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! :)

Photograpy Workshop, Day 5: Little Reminders

Today was all about the little written reminds in our life. "We all have certain words that either remind us of something we need to hear or affirm the truth we hold dear. The words are different for all of us and they can change from day to day, or they can always be the same. Either way, today find the words you need to hear."

We don't have many inspirational type words lying around our house, so I had to create mine. I chose to write out laugh with Lily's blocks, after a particularly trying Mommy moment when I had all three girls climbing all over me on the floor, with both Violet and Lily crying for no real reason. I just had to laugh in the moment. It's something I need to remind myself daily, to laugh when things get tough!


(I originally wanted to write out play with the blocks, but unfortunately the letter "y" is missing! Just another little part of my day that I need to laugh at!)

Photography Workshop, Day Four: Morning Light

Yesterday's prompt was morning light, and how you ease yourself into the day. For me, I start every morning waking up before everyone else, and going to the computer to have some quiet me time checking my email or catching up on message boards. Sometimes this is the only "me time" I get all day, and it usually only lasts about 15-30 minutes before the first child wakes up. This is what my typical morning looks like, with my morning light coming from the glow of the computer screen:

The girls gave me the gift this morning of sleeping in, so I was able to get outside for a quick walk around the house looking for things to photograph. Mostly I was looking for things to go with the beauty challenge, but I got a couple that I think captured mornings light shining through the rain drops:

Photography Workshop, Day Three: The Beauty Challenge

Since I'm catching up, I skipped day 2 for now, and jumped right to day 3, finding beauty in places you wouldn't normally look for it. This challenge is exciting to me, and one I hope to revisit when the sun finally comes out again!

The picture above is a stray piece of bark by our firewood pile. I love the green moss!

This is the last few yellow cherry tomatoes hanging on to an almost dead tomato plant, waiting to be harvested, or thrown away:


Our tomatillos are finally growing. Unfortunately I don't think we will get to enjoy them before the frost comes. They are pretty though with the deep purple veins:


And lastly an image looking down at the flowering tops of our corn stalks:


I can't wait to revisit this challenge!

Photography Workshop, Day One: Fallen Leaves

During the month of October I'll be doing a photography workshop, where I get daily prompts for what to photograph. I'm a few days behind, because I signed up for the class a little late...so I have some catching up to do! Here is day one, fallen leaves.

Nothing speaks fall more than a fallen scarlet red leaf:


This morning I got up early to try some more leave photo's, but it's miserable rain here today. This is our yard this morning:


Covered in rain drops:


One lone leave, hanging onto to the branch still:


This is how we know summer is over:

Apple Picking

On October 2nd our friends Becky and Jon took us too an organic apple orchard, Bear Swamp Orchard, that they had discovered this year! They were clearly very excited to share their find, and we knew why as soon as we saw the view in the picture above! The orchard is beautiful!! Becky's friend Kelly and her daughter C. joined us too!



We started our trip to the orchard eating a picnic lunch out in the middle of the field, overlooking the beautiful view! I have to say, there is nothing better than dining outside on bread, cheeses, hummus, pesto and fresh tomatoes, with that view to stare at! And it was just beautiful out!

After eating, we let the older kids run around a bit, and I took a few pictures (Of course....what else would I be doing?!)

Ella loved getting down in the grass and exploring:



Kelly, Baby C., Gage and Jon chatting at the picnic table where we ate lunch:


Gage LOVES to be in the grass!


Becky says he gets such a look of calm when he lays in the grass! I love how this picture shows how much he enjoys it! (unfortunately the picture should be rotated....I'm a bit upset that it loaded this way, even after I rotated the actual image file!)


Violet loved getting a chance to explore a bit too!



All ready to go pick apples:


Of course we all enjoyed picking the apples! No good action shots though. This is the best I got:


And then this happened:


(Don't worry...Kyan was enjoying it! He kept asking to be dragged over and over again, and was laughing hysterically! )

Of course we had to catch the kids eating an apple!


I love the way Lily is looking at Kyan here!


And then they started running hand in hand down the field! Are these two meant to be or what?! (Pictures came out horribly of this, but I still have to share, because it was so funny and cute!)


After picking apples we took the kids into the barn to see the sheep and llama, while the adults were paying (of course Auntie Amelia.Mommy was on kid/picture duty!)

Kyan was fascinated by the sheep!


And they were a little terrified of him!


Actually, I talked with the owner of the farm a little bit, and the sheep were actually afraid of their llama, who was new! The got the llama to protect the sheep, but the poor things wont go near it!!

Jon joined us in the barn! I love this picture, with Kyan peaking out at me!


Mean while, Violet was hanging out on Daddy's back, (Ella was on my back), and Sean, Kelly, and Becky were talking to the owners about their organic practices and managing the orchard! They were very friendly, and chatted with us for a while!


While Lily was bugging the poor son of the owners, who was just trying to do his farm chores!


She wanted to help him so badly!

It was a wonderful at the orchard! We couldn't have asked for better weather, a better lunch, a better view, and better company! After we left the farm we headed back to Becky's house, where she made us a wonderful dinner of pulled pork and green beans with bacon! I'll be craving that for a while! So good! (I think pulled pork will become one of my weight loss goal rewards after this dinner!)

I'm so grateful we have such great friends that we can go do these fun fall activities with! It makes them that much more memorable and enjoyable!