On July 31st I saw a post on facebook that said Vala's Pumpkin Patch was opening September 19th. I was immediately so excited but very quickly saddened. Matt starts school on September 14th. Was he really going to miss the entire season? Vala's is a very special place for our family. We have made so many special memories at the farm. All of our kids have been visiting since they were infants! I wanted Matt to be there with us this year. I want him to be in our family pictures there. I wanted to not have him miss out on our most important family traditions. So, I got this crazy idea to send them a message. I knew it was such a long shot. In fact, I more than assumed it wouldn't happen at all. But it was worth a try.
Dear Vala Family,
I would love to start by saying how much my family LOVES Vala's Pumpkin Patch. We buy your season pass every year and visit as often as possible. We have introduced you to our families and they now drive three hours every year to join us at Vala's. Vala's pumpkin patch has really become a near and dear family tradition for my husband and our three children. Our son, Jayen, has struggled with his health since he was four months old. We often say we don't know what he loves. Every year for his birthday we struggle finding gifts that we think would be perfect for him. We know one place that always makes him light up...Yep, Vala's! We have rented your campfire spaces and had his second, third and fourth birthday there. This year however, we are not sure that will be possible. Jayen had brain surgery in March but despite removing four parts of his brain he is still unable to control his seizures. To add to it, Jayen dad is in the Air Force and will be deploying September 12th. I am begging for the opportunity to visit Vala’s before my husband deploys, before our family has to move to Arizona, and before Jayen’s health gets worse. My family would be forever grateful!
Sincerely,
Nicole Hochstein
I sent the message and wasn't sure I would ever receive a response. BUT about two weeks later I got the most incredible response. Somehow all the stars in the universe aligned! Any other year, this would not have been possible, but they were hosting a pumpkin farm convention this year. There were going to be a few attractions and activities, but they didn't want it to be a disappointment at all. I promise, no visit to Vala's would ever be a disappointment! We were invited to visit the farm during the convention. They were touched by my letter and were happy to be such a special part of our family's memories and traditions. We were honored they were allowing us to be part of their special convention. My heart melted! I couldn't wait to share the news with the kids, but I decided to keep it a secret!
We took Dalan out of school at 2:30 and met with Kirsten at the pumpkin patch. She was so welcoming and sweet. They offered us kettle corn, baked us a pie in the new pie barn that morning, made a fire for us to cook hotdogs and smores, and opened the entire farm to us. It was like Christmas for all of us!
Our first stop was a perfect family photo with the How Tall This Fall sign. There were no lines anywhere! The farm was at our disposal. What should we do? Where should we go? We started by heading toward the big slide! After a failed attempt at sliding down, we noticed the new ball area. This is so neat! I think this was probably Jayen's favorite part! There was basketball, baseball, football, soccer, ladder golf, cornhole, and the strong man game with a pumpkin twist. We probably spent the most time here. Mommy was reminding everyone that the dog show started at 5 and we had a lot of farm to cover yet.
We stopped at a few more places on the way to the dog show. We were waiting for the train when a group of people asked us, "Are you the family?" I had no idea what to respond. Then she asked if we were moving to Arizona. She worked at a pumpkin farm in Arizona and wanted to make sure she met us to invite us to see them after we move. How exciting! We are going to miss Vala's but were excited to know there was something for us after the move. But still, how did they know about us moving? We found out that the Vala family shared our letter with the people putting on the convention. They wanted to make sure it was ok that we crashed their party! Apparently our letter touched them as well. Our letter was then read to all the convention visitors on their way to the farm. We were "The family"!
We were able to ride the train, watch the dog show, throw frisbees to the dog, ride the pedal cars and play in the corn! It isn't Vala's unless we come home with corn in our pockets!
We were treated with such kindness from every person there. We felt like royalty! All of us were spoiled rotten. I lost it and couldn't stop crying when we were given a Vala's ornament. I might have to move the angel this year! Not sure how the bulb will fit on the top, but I'm going to cherish that ornament for the rest of my life.
When we were ready, the fire was started for us. We had our own private fire tucked away from everything. We had hotdogs and smores, but couldn't leave Vala's without a frito pie. We stuck a can of chili in the fire and made our own! I know I've said it before, but this was amazing! We had some visitors stop by while we were by the fire. The kids were all asked to help out the sheriff and watch for bad guys. They were all given badges and swore to serve and protect. The guy who does the pig races stopped too. I wish I could remember their names! He said we will have to stop to get a pig nose to send to daddy when he is gone. Can't wait to send him a picture of dad in his uniform wearing a pig nose!
It might not have been the best of ideas, but after we ate we finished up the night on the pillows. Dalan was so excited to get to jump on the big kid pillow! Daddy was excited to bounce as high as he could and not bounce off any kids other than his own!
We truly can't thank the entire Vala's family for allowing us this amazing opportunity! I'm so grateful for the wonderful family memories we have made over the years. You will always hold such a special place in our hearts. Arizona will have us for a little bit, but you will have us FOREVER!
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