We found another new event to add to our Fall Fun Lineup this year - a pumpkin patch at the Florence Freedom field. Dave didn't go but the rest of us did - me and the kids, my parents, J&J, Jeff, Ema, Luke & Ellie...and then Donna, Ashley & Chloe met us there, too!
They had face painting and lots of little games set up - and the concession stands were open. They had big pumpkins for sale plus a pumpkin patch where everyone got to choose out a little pumpkin out by a hay bale maze. There was a train ride, inflatables, a petting zoo...and knife throwing! All of us adults gave that a try...none of us were particularly great at it from what I can recall.
Max and Jessica played tic-tac-toe while Lucy got a unicorn painted onto her face.
They also had a little magic show...Uncle Jason (aka Picachu!) got invited to be a part of the show! Lucy was also a part of the show - she laid down while they juggled above her. She got a big kick out of it! Ashley was also invited to be a part of the show!
At one point, the girl in the show let cockroaches crawl all over her and at the end of the show, they invited people to come up and "pet" the cockroaches...no, thank you!
The kids all braved it, though...
During the show, the kids shared a helmet full of popcorn...once they finished, Max wore it for the rest of the afternoon...
We had a lot of fun! Afterward, we went back to GranJan & Grandpa's house to paint out little pumpkins.
The following weekend was the pumpkin walk in Tower Park. We've done it a few times over the years but it used to always be on a Thursday. Last year, they moved it to a Friday and we weren't able to make it because it was the same day as something else we had planned.
This year, it was again on a Friday - the same evening as the trunk-r-treat at St. Joe. Dave had something else planned but the kids and I decided we could squeeze both events in if we got to the pumpkin walk as soon as it began (a pretty loooong line tends to form).
The pumpkin walk leads you through a hiking trail in Tower Park and the whole trail is lined with lit-up jack-o-lanterns...it's very cool! At the end, they have someone taking pictures and they give you a link to see your picture in a week or two...look! Max is wearing that dang vampire costume again! He LOVES it! And his facial expression cracks me up!!
The jack-o-lanterns on display are in a pumpkin-carving contest and the winners are indicated...Lucy and Max loved seeing the winners.
They were especially in awe of this one - a little pumpkin gal playing a video game...they thought it deserved 1st place instead of 2nd.
After the pumpkin walk, we went to school to trunk-r-treat with friends...fun night!
On the day after the circus, we went to Kinman Farms - that's always a Fall fun favorite.
We met up with Auntie Ema & Luke (I think Ellie was sick) plus GranJan & Grandpa.
It was a perfect Fall day! We fed and petted the animals, we played some cornhole and we ate lunch.
Lucy is obsessed with corn mazes and was anxious to get in there...we split up inside to "race." Corn maze make me pretty nervous but I was on "Team Lucy" (who has no sense of direction...) with GranJan and we were in there forever...but my girl was loving life.
After we picked out the perfect little pumpkins, it was time to move on - GranJan had invited us to "Spooky Sunday" in Edgewood - and it was our first time ever doing that event.
It started at St. Pius with a costume parade from there to President's Park - Lucy chose to wear her Mal (from Descendants) costume and Max wore his vampire costume again - what started out as something we thought we'd have to talk him into wearing (to the zoo, to coordinate with Lucy) ended up being something he was completely obsessed with! Lukey went with a Flash costume from GranJan's dress-ups stash.
Max was a little confused about why I kept using the term "parade" when there was no candy being thrown...but I think they all enjoyed the walk over to the park. There, they had a costume contest. None of our little cuties won but they had fun seeing all of the other contestants & winners.
After the costume contest, there was a "spooky forest" - they walked through the walking path of the park to trick-or-treat and they had the park decorated...fun!
Ema and I had to go back to St. Pius to get our cars but the kids walked back to GranJan & Grandpa's house from there (which made them feel pretty cool).
