DICKSON FAMILY: Pumpkin Pick'n

To avoid having our blog become too Harlow-centric I thought I better post about some of our whole family happenings as well...even if it was from a few weeks ago. October is always a favorite month in our house. I'm sure it has a lot to do with the Halloween calendar I made a few years ago (I really should get a picture of that for posterity) with pockets for each day of the month. Just about every day (I'm not perfect) includes a note to let the kids know what craft, treat, activity or family outings the day will include. It doesn't always work out perfectly. In fact, some days my plans turn into a borderline disaster, but for the most part a good time is had throughout the month.

Of all the October happenings, one of our very favorite Halloween activities is picking out pumpkins at the pumpkin patch. The kids look forward to it all month, and I enjoy it as well since it's a fun family activity that requires no advance preparation and, as a bonus, lots of picture taking opportunities.

Ruby was just a little bit excited to be there...

And she wasn't the only one.

Taking the tractor ride out to the pumpkin patch is half the fun.

I was trying to get a picture of Max here, but Ruby seems to have a natural reflex to turn towards the camera whenever it's near.

She just can't help it. Poor Max.

I really appreciated Sam hanging on to Harlow the whole time. I've taken pictures while holding her before and it's not the easiest thing in the world.

Harlow seemed quite interested in Sam's green pick.

Picking out a pumpkin for Max was no problem...carrying it, however, was a different story. That's what happens when you're only real criteria is that your pumpkin be as big as possible.

Ruby tried a few out before making her final decision. This was one of the top contenders.

Sam and our little pumpkin head.

Max doing his best to hang on to his heavy selection until the tractor came back around.

Reed took the longest to find his. He was searching for something unique.

He finally decided a pumpkin with one green side was unique enough.

When Ruby noticed me taking pictures of her with her pumpkin she immediately went into pose mode. With beautiful light, my adorable girl, and a field of pumpkins, how could I resist snapping away? I think Ruby loves the camera as much as the camera loves her.

When the tractor finally made it's way back, Ruby was sure to let me know I needed to hurry on over. Telling people what to do is her other passion in life.

One thing I can say about Harlow is that she is always taking it all in. She has been wide eyed and attentive from day one.

Everyone enjoyed the ride back.

Reed, undoubtedly explaining to Sam the process he used to select his "perfect" pumpkin.

Reed insisted on using a wagon to "haul" his pumpkin the 15 foot distance to the car. He got way too much pleasure out of it to tell him not to.

Ruby, however was happy to keep her pumpkin close.

A trip to the pumpkin farm just wouldn't be complete without the fresh apple cider doughnuts they cook up to order. I'm not sure what the thumbs up and thumbs down was all about. We all agreed they got a big thumbs up.

Where is a tripod when you need one...or a friendly passer by? Setting the camera on the back of the car was the best we could do for a family photo. I guess I will have to be remembered a little blurry because for whatever reason I could only get the self timer setting to wait 2 seconds. The kids thought it was pretty funny to watch me dash and miss the picture. It was worth it to get a real smile from Reed.