Punkin“rain”ia

One of our favorite traditions of the season, Punkinmania in Mahtomedi. Where a small little park and surrounding street are turned into a festival of pumpkins, fire trucks, games of chance, bouncy houses and a petting zoo. A few hours, one day out of the year, great memories and cheap pumpkins! We’ve been there in snow, wind, sun, warmth and now rain. We didn’t let some damp, cool drizzly rain stop us. We were off! The girls saw some friends from school. Played some tricky games like Fishing, Duck Pond and Bean Bags. They then cashed their tickets in for some sweet whistles.

Once pumpkin picking time came, our usually contemplative Ella walked right up to a small pumpkin, hoisted it up, practically threw it at us and was done. Lily scrambled over pumpkins, surveying the scene, studying each one. Eventually choosing a pretty big one. I tried to get photos of them with their pumpkins, but they were wet and had other things on their mind. Four legged, hooved things.

As we were walking back to the car to deposit our prize winnings and pumpkins, with the sweetest little voice, Ella asked if they could ride the ponies. That had been our plan all along. Loran and I have been trying to get them pony rides since Marketfest in July, but we just kept striking out. But these girls are true cowgirls, rain would not stop them from riding Blueberry and Hershey.

 

Ella on Hershey and Lily on Blueberry

Their smiles were electric. Practically rain clearing. They didn’t mind that they were dripping and chilly when they got into the car. They had finally had their pony ride and they loved it!

 

We’ve also taken the time to visit Pine Tree Apple Orchard. Another family favorite. We had been hoping for pony rides there, but they didn’t start until several hours past when we were there. And it was once again cold and grey so we weren’t about to wait around. We did go on the tractor ride which was lots of fun for the girls. They loved seeing the apple trees and the pumpkin patch.

This little playhouse/shed was probably the biggest hit. They ran around for quite awhile playing in and outside, we were able to persuade them to move on with a trip to the buildings for some apple themed food and fun!