Sunday, October 17, 2010

It ain't fall till we've gone...

To our favorite pumpkin farm: Dollinger Family Farm in Minooka, IL.

Holy gourds, we love this place!

Climbing and jumping on huge bales of hay is always fun, but I recommend wearing long sleeves. Otherwise, your arms will look like those of a cutter...


When waiting for the Civil War Reenactment, Patrick gave a brief course on his little known talent of grass whistling...
We discussed the realities of war and the losses that have been suffered throughout the years. Watching a reenactment isn't about the cool cannons and rifles (though the boys do think they're neat). It's about making history REAL and tangible. It happened so long ago and seems so far removed that it can be difficult to comprehend what it must have really been like. Reenactments allow us to have a tiny taste of what was endured for our freedom and equality.
We watched the horrors of what a real medical tent might have looked and sounded like in 1865. I thanked my lucky stars that we now have the high-tech knowledge of SOAP to prevent infections... Shudders...
We relaxed by the blacksmith's shop and wagered on what he was creating. (this was also a chance to reinforce the proverbs that Justin and I had been reading: "Strike while the iron is hot").
We never do buy pumpkins, though the prices are good. I think we've decided that we are just not pumpkin carving people... Maybe next year?
Cheap face painting! Bring it on. My little butterfly was the cutest punkin in the patch...
Justin and I were drinking hot cider as we watched his siblings climb on the pirate ship playground.
And nothing makes a little kid happier than BUNNIES! Bunnies that you can PET and PICK UP!!!

Frighteningly enough, we almost came home with the sweetest little beagle puppy that was on display by the local animal shelter. Dude, I was thisclose to saying "yes" to their pleading eyes (Patrick's and puppy's included). I need to keep my wits about me around this family...

9 comments:

Marinka said...

I think you just won autumn. Nice!

Michelle said...

Oh how fun! We almost went there today. I called EVERY orchard in WI and IL to try to find one that still had apples on the trees. We ended up at All Seasons Orchard that was way fun (huge jumping pillow for one), but I like the variety you mention at your place... next year maybe.

PS The FEW apples left in the store didn't look good, so I didn't even end up with any :(

anymommy said...

Bunnies make everyone happy.

Kat said...

Wow! That is quite the pumpkin farm. Very cool.
Wise decision on the beagle puppy. I had a beagle. They are SASSY. Never again. ;)

Anonymous said...

I never knew about this place, and it's close enough for us to get there. Thanks!

Kamis Khlopchyk said...

Oh Lord, you were smart to resist! I just spent two days dog sitting my parents one year old dog. We all agreed while we like dogs, we DO NOT need our own. I highly recommend you find a dog to sit and cure your family of the dog disease ;)

Meg Smith said...

It's SO cool that you have Civil War reenactments!!! It looks like you & your family had tons of fun! I'm not a fan of pumpkin carving either--not sure if it's the mess or the fact that they never come out quite how I had intended them to look! Oh, and props to you for not caving on the Beagle pup! My mom bought us a Beagle when we were growing up because he was just the absolute CUTEST little thing, but we regretted it after countless puppy escapes and listening to all that howling!

My siblings and I were home-schooled when we were little & it's always great to be able to do fun things and make them educational! I've not decided if I'm going to completely home-school Scarlett of supplement public school with lessons at home. It's great that you home-school all 3 kids!!! And you makes it look so easy & fun!

Happy Fall!

Elisa @ Globetrotting in Heels said...

oh, I would love to see a civil war reenactment! We have pumpkin patches here, but no Civil War reenactments. I think they do Willhelm Tell reenactments instead ;-)

Sounds like so much fun!

Michelle said...

looks like you guys had a blast!

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