Pumpkin Patch '14

 The boys and I took a trip to our favorite pumpkin patch with our home school group. It was a lot of fun and a different experience than what we were used to.

 Usually we tour the place with not schedule and just go to the different areas as we please. 

This year, however, we were a part of a school group, so we got to go during a different time of day and had a schedule of different places to be with our group.

 We also got to go in a part of the house where the owner gives a little educational lesson for each school group.

It was a lot of fun and I'm glad we went with our friends.

But even if our group had not gone, I still would have taken the boys. 

Going to the pumpkin patch is our tradition. :)

Pumpkin Patch

Fall is my favorite season.
I love the leaves, the smell, the general temperature outside where it is not too hot or too cold.

And I also love taking Brad to the pumpkin patch.
This year we did not need any pumpkins because we had four that we grew but it was fun for Brad to walk through them all.

My little guy is getting bigger and bigger.
The first year he was just standing next to a pumpkin while leaning on it because he wasn't walking yet.
Last year he did get some small ones.
Now this year he can pick them up by the stems with one hand!

It's mine and Brad's special tradition to get an apple cider donut and some cider.
David was working a lot this year for the month of October so we went ourselves so I had to be creative with how I got a picture of all three of us together. I just set my camera up on the other side of the table and had it go off on the timer. I like the perspective.

Bradley loves donuts!

There were some fun things for Brad to do outside.
He wanted to play on the spinning see-saw but I told him I couldn't get on it because I had Tyler.
So, I did the next best thing-

I grabbed the handle with one hand and raised him up off the ground a little and then rotated it so he could spin around. Oh, and I took pictures, too, while making sure my baby was safe in the wrap.
Maybe it would have been easier to just sit on the see-saw? :)

Brad also loved the little train to play in. He was using the pretend controls like he was trying to drive the train himself.

We also went for a hayride and Brad had fun on that as well.

I'm looking forward to next year but I definitely don't want time to pass too quickly between now and then!

I Heart

I heart Fall.
I love the fragrant smell of drying leaves.
I love the vibrant colors.
I love the temperature that is perfect for working or playing hard outside (even though this Fall I have not really done either).

I heart this baby boy.
Who is taking in his surroundings more and more each day.
He smiles a little more, coos a little more as he explores his voice.
When we go walking, I can can see him take in the world around him.
Every tree, leaf and sound.

And I heart this little boy.
Who loves to explore new things and collect things in nature.
In the summer it was flowers, now it is leaves, sticks, pine needles, and acorns.

Thank you, Lord, for the turning of seasons, so that we might appreciate each new one as it comes.
And thank you for my family, and the blessing they are to me.

Capturing Beauty

Today I am participating in Traci's "Capturing Beauty Photo Blog Hop."


I love Fall and even though this picture may remind some people of Winter I felt it was more Fall-ish.
In the Fall all the leaves start to turn and drop but the pine needles remain the same.
I find that comforting. :)

This photo is called
"Pine In Evening Light"

The light was gorgeous as the sun was setting the other evening so my boys and I went outside and I snapped a few photos.

Please visit Traci's page to see her photo and others.

Pumpkin Patch

After our walk that I posted about the other day, Brad and I went to the Pumpkin Patch together.

It was so much fun! This is what we had for dinner- doesn't it look so appetizing? :-) Even though it wasn't healthy, it was still good!

After having some chips and chili Brad loved eating an apple cider donut.

The views were gorgeous.

He was still working on his donut when we were checking out the old tractor.

I love the sun flare in this shot. :)

We measured his height again like last year, and he was still working on his donut then.

Then we waited for the tractor to come back with the hay wagon.

He finally finished his donut during the ride.

He was so cute helping me pick pumpkins and gourds in the field.

He trekked through all the Indian corn by himself.
Mommy only had to help a little.

We didn't get this big one but he wanted to.
We only picked little pumpkins.

After we were done paying he wanted more.
I said "No baby, we just got a bunch!"

We'll definitely have to go back again before it closes because we didn't even do everything there is to do there!

Flannel Rocks!

I am so happy Fall is here! I love it!
Last week my baby boy and I went on a crisp Autumn day walk with my best friend and her nephew.

I love this shirt I got for Brad from a consignment sale. It is from the Gap.
I think plaid flannel shirts are so cute on him.

My best bud tried to get a picture of Brad and I but he wouldn't look.

And then this next one was blurry, but it's ok. :)

On a completely unrelated note- I figured out how to clean the sippy cup lid.
Have you ever noticed on sippy cup lids that in the crevices there is juice build up. I noticed it after Brad had a darker juice once, I think it was cranberry/blueberry.
I tried to get it out multiple different ways. I put it in clorox water, then I tried hydrogen peroxide because I figure the bubbles would get it out. I tried baking soda and vinegar and then just soaking it in vinegar. Nothing worked and I couldn't get anything small enough in the crevices.
I'm sure some of you think I'm nuts even worrying about a little bit of nothing under the lid of the sippy cup but it bothered me!
(The darkness you see in the crevice is a shadow but it did look that dark.)

So, I bought tiny dental brushes for cleaning between teeth.

And that stuff came right out! I am so HAPPY that they are totally clean now!

And yea, I know it looks gross but I figured moms are used to stuff like this. :)

Not Me! Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to http://www.mycharmingkids.net/ blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

This past week, I did not bring my "almost" 10 month old out in the cold, windy and rainy weather just to watch a soccer game. I would never do that, who brings a baby out in the harsh elements just to watch a sport?

I did not take a picture of said baby in his high chair, crying(due the fact that I would not let him grab the camera) because he just looked so darn cute. No, I would never injure his feelings by smiling and snapping a photo of him being a brat.

This past week grocery shopping, I did not buy Ben and Jerry's ice cream and then finish if off in two days. No, I know how unhealthy that is and I would never do that, I have absolute control when it comes to food.
And lastly, I did not let my kitty, Jerry, stay stuck in the handle of a plastic bag just because I wanted to take pictures of "super kitty" flying through the house trying to escape from the loud piece of plastic "chasing" him. No, I love my kitty and would not want to give him a heart attack or at the very least, scare him senseless. No, not me!

All Aboard!

Today we went on a train ride! My hubby loves trains so it is only natural that he was excited to take Bradley on his first train ride. We went to a town not far from our house, about an hours ride. When we got there we were all ready to buy our tickets and get on board, we thought the ride started at 11. David went to go get our tickets and came back to the truck and said,"Do you want the good news or the bad news?" I said "both!" Apparently there was a train ride that day (the good news), it just didn't start until 1(the bad news). Well, no worries, a very interesting town was only a few minutes drive away. So.....we went to said town and walked around, checked out the cool buildings, went down to the water and saw a HUGE pumpkin with a lady inside of it be dropped into the water so she could use it as a boat(there was a pumpkin festival going on), then we got some perfectly crusty Italian pizza and then went back to the train station!

So begins our journey, it was about an hour and a half ride on a very old, musty smelling, creaky train. We sat in the dining car at a table because that was easiest with an umbrella stroller. After a while, Brad was being a major cranky crank(my new favorite, made-up, adjective), so David walked around with him and took him to the open car so they could walk around and see everything go by better. It turned out to be a pretty good day, we thought it would be raining hard all day but it only ended up raining for the last part of the train trip. When it was over we were glad to go home as Brad had refused to nap even when I got the baby sling out to try and rock him to sleep. Next year we want to go on a longer train ride that goes up to the Adirondacks, this however, was nice, short one with a 9 month old baby.

Oh, and just in case you missed the meaning of the title of my blog.....because my hubby loves trains, the Delaware and Hudson has special meaning to us, the first letters of our names are D and H! :-)