Bunnyland at Butler's Orchard

Butler's Orchard has been a favorite adventure destination for us for nearly two years now. We first went with Nicole as part of a day of adventure to celebrate her wedding (sort of a bachelorette party if the attendees were toddlers). That day we picked strawberries. Clare, who had just turned two and had already developed her obsession with all things Peter Rabbit, spotted a man whom she was convinced was Mr. McGregor. She was shaking with fear that he would put her in a pie. In an attempt to calm her fears, we talked to the man and his wife. It did little to calm Clare, but the man's wife was highly amused by the whole thing.

Since that time, we've picked blueberries, raspberries and apples at Butler's. We've also made their Bunnyland an annual tradition. We love Bunnyland. Sure, we would prefer that Bunnyland take place in the days following Easter. Right now we are observing Lent and it would be best if we were doing Lenten activities such as making pretzels (which we will do in the next few days). But Bunnyland and most Easter events take place before Easter these days, so we have to give a little bit. (One huge exception in our area is the White House Easter Egg Roll, which still takes place on the Monday after Easter as it has for many, many years.)

Back to Bunnyland. Yesterday Meg and Clare decided they would begin their Bunnyland day by hunting Easter eggs. There isn't really any hunting involved since the plastic eggs are just spread out on the ground. The kids fill little orchard baskets with eggs and then dump them into cleverly designed boxes that make returning eggs fun. Kids are promised a treat basket at then end of their visit to Bunnyland so there are no tears involved in returning the eggs. 

Periodically throughout the day, we saw the adorably dressed orchard bunny pictured below. At this point in the day she was handing out kettle corn. She did her job well. We went home with a bag of kettle corn because it was just so yummy. I must say I admired this woman's ability to keep a cheerful face throughout the day. It was quite warm yesterday and her costume was not meant for a hot day.

Always a favorite at Butler's Orchard is the rubber ducky race. As you can see below, kids pump out water and the little ducks move. Poor Meg was working with only one arm since her right arm is still in a cast. Clare still struggled with enough height and strength to pump any water at all. Still, they both loved it. 

Located throughout the festival are fun wooden cutouts and bunny scarecrows for great picture-taking opportunities. Meg loved the tractor below. This year she was just the right height to get the perfect picture.

Pony rides are another favorite at Bunnyland each year. As you can see below, bunny ears are added to the ponies (how cute is that!). The pony ride workers were extra helpful to me this year. Under normal circumstances, I would walk alongside Clare because she is small. This year I should also have walked alongside Meg because she is injured. But I had Baby Anne with us so I couldn't walk alongside either girl. The workers happily helped out and walked alongside each of the girls. 

Following pony rides, we played in the play area for awhile which consists of fantastic wooden play structures. I don't have any pictures because I was spending all my time trying to keep track of my children. We also went on a hay ride. I tried taking pictures of that, but none of them turned out very well. It is a fun hay ride. For one thing, there actually is hay in the wagon (surprisingly, we've been on several "hay" rides in the area that did not include hay). Also, the hay ride path is decorated with wooden cutouts of bunnies, bunny houses, eggs, and many other things. After the hay ride, the girls spent some time riding toy tractors and we ate lunch. Since we were eating at an orchard, we had fantastic apples, I topped my hot dog with relish canned at the orchard, and the girls ate apple cider donuts. I am disappointed I could not try any of the pies from the orchard bakery due to my current food restrictions (Baby Anne has a sensitive tummy, so while I'm nursing I have a long list of restrictions). Following lunch, Meg and Clare jumped in a bouncy castle (probably not best to do that right after lunch, but there were no bad results) and then planted flowers and decorated their flower pots with farm stickers.

As you can tell from the squint on Clare's face above, the sun was bright and by this point in the day the girls were getting quite tired. They were ready to go home and I told them we would go home right after we visited the petting barn and hayloft. The moment they saw that hayloft, all their energy returned. My children love playing in hay. They organized all the other children into "hay fight" groups and took turns burying each other (we parents--who are such killjoys--kept reminding the kids not to bury each other completely for fear another child would accidentally jump on the buried child).

The kids would occasionally take time out to pet a chick, duck or bunny. There were also lambs to ooh and aah over,

Even Baby Anne had a great time in the hayloft.

It was a great day. Butler's Orchard came through for us yet again.