Pumpkin Patch

Yesterday we indulged in one of the standard wholesome seasonal activities that everyone imagines doing with their kids.  We went to a pumpkin patch!  I haven't been to a pumpkin patch for years.  The last one I went to, besides the one my family planted just for fun and not as a business, was in high school when a nearby farm had a corn maze, pumpkin patch and haunted house (granary).  I guess I went to Acres of Terror in college a few times but that happened after dark and did not involve pumpkins. 

 

I was surprised to find such a rural environment only minutes from my house but there it was.  It was tucked away in a beautiful tree filled area along the Missouri River.  In addition to pumpkins and gourds for sale they had a playground, nature trail, various setups for photo opportunities and some sort of hay bale obstacle course that Ben was too small for.  What they did have for him was this gigantic "sandbox" full of corn seed. 

 

He didn't really know what to do at first.  That blur in the background is a girl doing a cannonball into the corn. 

 

He finally settled in.  I have no idea where that empty water bottle came from.  I think it was siting on the bale wall and he took it!  It was empty so hopefully whoever left it there didn't care!

 

They had a playground with trains and farm machinery made of wood.  There was a very impressive combine but it was always filled with kids so we couldn't get a good picture of him on there alone. 

 

I always imagined pumpkin patches as being a field where the pumpkins actually grow and you pick your pumpkin by roaming around the field until you find the "one".  That was the charm of our old pumpkin patch!  These were already picked and spread out so you could still walk around and pick one but not actually pick it.  I don't know where these actually were grown.  I suppose for legitimate businesses it is an insurance and liability issue to have people roaming around among the vines and leaves.  It is pretty easy to trip or fall into a stem or something. 

 

There was this old lawn tractor that looked like it still was used for actual work and of course Ben was drawn to that thing like a moth to a flame or any other cliché you can come up with.  We would move him back into the pumpkins and he just turned and took off toward it immediately. 

 

Before we left we went back to the corn and Justin jumped in with him and played around for awhile. 

 

At one point we noticed he put a kernel in his mouth so I did a finger sweep and discovered a mouthful of chewed up corn.  All the other parents gathered around thought it was hilarious.  At least it was just corn!  I can't imagine something less appealing to hoard in my mouth but I have found that babies and toddlers have different standards in that area!

 

When it was bath time it was no surprise to discover that his clothes and diaper were full of corn and I found a few stray kernels around the house today.