Pumpkin patch

Alexander, Zoë, and Benjamin got to sleep over at Grandpa and Darla's house, along with two of Darla's grandchildren—Noah and Minnie. Noah is Benjamin's age and Minnie is Zoë's age. Alexander was just along for the ride and loved being the odd-man out and the youngest kid around because Grandpa and Darla just doted on him.

They decorated Halloween sugar cookies, they made little corn on the cob decorations out of beads, they made a turkey craft, they watched a movie, they camped in the back yard...they had a great time!

The older kids played some Dungeons and Dragons (which also happens to be the movie they watched). 

We met them at a little pumpkin party hosted by the realtor who sold Grandpa's house recently. He (the realtor) was a good friend of Darla's husband Dave (who was also in realty, though in commercial realty rather than residential realty). Anyway, they had a bunch of pumpkins scattered across their lawn for people to choose. I think we took an embarrassing number home...but Phoebe was just so excited to be at the pumpkin patch. She wanted to take all of the pumpkins home.

She had been consoling herself with this pumpkin patch idea all weekend!

"I don't get to sleep over at Grandpa-Darla's," she'd explain. "But I do get to go to the pumpkin patch. I do!" 

She was living her best life, collecting a whole pile of pumpkins for herself.

She was lugging pumpkins, carting pumpkins, dragging pumpkins, rolling pumpkins...

Here she is telling Grandpa, "All of them!" after he asked her which one she wants to take home.

They also had a bounce house for the kids and a shave(d) ice truck. Here's little chick Phoebe begging for some from Andrew:

And here's our group all together:

Darla, Miriam, me, Rachel, and Andrew in the back. Grandpa holding Phoebe, Alexander, and Benjamin sitting on the hay. Zoë, Minnie, and Noah seated on the grass (their faces have stars because in the videos I've seen of their mother's she hasn't shown their faces either).

Minnie paid me such a beautiful compliment today! 

I was watching the kids on the bouncy house and then we all decided to head over to get some shave(d) ice and Minnie said to me, "Are you Zoë's mother or sister?"

"I'm her mother," I said. 

"Huh," she said. "It's hard to tell."

And, I mean, what better compliment could I receive? 

Rachel and Miriam were perhaps a little less flattered when the woman who offered to take our group picture said, "I'm going to back up because I want to make sure I get all the moms in the back."

"How many moms does she think are back here?" Rachel said to me.

"Moms—stop talking and smile!" the picture-taker said. 

So, yes, a little less flattering for Rachel and Miriam but I was feeling fabulous.

Here are Rachel and Miriam picking out pumpkins:

And look! Here's Zoë joining us, too (no pictures of Benjamin, though, he and Noah were off exploring the property):

Here's Phoebe with more pumpkins...

And here she is making her final selection to take home. Grandpa told her she could pick just one pumpkin, but that she had to be able to carry it by herself. 

Just then Darla walked over with a great big pumpkin, passed it off to Reid, and panted, "Will you carry this to the car for me?"

Phoebe shot him a look that said, "Unfair!"

And Grandpa said, teasingly, his arms full of pumpkin, "You can choose one pumpkin but you have to carry it by yourself!"

Darla just laughed him off (and Grandpa carried the pumpkin to the car).

Here's Alexander following through with his declaration that he could too carry that great big pumpkin all the way to the car. He made it—only dropped the pumpkin once.

Here's Miriam with her pumpkin (the only child who chose a white one):

And here is Phoebe tucked into bed with her pumpkin:

I don't even know how or when she brought it inside because we put all the pumpkins on the front porch when we got home. And then she cried so we let her bring her pumpkin inside. But then we went outside to play and she brought her pumpkin out (and lugged the pumpkins all around the yard to make a "pumpkin house" for herself) and I didn't think she brought it back inside with her when she came in. 

Yet here's the pumpkin in her bed, so clearly it came inside at some point...