a new favorite pumpkin patch

I'm picky about my pumpkin patches. Growing up, my parents used to take us to this amazing pumpkin patch. It involved a boat ride to the patch, a haunted train ride back, and actual pumpkins that you pick off the ground. As it turns out, most pumpkin patches here are just a pile of pre-picked pumpkins (alliteration).

This year, I heard about a new pumpkin patch. Well, more specifically, I heard about their apple cider donuts. And then I heard about their apple cider slushes. And then I learned more, and it looked like a fantastic place. So we took our friends the Bennetts and went to try it out for ourselves.

Rowley's Red Barn is a darling farm tucked into the countryside near Santaquin. The pumpkin patch is complete with a hay ride there and back, a giant slide, a maze, a sand pit, and of course, pumpkins. They've already been picked off the vine for you, so it's not quite the authentic experience I'm used to, but hey, at least they're not just sitting there in a pile. You still get to actually wander the fields picking out your pumpkin.

 Mark teaching Jason about the important things in life. AKA farming.

 Jason cracks me up in this picture (and trust me, it was the most normal of all the family pictures we tried to take that night).

 Does anyone else's husband like to play a game called balance the baby on one hand at dangerous heights, aka the give your wife a heart attack game? That's Sam's favorite game.

And a few pictures of our good friends Mark and Jessa (plus a cute baby bump and their darling daughter).

If nothing else, everyone should go to Rowley's for the food. Apple cider donuts! Apple cider slushes (which sadly weren't working the day we went)! Popcorn of every flavor! Old-fashioned candy of every flavor! 

Thanks Mark and Jessa for a great evening! Even though the hay ride was a little dusty, and even though baby girl screamed for the entire 20-minute drive back home, it was still such a lovely fall evening. We definitely found a treasure of a pumpkin patch!

one thing you should never say no to

There are some things in life you shouldn't say no to. Snow cones, of course. Free prep periods at school. Another shade of coral nail polish for your collection. Mysterious benefactors who pay you millions annually (this hasn't happened to me, but rest assured, if it did, I would definitely accept).

Another one of those things you shouldn't say no to is the red rocks of southern Utah. There's something about these rocks that are just so gorgeous. I honestly can't get over them. Even if it's a last-minute, short trip, just say yes. You won't regret it! These pictures are from our teacher trip a few weeks ago. My husband was adamant about not putting myself into labor by doing a strenuous hike when he was 6 hours away, so we opted for just a little walk to Dixie rock to watch the sun set. It was so beautiful up there.

And now I'm finally caught up on old posts from the last crazy weeks of school (yahoo!). Onward to new happenings. Mainly how pregnant I am. And how many otter pops I eat per day, which may or may not be a number in the low 20s...

What's on your list of things you shouldn't say no to?

just think of us as the sisterhood of the traveling pants

How do you know you've just spotted a reunion of four girls that were best friends in middle and high school? Here are some telltale signs:

they giggle nonstop about nothing

they're really too old to giggle nonstop about nothing

they can't cartwheel, but that doesn't stop them from demonstrating their tumbling skillz in public places

they go to a paint-your-own-pottery studio for old times sake

they spend way too long making something that will probably turn out terrible (old times sake I say!)

following the pottery is another round of too much giggling

and chocolate

and doing weird things in public places (ahem the Sarah dance)

Sarah, Allison and Talisha, that was the best way to spend a Saturday afternoon I can think of. Let's do it again soon! (Christmas?)

 Even though they're going to kill me, I have to post this next one... cartwheels!

You know you have friends like this still.

How often do you get together?

Favorite things to do (besides act silly together)?

best friends photo shoot

Last week I had the chance to take pictures of my twin sisters (let's play find the twins in these pictures), and their close friends. All these girls managed to have a mini-reunion last weekend, coming from Oregon, Washington, Utah, and Guam to have fun together and go to EFY. They asked me to take a few pictures, and I mean - look how gorgeous they are! How could I say no?

Here are just a few of my favorites:

 **a quick break for my little sister who likes to cartwheel for the camera**

 and now we're back :)

Thanks girls for such a fun photo shoot :)

the nutella to my banana creme crepe, as it were

Thursday evenings are like the shining beacon of hope in the darkness of my week. Sam says the holy grail to my Monty Python. Jason says the nutella to my banana creme crepe. I say the thin mints to my otherwise healthy dinner (and breakfast, and lunch, and afternoon recess break...).

On Thursday evenings we get together with our best friends, the Bennetts. With the Bennetts, it's like "torn-up sweatpants? no shower? no problem!" (and I show up in sweatpants way more often than not).  It's so easy to relax and be ourselves around them. Plus they have the world's cutest one-and-two-month year old who says "uh-oh!" and has eyelashes women pay hundreds of dollars to get in salons. Side note: I should probably get a baby of my own one of these years so I can stop obsessing over other people's babies.

Anyway, last Sunday we had a picnic. Way too much fresh fruit, pie-in-a-mason-jar desserts made by Jessa, and a lot of lounging around in general. It was the first picnic of the season, and I say we make it a tradition!

*Most of these pictures were taken by my ward of the state, who is becoming quite the little grown up young man photographer.

Do you have friends like that?
And don't you just love them?