Weekend Basics: Pumpkin Patching it!

Over the weekend we took the chance to hit up the pumpkin patch with my sister's children, which is shaping up to be a fun yearly tradition.

There are many local pumpkin patches and farms to choose from here in Richmond, and we've enjoyed spending time at Gallmeyer Farms this time of year. They're open everyday until dusk and all the activities are free for the family to enjoy. We purchase pumpkins by the pound and almost always leave with a haul of fresh produce from the farm, this year being no different.

It was a big group of us this year, with the addition of Teller's 4th child, Chelsea, along for the fun. My mother, aunt, Tim and I teamed up to take the kids out for the afternoon, and I think we enjoy going to the pumpkin patch just as much as they do.

There's the giant hay maze, playground, hayrides and of course, the pumpkin patch.

Tim and I tasked each of the children (except for Chelsea) with finding their own pumpkin. We wheeled them over to the patch in wheelbarrows and explained that they could choose any pumpkin in the entire field they liked, so long as they could pick it up and lift it into the wheelbarrow — basically, whatever their little arms could handle. Here I am explaining this challenge:

They each took this personal mission very seriously.

This face cracks me up — little Virginia is trying her best to smile holding up the first pumpkin she found:

...even though she later settled on a rounder, bumpier pumpkin:

Benjamin also found his right away, but was a sweet big brother, very concerned with helping Sophia find a pumpkin she liked — which he even offered to pick up for her:

This poor little gal was the most stressed about finding a pumpkin she could pick up, or maybe just deciding on one she liked in general. I can relate, as sometimes I get overwhelmed when needing to make a decision with endless options:

Just look at that little pout:

Eventually we happened upon her perfect pick, which she happily lifted and I carried the rest of the way. Whew, tough decisions, let me tell you!

Virginia ended up with the very bumpy pumpkin, while Sophia and Benjamin both wanted a little green coloring mixed into theirs, thinking they could make witch faces with them. It's always amazing to me how different each personality is and it's fun getting to see them emerge at such a young age.

We also challenged them to find the largest pumpkins in the field so we could take a picture next to them. We did pretty well finding a string of four biggies in a row:

Looking back at last year's pumpkin patch trip, it's fun to see just how much each of the kids has grown over the past year.

After the patch we headed home, bringing Virginia back with us. She'll be staying with us this week, so we're excited to have a little house guest and have been planning fun activities to take on while she's here — one of which will now involve deciding on how we'll decorate the bumpy pumpkin!

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