Pumpkin Love

I took the boys to the pumpkin patch at a local church.

They were out of school and we just needed a break from the grind...

They had a massive amount of pumpkins and decorative gourds all around the playscape...

And a lot of handmade signs welcoming you, but also warning you not to sit on the pumpkins, pull on the stems, etc.  My 15 year old is still indulging me when I point the camera at him - must be his sweet personality since teenagers aren't prone to being cooperative unless there's something in it for them..

Bubbie helped me pick out some pretty gourds for our table on the back patio.

I really love all these colors...

I let each of them pick out their own pumpkin to decorate however they want - but usually they just leave them plain on put them on their bedroom dressers.  They refuse to toss them until they rot - sometimes they last until the end of the next summer...

It was hard to chose and they consulted each other often for opinions...

Some of them have weird bumps or varigated stripes, which are unusual, but still beautiful.  I got a large green  "swan's neck gourd and several small colorful ones, 

and we really loved the variety of shapes and colors.

 It was fun to gather some fall beauty for our home.

Afterwards, we grabbed lunch out and enjoyed the rest of our mental health break together - a nice fall day!