pumpkin patch

every year we go to the pumpkin patch. most years we have done arianna's birthday out there.. since we didn't have her party this year it just kept getting put off. football games and nap schedules kept saturdays distracted until i looked at the calendar and realized saturday morning at 7 am... this is the last weekend they are open! 

so we got our spontaneity on (which takes at least 2 hours with this many babies) and made the big hour drive to the epitome of fall... the concentrated version of autumn...

the pumpkin patch.

 each and every year the jump house pumpkin is the thorn in ari's side. it mocks her. every year she gets all psyched up to actually go in and nearly every year there is one of those freak out fits as she freezes at the door while all the other kids are waiting in line. shoes off, then back on , off, on.. we go through it at least 5 times. i wasn't going to do it this year. i had enough. i drew my line in the sand and said 'my child, you will thank me some day... but either you get in this pumpkin jump house or you will miss everything else at the pumpkin patch." i know suuuper mean.

so she followed us around for about 20 minutes while grayson did the horses and the train and then said we could go try again. she apparently was most disturbed by the gush of wind that would come from the door opening when you would pull it apart to slip in. so i held it open for her, let all the air rush out.. to the dismayed cries of the children inside.. they were fine...it's not like the giant pumpkin was completely deflated(but it certainly didn't win her any friends once inside)... and kind of pushed/helped her in. and what do you know? she LOVED it! she says at least  once a week, 'i still think about that pumpkin and just wish i was inside again.' sometimes the mean mom knows what she's doing... and sometimes she's just mean and doesn't... but i lucked out on this one. :)

 her first pony ride without anyone standing bye her! :)

 and look who we found at the pumpkin patch... our halloween inspiration. :)

 

 grayson loves his boots and his hoods. he wants to wear his boots and hoods all. the. time. he feels that if a sweatshirt or jacket lacks a hood... it has in a very personal way let him down.

 corn maze.. good thing gray wore orange because he didn't really get the whole 'stay on the path' thing...

 luci is difficult to put anywhere these days.. she has eaten/choked on minuscule leaves numerous times this fall. if she can get her hands on anything it is in her mouth faster than you can stop her.

 so i tried to move her out of temptation's path and put her in the pumpkins... but then i had visions of her pulling a sampson and pumpkins toppling onto her...

 so after pulling her down on to a pumpkin to sit pretty and let mommy just get one smiley picture...
she started singing. like really singing.. belting it out for all to hear...her 'ode to autumn'...

 at the end of every pumpkin patch trip we take a hay rack ride out to pick our own... even though we were going so late in the year we already had plenty at home... but that's not really the point is it? truth be known grabbing one at the grocery store is certainly easier.. but where's the fun in that?

 and then we found her... and the pumpkin patch day was a success.
fears conquered, songs sung, hoods worn, pumpkin found. spontaneity has it's rewards... :)