Picking Pumpkins

It turns out that during the holiday season, getting out of bed isn't quite enough! We are a family of many traditions, thanks to me and my insane sense of how I want certain celebrations to feel. I'm determined to carry on with as many of the same traditions as I can this year, even minus a key player. If I do, maybe next year they won't feel so strange. This time last year, I was so sick with my pregnancy through Christmas that many of my plans were shelved until this year when I hoped to do full justice to them. I have a feeling most of those plans will remain on the shelf for another year at least, but we will carry on with the basics. At this time of year, that means our annual trip to the local pumpkin patch. We went with our friends the Bradshaws and finished the evening up with dinner at our favorite BBQ place.

Doesn't Sis just look so excited to be on her first pumpkin picking trip?

It was much colder than it has been in previous years. Thanks to Brit for the extra blanket. I should get points docked off my good mommy card for coming so unprepared.

Beautiful Britny and Gorgeous Gracey (twin 1) - I can be cheesy because I am also being complimentary.

On our way to the pumpkin field. Bubba wanted so badly to be brave, but had a death grip on my arm. We all made it without falling off (this time anyway. I assume that with three kids and only two arms, it will happen eventually. It's good to be prepared).

cute little Gabe (twin 2). Those twins are troopers. They have gone on more fun adventures in their first year of life than I have in my three decades thanks to a summer stay in Alaska.

Junior found his pumpkin right away, which was great because I am the one who had to carry it to the tractor one handed :-)

The Bradshaws went a little further afield.

Little Will (not to be confused with 'Big' Will the cousin)

Josh (or 'Dosh' as both boys refer to him)

Junior is all about staging pictures these days. This is two boys "stuck" in the pumpkin vines.

Bubba next to his pick (I steered them toward pumpkins with stems so I could carry them).

Yes, as a matter of fact, we did color pumpkins again this year (I told you what my excuse last year was and you know what it is this year. No excuses in 2010). Except I took my laziness one notch lower this year and didn't even use paint. I busted out the mega pack of colored sharpies. Don't worry, Grandpa K, who is a master pumpkin carver came earlier in the week to show them how it's done and they also carved pumpkins with J.

Next up: Making a ghost costume for Junior (it sounds like it should be easy, but my son has very specific ideas about how things should match the picture in his head.) We'll see how it goes. It's ironic that of the hundreds of Halloween costumes we combed through, there is no ghost costume to be found. That's just sad. Maybe they stopped getting manufactured around the time people decided that "trunk-or-treat" was a good idea.