Pumpkin picking

Today was a beautiful fall day, so we decided to take advantage of it while we could, and headed out to a pumpkin patch!  First stop: a hay maze:

 Brian loved it, Eli got to a dead end and stopped, upset.  So we continued up to the farm, where they were impressed by this giant pumpkin driving a tractor (plus it had little pumpkins in the tires)!

 Brian was overwhelmed with all the choices.  We saw the signs for the pumpkin patch and headed out to find one in its natural habitat.  Unfortunately, there was a rock pile with some toy trucks, so Eli was waylaid completely, and missed the trip out to the patch.  He was just not moving beyond those trucks.  No way.

 But Brian and I looked around and he quickly picked a nice round one, as big as he could carry!

 It wasn't easy, but he wanted to carry that pumpkin, and he did it.

 He even was game for posing here on the hay bales, after seeing two other little boys have their picture taken there.  His pumpkin is on his left.  Eli did not want to sit on the hay.

 Eli was enamored by the tiny pumpkins around the farm store and he picked one of those.  He called it his lovey little pumpkin and carried it around so gently (except for the one or two times he dropped it), petting it and talking baby talk to it.  What a sweetie!

 I did finally get him to pose for a picture.  Just this one.

 We went into a tiny little shed decorated in a very non-threatening way.  Eli was scared to go in, but Brian went first and told him it was not scary.  So, Eli went in and made a big show of saying "ooooOOOOooo, spoooooky!"  He looked nervous that there might be something actually scary waiting to jump out at him, so he was happy to leave.  We had some mini donuts, and waited for the TRACTOR RIDE!

 Oh man, Eli was so excited.  We saw them come and go a few times but didn't make it (waiting to check out, etc.) and he was losing patience.  Finally we went, and he was so excited about it.  Still wouldn't sit on the hay, but that's what mom's lap is for, I guess.

 He didn't look too excited, but he was.  I think.

One last picture with all the pumpkins, then back to the city!