Reason #3: Pumpkins

Whether I'm picking them, eating them or carving them or decorating with them...I love pumpkins! They are so festive.
I love pumpkin patches and Portland is adorned with them. Its always a challenge to find which one exhibits the best petting farm, which one has the best corn/hay maze, which one has the cheapest pumpkins, which one serves the best apple cider and which one has the most little people.
Every year we usually have two different pumpkin patches that we usually go to, but I'm always itching to try a new one and this year we did. We always go to Lakeview Farms (which we did again) and Bauman Farms. We continued our tradition of going to Lakeview Farms (it's local, inexpensive and the kids love the train and boat ride). This year Grandma Heder joined us. However, we also decided to try out Roloff Farms this year. Yes, all you TLC lovers out there, it is the same Roloff Farms owned by the Roloff Family of "Little People, Big World". We were pleasantly surprised by the good time we had there. We were always told that it is too crowded, but we must have hit it on a good day, because the crowds were low and the weather was beautiful. They had a fun collection of farm animals, reptiles and even a baby lion that the kids got to pet. They had a pumpkin fun house and a great hay maze that counteracted the overpriced pumpkins. We even saw the camera crew and Mr. Roloff himself.

The camera crew interviewing Mr. Roloff (he's in the red).

My sweet little pumpkinfeeding the animals...The very odd, yet interesting "Pumpkin Fun House"

I just really like this pumpkin.

Just sit in this chair and you can feel little too...A fun hay maze.

We stopped for dinner afterwards at the Helvetia Tavern where we ate some seriously delicious burgers.Happy kids after a fun day at the pumpkin patch...One tuckered out baby...

Like I said, eating pumpkins is another reason why I love them so much so I thought I'd throw in my family's favorite Pumpkin Dessert Recipe.

1 large can Libby's Pumpkin Pie Mix (not to be confused with just regular canned pumpkin...I know people who have made that mistake...the result will be unpleasant)

1 12 oz. can evaporated milk (pour into a 2 cup measure and add enough water to make 2 cups)

2 beaten eggs

Mix above ingredients and pour into greased 9x13 pan. Sprinkle 1 pkg. yellow cake mix over the top. Dribble 1 cube of melted butter over the top. Bake 1 hr. 1o min. @ 325 degrees. Cool and serve with whipping cream.

And of course, there is the carving. Honestly, I'm not a big fan of this, but the kids love that slimy stuff between their fingers.
The end results with the flash...



And the end results without the flash...