McKinstry Moments: Pumpkin Time!

The maternity photo shoot that we did in September at Marker Miller Orchards ended up being our family outing for that month since we were so busy with other things leading up to the birth of our new little one. We tromped through the pumpkin patch, let Caleb ride the cow train, and even took a wagon ride around the property. Thinking that we'd have more pumpkin patch adventures down the road, we decided not to get our pumpkins yet since it was still so early in the season. After Reid's arrival though, picking pumpkins got put on the back burner.

This past Friday I began thinking that we'd better get a move on if we were going to get a pumpkin this fall because Halloween was less than a week away. With Dave and I attending Bible studies on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, that only left the weekend and maybe Monday night to get any carving done, so it was time to hop to it.

I mentioned to Mom that I'd like to try to take the kids to some type of pumpkin patch or a local nursery to pick out their pumpkins but wasn't sure if that would be possible with Reid tagging along since I didn't want to drag our newborn around too much. The next morning ,she said my dad had also mentioned something about the possibility of going to look for pumpkins, which I was excited about because he is often tied up on the weekends and doesn't get to hang out with us as much as we'd like. The kids love it when he has the opportunity to do something with us, so I knew they'd be happy too.

To keep things simple, we ended up going to a pumpkin patch just a few miles from our house that we'd gone to in years past. Right away, Dad found a wagon and loaded the kids up while we figured out how to bundle Reid inside the stroller so none of the fall air snuck in through the crevices. Then, we were off!

Glad we brought Pop along to pull this load :)

They had a really nice looking field of pumpkins this year. It was much larger than in years prior and didn't looked picked over despite it being the weekend before Halloween.

Hadley is happy about her pumpkin.

Caleb couldn't carry the one he picked though.

Thanks for helping, Daddy!

All loaded up

Dave and I tried to hunt for a small pumpkin for Reid too. Sadly, all the tiny ones were beginning to rot though, so we left empty handed.

Aside from the pumpkin patch itself, there were also lots of other attractions and food to enjoy. The kids were especially excited about the caramel apple NaNa let them share with her!

After the snack, my dad paid for the kids to go to the top part of the farm where they have a "fall festival" set up. But, while he was the one with the bright idea to try out all the fun up the hill, NaNa is the one that got roped into doing the giant jumping pillow. (I've got to give Pop credit though, he take Hadley down the 60 foot tunnel slide.) The kids also got to see and pet some farm animals before their grandparents tuckered out and ran them back to their parents who were waiting in the car with Mr. Reid.

Picking out pumpkins and enjoying the attractions were only part one of the fun though. The following evening we all got together again to carve our jack o' lanterns. Grandma Nora Ann and Granddaddy Eddie also showed up to watch as well as Aunt Courtney, who snuggled with Reid for a most of her visit.

Hadley was beside herself with excitement that everyone was at her house!

We started out again with the plastic face pieces that you just stick in the pumpkin like you would a Mr. Potato Head. Even at 18 months old, Hadley had no trouble with that task. Caleb got quite a kick out of it too and jabbered away about the faces he and Hadley had made.

Now that Hadley has learned a few more words, she's been interested in talking about different body parts, such as her ears, eyes, hair, etc. This activity gave her a lot to talk about as she pointed to the facial features she recognized and told us all about them.

Those are some good looking pumpkins!

Reid just liked snuggling...and sleeping.

Grandma took advantage of this sleepy newborn and plopped a pumpkin hat on that cutie.

Since the plastic face pieces went so well and the kids were satisfied, we maybe should have stopped there. Instead, we opted to go for the whole messy experience.

Mommy trying to cut the top off

Daddy modeling how to use the scoops to get out the gunk.

A handful of pumpkin guts! Stay back! (Hadley looks like she doesn't quite know what to think.)

Thinking about it...

Going for it!

Get it, Girl!

Caleb decided he didn't like pumpkin innards on his hands, so he let Hadley and Daddy do most of the work.

He designed the face though - rectangle eyes, a triangle nose, and an oval mouth with lines coming out of it. Then, he helped me draw it.

NaNa got to help draw too!

While all that pumpkin carving was interesting, nothing was quite as mind-blowing to Hadley as when she noticed that we'd taken down the baby gate to accommodate for all our guests at this event. On and on she talked, waving her arms in exaggerated motions and telling us over and over that something was amiss. Her performance was one of the highlights of the evening.