3 Little Pumpkins

Lately we've been seriously into everything pumpkin. I'm not sure how it all started, but Mr. M is totally responsible for this year's pumpkin madness. We already have quite a few Halloween and pumpkin-themed books. And we go to the farmers market a couple of days a week just so Mr. M can run around every single pumpkin patch there is.

Then a couple of days ago we tried to make some old-fashioned pumpkin pie baked right inside a big pumpkin. Well, believe me when I tell you - never follow recepies from children's books. This goes into our FUN, but BAD IDEA file, right next to kiwi-fruit muffins.

Anyway, the pumpkin pie didn't happen. Instead, we ended up with about 5 pounds of very sweet pumpkin "gobly-goop". Turns out, it wasn't a big loss after all since Chris was able to turn it into some delicious pumpkin bread and pumpkin pancakes.

But for all this pumpkin love, we just finally found time to go to a real pumpkin patch, the one where pumpkins do all their growing. More specifically, we went to the Smith's Nursery in Benson. We already went there a bunch of times this year to pick strawberries and blueberries. Now it was time for a different kind of berries (yes, pumpkins are berries - something we recently learned from one of our more educational Halloween books).

Since it was Friday early afternoon, we were the only pumpkin pickers there for a while. Essentially we had the entire farm all to ourselves! Now, that was pretty awesome.

As we walked to the patch, we passed by the millet maze - tempting, but we left it for another time (and we'll bring friends too). Then we saw some goats and a donkey who looked eager to be petted. And then there was the big huge pumpkin patch!

Hooray! Mr. M took off running. Then, of course, he got tangled up in pumpkins and fell. But he was ok and laughing, saying something about pumpkins catching him. At first we planned on letting him choose a pumpkin. But he just kept walking all around the patch, chatting about all the big and little pumpkins... So Chris ended up choosing for him.

Then we were off to explore the little creek right next to the patch. And then it was time to eat (picnic is another idea Mr. M goes ga-ga about at the moment). So we walked back to the fish pond and ate our little turkey-apple-saurkraut sandwiches until they were all gone (just a couple of minutes, really).

The picnic table was right next to a little play area for kids so of course it had to be next on our list of things to do at the farm. Even mom, dad and a little lizard buddy got to play on the set.