Ella searches for the perfect pumpkin..

It was only a matter of time before our seemingly, unpredictable Indiana weather shifted from oppressing heat to frigid Fall temperatures. As a result, Ella thought it would be fitting to visit the Russell Farms pumpkin patch this past weekend. There was quite a bit to do on this farm. They had several corn mazes, pigmy goats you could feed, miniature horses, and, of course, a pumpkin patch. Initially, Ella thought "small" as she entered the farm. She spent several minutes amongst the "baby" pumpkins, carefully analyzing each one for defects. However, after a little coaxing, we steered her away from the "baby" pumpkins and ventured out into the pumpkin patch, passable only by hayride, of course. Ella enjoyed the short trek, and even found time to play in the hay for awhile.

Alas, it was time to get down to business. Ella, always one to scrutinize the details, searched long and hard for the perfect pumpkin. Her inspection process consisted of sitting on them, patting them repeatedly like a drum, yanking on the stems, and drooling on them....which we can only assume was a tactic used to test the pumpkins tolerance to moisture, which could result in a pumpkin prematurely rotting prior to Halloween, something Ella definitely wanted to avoid. Eventually, Ella stumbled upon a qualified pumpkin...something not too small, nor too big. Ella had found her pumpkin.