pumpkins, pumpkins, pumpkins

Though we can hardly believe we pulled it off, we did.  We found a day when Daddy could sneak out of class and no one had to be at preschool or dance class (and Mama wasn't having a baby) and we actually made it to the pumpkin patch!  Honestly, we're still stunned we made this happen.  I had nearly broken down and let the children pick out their pumpkins from Trader Joe's.  At least three times.

But by the grace of God we spent a lovely Friday morning making the trip out to Lemos Farm.  (We'd have hated to miss it -- three years running is a long time for us to do anything, and we're all too aware we won't get to go next year.)  The kids had so much fun.  And Mama and Daddy did, too!

All our pumpkins in a pumpkin.

We showed up nice and early, before too many school buses arrived.  We had the goats all to ourselves -- almost, anyway!  Kathleen was the boldest goat-feeder.

But Madeline warmed right up and fed some, too.

John David, on the other hand, didn't want anything to do with the goats.  He cried if he got too close, and he did his best to stay far away.  We were surprised by his reaction, because he'd really liked the goats this summer at Tanner's Orchard in Illinois.  But to be fair, poor John David really should have been napping right then.  And he doesn't like much if he's tired.

Stay away, goats!

The whole crew tested out the rocking horses...


And I acheived my first group photo fail of the day.  (John David really did not want to be on that rocking horse.)

Lemos Farm has a train and pony rides and bounce houses.  We told the girls they could choose one thing to try.  And though Madeline was leaning toward the train at first, the girls ultimately decided on pony rides.  They had plenty of time to watch and get adjusted to the idea...

And they loved it!  Both of them.  (Even though parents weren't even allowed in the ring!)  In every single (extraordinarily blurry) photo we have of her, Madeline looks positively beatific. 

And Kathleen looks ecstatic.

When did these girls get so big?

After the pony rides (and some more general wandering to appease our non-stop-exploring boy), we settled down to the real work of the day.  Madeline got the wheelbarrow...

And everyone pitched in to find the perfect pumpkin.  The children needed no prompting -- they just started grabbing them.

Not surprisingly, the girls were interested in this giant pumpkin.  We were able to dissuade them when they couldn't lift it.  (We were swiftly dissuaded by its $50 price tag!  There was no chance it was coming home with us.)

Thankfully, there were lots of other attractive pumpkins. It was awesome to watch each child tackle his or her own pumpkin...


We had an impressive haul!

But all that work tuckered out some folks...

and so we rested. And we recharged with a bit of a snack.

Our children and the great pumpkin (38.5 weeks pregnant).

And then we just clowned around.  Fortified by a cookie, John David mustered up a bunch of cheese for the camera.

I think he inspired his sister.

Seriously, how could we not love these silly, silly, impossible-to-photograph people?

(He'd just dropped his pumpkin for the umpteenth-million time.  His expression kills me.)

And then we hauled all those pumpkins home -- the ones grown on the farm and the ones grown right here at the circus.  They're sort of good match.

I mean, really.  Is one photo with people looking and not sticking out their tongues or otherwise being completely goofy too much to ask for?  Apparently it is.

Daddy got back to school in time for his workshop and the rest of us went home to pile our pumpkins on our porch.