Pumpkin Farm

We took Patrick to a pumpkin farm for the first time this year, and we had a really fun time. We also took Grandma and Papa and cousin Kellen. The pumpkin farm was a really nice place in Boulder that was *free* and had pumpkins, animals, corn maze, straw maze, tractors, and lots of toddler fun. We went on a beautiful 70 degree day.

Of course Patrick had to try and pick up all the pumpkins. He only broke one. They were "so heavy!"


There were goats, sheep, cows, chickens, rabbits, a donkey, and a miniature horse. The boys loved going from animal to animal and telling us all about them.

Patrick enjoyed the old tractor that were sitting around the farm. He called them train cars and he and Kellen even tried to move one.

Reed took the boys in the straw maze and I think they had a lot of fun running around and waving to mom. It was really cute watching all the little kiddos running around in circles.

We took a wagon out to the "pumpkin patch" and the boys hitched a ride out there.

Kellen was a little upset when we started putting pumpkins in the wagon and he realized that he couldn't ride in the wagon anymore!

We had fun picking out just the right pumpkin. Of course, Patrick thought they were all great, so it was hard convincing him that we couldn't take them all home. I had never been to a pumpkin patch before, so I had just as much fun picking out the perfect pumpkin!

These pumpkins were "hiding in a nest!"

Patrick and Kellen decided that they were going to pull the wagons out all by themselves, which was very entertaining. I was actually really impressed that they navigated out of the field and all the way to the entrance by themselves. It was super cute.

The pumpkin patch was a very fun outing, and I am looking forward to making it a yearly tradition. Patrick is understanding a lot more than last year and is getting pretty excited for Halloween. He loves the pumpkins and the Halloween decorations we have made.

We Have a Lawn!

We (specifically Reed) worked very hard to get our lawn put together before the cool weather sets in. Fortunately, the warm weather has stuck around for a long time this year. We borrowed a rototiller from a friend and Reed spent a weekend and got the whole yard done with the help of a few young men in our ward. We are really lucky to have some great young men who like to come and help and lots of great friends who come help when we ask.

One of the hardest parts was getting the dirt smoothed out and leveled. We had a large trench in the middle of the yard from where we remove the sidewalk, and it took a while to get that filled in just right. I marked out where I wanted berms on the side and Reed put the black edging in. I went to the garden center and bought two trees, an pear and plum, both non-flowering. They are supposed to grow quickly and become good shade trees, so hopefully we will have a little more shade next year!

After the trees were in, we got some friends to come over and help us put in the sod. With all the help, it only took us a couple of hours. The grass looks fantastic and it immediately transformed our yard. It went from barren wasteland to a usable space! Now we have gravel next to house with some paving stones for a walkway, but I don't have pictures of that yet.

We still have work to do next spring, but we can actually go in the backyard to play now. Next year we plan on working on getting shrubs and flowers planted around the fence and get a garden planted in the back corner. We also want to make a cobblestone patio and possibly a pergola. We really need more shade in the yard, and we would really enjoy a picnic table in a shady spot. But we have very pleased with what we got done this year. I am so happy to be able to let Patrick go out and play in the yard now. He enjoys it so much!

It's a GIRL!

Patrick is going to have a LITTLE SISTER! We are so excited!

California Trip

This month we were able to go to California to visit family and friends for a nice long 13 day vacation. We had a ton of fun, but we are sure glad to be back home!

We drove down in two days. Our first day we drove to St. George, Utah. We got there early enough to play in the hotel pool, which was nice, because it was 105 that day! Well, I think it is that hot quite frequently, but that is warmer than we are used to. Patrick loves hotels. The first things he does is jump on the beds, and then he checks out the phone. After about 30 minutes, I had to unplug the receiver and hide it so he wouldn't accidentally call anyone.

The second day we drove through Las Vegas and headed to the LA area. My cousin Luke, was getting married that evening, and we had just enough time to shower quickly at the hotel and head across town to the temple. Well, what was supposed to be a 1.5 hour drive turned into a 2.5 hour drive thanks to Friday rush hour LA traffic. I am really thankful that we have been living in Denver for the last three years because it somewhat prepared me for the traffic there. There was still a lot more of it, but I wasn't as paranoid and panicked as I was the first time I experienced Denver traffic. Anyway, we ended up being about 30 minutes late for the sealing, but we weren't the only ones stuck in traffic, and the sealing was lovely. Luke and Brittany are a very cute couple, and I was so happy that we could be there for their wedding.

The reception wasn't until the next evening, so the next morning, Saturday, we drove down to Huntington Beach with my uncles Tim and Matt and their families. I had never been to a real live ocean beach before, so this was a very fun day. I was so excited to see the ocean! We had a really beautiful day. It wasn't too hot or too crowded, and the sky was really clear. The waves were fairly gentle, and we had a lot of fun playing in the water and sand.

Patrick was pretty hesitant around the waves. He enjoyed the water, but was just scared enough to not go running in my himself, which made me happy!

He went in the water with Dad a few times, but mostly just wanted to dig in the sand. He only ate a few handfulls.

Reed was a great dad and went to fetch water for Patrick when he didn't want to go in the water.

Then he buried Patrick in the sand!

The next day we drove up north to Lemoore, which is just south of Fresno. Reed's brother Adam lives there, and we stayed with them for a couple of days. After a busy weekend, it was nice to have a couple of normal, relaxing days. We all took long naps, and Patrick got in the water again to play in their pool. He loves the stairs, and likes to climb in and out of the pool. Sometimes he will jump off the side into Reed's arms, but mostly he just liked to splash. Who doesn't?

We also spent a day in Monterey with Adam and Kelli. We walked around Fisherman's Wharf and ate some awesome clam chowder (you really missed out Patrick!) and then headed up to the aquarium. I was really excited to go to the aquarium. I have always heard how great it is, and I think I was as excited to see the fish as Patrick was.

Emma and Jason looking at the fish.

Patrick LOVED touching the starfish. He was soaking wet from splashing too much. Reed probably wasn't that dry either!

The aquarium has lots of fun areas for the kids to run around and play, which was nice because we were there for a long time. And sometimes mommies and daddies play too!

Here we are at Monterey Bay!

And then one of Patrick picking his nose, which he does a lot right now . . .

Reed liked teasing the penguin with his cell phone.

Patrick was ready to crash after about five hours of non-stop running in the aquarium!

After the aquarium, we drove about 3 hours north to Modesto, where Reed grew up. We stayed with our friends Patrick (whom Patrick is named after) and Kelly. We had a lot of fun catching up with friends we haven't seen in many years. We had a calzone night and Reed's friends from high school came over. We spent one day at Reed's high school because some of his friends teach there now and we wanted to say hi. Reed enjoyed showing me around town, and we drove past his old house several times.

The Saturday before we left, we went into San Francisco to see Don (Patrick's middle namesake). After riding the BART and the bus, we didn't have time for much more than lunch, but it was a really fun day visiting. Patrick was really good in the big city, and he thought riding the bus and train was pretty cool. Especially since he didn't have to be in a carseat!

We also saw Reed's other brothers Jack and Lance while we were in the area. It was fun to see cousins again and catch up with everybody!

We were definitely ready to come home, and the drive home was a little more difficult. Patrick doesn't understand time or distance, so I can't explain to him how much longer we have to be in the car. Thankfully, we had a DVD player and a dry eraser board that kept him from revolting too much. Patrick really was a trooper the whole trip. He slept well everywhere we went, and he was in a pretty good mood considering how out of our routine we were. Now we are home, working on projects inside and out, and ready to be home for the rest of the year!