Autumn Traditions: Off to the Pumpkin Patch!

This weekend we took our younger nieces and nephew to one of our favorite local pumpkin patches to spend some time together with family, let them pick out some pumpkins and perhaps a few for ourselves.

Over the past few years we've enjoyed rounding everyone up at Gallmeyer Farms — it's a big open space with a farmer's market, flower garden, ample play area, hay maze, hayrides and of course an expansive field filled with varying sized pumpkins and varieties of gourds. The kids have started referring to this location as "Aunt Mary & Uncle T's pumpkin patch" since they associate visiting this one with us...

There's nothing quite like gauging the time that's passed when looking at pictures from past trips. Chelsea was a mere baby during our last visit and it's fun to read back how the kids were actually scared of the "spooky barn" back during our first visit. Now they tell us very proudly how very un-scary that barn is, even though we're still begged to take them in it :)

As usual, we'd told the kids that we'd buy them each one pumpkin — anything they wanted as long as they could pick it up with their own strength. Since this patch charges by the pound, setting a parameter was not only a fun game for the kids, but helped keep the entire day reasonable when rolling the filled-up wheelbarrow into the farmer's market check out line.

It's always fun to see which types of pumpkins each child will gravitate towards. This year they each wanted something different and ended up heading back home with a carful of orange, white and green pumpkins to decorate their stoop with.

As for us, we brought home a single heirloom pumpkin to pair with our potted mums and the ceramic jack-o-lantern I'd been eyeing for weeks at Lowe's before Tim came home and surprised me with it one afternoon.

On a related note, we've make plans to have the exterior of our home painted this November (which we're very excited for), but are thinking the chips, cracks and peels in their current state lend a touch of "haunt" to the way our Halloween porch is shaping up.

All in all, it was a beautiful day, a great time and an autumn tradition we look forward to each year.

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