Pumpkin Patch

Our next stop in our fall adventure was a trip to the Pumpkin Patch on Friday, October 17th. We took the girls to this particular pumpkin patch last fall, but it didn’t have even half of the activities then as it did this year. It was a veritable pumpkin wonderland!

We took a stroll through the covered area that was overflowing with pumpkins of every shape, size, and color. Both of the girls were fascinated by them and made a game of looking at and touching every last one. Cadie took it a step even further and decided she would attempt to pick up every last one, no matter the size. Jeff and I both were pretty amazed by her strength. She’s a lot stronger than her tiny frame suggests!

Once we had our fill of pumpkins, we ventured over to one of this year’s new additions, the inflatable slide. We’ve taken the girls to one of those inflatable play areas, so they weren’t totally unfamiliar, but I wasn’t sure if they would be intimidated by the size and height of this particular slide. Their smiling and enthusiastic faces answered my concern very quickly. It did seem, however, that at least one of us would have to accompany them up and down due to the steep nature of the steps. Again, I was wrong. After the first trip up, it became very apparent that they didn’t need as much help with the steps as I thought, and they certainly didn’t need any help coming down. Still, I went with them for their remaining four slides just in case one of the bigger kids pushed them down. The sliding, however, they did entirely on their own. In fact, Maddie got a little creative and took her third and final slides on her belly. It was so much fun!

Next, we took a tractor ride around the track. It was so paced, but very fun and relaxing. It was a beautiful day, so we were able to bask in the sun and just enjoy the delight on the girls’ faces.

Finally, we decided to test the pony ride waters. After a couple of minutes of watching other kids ride, the girls responded with an enthusiastic “yes” when we asked if they wanted to ride the ponies. So, we decided to give it a go once we were guaranteed a refund if they refused. Not surprisingly, Cadie was perfectly at ease atop her pony. She even gently kicked at his sides as if she was encouraging him to go faster. Maddie’s was a mixed review. She didn’t hate it, but she didn’t love it. She asked to get off a couple of times, but we had already started and I knew she could survive the trip, so instead I let her have a death grip on me the entire time. Of course, the minute she got off she was beaming about how she’d ridden a pony and how much fun it was. I knew it!

As we left, the girls spotted an inflatable decoration that they just loved. It was shaped as a pumpkin, and every so often an inflatable cat would rise out of the top. They absolutely loved it; so much that we eventually had to force them away to the car.

Our trip to the Pumpkin Patch was definitely one of the highlights of the fall. This one (at 81st & Mingo) is great for kids of all ages and is one that we will definitely be visiting again next year.