Our Twisted Trip to the Pumpkin Patch — Caroline’s Side of the Story

Written by: Caroline

By now you’ve read Joe’s account of our recent trip to the Pumpkin Patch. It’s time for me to tell you what really went down.

First of all, to set the record straight, Joe is not a failure of a husband. He’s actually pretty awesome. However, it is true that I own a lot of braces. Do you need a knee brace? I have three to choose from. Wrist brace? Left or right? I tend to run into things, trip over things, or just generally fall so I’ve needed a brace or two to help recover from various injuries. My motto is better safe than sorry so I’d rather have a brace to help me recover than risk further injury. Joe was well aware of all of this before we got engaged and I’ve got vacation photos of me from way back when with a knee brace from my time working at the library. 

Our trip to the pumpkin patch began by loading up into the van only 20 minutes behind schedule. We were planning on getting to the farm early so we got there around the same time a lot of the activities started. Joe’s mom and sister arrived before we did and acquired tickets for the hay wagon and the barrel train. As soon as we got out of the van Lilly was ready to go and run around the little village.

Last year, when we took Lilly to Brown’s Family Farm Market, she was barely mobile. She toddled around their little village, watched some chickens and goats, and was great for pictures. Lilly enjoyed the hayride to the pumpkin patch and I got a photo of a big pumpkin resting against my pregnant belly in the middle of the pumpkin field.

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This year, the plan was to get some photos, see where Lilly would want to roam. I also wanted to get a photo of me and Elliot in the middle of the pumpkin field to “recreate” my belly photo.

Lilly was old enough to ride the barrel train, so we wanted to do that first before the line got too long, but after I did Lilly’s hair. I buckled Lilly in, told her to have fun, and watched her throw her hands into the air and say, “WEEE” as the tractor started up. I was sure she was going to have a fun time based on how she reacted when we took her to King’s Island a few weeks ago. Before I got her out of her barrel she clapped her hands and said, “fun, fun.” I love that she’s starting to be more vocal and better at expressing herself in a way we can understand. 

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We still had some time before our scheduled hay wagon ride at noon so we decided to go take some more photos and explore a bit before getting in line. Lilly forged ahead with no regard for what was going on around her. She was in full toddler mode enjoying being out in the country and we were all along for the ride. She started to get a bit too far away so I started to run after her, and found the only divet in the whole field. While I’ve sprained my ankle before, this time was a new experience. I was grateful we brought an entourage so they could keep up with the kids while I sat on the ground and contemplated whether or not I’d be able to make it back to the van, let alone continue our trip at the pumpkin patch. After some time sitting down, water, and half a funnel cake I was beginning to feel better. My ankle was still tender, but I could walk around using Elliot’s stroller as a walker. 

Noon was approaching and I decided I was well enough to hop on the hay wagon to go out to find pumpkins for the family. Joe would do most of the pumpkin finding, and everyone else would focus on the kids. We got some adorable pictures of Lilly along the tractor path as Joe forged for pumpkins. After he found pumpkins for everyone else in the house he decided to trust me enough to find my own pumpkin. With some help, I was able to get it back to the tractor and we loaded up all of our pumpkins (eight pumpkins between seven people) and enjoyed our ride through the sunflower field.

While I was slow and stubborn, as usual, we enjoyed the rest of our outing. We got some delicious barbeque, Joe and his sister had some quality bonding time paying for all the pumpkins, and Lilly enjoyed running around their hay bales, even if I couldn’t watch from our picnic table. 

We loaded up into the van after our snack and went to see the progress on my mom’s new house. They have a front door, some windows, and will have shingles on the roof soon. It’s exciting to see their little house grow and know that we’re getting closer to having the basement back to “normal”.

While Joe’s version of events was a little hyperbolic, he definitely got the feel of the trip right. I’m grateful I have an amazing husband who helps me through all of my recoveries and tells me to sit down when my stubborn butt is insistent on doing too much. I’m sure I will have a speedy recovery with him reminding me to rest, even after I think that I’m going to go on the evening walk with the kids.

For now, I’ll prop and ice my ankle and hope that I don’t need to get around on crutches for long.

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