Worlds of Fun: It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!

Thanks to Worlds of Fun and KC Parent Magazine for sending us on an awesome family adventure!

Caleb, Abby, Elijah, and Ellie

We kind of have a thing for Peanuts at our house. Not the peanuts you eat (although give me a maple iced doughnut with peanuts on top, and I'll love you forever!), but the Peanuts Characters. We like to watch the Peanuts movies that coordinate with holidays, and we have stuffed Snoopy, Woodstock, and Charlie Brown characters in our toy bin. In fact, we even dressed up as the Peanuts Characters for Halloween when the kids were 3! (Check out our Peanuts Gang here!) There is something about those fun, timeless characters that just take me clear back to childhood.

And then I found out that Worlds of Fun does an annual Great Pumpkin Fest in their Planet Snoopy kid section....what now??? That quickly went to the top of our "must-visit" list during my favorite season of the year!

On the Carousal: Abby and Mommy, Elijah and Ellie, Caleb and Daddy

**The Scare Factor Side Note**

If you are a parent, you are probably wondering the same thing I was before we headed to the park in October: "How scary will Worlds of Fun be right now?" Yep, it's a fair question since no one wants their kids to have nightmares.

Worlds of Fun actually goes BIG on their Halloween theme throughout the entire park from mid-September through the end of October. I'm talking...multiple haunted houses, roaming zombies after dark, scare zones, and very scary decorations. Because of that, I was a little bit anxious getting the kids from the front gate through to Planet Snoopy without coming across anything too upsetting. I actually warned them in the parking lot that they needed to stick with us and that there might be a few not-so-nice decorations. Abby is spooked so easily, that she is a legit flight risk when it comes to anything even remotely iffy. This girl takes off running and never looks back, and....oh my stars...she is SO fast. I had to give her the head's up going in so that I would know she would be right by my side.

Happily, Worlds of Fun actually did a really good job of keeping it pretty tame on the route from the front gate through to the kids area. There was one mean looking pumpkin/spider statue at the front, and a creepy jack-in-the-box that was easily walked around. Other than those, it was a clean walk back. They save all scary roaming minions for after dark when they close down the kids' section and suggest only age 14 and over stay (smart!). All that to say, we were happy to not have any nightmares to deal with at our house! And if my kids could make through the park, pretty much any child can make it.  **End The Scare Factor Side Note**

Just like our visit this summer, the kids loved Planet Snoopy, this time enjoying it all decked out for The Great Pumpkin Fest! I'm so glad that we went!

Love all the Peanuts decor in Planet Snoopy!

Caleb, Snoopy, Ellie, Abby, Elijah, and Woodstock

In addition to all of the rides, The Great Pumpkin Fest includes a bunch of extra kids' activities that are all free with the cost of their general admission ticket. For this Mama on a budget, that's a super important thing! Activities for four kids can add up quickly!

We loved stopping by the Peanuts Theater to participate in Pig Pen's Creepy Crafts. The kids each made a spider webbed plate, complete with spider rings, and then jumped across the room to make puppets out of lunch sacks. All of the craft items were sitting out and just waiting for some little hands to get creative! Caleb has since named his puppet, Snoopy, of course!

Elijah, Abby, Ellie, Caleb, and Daddy

Linus' Great Pumpkin Patch was another winner! The park has a section set up for kids to explore and find the perfect mini pumpkin to take home with them. Take a backpack or stroller to store your pumpkins in while you enjoy the rest of your day. Head nod to Daddy for being our designated pack mule in the park!

Abby, Elijah, Caleb, and Ellie

Peppermint Patty's Hay Bale Maze was awesome because it wasn't complicated to get through. It was also low enough that we could let our kids run through the entire thing and still keep an eye on them the entire time. They begged to do this adventure multiple times!

I'll admit to not taking the kids' costumes with us because I don't like to give away our Halloween group theme too early in the year, but they also have Lucy's Costume Contest that kids can participate in. We saw a lot of kids with lightweight costumes running around Planet Snoopy. Anything to get a few more wears from those dress-up outfits! Even better, you can find several Peanuts Characters dressed up in their Halloween costumes too!

Abby, Snoopy, and Ellie

And then there was this....the trick or treating throughout Planet Snoopy! The kids totally did this twice, and would have gone back for a third round if we hadn't cut them off. There are little houses throughout the kids' area that are brightly colored and easy to find. When a child knocks on the door, a gloved hand pops out of the window and hands them a piece of candy or a small toy. (P.S. Parents, you can quietly ask the person in the house if they will hand you a bag for the candy too!) We found Sally's Doll House, Charlie Brown's House, The Elementary School, and Lucy's Doctor Stand. The kids adored this, and it actually out-ranked the rides in terms of their favorite part of the day...and I have to admit. It was a super fun, clever way of bringing yet another aspect of the Peanuts Characters world to life!

We love how Worlds of Fun goes out of it's way to create a family friendly experience during the summer, and then take it up a notch as the season goes on! Family memories, y'all....these kinds of play-all-day adventures are the best!

Clockwise from the bottom: Elijah, Mommy, Daddy, Abby, Ellie, and Caleb

Thanks to Worlds of Fun and KC Parent Magazine for sending us on this #IshumFamilyAdventure! This post may contain affiliate links. For more info, please see my disclaimer page.

Thanks to Worlds of Fun and KC Parent Magazine for sending us on an awesome family adventure!

Caleb, Abby, Elijah, and Ellie

We kind of have a thing for Peanuts at our house. Not the peanuts you eat (although give me a maple iced doughnut with peanuts on top, and I'll love you forever!), but the Peanuts Characters. We like to watch the Peanuts movies that coordinate with holidays, and we have stuffed Snoopy, Woodstock, and Charlie Brown characters in our toy bin. In fact, we even dressed up as the Peanuts Characters for Halloween when the kids were 3! (Check out our Peanuts Gang here!) There is something about those fun, timeless characters that just take me clear back to childhood.

And then I found out that Worlds of Fun does an annual Great Pumpkin Fest in their Planet Snoopy kid section....what now??? That quickly went to the top of our "must-visit" list during my favorite season of the year!

On the Carousal: Abby and Mommy, Elijah and Ellie, Caleb and Daddy

**The Scare Factor Side Note**

If you are a parent, you are probably wondering the same thing I was before we headed to the park in October: "How scary will Worlds of Fun be right now?" Yep, it's a fair question since no one wants their kids to have nightmares.

Worlds of Fun actually goes BIG on their Halloween theme throughout the entire park from mid-September through the end of October. I'm talking...multiple haunted houses, roaming zombies after dark, scare zones, and very scary decorations. Because of that, I was a little bit anxious getting the kids from the front gate through to Planet Snoopy without coming across anything too upsetting. I actually warned them in the parking lot that they needed to stick with us and that there might be a few not-so-nice decorations. Abby is spooked so easily, that she is a legit flight risk when it comes to anything even remotely iffy. This girl takes off running and never looks back, and....oh my stars...she is SO fast. I had to give her the head's up going in so that I would know she would be right by my side.

Happily, Worlds of Fun actually did a really good job of keeping it pretty tame on the route from the front gate through to the kids area. There was one mean looking pumpkin/spider statue at the front, and a creepy jack-in-the-box that was easily walked around. Other than those, it was a clean walk back. They save all scary roaming minions for after dark when they close down the kids' section and suggest only age 14 and over stay (smart!). All that to say, we were happy to not have any nightmares to deal with at our house! And if my kids could make through the park, pretty much any child can make it.  **End The Scare Factor Side Note**

Just like our visit this summer, the kids loved Planet Snoopy, this time enjoying it all decked out for The Great Pumpkin Fest! I'm so glad that we went!

Love all the Peanuts decor in Planet Snoopy!

Caleb, Snoopy, Ellie, Abby, Elijah, and Woodstock

In addition to all of the rides, The Great Pumpkin Fest includes a bunch of extra kids' activities that are all free with the cost of their general admission ticket. For this Mama on a budget, that's a super important thing! Activities for four kids can add up quickly!

We loved stopping by the Peanuts Theater to participate in Pig Pen's Creepy Crafts. The kids each made a spider webbed plate, complete with spider rings, and then jumped across the room to make puppets out of lunch sacks. All of the craft items were sitting out and just waiting for some little hands to get creative! Caleb has since named his puppet, Snoopy, of course!

Elijah, Abby, Ellie, Caleb, and Daddy

Linus' Great Pumpkin Patch was another winner! The park has a section set up for kids to explore and find the perfect mini pumpkin to take home with them. Take a backpack or stroller to store your pumpkins in while you enjoy the rest of your day. Head nod to Daddy for being our designated pack mule in the park!

Abby, Elijah, Caleb, and Ellie

Peppermint Patty's Hay Bale Maze was awesome because it wasn't complicated to get through. It was also low enough that we could let our kids run through the entire thing and still keep an eye on them the entire time. They begged to do this adventure multiple times!

I'll admit to not taking the kids' costumes with us because I don't like to give away our Halloween group theme too early in the year, but they also have Lucy's Costume Contest that kids can participate in. We saw a lot of kids with lightweight costumes running around Planet Snoopy. Anything to get a few more wears from those dress-up outfits! Even better, you can find several Peanuts Characters dressed up in their Halloween costumes too!

Abby, Snoopy, and Ellie

And then there was this....the trick or treating throughout Planet Snoopy! The kids totally did this twice, and would have gone back for a third round if we hadn't cut them off. There are little houses throughout the kids' area that are brightly colored and easy to find. When a child knocks on the door, a gloved hand pops out of the window and hands them a piece of candy or a small toy. (P.S. Parents, you can quietly ask the person in the house if they will hand you a bag for the candy too!) We found Sally's Doll House, Charlie Brown's House, The Elementary School, and Lucy's Doctor Stand. The kids adored this, and it actually out-ranked the rides in terms of their favorite part of the day...and I have to admit. It was a super fun, clever way of bringing yet another aspect of the Peanuts Characters world to life!

We love how Worlds of Fun goes out of it's way to create a family friendly experience during the summer, and then take it up a notch as the season goes on! Family memories, y'all....these kinds of play-all-day adventures are the best!

Clockwise from the bottom: Elijah, Mommy, Daddy, Abby, Ellie, and Caleb

Thanks to Worlds of Fun and KC Parent Magazine for sending us on this #IshumFamilyAdventure! This post may contain affiliate links. For more info, please see my disclaimer page.

Pumpkin Carving Memories + A Giveaway!

Last year, our kids were too little to carve pumpkins. But this year is different! Since they are older, we got to make our first pumpkin carving memories!

We decided to carve two pumpkins. With so many little kids, it was actually easier than trying to let them all crowd around one. Since we were using Pumpkin Masters Kits, I looked through them to find some patterns that the kids might like. We ended up with The Owl pattern from the Surface Carving Kit, and The Kitty Cat from the Kids' Carving Kit.

First, Sean and I opened the pumpkins and let the kids scoop the seeds out. Ellie was all about getting those seeds out of the pumpkins. I realized later on that she was sneaking bites while she was at it. Hehe! I've heard about roasting pumpkin seeds, but I don't know how good they would be raw...

Once the kids finished their turns with the pumpkins, Daddy and Mommy finished scooping them out with pumpkin scrapers that came with the kits.

I was actually surprised how well the pumpkin scraper/scooper worked! I'm used to fighting seeds with a spoon, so this was a nice, easy change. As a side note, if you decide to use the Pumpkin Masters Kits, and the directions call for the pumpkin to have the rind scraped down to less than an inch, don't fudge on it. There may have been a third pumpkin that met an early demise when we didn't follow the directions. Lesson learned for next year!

The two pumpkins we did successfully follow directions on turned out really cute! The Kitty Kat was super simple: Tape the pattern to the pumpkin, use a crayon to fill in the holes, remove pattern, use the special non-knife pumpkin carver to follow the pattern, insert eyes, and voila! A Kitty Cat!

Okay, honestly, I wanted to carve The Owl for myself. I love the look of surface carved pumpkins, and really wanted to see how hard it was. Not bad at all! Trace the pattern with the pumpkin tool, remove the pattern, and carve away the rind as marked. With the special tools, it was really easy and fun!

And thank goodness it was easy, because the kids were "helping" us the whole time! They do an awesome job doubling the time it takes to do any project...but hey, that's where the memories are made, right?

And clearly, they loved doing it! How much did they love it? So much that Ellie was giving her Kitty Cat kisses!

And this is how they turned out! What do you think??

Pumpkin Masters Kits can be found in your local grocery, drug, and craft store, along with Target and Walmart. They are super inexpensive (They are about $5 in my area!), and make some very neat family pumpkins! Also, Pumpkin Masters is giving away six prizes, including $5000 for the best pumpkin carving. If you grab a kit, and carve a pumpkin, make sure you share a pic of your carving via Instagram or Twitter with #PumpkinMasters2013, submit via the Facebook app or send via email to: social@pumpkinmasters.com by October 31st for your chance to win! Official contest rules can be found here!

~Giveaway!~

Pumpkin Masters is sending one A Beautiful Ruckus reader their kits to design awesome Halloween pumpkins this year! Please note that due to how quickly Halloween is approaching, this is a 48 hour giveaway. Don't put off entering!

Please use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter. The first two tasks are not optional and must be completed to qualify for this giveaway. The additional entry tasks are optional. Winning entries will be validated prior to announcing the winner with an alternate drawn if the entries cannot be verified.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
The contest ends at 11:59pm on Sunday, October 20th. The winner(s) will be randomly chosen and contacted by email on Monday, October 21st. The winner(s) will have 24 hours to respond to the email with their information so that the prize can be forwarded to them. A Beautiful Ruckus is not responsible for the delivery of the prize and is not responsible if the sponsor does not deliver. This giveaway is open to residents of the United States. A Beautiful Ruckus received complimentary item(s) for review in exchange  for hosting this giveaway from Pumpkin Masters Kits.
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own. For more info, please see my disclaimer page.

Last year, our kids were too little to carve pumpkins. But this year is different! Since they are older, we got to make our first pumpkin carving memories!

We decided to carve two pumpkins. With so many little kids, it was actually easier than trying to let them all crowd around one. Since we were using Pumpkin Masters Kits, I looked through them to find some patterns that the kids might like. We ended up with The Owl pattern from the Surface Carving Kit, and The Kitty Cat from the Kids' Carving Kit.

First, Sean and I opened the pumpkins and let the kids scoop the seeds out. Ellie was all about getting those seeds out of the pumpkins. I realized later on that she was sneaking bites while she was at it. Hehe! I've heard about roasting pumpkin seeds, but I don't know how good they would be raw...

Once the kids finished their turns with the pumpkins, Daddy and Mommy finished scooping them out with pumpkin scrapers that came with the kits.

I was actually surprised how well the pumpkin scraper/scooper worked! I'm used to fighting seeds with a spoon, so this was a nice, easy change. As a side note, if you decide to use the Pumpkin Masters Kits, and the directions call for the pumpkin to have the rind scraped down to less than an inch, don't fudge on it. There may have been a third pumpkin that met an early demise when we didn't follow the directions. Lesson learned for next year!

The two pumpkins we did successfully follow directions on turned out really cute! The Kitty Kat was super simple: Tape the pattern to the pumpkin, use a crayon to fill in the holes, remove pattern, use the special non-knife pumpkin carver to follow the pattern, insert eyes, and voila! A Kitty Cat!

Okay, honestly, I wanted to carve The Owl for myself. I love the look of surface carved pumpkins, and really wanted to see how hard it was. Not bad at all! Trace the pattern with the pumpkin tool, remove the pattern, and carve away the rind as marked. With the special tools, it was really easy and fun!

And thank goodness it was easy, because the kids were "helping" us the whole time! They do an awesome job doubling the time it takes to do any project...but hey, that's where the memories are made, right?

And clearly, they loved doing it! How much did they love it? So much that Ellie was giving her Kitty Cat kisses!

And this is how they turned out! What do you think??

Pumpkin Masters Kits can be found in your local grocery, drug, and craft store, along with Target and Walmart. They are super inexpensive (They are about $5 in my area!), and make some very neat family pumpkins! Also, Pumpkin Masters is giving away six prizes, including $5000 for the best pumpkin carving. If you grab a kit, and carve a pumpkin, make sure you share a pic of your carving via Instagram or Twitter with #PumpkinMasters2013, submit via the Facebook app or send via email to: social@pumpkinmasters.com by October 31st for your chance to win! Official contest rules can be found here!

~Giveaway!~

Pumpkin Masters is sending one A Beautiful Ruckus reader their kits to design awesome Halloween pumpkins this year! Please note that due to how quickly Halloween is approaching, this is a 48 hour giveaway. Don't put off entering!

Please use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter. The first two tasks are not optional and must be completed to qualify for this giveaway. The additional entry tasks are optional. Winning entries will be validated prior to announcing the winner with an alternate drawn if the entries cannot be verified.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
The contest ends at 11:59pm on Sunday, October 20th. The winner(s) will be randomly chosen and contacted by email on Monday, October 21st. The winner(s) will have 24 hours to respond to the email with their information so that the prize can be forwarded to them. A Beautiful Ruckus is not responsible for the delivery of the prize and is not responsible if the sponsor does not deliver. This giveaway is open to residents of the United States. A Beautiful Ruckus received complimentary item(s) for review in exchange  for hosting this giveaway from Pumpkin Masters Kits.
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own. For more info, please see my disclaimer page.

Trip to the Pumpkin Patch (Fall 2013)

Is it even fall without a visit to the pumpkin patch?

Heading out to find pumpkins was one of my favorite things last year, and it was definitely a highlight this year as well!

This year, we headed south to visit Shuck's Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch. It was only about 25 minutes from our house, and a pretty drive out into the country. There are tons of pumpkin patches in the Kansas City metro area, but Shuck's ended up being just the right one for our family, There was plenty for our four two-year-olds to do, but not so much that we were overwhelmed. It was also pleasantly busy without being crowded. With the weather being perfect, it was really a wonderful day to go.

The only things that would have made it better would have been if we weren't sick, and if one of the other patrons hadn't had a heart attack. Sean wrangled the kids while I headed over to help with that. Side note: You never know when you will need to do CPR. I'm glad I got my certification renewed a few months ago. If you don't know how to do CPR, I encourage you to learn how to...soon!

Anyhow, the patch was great fun, and the kids had a great time running off some energy.

·       

The girls were enamored with the specialty pumpkins!

They had a Barrel Train Ride that was pulled by a tractor. The barrels had been cut away with seats installed in them. The kids took a couple of rides in them around the patch.

Okay, this was just really cool! They had a giant sandbox that was filled with dried corn kernels rather than sand.  And it was relatively deep too! I saw older kids burying themselves from the waist down, but our kids were content to just sit and play. If we had more time, it would have been a great place to do some sensory activities. It was just like a big sensory box!

A giant mountain of hay, aptly named The Hay Mountain, made for a fun climbing area. Abby knows no fear of heights, so she went straight to the top. Ellie has decided that she is okay with heights too, so she followed her sister up (and then fell upside down, but thankfully, didn't get hurt). We grabbed a family photo while we had the chance!

Elijah, Mommy, Ellie, Abby, Daddy, and Caleb

Daddy, Elijah, Abby (on top), Ellie, and Caleb (lower)

I have a serious love of Kettle Corn, so I was delighted to see a truck there! I think the kids like it too! We snagged a bag of the original, and then decided to try the cinnamon flavor as well. I may or may not have eaten the majority of it. Hehe!

Ellie and Daddy

And this year, we decided to give the corn maze a try! It was actually my first time in a corn maze too. This patch had a great, shorter maze for little ones, so we went with that one. It was still a really good length, and the kids enjoyed running through it!

Abby and Elijah

Caleb and Daddy

I love this photo! I think it's because this represents exactly what memories are made of!

This post may contain affiliate links. For more info, please see my disclaimer page.

Is it even fall without a visit to the pumpkin patch?

Heading out to find pumpkins was one of my favorite things last year, and it was definitely a highlight this year as well!

This year, we headed south to visit Shuck's Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch. It was only about 25 minutes from our house, and a pretty drive out into the country. There are tons of pumpkin patches in the Kansas City metro area, but Shuck's ended up being just the right one for our family, There was plenty for our four two-year-olds to do, but not so much that we were overwhelmed. It was also pleasantly busy without being crowded. With the weather being perfect, it was really a wonderful day to go.

The only things that would have made it better would have been if we weren't sick, and if one of the other patrons hadn't had a heart attack. Sean wrangled the kids while I headed over to help with that. Side note: You never know when you will need to do CPR. I'm glad I got my certification renewed a few months ago. If you don't know how to do CPR, I encourage you to learn how to...soon!

Anyhow, the patch was great fun, and the kids had a great time running off some energy.

·       

The girls were enamored with the specialty pumpkins!

They had a Barrel Train Ride that was pulled by a tractor. The barrels had been cut away with seats installed in them. The kids took a couple of rides in them around the patch.

Okay, this was just really cool! They had a giant sandbox that was filled with dried corn kernels rather than sand.  And it was relatively deep too! I saw older kids burying themselves from the waist down, but our kids were content to just sit and play. If we had more time, it would have been a great place to do some sensory activities. It was just like a big sensory box!

A giant mountain of hay, aptly named The Hay Mountain, made for a fun climbing area. Abby knows no fear of heights, so she went straight to the top. Ellie has decided that she is okay with heights too, so she followed her sister up (and then fell upside down, but thankfully, didn't get hurt). We grabbed a family photo while we had the chance!

Elijah, Mommy, Ellie, Abby, Daddy, and Caleb

Daddy, Elijah, Abby (on top), Ellie, and Caleb (lower)

I have a serious love of Kettle Corn, so I was delighted to see a truck there! I think the kids like it too! We snagged a bag of the original, and then decided to try the cinnamon flavor as well. I may or may not have eaten the majority of it. Hehe!

Ellie and Daddy

And this year, we decided to give the corn maze a try! It was actually my first time in a corn maze too. This patch had a great, shorter maze for little ones, so we went with that one. It was still a really good length, and the kids enjoyed running through it!

Abby and Elijah

Caleb and Daddy

I love this photo! I think it's because this represents exactly what memories are made of!

This post may contain affiliate links. For more info, please see my disclaimer page.

Pumpkin Patch Pick'n

Over the weekend, we had one of those days where I just LOVE being a family!

I wanted so much to take the kids out for some fun fall activities and we found the perfect outing when my friend Katie from a local multiples group told me about their pumpkin patch. Katie and her husband Logan are farmers and every year they make a giant corn maze along with opening up part of their farm as a pumpkin patch: Powell Pumpkin Patch!

And the best part? It totally fit our budget because their pumpkin patch and hayrides are FREE!

So we loaded up the kids along with their winter coats, hats, and flannel blankets and headed for the patch. The weather definitely got colder recently, and I think the kids were a little surprised by it! Since they were on solid lockdown last year, I'm not sure they realized how cold it can get!

All loaded up in the wagon and ready to find a pumpkin!

Elijah, Caleb, Abby, and Ellie

I love the various facial expressions as we got ready to roll out!

Caleb                                                                                    Abby

(Is Caleb's hat a riot, or what?! Haha!)

Elijah                                                                                   Ellie

The little pumpkin shack is right at the front of the patch. Since Katie and Logan grow other produce as well, they had some wonderful displays of butternut and acorn squash, gorgeous fiesta squash (so pretty!), red Indian corn, and some fun little mini pumpkins for kids. Our kids thought the mini pumpkins were the best! We even caught Eli giving his a big kiss at one point. Lol!

Little Kids and Little Pumpkins!

Elijah, Ellie, Abby, and Caleb

And, of course, we had to have a family picture!

Then Katie and Logan were kind enough to load us up on one of the tractors for our first hayride out into the patch! It was very important that we found the perfect pumpkin!

Mommy, Abby, Ellie, Caleb, Eli, and Daddy

Out in the middle of the patch, Logan stopped the tractor and they helped us unload the kids to go exploring. I love that they don't make people stay on the path. They encouraged us to go exploring through the patch to find our ideal pumpkin.

Ellie and Eli Getting Ready to Hit the Field

Daddy trying to convince Abby to go into the field, while Caleb surveys his options.

Katie and Abby (look at that little red nose!)

I had no idea that there are as many varieties of pumpkins as there are! I thought that there were carving pumpkins, mini pumpkins, and pie pumpkins. Whoa. I was so, so wrong. They had SIX different sizes of carving pumpkins. I saw one that was over 90 pounds! Pink pumpkins (who would have thought?), Cinderella pumpkins (pretty!), Red Warty Things (that is seriously the name, and they look exactly like they sound), and a bunch of other ones. Click HERE to see a list of some of the specialty pumpkins. It's really amazing!

For myself, I wanted to try a couple of pie pumpkins. I love baking pumpkin flavored goodies, but I wanted to take it a step further and see how they turn out with fresh, straight-from-the-field, pie pumpkin. Katie helped me pick out four (one for each kid!) pie pumpkins. They are so pretty though, I think I'll wait until the end of October. That's the nice thing about the pumpkins, they will last a long time.

Then we decided that a Pink Pumpkin would be a fun change from the usual pumpkins that you find in stores. Logan headed off to find one of those for us, while Sean and I started hunting for our "front porch" pumpkin.

Oh goodness! It was so hard! I'll be honest, I was kind of expecting those cruddy pumpkins that they sell at Walmart. You know, the kind with bruises and soft spots that are lopsided and weird colors.

Their pumpkins were gorgeous. I'm talking, Martha Stewart worthy pumpkins. (Maybe I should send her an email to let her know that real pumpkins exist that meet her standards, and she can stop decoupaging fake ones...)

But eventually, all six of us agreed on our family pumpkin!

The kids were cold at that point, so we headed back to the tractor to ride the rest of the way back with our pie pumpkins, pink pumpkin, and kid-approved family pumpkin!

Daddy unloaded the kids from the tractor and got them back in their wagon while Katie and I walked over to look at the squash. I love cooking with in-season produce, especially when I know that it's straight from the field. We are also big fans of supporting local farmers who are growing food right here in our area. I got a nice array of butternut and fiesta squash for us to enjoy over the next couple of weeks as the weather turns colder. Yummy!

The Kids with their Mini Pumpkins and Pie Pumpkins!

Caleb                                                                                        Abby

Elijah                                                                                         Ellie

And then for fun, Katie was kind enough to give us an extra pumpkin so that we could create a pretty display in front of our house (along with instructions on how to cook all of this when we are done looking at it). What do you think?

After that, we considered our trip a successful family outing! We LOVED the patch and were surprised how family friendly it was! Pumpkin patches so often charge for every little thing, including admission and that can get super expensive for a family our size. With free admission, free hayrides, a free sandpit (with toys to play with!), and a free hay area for the kids, it was the perfect patch for us! The only things to pay for are the pumpkins (very reasonably priced) and the corn maze if that's your thing!

Front Porch Display with Our Family Pumpkin

Carving Pumpkin, Butternut Squash, Pie Pumpkin, Pink Pumpkin, and Mini Pumpkin

P.S. Don't you just love the stems on these fresh pumpkins? They have so much character!

Steps up to the Front Porch

Pie Pumpkin, Butternut Squash, Carving Pumpkins,

and Mini Pumpkins

Pie Pumpkin with Fiesta Squash

The Fiesta Squash actually looks painted!

On our way home, Sean and I decided that this will be a yearly adventure for us. As the kids get older, we look forward to taking them out to Powell Pumpkin Patch every year with the tradition of letting them pick out their own pumpkins! Yay for new family traditions and the memories that go with them!

Our final stop on our way out of Louisberg:

The Louisberg Cider Mill to warm up with Apple Cider Doughnuts and Apple Juice!

What is your favorite fall outing as a family??

Over the weekend, we had one of those days where I just LOVE being a family!

I wanted so much to take the kids out for some fun fall activities and we found the perfect outing when my friend Katie from a local multiples group told me about their pumpkin patch. Katie and her husband Logan are farmers and every year they make a giant corn maze along with opening up part of their farm as a pumpkin patch: Powell Pumpkin Patch!

And the best part? It totally fit our budget because their pumpkin patch and hayrides are FREE!

So we loaded up the kids along with their winter coats, hats, and flannel blankets and headed for the patch. The weather definitely got colder recently, and I think the kids were a little surprised by it! Since they were on solid lockdown last year, I'm not sure they realized how cold it can get!

All loaded up in the wagon and ready to find a pumpkin!

Elijah, Caleb, Abby, and Ellie

I love the various facial expressions as we got ready to roll out!

Caleb                                                                                    Abby

(Is Caleb's hat a riot, or what?! Haha!)

Elijah                                                                                   Ellie

The little pumpkin shack is right at the front of the patch. Since Katie and Logan grow other produce as well, they had some wonderful displays of butternut and acorn squash, gorgeous fiesta squash (so pretty!), red Indian corn, and some fun little mini pumpkins for kids. Our kids thought the mini pumpkins were the best! We even caught Eli giving his a big kiss at one point. Lol!

Little Kids and Little Pumpkins!

Elijah, Ellie, Abby, and Caleb

And, of course, we had to have a family picture!

Then Katie and Logan were kind enough to load us up on one of the tractors for our first hayride out into the patch! It was very important that we found the perfect pumpkin!

Mommy, Abby, Ellie, Caleb, Eli, and Daddy

Out in the middle of the patch, Logan stopped the tractor and they helped us unload the kids to go exploring. I love that they don't make people stay on the path. They encouraged us to go exploring through the patch to find our ideal pumpkin.

Ellie and Eli Getting Ready to Hit the Field

Daddy trying to convince Abby to go into the field, while Caleb surveys his options.

Katie and Abby (look at that little red nose!)

I had no idea that there are as many varieties of pumpkins as there are! I thought that there were carving pumpkins, mini pumpkins, and pie pumpkins. Whoa. I was so, so wrong. They had SIX different sizes of carving pumpkins. I saw one that was over 90 pounds! Pink pumpkins (who would have thought?), Cinderella pumpkins (pretty!), Red Warty Things (that is seriously the name, and they look exactly like they sound), and a bunch of other ones. Click HERE to see a list of some of the specialty pumpkins. It's really amazing!

For myself, I wanted to try a couple of pie pumpkins. I love baking pumpkin flavored goodies, but I wanted to take it a step further and see how they turn out with fresh, straight-from-the-field, pie pumpkin. Katie helped me pick out four (one for each kid!) pie pumpkins. They are so pretty though, I think I'll wait until the end of October. That's the nice thing about the pumpkins, they will last a long time.

Then we decided that a Pink Pumpkin would be a fun change from the usual pumpkins that you find in stores. Logan headed off to find one of those for us, while Sean and I started hunting for our "front porch" pumpkin.

Oh goodness! It was so hard! I'll be honest, I was kind of expecting those cruddy pumpkins that they sell at Walmart. You know, the kind with bruises and soft spots that are lopsided and weird colors.

Their pumpkins were gorgeous. I'm talking, Martha Stewart worthy pumpkins. (Maybe I should send her an email to let her know that real pumpkins exist that meet her standards, and she can stop decoupaging fake ones...)

But eventually, all six of us agreed on our family pumpkin!

The kids were cold at that point, so we headed back to the tractor to ride the rest of the way back with our pie pumpkins, pink pumpkin, and kid-approved family pumpkin!

Daddy unloaded the kids from the tractor and got them back in their wagon while Katie and I walked over to look at the squash. I love cooking with in-season produce, especially when I know that it's straight from the field. We are also big fans of supporting local farmers who are growing food right here in our area. I got a nice array of butternut and fiesta squash for us to enjoy over the next couple of weeks as the weather turns colder. Yummy!

The Kids with their Mini Pumpkins and Pie Pumpkins!

Caleb                                                                                        Abby

Elijah                                                                                         Ellie

And then for fun, Katie was kind enough to give us an extra pumpkin so that we could create a pretty display in front of our house (along with instructions on how to cook all of this when we are done looking at it). What do you think?

After that, we considered our trip a successful family outing! We LOVED the patch and were surprised how family friendly it was! Pumpkin patches so often charge for every little thing, including admission and that can get super expensive for a family our size. With free admission, free hayrides, a free sandpit (with toys to play with!), and a free hay area for the kids, it was the perfect patch for us! The only things to pay for are the pumpkins (very reasonably priced) and the corn maze if that's your thing!

Front Porch Display with Our Family Pumpkin

Carving Pumpkin, Butternut Squash, Pie Pumpkin, Pink Pumpkin, and Mini Pumpkin

P.S. Don't you just love the stems on these fresh pumpkins? They have so much character!

Steps up to the Front Porch

Pie Pumpkin, Butternut Squash, Carving Pumpkins,

and Mini Pumpkins

Pie Pumpkin with Fiesta Squash

The Fiesta Squash actually looks painted!

On our way home, Sean and I decided that this will be a yearly adventure for us. As the kids get older, we look forward to taking them out to Powell Pumpkin Patch every year with the tradition of letting them pick out their own pumpkins! Yay for new family traditions and the memories that go with them!

Our final stop on our way out of Louisberg:

The Louisberg Cider Mill to warm up with Apple Cider Doughnuts and Apple Juice!

What is your favorite fall outing as a family??