Pickin' Punkins with My Punkin

When we got back from the beach, we didn't waste any time transitioning from summer to fall. I already had my fall decor out... mini-pumpkins, fake leaves, and pinecones on the mantle; autumn themed magazines strategically placed around the house; and pumpkin spice scented candles giving that home-y, cozy feel to the living room. Last year, we just got pumpkins from the store to carve. Noah was tiny (only about 2-3 months old), so doing anything more than that would've been silly.

But I'm pretty set on having fun family traditions, and going to pick pumpkins is one of those I really wanted to start.

As a kid, I went to my church/school's preschool (aka. "Sonshine School"), and every year until about 3rd grade, we went to Carrigan Farms for a field trip. We'd learn about bees making honey, go on hayrides pet some animals, and drink hot apple cider made from their apples. I loved going there, and I wanted to share it with Brad and Noah. Turns out Brad's been there before (most people who grew up in our area have at least heard of it), he'd just forgotten.

It was only $8.50/person and the whole event included a hayride, pumpkin, petting the farm animals, and apple cider. Not too bad, since Noah was free. I can see how it'd get expensive for a big family, though.

Whenever Noah experiences something totally foreign, he gets very pensive. He has to study little things, such as the hay on the wagon...

the pumpkin patch...

and the tractor.

The problem with being so little is that it's hard to push the bigger kids out of the way. He's not an aggressive kid, so he had a hard time getting to pet the animals. Finally, a one of the pigs walked up to him. And no, I don't find it ironic that the only animal that showed an interest in Noah was the pig...

"Hello, piggy!"

 The lady that drove us back was so nice. I told her how Noah was enthralled with the tractors, even more so than the animals. So she offered to let him sit on it while she waited for the trailer to load up. Noah was totally thrilled.

When we got back, we all got some (cold) apple cider. That morning, it was pretty cool, but by the time we were ready to leave, it was close to 80. I felt bad for the families just showing up, all decked out for pictures in their fleece jackets and corduroy pants. They had a long afternoon ahead of them.

We haven't given Noah any type of juice yet, and he LOVED the apple cider. He drank two cups. I overheard one new mom explaining frantically to her husband, "But I don't know what's in it!" He was trying to let their baby taste it (who was at least 9 or 10 months old). His response: "Um... apples." :)