Hey friends! A couple of weeks ago we got to continue our fall activities with a visit to a local pumpkin patch here in town. This was Penelope’s very first time visiting and we are super excited about this new family tradition that we plan to continue for years to come. In today’s blog I will be talking all about our visit, what we did there, Penelope’s reaction to it all, and of course there will be photos!
In Eagleville, Tn sits a beautiful farm called Lucky Ladd. It’s located near Franklin and Murfreesboro Tennessee and is completely worth the drive. We live north of Nashville and it took us about 45 minutes to get there. We brought along Mamaw and Grandpa (Phillip’s parents) and Aunt Emily (Phillip’s sister) with us as we all visited the farm for the very first time. There was so many different activities to do there! After stopping by first to love on all the animals in a sort of “petting zoo” near the entrance, we went on to the other activities.
The first activity we came to was their massive playground. There were so many different types of things to do for all different ages. Penelope was only 10 months old and there was no shortage of things she could do. We of course first had to stop to let Phillip and David (Grandpa) try to pull a tractor with just a rope. They were totally successful! Next we enjoyed swinging on a massive tube-swing together and then headed to the corn box (like a McDonalds ball-pen but with corn kernels instead of plastic balls). Penelope seemed to be a bit overwhelmed by this and didn’t really know how to react to all the corn. Phillip was able to pick up just a handful of it and she was more comfortable playing with the small amount that was in his hand.
Next we headed to the toddler playground where they had the coolest swing ever. The swing is called an expression swing and it allows parents to swing with their children while looking at one another. So on one side it has a normal swing for an adult and the other side has the baby swing. So Phillip and I took turns swinging with Penelope and she absolutely loved it. She has always loved swinging and I’m sure she thought it was super cool to be able to swing with mom and dad. There also was a tunnel in this area that Penelope loved to crawl through and peek out the side of and she also got to do the slide with dad while we were there. It’s always so much fun to watch her explore new places and to see how much joy she gets out of learning new things.
After spending some time in the toddler playground, I really wanted to try one of the half-pipe mega slides. Like I said, the play area has things for all ages, adults included. So I grabbed Penelope and we headed to it. I think she was just in awe as we did the slide. She didn’t smile, but also didn’t cry. That’s a win in my book!
We did several other activities like a hay ride which Penelope loved doing with her grandpa. She stayed with him for most of this ride and it was super cute to see the two of them playing together and building their bond.We also tried letting her jump on the bounce trampoline they have, but she didn’t really get the concept of it yet. Along the way we of course stopped and took lots of photos.
The last major activity we did was we rode the Barrel Train. This was probably my favorite thing we did with her. We got into these barrels that were perfectly sized for Penelope and I, however for Phillip it was a bit tight at 6.’2. He’ll do anything for his baby girl though. The barrels are attached to a tractor that pulls you around. Penelope probably smiled the most on this ride. She was talking and pointing to things the whole time.
Next we went exploring in the corn maze and Phillip got to teach Penelope all about corn and show her what it is. I love learning outdoors with moments like these. She is learning about something while experiencing it instead of just seeing it in a book. She got to see the stalks where the corn came from, and was able to touch, smell, and even taste the corn on the cob. I firmly believe that learning through play is superior to anything they can be taught in a class room. During this time I was able to grab a few maternity photos of Aunt Emily as she is due any day now with baby Harper.
After this we headed to go pick out our pumpkins. Penelope had fun playing with all the pumpkins in the pumpkin patch and we made sure to grab one that was just her size. She played with the tiny pumpkin on the drive back until she passed out.
Overall I think Penelope had a blast at her first pumpkin patch. I do think she was a bit overwhelmed by all the activities, but I know as she gets older these will become even more fun to do. If you missed out on the pumpkin patch fun this year then make sure you plan to visit next year. It is definitely worth the trip. We plan on making this one of our new fall family activities every year.
On the next blog I will be talking about what my vegan Thanksgiving traditions are, what’s on the menu, and what everyone thought of the food. See you all in two weeks!!
Baby Dust To All,
Cynthia
Joy Comes In The Morning 