We went to Disneyland on Saturday with a friend, her daughter and their exchange student from some country I can't pronouce (It may be the one Borak is from - I don't know...?). Usually this time of year is perfect (traditionally light-crowds, cool weather, etc.) but they started decorating the park for Halloween this year and now everybody and their neighbors pack the place - it's looked like a Summer Saturday. It's amazing to me that all Disneyland needs to do is put up decorations and people flock to the place like moths to a lightbulb. Overall we had fun, there's nothing quite like taking my daughter to Disneyland, it's like everything is visual overload for her.
Anyhow, we did something unlike us; we stayed until the park closed - nearly 1am. We're never doing that again - imagine a 15-month old staying up late and then waking up at the usually time the next day. The result is a cranky kid.
Sunday we went to a pumpkin patch called Lombardi Ranch way out in a place called Saugus (where the requirement to live there is a huge truck, SUV and an RV parked on the street). This pumpkin patch is actually really cool. They have corn mazes, tractor rides, farm animals, play areas for kids, and lots of junk food. I love the junk food!
We met some friends there who have a little girl who's only a few months older than our daughter. Watching them both was pretty entertaining for us adults. Between the other Dad and I we probably took about 6,000 pictures (Typical first kid syndrome, I know.)
An interesting part of our visit was the scarecrow contest in the sunflower fields. Local schools and scout troops did most of them. I was laughing at some boy scouts scarecrows who created monsters with blood and a sign that read "Pack 885 is coming to get YOU!!!"
And right next to that was the girl scouts (same age 9/10) with a rainbow and happy scarecrows picking flowers with a my little pony horses.
I kept thinking, when my daughter is that age, she'll probably work on a Colonel Sanders scarecrow holding a bucket of unhappy crows. That'll show them crows!