Pumpkin Patch

Last Saturday we went to Green Acres Family Dairy Farm in Plain City for some fall fun. It was supposed to be super cold and rainy that day, so we were worried that the weather would prevent us from going. However, the day turned out to be really nice. There was a chilly wind blowing, but the sun was bright and warm, and we only needed jackets. It was a beautiful October day.

Connor wasn't quite his normal energetic self that morning, so we waited until after his nap to go. Sleep helped him a little, but he still just wasn't acting quite normal. He wasn't sick that I could tell, but he was just being more clingy and subdued than normal. We thought it might be teething, because he's had a fourth tooth trying to break through on the bottom for awhile now. After feeding him lunch, we decided to go anyways. He loves being outside, so we hoped that the fresh air would cheer him up. 

The drive out wasn't very long, and we got to see the beautiful fall leaves and more open farmland on the way. I wouldn't mind living out there, further away from the city. 

Along with the pumpkin patch, there was a small petting zoo, various corn mazes, a smaller straw maze, wagon rides, a giant slide, bouncy mat, and various other smaller activities. We decided to try some of the activities before walking through the pumpkin patch. We stopped by the entrance to look at their wagon of pumpkins. Connor was pretty quiet and serious, and I put him down by the larger pumpkins on the ground to give him something fun to touch. He didn't know what to do. He just stood there...wanting to be held again.

     

Brian thumped on a pumpkin to try and get him interested in touching it, but he just didn't want to move.

So we picked him up and carried him over to the corn box. I though for sure he'd like to crawl around in that, but he didn't like it at all. He just sat there holding his hands up so he wouldn't touch the corn. Haha! It's the same thing he does when I set him on the grass. Brian and I picked up handfuls of corn to try and get him to touch it, but he wasn't having it. There were a lot of older kids running around screaming and throwing corn at each other, so I think partly he was just overwhelmed by all the noise and activity. 

     

Strike two. So we picked him up again and walked over to the petting zoo. It was pretty small, but fun. They had donkeys, alpacas, horses, sheep, goats, chickens and bunnies. Again, there were a lot of older kids running around screaming and pushing their way in to feed the animals. We started by looking at the donkeys. They were standing at the back of their pen so we didn't get to pet them.

Connor seemed to like looking at all the animals, but he was just content to have us hold him and didn't try to reach out for or pet any of them.

Next to the donkeys were the alpacas. I loved them. They were so cute. I think I might need a couple of them someday as pets. And then I can shear them and make yarn from their fleeces. Brian's not so on board with the idea. Haha! I actually have been trying to convince my brothers to get a few alpaca, but so far have been unsuccessful. 

They seemed pretty wary of everyone and stayed just far enough away from the fence that we couldn't reach them. I really wanted to pet them because they looked so soft.

The only animal in the outdoor pens that was interested in being pet was the horse. He was quite eager to be fed, and once he realized we didn't have any treats for him moved on down the fence to find someone who did.

Connor didn't pet him, but he watch him pretty intently.

Inside the barn, we stopped to see the goats and sheep who were all clamoring to stick their heads through the gate and eat the grain offered to them. We took a moment to look at the chickens and bunnies before heading back out.

He must not have been feeling good, because he had this serious expression on his face almost the entire time we were there. Either that or he was just overwhelmed by all the noise from the crowd.

 

I got a picture of Brian and Connor standing behind one of the photo stand in boards. It was the first time Connor had smiled while we were there. He wouldn't hold still and kept leaning through the hole trying to look at Brian. It was hilarious!

Since he seemed to be coming out of his serious mood a little, we tried the corn box out again. He was a little more active this time (he crawled toward the edge wanting out), he still didn't like it and wouldn't touch the corn.

     

We walked through the little straw maze which was fun enough. They had scenes from nursery rhymes painted on plywood throughout the maze. There was a cat and a fiddle, Little Bo Peep, a dish and spoon. We tried to recite the rhymes to Connor as we saw the pictures, but we couldn't remember exactly how some of them went. I guess it's time to brush up on our nursery rhymes.

Brian sat Connor on a straw bale so he could touch the straw. Surprisingly he did! I though for sure he would shy away from it.

     

We didn't walk through the corn maze or take a wagon ride because they cost extra, and although Connor had cheered up a bit, he still wasn't acting totally thrilled to be there. So we headed back towards the pumpkin patch, stopping one more time to look at the pumpkins near the entrance.

Connor was much happier this time and decided that the pumpkins were his favorite things. He started to smile and laugh when we thumped on them for him, and he even started to thump them a little himself.

We all really enjoyed walking through the pumpkin patch. There were all shapes, sizes, and colors and we had fun picking out one to take home.

Connor squirmed the entire time we were carrying him because he wanted to get down and check out the pumpkins. He would have touched each one if we'd let him. Haha!

He loved touching them and was especially drawn to the stems. We were glad he was acting like his normal, energetic, curious, cheerful self again.

     

After picking out our pumpkin and paying for it, we headed home. We enjoyed the drive home just as much as our drive out. We had a really fun time and are so glad that we got to enjoy a few fall festivities.

Once home, I took a picture of Connor with our pumpkin. He's just so cute! We're going to wait until Halloween to carve our pumpkin, and I'm excited to see how he likes that activity. Brian doesn't really like carving pumpkins, so I hope Connor loves it. Then I'll have a little pumpkin carving buddy! I love holidays SO much, and I'm so excited that we get to celebrate them with Connor now. It's only going to make them more fun.