Matthew has taken the back seat on a lot of things in our family. I sure this has something to do with being the third child but he so graciously goes along for the ride! I was so happy for him when he started preschool. It was something for ONLY him and he is so proud of it! One thing he couldn't wait for was his first fieldtrip! Ballard Montessori takes a trip every year down to Hollister, CA to visit the pumpkin patch at Casa de Fruta. I have been on this field trip three total times with Michael and Claire but I was so excited to be able to go with Matthew! Lucky for him, Nonna, Grandpa and Gina were going to join us!
The school offers the option to take a big yellow school bus to the pumpkin patch. It takes a little over an hour each way (due to the slower speed of the bus) but we opted not to do that. I made that mistake when Michael and Claire went there. The seating is super cramped, they are not strapped in car seats, the smell of exhaust permeates throughout the entire bus, and you have to go at the entire group's pace. Instead, we drove there which takes only 40 minutes!
Matthew doesn't remember it- but he went with Claire on this field trip back in 2008. Once we got there, Matthew was immediately beaming. He felt so cool that we were all there for him!!! His school was broken into groups so that we could more easily maneuver through the patch!
We started in a tepee where we learned about how pumpkins grow. Emily wouldn't sit too still we waited outside for the group to finish. Next, Matthew got to pick out a pumpkin to take home. He wasn't too particular and picked the first one he touched. My Mom tried to show Emily how to pick a pumpkin and handed Emily the smallest one she could find. Wouldn't you know that Emily threw it and wanted to pick her own?
The day was gorgeous. We were too warmly dressed and had to peel back the layers because the sun was definitely out! We got to ride a carousel, walk through a maze, mine for gold (pretty colored rocks), take a ride on a train, and also have a nice snack of water and popcorn. I was glad we packed our own goodies!
During snack time, we laughed the whole time. The funniest part was that there were peacocks all around the snack area. It seems as though they were there to pick up the scraps from the last group left behind. Well, because my family struggles to be normal- Gina made a trail of popcorn down from the ground and up onto my Dad's shirt. As all the normal families enjoyed the rest time, our family was laughing hysterically at the pecking peacocks coming so close to my Dad. If you read my blog, you know that my Dad is not a animal lover. To see him be so stoic and willing to let the peacocks approach him was absolutely hilarious!
Matthew and Emily had the best time. I love when I have time to focus on them and give them the same experiences I gave Michael and Claire. It was just the other day that I realized that I don't do as much exploration with them as I did with the first two. I want to take them on walks more often to explore the great outdoors and maybe stop for once in the mall to let them play on the play structure (on second thought . . .). My life is so fast paced now that sometimes I don't stop to do the little things . . . which consequently mean the most. We had a wonderful time at the pumpkin patch- so thank you Matthew for letting us join you and your school! We love you Goosey!!!!
1 comment:
That was such a fun day! Matthew looks so darned cute in these pictures.
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