This Year's Pumpkin Patch Adventure

It is finally starting to feel like fall!! We have had our first cold spell of the fall and we spent the day with the windows open and the crisp cool air felt so refreshing. As it is finally feeling like fall, it is time to get the boys out to the local Pumpkin Patch to pick out some pumpkins and get some pictures (of course). Last year, getting the boys to the Pumpkin Patch was a challenge because I had to do it alone due to our different work schedules. This year was wonderful as we were able to experience the pumpkin patch as a family.

Last year, the challenge was getting the boys to sit up in a spot with pumpkins and take a picture. This year, the challenge was getting the boys to sit still in a spot with pumpkins to take a picture. The boys were all over the place. It was a lot of fun to see the boys explore the pumpkin patch but very nerve racking because the pumpkin patch is near a very large intersection. There is a fence between the pumpkins and the street but I was still not comfortable letting the boys run free.... maybe next year!

I would hold the hands of two of the boys while we would let the third explore with Daddy following closely. There was an area with a ton of little pumpkins that was a good distance from the road so all the boys were able to walk around and pick out their very own little pumpkins. It was nice to experience this as a family and we were also able to get a picture of the five of us. Here are some pictures from our outing....

Here are the little pumpkins...

Team Darnell's family pic...

The boys were more interested in the display than taking a picture...

Jared spent a little time exploring pumpkins but was not as interested as his brothers...
Jared was more interested in just running....
Daddy thwarts Jared's escape attempt....
Andrew remained suspicious of the strangers as usual....
The boys start hunting for their perfect mini pumpkin....
Daddy assists with the search...

The boys must have thought the pumpkins were a big ball pit because the started tossing the pumpkins but they eventually found the ones to call 'their own'....
Andrew was so very proud of his selection...
Wes could not make up his mind. There were so many pumpkins...
The problem was Wes is more suited for the big pumpkins.....
Then he finds a wheelbarrow full of big pumpkins. This is more Wes' speed....
Immediately after Wes' discovery, Andrew 'discovers' the same! In the "Monkey See - Monkey Do," Andrew is definitely the "Monkey Do"...
However, still proud of his choice. He was truly beaming with pride once he found this pumpkin...

Wes, on the other hand, really wanted a big pumpkin...
Wes must have wanted the big pumpkin to impress the ladies. He is seen here trying out his best "How you doing?" line on this lovely lady! This sounds a lot like "hi, hi, hi, hi." After wooing her with his amazing charm, he proceeds to prove his worth by handing her father not one, not two, but three pumpkins. What exactly is the price (in pumpkins) for a lady's heart these days??? Oh Wes, the lady's man....
After the evening at the pumpkin patch, we headed out to Outback for dinner. When we arrived, it was about a 20-25 minute wait. Well, this was the time for the first available table. The time for the first available table that could accommodate two adults and three high chairs was about an hour. However, our patient little guys were little troopers and survived the wait. We had to break out the milk and cheerios after about 45 minutes but we made it to our table unscathed. Here is Jared trying escape again before we broke out the emergency cheerios....

Once at the table, we were all very ready to eat. I was reluctant to look at my watch as I knew it was well past the boys' 6pm dinner time and we were even passed their 7:30pm bedtime. Jared was visually tired and at one point we thought he was going to put his head down on the table to close his eyes. At this moment, he reached over and pointed to my watch as if to say, "Do you know what time it is lady?" The boys made it through dinner and ate until their tummies were very full. Andrew was even leaning back in his high chair with the look of someone who was uncomfortably full. If their pants had buttons, I would have unbuttoned that top button to provide him some relief.

We arrived home and dressed the boys for bed. At 9pm, their day was finally done! After collecting the books from the boys, they all laid right down to go to sleep. No jumping needed to burn off extra energy, they were spent! Maybe they will sleep in tomorrow since they had a late night... wishful thinking I am sure!!!

Take care,