Crispy day, pumpkin run, family fun

Brace yourself.

This pumpkin patch, corn maze, farm stand, family day recap may be long-winded.
(Heaven knows the day itself was windy enough.)

It also may contain more photos than a dial-up country girl's blog oughta.

But we had so much fun and I wanted to share a little bit of it with you.

Some apples were bigger than Madeleine's head.

How can that be?

They were organic and everything.
I think.

Salvador gave this pile of pumpkins "one thumb up."
He was the cutest little trooper in his front pack and striped cap all day long.
And he didn't even get to pick a pumpkin.

He is a pumpkin. Wouldn't you agree?

We tried for a money shot but 'twasn't to be.

I don't know why I try.
(Actually, yes, I do know why:

There's an inexplicable moment of hope with every staged shot.
And also?

The failures are really, really funny to me.

I just love the drama.

Lucky for me I have four girls.)

Maybe for Christmas I'll get one snap of everyone smiling.

Without fingers in anyone's nose. Or crossed eyes.

Or cross tempers.

Or open mouths to say 'let's go already, Mom'

I can call it, that photo, when it happens, my Christmas miracle.

Ah. The landscape. It only needs light to be cheerful.

We managed to dodge a couple of inches' worth of raindrops
on our pumpkin patch and corn maze adventure.

It felt as though the wagon would blow away.

But it didn't.

Laura had to point out the "doyt." She wanted a clean pumpkin.

Who raised this dirt-averse country child?

She actually cried over the mud on her boots.

Tears.

And then some more tears because we couldn't take home a goat.

Disconnect, anyone?

The pumpkin is dirty but the goat isn't?

Look! Up in the sky! It's another...

...goat!

Not that this is remotely pumpkin- or corn-related...

they just liked feeding the goats.

But we liked the hot cocoa and kettle corn and Grandma time the most.

Our friend Zoe (the tallest girl in that farmgirl photo above) joined us.
She's practically a member of our family.

Except, you know, her own family loves her a lot too.

This little girl is not only not related to us -- we don't even know her.

I just thought she was too cute panning for gold in her purple boots.

I love family days. Don't you?