The pumpkin patch

Today four other homeschooling mom's and I took our 15 children (all under age 6) to Matthy's pumpkin patch and petting zoo. We began in the zoo area where the wide-eyed littlest ones got to walk up to the pigs or goats or pony and touch them through the wire fencing around their pens. The older ones watched with that glimmer in their eye that said they had seen this before, yet the grins betrayed their undenyable fascination.

Our tractor quickly pulled up and with a promise that they could come back to the animals and the play area, we got them aboard the trailer filled with sweet hay for the bumpy ride to the corn maze. It is important to note here that Bronwen, my usually fearless tot, would not get on the trailer because she was overcome with a sudden sense of pending doom. I finally got her on and held her close -all the while strapped to a sleeping Baby - she did not warm up to the idea and we had to do it again on the way back.

As we bounced into the clearing, we could see the pumpkins all lined up in neat little rows looking like they had been placed there just for us. But before we could pick any, we had to get to the patch by way of a corn maze. My camera's batteries died just after the maze, however Noah quickly found his pumpkin and brought the trophy back to the tractor while Bronwen found hers and Annabelle's and preferring to stay with the pumpkins, had to be talked back onto the hay ride.

Once back, we let everyone play in the yard filled with giant wooden vehicles (planes, trains and automobiles ;) and check out more of the animals. Noah really took to this Great Pyranese named Max. The dog was almost taller than Noah and he's never seen on so big. Then we went inside for lunch, which I wasn't prepared to stay for - since Josh was working from home I had told him we would be home for lunch. But it's so hard to pull them away from their friends early, especially when food is involved. Thank you moms for sharing your bounty with the Martin clan.