Pumpkin Patch Lessons + Life Expectations

Happy Monday, sweet friends! 

I hope you had a wonderful weekend. Ours was perfect. But, wait… 

Before I had kids and during the year of trying to get pregnant when I desperately wanted to become a mom, I became a bit obsessed with the idea of taking my baby to the pumpkin patch. 

Is that weird? 

I would look longingly at family pumpkin patch photos my friends shared on Facebook. A family trip to the pumpkin patch is the unofficial kick off of the holiday season, and I couldn’t wait for the day that I had my own family to make our own family traditions. 

I longed for a family of my own, and after trying for almost a year, it wasn’t happening. In between my tireless pursuit of researching everything fertility related, I would look at those pumpkin patch family photos. 

They looked so…perfect. 

And happy. 

And well-coordinated.

Finally, I had my August baby. Perfect.

The second thought I had after having my girl (after my first thought of: OH SHIT, I have no idea what I’m doing.), was about traditions. And ours would begin with a picture perfect trip to the pumpkin patch in a few shorts months.

Enter: real life. And colic. And baby reflux. And sleep deprivation. And raw and real and full motherhood.

Oh. 

We never did make it to the pumpkin patch that first year. Or that second year, come to think of it. We made it there when I was pregnant with my second girl (remember this post?) and I remember feeling very big and very pregnant, which sadly colored the whole experience for me. 

So, this was the year. I was bound and determined. We were going to pumpkin patch it with the best of them.

Then, the sky opened up. 10 minutes after we got there, the wind picked up, the temps plummeted and it started to hail.

Oh. 

We never did get that perfect family photo at the pumpkin patch. But, as it turns out, we got something even better.

Rarely can we recall times when things went the way they were planned. It’s when things go wrong and when it hails in October that we make memories that will never fail us and stories that will grow with the years. 

Maybe when we retell this story in 20 years, the hail will have turned to snow. 

I left the pumpkin patch feeling extremely grateful. For my messy, full life. For my husband who rolls with the punches and takes the pumpkins to the car. For my girls who can find adventure anywhere. And for Didier’s pumpkin donut because it almost made me forget about the cold. 

XO

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That can’t be good.

Quick! Let’s pose before the sky opens. 

My look: Faux fur vest (size down) | LOFT sweater (same style here) | J Crew Toothpick jeans | Uggs | Madewell tote (shop more Madewell totes here) | Oliver Peoples sunnies (shop more Oliver Peoples here) | beanie (similar here, shop more beanies here)

We got the goods. Phew.

Nothing a little white chocolate can’t fix.

Smile!

Couldn’t resist a quick FWIS pic with these beauties.

Photo courtesy of our sweet girl.