Pumpkin Picking 2011!

Well, it's that time of year again! Mom, Dad and I went out to Homestead Farms in Maryland to pick some pumpkins!

The trip would not have been complete without a hayride, and we got there just in time for one of the last ones of the day! We all hopped on, and rode through the farm. I buried Mommy in hay a little bit, and got to bop around in the back of the trailer for awhile...it was really cool. The scenery was great!

Once we made it out to the field, we walked around for awhile in an effort to find the best shaped and perfectly-sized pumpkin. It was fun to run around the field to see all of the pumpkins that they had to offer. Dad mentioned that because of the rough weather we had this year, there were a lot less pumpkins than usual, and a lot of them were rotted out (These rotted-out ones were of the greatest interest to me, much to Mom and Dad's chagrin)

There were a few false starts...sometimes you see a pumpkin and it speaks to you, but it isn't quite what you're looking for. We several instances like that (and several instances of me finding a suitable pumpkin, and then having my attention drawn elsewhere by another also-suitable pumpkin)

Finally, after much deliberation...I found the one I wanted most!

Mom was kind enough to not only help me in the choosing process, but she helped me carry it once I picked it out!

We hopped back onto the hayride (And got to watch as the driver of our hayride helped another driver get his tractor out of the mud he got stuck in....Dad was pretty impressed, and Mom was amused at how impressed he was...)

I was EXTREMELY excited about our pumpkin, and was also pretty psyched about getting back to the entrance to the farm because I knew there was even more stuff we could do there...

Waiting for me, as though she remembered me from last year, was the witch scarecrow decoration that they had put up on one of the barns...last year I was mortified, but this year I wasn't scared at all, and faced her down...I thought she added a nice bit of atmosphere to the place, and nothing more. :-)

We also couldn't resist going over to one of the little photo op dealies that were set up at the farm...Mom and I had a lot of fun with that one...

We also went over to the petting zoo that they had set up and saw some goats first...a little girl offered me some of her treats to feed the goats, but I politely declined, since the goats were looking a little aggressive today...so I was understandably concerned...


I mean, look at this guy:

Who exactly does he think he is popping up like this? C'mon, man...

Instead I grabbed a piece of hay, and tried to feed it to both the goats and the chickens (Because of the safety of being able to try and feed them from 9 inches away I was cool with it) They weren't all that interested, but I think it's because other people had spoiled them with the treats that the farm provided (Maybe I'll try those next year...)

In addition to our big pumpkin, we also picked up a lil decorative pumpkin for us to have around the house....how cute is this little guy?! (and no, I don't mean me....but thanks for thinking that! You KNOW you were!)

While Mom went to go pay for the pumpkins (And pick us up some apple cider at the farm stand....mmmmmm....)

Ad and I checked out the other pumpkins that the farm had for sale...I ran around the rows of pumpkins (and surprisingly only fell once....ouch!)

We wrapped up our trip, and headed home, happy that we had accomplished the mission...find pumpkins! A crisp, beautiful Fall day was perfect for our little outing! I can't WAIT to carve our pumpkin!