Pumpkinland 2011

Fall Break is upon us. Normally I wouldn't plan anything, because I am a cool mom like that. BUT, I noticed that this year, most of the kids hadn't been to Pumpkinland. AND I didn't take Daisy last year out of sheer laziness. SO, I decided to pack up the troops and head out to conquer the corn maze.

Here we are.

I do enjoy that most of the kids are old enough to take care of themselves. I usually put them in pairs and they keep each other company. Granted, we have an odd number in our family now, but Dad tends to be missing, and when he is present, we just tag-team on Pearl. (Poor kid never had a chance.)

I did not bring the wide angle lens, and therefore there is no Daisy in this shot. Tyler would scold me, but I say...if you can't cuddle up, you'll get left in the cold. (Actually she was sitting on a cool gourd that she called her throne.)

We reached the maze and we split up.

Ivory and June took off, and the I followed Robyn. She led the way.

Apparently to a field with no sky. (My favorite settings love to blow out the sky, especially on a bright sunny day. But the weather was gorgeous...so no complaints really.)

But we won!!! Robyn found the secret room first.

And Pearl collected her bean.

Not to be outdone, the other two showed up moments later.

I couldn't fit the stroller down that tight aisle, so Pearl and I footed it in. She likes to be included anyway. Once I took her out, she was not so easily convinced to go back in. Our stroller days are not long for the world.

We passed the cut-outs on the way out of the maze. We took plenty of pictures, but only one had all five.

Next we came to the play area. The kids ran around and chased each other here and there. Pearl just sat and pointed and stared at all the animals. She was excited by the chickens and goats and wanted to see it all.

Daisy was busy being cute. Oh, and there is a sky after all.

I think that is Peter's house.

Pumpkinland is great, in that you leave one play area and go to another. Our next stop was the slides and bounce house.

There is wild-life here and there along the way. The kids ran on ahead, but Pearl wanted to inspect each cage. I don't blame her; there were some pretty interesting birds. In fact, what are these things?

I would call them painted-face birds, or maybe skeksis birds. Their necks totally remind me of the Dark Crystal.

Pearl was sad to leave them behind.

But she was happy to try out the third play area.

This is where we took a slight break from the scheduled programming because Daisy peed. And not in a potty. But life would be dull if everything went according to plan. Luckily, we live very close, so we scooted home, changed clothes and came back to find our pumpkins. And oddly, it was all worth it when Daisy said, "Thanks for taking me to the potty mom." It is easy to get uptight and cranky, but I hope my kids remember the times when I shook it off and didn't make them feel guilty. (I'm not sure there are many of those times right now...I am working on it.)

But we did find our pumpkins and we did have a good time.

Ivory was scavenging pumpkin stems. Don't ask why. I'm not sure she knows.

And so there you have it. We actually did something for Fall Break. Don't worry, I took the kids home and made them clean the house afterward, so they wouldn't get any ideas.