Pumpkin Patch "Pretend"

I love fall and everything that comes with it- leaves, orange and brown, spiced lattes, hay bales and of course, pumpkin patches. So, I FINALLY have a baby after 32 years, but in a country where fall pumpkin patches are unheard of, can you believe that? I don't think they even grow big, orange pumpkins here in Japan like they do in the states. Bummer.

After my initial disappointment of thinking I wouldn't have fall pics of my own little pumpkin in a pumpkin patch, I discussed it with the moms in the infant play group I take Mallory to each week. I said if we each bought 1 or 2 pumpkins and brought them to class, we could make our own psuedo-pumpkin patch and take pictures. Much better than the alternative, which was me going to the commisary, buying a cart full of pumpkins, setting them up to take pictures of Mallory, and then having 20 pumpkins and nothing to do with them (and people on base mad at me because I bought a whole shipment of pumpkins and didn't save any for them).

The idea went over well with the play group. So last Friday we made our own pumpkin patch, and these pictures are the result:

Little Mallory can't sit up on her own yet, of course. She is propped up in a baby seat, with a blanket around it. She has on a pretty white dress, but bless her little heart, she looks like a munchkin all smashed in that chair. A munchkin with stubs for legs and arms- haha.

My little oompa-loompa baby:

Taking pictures and looking cute is tiring work!
Here are the group shots we tried to get. As you can see, it was just quite hilarious to try to get 10 kids ages 7 wks (Mallory is the baby of the group) to 1 year to try to sit still and smile at a camera at the same time.
Mallory looks like she is the queen of the pumkin patch and all her little royal subjects are face planted around her- haha!
Isn;t this just the cutest little pumpkin you ever did see??