I say ‘trek’ because like last year, we met up with our friends Carlos and Cheryl and their kids over at a place near where they live – a little over an hour from us. We’ve actually done the whole pumpkin patch trip pretty much every year since Abby and DJ were toddlers, but haven’t found a really good place to go ever since our original favorite went out of business a few years ago.
This one we do really like, but somewhere between last October and now – they got extremely popular. And crowded. And expensive. But since we didn’t know that until we got there, we went ahead and made the best of it. And it turned out to be a really fun time anyway.
There was the ‘Boo’ train for the kids…
And the “Apple Express” wagon ride out into the apple orchard for everyone to have a chance to pick some apples straight from the tree. Our kids were all certainly excited for that part!
Getting a group shot of the kids was made a bit difficult by a certain 6-year-old girl who shall remain nameless (but was wearing a red headband that day) who posed just fine when she wanted to but refused to open her eyes or smile if she didn’t feel like it. From left to right are Quinn (4 days older than Becca), Becca, Hannah, DJ (2 days younger than Abby) and Abby.
Yes, we met Carlos and Cheryl in childbirth classes when we were each pregnant with our first baby. Hard to believe they’ll both be 9 years old next year! And before I look like a horrible mother for not having hats on my girls on what was obviously a very cold day – Becca had pulled hers off so many times already that I gave up and stuck it in my purse. Ditto for Hannah, and Abby had left hers at school. And none of them would put their hoods up either, so rather than follow them around pulling hoods up all day, I opted to enjoy myself (and take photos) instead. 
This is the closest we got to a decent whole group shot. Yes, DJ has his eyes closed, you can’t see Quinn (he’s between Carlos and Hannah, behind the leaves), half of Becca’s face is blocked by the wagon’s railing… And, of course, I was taking the picture, so am not in it. Not that I terribly mind that part of it.
I had a lot of fun taking pictures on this trip. I’ll share more of them later, since we did so much more after the apple-picking and wagon ride – enough to fill several more posts. For now, I’ll leave you with these:
Don’t you just want to go out and grab a bite of an apple now? 
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October 23rd, 2009 at 10:26 am
Cute shots of what looks like a fun day
Lovely apple captures 
October 23rd, 2009 at 11:07 am
what a fun day out at the pumpkin patch. If you want to come on by and meet Jack I’m home.
kaye´s last blog ..Photo Story Friday: Meet Jack
October 23rd, 2009 at 11:37 am
That looks like so much fun! The local pumpkin patch here is way too expensive for my taste (and my big family) so we travel a little further for a free one (admission-wise, at least). Love those apple tree shots!
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October 23rd, 2009 at 12:42 pm
looks like some great times
October 23rd, 2009 at 2:29 pm
looks like a fun day!
October 23rd, 2009 at 3:03 pm
Love the shots! I posted a sampling of our pumpkin picking pics too!
October 23rd, 2009 at 7:43 pm
Looks like tons of fun!! I’ve cut back on my blog hopping and haven’t been by in a while. I can’t believe how big Becca has gotten and her hair is just too cute!! All the girls look like they had a great time!
Melanie´s last blog ..Fall Fun
October 23rd, 2009 at 10:08 pm
Looks like they had a blast! That’s cool that your pumpkin patch has apple picking too. We’ve always had to go to two separate farms for that. Awesome pics!
October 24th, 2009 at 12:34 am
it looks like a chilly but fun day!
October 24th, 2009 at 4:23 pm
I so remember those days with my girls, to a similar place. We always did it yearly and took lots of pictures. This year, they asked if we could go again.
I love the shots of the girls and the apples. You always take such amazing pictures, capturing autumn in all its beauty. The girls are growing up so fast, so beautiful.
Happy October. Can’t wait to see you Halloween pictures.
cheryl´s last blog ..Cool Writing Journals for 4th, 5th and 6th Grades
October 27th, 2009 at 12:45 am
Sounds like a fun filled day! What a fun tradition.
The apple pix are great. I have 2 trees begging me to rid them of their burdens, but the apples are too high up and I don’t have a tall enough ladder.
Carrie Keiser´s last blog ..Foto Story Friday # 72—- Construction Equipment Dance