pumpkin patch - times two!

So, we left off at the end of summer.  I guess that brings us to the beginning of fall!  

Our favorite fall tradition is a trip to the pumpkin patch.  Sadly, the Gardner patch that we went to for the first time last year, was closed for remodeling this year. So we had to break tradition just a bit and visit another pumpkin patch instead. We were feeling extra ambitious and ended up visiting 2 different places on 2 different weekends.  It was definitely a different experience than last year, since Lilly was actually able to participate and enjoy everything this time. (last year, we could barely keep her awake long enough to pick out a pumpkin...)

The first pumpkin patch we visited this year was at the Louisburg Cider Mill.  We visited this one by ourselves, on a gloomy Sunday morning.  Surprisingly it was still packed with people, despite the weather.

Lilly didn't waste any time, and immediately climbed a stack of hay bales.

She didn't want to stand by herself for a picture, so we got to document how tall both she and daddy were this fall. :)

One of her favorite parts was the corn maze.  I don't think I needed to say that though, the photos speak for themselves!

Her absolute favorite activity there was the giant slide.  Matt took her down with him a couple of times, and then she wanted to go herself.  And then she wanted to go again.  And again.  And again.  We had to drag her away from that thing!

After all of that, we finally made it out to the pumpkin patch.

We only ended up leaving with one small pumpkin - they are a little pricey for my taste!  

Once we got in the car to head home, Lilly promptly fell asleep. That, to me, is a sign of a good day. :)

A couple weeks later, we tried out a new patch in Spring Hill called Hickory Creek Ranch.  It was small, but not very crowded and had a lot of fun activities for the kids.  It was an unseasonably warm day - like shorts and t-shirt weather.  So funny to compare the pictures, with coats and hats in our first trip, and shorts and sunglasses the next time.

I didn't realize how hot it truly was that day either, and dressed Lilly in long sleeves.  Oops.  I really just wanted her to wear this shirt to the pumpkin patch...so what if I ended up having to roll her sleeves up! :)

This pumpkin patch also had a corn maze - which was actually a lot bigger than we realized!  We walked in, and thought it would just be a quick trip through, until we found ourselves lost in the middle with no idea how to get out.  Ha!  We did eventually find our way to the end.

We started a tradition last year of going to the pumpkin patch with Lilly's cousin Lexi and her family.  Although we weren't able to go to the same place, we still were able to go with them, and get lots of pictures of the girls.

We put the girls together on this little tractor ride thing, not really knowing what to expect.  The tractor started up, and promptly drove our children right out of our sight.  And then didn't come back for what felt like an hour.  We were all hoping that Lexi and Lilly were both on the ride when it came back...we're talking a 4 year old and 1 1/2 year old here, you never really know what is going to happen!  But they both came big with big smiles on their faces, so it worked out just fine in the end.

They also had a cool jumping pad, which the dads and kids really enjoyed.

Obligatory cousins in the pumpkin patch photo!

{last year's picture of the girls just for fun - my how they have both grown!!!!}

This one was just for fun.  The girls were clearly not as entertained by it as the parents were. :)

And I'll end with a little family photo.  We were all hot and sweaty by this point (not usually what happens at the pumpkin patch!), but it's an improvement over last year's family shot where Lilly is completely passed out. :)  This is also right after I randomly decided to die my hair...not a blonde for the first time in my life!  It looks way darker in this photo than it does now, but I think it's a nice change. :)

Next year we'll probably go back to our trusted KC Pumpkin Patch, assuming they're open for business!  I love our little family traditions like these, and can't wait to continue them as Lilly and Lexi grow up!