Pumpkin Picking

This is our 4th Fall as parents, and each year we makes it a priority to take our kids pumpkin picking! Nothing says fall more to me than a field filled with pumpkins lined up in a row. But for the past 3 years, we have been left underwhelmed with our pumpkin patch choices. We've been looking for that perfect patch...one worthy of the Great Pumpkin himself! We wanted a hay ride, and an actually patch where the pumpkins had just been picked from the vein. We didn't want this lame attempts at pick your own pumpkin places, where then move pumpkins onto a lawn from some unseen patch. We've had no luck finding the perfect place though...that is, until this year! We finally found the pumpkin patch that we were searching for! Jones Family Farm in Shelton Ct. This farm has it all, large pumpkin, small pumpkins, white pumpkins, giant pumpkins, hubbard squash, gray pumpkins, a hay ride, and lots of fun things for the girls to explore! They claim to have 50 different varieties of pumpkins and squash for sale! Exactly what we were looking for! And the place was filled with many photo opportunities! So many, and we were running late for our photo shoot with Kelli Dease, so we'll be going back to the farm this weekend to explore the whole farm a lot more! I can't wait!

Now onto the pictures!!

I was so excited as we got to their market area, and saw these giant pumpkins! I knew right then that this farm will become a tradition every year!


The girls had fun with these giant pumpkins, and kept playing them like drums!


Then there was the pile of hubbard squash!


And crates upon crates of tiny pumpkins!


Violet was very interested in these baby sized pumpkins:


They are sized just perfectly for her! We ended up letting each girl pick one of these out to bring home!



Then we took the hay ride out to the actual patch. Lily was in a very cranky mood (That's what happens when she falls asleep in the car!) She was not very willing to pose for pictures for me:


The girls had fun though!


And Ella was showing off her new skill...standing my herself! I FINALLY got a picture of it!


We finally got Lily to perk up by telling her she could have whatever she wanted for dinner if she was happy at the pumpkin patch and for photo's with Kelli! Nothing like bribery to get you kids happy! She suddenly started hugging pumpkins for me, and started enjoying her visit at the farm!


Daddy picking out the pumpkin we were going to bring home. There were so many beautiful huge pumpkins there, but we had to find a smaller one so we could carry it, and a baby at the same time!


I still think it's a beautiful pumpkin, with a great flat side perfect for a jack-o-lantern face!


On the hay ride back to the farm stand:

Back at the market yard, Lily wanted to pose as the princesses (or rather, Glinda the Good). Violet got to be the Wicked Witch from the West:


Ella hung out with the pumpkin...I love this expression, "But wait...there's more!"


Then we all switched, Lily was the Wicked Witch, Ella was Glinda, and Violet was on pumpkin duty:

We found more giant pumpkins to pose with!


Have I said yet how much I love this farm?


The market yard also has a large space filled with pumpkins to choose from, if you don't want to go out in the hay ride to the patch. While I prefer finding my pumpkins in the actual garden, I can't resist the photo opportunities with so many beautiful pumpkins laid out!


Ella had fun being surrounded by pumpkins!



Unfortunately it was here in our visit that I asked Sean for a time check, and we realized we were going to be late to our photo shoot if we didn't leave right then...so we ran to buy the three little small pumpkins, the pumpkin we found in the patch, and the gray pumpkin that I've been coveting! I can't wait until this weekend when we go back and have more time to take it all in! Expect many many more pumpkin photos to come! :)