Annual Neighborhood Pumpkin Patch Trip

We are so lucky to live in a great neighborhood with many kids and fun neighbors. I think three or four years ago, we started going to a pumpkin patch together with all the kids. Though, as the kids get older, it is getting increasingly harder to arrange a day we can all make it we still manage to do it for the most part and have a blast.

We went to a new place this year, actually the same place as Ethan's class trip. It has a few "draws" for kids: hay maze in the barn, the giant fast "slide" and the huge mound of dirt (ahhh, so simple and inexpensive, yet so fun - not to mention freaking messy). Here are some highlights:

Collin and Oliver were a little intimidated with the giant "slide", so our neighbor was sweet enough to go down with them, which was all it took for them to get the bug. This slide went very fast and you landed with a hard thud at the bottom... the kids loved it.

In the pumpkin patch...

In the hay maze barn...

Big ol' box of corn...

Pneumatic corn cob gun...

The giant mound of dirt...

After that, we all came back to our house for some fall fun. One of our neighbors brought a craft for the kids to do, we also had them paint pumpkins and bob for apples.

Collin and Cameron bobbing. Collin's version was reaching in and getting an apple. Cameron actually stuck her mouth in...

Oliver decided to join Cameron...

Ethan bobbing for apples...

His apple...

This isn't a great angle but one of kids, David, went full gusto and didn't use the assistance of his hand (like the others resorted to after many attempts). David stuck his entire head in the bucket and went to the bottom, actually getting his apple with his teeth only. Wow.

Paining pumpkins. I actually envisioned them painting faces on the pumpkins, but instead they painted them... entirely.

Collin painting his red, of course...

After all that, we had a big pot luck. It was a great day!

Here is a photo of Oliver from a trip we made to the pumpkin patch a couple weeks before this. None of the photos of that trip turned out great, except this one. I love this one. So, I must share it and this seems like a good place to do so.

Oliver, loving on his pumpkin (really, he was telling it he loved it and this was his love nuzzle with it)...