In This Moment: Rounding out the season...

We took our 3rd and final trip to Vala's Pumpkin Patch on Sunday. This time daddy got to come along for his 1st ever trip to Valas. After a splash-filled bath on Saturday night, Jeff & I had discussed taking the kiddos swimming at the YMCA Sunday afternoon. So Sunday morning after breakfast we asked the kids if they wanted to go swimming or go to the pumpkin patch?

Olivia's response: "Yaya see goats!"

So pumpkin patch it was! I guess its a democracy around here now! No where in that mornings conversations did we mention ever goats. Jeff & I just looked at eachother in shock when those words came out of her mouth, clear as day. I'm in awe with the fact that all I said was Pumpkin Patch & she put it together with goats! Just in awe of how much she really knows. She talked about the goats for an hour while we got ready to head out the door. And the 1st thing we did when we got there was, of course, feed those goats. It was a little chilly & windy. But we toughed it out & I'm guessing thats why the place was not a complete zoo on the 2nd to last day of the year. As always, we had a great time.

Hayden & Olivia did a little jumping...

Logan didn't want to.

We dug in the corn box. Needed buckets & shovels though.

(Guess how much corn I found later that had snuck into their diapers! How does that even happen?)

We found a great big slide.... Livi was in heaven!

So big that we went down together! Hayden came with us once too, we were quite the train! Logan of course said "NO!"

Meanwhile.... the boys drove tractors.

Livi took a little slide break to play a little music.

Then back to the slide we went. See its BIG! And fast!

Hayden & Livi drove the big tractor with daddy. We couldn't pull Logan away from the sandbox full of tractors even for this!

Then we went on a tractor ride.

And found some little cars to drive.

We ran into our triplet friends Eva, Nora & Parks and their big brother Will. They are 4-5 months older than us. We first met them at their first TIPPS appointment & our 1st Synagis shot appointment when they were all pretty little!

I also ran into an old Lonestar co-worker & college friend of mine, Tim, who I hadn't seen in YEARS! He now lives in Minnesota. What are the odds I'd see him at Valas? He was there with his family & his beautiful 4 year old daughter Ava.

We thought about heading home, but the sun was coming out a little more, so we decided to grab some lunch & then take a hay rack ride. Our first trip out to the actual pumpkin patch in all these Vala's trips!

"Bobins!" {AKA pumpkins!}

Too big!

Helping daddy look for a good one

Hayden

Logan

Dad said these were more our size {& more in our budget} Ha!

We ended up getting 3 little ones & 1 big one to take home for a spontaneous craft night.

We let the kids paint their pumpkins that night. Hayden & Olivia were SOO into it! They had a blast. Except Livi got a little upset about paint on her knees & toes. (She now names 7 body parts! Eyes, nose, teeth, chin, elbow, knees & toes!)

Concentration!

Hayden didn't think one brush was enough. He needed a handful!

Pretty :)

Logan wasn't so sure about the whole ordeal, but he finally did paint a few strokes when we told him he could paint a picture of Elmo! Then he painted a tractor. Then a moon. Then cookie monster.

My three little artists!

Then we helped daddy with his big pumpkin.

His face says it all!!

Hayden & Livi checked out the pumpkin guts. Logan just said "YUCK!" My picky eater's favorite new word. Everything is "YUCK!" (How he can look like my brother Ethan yet be so much like my brother Alex is beyond me. Picky eater & chicken shit! Love you Al!)

Whats in there??

Livi checked it all out. Check out that body art! The painting got a little messy!!

The kids' finished products (one stem got broken off in the process, so I had to glue it back on later!)

Then we NEEDED a bath before supper! Since the flu they have been eating like PIGS! Not sure if its a growth spurt, or just making up for lost time. The boys especially are looking a little chubby. Now I'm sure they'll grow 2 inches & none of their new winter clothes will fit! (Ok they still should I bought their pants plenty big just for that reason, so if you see my kids tripping over their pants for a while, thats why!)
This picture is such a good one of their different face shapes. I've always said they have such different face shapes. Oval, round, heart!