The Great Pumpkin Hunt

We visited two pumpkin patches this year.  When we got to the first one, we saw one of the employees taking pumpkins out of a crate and strategically placing them in the yard.  Not exactly what we were looking for, but we thought we'd give it a shot.  Tate was ready with his wagon.

"Hmmm, which one do I want?"

"This one!  The biggest one in the field!"  But the more we walked around, the more decaying pumpkins we noticed.  It was not the experience we wanted.  So we convinced Tate to put his pumpkin back, we got in the car, and drove to patch #2.

New wagon.  This pumpkin patch was actually a patch, with vines to prove it.  Much better.

Tate found his ideal pumpkin among the cornstalks.  Dave used this opportunity to teach him what is inside a cornstalk.

Proudly pulling the family's pumpkins.

Nothing like a ride on a tractor to complete the visit!

Tate's 3rd Birthday

Hey, better late than never, right?  For Tate's 3rd birthday, we took him on a long weekend trip to St. Louis.  And what 3 year old's birthday is complete without a stop here?

Tate mostly just enjoyed the Clydesdales and the trolley ride at the end.

The next day, we went to the St. Louis Zoo (which is free!) and Tate was SO excited to see the elephants.  He had been talking about them for weeks.  I think they were bigger than he thought they would be.

Lions....

And tigers... (okay, so maybe it's cheetah or leopard or something, whatever)

And bears, oh my!  The zoo was huge, and Tate was more than ready for a nap by the time we were done.  

The next day, he enjoyed Grant's Farm, again thanks to Anheuser Busch.  There were lots of animals there too.

Most of you will be shocked to see that we toured the St. Louis Cardinal's stadium.  Dave just likes looking at baseball stadiums.  We did not get to see the Cardinal clubhouse ($30 for tickets and no clubhouse tour - what??) but the rest of the stadium was neat.  Here is Tate, tired of waiting, ready to get the party started.

"What'd you say, Dad?  No Cardinals, Go Cubbies?!?"

I should Photoshop an ivy covered brick wall in the background instead.

So, if you can't have a trophy of your own, pretend someone else's is yours....

On with Tate's birthday celebration.  When we got back, a present from Grandpa Brei was waiting for him.

Nothing like cake and ice cream.  Notice that he ate all the frosting off the cake first (that's my boy!) and then went for the ice cream.  But he didn't finish the ice cream (whose child is that??)

Tate received a lot of musical toys for his birthday.  This trumpet, which he insists is actually a trombone, is one of his favorites.

Tate picked out the Thomas the Train cake.  Happy Birthday, buddy!

Tate's Secret