Goblin Gardens Pumpkin Patch Trip - Bastiao Farms, Sacramento

First trip to Goblin Gardens Pumpkin Patch, Sacramento

Alina driving the John Deere tractor, this would have made
her Great Grandpa Crothers so proud during his farming days

Plenty of great selections in the pumpkin patch

Fun day at Bastiao Farms, they especially loved the seesaw

Little goblins at Goblin Gardens

Alina by the Haunted Barn, the paintings here are great!

Inside the haunted town of Goblin Gardens

We took our first trip to a new pumpkin patch for mommy's birthday this year. We visited Goblin Gardens Pumpkin Patch at Bastiao Farms in Sacramento. This pumpkin patch is the perfect place to go if you only want to spend an hour or two on activities and get some great photo opportunities along the way. With mama being hugely pregnant (38 weeks) and pretty uncomfortable walking long distances, I enjoyed our trip here as the pumpkin patch is relatively small, but there were still plenty of activities to entertain the kids. The admission here is pricier than other pumpkin patches we've visited, but the kids had the best time here despite the sweltering 90+ degree Sacramento Valley weather...is it fall yet, seriously!? 

Goblin Gardens Pumpkin Patch has a cool mini town area for the kids and they loved playing and exploring inside. Also, most of the buildings here are adorned with great paintings, which make for fantastic photos. They also have small hay and corn mazes, hay rides and a train ride through the corn field with costumed ghouls who jump out and surprise everyone on board. The hay pyramid here was one of the tallest we've seen yet. Dad, of course, helped the girls scale it...success! All in all, it was a fun/overly hot day. We went home with a few large pumpkins which will eventually be turned to jack-o-lanterns before Halloween. Mama had a fun birthday this year, though a part of me wished all my walking that day would have jump-started labor. I am over being pregnant and ready to meet our little man.

The fun kids town at Goblin Gardens Pumpkin Patch

Alina exiting the saloon 

Everyone ready for a very fun hay ride

Alina and Daddy, all smiles before the hay ride

They scaled their tallest hay maze yet

Smiles and waves from the top

Goodbye Goblin Gardens pumpkin patch!

Disneyland Holiday Magic 2014

Disneyland holiday lights and magic 2014

The five of us outside Hyperion Theater

We just got back from an amazing Disneyland holiday trip! It was one week of fun and adventure.  The girls both begged to go back again after their very memorable first trip back in December 2012. Part of the reason we really decided to make it happen is due to how much Alina loves and adores Mickey and Minnie Mouse right now. She gets this special twinkle in her eye every time she sees them and we knew we wouldn't want her to miss out on the amazement that Disneyland brings to a sweet three-year-old. Elise was three the first time we took her and she loved every minute of it. 

Both girls did great on this trip! Alina was starstruck by the characters and being 40 inches, she was able to go on most the rides with us including the fun Radiator Springs Racers. Elise remembered so much from our first Disneyland trip, so she was definitely leading the way to the rides she liked and excitedly running up to meet characters. Grandma came with us too. She hasn't been for quite a few years, so it was fun for her to get to experience the park with her granddaughters. Having been there a couple years before, this trip felt more relaxed as we were able to focus less on checking rides off the list and more on the areas the kids wanted to explore. We saw a lot more shows this time, tried some new restaurants and experienced some areas of the park that we hadn't seen before. It was a very fun and much needed vacation. I took tons of photos, so stay tuned for some more in depth posts after the New Year.

The girls loved meeting Minnie Mouse

By the twinkling Sleeping Beauty Castle

Alina's Preschool Field Trip to The Pumpkin Farm

Alina's preschool field trip to The Pumpkin Farm

Enjoying having Nana & Papa all to herself!

Daddy and Alina by the corn maze

Enjoying her field trip with her preschool classmates

Recreating the same photo three years later, so cute!

Last Friday was little Alina's annual preschool field trip to The Pumpkin Farm in Citrus Heights. This was her first school field trip without big sister Elise (who is now in Kindergarten). Alina had such a great time, and was spoiled a bit with both Mommy and Daddy AND Nana and Papa all there to share the day with her! She had been talking about her big pumpkin patch trip a month in advance and was so excited when the day finally arrived. I think her favorite part of the day was getting Nana and Papa all to herself! She also really enjoyed feeding the goats and pigs. She even braved the spooky haunted house and the best reward for a fun filled day was getting to pick out her own little pumpkin to take home. She made sure to pick out the littlest and cutest one that she could possibly find.

She loved feeding the goats and pigs

With Nana and Papa in the corn maze

Picking out her little pumpkin

All smiles in the haunted house

Disneyland Trip 2012 - Festive New Orleans and Haunted Mansion Holiday

Beautiful New Orleans in Disneyland

 

The girls posing on the New Orleans Square staircase

Festive holiday decorations at New Orleans, Disneyland
 

Gorgeous New Orleans Square holiday wreath

Haunted Mansion at Disneyland

Haunted Mansion where Christmas and Halloween meet

Haunted Mansion Holiday at Disneyland

The girls meeting Jack Skellington and Sally

Alina getting her crayon ready for Sally's autograph, so cute!

 

Family photo - All of us with Jack and Sally
 

Pirates of the Carribean Ride - One of the Best!