I know that many families have the pumpkin patch tradition. The blogger world is likely filled with posts of all the fun had at local pumpkin patches. I didn't want to feel left out so here is my annual pumpkin patch post.
Ever since we moved to Murrieta in 2002 we have gone to Bates Nut Farm pumpkin patch with our friends, Jim and Janette Jones. Most years we have other people join the group as well. Most of the time Janette's sister Alaina and her husband Parker and daughters Darla and Annalena meet us there, but ALWAYS the Campbell and Jones families! It is a tradition that we look forward to every year.
The last few years we have packed a picnic lunch to eat at the patch. This has worked out very well for us. The first couple of years we bought lunch there. The lines were long and it took FOREVER to get food for the family. Now we just show up with our lunch, find a spot on the grass, and relax.
Here is Janette, Callie and Hannah. You can see Ethan trying to get into the picture too. He is in the background of most of the lunch pictures. I think that was his goal that day.
Jim with Annalena. What a beauty! (No, Jim, not you.)
See Ethan behind Jim?
Brett, Connor, and, you guessed it... Ethan.
Me, baby No Name, and...uh... Ethan.
We always do the hay maze with the kids. I figure it's pretty self explanatory but... they set up a maze made of hay bales that is three bales high. I like it that way because parents can easily see over the whole maze and keep track of kids. Throughout the maze they have mailboxes hidden with numbers. When you enter the maze they give you a card that you stamp at each station. When you have them all stamped then you are done with the maze. The kids seem to really enjoy this activity. This was the first year that Hannah seemed to get the idea. She had fun inking up the stamps and putting it on her card by herself.
Oddly enough, Ethan did not want me to take his picture in the hay maze. I had to try to sneak a shot here and there but never did get a great one. Somehow he suddenly became camera-shy.
All the kids had to display their finished cards, except Ethan who was still be "camera-shy". STUBBORN!!
As we were leaving the maze area I looked back to catch Hannah and Annalena walking hand in hand. They were so adorable I had to snap a few shots.
They have a candy shop/craft store that we cannot neglect. The boys usually just wait "patiently" while the girls look around the shop for great treats and unique items. I don't usually buy much but it's fun to look around.
At the end of the trip we end up in the actual pumpkin selection area. The kids make their way around in search of the perfect pumpkin. This year Hannah really wanted one of those little tiny decoration pumpkins as her choice. She carefully picked out her $1 pumpkin and was quite proud to place it in the wheelbarrow with the other pumpkins.
After the patch we always return to our house for an evening of pizza and fun. We look forward to many more years of pumpkin patch traditions.
You are reading the cake right. Connor got walked at the baseball game he played Thursday night. He ran to first and then decided to keep running to second. The other team overthrew 2nd base so he kept running to 3rd. That was his second "at bat" for the game. The first time he was also walked and he ran to 2nd on that walk!
I know that many families have the pumpkin patch tradition. The blogger world is likely filled with posts of all the fun had at local pumpkin patches. I didn't want to feel left out so here is my annual pumpkin patch post.
Here is Janette, Callie and Hannah. You can see Ethan trying to get into the picture too. He is in the background of most of the lunch pictures. I think that was his goal that day.
Jim with Annalena. What a beauty! (No, Jim, not you.)
Brett, Connor, and, you guessed it... Ethan.
Me, baby No Name, and...uh... Ethan.
I got this sign for Proposition 8 from a friend in the ward this week. The day I picked it up Ethan said he was going to stand on the corner and wave the sign on Saturday. I don't think we were home five minutes from Ethan's soccer game before he grabbed the sign out of the window and went to stand on the corner in support of Proposition 8. Notice he is still in his soccer uniform? He is such a great kid and I am proud of him for taking the initiative to do a great thing for a great cause. I wish I had a little of his fearlessness.
This is the sign they have near the trams.
As you ride the tram on the way to the entrance they have a cute Halloween scene set up with several characters. These are just a couple of shots I managed to get as the tram whizzed by.
The "California" sign is transformed to look like candy corn. The "A's" in the sign are made to look just like a big candy corn.
Above the entrance turnstiles to Disneyland are all the main characters (Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto) in jack-o-lantern form.
All the street lamps on main street have this festive sign and Mickey pumpkin adorning them.
This is my favorite ride of the holiday season, followed closely by the Christmas "It's A Small World". This one is the Haunted Mansion transformed into "Nightmare Before Christmas".
This is a "Jack" scarecrow on the grassy area outside the Haunted Mansion.
The hillside behind the mansion is covered with glowing jack-o-lanterns. This picture isn't a great representation of how many they really have, but you get an idea.
Here we have one of the scenes inside the ride. Sorry it doesn't do it true justice. The scene is huge and has a bunch of moving parts. It's set up in the area right as you load into your "doom buggy".
Over near Big Thunder Railroad and the Mexican restaurant they have "Day of the Dead" figures set up. I guess it's a Mexican tradition or something. The figures are quite large. They also had a little stage area set up there that Hannah enjoyed dancing on for a few minutes.
This is a giant Mickey jack-o-lantern they have set up in the town square part of main street.
More fall flowers!
Here, Hannah is waiting patiently in line for her turn to see the princesses.
She decided to dance a little while we waited.
Sleeping Beauty asked her to twirl around and show her her dress.
Our trip wouldn't have been complete without a visit to Minnie's house. Hannah just loves to go there and sit on the bed, do her hair and makeup at the vanity, and play in the kitchen.
