On Saturday, we took the kids to a local pumpkin patch and they each enjoyed choosing their own.  It was a fun experience with a non-commercialized flavor which is what we were looking for.  Paying an entrance fee to a farm just kinda’ ruins the experience for us.  There was a “train” ride for the kids made out of large plastic drums linked together with cut out seats and a steering wheel screwed onto each “traincar”.  There was also a large “tractor-thingy” that we rode out to the pumpkin patch, hot apple cider, fresh cookies and other goodies for sale inside at a small store that was set up.  Unfortunately we forgot the camera, so these rather pathetic pictures are all I’ve got.  The kids weren’t feeling very cooperative. 

Chloe found a pretty round one and Darius was immediately drawn to the strange white ones that were there.

We spent quite a bit of time choosing “the biggest one”(of course!) for Josiah.  He really wanted a huge one and we looked at quite a few before finding one that didn’t have any bad spots or holes anywhere on them.  He wants to make it into pumpkin pie, and I told him it would probably make about 10 pumpkin pies, so he’s pretty excited about that!

This is Chloe today after she told me she wants Princess Leia hair.  She was laughing so hard after I created this!  I think I have to work on my hairdressing technique.  The kids decided she looked more like a cow with horns than Princess Leia!

Last Wednesday, for a variety of reasons, we decided to put Josiah in school.  Mostly because I haven’t had the energy to do a very good job homeschooling this year, and with a new baby on his way in a few weeks, that’s not likely to improve anytime soon.

He’s adapted very well, looks forward to his 2 PE days each week, aced his first spelling test(”the words were SOOO easy, Mommy!”) LOL, and is excited to have his first hot lunch today.  He tells me there ARE healthy things that the “cookers” make there.  It’s not all pizza and burgers apparently.  :)  We’ve enjoyed seeing his new independence, but it’s been kinda’ sad too.  Change is always so hard.

Does anyone else have these surreal moments where they look at their kids and wonder how on earth it all happened so fast?  Sometimes just watching them, it hits me how strange and incredible and amazing it is that I’m a mother of 3(4?) and these little ones running around actually belong here.  Hmmm…maybe I’m just strange and introspective. 

Tonight at least I was happy to claim them.  They were all freshly bathed and in their pajamas goofing around in the living room before bed.  I just had to take some pictures.  Before we know it, I’m sure, times like this will be a distant memory.