Pumpkin Patch

With our only free weekend in October, we took the kids to the local pumpkin patch on Saturday. We went last year, and I remember it being ridiculously cold; so cold that Riley had on her winter hat! This year the weather was much better, and we arrived shortly after it opened to beat the crowd. The kids were entranced, from the farm's dog walking the grounds to the mounds of pumpkins to the giant bouncy pumpkin contraption. Me, I was captivated by the smells of fresh-baked apple cider donuts, which I (reluctantly) shared with the kids. But the hot apple cider? That was all mine!

Standing by the tree.

Every time we ask the kids to smile, Jeremy says
cheese, and he ends up making an obscure face.

We bought tickets to enter the large play area, and both Riley and Jeremy didn't know where to start. We took their picture in the train cut-out, and then we found the pen full of rabbits. It's amazing how pet rabbits look so much cuter than the ones who infest my garden and eat my prized flowers.

Jeremy in the pumpkin. Love the old school Papa Smurf.

Riley on the train.

From there the kids entered a straw maze, and then we wound up near a large straw pile. Let me tell you, if I was a kid, I would be in heaven. Both children were hesitant, until we picked them up and threw them into the pile. Then Phil took Jeremy up there, shortly thereafter Riley let go of her fears and went up the hill. Both kids (and Dad) were proud of their accomplishment.

Riley driving the wooden tractor.

Helping Jeremy down from the bed of said tractor.

The two "kids" climbing the straw hill.

We made it!

Ruh-roh Shaggy.

We walked around further and found miniature tractors for the kids to ride. Jeremy was in heaven! Within the last two weeks he's learned how to pedal a trike. It amazes me daily how much he changes, and him hoping on the tractor was no exception. While the kids were entertained, I checked out the livestock: pigs, sheep, goats, a dairy calf, donkeys, and even a llama. The kids soon joined me, and then we decided to check out the corn maze.

My little John Deere on his John Deere.

At the start of the corn maze.

Both kids did remarkably well, as the corn maze covered four acres of land. It was shaped like a giant dragon, which we saw an areal photo near the checkout. There were 10 checkpoints through the maze, which Riley helped us find. You received a prize if you found all checkpoints (and I'm assuming answered them correctly), but after traipsing through the maze for 25 minutes, both kids became restless. So we left without answering a few (and we wouldn't have received a prize if we needed correct answers, as some of the questions dealt with Harry Potter and the Dragontales, neither of which we're familiar with).

We paid for our half-dozen apple cider donuts (still delicious the next day) and our pumpkin and headed home. Of course that was preceded by both kids having a meltdown because we were going home since Riley wouldn't cooperate for pictures and Jeremy wanted to go on a bouncy slide contraption. Some parents smiled at me, and all I could say was: Good times. Yeah, it was.