Fun at Jones Farm Fruit Stand
Open 8 a.m.-5 p.m. daily through Oct. 31.
Straw maze, hay-bale pyramid with slide, duck pond and pumpkin patch, self-guided orchard
walk, picnic area. Free admission. Pumpkins and produce for sale at the fruit stand.
2020 Thacker Road, off East Zillah Drive, Zillah. 509-829-6024. jonesfarmsinc.com
HOME DEPOT KIDS WORKSHOP. 9 a.m.-noon. Theme: TBD. Free drop-in projects for kids 5-12. The Home Depot, 2115 S. First St., Yakima; 509-452-3016.
Bill’s Berry Farm Apple & Pumpkin Festival
10 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturdays, Sept. 24, Oct. 1, 8, 15, 22.
Pumpkins and apples available for picking. Make your own apple cider. Warm apple cider donuts, pony rides, hay rides, barnyard train rides, fire pits and marshmallows. Free admission.
Bill’s Berry Farm, 3674 N. County Line Road, Grandview; 509-882-7810.
billsberryfarm.com
October Days at Washington Fruit Place
10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturdays, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sundays each weekend in October.
Cider tasting, hay rides, pumpkin patch, hay maze and apple variety tasting. Free events.
Barrett Orchards, 1209 Pecks Canyon Road, Yakima; 509-966-1275. treeripened.com
Thompson’s Farm Pumpkin Patch
10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays in October.
Pumpkin patch, pumpkin cannon, hay rides, farm animals, U-pick and U-select apples,
cornstalks, squash and gourds.
Thompson’s Farm, 9535 Old Naches Highway, Naches; 509-949-3450.
thompsonsfarm.com
CENTRAL WASHINGTON STATE FAIR. Sept. 23-Oct. 2. One of the premier annual events in the region. Livestock exhibitions, concerts, rodeo, car racing, demolition derby, commercial exhibits, food concessions, carnival rides and games at State Fair Park, 1301 S. Fair Ave., Yakima. Opens daily at 11 a.m. Admission: Free for ages 5 and younger; $7 for ages 6-12, $13 for ages 13 and older; $9 for seniors 65 and older. Advance purchase of carnival wristbands $22, includes unlimited rides. 509-248-7160. fairfun.com
Granger Pumpkin Patch
11 a.m.-6 p.m. every day in October.
Hay ride, corn maze, jumpers, haunted house, petting zoo daily, and face painting and pumpkin carving during the weekends. Hot dogs, hamburgers, hot cocoa, and marshmallows for sale. Fire pit available for roasting marshmallows and making s’mores. Admission: $4.50 children, $5 adults. Babies younger than 1 are free. 1733 Beam Road, Granger. 509-376-2561.
New to the Dadventures blog? In the month of September, we talked about Sept. 11, SpongeBob, cell phones for pre-teens and the release of Gears of War 3, among other things.
Here’s what you missed:
** I watch grade like a hawk. Don’t you?
** Can kids teach us a thing or two?
** Bonding time for boys, quiet time for mom
** What do your kids need to know about Sept. 11?
** Does SpongeBob move too fast for your four year-old?
** Sending your kiddo to college? Thoughts from someone who has been down that road
** Are your kids quitters or fighters?
** Getting a video game at midnight? You bet!
** Does your pre-teen really need a cell phone?
** Separation anxiety … not for this kiddo
** Driving kids around town. Does it drive you mad?
** Eat well and exercise: your kids are counting on you
Schell’s Massive Corn Maze & Fall Harvest Funland
9 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Open daily through October, beginning Oct. 5.
Ten-acre corn maze, and a 2-acre maze with no dead-ends for kids, straw pyramid with slides, hay rides, pumpkin patch, petting zoo, pumpkin chucker, haunted house, bonfire pits and barbecues. Admission includes carving pumpkin: $8.50 adults/$6 children ages 3-10 and
seniors 65+/children ages 2 and younger free with paid adult.
Schell’s Produce. Two locations: 3213 Tacoma St. in Union Gap, 509-453-3200;
and three miles east of Toppenish on Highway 22 at Harris Road, 509-865-4511.
DIVORCECARE FOR KIDS. 6:30-8 p.m. Support group for children, ages 5-12, whose parents are divorced, separated or reconciling. Adult group meets at the same time. Roosevelt Elementary School, 120 N. 16th Ave., Yakima. Contact Dan, 509-930-1420, or Jenni, 509-654-2124. yakimadivorcecare.net
Our son is teething — again.
He’s now 14 months old and he’s got not one, not two, not three, but four molars coming in.
And (just like you would be) he’s cranky.
And, he’s usually upset the most at about 1 a.m.
Luckily, my wife usually has the magic touch to make Nathan feel at ease. Mom + Orajel usually equals good things.
We’re looking for a lucky break in the “sleeping through the night” battle. Every time he makes some progress, some ear infection or tooth or something seems to get in the way.
But, we’re adjusting.
In addition to a lack of sleep, there’s also angst in that you can’t always make your baby feel better — which can make parents uneasy.
Quite honestly, you feel like it’s your job to comfort them. And when they don’t talk yet, it can be hard to know just what they’re feeling.
So, what are some best practices in the teething game.
Here are some courtesy of babble.com.
How about you? What has helped you get through the long nights?
• An editor by day, Scott Mayes is also dad to Matthew, Micah and Nathan. He’s a high school parent, a youth football dad and changes diapers. He’s experienced many things as a parent, but is absolutely clueless about raising daughters.
Suncadia 6th Annual Harvest Festival
9 a.m.-2 p.m. Friday; noon-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 7-9 and Oct. 14-16.
Pumpkin patch, straw maze, beer garden, vendors, pony and tractor rides, canine
costume contest and live music. Free admission.
Located at the historic Nelson Dairy Road, Cle Elum.
Contact Karen Porter at 509-649-6204. suncadia.com
MOPS – First Presbyterian. 9-11:15 a.m. Meets the first and third Fridays each month. Meeting dues: $5. Child care, food, fellowship, speakers. First Presbyterian Church, 9 S. 8th Ave., Yakima; 509-248-7940.
As I raise three boys of varying ages, there are times when I look in them and I see me.
Of course, they tend to carry some similar physical characteristics.
But, when I look at myself in the mirror, I often see glimpses of two other men — men who I tend to look like.
My dad, Edward Ray Mayes, died at age 45 and my only brother, Gary Ray Mayes, died at the young age of 42.
This is the time of year when I tend to think about them.
Gary died on Oct. 10, 2007, so Monday is, of course, an anniversary for him. And my dad’s birthday is Oct. 13. If he were still here, Thursday would be his 72nd birthday.
My childhood is dotted with many fun memories with the two of those guys – sometimes playing a game of pool, watching a ball game, or even taking in my dad’s famous homemade ice cream.
I wonder what my dad would be like as a grandpa. Of course, he never got to be one while he was here.
I bet he would love to have my kids comes sit on his lap. I’m sure he would hand out a noogie to each boy. (By the way, Wikipedia also refers to this as a Monkey Scrub, in case you know it by that name.)
I can see my brother — AKA “Uncle Gary” — eating pizza with the boys on a Friday night, cranking up the music and just having a good time.
It’s important to bring up the Mayes men of the future. But, it also important to remember the Mayes men that helped me along the way.
Here’s to you gentlemen! I hope we’re making you proud!
• An editor by day, Scott Mayes is also dad to Matthew, Micah and Nathan. He’s also son to Edward Mayes and brother to Gary Mayes. He remembers dad’s ice cream and playing a mean game of Frisbee with his brother.
Pumpkin Decorating for Kids – 10 a.m.
Class, supplies and pumpkin are free. Sponsored by Master Gardeners of Yakima County.
Located at Ahtanum Youth Park. 509-574-1600. mastergardeners-yakima.org
LA LECHE LEAGUE. 6 p.m. Support group for pregnant and breast-feeding mothers; children welcome. Free. Meets at Cascade Women’s Health, 1601 Creekside Loop, Yakima. For nursing help or questions, call Katy, 509-248-2610, or Denita, 509-388-6866.
IMAGINATION LIBRARY STORY HOUR. 10-11 a.m. Bilingual story hour; stories are read in English and Spanish. Meets at Yakima Valley Museum, 2105 Tieton Drive, Yakima. Presented by Ready by Five and Catholic Family Child & Service. 853-2052. Second and fourth Wednesday of each month.
Last weekend, my wife went to a women’s retreat with our church.
It was an overnight event, which meant I was home alone with the kids on Friday night.
So, as soon as I got done working, I went to the store.
I did my best “Dad is great, gives us the chocolate cake” routine. If that didn’t make sense to you … please see a classic episode on The Cosby Show as Bill sings his own praises. (Yes, his wife did walk in during the song — and it went downhill from there.)
Anyhow, I cooked spaghetti (because even I can’t screw up pasta) and there was a box of Oreo Cookies and root beer floats to follow.
So, everything was going great.
A few hours later, our 1 year-old, Nathan, had reached his limit.
He was cranky and it was bed time.
I rocked him off-and-on for about 45 minutes (It wouldn’t have taken Julie that long) before he finally gave in.
The next part of the story is where the controversy begins.
Nathan went to bed around 10 p.m. and slept until 6:45 Saturday morning.
After that, I had him lay down with me, where he slept until about 8:45.
You should know that Nathan, at 14 months old, hasn’t slept through the night consistently. He didn’t do so on that Thursday night and he didn’t do so on Saturday night. But, on Friday, he did!
So, when I announced to my wife that he did, in fact, sleep through the night while she was away, she couldn’t (or wouldn’t) believe me.
“Did he sleep through the night, or did you?” she asked.
I promise you this. I was within feet of him that night, not miles. And, he didn’t wake up.
Nathan loves his mama and I’m no magician, but for one night, the stars aligned for dad.
• An editor by day, Scott Mayes is also dad to Matthew, Micah and Nathan. He’s a high school parent, a youth football dad and changes diapers. He’s experienced many things as a parent, but is absolutely clueless about raising daughters.
MOPS – MOUNTAINVIEW CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP. 6-7:30 p.m. Meetings are free; child care provided, through grade 5. Food, fellowship, speakers. Meets the second and fourth Wednesdays each month. Mountainview Christian Fellowship, 7105 Alpine Way, Yakima. Contact: Danielle, 833-2228.
Be careful what you agree to when you’re not fully awake!
I’m happy to tell you I was lucky.
The other night, Micah – Our 11 year-old – came in to our room before bedtime and I had already started to doze off.
“Our jog-a-thon money is due tomorrow,” he said. “Will you sponsor me $2 a lap?”
I quickly thought about bills that still need to be paid this month and talked him down to $1 per lap.
Man, that was a good sleepy decision.
Yesterday, after I got home from work, Micah tells me that he finish third “in all of the 5th grade.” He told me he ran the whole way – except for one water break.
“Great job,” I said. “How many laps did you run?”
“36,” he responds.
So, I’m on the hook for $36. Sounds fair. It could have been $72 – or even $108.
Be on the lookout when your kids ask for money late at night.
I escaped without injury this time.
• An editor by day, Scott Mayes is also dad to Matthew, Micah and Nathan. He’s a high school parent, a youth football dad and changes diapers. He’s experienced many things as a parent, but is absolutely clueless about raising daughters.
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