Category Archives: pumpkins

pumpkin picking in the arctic

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On Saturday morning, we headed out for our annual visit to the pumpkin patch. We had arranged to go with friends and were really looking forward to having a great time!

_MG_4564Admittedly, we were completely unprepared for the weather. Earlier that same morning, I had gone running in shorts and a t-shirt! The pumpkin patch is in a neighboring county, so naturally, we didn’t expect to encounter high winds and a huge drop in temperature. Kaya really could have used a hat, mittens, and a warmer coat. Mom fail.

She did get to enjoy seeing all the farm animals before it got too cold, though!_MG_4568 _MG_4570And she tried to milk a wooden cow…_MG_4576 _MG_4575… and Michael slingshot a pumpkin across a pond!
_MG_4571 We did take a short hayride to the field to pick out a pumpkin._MG_4583 (cold weather had Michael making some funny faces)_MG_4584Our cold little girl gave me one big smile right before we left, so at least I have one good photo to remember our trip this year!
_MG_4591Kaelyn didn’t make it into any pictures, because luckily, she was wrapped up (warmly) in the Ergo carrier and slept nearly the entire time!

pumpkin pickin’ 2013

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Saturday was our day to go pumpkin picking! I was sooo super excited, because when I was a kid, this was a yearly tradition. I couldn’t wait to take Kaya and have fun as a family. (We did go last year, but Kaya was tiny and slept through the whole event!)

We tried a new farm this year and loved it! It was perfectly located in the beautiful, rolling Virginia hills, and it wasn’t overpriced like most places we’ve been.

Kevin and Tori were passing through town on their cross-country drive, so we were happy to have them join us. It’s not every day that all the Irwin siblings are together!
IMG_0119 We took a hayride to the pumpkin patch!_MG_0091Love these two with my whole heart (plus some…)
_MG_0094 _MG_0089 Of course, we got a little crazy (it wasn’t even a long ride… but apparently this is the only way we have fun!)_MG_0098 They had a corn maze. We all split up in different directions and still made it out alive! The pumpkin patch was right up the trail, so a-pickin’ we went!kayapumpkins20134Kaya’s excitement definitely didn’t disappoint. She LOVED the pumpkins and just couldn’t stop pointing at them, holding them, or trying to lift them.kayapumpkins20132

There was a tractor made out of hay bales, so naturally, we had to “drive” it. Kaya was really unsure of it._MG_0106We visited with some ewe lambs (chunky ones, at that).
_MG_0127 Kevin and Tori chucked some pumpkins!_MG_0122 And then I took waaaaay too many pictures of Kaya. But just look at that face! No mama could resist._MG_0137 kayapumpkins20131 Like I said, she loves pumpkins (I also wish I had a picture of what was going on behind me to get her to laugh… we have a crazy family!)kayapumpkins20133We paid for our pumpkins and browsed their tiny shop of homemade goodies… including some amazing fudge! We might just have to go back sometime soon 🙂

Happy Fall!

how to carve your dragon

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Well, we actually ended up carving our pumpkin on November 1st- whoops! In case you’re wondering, the fun factor is not at all diminished by the fact that Halloween is over. Chopping up a big vegetable will always be one of my favorite traditions, even if we are a day late doing it.

Michael and I have celebrated 5 Halloweens together, and this is only the second pumpkin we’ve ever carved as a family. The first one was done when we were still dating (we were the Flintstones and carved Dino into it. Classic.)

This year, we wanted to try something different than just a typical jack-o-lantern face. We contemplated cats, cows, puppies, and cats, but finally settled on a dragon design. We’re not really professional pumpkin carvers, but we tried. I think it kind of looks like a dragon, but if not, oh well- we had a good time doing it.

pumpkin plucking

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On Saturday, we finally went pumpkin picking with some of our favorite people- our parents, and our friends, Mike and Amanda! (Yes, Mike and Michael are all matchy-matchy, and no, they didn’t plan it… they are just that cool. Or they share a brain. I don’t know.)

We were lucky that we were able to go, since it had been raining cats and dogs that morning (okay, maybe I just included this detail so that I had an excuse to post pictures of a random cat at the greenhouse, and Scrappy…)

We had a really fun time, and if you’re wondering how a field and a gravel lot can be so entertaining, all I can say is “boys will be boys”.

There seems to be some unwritten rule that every baby needs her picture taken with pumpkins, so here it is! She slept through the entire event.

And just in case that wasn’t an adequate number of pumpkins for you…

We actually went home with both a traditional orange pumpkin and a white one! I was so excited about that little white pumpkin, but I couldn’t really justify getting two, until my mom-in-law said, “Well, you need a Thanksgiving pumpkin!” and I was sold. Who knew that turkeys and pumpkins go together, too?

Now all we have to do is carve some amazing pumpkin art!