Pumpkin Patch

We really look forward to going to the pumpkin farm each year, but our weekends kept getting away from us this year until the next thing I knew it was the week of Halloween and we hadn't been yet. So I took the girls by myself on Friday, two days before Halloween. Being a weekday, it was a bit deserted (only a handful of other families there) and past its peak for the year, but still worth it.

We went to Emma Krumbee's, about forty-five minutes outside the city on Route 169. Cora was excited as soon as we pulled into the parking lot. "Is dis the pumpkin farm? Over dere? Let me out! Let me out!"

They had a scarecrow festival and contest, with about forty scarecrows. 

We'd had some harsh weather earlier in the week, though, and some of them had taken a bit of a beating.

Cora got to all the kiddie play structures to herself.

And she liked our ride on the barrel train.

 At the petting zoo/animal pen I attempt to suck it up and not pass my discomfort with animals on to my kid. The sign warns you that "farm animals have teeth" but assumes you know what to do with that information.

These cloven-footed devils are deciding which of my precious girl's fingers look tastiest.

We get some feed from the machine and I show her how to hold her hand flat and let the animals lick the feed off with their tongues. Bleeaaah!

Cora stands six inches out of reach and hopes the transaction will take place by magic somehow without her having to get any closer. She is my daughter.

I take her hand and help her out, while simultaneously trying to photograph it with my other hand.

Okay, that's enough of that. Let's move on while we still have all twenty of our fingers.

A tricycle course.

Cora peeking out of the caboose.

Hazel enjoying the ride as usual.

The rope maze--it was solvable, but did take me a little while. Cora spent time ducking under the ropes while she patiently waited for me to finish.

A giant pile of hay for climbing.

 It seemed like the same kind of fun as playing in a huge pile of leaves.

 A stop in the store. 

And finally we picked out our pumpkins.

"Hold on to your sister." I had about fifteen seconds to take pictures before Hazel started arching her back and trying to hurl herself to the ground. I can see toddlerhood nipping at her heels, both in how she looks in this photo and in a lot of her behaviors lately.

(How old will they be before I can get them both to look at the camera at the same time? Because so far I think that's never happened. It's lucky if I can get them both to even face the right direction at the same time.)

So, mission accomplished--we got a couple of pumpkins for this year's jack-o-lanterns and the girls had a great outing.