Fun at the Pumpkin Patch

Yesterday, after swim lessons and Lily's nap, we set out for some fall fun at the Pumpkin Patch. Our usual fall routine is to head over to the Farmer's Market for our pumpkin needs, but this year we wanted to do something a little different and more fun for Lily. We weren't quite sure where to go, but a friend recommended Hill Ridge Farms after she and her family visited them earlier this week. We weren't quite sure what to expect, but were definitely not expecting what we found - it was big! A lot bigger than we were thinking, with train rides, a slide, a hay jump, a hay tunnel, pony rides, concession stands and a jumping pillow (very popular). They had an area for animals - goats, chickens, turkeys, geese - a place specifically for bunnies (Bunnyville), a DJ, a country store and more. They advertised it as their Fall Festival and it really was like a festival. Included with admission was a hay ride and a pumpkin for each person (minus Lily). We decided to do the hayride last, as that was also how you picked your pumpkin. We started with the animals, which Lily enjoyed as usual. The goats were hilarious - there were several with very interesting horns, although the most interesting is pictured below (doesn't he remind you of the animals that try to dress up as the Cadbury bunny in the Easter commercials?):

After the animals, we turned Lily loose for awhile and let her run off some energy. We steered her towards Bunnyville, but other than that, pretty much let her choose our direction:

This is one of my favorites - Lily reaching out for daddy's hand for help going down a hill

After running around for awhile, we headed to stand in line for the hayrides. On our way there, we passed right by the DJ trailer, so Lily stopped in the middle of the sidewalk to break it down a bit:

Caught by mom

  It was a pretty long line (luckily it moved fast) so Lily and daddy continued to run around for a bit while I held our place in line:

And then it was time for the hayride! We climbed on and headed out into the fields to pick our pumpkins and take them home for carving later on this month. We had a great time - might need to make this an annual event!