Ode to Pumpkins

"1, little 2, little 3 little pumpkins," I chanted.
"4, little 5, little 6, little pumpkins."  Adisson rocked her head from side to side in rhythm to Mommy's made-up song.
"7 little, 8 little, 9 little pumpkins," Adisson looked at me for the finale.
"10 little orange pumpkins!!" I screamed with hands raised in the air.

We were getting ready to visit the Silveyville Pumpkin Patch in Dixon, CA, and I was prepared to get Adisson as excited about it as possible.  Word around town told me that the pumpkin farm included hay rides, a petting zoo, corn maze, and lots of other fun Halloween stuff.  The temperature was 70 degrees with chilling wind gusts but that wasn't going to stop the Serb Patrol from having a good time.

Upon arrival it was evident that we were the only brave souls that were going to tough out the wind- our car was the only one in the parking lot.  When we entered the pumpkin farm, there was no one in sight except for lonely scarecrows sporadically pinned on the fields.  But, whatever!  That didn't matter to us.  Adisson had Daddy and Mommy at her side and that was all that mattered.  We had the entire pumpkin farm to ourselves and we enjoyed every moment of exploring the variety of pumpkins, climbing a pyramid of haystacks, and riding on a hay horse.  No crowd, no lines, no nothing.  Just the Serb Patrol having a grand ol' time with a bunch of Jack O' Lanterns.

Potty Success!

It is official.  Adisson is successfully potty trained!  It took about two weeks of constant monitoring, asking, worrying, and just sitting, sitting, and sitting on the potty.  And all of the work paid off.  At 2 1/2-years-old, my daughter uses the potty.

I have to say, though, no one told me potty training a toddler would be such a workout.  You'd be surprised how many retailers do NOT have a restroom.  So I frequently book it, frantically trying to find the nearest restroom with Adisson in my arms as she freely announces aloud, "pee pee, wait!!"  That's my cardio for the day.

Nest at Newport Coast

Nothing compares to a day at the beach in 80 degree weather during the month of October.  I'd say we're perfectly spoiled by California living. 

Adisson had a fun-filled vacation at Newport Beach in Southern California.  She played at the beach every day, went on a boat ride along Newport Harbor, and saw sea lions up close and personal.  Not to mention she spent mucho quality time with her Papa, Mama Pinky, Auntie Mitell, and cousins Jonah & Jordan.

We stayed at my parents timeshare at the Newport Coast Villas which is perched upon a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean.  We got a wonderful view of the sunset every night we were there.  On our first day, we took a shuttle to Crystal Cove to have lunch right on the beach.  At first, Adisson tip-toed along the sand because she considered the sand stuck to her feet as "dirty."  But she got used to it and by the end of our trip she was happily making sandcastles with Papa and cousin Jonah.

We are already looking forward to flocking back to Newport Beach next year.  In the words of Jonah & Adisson in their splendid imitation of the sea lions, "Uurp!  Uurp!!"