Pumpkin Picking in Vermont!

October was great and went by way too fast. I thought I would be able to travel as much as I did last year driving all over New England to see the fall foliage as well as in upstate New York but because of all the rain we got for the past seven weeks it was impossible for me to venture out and capture all the halloween decorated stoops that the city has to offer. The upper east side had a ton of decorations and I only got to capture these ones. They were lovely but I wish I had more time to go and see more. However, I was excited that we were able to go to Vermont to do some pumpkin picking at Armstrong farm. All the pumpkins here including the huge ones are way cheaper than the ones in Jersey. You can buy a ton for under 20 bucks! And the jam and the syrup are top notch! Although it drizzled a bit while we there we still had fun picking and Noah felt like a little kid again dragging around the radio flyer wagon. 

Thankful for Pumpkin Patches!

Fall continues to fly by and I'm so grateful that we were able to start the season early by going to various pumpkin patches when October hit. Now that we are nearing the end of November it's truly bittersweet to look back at the some of the photos that didn't make it to the blog until now. As the kids get older they are more independent on choosing their own pumpkins as opposed to asking me, "mom, does this one look good?" Even my adult daughter will ask me that but this time none of them asked-even Noah. He will pick one without a stem and just grab one as long as it's orange! We had such a fun time at Trauger's in Bucks county. This is the second time we've come here and their little general store is filled with goodies such as apple slushes, donuts, banana bread and all kinds of sweets! Super delicious and the pumpkin season just went by too fast! Always grateful to capture my kiddos in action as they wander around the patch just having a blast!

Pumpkin Picking From The Vine!

There's something about picking pumpkins straight from the vine that makes all the fun as opposed to buying a pre-cut one. When we went to this pumpkin patch in Bucks county all we did was walk around to look at all the beautifully precut orange, and white pumpkins, but it wasn't the same as actually picking one from the vine. So we all ended up going back to one of our favorite farms in Connecticut to pick pumpkins straight from the vine, and it was the best! 

'Tis The Season For Pumpkin!

Going to a pumpkin patch is a great way to get into the holiday spirt, and because the weather was pretty perfect this past weekend we took a drive into Bucks County and found us the cutest little pumpkin patch. 

A Hayride To The Pumpkin Patch At Johnson's Farm!

So far the month of October has kept us outdoors going to "fallish" places. particularly to various pumpkin patches, and we are loving it! One can never get enough of pumpkin patches especially when temperatures are in the 70's! Since the kids had no school yesterday we decided to find ourselves a hayride. We've already gone to pick pumpkins, and apples, but missed out on the hayride. 

Pumpkin Picking in 80 Degree Weather!

Tis the season for a month of fall estivities! There are so many things we'd like to do as a family this season, but no way to pack in on all those things on our fall bucket list. Finding balance, and doing the simple things that are fun without added stress is the way to go, and lately we have been doing just that! 

Picking the Perfect Pumpkin.

The month of October creeped in on us way to fast and with two Saturday's left in the month we realized that we hadn't gone pumpkin picking. This is a must on our fall bucket list so this past weekend we ventured out to one of our favorite pumpkin patches to pick a few pumpkins.  

Time flies when you're having fun especially when you have picky kids wanting to pick that perfect pumpkin. Noah has become selective in picking any kind of fruit especially pumpkins! My patience has gotten a lot better especially with these two because they always want to find a pumpkin that's flawless without any blemishes. Sometimes that's impossible because all pumpkins are going to come shaped like a strawberry with some discoloration, and dirt that can easily be washed off.  

^^^ you can't see it, but he has the "life is so hard" look on his face! ^^^ 

^^^ After roaming the patch for about half an hour the kids all finally picked one they approved of. ^^^

It is always a treat to go on these family outings together, and in between the indecisiveness and light bickering there's laughter, lots of giggling, and love.  I love spending time with my kids and seeing smiles on their faces that aren't forced!

I think the one that gets a kick out of these outings is Jon. He works half a day every Saturday, and I think that after driving a huge UPS truck for four hours all he wants to do is something relaxing. His idea of relaxing is the outdoors. He loves doing stuff with the kids, and it puts a huge smile on my face when he comes with us on our little adventures. He missed out on going apple picking with us this year, and so he was pretty excited when I told him we were going pumpkin picking. 

^^^ and check out that clear blue sky! ^^^

In all honesty I think Jon's favorite part of going with us to the patch is the wheelbarrels. He's like a little kid with it! The kids will sit in it, and as we walk towards the patch he'll start moving it up and down, and the kids love it! We also went on a hayride where the  driver/owner tells the history of the farm. We had a little bit of a history lesson about this farm, and it is amazing to know that it's been around since the 1800's!! 

I am so glad Lexie also made time to come with us. She had a homecoming dance to go to that evening, and homework to do, but made time to have fun with her sibs because that's what big sisters should do right? 

All went well with picking the perfect pumpkin, and all. I'm beginning to feel that October is indeed my favorite month. I love this time of year where spending time as a family increases even more. 

^^^ I sure do love this family of mine! ^^^ 

Hope y'all had a wonderful weekend, and that y'all enjoy the rest of October! 

Lee Turkey Farm Pumpkin Patch.

On the last weekend of October we finally made it to the pumpkin patch. For a minute there I thought we weren't going to be able to not go due to conflicting schedules. Since Lexie missed out on going apple picking this year I wanted to find a day where Lexie could come without missing any of her after school activities. Well...the only day we could all go was on Saturday, and so we made it. If you don't know us by now we are a very spontaneous people, and I am beginning to believe that spontaneous people go to spontaneous places they've never been to spontaneously. We love exploring different parts in New Jersey, and so we found this turkey farm which was very unique. 

This farm has the cleanest apple orchard. We have already decided to go apple picking here next year. I love how the trees are all lined up, kept up, and well maintained. They had everything growing on the patch from pumpkins on a vine, to cabbage, tomatoes, and even broccoli! You can literally smell the broccoli as you're walking down the patch. Truly amazing! Makes me want to seriously plant my own! 

Anyway here are a few pictures from our adventure on Saturday. There is no hayride out to the patch on this farm which was different for me, and I actually like their style of supplying wagons, and trekking out to the patch. It's not a far walk at all, and we all had fun taking turns pushing it. 

The kids had so much fun picking. I swear the older Noah and Chelsea get the pickier they get in which pumpkin they want to choose. It only took them an hour but it was worth it, and so fun watching their every move...literally.

 ^^^ Don't you just love the chocolate milk stain on his Hello t-shirt?! ^^^

^^^ Taking a break from trying to find the perfect pumpkin! ^^^

At first Noah thought that this was a watermelon! Since watermelon is his favorite he actually wanted to take this one home too, but alas they all found their perfect pumpkins! 

^^^ Silly pumpkin heads! ^^^

And so I end this post with more pictures than words such as this one because sometimes looking at a picture can be worth more than a thousand words. Love this boy, and the fact that we all ventured out once again as a family keeps me going. I really love this whole 'spontaneous trip planning family outings' we have. They keep us young at heart, and full of energy. 

The only thing missing is having our other daughter here to spend harvest time with us this fall. I'll always reflect back on the last time she went pumpkin picking with us, and helped Noah pick a pumpkin. That reflection of my life with her will always be priceless, and remain in my heart forever. 

pumpkin picking at argo's farm.

One thing I absolutely love about living in South Jersey are all the pumpkin patches that surround us. There are tons of them within a 75 mile radius to choose from. Even though we have two pumpkin patches within 15 minutes from our house we like venturing out to a different one each year. Yes...we are spoiled living here!

This year we decided to check out Argo's farm, and so far this one is at the top of my list of favorites! It is try a family friendly farm it is worth the 75 minute drive. 

They had everything from a corn maze to pony rides, and the perfect pumpkin patch with tons of fun for the kids. 

The kids wanted to get the smaller pumpkins to paint and the bigger ones to carve!

^^love them gourds^^

I absolutely love this fall family tradition. As a youth I never, ever went to a pumpkin patch in my life until I moved to North Carolina. I know pretty shocking huh! Seriously...I never had this opportunity.  

Chelsea was Noah's age when we first experienced a pumpkin patch, and a corn maze. Hay rides came later when we moved to Jersey. 

^^I'll take these two please^^

It was so fun watching Noah pull the wagon throughout the patch trying to pick the ones he wanted. He was going to town when he started putting small gourds in it, and I had to take them out because the wagon was getting too full! 

He's so cute in this vine too!

This was the perfect weather to go pumpkin picking and it truly felt like fall. It wasn't that sunny, and it felt nice to have a chill in the air. 

I am so happy that I have made this a tradition for us to go pumpkin picking every year, and have fun as a family. 

I wish Sierra would have been with us this year. I remember how much fun she had last year when she helped Noah pick a perfect pumpkin. She'll definitely be spending the weekend of Noah's birthday with us next month. 

Hopefully y'all have this on your list of fall family traditions because it is indeed one of my faves! Especially when you have little ones. 

Looking back at this old post when Noah was little saddens me with joyful tears because it's proof that he's growing too quick! It makes me even more pleased and happier that I am building these traditions in hopes that they will do this with their future families. 

This day was perfection.

Have a great week now!