Halloween 2011 - Belvedere Plantation

The kids have been begging to go to the Pumpkin Patch this year...and I just couldn't tell them no. :)

After loading up the truck with a million things, and failing miserably at convincing them to wear 'halloweenish' clothes, the kids and I had a great day together.

SOOO....dont mind the completely mix-matched clothes...or the football in hand, and enjoy the pics!

The giant 'welcome' guy at the front of Belvedere Plantation. 

 First stop...the hayride out to the pumpkin patch.  My rules: you have to be able to carry whatever you pick, and you cant pick any of the green ones since they are still growing.

 This is great mom!  She loved the hayride out to the pumpkin patch...although she wasnt quite sure about all of the hay that ended up stuck in her pants.

 Running to find their perfect pumpkins.  (At this point cav realized he couldnt carry much of anything with a football in his hands)

So happy with their choices!  Cavin of course found a green one that WASNT attached to the vine still (at least that's what he told me!).  Caden's has no stem, and some weird markings...but he said it will be 'perfect' when he carves it. 

 Jumping high on the 'little people bounce-pillow' as she called it.

 There were scarecrows (actual statue ones) everywhere.  You can imagine the kids' surprise when this one walked up to them and started making balloon swords.

 What would the day be without a little friendly competition.  Jacie always seemed to win.  She doesnt weigh the most...and wasnt using her hands or TRYING to win.  Eventually I realized that she would have the boys 'help' her get her potato-sack set up for her to sit on.  So she would inevitably get a couple second start on them.  Pretty slick - she won every time!

 Just swinging

 Here is a big open area...time to play catch for a bit!

 What do you do with old corn-cobs?  We turn them  into rocketships!!!

(Unfortunately...Cavin spent a great deal of time and focus on making his rocket that he accidentally left his football right there on the table.  Good thing we have 1,000,000,000,000 more of them in the garage.  Hope whatever kid picked it up enjoys it! )

We were invited by some good friends of ours, to join them later in the evening for a bonfire there at the pumpkin patch.  Everything worked out perfectly and we were able to meet up, have a great evening of the adults visiting...the kids playing...good food and lots of fun.  Thanks Barbara and Jeff!  Can't wait til next year.

Caden was all set up and ready for the fire to start!

 Another open area...another game of football! (No, not Cavin's football.  But these boys think alike and Cavin's friend Phillip had brought a football too!)

 The kids thought roasting their hotdogs was so cool!  

Phillip, Caden, Jacie, Savannah, Coy, & Chase (the other half of the kids were off on the farm somewhere)

 SMORES!!!

 What??  We're trying to eat here mom.  (They must've each had 10 smores out there!)

 Jacie wanted no part of the ooey-gooey mess when put all together.  

So she had a slightly toasted marshmallow, a cracker and a piece of chocolate.  perfect.

And after a LONG day of pumpkin patch fun...pumpkins, bounce houses, slides, zip lines, swings, ropes, tractor races, pedal cars, and so much more...the poor little girl was exhausted.  Thankfully we brought the wagon to bring all of the food down to the bonfire...it made the perfect little bed for my princess.