Sunday, November 1, 2009

Our Failed Pumpkin Farm Attempt

Our church toddler group all met out at a local farm last Monday.  Mom, Meghan, and Lizzie were visiting, so they tagged along too.  This place was quite large and looked really cool.  They had a wide variety of pumpkins, hay rides, corn maze, hay bale maze, tricycle races, petting zoo, and more.  Unfortunately, the weather went from bad to worse, and about an hour in, most of us bailed.

1.  Here's the lady who greeted us with a presentation all about pumpkins and gourds.  How can I say this halfway nicely?  Seriously, this woman was out in left field as she attempted to explain the word origin of pumpkin to a bunch of 3 to 5 year olds.  She then described and named no less than 20 different types of pumpkins and squash to our group.  She practically demanded audience participation, and not one of these kids had any idea what she was talking about.  I don't think she had any toddler experience. 



2.  We finally moved outside where the winds were starting to pick up.  I had packed somewhat thick jackets and hats.  I felt prepared.  Here's our pumpkin, Clayton.



3.  Happy to pose at the "How tall this fall?" sign.


4.  Happy to ride the tricyles around the little race track through the corn field.  Here's Clayton's Nan lending a hand. 


5.  Starting to get pretty chilled in the hay maze.  Now refusing to smile or even look at the camera.  Mom feeling really bad she didn't pack mittens.



6.  I usually keep two heavy blankets in the car for the boys in the winter.  They can't wear big coats in their carseats, so this is how we keep warm.  Somehow, Clayton's blanket had escaped the car, but luckily we had Eli's with us.  Here's Eli trying to keep warm.



7.  I thought surely a horse tire swing would cheer up my boy.  No such luck.  He was really getting cold.  His circulation is so poor in the winter, and at this point I started to become a little concerned about his hands.  From this point on, he had to keep his hands in his pockets.



8.  We were about to call it quits when the nice farm folks fired up the hayride.  We really debated, but we finally decided to give it a try.  At least we'd all be snuggled together.  This actually turned out to be the best part of our morning.  We covered ourselves with the blanket and hay.  Apparently animals are onto something when they nestle down in the hay in the cold.  It was slightly warmer.  As you can see from the picture, the winds were relentless.  I have amazing hair in this picture.  The children were a little happier at this point.



9.  After the hayride we practically ran (as much as you can run with a double stroller on dirt) to the parking lot.  I was sad about not having any pumpkin pictures, so I paused to get just one picture of the boys with these white pumpkins, but this was all they gave me.  Clayton was not in a happy place by this time.



So this was our pumpkin patch experience.  We will definitely try to go back next year because the place had serious potential for many hours of fun.  We will, however, be going on a much less windy day.

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