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!