A pumpkin with a purpose. #tealpumpkinproject

 Hooray, hooray!  Halloween is here!  A time for dressing up, playing pretend, being a kid, screaming trick or treat and getting candy.   Which is AWESOME!!!!!!!

Unless.

You're one of many kiddos today with food allergies.  Which in that case means you either can't stand trick or treating or you really learn a lesson in sharing as you dump out every treat you can't eat and give to someone else.  

Thankfully there's the Teal Pumpkin project which let's families know that you're offering tasty treats as well as food allergy friendly options like bubbles, stickers, pencils, or glow sticks.  

Here's the easy way to participate:

Print out a Teal Pumpkin sign here. 

 Hang it on your door and hit up your nearest Dollar Tree or Target $1 bin section and grab some goodies!  Can't think of one single treat that isn't candy?  Click here for more ideas.  I spent less on "non-food" treats than I did the huge bag of candy I purchased so it really is doable for anyone!  

 Since our little punkin' princess has shown us a whole new world of empathy in regards to food allergies with FPIES we are so very thankful that something like this exists.  Our little Henry is not too interested in art projects these days but once I got him out there with a paint brush in hand I was pleasantly surprised at how much he enjoyed it.  I painted about 1/8th of our big pumpkin while he did the rest, and I'm happy he knows that he is one lucky boy to have the privilege to enjoy this holiday without any restrictions.  

Pumpkin Patch - Check!

 Coming back from vacation in the peak of fall we quickly dove into traditions and checking fun festivities off our list.  This year's trip to the pumpkin patch was busy as we chased two excited little ones around the grounds.  There was cider sipping, slide racing, running, hay climbing, and pumpkin pickin' fun.  

 

 What do you do when you see a tall stack of hay bales?  Why you grab your partner and dosey-do of course!

Boyd's is our favorite pumpkin patch to visit.  Not for nostalgia, not for the delicious cider, not for the smell of freshly baked pumpkin doughnuts, no their biggest attraction is always the pirate ship!

Taking a picture of two moving targets is something I have yet to perfect.  Our how tall this fall shot is all action.   

 There was the always popular mini train ride.  The driver is our pumpkin patch equivalent of Santa, with his generous heart, quick wit, genuine smile, and a twinkle in his eye he never fails to bring joy to our visit.  This year he surprised Henry by asking him if he'd like to blow the whistle; which brought an ear to ear grin to his face. 

 Henry had been working his way up to getting his face painted for quite some time, and was excited to have a football sitting on his cheek.  "Getting your face painted isn't such a big deal."  Ah the milestones. :)

My favorite time of the year and twice as sweet through the eyes of my lil' punkin babies.