Pumpkins, hayrides and corn mazes, Oh my!

Have I mentioned that I love my playgroup. You heard me, not the kids' playgroup, MY playgroup. We have been gathering together at my sister's house every Thursday since the summer. This group has become like family to our kids and to myself as well. The women in this group have been a source of encouragement and support for me, like no other women I have had in my life. Each woman brings something unique and special to the group - not to mention lots of new moms! There hasn't been a week where we didn't have a new mom come for some fun!

On the days I've woken up and thought, "Oh, man - this day is going to be horrible. The kids are driving me nuts. I didn't sleep at all last night. I CANNOT get out of the house today", are the days I get myself there, NO MATTER WHAT! These women have made me a better friend, wife and mother. I thank God daily for the relationships I am building and for the new relationships that will come out of it.

Ok, now to the fun part!

To kick off fall at playgroup we are painting pumpkins and having a big fall festival tomorrow. So, we decided to take a field trip together today and pick our pumpkins at a local farm. I was pretty excited, b/c I missed doing a fall photo shoot with the kids and took this opportunity to get some shots of them. Here you go!

Esther with the pumpkin she didn't get. She was the only one of my kids who wanted a "tiny" pumpkin. Thank goodness, the other two wanted the biggest ones in the field!

Garrett was not letting this 'monster' pumpkin go! It weighed almost 20 lbs!!

This picture pretty much represents how happy Gid was to have his picture taken all day.

Mommy with her babies. Nora is in the carrier.

I was happy with Olivia's pick - I thought it was fairly conservative and not TOO large. However, when they put it on the scale, it weighed more than Garrett's! At .49 cents a pound - both of their pumpkins were quite an investment.

Playgroup Pumpkin gang.

From left to right (top) Garrett, holding Nora. Olivia, holding Riley. Esther, holding Brynn. Kylee, and Ava. Left to right (bottom) Jon, holding Ben. Gideon.

Crisp Pumpkin gang.