Pumpkin Patch

      We set a record around these parts this year going seventy some days without rain...and the first day that the grey drizzle settled into our skies was the day was we had planned to go the pumpkin patch.   The forecast called for rain all day, but it only drizzled on us and for the most part held off until the very end.  As we drove home, it was pouring.  The plus side of going on a day when it was supposed to be non stop rain was that there was no crowds at all (this particular pumpkin patch can be a zoo on a sunny day).

   

 We started with the hay ride.  Look at all those empty hay bales, we had our own private ride around the farm (it did stop half way through and let a little girl and her dad on).

 One of many unsuccessful attempts to get a picture of this little guy looking at the camera.

      The corn maze is always fun, but this was not your average corn maze.  They ten different numbers you needed to locate with multiple trivia options available.  You had to answer the question correctly to find which way to turn.  They also had a "mazeopoly" game going on, a picture game, and random cow facts throughout the maze.  Little Man wanted to do ALL of the activities.
      We all started out enthusiastically.  At around number four, Kiwi realized there were still six more to go (she's getting good with her numbers) and lost it a little bit.  By number eight, she was practically on the ground convinced she was going to collapse from hunger (it was lunch time) before we finished.   I can't say I blamed her.  It was a LONG corn maze.  Eight to nine was the worst, it easily took over fifteen minutes.   I was about ready to bust through the corn.  In fact, there was this huge group of people who were lost and they had located a "corn patrol" member to lead them out.  They passed by us once and then again and I heard the people in the back mumbling how the corn patrol kid was leading them in circles.  I think he may have been lost also.
       Both Kiwi and Mason needed to be carried during a portion of it, but we soldiered on and at last emerged victorious.  Either we missed the sign saying this corn maze was for ages 10 and up or we are just really bad at corn mazes...
        After a snack and a quick break on a bench, we were ready for some more fun.

 The Kids Courtyard was a hit with a cow train, slides, and a huge room full of corn.

 Mason looked so big sitting in his own little car!

Not pictured:  A huge bouncing pillow, pedal bikes, the petting barn (a favorite for Mason),  two long tube slides (Kiwi's favorite) and this huge cannon thing that you could shoot pumpkins out of and a corn shooting gun thing.  Little Man and Mike loved these and Little Man was actually a really good shot.  Kiwi tried once and didn't like it and the noise of the pumpkin cannon scared poor little Mason.  He's just starting to tell stories and for days after going to the pumpkin patch he would say, "No yike that noise."

All in all, we had a lot of fun.  The pumpkin patch is one of my all time favorite fall activities and we look forward to going as a family every year.