A Pumpkin Patch Look-a-Like Tradition

I debated over and over about going to a pumpkin patch this year. We have gone to Schnepf Farms for the past 3 years. It is sorta far away and a little on the expensive side for what the kids can do. So I saw that there are a couple around the valley. I found one not too far away. But, yesterday I decided that we should go to the zoo and then to Sprouts for a pumpkin. We have a membership to the zoo so it was free. The farm would have been $16. Sprouts had pumpkins for $3.99 each. Big ones too! The pumpkin patches charge by the pound.  I felt guilty for a second that we weren't going to do the typical Halloween tradition, but it passed in a hot minute when I remember that they are 3 1/2 and 1 1/2 and they won't remember!!! So we took our favorite elements from the pumpkin patches and made up our own!

The zoo was a blast. We managed to keep them in the stroller for most of the trip. When we were in the kids area, a lady was walking a Donkey to his stall and stopped to say hi to us.

After naps, we headed over to Sprouts for a pumpkin. And after dinner, we carved it. The kids helped me clean it and Mike carved it. 

Ava didn't want her picture taken, so her head is down.

Ava really didn't want her picture taken here. She was kinda cranky this afternoon.

Noah ate some of the raw pumpkin. They both tried to pull the seeds out of the pumpkin, but would only do it with a gigantic spoon, so they weren't much help.

Now we just have to get to Halloween. Hopefully one of the kids will wear their costumes longer than just for pictures. Ava can get kinda weird when she "has" to wear something.

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On a side note: Noah's naps are getting a little bit better. He will now go down for his nap if I leave his door cracked open. So I leave it about 2 inches open. I hold it open, but am out of sight. ( I have to put something on the other side of the door to hold it open because if I let go, it goes all the way open). After he falls asleep, which is usually about 5 minutes, I pull it to the door jam. I don't dare close it all the way anymore because EVERY.SINGLE.TIME I do, he wakes up. He has been waking up after 30-40 minutes and I go in and rub his back and open the door again for 5-10 minutes and then close it to the door jam again. Today, we got a full hour and 10 minutes, which is his usual nap. Hopefully, we can get back to closing the door, but this is just as good.