The Great Pumpkin Hunt

It feels like it's been ages since we've all been able to get together. In the summer, these cousins (and Michele and I) practically live together, but as the school season picks up, our time together slows way down. And, we go through withdrawals. It's very sad.

So, we made this weekend together happen on the calendar. Brayden skipped his first practice today, and Mikayla skipped her first dance class. By golly, it's a no school day and these kids ought to have a little freedom! I actually picked the kids up from school yesterday so we could get out of dodge and off to Michele's as soon as possible. And, now we are happy.......

This morning, we headed just a little south of Monmouth to a farm that is on its first year of "harvest activities". We were not disappointed. They had a hay slide, a grass maze, beautiful pumpkins in the patch (that are half the price of the pumpkins at Safeway), a hay fort, another hay maze, and a John Deere tricycle path. I think the kids' only legitimate complaint was that we made them stop to take too many pictures. We told them that someday they'll thank us.......

"Weeee!" Brayden and Nati head down the slide.....

Brayden, "caught" while hiding in the maze

Mikayla's pose among the hay fort

Testing the "ride"........

While the others play, we made the eldest pull his weight.....

Note this special attention given to the middle child!
At least we didn't make Traig haul the wheelbarrow back once it was loaded-

This is to prove that I was really there-

Finally, us navigating through the grass maze without a map. We found a few dead-ends, but made it through pretty swiftly-