I have shared my love/hate relationship with the pumpkin patch before. You can read my account from a trip we took two years ago here. When my children were still babies.
I have got nothing but love for the idea of the pumpkin patch. Trouble is, here in Southern California our Fall is not all crisp and cool and fancy and pretty with fluttery golden leafs floating about on gusts of fresh crisp air like yours might be. Not at all. Try hot and d r y and dusty and d r y and sneezy and hot and d r y. I feel like Spongebob upon entering Sandy’s Tree Dome. Have you seen the Tea at the Tree Dome episode? When he realizes he has to breathe air and not water? At about 6:50 in, that is me during Fall. Watch the video. It is worth it. Or maybe not, if you aren’t of the Spongebob variety.
So you can understand that the practical application of the pumpkin patch is never exactly my cup of tea. It would be if the temperature dropped about 15 degrees. But anything over 85 and I just prefer to stay indoors. Over 85, dry, dusty, middle of the day heat….yea….I normally avoid that kind of thing. Note to reader: This is one of the ways in which I am a total whiny baby.
In fact, as we walked into the entrance of Tanaka Farms, I looked over at my sister in law Summer and said, “My prediction is that, by the end of this, I am going to be really cranky.”
Now that I have been properly truthful, I can move on to sharing the photos. In which, you will see, not many outbreaks of crankiness will be exposed. Some, but not many. And none were mine. I actually stayed ahead of the crowd this time. Took one for the team, you might say. My head and mind and spirit remained almost completely UN-cranky the whole time.
This time we hit up the patch with Jeff’s mom, his stepdad, his sister, and his sister’s two children. (Patty, Ron, Summer, Kailey, and Samantha.) This was taken just before the entrance. Note: no crankiness. There was a little crankiness during ticket purchasing on the part of the cashier though.
Still no crankiness. I love this shot of all of them looking for vegetables to pick.
Then we hit up the wagon ride for a trip over to the petting zoo. This is where I got a little bit cranky. Mckenna freaked out about her petting zoo food, dropped it, threw herself on the ground (in the petting zoo), and then decided she didn’t want any part of the unpredictable petting of the unpredictable animals. So I had to use my prison warden voice to get her out of there. And then we both went and sat in the shade on a hay bale until everyone was finished.
I love these flowers-does anyone know what they are?
Then it was back to the patch so we could choose our own pumpkins. At this point 3 out of 6 Whitney’s really wanted a drink of water, to wash their hands, and to take off their shoes. Some crankiness commenced.
But once again, not for long. A slight breeze from the wagon ride perked everyone up again.
And I saw Mckenna’s hand resting gently on Drew’s knee.
The pumpkins were pretty picked over, but everyone found one that they loved.
A tiny bit more crankiness when I asked them to do this. “Oh, come on.” “Are you serious?” “ON OUR HEADS?”
And then Papa Ron swooped in with a wheelbarrow and the real smiles came back.
It was worth it.
xo
Tara
PS: All this heat and dust really makes me want some water. ;)
heee. Cute post.
Im jealous you guys actually went out to the farm this year. Good for you! We did not. Waah. I feel a little badly about that, but its just been too busy. This year we couldnt swing it – our weekends and afternoons have been booked. We bought our pumpkins at this store this year and they arent carved yet. Sad.
Dude… was i number 1 to post? Cool! That’s a first. :)
I love those flowers too! They are Celosia Cockscomb and I wanted to steal some when we visited Tanaka Farms a few weeks ago… :)
awesome!!
I love how you can rock any lighting situation. always awesome, no matter what the sun is throwing your way.
I can sympathize with wanting the visit to the pumpkin patch to be cooler…I am in the same boat – but – instead of ‘hot & dry’, we have ‘hot & humid’. We also have no ‘real’ pumpkin patches in south FL. :( So they make pumpkin patches at local churches, etc…Speaking of which, I need to get my pumpkin! :) Beautiful pictures as always Tara! Thank you for sharing with us! Hugs!
HAHA! I NEVER take my kids to the pumpkin patch. Thanks for sharing. :)
your ‘prison warden’ voice made me laugh out loud. love love the pics!
Celosia…has anyone said that yet. They were in my wedding bouquet–only green. Like lime green ;) I think they look like monkey brains. Well, what I imagine monkey brains to look like…AND we don’t have pumpkin patches here…due to the snow. We have to buy our pumpkins at the grocery store.
I just had to compliment McKenna on her lovely jewelry collection. So chic!
I am jealous, it’s already going to be wednesday and we still have NOT made it to the patch! but it has been rainy and cold here! not my idea of fuN! i would rather wear shorts! LOL!
tara pp
Somehow, I think your “cranky” couldn’t be that bad :)
What fun photos & your kids are growing like weeds!
Thanks for sharing your photography & your life here on your blog.
Love your story, Tara. You have a beautiful family. And, so you know, it’s good to know I am not the only whiny person around:)
AmyC
Aw, love your story with photos post! It’s great to hear the real life stuff, not just a saccharin “it was a lovely day at the pumpkin patch” journaling! I miss going to the pumpkin patch with my girls, but your post here brought it all back—the fun & the crankies :). I “made” my guy go with me this year, & we both had a blast, him driving, me shooting photos out the window on the way (I call it a true photography hunt—trying to catch something while the car is moving—much more of a challenge than stopping the car!) Thanks for keeping us all real!
love the honest recap of the day…crankiness and all…and can appreciate it. having lived in So Cal for many many years, and now living back in my hometown in upstate NY…and experiencing the real deal in fall with the patch… open invite to come visit us anytime next year and we’ll show you a real pumpkin patch outing! (thanks for the smiles…)
you had me at Sandy’s Tree Dome.
These pictures are amazing! I went to the pumpkin patch last night to capture a few pictures. I live in Washington State, so it was muddy and chilly. I wish I would have gotten more pics – I should have gone on Saturday.
Sometimes I dream of endless sunshine, but I do love our seasons here.
Thanks for sharing these great pics!!!
Love them as usual but I have to say that it looks like Nate is wearing a yamaka in the one where he’s feeding the goat but it’s just the wagon wheel above. Sorry, that made me laugh. :)
you are welcome anytime to our home here in wisconsin if you really want to experience the seasons changing….I am sooooo serious !!!….I think you would love it here, the same way we seek out sun and warmth where you are…..
Same way here in Phoenix, hot dry and dusty. Still haven’t gone yet but hope to go Thursday since it cooled off, otherwise we’ll make a fun trip to the grocery store LOL
Seriously, were you just there yesterday with that sudden heat wave we had!? Ugh! We were supposed to go to Tanaka Farms but an emerging string of mishaps kept pushing it away. This week, I’ve got a virus so there is not driving down there. But this weather – at our beach, 86 degrees yesterday and 68 today – crazy.
I’d be cranky too… But I guess I’d do for the kids and the great photo opportunity! Those are good memories the kids will treasure forever and when you are old you will be happy you did it with them.
Totally love this! I wish we had one of those around here…. sadly Brisbane seems totally lacking in pick your own farms! :( Makes me smile seeing you guys having fun though!
these shots are awesome… I love the carrot shots not sure why they remind me of bugs bunny… teehee… and while you say the pumpkins were pretty picked over that field of pumpkins with the girl in pink trying to decide is seriously awesome… glad not too much crankiness ensued.. anytime I take the kids anywhere fighting breaks out .. fistacuffs.. kind of fighting.. hitting slapping.. crying.. its a joy.. I need a drink of water now too.
I love all of it (anything pumpkin), but ESPECIALLY Mckenna’s hand on Drew’s knee. So sweet it almost made me cry. I always look at hands in pictures to see if they looked posed or natural. I think it says a lot about relationships when you see a “hand resting on a knee” or you notice how a father and daughter’s fingers intertwine (is that a word?) while they hold hands walking down the beach. I love the hands. They can say as much as the face sometimes.
This brings back many a memory of Pumpkin Patch trips to Simi Valley and the one we went to up in Valencia! I still have a picture framed of Annie and I that you took at that one. Oh was she cute with her blonde curls! Anywho, I’m with ya on the dry dusty California PP experience, compared to the cool crisp Colorado PP experience. Without giving anything away, naybe next year we can do the PP together in one of the two above mentioned states! :-)
Been a while since I left a comment but I can so relate to the whole experience although living in New England we got the fall weather you were looking for. By the way, you look great amongst the corn stalks!
Christine
The picture of McKenna’s hand on your sons knee is so touching. I love it. I also love her jewelry, so cute!!!
WELL, it looked absolutely ‘UN-cranky’ – way to go t! would you like some of our almost 5 inches of snow today, and still coming down…these are the days i wish i lived in sunny CA. hope you are doing well. warm hugs from colorado! ♥rachel
Tara, come to Utah! We have lovely pumpkin patches here and the Fall is glorious. I guarantee a change o’ heart about pumpkin patches. So would love to meet you.
all the crankiness is adorable.
Hi Tara! I’m a huge fan of yours! Don’t usually comment, but that pumpkin patch just looks so darn weird, I had to say something. The surface of the sun, indeed! Nothing like ours here in Tennessee, which are absolutely gorgeous this time of year. Oh well, at least you have pretty beaches :)
Girl, I hear you on the Hot October, can’t go to a pumpkin patch when you should be at the beach, weather. Though in MY case it’s Hot, Humid, icky, sticky, and miserable. My friend Robyn is actually from Cali and says Octobers here are worse than those.
I so Love checking in with your fam though. The kiddos are getting so big and Mckenna makes my heart swell. She looks so groovy in her plaid shirt and bracelets.
:)
The hand resting on the leg. Yep. That one does it for me.
Oh the hand on the knee…what a perfect moment. I can’t even imagine doing a hot and dusty pumpkin patch. As an Aussie (where the pumpkins cost a fortune and go mouldy) living in New England, I LOVE this time of year here. Wet pumpkins on the door step, coloured leaves all over the ground. I’ll even put up with a day of rain like today to be able to wear jumpers and BOOTS!
But you have to admit that the picture of McKenna sitting cross-legged was worth the whole trip, right? Beautiful.
PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, I must know where you got that skate t-shirt!!!!!!
Adorable kids…but that shirt is a MUST for my niece that will be 9 next month!!
Tara, Great photos as always! The flowers are Celosia but a common name is “Cocks Comb” because they look like the top of a rooster’s head. They dry beautifully too.
the photo of you is divine.
It was so interesting to see your shots…especially of the DRY pumpkin patch! Where I live (Manitoba, Canada), we have the most wonderful, vibrant fall colours, fallen leaves to jump in, wonderful crisp air. Now talk to me in a couple of months, when it’s crazy cold, and snow everywhere….and I tell you, I would do anything to be in dry, warm California (one of my favorite vacation spots of all time :)
Enjoy your day!! (as I’m listening to the Canada Geese, flying over my house, heading your way :)
tara – you, your family, and your photography are oh so beautiful! I’ve been a very long time fan. I recently just told my husband that when we get pregnant with our next baby I want you to do family photos of us (with the video)! Anyway, you posted a long time back (and now I can’t find) how you do your collages on your blog. Do you mind sharing the service you use again. thanks in advance!
Great pictures…as always. Even when you’re not having fun you get great captures! We haven’t made it to the pumpkin patch this year, and we’re quickly running out of time. Oh my!
Miss T., I LOVE all your photos, but i love it the most when you post pics of your own sweet fam. Do it more often!! Please!!
you’d never know it was hot, dry and dusty!
I wish I could take such great photos when I’m cranky!
fun photos!
that looks like soooo much fun!
:)
you know she landed on a goat turd don’t you? lol
I’m totally kicking myself for not ever getting to any pumpkin patch this year. I love pictures at the patch, and yours, Tara, are as amazing as could be expected.
I guess the fact that I’m 38 weeks pregnant is a good excuse, but I’m still sad I never made it out with my girls.
you are welcome anytime to our home here in wisconsin if you really want to experience the seasons changing….I am sooooo serious !!!….I think you would love it here, the same way we seek out sun and warmth where you are…..