Why Don't We Have Pumpkins Year-Round?

James went to his first pumpkin patch this past weekend!  This time last year we were gearing up for heart surgery and a little more than cautious about staying away from big crowds.  It is so exciting to live "normally" again and celebrate the beauty of the season.  Check out all of James' new experiences:

James went down his first slide!  He didn't have much of a reaction.

I thought maybe his "Rody horse" skills would translate to the mechanical horse.

But, he enjoyed watching Daddy have fun on the horse and race car instead!

Then Granddad and Daddy got thrown in jail,

And he got to swing with Grandmom.

Then, a tractor ride!

 A friendly slide competition between Daddy and Grandmom,

And, most exciting of all, James' first pumpkin!

His eyes lit up when he got that pumpkin in his hands.  He loved the rough texture of the stem and the nice smooth texture of the pumpkin.  It is such an important sensational experience for him to feel different textures, especially since he isn't crawling and exploring as many things as most kids his age.  He needs to get the sensory input in any way we can find!

If pumpkins make my baby this happy I think we should have them all year round (along with those pumpkin coffees and pastries :D).

With love.