Charlette, one of my closest friends, had told me last year about a pumpkin patch in Arkansas and asked about our two families going and spending the day. But we had waited so late in the year to plan it that it didn't work out. So when September rolled around this year, we started planning the trip. Her family decided to make a mini-vacation and actually spend a day at Magic Springs, but the last time we went a few years back, it didn't work out for us. Carley was either too tall for some rides or too short for others. She's probably well within the range of being tall enough now, but we decided just to meet them at the Pumpkin Patch the next day.None of us knew what to expect other than what we had read on the internet. It was a working Pumpkin Farm with an area nearby that had tons of activities.
The guys were able to try their hand at hatchet throwing! They were pretty good at it...just ask them! There were a couple of huge hay stacks that the kids crawled all over and we took family photos on. There were several tree swings throughout the area, a large slide that the kids (and the big kids!) loved. There was also a petting zoo with goats roaming along the tops of the buildings. 
I would say the highlight of the day was the hayride to the actual pumpkin patch. They had huge trailors with bales of hay that we rode out into the patch until they stopped in the middle of one of the patches. We all piled out and started picking out pumpkins. I think everyone ended up with at least 2 pumpkins that we carried back to the hayride to be weighed once we returned. 
We ended up having a great time and enjoyed sharing the experience with good friends. Oh yeh! The title to this blog. Well....here's the rest of the story. One of the pumpkins that Carley picked out was what she used for the 4H Pumpkin Carving Contest at school. Here she is with her winning pumpkin. She placed first!!
