Pickin' Pumpkins

We headed out for our 11th annual trip to a pumpkin patch last month. We have visited patches in three different states, and our trips have changed quite a bit over the years. I remember my very first trip, where I followed Isaac as he toddled around in his little denim overalls. I have snapped pictures of my babies propped up on pumpkins and my toddlers trying to pick up pumpkins as big as them. I have quite a collection of pumpkin pictures that show the growth of our family.

In 2008, we went to pick pumpkins just a couple of weeks before Eli was born. I looked like I was trying to sneak a big ol' pumpkin out under my shirt! The farmer driving the tractor was a bit worried when I got on the hayride. I think he was afraid each bump was going to send me into labor!

We enjoyed our 2011 trip. We picked cotten, explored the corn maze, took a hayride (pulled by a John Deere tractor, which thrilled Eli's heart!), petted animals, played on the playground and spent time picking out the perfect pumpkins. Our front porch now has more pumpkins than I know what to do with, but I love our pumpkin pickin' trips!

Those Johnson Boys!

Our boys have been keeping us on our toes the past few weeks. The day after Halloween, I left Eli unattended with his bag of candy (not my best mothering moment, but we were having great school time!). Not only did he eat almost all of it, but he also managed to put a candy nerd in his ear! I pulled out the tweezers, but I was scared to death of poking a hole in his ear drum, so we headed out to the E.N.T. It took the doctor a few minutes to get it out, and he discovered in the process that Eli had quite an ear infection. So, it was a blessing to discover the infection, but it would have been easier for him to just tell me!

Last week was Isaac's birthday, and one of our sweet friends gave him two tickets to the Tennessee/Arkansas football game. His friends' dad also planned an exciting day of tailgating. So, it was to be a fun "man's trip" up to Fayetteville, which is about four hours away. Mark, Isaac, his two friends and their dad made the drive up last Saturday. During the tailgating, the boys decided to play football. Isaac was running (wearing Crocs) and tripped and ended up at a walk in clinic with seven stitches! They had a good experience, and were back by the second quarter (the game was pretty much done for Tennessee fans at that point!). Isaac said it was a birthday to remember! He said he learned three things-- doctors were wonderful, you should not run in crocs, and you should respect rocks!