Pumpkin picking

Last weekend we took the kids pumpkin picking. It was a very mild fall day and everyone enjoyed the outing.

The good folks at the pumpkin farm warned us that the harvest had been poor this year.  By the time we got there, the biggest pumpkins had been picked and most of the rest were claimed by bugs.  All I could think of when I looked at the rotting pumpkins was "Gosh, these would be perfect for my compost bin!"  But the Big Guy wouldn't let me put them in the wagon. Boo!

Little Guy and I happily traipsed through the fields looking for unblemished pumpkins.  It took a while, but we eventually found five small-to-medium size pumpkins that would work for our family.  I was really pleased that the Little Guy, without any reminder or assistance from me, remembered to pick out a pumpkin for Barley.

Little Miss was interested in the activity, but I think she was a bit intimidated by the tall weeds and grasses.  She didn't stray far from the wagon and was happy to jump back in when the pumpkins started arriving.

On the way back to the farm, we saw a black and orange caterpillar crawling on the ground.

Pumpkin picking was fun, but seeing this tiny creature might have been the highlight of the trip.

The kids were thrilled to "ooh!" and "aah!" over this bug for several minutes.  Good times!

Last year, the Little Guy and I went on our own to pick out pumpkins for the whole family.  Now that Little Miss is bigger, we've turned this into a tradition that the whole family can enjoy.  This weekend, we'll carve the pumpkins. While the kids can't help out too much because of their ages (giving a butcher knife to a 4 year old is never a good idea), that will change in a few years and pumpkin carving will become a tradition as well.

For basic pumpkin carving info, click here.  For great tips on carving pumpkins, click here.  Interested in making monogrammed pumpkins?  Click here.

Happy picking and carving!