The Pumpkin Patch

Earlier in October we took a family outing to a local pumpkin patch. It was about 45 minutes away and was truly in the middle of farm country. There are pumpkin patches that are much closer to us, but they tend to be on vacant plots of land right next to the 101 - not exactly the country farm experience we were looking for.

The name of the place we went is called Faulkner Farms and it is in Santa Paula, CA. It is an older farm that has since been purchased by the University of California Hansen Agricultural Center. The proceeds from the annual pumpkin patch are donated to local schools and community groups in the area so that also made us feel good about supporting this particular farm.

There were bales of hay, a corn maze, a hay maze for the younger kids, hay rides, lots and lots of pumpkins, a petting zoo, a working farm, and even a little antique shop right on the property. They did have a live band when we were there but in my opinion they were just a little too loud (I know, I'm getting old). We started the afternoon with some lunch - tri tip sandwiches (a So. Cal favorite) and corn on the cob and then started touring the property. Christopher loved watching the older kids run around and he just likes to check out new things. We found some pumpkins that were bigger than he is and let him play around them for a while. During this time we were constantly trying to take advantage of any photo opp we could. I think we got some good pics and we'll definitely plan to head back there with both kids next fall.

Family photo with the sunflowers

The antique shop!

Chasing an almost toddler

Something very important that I've realized is that blogging with a 10/11 month old is not easy. During nap times I usually take the time to shower, clean up the kitchen, and do whatever other chores I can fit in within an hour. Christopher is an extremely mobile, extremely curious baby. I am not in any way complaining because he is so much fun and I love watching him explore - it just means there isn't much time to sit down during the day. Luckily I'm over the worst of the 1st trimester exhaustion and don't need daytime naps anymore. It also helps that Christopher consistently sleeps for 11 hours at night now. And when evening bed time rolls around Chris and I sit down and have a late dinner together and I don't usually have the energy to write something creative...or write something at all.

Some of the things Christopher is into right now is climbing the stairs in our house over and over and over again. He also likes to "rearrange" all of the shoes in my closet. I let him play in there while I brush my teeth after breakfast and he really enjoys it. Although lately he has decided he should try to close the door while he is inside and I'm not. Not a big deal because there is no lock on the door, but I always open it up pretty quickly.

There is always a new adventure around the corner for him and it is a lot of fun to see what he discovers next. One project we'd like to get done before Baby Straub #2 arrives in March is to convert our upstairs workout room to a playroom for the kids. It will be great to have a place to contain most of the toys and books and where it will be easy to block off the entrance and let Christopher be free to play. Hopefully we'll have the time to make that happen!