Pumpkin Patch Picnicking And Other Adventures

Last year at this time, we had just moved and were in the process of unpacking. Dave was switching jobs, we were church searching, and our whole routine was shifting. Unfortunately, all of the changes made it difficult to do a lot of fun things as a family and so we missed going to a pumpkin patch for Caleb's first October (although, we did go to a local nursery to check out a few pumpkins). This year we made up for lost time; Caleb and I got to visit two!

I found out from a friend's Facebook post about a local place called Hartland Orchard that is just minutes from our house. They appeared to have a lot for kids to do including animals, a hay ride, a corn maze, and of course a pumpkin patch. Since my granny has been wanting to take Caleb, Anabella, and Daniel to a petting farm, we decided this might be a good option to enjoy the animals and fall activities at the same time. There was a steep $9 per person price tag that we weren't too crazy about but the kids got in free so we decided to go ahead and check it out.

Like most of our excursions with the twins, we went during the week while the toddlers' daddies were at work. We didn't realize that most of the activities listed on the website were for weekend visitors only. While we didn't get to go on the hayride or try out the corn maze as a result, we also didn't have to pay the $9 fee and got to enjoy the day for free. The little ones enjoyed themselves despite the mix up and so did adults. First, we explored the pumpkin patch:

Afterwards,we trudged up a steep hill to find the animals. The kids found a tractor, wagon, and horsy swing at the top as well.

While the boys were examining the farm equipment, Anabella and Granny spotted the goats. Anabella tried to make friends by pulling the goat's ear; the goat responded by butting her to seal the friendship. Granny found a bucket of food beside the fence and handed the babies a little to feed the animals. Anabella bravely stuck her hand right up there for the goats to eat; Caleb, on the other hand, stuck his little arm out to feed them as well but then backed away from the goats with his arm out stretched like he was trying to give it to them but didn't want to get too close. Needless to say most of the food he was given ended up on the ground. After all the feeding fun, we walked to the other side of the gate and guess what we saw? A sign warning visitors not to feed the goats. Oops!

The goat feeding was our only animal sighting. They supposedly had pigs that raced on occasion but we missed them. So much for the petting farm experience... But, when things don't go exactly as planned, take a lesson from our toddlers - move on and find fun elsewhere. Cornhole? Pumpkin picking? Giant pipe slide? Take your choice.

A morning full of new adventures builds up everyone's appetite. Luckily, Stacey thought ahead and planned a picnic lunch. After looking for a place to have our lunch, we decided right beside the pumpkins was best. None of us had ever picnicked in a pumpkin patch before. Daniel and Anabella enjoyed sitting in their little chair together savoring the meal; Caleb didn't want to sit in a chair though so I tried pulling out a big blanket for him to relax. Pumpkin patch picnics are just too exciting to sit still though in his opinion (and I didn't have a bungee cord to hold him still...) so my little man was on the go all through lunch, grazing on whatever he could find. At one point, he walked over and stomped on the chicken that was sitting on my plate; I think this was an accident but can't be sure. After I peeled the piece of chicken from his shoe and wiped off the BBQ sauce, he was on the go again. Caleb's favorite food seemed to be the string cheese while Anabella was all about the strawberries. Daniel was in love with an unopened can of soda that he kept carrying around for some reason.

While a lot of the pumpkins and produce had been picked over by the time we visited last week, we noticed some late tomatoes still on the vines. Granny asked the man if we could purchase a few since the two of us both love tomatoes. He told us just to take as many as we'd like as long as we came back next year or told our friends about them. Not only did we get free admission, now he was offering us free tomatoes! Yes, sir! While we picked tomatoes, the kids played more in the pumpkin patch and kept themselves very entertained figuring out how to make the sides of a little wagon come down.

After filling our bellies with lunch and our bags with tomatoes, we put our sleepy toddlers in their carseats and made our way back home. What a beautiful day at Hartland Orchard!