The Pumpkin Patch

We decided not to dress up this Halloween. If you read the prior post, you realize we've been sick for a couple weeks, so costumes aren't really high on my list. Sabre is too old to trick-or-treat and Thor is too young to understand it, walk to a door, say the words, or eat the candy (which I don't need either). So I needed  photo op before fall passed me by.

There are many family-run pumpkin patches/fall festivals/carnivals/hayrides etc. here (as I'm sure there are everywhere). We had planned on going to the largest one--Schnepff Farms--but after the week we've had, I could not brave the thousands of people that would be there. We needed a place to get in cheap, take our pictures, enjoy a small amount of sunshine, and make a fast getaway if Thor's tummy started rumbling. (The stroller--the most expensive baby item I bought that I absolutely adore--was the only thing that hasn't been pooped in this week and I'd like to keep it that way.)

So we went to DeWitt Stables Pumpkin Patch. And I'm so glad we did! It was perfect. It was small, but not too small. Jenn, John, Bronson, Shane, Josh, and Kaylan went with us.

Thor has just started watching our dogs run around so he was fascinated by the animals. We could hardly get him to look at the camera while he was on the pony. So we took him to the petting zoo. He really liked the little ponies. Sweet big sis Sabre chased after all the barnyard fowl for him. She caught one of each to show Thor.

The duck kept squawking in his face, so he wouldn't look it in the eye.

But we couldn't keep him from grabbing the chicken's beak!

Sabre caught the big rooster that all the little kids were chasing after. She sure remembers growing up at Granny and Grandpa Fultz's and how to chase down her birds!

Then there was a bouncy house. Bronson didn't know what a "back" was--you know like jumping on a trampoline, falling on your back and bouncing back up--well, my brothers and sisters will know what I'm talking about. So I got in there to show him how it's done. Sabre managed to capture the teaching moment on camera:

The preparation:

 The jumps to test the bounce:

 The free-fall:

 Direct hit!

 The exit, as Bronson prepares to imitate it.

(If you were paying really close attention, you could tell I had to show him a few times, so that's why Sabre's angles were off--her action shots captured different "backs".)

The adults watching were taking bets on whether I'd hurt myself (or the bounce house), but I showed them I can still shake this large booty!!

Thor loved watching the kids jumping. At first he watched from his stroller, but he was so interested I had to take him out and hold him up to it.

 We sat there awhile so he could study how its done for use next year.

The ever present "thinker" pose

Then Sabre saw some beautiful horses off in a corner. She walked up to the girl taking care of them and asked if she could ride. Sabre told her she'd had lessons before and that she could prove she knew how to ride.  Sabre whipped right up on the horse like she'd been doing it all her life and walked the horse around the trailer.

So the staff let Sabre and Bronson go on a horse ride, led by a real bronco bull rider.

They had a great time. I'm so proud that she had no fear asking for what she wanted.

By the time we took the hayride to pick out a pumpkin, Thor was hungry and tired--but still no poop! Yay! Sabre grabbed a pumpkin and we sat and talked to the driver while everyone else took their time. We asked him how Sabre could get a job there.  He just happened to be the son of the owner and so he took Sabre's number and said he would call her. She is totally excited about the prospect of working at the stables.

We made it home with no poop incidents, and a ton of great memories and pictures to prove it. All in all, it was a perfect day with my two sweet kids.