5 Reasons We Buy a Pumpkin Every Year (but Never Actually Carve it)
Growing up summer was easily my favorite season. Summers in Georgia were hot, but there were water hoses and sprinklers to play in and plenty of rainstorms to cool us down. Summer meant no school, and lots of time outside. I loved scouring the yard for giant pudgy caterpillars, poking ant piles with sticks, and catching lightning bugs as the sun would set.
As I’ve gotten older summer hasn’t had the same appeal. For one it’s way hotter, especially being in Texas now. No, what I look forward to are these fall months. 70 degree day hikes, afternoons where we leave the windows open and the kids jump on the trampoline and swing on the swing set for hours.
I look forward to trick or treating with the kids, visiting the pumpkin patch and decorating pumpkins (decorating because with me we rarely get around to carving). The pumpkin patch is like Disney World, something we all love to do together. But a lot less expensive and way closer.
I think we’re about 5 for 5 on years we’ve gone to our local pumpkin patch but 0 for 5 when it comes to carving them. But I still love the tradition of picking one out to potentially carve.
Why? Let me tell you!
1. The photo ops. When else am I going to have an excuse to dress my kids up in coordinating clothes but for holidays and festive activities like these?
2. The hunt. I asked my daughter why she likes to visit the pumpkin patch and her favorite part about it and she said “choosing the BEST pumpkin!” There’s something about searching for the perfect round pumpkin that’s not too big and not too small. I usually leave this part entirely up to my kids to decide.
3. The wagons. Wagons for pumpkins, or dragging sisters, or daddy dragging you in, or to sit and enjoy a snack in. Next to the pumpkins themselves, the wagons were my son’s favorite part about the outing.
4. The activities. My favorite pumpkin patches have corn mazes and hay rides. Or face painting and games. Our little pumpkin patch down the road doesn’t have all the bells and whistles. But it still gets us outside together. Which leads me to #5.
5. The time we spend together. Fresh air, good weather, and cheap entertainment. We’ll bring our own snacks if we’re wanting to avoid hitting any concessions. My daughter ate one of her favorite CLIF Kid Zbar Filled Apple Almond Butter with apple almond butter. while she sat in the wagon. If it were up to me we’d spend hours at a pumpkin patch and leave when the kids were ready to pass out on the way home. The one we went to this year is really small so we weren’t there too long, but I love being together outside in the beautiful weather, picking out pumpkins even when we know we aren’t really going to carve them.
We didn’t grab a family picture this year at the pumpkin patch which bums me out a little. But we did get one last year at the same place, that I still love.
Did you make a trip to the pumpkin patch this year? Here’s the bigger question… Did you ACTUALLY carve the pumpkin?
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So cute and making me hungry all at the same time! 😉 We hit up at least 2 different pumpkin patches each year, it is one of our favorite things to do!
My family and I have been going to the pumpkin patch since my twins were babies (and they just turned 3 this month), but we have yet to carve a pumpkin.
We bring them home every year, but we (or shall I say I) always opt to draw or paint them instead. This year we painted Cookie Monster and Cookie pumpkins. So fun!! I don’t think I’m ready for the mess that carving makes.