Pumpkin Patch 2014

Another year in the books. Our SEVENTH year of going to the pumpkin patch with friends. Joe has missed a couple years. (Darn med school!) But the kids and I have made it every year since Isaiah was one year old. And it is always worth the trip back to Wisconsin. Lots of good times with friends and great memories made at this place.

So per our usual we started the outting by torturing  taking pictures of the children. With siblings. With the whole family. Individual pictures. And of course pictures with friends.  LOTS of pictures are taken within the first 30 minutes of our arrival. And per their usual the children grumble and complain and try their darndest to get out of picture taking, but we persevere. Its tradition after all. This year, Isaiah didn't want pictures because of his jacket. Apparently he does not like that jacket. In fact I would go as far as to say he really, really, really loathes that jacket. Ironically, he picked that jacket out at a garage sale last fall! I don't get it. But what he did like was falling off this pumpkin....

...which made for a great picture of him and his sisters. Even if Hannah wouldn't crack a smile for me, I still LOVE that picture.

And yes, I am looking quite large and in charge in our family picture. 24 weeks of baby belly. And funnily enough I was concerned that Charlotte was covering the belly too much while the picture was being taken. Clearly she wasn't covering it enough!

I love these individual shots of my kids. Seriously that picture of Charlotte in that vest might be my favorite picture of her to date. I need to get it printed ASAP and hang it on my wall so when she is driving me bonkers (as she is apt to do many, many times each day) I will be reminded of my vast love for her. Oh and Isaiah's haircut...yep it might just be an all time record BAD on my behalf. Yikes. And now like every other mother on this earth, I am going to ask the question, "how did my babies get so big?!?!" Looking at this picture I see three children. Good thing I am having a baby soon otherwise I wouldn't be able to handle this.

The last picture we parents require of the children before letting them loose to run and play is the group picture of the kids....with 8 children ages 7 and under it is no easy task. But I think we managed to get a decent shot. Only one pouting child. Not bad. Not bad at all.

And then the real fun begins. Rope swing. Mini pedal tractors to ride. A hay mountain to climb. A haunted house (which Charlotte LOVED this year). Goats to feed and pet...of course Hannah LOVED them. The corn maze - which somehow I missed this year. Ack. Its usually my favorite. Spinning apple ride. And freedom to just be kids on a beautiful fall day. {Seriously we lucked out with the weather considering we picked this date back in May. It was a bit chilly when we arrived but by the time we left it was 60 degrees and sunny. Couldn't ask for better weather in mid October.}

No pictures of all the aforementioned fun activities. Sorry. We were too busy having fun and chasing children...or at least keeping an eye on them from a distance while we chatted;)

The whole crew rode the tractor pulled wagon to the top of the apple orchard and then wandered back down the hill. Sampling apples as we went. It was just as idyllic as it sounds. The sun and the apples and the happy children. It was perfect.

And then before we could call it a day we forced the children to take one last picture...

All 14 of us...mostly looking and smiling. Looking at this picture makes me happy. And a little sad. Happy because these are good friends. Friends that feel like family. And I love that. Sad because I am not sure if we will be able to make it back next year or not. Our fate is in the hands of "the match". And at this point only 1 of the 17 residency locations that Joe has interviews with would be close enough to drive back for the pumpkin patch. Next year we could be living in Nebraska or Texas or Michigan or Tennessee or Ohio or Virginia or Florida or Pennsylvania or West Virginia or Illinois. We don't know. Therefore we don't know if we will be able to make it to the 8th annual pumpkin patch day. So much unknown. I do know that if we go back next year I am getting Isaiah's approval on his outfit ahead of time. That will save me A LOT of grief. Which likely will mean he will be wearing a hooded sweatshirt.

Speaking of Isaiah. As we were walking out of the pumpkin patch, he made me an offer I couldn't resist. He agreed to smile for 2 more pictures IF I would let him stay up late that night. It was an offer I couldn't resist because 1) I love taking pictures of my kids and 2) I was already planning on letting him stay up late with his friends that night. Done and done. And that is how I got the first picture in this post of him with with his sisters:)