Pumpkin Patch

It has been a couple years since our last post - sorry! - but I think it is appropriate that we post about the same topic as the last post - a trip to a pumpkin patch.

The last two years, the Spences along with Aiyah (Shari Emmons) and Grandad (Mark Emmons) visited the pumpkin patch at the Dallas Arboretum.  Below are several pictures and a couple videos of our trip.  We thoroughly enjoyed it!

Jonathan posing with pumpkins

Parker hanging with some horses made of straw

The boys posing with dried gourds that make noise when shaken

Parker and Jay staring at a water fountain - making their mom nervous by climbing

PB and Jay staring at their reflection

A video of our boys playing with straw - of course, like boys will do they play by throwing the straw at each other.

Grandad teaching the boys how to roll down a hill!

We thoroughly enjoy this fall tradition and look forward to going again next year!

The Pumpkin Patch - A Milestone

In going through the journey of infertility and then the adoption process, I came to realize how much of the waiting time was measured in milestones. There are always holidays like Mother's Day, Easter, and Christmas. In these times you find yourself wondering if you will be pregnant, matched with a birth mom, or even have a child to share these holidays with. However, there are other things besides major holidays in which you find yourself asking "I wonder when I will have a child to share ______ with." In my case the pumpkin patch was one of these milestones. I never went to pumpkin patches growing up so there was not a sentimental value attached to it other than it seemed like the "thing to do" when you have kids these days. As I watched so many friends around me take their kids, I started to long for the day when I would have the opportunity to take my kids to the pumpkin patch. We got matched with Parker's birth mom in early October. One of the things I remember thinking as we waited for him to be born was that I would not have to experience another fall season without a child to take to the pumpkin patch- something that may sound trivial but when you are in the waiting process these milestones become a big deal. Of course little did I know at the time I would be taking two babies for our first trip to the pumpkin patch but that is another story for another day!

My dear friend Arlene met up with me one afternoon to take some pics of the boys. She already had had a long week but was still willing to chase my boys (they are quite busy these days) around to get some pics for me. She has taken lots of pictures for me over the last couple of years as I have experienced these milestones in our family. I have come to realize how much more I treasure these pictures because they are a reminder of God's faithfulness in my desire to have a family. I didn't always understand the process and timing but I am so grateful for the journey He took me through.

Side note- ironically there are not many pics of pumpkins because they were in the bright sun. This worked out for the best because Parker and Jonathan are much more interested in trucks and tractors these days!

And here is a flashback to last year just for fun. They have changed so much in a year's time!

Fall Fun

Fall has kept us plenty busy with new adventures to share with the boys. It has been fun watching them make sense of new surroundings and the vocabulary they pick up as well as things that spark their interest. They are both so curious about everything. We have had a lot of fun. There is no telling what Christmas will be like!

Collin was out of school one day so mom and I took the cousins on an adventure to the Dallas Arboretum. I had heard they had an impressive display of pumpkins. We packed lunches and spent the day together. I love the sweet relationship the boys have with their cousins.
They have TONS of pumpkins to see including "houses" set up based on stories involving pumpkins (ex. Cinderella). It was pretty impressive.



This was the first time the boys have explored pumpkins this year. They kept calling them balls and throwing them but now Parker knows what it is and calls it a pumpkin when he sees one.




They had a small area set up for kids to go in and pet animals.

Two very tired boys on the way home!

We also took the boys to the state fair. We saw cars, animals, part of a dog show, a pumpkin carver, and of course sampled plenty of food.

Fried Frito Pie- it was quite tasty

They had an area set up for kids that was like a farm and took you through the different things involved in working on a farm like watering plants, picking vegetables, milking cows etc. At the end you get "money" to purchase something from the store. The boys were very excited that fruit snacks were an option. Although the boys didn't understand what they were really doing, they had fun with the activities.

Trick or Treat

For Halloween, I spent a lot of time debating on the boys' costumes. I wanted them to coordinate in some way but they are also a little too young to understand or care about certain character costumes. The weather is always unpredictable and I was afraid to get a heavy animal costume that they would burn up in if it turned out warm. So I found some crayola costumes online that I thought would be perfect. They coordinated, they were light weight, and easy to take on and off. I liked the fact that the hat came separate instead of attached, so if they refused to wear it, you could still see them and know they were crayons. We spent the week leading up to Halloween "practicing" wearing their hats. Jonathan didn't seem to mind having it on, Parker would always take it off. However, much to my surprise they both kept their hats on the whole night of Halloween and never seemed to care!

We first met up with Lilah and went trick or treating with her. Thankfully she let us borrow her wagon so we did not have to carry the boys or take them in and out of the stroller at every house. Parker and Lilah took turns pulling. Parker was not sure what to do at first but by the end of the evening he knew to get a piece of candy for his bag and one for Jonathan's. They had a lot of fun together.



Our next stop was at Aiyah and Grandad's house. We went to a few of their neighbors for candy.

And of course no night would be complete without a visit to the Leach's!
Cindy was ready with fruit snacks and Jason was ready with his camera to take some pics for me.

The girls took them to several houses on their street.
Cindy had recently bought some toys for the boys to play with when they come visit. So after trick or treating the boys spent time playing with their new toys. (notice who still had his hat on)

It was a fun night with the boys!

Boo At The Zoo

We kicked off Halloween weekend with a trip to the zoo for their "Boo At The Zoo" event. They offered an animal show, stations for you to get candy, and an area for kids to play games. We saw some animals, ate a picnic lunch, and spent the rest of the afternoon playing games. The boys seemed to enjoy it.

Jonathan was not interested in the animal show like his brother. He preferred walking around.

Playing some games

My attempt to get a picture of the boys with their costumes, including their hats, before one walked away...
or took his hat off.

Oh well, I tried!