Our Family Trip to the Pumpkin Patch

Claire and her papa checking out the pumpkins.

She wanted to get a closer look!

After one failed attempt, we made it to the open pumpkin patch in Canby. Little did we know they were going to offer much more than we bargained for. Sure, we saw the exotic animals sign but whittled it down to no more than a modest attempt to scare some teeny boppers before they entered the haunted house. Without so much as a second thought, our meandering through the patch quickly turned into our attempts to escape one very possessive and pissed off rooster. It charged at us once and we chalked it up to "it's more scared of us than we are of it." The second time it charged with its huge, freshly-sharpened talons practically glistening in the sun? I was so outta there!

Little wiggle worm!

My friends, the rooster was the least of my problems. I turned a full circle behind the Wallaby house (yes, it housed a real wallaby) to take it all in be certain the rooster from hell was not anywhere near me to see the freaking lion king and his female counterpart staring at me like meat roasting on a spicket. There they were "caged" behind nothing but two layers of chain link fencing watching my every move. I'm not gonna lie - I peed a little. And I have no shame. Who puts wild jungle animals in a chain link fence dog run in the middle of a pumpkin patch!?! 

The only picture I was brave enough to take...

People were walking up to the cage, staring at this animal like it was no big deal. If you want to put yourself in the position to become human cat nip, go right ahead. Be my guest. But, I stand back because I kinda like my face and all my extremities. It was scary. I'm already on edge from the rooster and you throw not one but TWO lions in the mix? I don't even want to talk about the TWO tigers, the mountain lion, the panther and the leopard. I thought pumpkin patches were all tortured ponies forced to walk in a tiny circle with screaming kids strapped to their back? Which this place did have by the way. But, these Canby folks just threw a wrench in the typical (safe) pumpkin patch family outing. So, I just held my baby tighter, pretended I was at the zoo, looked over my shoulder every 3.3 seconds and begged Kevin to never take me to this circus ever again. 

Claire sitting in front of the Wallaby House.

Alas, the quest for the perfect four pumpkins had been fulfilled and we were on our merry way, our camera stuffed with photo memories, our extremities still attached and $18 worth of gourds later. 

Our outing was not complete without one last stop at Rite Aid. Anyone who knows anything about carving pumpkins is aware that, even though we have a 20-piece knife set at home, nothing works as efficiently as those jagged, flimsy-metal blades practically hot-glued to miniature plastic orange handles. Otherwise known as a pumpkin carving set. Two of those bad boys and one baby down for her nap later, we were home itching to get started.  Halloween is our thing. We take this shiz seriously. 

Our festive creations:

L to R: Claire's, Kevin's, Monster's mini-pumpkin & mine

 This was a fun day!