The Pumpkin Patch & Wolf Haven

The Pumpkin Patch was so much fun this year. The boys had baseball games back to back on the 10th, but while Jessica Byers stayed with Elijah for his game Seth, Jacob, and I picked up Shane from the airport. It was so nice to see him after a seven week break. As we pulled up into the terminal and saw him I just felt so overjoyed. I just couldn't stop holding his hand on our drive to the Byers house to pick up Elijah. When we got there we found out they were going to the pumpkin patch. Shane is such a trooper because he was up around 4am after having four hours of sleep and he said lets go too. We went over to Hunter's Farm and just loved picking out our pumpkins. The only part I do not like about going to the pumpkin patch is all the things that cost extra. Now when Eli went to the same pumpkin patch with his school last year, they were able to have free range on the slides, the hay maze, and they got a ride to the pumpkin patch and back. When we went as a family it was $1 per ticket and everything cost tickets. One ticket for the ride to the pumpkin patch, one ticket for the small corn maze, three tickets for the hay maze, one ticket for the small slide, two tickets for the bigger slide, and three tickets for the jumbo slide. They were charging a dollar to go down a slide once and the slide was like the one at the playground. I just had a really rough time because we are trying to stick to the basics these next two months. So we had to say no.....a lot. Then it turned a really great experience into a let down for Seth and Eli. Seth asked about the slide and when I told him it cost extra money he looked at me like I was crazy. I am glad Jessica convinced us to get our picture taken together at the end. I love it! The day ended with Heavenly Donuts and homemade hot apple cider.

Just last Sunday we took a trip to the Wolf Haven. It normally costs $9 per adult and $7 per child, so never go because we are looking at $30 just to go in and see about ten wolves and two coyotes. This was wolf week, so they made it free for one day. Thank goodness because Eli and Seth had heard about it from their uncle Jason and have been wanting to go for about a year. They were mostly taken from people who had them as pets illegally. There was one that was recruited as a Hollywood star, but it didn't work out so the wolf haven took him in. I think most interesting parts were to find that they had a roadkill license to feed the coyotes and they have a pair of Mexican Gray wolves that are part of a wolf recovery program. They are two out of 54 left as endangered species. All of the wolves are unable to reproduce except the Mexican Grays.

It was so fun to go with Grandnan and Grandaddy, cousin Rosie, cousin Mary, and uncle Jason.