Pumpkin Patch!

MJ and I chaperoned the parish's youth group trip to a pumpkin patch over the weekend. Our kids had been looking forward to it since last year, when CC attended and raved about it. This year Sweet Pea and Little Man could come, so we made it a whole-family affair.

MJ and another dad were in charge of seven boys in the corn maze, while I took CC, Sweet Pea, and another girl. The girls beat the boys, but only by a few minutes. The maze was much easier this year (last year it took CC's group about 40 minutes to complete!), so the kids had plenty of time afterwards for other activities. Little Man loved the tennis ball cannon and slingshots, and Sweet Pea's favorite activity was the huge trampoline-like balloon to jump and flip on. CC opted for hot chocolate instead of activity tickets, but ended up using a spare ticket to do the wiggly tube race with Sweet Pea.

Afterwards the whole group -- about 100 of us! -- gathered around several bonfires to make s'mores. A sweet way to end the outing, and we were back home in time to catch most of the Yankees game.