Trip to the pumpkin patch.

First, I am grateful to so many of you who offered condolences for Puppy. I have driven up that driveway thousands of times with them running out to meet me in the very same way every time. Not sure what happened this time! Anyway, thanks. I am not going to work today. Taking a personal day. We are about to float away anyway. Sooooo,

Get your coffee, or you Special K, and sit back. This is going to be a long, heartwarming, make Mel feel better blog post!! Even bringing in some kickback photos from last year at the patch.

Let's try and shed some light on my gloomy week. Who best to do that than these two!

I do believe in the past I have mentioned how much I LOVE taking the girls to the pumpkin patch.

Let us recall.... last year, draped OVER the pumpkin. This year... sitting square atop it!
From picking out the perfect matching Etsy dresses.
to the perfect matching pumpkin sweaters (Hey, Sarah. Recognize these? Remember last year when I just STRAIGHT UP visited your blog and said, " I WANT that sweater as a hand me down?" I HAD To have it! Well, I found them online and on SALE at Gymboree!! wheeee!)
Poor little non-ambulatory Gabbi has to sit and watch while her sister meanders around the grounds to visit all the OTHER families. Ellie has a habit of that.
ANd like that... she is back in a flash! Toting a saggy big orange bow.
But what else is new? Doesn't this look familiar? Ellllllie, Ellllllie, come back here! We did try to help Gabbi Girl make it around a little. Mary Allison is my every Sunday babysitter, so she won the prize of the trip with us to the pumpkin patch.
Ellie really likes when she is invited to be Gabbi's helper when we are helping her walk.
She just gets a little ahead of us, every time!
But Gabbi just hangs on and enjoys the ride.
This was Ellie being a "big helper" a year ago. This baby doll is so precious.
They have little vignettes set up for picture taking. I am usually not a fan. I prefer candor. However, I thought MAYyyybe, just mayyyybe, I could get a picture of them together if I plopped them down on hay bales.

And suddenly, GABBI of all people, wouldn't even kinda grin!
Ellie gave her a big ol' squeeze, and like that was gone like the wind!
TO the hay bale maze!
Where once again, Gabbi is left eating her dust! Poor, poor Gabbi Girl.

But WAIT! WHo is that!? What? It is! It really is! It's Sarah!! Hey, Sarah. Hey, come play with us!
Or I mean, Gabbi.

Ellie needs no entertainment. She is making her own fun!
Look familiar?Yo, Ellie. Now come on out!
I mean it, Ellie. You are at the crossroads and no other kids can get through!
Stubborn streak now. Same stubborn streak then! (and that is Gabbi Girl hanging in a sling around my neck!)Don't MAKE me come in there and get you. (AS IF!)

Seems like I remember a similar situation last year in the maze!

And last year, just like this year, she eventually made her way to the exit.
THeeeeere you go, sister.
Sarah kinda does the whole "nevermind" thing to Ellie. She is allll about Gabbi Girl these days. And, although Gabbi is VERY persnickety about who she will and won't go to, she LOVES her some Sarah!!

Poor, poor Ellie. She uses every trick in the book to get her some attention!
But seriously, WHO could resist this?!
I slapped that camera in Masson's hands and said, "Hit it." I actually had two girls sitting within two feet of me at one time. It was like a miracle. (at least at the pumpkin patch. If we were at home, this would be EVERY second!)
Quite a change from last year at the pumpkin patch, wouldn't you say? My happy little rabbit.
That is what Miss Jean calls them. Or "Granny" to Ellie Sue.
When I came home yesterday, she said, "Melanie, these are two 'happy little rabbits'!".
I love that. I want my kids to be known for being HAPPY. What a nice word.

Happy. Happy.

Ok, so Ellie was all over that maze.
Doing tricks and plotting her next move.
WHAT? A HULA HOOP!?
Come on, Ellie. I need more twosome pictures.
Aha. A photo moment. a WAGON!!
Remember the wagon last year?

My how far we have come! Such big girls. I don't see the difference in adults from year to year. Even "big kids" don't seem to change that much. But gawlee, the difference in the first 1-2 years is quite phenomenal!
And here is happy little rabbit number two.
and happy little mama, might I add.
I hate to even put a damper, but this one was with me last night with the Puppy incident. She KNEW immediately, not because she saw it, but she has definitely learned her mom's expressions, that something was wrong. She was saying, "Is mama sad?". This is very perceptive kid. Then, when dad got involved, (had to perform a burial), she KNEW that something was very, very wrong and kept saying, "I scared." Not that we were really talking about it, and I whisked her inside from her carseat fairly quickly. But, she knew.
Gabbi Girl gets a ride from Sarah. If Gabbi had her way, she would a) live outside, and b) live in a wagon!
I was glad to see her interested in the patch and all the pumpkins.

Would you look at those blue eyes? precious.
Ellie was hard to tie down, so even though the quality of this picture isn't the best, it deserved its place in the blog today just due to the sheer fact that she stopped to let Masson hold and hug her.
Ok, we are almost there. I promise.
I am stillllll working for that BLOW UP worthy picture of the girls together.
This one was plenty cooperative. And smiley.
This one.... ummmm....
Can you see that Nanny McPhee tooth? So cute. DeeDee thinks we should go as Dracula this year for Halloween. Whatcha think? I wish I had thought of that sooner. But, "Aaaargh", we have other plans, matey!
Well, it's been real, and it's been fun... but the time has come.
Let's pack em up and head em out!
We'll be back next year looking so much bigger and so much older. All three of us!

Mo