Our trip to the farm

What a fun day today. Just a really nice day with my kiddo. We started out with breakfast at my favorite bagel place, Yorgo's. I had a turkey sausage, egg and cheese breakfast sandwich on a wheat bagel and coffee, Owen had plain cream cheese on a wheat bagel and some delicious Nantucket Nectar orange juice (I love Nantucket Nectars...but I digress).

The weather forecast (and a glance outside the window) promised rain and clouds, but I was determined to visit the pumpkin patch today with Owen. So we came back home, played Legos for a while, then I got ready and we headed off to Hunt Club Farms. Hunt Club Farms is the largest pumpkin patch around here...there's a very extensive petting zoo, rides, food, hayrides, etc. And, of course, all kinds of pumpkins. When we set out on the drive to Virginia Beach, it was drizzling, so I figured if it started raining in earnest we could visit the mall, grab some lunch, look for a new jacket for Owen. But it stopped drizzling and seemed like it was just going to be gray, so we ended up going to the farm.

So fun! It was cloudy and cool but we had a blast.

Owen was so excited...running around, looking at the pumpkins. We had visited Hunt Club Farms two years ago, and I didn't remember there really being a charge for anything but the pumpkins. But apprently you need a wrist band to get into the petting area, so off we went to purchase wrist bands...and also a very expensive $5.00 pony ride for Owen. What I find funny is that he refused to ride the ponies at my company picnic back in May (that particular pony ride would have been free), but now in October he's all about the pony rides.

So Owen got to go around the pony course two times on a very docile pony named Cinderella, who kept to a steady pace--except when she had to pee, which she did standing still (flashback to a trail ride I took once in Girl Scouts--"stand up in your stirrups!" was the warning when my horse paused to pee). Anyway, I think Owen enjoyed it.

Then it was off to the petting area. The giant stack of hay was covered up because of the rain and wet conditions, but Owen had a great time with the various animals. There is also a play area. Check out these pictures:

That's Owen two years ago on the left and today on the right, on the exact same piece of playground equipment.

Anyway, Owen got to see ducks, peacocks, llamas, cows, donkeys, pigs, roosters, chickens, goats, sheep...what am I leaving out? The baby animals are always fun to see. They had some particularly cute ducklings--and the baby goats are just adorable. Which is funny--because the adult goats and sheep are so unappealing.

Contemplating Thanksgiving?

Face to face with a piggy.

All the little kids were chasing the chickens around, catching them and picking them up. The chickens got wise to this and took shelter in their coop.

So then the little chicken terrorists waited outside for them to come out.

The chickens didn't seem inclined to come back out, so we went to the goat enclosure. So cute...Owen made friends with a couple of baby goats who seemed content to let Owen pet them as long as he wanted to and get all face to face with them like he does and speak to them softly.

Owen made good friends with these cute little goats. :-)

We didn't partake of a hayride, but Owen did get up on a John Deere.
Then, of course, it was time to pick out our pumpkins. We got two pumpkins, relatively small. Owen had a great time picking out the perfect ones.

Yeah. All in all, Owen and Mommy had great time.

And now it's time for bed. Good night!