Adventures in Pumpkin Land

Each week I try to arrange a playdate or a fun activity for Benjamin and I. I think it's a nice way to avoid cabin fever for Benjamin and it helps me break up the monotony of dishes, diapers and general dirty duty.

Since the official start of Autumn, I've been meaning to visit a pumpkin patch but either we had something else going on or the weather was just too soggy. With a cool, but sunny forecast today, I knew we had to capitalize on what could potentially be one of the last non-rainy days of the month. We called up our friends, Michelle, Ethan & Evan, and the next thing you know, we were weaving our way along the Snohomish River towards The Farm.

Massive amounts of fun ensued...

Our Pumpkin Patch Buds

Unsure of this Whole Tractor Ride Thing

My Mom is a Weirdo

Views from a Tractor Ride

Hay!

Unbridled Joy, Baby

Mad Balancing Skills

The Birds vs The Boys

Picking out our future Jack-o-Lantern

All in all, it was a glorious, sort-of warm day - the perfect day to be outside and spend time with great friends!

Warmish Fun in the Summertime

Seattle: The Place to Be, Summer 2011

While everyone seems to be complaining about our "horrible" summer, let me be the first to suggest to them: "You can always move". Despite the fact that our summer has been less than stellar, I'd take 70s and overcast days over triple-digit temps AND humidity any day of the week and twice on Sundays. Seattlelites wouldn't know what to do with themselves if we had that kind of oppressive heat for weeks on end; the Summer of 2009 - when we hit 100 and I was pregnant - was a testament to that.

So, while the summer is not ideal, it's not *that* bad. We've still managed to have fun by meeting up with friends, taking pony rides, checking out farmer's markets, watching some (read: A LOT of) Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, watching the Country Village train, eating gobs of ice cream and popsicles, smelling the beautiful flowers, hanging at the splash pad and much, much more.

And if you're new - welcome to our beautiful, overcast summer. The few times the sun has found it's way into our home, Benjamin has rubbed his eyes and said, "Ouchie!".

Have you IMAGINEd?

Typically, we spend our Friday evenings on a Date Night. Unfortunately, last Friday our regular babysitters (my parents) were unable to do it, so we started looking at Family Date Night options instead.

I frequent this site, and every week the blogger posts great, frugal ideas for family fun. I checked on her page and found a long list of cool activities. We narrowed down our choices, based on proximity and price, ultimately coming down to these two options:

1. Friday Night Live at Imagine Children's Museum
2. Free Mike Night at Tim Noah Thumbnail Theater

Without much deliberation, we chose Option #1. I know enough of Tim Noah that it would be a safer bet to fight massive crowds at the children's museum. Especially if it's open mike night AND Tim Noah.

Besides the crowds, half of Everett streets were closed due to a massive construction project. Luckily, we found a parking space closer than any I'd found when all the streets were open.

Even though there were tons of kids streaming from every corner of the museum, Benjamin spared no time to get right to business. He ran at breakneck speed from one thing to the next, although he did spend a great deal of time in the music section. Dave even joined in to play the wooden-planked xylophone. Other exciting attractions were the glow-in-the-dark room, the roof playground (slides and climbing opportunities galore!), the farm house (you can milk the fake cow - so fun!), the foam-covered fire engine playground and the huge, landscaped train set.

It was fun to have Dave along because usually we visit these places during the day. I think he enjoyed seeing Benjamin in his element, as we experienced a wide variety of fun activities - as well as plenty of room to run and run and run.