Pumpkin Picking!

All year long I dream about Fall. Of course I still love all of the other seasons (with Christmas-time being a close second), but there's just something about September, October and November that make me the happiest. Maybe it has something to do with growing up on the East Coast, and all of the vivid memories I have of so many Fall adventures. Cinnamon sugar donuts and hot apple cider after apple picking, hot chocolate on a cold Autumn morning while we watched soccer games, the hay in our jeans (and everywhere else) after a long morning at the pumpkin patch...the list could go on and on. And now being a Mom, there are some traditions Hank and I hope to create for our own little family too.

Growing up, the pumpkin patch was always such a special time. We'd take it incredibly seriously, laboring for what seemed liked hours trying to find the perfect pumpkin to carve. My sister and I always had the best time, and it's so neat now to see Henry doing the same thing with the biggest grin on his face.

We're lucky enough to have Freeman Farms nearby, a farm that is totally reminiscent of the East Coast farms I'd visit as a child. Their Pumpkin Festival is full of so much for kids to do- they have a U-Pick pumpkin farm, sunflowers fields, hayrides, train rides, a merry-go-round, pony rides, a petting zoo, dog and horse shows, tractors for kids to ride and sit on, horses and donkeys, a huge pond full of geese, a corn maze, tons of farm-fresh food for a really great price, and many different areas for photos. And I think I'm still missing some things!

This year we had a blast. We've been going to Freeman Farms for a few years but this year was the best yet because Henry totally got into it. Between the pumpkins ("I pick a pumpkin!"), the train and Henry yelling "Choo-choo!" the entire time, and the hayride, I'm not sure which part was his favorite. It was such a fun day!