Pick Your Own Pumpkin Patch

pick your own pumpkin patch.  i was hoping to find one this year and a friend turned me onto a great local farm.  i have vivid memories of picking my own pumpkin as a kid.  wandering through a huge, open patch and finding just the right pumpkin to carve for halloween.  i wanted to give my kiddos that same experience and make some memories with them.  

i loaded up my kiddos and some of their buddies joined us.  we headed over to corona pumpkin farm and had an adventure.  if you take a drive over the hill off cajalco parkway to gavilan road, the farm is up on the hill.  it is family-owned and i was thrilled to find it. this is exactly what i had envisioned.  along the way we discovered another small farm off of el sobrante road with not only pumpkins, but all kinds of fresh vegetables.  the kids loved it.   my friend and i enjoyed vine ripened tomatoes, cucumbers, avocados and squash.  i can't wait to go back.  the farm is open year round.   if the farmer is not at the location, he works on an "honor system."  this made me love the farm even more.  you can take whatever yummy goodies you'd like and leave your money in the mailbox.  

we took this opportunity to dress up for the occasion - ok, well the girls loved that we wanted to dress them up and use this outing as an opportunity for more thematic photos.  who doesn't need sparkle shoes and a tutu for the pumpkin patch???  i wish i had one to wear.  my friend from tutulew's tutu's made gianna's halloween themed tutu and she wore that thing everywhere.  gianna also had black fairy wings that her bff, emma wore.  too cute!  love these girls.  (note: you will see my girl in many different tutus, she loves to wear them every day of the week.  it's a good thing i've got a friend in the business.)

it was a warm - no, let me be honest - it was a HOT october afternoon with temperatures so high that it felt like we were picking pumpkins in the middle of summer.  the kids didn't mind.  they were content to run around the farm and explore.  the farmer was so helpful.  he talked with them about when the pumpkins are planted, how they grow and the different varieties of pumpkins.  he also told us green pumpkins make the best tasting pies!

the corona pumpkin farm offers a variety of small animals for the kids to pet.  this was a great educational experience for them.  my little girl couldn't get enough of the baby chicks.  she kept picking them up - usually by their head.  i must have said: "be gentle. don't squeeze the chicks"  500 times.  it's all part of the adventure, right? (no baby chicks were harmed during our adventure.)  and this how my little people are going to learn. 

don't you love her glasses?

my littles at corona pumpkin patch

i was really excited about our pumpkin adventure.  we had fun with our friends.  we picked our own  pumpkins right out of the patch.  and we supported a local business right here in the community where we live.  yep, that's pretty awesome.  we look forward to our return to the farm.  i hear they'll be growing blackberries soon... YUM!  

I am thankful for good neighbor-ship

my husband and i moved into our house about 8 years ago.  we were newly married - only a couple of weeks - and were the only house on the block without children.  that has since changed and a lot of the kiddos that used to be oh-so-small, are now oh-so-tall.  we have been blessed with wonderful neighbors.  someone up above was watching out for us when we made the decision to move into this neighborhood.  good neighbors can make all the difference in  how much you enjoy where you live.  we enjoy where we live. very much.

this is sammie.  sammie is getting ready to start high school in the fall.  her mom is not only my neighbor, but i consider her a good friend.  we'll call it a "neighbor-ship."  it goes far beyond borrowing a cup of sugar.  sammie, her mom and sisters help with babysitting my little people and we often have dinner at each other's homes.  sammie, in particular picks up our mail and feeds our furry critters whenever we go out of town. when i saw sammie dressed up for her "promotion" from middle school to high school, i thought  her mom would like some nice pictures to remember this special event.  (and maybe i'd like to get some practice with my new camera and photoshop.  so here's what we came up....

sammie is a swimmer.  she swims 6 days a week on a local team.  i predict she will be on the varsity swim team in high school and letter very quickly.  she is strong - inside and out.  this girl is good.  she has a kind heart and a great head on her shoulders.  i'm confident this comes from having a strong mother and 2 amazing big sisters as role models.

i remember how anxious i was to start high school: a new routine, new classes, meeting new friends, new experiences.  not to mention i felt like i was officially growing up when i could tell someone i was a freshman.  it was a title-thing, i guess.  sammie is officially growing up.  before she knows it she'll be picking out a prom dress and standing in line at the dmv for her driving permit.  this is an exciting time.  i wish sammie success in her next chapter.  i am grateful to have had the opportunity to watch her develop into the secure and beautiful woman i know she is going to become.