes again.

Hannah was happy once she had her pumpkin.

The kids put thier pumpkins in the wagon and then sang some Halloween songs.

Here is the class with their pumpkins.

On the way back to class Hannah didn't want to be my walking partner. Mrs. Miller let Hannah walk with her. Hannah is holding hands with her friend, Bella.

Harvest Festival

On my Mom's last day here it rained. We went to the Harvest Festival at Kelsey Creek Farm in Bellevue.

Seeing the chickens.

Seeing the cows.

They had a pretend cow that you could milk. The girls gave it a try.

While Dan waited in line for the ponies we played in the park (thanks, Dan).

Here are the girls riding the ponies.

The girls really liked the corn maze.

Hannah and Nana.

Rachel likes to do everything that Hannah does.

Here we are on the hay ride.

Daddy and HannahMe and Josh and Karissa.

Daddy and Rachel

Hannah and Nana

They had a little wagon train that the girls loved. It was pulled by a tractor around the farm.

After the festval we went to lunch before Nana had to go to the airport. We were so sad to see her go, but we are excited to visit her again in a few weeks! Love you, Mom! Thanks for all the fun memories.

Train Park with Nana

We had some nice weather and took the girls to the park in their wagon.

Swinging

Sharing acorns with Nana.

On the way home we stopped and got some yummy cupcakes.

Museum of Flight

For free first Thursday we went to the museum of flight. These pictures aren't the best, but you get the idea.

Here is Hannah trying out the glider simulator. She is really to small to do it, but every time we go there she has to try it.

Hannah also tried the space walk simulator. Once again, she is really too small, but she had to try it anyway.

We spent alot of time going up and down the stairs. Rachel is determined to do it without any help and so she likes to practice as much as she can.

It was a fun night. We love free first Thursday!

Sewing with Nana

While my Mom was here we put her to work making Hannah's halloween costume.

Hannah really wanted to help with the sewing, so we gave her some fabric to work on.

Look at those pins. Nice job, Hannah!

Rachel wanted to help, too.

Thanks, Mom. Hannah is going to be the cutest ghost there ever was!

The Fish Patchery Again

While Hannah was in school Rachel, Nana and I went to the fish hatchery because the ladder was scheduled to be open. Here are the workers wading in the holding tanks. They catch a fish with their hands and then club them on the head with a "special tool" (looks like a mini bat to me).

After "milking/harvesting" the fish (collecting their sperm/eggs) they send them through a machine that detects any electronic chips that may have been implanted in their heads. This helps them keep track of numbers and migration. They end up in this large bin and get shipped off to the food bank.

There was a wonderful docent there that day. He was very enthusiastic about teaching all the kids who were there on field trips. It was fun for us, too. If you can't tell, the fish he is holding is bigger than Rachel. It's hard to imagine them being even bigger in the ocean (they lose most of their weight on their journey back to our creek).

Rachel was very interested in the fish. She even touched them.

Here is a video of a male salmon being milked. The school kids had eggs in their hands and wanted to fertilize the eggs.

And here is a video of a live female having her eggs harvested.

OK. I know there has been a lot of fishy posts lately, but I think this will be the last one for awhile. Hooray for salmon days!