And Just Like That, It's Pumpkin Time

The temperatures dropped right on time, declaring that once again it's time for our annual pilgrimage to Burt's Farm to gather the bounty of the earth etc. It's everyone's favorite thing to do once the leaves change, and DESPITE what Matt Bellassai says FALL IS AWESOME. He's funny he's just wrong about fall. That's all.

There was a slight tragedy yesterday, and we can say it's my fault and let it go at that but I have blue hair. No need to talk about it. Let's pretend it's intentional and I'm having some sort of midlife crisis and think I'm a rocker. We don't need to acknowledge that I don't know how to use chemicals correctly. Nope.

Everyone chose a pumpkin as always, and we'll either carve (I will carve) or they will paint them up to their heart's delight in about a week. I picked a moonshine pumpkin that glows sort of green or yellow. Not sure I want to know HOW they got that effect but it's neat. Julia picked hers first and could barely lift it. She's in that "I CAN DO IT" phase of being a big girl. It's kind of adorable.

I almost always pick out a blue pumpkin but skipped it this year because those things are a BITCH to carve, they are super dense and just ugh, a pain. So we got one for decoration anyway - we chose this deformed one. It's ok, you can live with us on the islands of misfits. I shouldn't say deformed. I should say "DIFFERENTLY FORMED" amirite?

There is something about this place that is peaceful, despite the throngs of people, the children running, laughing, crying, sitting on pumpkins (which is NOT allowed), etc. There is something about it that's just perfect in a way I can't describe. The air is fresh, cool and crisp and the smell of baking pumpkin pie fills the air - I don't like pumpkin pie much but the warm smell of it is intoxicating.

We paused in our pumpkin revelry and obtained hot apple cider and pumpkin spice rolls, I don't even like them much and I had a bite.

This is a place where I always wish my entire family was there, having this experience with us. My brother and his family, my parents, everyone. That is unlikely to ever happen but it's idyllic to me, in that way. Or maybe it's just me wanting everyone with me always, I'm not sure.

There has to be something perfect about a place that makes a five year old run while shrieking "DADDY JUST FOUND THE BEST THING EVER!" as our differently formed pumpkin joins the group.

We picked a smaller family pumpkin this year because I'm weary of carving GIGANTOR THE PUMPKIN every year. Plus it's hard on the husband to pick up 80 pound pumpkins and lug them onto the porch. I have no idea what that goofy face is she's making.

We carve out "family time" every day and usually watch TV snuggled up together. But it's our days at places like Burt's Farm that are the best family time when they happen. It's one of the best things we ever discovered.

We were talking yesterday about how our first year here, we tried SO hard not to be sad about being here. We didn't want to live here really, we missed Tampa. So we tried to do ALL THE THINGS locally, embrace this place and everything there was to do and enjoy. We tried to make it our home.

So from there to here, it's fair to say we did make this place our home. I love living here, I can't imagine living anywhere else at least not for a long while.

Our first trip to Burt's looked like this...

It's been a lot of years and not all of them were awesome, including this one, but in some way I guess they really were. We're all together, we went to Burt's and there were pumpkins and treats and a hayride and joy. It doesn't get much better than that, I certainly can't ask for any more.

It's easy to forget how lucky you are when things are going to shit. But I am so very lucky, and Burt's helped me remember that yesterday.

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And Just Like That, It's Pumpkin Time

The temperatures dropped right on time, declaring that once again it's time for our annual pilgrimage to Burt's Farm to gather the bounty of the earth etc. It's everyone's favorite thing to do once the leaves change, and DESPITE what Matt Bellassai says FALL IS AWESOME. He's funny he's just wrong about fall. That's all.

There was a slight tragedy yesterday, and we can say it's my fault and let it go at that but I have blue hair. No need to talk about it. Let's pretend it's intentional and I'm having some sort of midlife crisis and think I'm a rocker. We don't need to acknowledge that I don't know how to use chemicals correctly. Nope.

Everyone chose a pumpkin as always, and we'll either carve (I will carve) or they will paint them up to their heart's delight in about a week. I picked a moonshine pumpkin that glows sort of green or yellow. Not sure I want to know HOW they got that effect but it's neat. Julia picked hers first and could barely lift it. She's in that "I CAN DO IT" phase of being a big girl. It's kind of adorable.

I almost always pick out a blue pumpkin but skipped it this year because those things are a BITCH to carve, they are super dense and just ugh, a pain. So we got one for decoration anyway - we chose this deformed one. It's ok, you can live with us on the islands of misfits. I shouldn't say deformed. I should say "DIFFERENTLY FORMED" amirite?

There is something about this place that is peaceful, despite the throngs of people, the children running, laughing, crying, sitting on pumpkins (which is NOT allowed), etc. There is something about it that's just perfect in a way I can't describe. The air is fresh, cool and crisp and the smell of baking pumpkin pie fills the air - I don't like pumpkin pie much but the warm smell of it is intoxicating.

We paused in our pumpkin revelry and obtained hot apple cider and pumpkin spice rolls, I don't even like them much and I had a bite.

This is a place where I always wish my entire family was there, having this experience with us. My brother and his family, my parents, everyone. That is unlikely to ever happen but it's idyllic to me, in that way. Or maybe it's just me wanting everyone with me always, I'm not sure.

There has to be something perfect about a place that makes a five year old run while shrieking "DADDY JUST FOUND THE BEST THING EVER!" as our differently formed pumpkin joins the group.

We picked a smaller family pumpkin this year because I'm weary of carving GIGANTOR THE PUMPKIN every year. Plus it's hard on the husband to pick up 80 pound pumpkins and lug them onto the porch. I have no idea what that goofy face is she's making.

We carve out "family time" every day and usually watch TV snuggled up together. But it's our days at places like Burt's Farm that are the best family time when they happen. It's one of the best things we ever discovered.

We were talking yesterday about how our first year here, we tried SO hard not to be sad about being here. We didn't want to live here really, we missed Tampa. So we tried to do ALL THE THINGS locally, embrace this place and everything there was to do and enjoy. We tried to make it our home.

So from there to here, it's fair to say we did make this place our home. I love living here, I can't imagine living anywhere else at least not for a long while.

Our first trip to Burt's looked like this...

It's been a lot of years and not all of them were awesome, including this one, but in some way I guess they really were. We're all together, we went to Burt's and there were pumpkins and treats and a hayride and joy. It doesn't get much better than that, I certainly can't ask for any more.

It's easy to forget how lucky you are when things are going to shit. But I am so very lucky, and Burt's helped me remember that yesterday.

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Because We Always Go There

17 years ago yesterday, a boy and a girl had their first date. They ate Greek food at her cousin's restaurant before his shift at the BW3. If you jump forward 17 years exactly, that boy and girl became a family. A family that has, without fail EVERY single year since moving to Georgia travelled north to Burt's Farm in Dawsonville for our pumpkins.

Our First Year looked like this:

And then the next year it was like this:

The next year it was a bit like this:

I am MISSING a damn picture but two years later it looked like this:

Then there was TWO years ago:

We're a Burt's Farm October family. My pictures are scattered and it makes me want to scrap book and collect them better. Burt's Farm means it's time for FALL and everything that comes with it.

We eat treats and have a little picnic, this year featuring BBQ nachos. BARBECUE? NACHOS? I'm in. SIGN ME UP. They were just ok though. A better idea than execution. 

After our treats we rode the hay ride and listened the pumpkins tell us how GOD GUTS US or something like that. 

Sometimes I write about us just doing stuff, random family stuff, like this. You might think it's a sort of boring "this is what my family did today" kind of journaling. But it's not. 

My doing family random things is me showing you that even if you have very special little guys, you can live your life. It's not easy. I do diaper changes sitting in the back seat of the van and we do some gymnastics to get it done and I pray to the God of the Pumpkins that they didn't poop because OMG that's hard to clean. So before we go in we change two big boys diapers, and then we go in for the day. Sometimes there are tantrums if there are lines, or screams if there dogs (Miles) but all in all, they have fun despite anything bad that happens.

I don't write a lot about the ugly poop filled parts of the day. But they are there. 

But they don't stop us. They don't stop us from celebrating 17 years since our first date, or all the days in between that made us a family. 

I can't wait for Halloween. It's going to be a great one this year! 

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Because We Always Go There

17 years ago yesterday, a boy and a girl had their first date. They ate Greek food at her cousin's restaurant before his shift at the BW3. If you jump forward 17 years exactly, that boy and girl became a family. A family that has, without fail EVERY single year since moving to Georgia travelled north to Burt's Farm in Dawsonville for our pumpkins.

Our First Year looked like this:

And then the next year it was like this:

The next year it was a bit like this:

I am MISSING a damn picture but two years later it looked like this:

Then there was TWO years ago:

We're a Burt's Farm October family. My pictures are scattered and it makes me want to scrap book and collect them better. Burt's Farm means it's time for FALL and everything that comes with it.

We eat treats and have a little picnic, this year featuring BBQ nachos. BARBECUE? NACHOS? I'm in. SIGN ME UP. They were just ok though. A better idea than execution. 

After our treats we rode the hay ride and listened the pumpkins tell us how GOD GUTS US or something like that. 

Sometimes I write about us just doing stuff, random family stuff, like this. You might think it's a sort of boring "this is what my family did today" kind of journaling. But it's not. 

My doing family random things is me showing you that even if you have very special little guys, you can live your life. It's not easy. I do diaper changes sitting in the back seat of the van and we do some gymnastics to get it done and I pray to the God of the Pumpkins that they didn't poop because OMG that's hard to clean. So before we go in we change two big boys diapers, and then we go in for the day. Sometimes there are tantrums if there are lines, or screams if there dogs (Miles) but all in all, they have fun despite anything bad that happens.

I don't write a lot about the ugly poop filled parts of the day. But they are there. 

But they don't stop us. They don't stop us from celebrating 17 years since our first date, or all the days in between that made us a family. 

I can't wait for Halloween. It's going to be a great one this year! 

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And Right On Time it's Fall

We returned to the north Georgia mountains to Burt's Farm for our annual quest for pumpkins a couple of weekends ago.
It's a family tradition that everyone gets their own pumpkin to either paint or carve and we let the little ones choose their own, they simply have to be big enough to pick it up.

I got another blue pumpkin, despite the fact that they are an epic pain in the ass to carve, they're pretty and Martha Stewart makes me covet them.

Being able to lift the pumpkin didn't deter Julia from deciding many LARGE pumpkins should be hers. In fact, she more than once declared they were all "MINE! THEY'RE MY KUNKINS!" She yelled. She was more than a little dismayed to be told otherwise.

This is her saying "HEY DATS MY KUNKIN!" lol. HEYYYYYYYY. Yes, she's a pistol.

We always take the hayride and it's a nice LONG hayride with beautiful woods and fields to look at along the way.

But the number one attraction is the talking pumpkins who tell us that humans are just like jackolanterns because God guts us and puts a candle inside. I'm serious they really say that. Sounds more like a Mayan God than Yahweh but, ok.

Seriously, it takes everything in me not to howl when I hear this every year. I get it, it's a metaphor but it's sort of a grisly metaphor and I'm not sure that Burts farm needs it to be "more" wholesome and family friendly. It doesn't GET more wholesome and family friendly than Burts Farm. I don't need deities gutting me and mine. Not even metaphorically.

It is fascinating to roll through the pumpkin fields though, especially when you see how many pumpkins they HAVE ALREADY CUT for sale. Wow, we buy a lot of pumpkins.

After we do our hayride and after we do our pumpkin choosing we start looking for more pumpkin and gourd things for fall decorating. We usually end up with enough for Halloween AND Thanksgiving decorations.

It's how we spend out "day out" for my birthday most years, and I really like it. Fresh air, beautiful scenery and my kids just run and smile all day. Even the twins love it and are excited when we pull up in the parking lot every year.

I think it's the perfect way to usher in fall. And now it's time to start thinking about Halloween!

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