Fall Farm and Festival Fun: Weekend 1

I take the girls to every fall festival and farm that offers activities in October. It's my favorite time of year, and I want to get the most out of my favorite season.

This weekend, we braved the rain to go to the 31st Annual OglebayFest in Wheeling WV. Thank goodness too, because the moment we got out of Morgantown, the sun came out and showed us what a glorious day it was everywhere but here.

If you've never been, this festival is huge! The entire resort is chock full of tents and activities, and there was so much to do. We met our friends at the bouncy house area by Schenk Lake, where I was reminded once again that bouncing never gets old.

Next up, face painting and balloon animals.

Evie was much too impatient to stand in line to have her face painted, so we got a lemonade while we waited for the others.Juni was a tiger, Maisey was a butterfly, and Lavani had a shooting star. Not sure if those are clear in this photo. The lady also made the girls a balloon hummingbird.

Then, the long walk to the Good Zoo.

At the zoo, there were lots of spooky things to see. Like snakes.

The best part was visiting the zoo's graveyard

And of course Dracula's grave.

And the girls didn't seem to care that the apples were poisoned!

And they were thrilled to be invited to zombie tea.

Of course we did take time for the park and to play with the Lorakeets.

Thanks, not into nectar.

As if we weren't exhausted from the festivities on Saturday, we braved the dreary rainy weather to head to Simmons Farm in McMurray PA for another fall filled fun day.

Ready for fun, we stopped to check out the jack-o-lanterns for inspiration.

On the hayride to the pumpkin patch.

First stop, pony rides

Fun in the field

And then there was the Corn Maze Incident

We three went into the corn maze together, but Maisey took off with two kids slightly older than her. At first I wasn't worried, thinking I could keep up, but that thought faded instantly at the first turn.

I alternated carrying and dragging Evie around the maze as the rain began to fall, calling Maisey, and asking everyone we encountered if they'd seen a girl in a pink and white polka-dotted rain jacket.

No one had.

This is the moment every mother fears, the moment we never think will happen to us. You never feel so helpless as you do with a lost child. Just as I was about to cut my own path through the corn, to the entrance and the nearest help, calling Maisey's name with a note of fear I thought unmistakable, a man called out to me that she was there with him, just ahead.

"She's been following us," he said.

I thanked him and stood staring at Maisey as they wandered off. I didn't even have words. After taking a moment to compose myself I told her how dangerous it was to run off with strangers. I told her that she didn't know anyone here, and that not everyone was nice.

"They were nice," she said,"

"Yes, and you're lucky they were. But what if they didn't want to let you come back to me?" I asked.

She thought about this a minute and finally I saw something like understanding flash across her face. After that she held my hand and we finished the corn maze together. Actually, she was a model listener after that. She stayed close, and listened when I asked her to do anything. It really did have an impact, I think.

We picked our pumpkins from the nearest field and rode the hay wagon back to the greenhouse, as the rain was coming down more heavily now.

At the greenhouse we had hot cocoa, played in the corn box and met up with another Morgantown mom who just arrived with her girl scout troop. We chatted, shared a snack, and wandered through the butterfly house before heading home.