I Like Carrots: It's Pumpkin Time!

It's Pumpkin Time is a book Ada and I have been reading at bedtime about some kids that plant a pumpkin patch. This was in hopes of getting her excited about pumpkins. It worked!

This morning we set out to the Freeman Farms pumpkin patch in Chino Valley. It is the same place we went last year. We met our friend Joy, mom of Ada's school buddy Julian. We also caught up with another of Ada's classmate, Katie, and her family.

The patch is set up so that you pay an entrance fee and then you can run around all day experiencing all of their entertainments. Everything is covered except the price of the pumpkins and snacks. Overall, it is a very relaxed experience and the kids can do what they enjoy ad nauseum and have plenty of room to explore.

This year, the kids did some dancing (Joy and I helped them out), enjoyed the animals in the petting zoo, rode a train, the carousel (a million times), watched ducks, and in general had a lovely time running around, sipping lemonade, and enjoying the farm.

We also picked out pumpkins from the patch. Last year the vines were still alive but our early cold snap damaged them so most of the pumpkins were detached from the vines ... but the experience was still fun!

Families from the Phoenix area often come up out of the heat to enjoy our milder temperatures and the pumpkin patch was a perfect place it seems. You could tell the difference between the locals and the day-trippers, as Jeffrey says, you can tell them apart because the Phoenicians all have husbands with Affliction-shirts and the wives are all blond and looked pissed off to be there with a kid.

[Train video goes here, but it is taking eons to upload to youtube ... so I'll put it here later.]

Ada loves this miniature horse and wants a pony. I told her she could have one when she was six.

Listening to the rules ... because parents weren't allowed. (Even though I'm totally within the weight limit. Dammit. This brings back memories of one Jeep PowerWheel.)