Two weekends ago, we finally had a bit of a cold front blow through town. With morning temperatures in the 50s, you could almost believe it really was October. With the promise of temperatures topping out in the low 80s and the sun shining, we decided to spend some time outdoors. We took Maya to Bastrop to a pumpkin patch.

Maya in the pumpkin patch – 10 1/2 months old

We left Austin bound for Barton Hill Farms mid-morning, figuring Maya would nap during the 45 minute car ride. Not so. She kept up a steady stream of playing and jabbering, not even looking sleepy till the last five minutes of our drive. Sean looked at me and said, “I bet we have fifteen minutes.” I knew it was probably true.

We were wrong. The moment we got out of the car, Maya looked around and giggled. I don’t know if it was the sunny but not blistering weather, the kids running around, or what, but she was happy. Better still, she was pleasant and active for the next two hours.

The whole family!

There were lots of hay bales stacked up here and there with old farm machinery and lots of pumpkins. I’m not sure why, but Maya really seemed enamored with those pumpkins. And of course, hay is fun to eat.

They had some goats penned up for the kids to feed and pet. Those goats may have been among Maya’s favorite things ever. They nuzzled at her hand searching for food and she petted their heads and played with their tiny horns.

Maya loved the goats

The Barton Hill Farms folks had made a very large Willie Nelson themed corn maze, and we walked in it a little while. For the first time all day, I actually started to feel hot, and Maya was kind of bored, so we didn’t spend a great deal of time in there.

We ended our outing with lunch at a picnic table under a big shade tree. Maya drank her bottle then helped eat Mom and Dad’s hamburgers and fries. We had barely made it out of the parking lot before she was asleep.