Our Trip to the Pumpkin Patch, 2010

This is the most ridiculous city-folk thing that we do.


Now, in my head, a pumpkin patch is a farm where pumpkins are grown and you go there, pick out a pumpkin and buy it/bring it home. Not so here. This is my second year to go to this "pumpkin patch" and it's this big "farm" where they truck in a billion tons of pumpkins, have hay rides behind a tractor, pet/feed goats and other livestock, and go into a field where pumpkins are "growing" in tidy lines ready to be picked. "Picked", in this sense, means "chosen", not "plucked from the vine". It's called Owens Spring Creek Farm, in Richardson, Tx.
It's just dumb. BUT the kids like it.

William's pre-school class took a field trip to the local pumpkin patch this year. They don't seem to have any group transportation available through the church or the school, so parents have to drive their own kids plus any others whose parents didn't come. These parents are called "chaperones" although I believe "chauffeur" would be more appropriate. Wikipedia (the knower of all fact) defines chaperone as any adult present in order to maintain order or propriety at an activity of young people. The children were neither orderly nor proper at this event...lots of mayhem!


William as a daisy, with a schoolmate's baby brother.

Checking out some of the pumpkins while we waited for instructions.

I tried to get one of those cute pumpkin patch pictures other people have, and this is what I got.

William wanted a second chance. 

so, we headed to the petting zoo to feed goats. Here is William "in line"

Really, the animals are in pens and you're given a plastic cup of animal feed.

After the petting zoo, we hopped on the next hay wagon, pulled behind a tractor.

Some moms were trying to get a group shot of the class. I think they tried this 3 or 4 times. 

William thought this was cool, and was sorry he didn't have a penny (he said)

Finally, we headed to the pumpkin field to choose a pumpkin! 

The boys actually couldn't decide, so I picked two that looked good enough to cook since they're too small for jack-o-lanterns. I would have gotten a third since I paid for three people but they were too heavy for the boys to carry and I couldn't carry three myself.
The boys had a great time at this place! Happy Halloween!!
(ps...slow blogging happening during costume creating season...good stuff coming soon!)