Sky Top Apple Orchard

(I smocked this, Mom put it together!)

I've been wanting to go to Sky Top ever since I was pregnant with Addie Kate. Apparently, everyone in Greenville goes to Sky Top in the fall. I just didn't know that not growing up here, but I do know why now! It was absolutely gorgeous up there. I'd been to Flat Rock numerous times, and love that cute little town too, but Sky Top is breathtaking. It will definitely be an annual event for the Sweatmans!

Addie Kate loved it. She was, of course, dressed for the occasion, and was fine, but next year, I doubt she'll be sitting in the stroller, and will probably need to wear pants! Tommy dressed in his usual golf shirt and deck shoes - probably needed tennis shoes. I wore jeans and layers, but flip flops - not a good idea! No one told me that Sky Top was actually on TOP of a mountain! There was quite a bit of hiking that we weren't prepared for. That's ok though, we made it and had a blast! We'll know for next year!

We also had talked about taking a picnic lunch, but never made the grocery store trip. I knew of a great little bakery/cafe in Flat Rock, so I figured we could go there. Turns out, since I've last been to Flat Rock, it now only sells pizza and salads. It was also the only place open, so the line was ridiculous. We headed into Hendersonville, and hunted something down. Our choices were fast food or The Cracker Barrell (luckily, Tommy travels to Asheville quite a bit these days and knew exactly where it was!), so Cracker Barrell it was. It was also packed, at 2:30 in the afternoon. Very strange!

All in all, the day was wonderful. Cool, crisp mountain air, just the three of us, a scenic drive, what more could anyone ask for?

First view of the orchard:

Addie Kate and her basket, so stinkin' cute!

Getting a boost from Daddy:

And him showing her how to pick them:

The first pick!

Addie trying to get some of her own:

Mommy trying to help her out, she wasn't quite ready to pick them on her own:

Addie's first taste:

And after we were finished picking, Big T bought us this beautiful house! Ha!

One of the gorgeous views:

Addie Kate for some reason flocked towards the sign for Galas. She was actually pointing out the letters, but I think she was drawn to it because of the large amount of Galas that I ate while I was pregnant with her! It was the only kind of apple I wanted!

(I had to change her shoes. It was so muddy from the monsoon we had had the week before. Didn't think to bring Mommy and Daddy a change of anything! I ended up having to change her clothes too after lunch. We have more clothing changes now that she's a toddler than when she was a baby!)

And a little photo op with Mommy, but she was just too busy playing!

And with Daddy:

Our goods! We tried to keep our numbers low, but we still ended up getting almost a whole peck. I've been looking up apple recipes, no doubt!

Let me also note here that Addie Kate enjoyed her first yellow jacket sting. They yellow jackets were bad up there, if you were near rotten apples. As long as you were in the open areas, you were fine. I guess in an apple orchard, there's nothing you can do about it. Regardless, she held her little finger up to show me the "bug" (as she called it!), and I immediately got it off. Then later, I saw her rubbing her little wrist and we saw the sting. Bless her heart, she never shed one single tear. She's such a sweet little trooper!

When we were packing the diaper bag, Addie saw me putting a juice box in there. She flipped out and begged for it (they are a rare treat!) so her daddy promised her some good apple juice when we got there. Luckily, they had these little sippers (which cost as much as a gallon of cider), and they were yummy! She loved it!

Love this! I'd seen many of my friends' children's pictures here, and now my own! I can't wait to put them all together one day!

Such a mess!

She was very unsure about this scarecrow. She kept asking me what it was. I don't even think she knows what a scarecrow is, but I guess it did look a little creepy, plus the name has the word "scare" in it! She didn't get upset, but was just a little uneasy once she saw it there!

They had a little playground, swingset, and several playhouses there for all the kids. She was able to play in some while Daddy waited in the long line for the famous apple doughnuts! They were delicious1

And at the Cracker Barrell for lunch. She was two hours past naptime, hungry, and a perfect angel. She loved rocking outside and playing with the checkers. (I had to crop the UNC garb out of this picture, or Tommy wouldn't have let me take it at all!)

What a perfect day!