{PHFR} Punkin Farm Fun

~Capturing contentment in everyday life~

According to my oldest, we went to a punkin farm this past weekend. We've never gone before, but I'm glad we did because fun times were definitely had! It's the end of the season but this little farm was a great time for both the boys and us.

The boys were so happy! Once we got in to see the animals and how ready they were to snack on the feed that was given to us to share, their little faces lit up and their little feet just wanted to go, go, go.

Just not too close. The funny thing about Linus is that he took off the moment we got there. Straight to the animals he went. When it came time to feeding them the little man got a little hesitant. It was cute and pretty funny.

There was this tractor train ride that the boys, upon seeing it, became thrilled!

However, as soon as Bigfoot realized that the tractor train was going to make it's round of the farm and we weren't necessarily going to be in sight, he kept waving at us to come follow with this little worried look.

Meanwhile, Linus was just eating it up. The tractor left and Linus did not look back.

Funny little man below kept sticking his little tongue out for whatever reason. You'll see more of that little bit of him in other photos taken.

Linus loved being able to carry his very own pumpkin. I think he was really proud that he could lift the weight and waddle around.

There was a hay maze that was pretty fun.

I love this photo of these little brothers. These shared moments and memories are the bricks that lay the foundation for their brotherhood. I'm loving watching them make these memories. I'm loving watching them love each other. Seeking each other. Playing and experiencing life with each other. That has been such a gift for this young mama.

Harry Potter made an appearance while in the maze.

I absolutely love the capture of GeekMan and Linus below. I love the sun, the sky, the hay, and the two of them, together. Linus wanted to be held while in the maze. By daddy. That in itself is all kind of pretty!

The boys enjoyed searching for their punkins. They ran around for awhile, but kept passing over them as if they weren't up to their punkin standards! I wondered if they would ever pick one!

Sure enough, they did. Punkins were picked to take home. Bigfoot's tongue made another appearance and, he too, was so proud to carry his own little pumpkin. He started talking about his amazing strength and the weight of the pumpkin.

Lately, it's been so funny how Linus goes up to his big brother and starts mumbling jibber-jabber. He tries so hard to engage Bigfoot in real conversation and his big brother definitely responds every. single. time.

What Eli?
Eh.
Tell me?
Ehhhh.
The pumpkins? Oh yes. There are so many! 
(nods head)
What's that Eli? What are you saying to me?

And, on they go...

These next two photos are so telling of their personalities.

First, we have Mr. Smiley-pants-snuggly-bug-sweetie-face.

And, next we have Mr. Grouchy-pants-make-you-laugh-personality-for-daysss.

There was this beautiful little chapel on the farm.

And, a board story along the trail of the hay-ride that ended with a farmer getting stuck in a bale of hay.

The boys thought it was funny.

Linus, by the end of our stay here, managed to stick his hands into poo, picked up and dropped to the point of almost breaking an assortment of random pumpkins, and could not stop picking up every other little thing under the sun that was on the ground (hence, the poo).

Mischief managed thanks to the wagon.

Pumpkins were picked and hauled.

Last picture of our little pumpkin farm trip was taken on a frantic-whim while both children were scrambling and Dada was ready to pack up. Obviously.

But, this next photo... I want to remember. It really was a beautiful day. The farm had so much to offer! Food, farm animals, pumpkins galore, hayrides, sights, tractor train, and memories.

The best part about these little family to-do's are all the real and beautiful moments that happen under the sun. A Dada and his boys making memories while mama just soaked up as many smiles, giggles, hugs, and love that she could.

We had a good day. Thankful for this pumpkin farm that really wasn't too far from our little home.

Did y'all make it out to a pumpkin farm or patch this year?

Linking-up with the wonderful women of Like Mother, Like Daughter for Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real and with Cari over at Clan Donaldson for Theme Thursday. Today's theme is brick.

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins

I've been making pumpkin everything since the first day of Fall. It's been awesome and not yet overwhelming. I hope!

Either way, my taste-buds and my children's taste-buds have been wanting pumpkin everything. Especially in the morning. And, especially when they get to help mix ingredients.

Our favorites have been making pumpkin muffins together. The other has been making pumpkin pancakes. Today I'll share the muffins since we have made these more regularly.

We've done the "two-ingredient" route a number of times. In fact, that's how I first got started on the pumpkin muffin train years ago just after grad school. I box of cake mix plus one can of pumpkin, easy peasy! Since that time I've always tried to keep a box of Spice Cake mix and a can of pumpkin on hand when in season. For the most part I've done well, but when the boys get stuck on wanting to make pumpkin muffins and I haven't re-stocked those two simple ingredients, a mama's gotta do what a mama's gotta do! Especially a mama that is sure to keep all baking supplies (cake boxes not included) in stock! 

I found this recipe from Smitten Kitchen and loved it! But, since we more often use whole wheat, I've recently decided I love Cardomum in Pumpkin Spice, and I feel all things baked need vanilla extract I have a slightly different version.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2  Cup Whole Wheat Flour
• 1 TSP Baking Powder
• 1/2 TSP Baking Soda
• 1/2 TSP Kosher Salt
• 1 1/4 Cup Sugar Cane + 1 TBSP Sugar (for cinnamon-sugar topping)
• 1/2 TSP Cinnamon + 1 TSP Cinnamon (for cinnamon-sugar topping)
• 1/4 TSP Nutmeg
• 1/4 TSP Ginger
• 1/8 TSP Ground Clove
• 1/8 TSP Cardamom
• 1 Cup Canned-Pumpkin (Not pumpkin-pie filling)
• 1/2 TSP Vanilla Extract
• 1/3 Cup Vegetable Oil
• 1/3 Cup Applesauce (I use this to help soften the Whole Wheat texture)
• 2 Large Eggs

Heat up your oven to 350F. Butter up your muffin tins so that the muffins don't stick.

In a large bowl, mix up all the dry ingredients. Then, because I don't like using more dishes than I have to, I put all the wet ingredients in the center of the dry ingredients. Start mixing all the wet ingredients in the middle and then incorporate the dry along the way. Stir all ingredients together until combined.

Now to fill your muffin tins: you can do a variation between mini-muffins and regular sized muffins. When I make this recipe I get one dozen regular sized muffins filled 1/2 full, and one dozen mini muffins filled with about 1/2 TBSP of moist ingredients. Depending on which tins you go with, fill them up accordingly!

Next, stir together 1 TSBP of Sugar and 1 TSP of cinnamon to give you that yummy top! Sift the mix of cinnamon and sugar over all the muffins and be generous! Then place those goodies into your pre-heated oven. Mini muffins take 15-20 minutes and regular-sized muffins take 25-30 minutes. Set your timers!

Once the timer goes off, take them out, do the toothpick test and make sure the centers are cooked through. Let them sit in their tins for about 5 minutes and then transfer the goodies to a rack to cool to a nice warm temperature.

Slather some creamy butter on them and eat up! They are delicious! They'll keep for a good two to three days but can also be kept in the freezer for longer.

They're awesome for breakfast, the boys love to help make them, and they taste like all things Fall!

Let me know if you end up trying these out! They are so yummy, easy, and give you warm seasonal fuzzies! What have you been baking more often since the first day of Fall came about?

Happiness. Lately. October Love.

October has come and gone. Sweet, sweet October, how I love you! 

It was a good month for us. Even though I had some crazy back problems starting late August, I feel like October is the month that I started feeling like I was going to be okay. I've been more agile and able to do more with the boys which has been such a blessing to our day-to-day as well as my sanity! 

October was filled with family and friends. Lots of love, good health, and so much fun. Crafts and feasts that just make my heart swell! October, you were so good. Thank you.

For starters we had the Feast of the Archangels and Guardian Angels.

We had some glorious outdoor time. The weather has been amazing!

Bigfoot and Linus have enjoyed having lots of fun Daddy time.

And this mama has been putting on her crafty-pants a. lot.

Evening softball games were out of this world for the boys! And, I loved watching my hubby play!

Feast, feasting, and more feasting! The kitchen and I have been getting along very well this past month!

Grumpy funny faces.

More crafty pants.

Sweetness.

Mixed in with tidbits of mama-fashion.

We celebrated the Feast of St. Francis of Borgia. It was lovely and delicious and perfect for a meatless Friday meal! Do check out this awesome Spanish saint when you get a chance!

Crafty in the home decor department continued. I tell you what. I didn't mess around this October in this department. Very unusual for me, but I'll take it :)

We went to the ZOO!! I heart all things zoo for so many reasons.

This one below is definitely one of them. Those crazy beautiful animals just love to surprise you!

We had our annual Family Bible Study trip and it was amazing!

Loved every moment!

Seriously.

Every moment.

These boys have just been growing into their brotherhood and it's all sorts of beautiful.

Bigfoot has taken to reading to Linus. There have been so many moments!

 Mass has been a little rough. Most Sundays one of us is out in the narthex with the little munchkin on the right. But, they sure are cute, adorable, and all things God-made.

 We made cards for Priesthood Sunday. So glad we did that!

 Celebrated All Hallow's Eve with chef St. Pascual and his Kitchen Angels.

 And, St. George's dragon may have made an appearance too.

 The boys loved it.

And, we love them. 

October, thank you for being so wonderful! 

What happiness did October bring you? Or, what do you love and miss already about October and it's awesomeness?

Linking-up with Theresa from Ordinary Lovely and Jenna for tl;dr. And special thanks to Haley at Carrots for Michaelmas for helping us celebrate the liturgical year with deliciousness!

Embrace the Ordinary: All Hallow's Eve Recap

My little monkeys went trick-or-treating for the first time ever! We all had so much fun! Aside from way too many houses not answering their door (Boo to y'all!) Bigfoot kept in good spirits ready to go knock on the next house that had their porch light on.

While out with the boys, I kept having these surreal moments. The ones that make me pinch myself to remind me that this is really happening. I really have two little boys trick-or-treating on Halloween. It's not I. I'm not the little one going door to door. It's my children that are. What??? When did this happen??!!

Three years ago, that's when! God gave me these sweet baby boys and we are making memories. We're making moments filled with whimsy and laughter and candy!

This is all so new to us. But, I can say that GeekMan and I are excited to further navigate our family traditions as the years press on. We want our boys to know the goodness of All Hallow's Eve. The beauty of All Saint's day. And the blessing of All Soul's day. This little tridduum is beauty and goodness is such a gift! Being able to share with them the true glory stories of the saints that have gone before them is awesome! The heroic stories of old. There were dragon slayers, lion tamers, angels, martyrs who were not afraid of death, the courageous, the beautiful, those that loved like Him, and so many talents that share such unique walks. The saint stories are ones to remember, they are bold, and they are true.

I tried to capture as many photos as I could with that beautiful setting sun light just before we went to the houses in the neighborhood. And, honestly, I'm glad I caught as many as I did because this is our first. That's a big deal. Our first little effort towards embracing this little extraordinary time in the liturgical year as a family. The boys loved it. We loved it. And, already are thinking of plans for next year.

Bigfoot was St. George's dragon while Linus was St. Pascual sporting a chef uniform, spatula, and angel in pocket. I think they liked their costumes. Or rather, I know Bigfoot loved it and Linus just wanted to open the lollipops.

Thankful we were able to do this together and like I said, am already looking forward to expanding on our little to-do's as a family next year.

 Costumes were made same-day, so I'll have to plan that one a little better next year too.

I wouldn't have changed any of how it all happened. We're young parents and still learning how to navigate all the fun we can have with these two littles. Day-by-day, month-by-month, and holiday-by-holiday, we are growing and learning to embrace this amazing role we have.

How was your Halloween? Costumes? No? Parties or night in? Did you trick-or-treat or were you moreso on the giving end (Haha, after getting no trick-or-treaters for the night, I realized (or rather, my husband helped me realize) that I left my Do-Not-Ring-Doorbell-or-Knock-Ever-because-you-will-wake-the-toddlers-from-their-nap-Sign on the door. Oops!! First-timer in our new home fail.)?

Linking-up with Gina for Embrace the Ordinary, Jen for quick-takes, and Aimee for Beauty Find Friday.