Pumpkin Patch...take two.

So far, we have been to the pumpkin patch twice, and since neither experience produced great pictures, I wouldn't be surprised if I go back for a 3rd attempt.

The first try was last Wednesday, when Kaelyn and I went with her friends Kate and Asher. Besides the fact that it was 94 degrees in the middle of October, my camera died within minutes of being there. Which, come to think of it, was probably a good thing that it was unbearably hot, because just as we arrived, so did the fresh truck of pumpkins...and if you never experienced picking out a pumpkin with me, let's just say it is possible that I would have moved every pumpkin in sight to get the perfect one. Not to tall, not to wide, not too many lines, and definitely no bruises, marks, or other discolorations. I contemplated jumping into the truck as the workers were unloading the fresh pumpkins to look at each one as they put them on the ground, but seriously, what would I have done with Kaelyn?

The second attempt was last Sunday, and although I heard it would be busy, I was not prepared for what we experienced. Albeit that this is the only true pumpkin patch that I know of (not a fake pumpkin patch that is erected in a mall parking lot) and Charley warned me that parents from his school (over an hour away from the patch) were all talking about going, I did not expect the crowds that had gathered by 10 a.m. They had multiple staff people whose sole job was to wave cars in with orange flags and they were already directing people to the 3rd parking lot, since the first 2 were full. Additionally, the weather had changed 30 degrees in 3 days, and this was now a cold and rainy afternoon. The pumpkins were wet, the ground was muddy, and again, my camera died within minutes of being there. (**hint-hint** To my better half who may read this... MY CAMERA DIED AND MY BIRTHDAY IS IN 2 WEEKS). After about 15 minutes of fighting the crowds to try and get a picture, and then not being able to, and trying to huddle with Kaelyn under an umbrella, I told Charley I was over it and started walking back to the car. Although he was compliant, I did see the look of pain on Charley's face as we passed the bratwurst cart and he realized that he would be leaving without sampling the pumpkin patch cuisine.

So, despite our best efforts, we only got a few pictures of a less-than enthusiastic Kaelyn, but they are still pretty cute. Oh, and as a side note, Kaelyn wanted nothing to do with the pumpkins, but she really enjoyed climbing on the pallets of wood the pumpkins came in on.

The Happiest Place on Earth

I realized something profound today, so bear with me.

Yesterday, we took Kaelyn to Disneyland for the first time. I have been begging Charley to go for about 5 years, and he was reluctant to go when it was just him and me, and even more reluctant to take Kaelyn too young. He always told me that he would go when Kaelyn was old enough to remember it. Something about "I'm not spending $500 just so that blah blah blah..." Well as it turns out, what he meant was he would not be going until Kaelyn would remember it if he had to buy tickets, but since our tickets were free, it was an exception to the rule.

The day started off a little rough when we had to make two trips back to the house (although we were just down the street). And then when we finally reached the parking lots (which are now off-site and you have to take a shuttle to arrive at the theme parks) we both looked at each other with that "do you have the tickets?" look. So, back to the car I went... My first rides of the day was the Toy Story shuttle, and I got to ride it twice!

I had a theory that Kaelyn is too little to be scared, so we decided to really test the waters by starting out at the Haunted Mansion, which had been redone for Halloween. I am happy to report that either my theory holds true, or Kaelyn is just brave, but she was dancing to the ghosts and ghouls instead of screaming.

After that we hit up the Dumbo ride, which I have not been on in over 20 years, and might not go on again since I had the brilliant idea of riding it backwards so I could get a video of Kaelyn and Charley. Although the weather report said a high of 87, by this time, we were reaching 92 degrees, so after that we went to cool off in the air-conditioned Its a Small World. I found it amusing that even a 16 month old realizes that there is something creepy about those singing dolls.

Besides the heat, the day was perfect. We didn't wait more than 10 minutes for any ride, went on everything but the roller coasters, and Kaelyn was very well behaved. It was fun to try and guess which rides she would love and which ones were just OK. For the record, Charley was a better guesser than I was. I was convinced she would like the singing birds in the Tiki room, but she was more interested in the pineapple ice-cream outside the Tiki Room. And speaking of that ice-cream, I should also point out that Charley had read someone's blog about the must-eat places at Disneyland, and I am happy to report that he tried all of them. Where most people would select the one or two that seemed the best, my culinary competitor of a husband powered through all of them from the hand-dipped corn dogs, to the gumbo, to the po-boy sandwich, to the pineapple whipped floats and ice cream sandwiches. And I was right there the whole time too.

It was an absolutely perfect day.

Oh yes, back to the profound realization... When we were little and went to Disneyland, I always used to watch my mom sit on the benches off the rides and hold our belongings and it used to drive me crazy. I mean legitimately, it would upset me because I was convinced it was a cop-out for her not riding the rides. Either that, or I thought it was an attempt at martyrdom that we would certainly have to pay for later when she wanted something from us. I finally got it yesterday. There was no ride I needed to go on, no souveneir I needed to buy, and no plan that I had to stick to as long as Kaelyn was smiling. I sat off most of the rides so I could get videos, or pictures, and I would not have changed it for the world. So next time we go, you are all invited, but I will probably be sitting on the bench next to Nana watching Kaelyn.

Oh, and I know I spend a good deal of this blog ripping on Charley, but I would like to point out that he is an amazing dad. Even his hard-fast rules can be broken if it means bringing joy to Kaelyn. And I will point that I know she will not remember yesterday, but I will.