Flashback Friday -- Pumpkin Patching

Apparently, I uploaded ALL the pictures from our Great Pumpkin Patch Expedition back at the beginning of the Fall -- and even created the Google Photos album for it -- but then completely and totally forgot to ever blog about it!  Haha.  I don't know how THAT could have happened.  ;)

Since this was one of the highlights of the season for me, I have to recap it before we've officially moved on to winter.  :)  Of course, now that it's been over a month since these outings actually happened, I'm not so sure I'll do justice to the tale, but I'll try my hardest to recreate the magic and splendor that was this year's trip(s) to the Pumpkin Patch.

It all started on an absolutely glorious autumn day back in October, when I decided on a whim to take Isaac to a little farm that's practically in our backyard from where we live, but that we've never taken the time to explore.  With our little mommy-toddler date in full swing that morning, the sugar bear was absolutely in his element!  Wide open spaces to run around in?  Check.  Stuff to climb on and play with?  Check again.  Pumpkins to pick out and animals to see?  You got it -- Check and check again.  In short, our spur-of-the-moment, Wednesday morning jaunt to the farm was a hit!

 He was SO excited when he saw this blow-up Minion.  At the time, he was mildly obsessed with that movie.

 That hair, though.  Hahahahaha.  And that face.  I just love him.

 The entire front yard area of the farm was filled with different story tableaux presided over by pumpkin-headed characters.

It was such a hit, that I subsequently went back a couple of days later with friends, attempted to take the rest of our family Friday night, and then SUCCESSFULLY dragged everyone to the farm on Saturday morning.  Despite resistance from certain children who were skeptical that a pumpkin patch could possibly be fun for older kids, in the end, EVERYONE loved it.  A lot!

 (Poor little lamb was all tuckered out after our Friday morning outing with friends.)

Our Friday night semi-family outing was a bit botched thanks to a mistake on my part, however, so it wasn't too big a surprise when Ethan flat-out refused to go.  I mistakenly thought the farm was open until 9 (along with the corn maze), and when Scott didn't get home until close to 6:30 and Ethan double-checked and saw that everything actually closed at 7, I knew there was no way I would be able to convince him to come check it out for a little bit anyway.  Everyone else obliged, though, and despite the fact that we were only able to enjoy our visit for about 20 minutes, it was such a picture-perfect, beautiful evening -- and the kids really did have so much fun running around and playing -- that it was totally worth it regardless.  ;)

 Seriously -- check out that sky!

 Letting them pick out some pumpkins helped to sweeten the deal, since we got their too late to do much of anything else.

 The backyard of the farm included a little frontier town set-up, with more pumpkin-headed characters standing guard.

The next day, however, we planned things a little better and got there right in the early afternoon.  An added bonus for our efforts, was a Fall Festival going on that weekend which included even more bang for our buck while we were there.  Face painting and train rides, along with live blue grass music in the barn, helped to create a practically-perfect-in-every-way kind of outing, and even the older kids enjoyed themselves immensely.  The corn maze -- of which Ethan, Grace, and Sophie were more than a bit wary going into -- ended up being their favorite thing of the day!  The Tweedles loved getting their face painted, and Dumplin' LOVED the train.  :)  By the time we left later that afternoon, we had happy campers all around.  It was pretty much the quintessential Fall experience for this crew.  Hahaha.  It's just too bad that it took us 4 years to make it on over.  ;)

 Those curls.  😍

 Waiting in line for the little train.

 Picking out their face paint picture.

 Waiting for the train again.

Until next year!!!