Pumpkin pickin'

Now that we're firmly settled back into the groove of school and looking forward to a colorful fall, it must be time for Oktoberfest again. Oktoberfest at Sunnyside Gardens Park is truly one of the highlights of the month for me. Even when it's been a little hectic or the girls haven't been able to concentrate long enough to finish painting their pumpkins, it's still a good time. This year I was part of the planning committee for the event which meant I needed to be an extra body on the day of in case they needed me to cover a volunteer shift. And for much of the day I floated between ticket sales, taking photos and the pumpkin patch. It was a busy, but beautiful day and the crowds really turned out. I'm glad Nacho was off this year though, since it would have been too much for me otherwise. Bringing kids to the public events at the park always makes me a little nervous because they are so used to wandering around that place on their own. With the throngs in full force on Saturday, I really hesitated to let them drift off and fortunately Elisa mostly obeyed that. The one time I couldn't find her, she was actually in line for the women's bathroom when a friend spotted her and shouted out to me. I love that she raced over there and got in line without needing me at all. Sometimes, she can really act her age.

The fun this year was really seeing how Carolina took to the pumpkin painting and wanted to do everything her big sister did. When Sponge Bob made an appearance, I thought I might have a serious groupie problem on my hands with Carolina. She was so tickled you can't even imagine. The pure joy on her face was so sweet and I loved seeing how she followed him around before big sis Elisa came along and pushed her to the front of the crowd to get a hand shake. It was all too crowded for a good photo op, but the moment was golden nonetheless.  Afterwards, I ushered Nacho and Carolina home for a rest, while Elisa stayed on to dance to the sounds of Mr. Richard (Younger).  Another idol, another groupie, I'm afraid. Between her and her friend Juliet, there was soon a nice little crowd of dancers and all the kids were having fun. And though I had to cut my free time short to get back to tending the pumpkin patch before the event closed, it was overall one of the better Oktoberfests I've attended at SGP. Hopefully, my bias isn't showing, but I really thought it was a nice day and I think whenever you can wear summer dresses in October, you have to be thankful.