October 22

If we've been acquainted for more than a year, you know that every Fall, our family takes a trip down to Pastorino's Pumpkin Farm in Half Moon Bay. Sure, grocery store pumpkins are plentiful and decidedly cheaper, but it's a tradition for us. And so we go.

And, in case you've not yet guessed, today was the day. We left a bit earlier than we have historically, partly because I was up earlier than expected (falling asleep at 8:30 last night may have had something to do with it!) and partly because we no longer have to wrestle kids into the car. Since it was only 9, we swung through the McDonalds drive thru for breakfast and then hit the road.

It was, by far, the quickest trip down we've ever experienced, and certainly one of the quietest. I didn't think much about it as we rode along, but in hindsight, it was a very different journey because our kids aren't little anymore. There was no whining about needing to use the bathroom and no one kicked anyone and no one breathed in someone's face and incited a bicker-war. Yes, it was peaceful, but the memories almost make me wistful for those sticky-fingered days when just about anything could be fixed with a kiss and a lollipop. But I digress.

When we arrived, we took our annual photo, and without further ado, here it is. It's weird that Abby isn't in it since the very first pic in the series was taken when I was nine months pregnant with her 18 years ago, but she's in college and doing so well. And I'm so proud of her for being all the way back there in Chicagoland doing her own thing in her own space. I've gotten to watch her grow up in this series and now... now she's living her own life. She graduated. And I am so, so grateful for all of the life I've gotten to watch happen in these images. And the life that continues to happen. But I've digressed yet again.

So yes, we took the photo. And others, and I was again surprised when I looked back at last year's bunch and realized just how much the boys have grown. (In sum: I just keep getting shorter and shorter.) And Isaac and Brady roamed the patch and hoisted the biggest pumpkins they could find into a wheelbarrow. (And they are, indeed, massive.) And then we headed back home. 

What else can I say? It's a blessing that we've continued this tradition of ours for as long as we have. It's a blessing that a simple trip can stir up so many (bitter)sweet memories. And family is, at its core, one of the biggest blessings of all. So I am thankful.