The Pumpkin Patch

It was a gorgeous day for the pumpkin patch.  Don't we look like the Von Trapp family singing "Cuckoo" on the So Long, Farewell song?  Look out, we belt a mighty yodel.

 We tried a new one this year, Johnson Farms.  We loved it.  Fair price.  Good pumpkins.  Hayrides all week.  No crowds (it was a Monday, though).  And their apple cider slushies were divine!

 They had some massive pumpkins!

 The hayride was there to pick us up the moment we went in.  The kids love hayrides.

 So does their Mommy.

 We were deposited in the middle of the huge patch, with walking trails cleared for our pumpkin hunt.

 Gryffy's little legs got loads of exercise as he walked the full length of the trail.

 By the time he had to turn around, he became much more interested in throwing rocks and digging dirt than in the pumpkins.

 But Daddy took him on an adventure off the beaten path, because that's just how the Connellys roll.

 All those tangled vines were a bit threatening.  The kids panicked just a bit when we got too far ahead of them.

 I love ugly pumpkins.  Warty ones make the best faces.

 Lorelei wanted the warts removed, but slowly came around to appreciate its beauty.

 We finally all found our picks of the patch--a very large green and orange speckled pumpkin for Daddy, Mommy's great warty blob, Lorelei's teeny-weeny pumpkin, and Gryffy's perfectly proper pumpkin.  Somehow, though, two more little pumpkins wound up in our wheelbarrow than the ones we'd paid for.

 We just brought the wheelbarrow along on the hayride back.

The kids enjoyed the playground in the middle of the maze for a bit.

 Then we brought out my tripod for our first go at family photos via camera timer and remote.

 Good enough, this one.

 Some out-takes...

 Love the finger in the nose.

 Gryffy loves to bury things.  He lost his Papa Smurf somewhere, no doubt because he'd buried him.  We were merciful and got him another Papa Smurf today.  And here he is, face down in the dirt.

 Lorelei went wild over the little chickens.  They seemed to like her alright.  It might have been the feathers.

So Long, Farewell Johnson Farms!  The sun has gone to bed and so must I.