Pumpkin Patch Weekend

Friday started off a bit on the wrong foot, so I was afraid that this weekend was going to turn out to be a disaster, but we ended up having a great time.

After work Friday, B met me at the car dealership to drop off my car as they finally have the parts in for my recalled passenger airbag!  Hallelujah!  The plan was to swing by the vet and pick up Maui and then swing by Carrabba’s to pick up some take out, but we got held up at the vet FOR-EH-VURRRR.  Long story short, we had to start using a new vet, and this was our first time at this new place.  Apparently when your pet goes in for their annual check-up and they call you to say that you can come pick them up, you can’t just come, pay, and pick them up. 

You have to wait 30 minutes in the waiting room until an exam room opens, and then you have to wait again for the veterinarian to come in and talk to you.  Then you still have to pay and then you have to wait again for them to bring your pet out to you.  What should have been a five minute wait turned into a forty-five minute wait, and when you have hangry kids waiting in the car, that’s just not acceptable.  Needless to say, I’m not sure that we will ever be going back there again. 

Anyway, by the time I got back out to the car, the kids were about ready to kill each other because they’d been stuck in an unmoving car for 45 minutes at that point.  We hightailed it over to Carrabba’s to pick up something for dinner, and on the way there B got a call from work saying that they needed him to do something, so he unexpectedly spent the rest of the evening on and off of his laptop and on conference calls.  Ugh. 

On top of everything else, B had finally succumbed to a minor sore throat and runny nose, and after a couple of days of having some gunk in my throat I started feeling my throat close up as all of the gunk (and swelling) was moving to my voice box again.  Just like five months ago when I had something that seemed similar to croup.  Sure enough, Friday evening I could barely talk and then Friday night I didn’t sleep well as my breathing was labored due to my throat being constricted.  Fortunately I had some leftover Prednisone from last time, and I was able to take a dose of that Saturday to open everything up.

So like I said, not off to a good start!

Saturday morning we had already planned to go to the pumpkin patch, and since I didn’t feel bad – so weird, I still had no voice but had no sore throat, no runny nose, nothing else – we decided to go ahead and go through with our plans.  And boy are we glad that we did! 

We swung by Starbs so I could get something warm (and pumpkiny) for my throat, and then we took the kids to get donuts before heading out.

The pumpkin patch that we went to this year was one that we had never been to, and this one did not disappoint.  There were plenty of things for the kids to climb on – tractors, tire swings, big pumpkins, and there was a hay maze, as well as some animals for the kids to see – pigs, goats, cows, and chickens.  The kids loved the hay maze more than anything else!

We picked up some tickets for the hay ride out to the pumpkin patch, and Olivia loved every second of the hay ride.  She was cheesing the entire time!  Each of them picked out little pumpkins for their bedrooms and then we headed back.

Saturday afternoon was spent watching Georgia lose (sigh.) and icing Jacob’s head (it is still swollen, y’all!).  We decided to skip church this weekend just in case any of us were contagious, so we picked up some Cracker Barrel veggies and biscuits for a quiet dinner at home, followed by some bubble blowing and watching the sunset on our back porch. 

B and I got the kids down for bed early, and then we had time to watch three episodes of Friday Night Lights.  My PJs and a big mug of herbal tea and local honey accompanied me as I was still nursing that throat that was still not allowing me to talk.  So weird.  And side note, it is nearly impossible to parent two young children when you have no voice.  #TheMoreYouKnow

Sunday we awoke to the sound of rain pitter pattering on the roof, and we stayed in bed until almost 9… even though the kiddos had awakened us around 7. 

We spent the morning eating leftover donuts and watching Halloween movies.  Thanks to all of you who gave me suggestions for kid-friendly Halloween movies the other evening on Instagram.  We watched the Curious George Halloween special this morning and Jacob loved it.  We’re probably going to be hearing about no-noggin’ for a long time to come.  Haha.

The rain cleared up mid-morning and left behind a nice cool, cloudy day.  Perfect for some time on the playground and a nature walk. 

We finished the weekend off at my parents’ house with some White Chicken Chili and wine, and it was the perfect end to a weekend that turned out to be pretty great despite the way it started.

Happy Monday!

*Linking up with B Loved Boston for Weekending.