Pumpkin Love

It's our annual tradition... heading over the river and thru the woods (or more like "past the outlet mall and up the mountain") to get to Burt's Farm.  When we make it out of the city and start passing cows grazing in the fields and bright red leaves on the trees, I know we are almost there.  Going to Burt's Farm signals two things - it's officially FALL and we're going to see some pumpkins!  With my fall obsession, my love of doing fall related activities only grows each year.  Growing up in Michigan will do that to you.  My happiest memories involve the smell of burning leaves, apple cider and baked goods.  I'm always excited to bring a little bit of Michigan into the lives of Firoze, Devon and Dean.  To share the love, I brought another former Michigander (my sweet friend Debbie and Bob too) to enjoy a little bit of Fall splendor.



Heading anywhere with kids and friends requires at least two vehicles (and sometimes more!).  So, we caravaned up to the mountains.  Debbie and Bob were cool in their convertible, with their hair blowing in the breeze.  We were not so cool, with a screaming baby in the back of our car.  Dean went easy on us though, since he only screamed for 20 minutes, rather than the whole ride.

Any time Debbie and I get together, we can guarantee one thing...

Good food!

And our trip to Burt's Farm was no exception, since we took all the neccessities for a gourmet picnic.  How does this sound?  Prime rib sandwiches with carmelized onion, horseradish cream, and arugula.  Cheddar corn chowder with crispy bacon crumbles.  Cheese plate and cocktails.  Oh yes!  That's how we roll. :)







After stuffing ourselves, we headed to the farm for some pumpkin love!



No one can appreciate pumpkins unless they take at least 450 photos of their family members WITH pumpkins. And since I can't help myself, I started clicking away!











The boys didn't want to sit still for long. They wanted to lift these babies up and run around!













Thanks Bob, for taking our family photos! It's always nice when I can actually be in our family photo. :)



I returned the favor by taking some family photos of Debbie and Bob.



But they were acting like kids!



Finally... a frame worthy photo!



While I was taking photos of Debbie and Bob, Devon was hugging a tree. Don't ask me why. :)





- Outfit Change -

Oh yes, I'm one of those people that torture their family and make them change outfits. Don't hate. Appreciate!


See, aren't you glad I made them change outfits? Otherwise we wouldn't have had this photo. Awwww...









Burt's Farm doesn't have jumping castles or a petting zoo. They keep it old school. They have pumpkins and a hay ride. And to Devon, that was just as exciting as a trip to Six Flags. (P.S. He's never been to Six Flags, so please don't tell him how much more exciting life could be. *wink)



Bob let a little bit of his country boy roots show...







Bob got the raw end of this deal.

And Devon even managed to find some dinosaur horns... Squash-a-saurus!



After the farm, we had one thing left to do. To let Devon and Firoze have a little creek time!





And Firoze did a little bit of hillbilly handfishing! Lobster, anyone?



And now that this was the longest post ever, I offically have blogger induced carpal tunnel. Gotta go!

Pumpkin seeds are good for you, right?

I try to do my best to make these moments for my boys.  To bring in each holiday with excitement over the special things we get to do together.  I read once about how a parent writes the story of their children's childhood.  That's a big responsibility.  To make it a happy story... full of the memories that happened year after year.  I want them to remember the cups of hot cocoa in the winter and the excitement at the first snowfall.  I want them to remember their hands dyed with the colors of Easter eggs in the spring.  I want them to know what the inside of a pumpkin feels like.  I want them to know how much they are loved and how I wanted their story to be written...

With Halloween coming fast, we have been up to our elbows in pumpkin guts!




This year, I tried to stand back and not interfere as the boys felt the slimy, stringy insides of the pumpkins. They did all the work, pulling out the "goop" for me. Dean loved it and snuck about 20 raw pumpkin seeds into his mouth. Let's hope they are good for digestion!



Devon gave me strict instructions on what to carve. I followed directions. He was so happy with the finished pumpkin face and couldn't wait to see it all lit up!



I carefully followed this recipe to make the best roasted pumpkin seeds ever!
- Boil seeds in highly salted water for 10 minutes
- Drain and lay to dry for a few hours on paper towels
- Season with 2 tsp. butter, 1 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- Bake at 300 degrees for 45 min, stirring occasionally

And they were crispy and delicious!



And now our house feels right... candles flickering, smiling pumpkin faces, and two happy little boys!

Just Swell, Darling!

Rebecca had a very creative birthday party with the theme "Beehives and Bowties."  That gave me the chance to do one of my favorite things...

Wear a wig!



And my hive was buzzing!



And my honey came buzzing around, but he was a tad "sauced," as they would have politely said in 1960!



We were the cat's pajamas darling!  wink*

Boys will be boys! Sigh...

I've come to terms.  I'm outnumbered.  I'm one against three. 
With boys ruling the house, here's what we've been up to...



Only a father would think a great way to "take care of the kids" is to let them sit in a mud patch for 2 hours and have at it... (gotta love it!)



Dean took full advantage of "Dada Day" by giving himself a nice mud bath...




Presenting the guilty evidence...



Dean had the time of his life.  A little mud wasn't going to stop him from enjoying some slide time!







My only request was that "Dada Day" include a little bath time... or maybe just a great squirt with the hose!




Since Firoze is always up for a great parenting challenge, he opted to take the boys to the bouncy place by himself. 





Dean was climbing like a 5 year old. He wasn't going to be stopped by some climbing rungs. Not our little SpiderMan!



P.S.  Style advice from a father... you can never have too many stripes!



To keep the party going, the boys decided to be astronauts the other night while I was cooking dinner. 





What better way to see stars, than to put a bowl on your head... run as fast as you can... hit your head on the door frame about ten times, then dance around?





So, there are no pictures of tea parties.   
No doll houses or pretend make-up.
No princesses or baby dolls here...

Instead I have Firoze, Devon and Dean.  My boys.  Who will drive me crazy and make me love them... all at the same time!

Here's a little video of their greatest hits:

And yes, my children literally climb the walls.  Don't judge.

P.S. Firoze also thought it would be a great idea to let them watch a boxing match with him and then learn to box.  I told him "Don't be surprised when Deanie knocks your lights out when he turns 2!"