Happy Fall y'all!

We're in the midst of my favorite season: Fall or Autumn, if you prefer. I love the crisp air, the bounty of vegetables and fruits available, the colors of the leaves, even the rain. And the desire to knit with wool! And sew quilts! And I love going to a pumpkin patch. We didn't do it when our kids were little and there is a huge tinge of regret that we didn't give them that experience. While I think we were ok parents and set a good example for our children to follow in raising their children, there are some things I'm glad they decided to do for themselves. Pumpkin patches being one of them. This is our youngest grandmunchkin and she came prepared to stand out at her first venture to the pumpkin patch. She stands out in our family, just like all the other munchkins but this day, in that outfit, she brought a lot of smiles her way.

I love getting my family together for whatever I can think of. But I make it easy on myself. We invited everyone over before heading off to the patch by having breakfast casseroles and muffins. Um, pumpkin muffins! Of course. It was also to celebrate our daughter in law's birthday. She doesn't get to pick what we do for her birthday since it's right in the pumpkin patch season but it was her idea to try different pumpkin patches each year till we found a favorite. We're going to have to let her pick what to do on her birthday someday but she seems content to do this thus far.

We started out with family pictures. This wasn't as hard as I was dreading it to be. It was the first since we lost our son. Up until we actually sat down for the picture I was dreading it. Didn't want to do it. There's a hole that can't be filled. And in some ways looking at this group is hard because I'm searching for a missing face. But I love every face in these pictures and I am so blessed to have each one of them in my life. I'll look at the picture that way. Looking for what I've got rather than what I've lost.

All the grandmunchkins but one! Are we blessed or what? Look at those faces with their smiles. Makes me cry just lookin' at 'em!

Enough of the pictures and the sitting...lets run! This is how we saw the corn maze, at a run! But it was oh so fun (pass the vicodin please).

And then it was time for the real reason we came to the pumpkin patch....Pumpkins! Under those cute little pumpkins is a wheelbarrow of pumpkins!

We finished off the day in the back of truck. Tailgating lunch. It is football season after all!