Pumpkin Patch 2014

My sister, cousin, and several of the kids went to Spooner Farms this week to get into the autumnal spirit.  It's been a very warm, nay hot, October, and we were in need of some fall activity.  The day started just right: foggy and cool with dew on the spiderwebs.  It was a perfect Washington Fall morning.  The children settled into the school, Lucy settled in for a nap, and I went thrifting.  What a lovely start to the day!

We piled in the car and met up with Tori, Gwenna, Amelia, and their friend Jed.  Spooner Farms is so fun!  The kids milked a cow and saw chickens, turkeys, chicks, piglets, and Amelia's favorite: bunnies.  Noah impressed the gal running the milking parlor with his perfect technique!  

Amelia was less certain about the cow -- real or not. 

This is how the cowgirl and the lady sit!

Duck races are always a blast!  There was such an air of concentration! 

I just love to watch Gwenna play.  She's such a spitfire: everything she does is done with such spunk and flair! 

Not to be left out (or left unsupervised) is her adorable little sister.  This girl is every bit as busy and spunky as G.  She's quite a cheerful little bundle of mischief! 

We said goodbye to the Bonds and headed off to conquer the corn maze.  Now Sarah and I did so with some trepidation after our experience two years ago wherein we entered with a map, wandered in circles, failed to find 3 of the 5 checkpoints and had to escape through an emergency exit.  Ava, our little human GPS was quite confident.

For the first 15 minutes or so she led us just right -- we found a volcano, a checkpoint, a couple cool dino-fact signs... Then we began to retrace our steps.  She still knew which routes we'd followed and which we hadn't, but we were definitely stuck on one half of the maze.  Fast forward -- a LONG time and a nap for Lucy in the ergo -- and we still hadn't found three of the checkpoints.  Sarah and I were starting to exchange looks and quips.  History is repeating itself.  Here we are with maps in hand (but no pens to chart our progress OR the correct route through the maze), confidence waning, when we pass an emergency exit.

So confident! 

It was a prehistoric theme this year 

My sweet sleeper! 

Dressed for fall despite the heat

A few minutes and one more checkpoint and we pass the emergency exit again.  Sarah, who is newly returned to the land of two shoe wearers, ducked out with Lucy.

Ava was visibly upset that we hadn't completed the maze, so off we went.

We struck off into what turned out to be a new path and found the fourth checkpoint, an archaeological dig, another dinosaur, and finally, finally we found the front of the maze.  Okay, I know where we are. We can hear Sarah and Lucy on the other side of the corn wall.  I did some quick mental tracing of the map and took off with the kids in tow behind me: left, left, curve, right, jog left, four more turns and WE DID IT!  The kids took off running for FREEDOM!

What! A dig site! 

Running to FREEEEEDOMMMMM

Sarah and I decided that all future mazes will only be undertaken with three things:
1. A map
2. A pen
3. A Brian (or an Isaac) -- definitely NOT someone who has gotten lost in a maze, on a mountain, and pretty much everywhere in between.

Finally we hit the pumpkin part of the patch.

Mmm... Smile? I'll get back to you about that, mom. 

All done, mama! 

Passing the tradition on to the littlest cousin! 

Three big kids!