Behind Closed Doors

Tommy T had to leave town tonight....unexpectedly....the worst kind. He headed to Kansas City (where him mom lives) for a morning meeting at corporate. I had wrapped up our nighttime routine and I was preparing to tuck everyone in. I came to Bradley's room to find the door closed and locked. I knocked and there was no answer. I put my ear to the door and heard soft sobbing into a pillow. He eventually gave into my pleadings and opened the door, only to run back and dive under the covers again. The tears continued as he tried to contain himself enough to answer my question, "Why are you so sad???"

Through his tears, sniffs, and whimpers he answered, "I miss Daddy and it's all his fault!"

"Why is it all his fault?", I asked.

"Because he went to Grandma's! I'm sad and it's all his fault!"

After drying the tears and kissing his injured heart, I went on to finish the dishes. In my loneliness I conjured up a mental conversation with myself and we discussed how crazy it was to see the "Pain and Blame Game" starting at such a young age.

Add to Thursday's "To-Do" list: Teach Bradley that pain in life can't be avoided........but we CAN resist the impulse to blame others for it...that life is happier when you can express pain without blame.

On second thought....maybe I'll bake cookies and teach him how to be an emotional eater. :)

I love that tender hearted little man cub. Oooh. Love him.

Bradley, how I wish I could bubble wrap that little heart of yours. Keep it from ever feeling hurt or pain. I would bubble wrap it and then wrap it in your "twinkle star" blanket, which wards off all trouble. On top of that I would glue marshmallows. The big ones you love. I would then wrap it with the miles of scraps of toilet paper that your baby brother has strewn through our house. And around all of that I would wrap myself - to guard and protect and keep everything painful at bay. But life has more planned for you than existing in painless naivety. Life intends you to feel and struggle and wrestle with the uncomfortable.

"That which causes us trials shall yield us triumph: and that which make our hearts ache shall fill us with gladness. The only true happiness is to learn, to advance, and to improve: which could not happen unless we had commence with error, ignorance, and imperfection. We must pass through the darkness, to reach the light." - Albert Pike

So in the meantime, I will always be here to dry your tears and kiss your heart. I hope that will do.

Love, Mama

Introducing.....

In "My Favorite Things" category - I have found a new favorite website. I go there when I want to cry.....cry from laughing that is. This chick started a blog where people could send in pictures of professional cakes gone awry. We have all had them. I ordered my Sister in law, Maren, a baby shower cake that was supposed to have a moon and stars theme. The cake was supposed to be of a baby slumbering on a cloud. Instead, when I picked up the cake - I discovered that they had decorated it as a 40 year old Mexican, with black hair and eyebrows laying on a cloud.


Several cakes I have ordered for Tommy T's office have gone south. For instance - don't ever order a cake over the phone from Walmart. Don't do it. Or the cake will literally say,

Congradulashuns

dot dot dot

We are so prowd of you!

If any of you have a warped sense of humor like me, I highly recommend this site. Check out the archives. Beautiful! I have given you a small sampling below.

ORDERED BY PICTURE

CAKE DECORATOR'S "INTERPRETATION" OF PICTURE

And my all time favorite......in her hilarious words....
"Not all Cake Wrecks are a result of poor construction, as you can see from this example. Some cake artists just seem to forget that, at the end of the day, their creation is meant to be eaten. Can you seriously imagine being told to slice up and serve this cake?And baby shower cakes seem to be the worst offenders in this vein. People, try to think outside the box, will you? Just because the occasion has "baby" in the name doesn't mean the cake has to BE a baby, mmkay? You don't see bridal shower cakes made to look like the bride, do you? Oh, wait - scratch that example...But getting back to this cake - I think the worst part is that the baby is staring at me. No, really - check out the right eye. [shudder] Dang, that would be spine-tingling even if it were a real baby, you know? (And can you imagine being the person who gets served that eye? Eeeek- I'm going to give myself nightmares.) Call me finicky, but I really can't eat anything that looks like its looking at me."

Draw Nearer

Little Bear Cubs,

One day you will come to recognize the irony in life. There are so many unexpected twists and turns...flip flops....somersaults.....and surprises. One of these ironies is parents learning from those they are supposed to be teaching.....becoming "giant" students sitting at the feet of the tiny, wise ones. I suppose at one point in my life, I was the little teacher to the big people in my life.....but as life progresses, I am the one who is more and more in need of being instructed by you little ones. I love to watch you play. You don't need anything but each other and this world. Watching you play reminds me of locking hands with my little brothers....spinning and spinning until we could no longer walk a straight line....and then when our focus was being regained, desperately trying to make it disappear again.

We would lay in the grass and look at the clouds...sharing what we "spied in the sky". Cartwheels and back hand springs gone awry....wiffle ball games....keeping a balloon airborne with our feet - trying to keep it from hitting ground....pretending we were mice on the "biggest boat in the world", swimming in an ocean of grass.

I wonder where those days have gone....and the state of heart that accompanied them. I suppose they are buried under piles of laundry, bills, deadlines, and grown up worries.....but just when I think those moments are no longer mine to be had....you teach me and show me that I am wrong.

"Come play!" you call. "I will in a minute.....I need to finish ______", is my usual reply. those minutes often turn into hours and days as I responsibly complete the tasks on my lists and answer any demands that come from other adult "responsibilities" in my life. But then there are the times I see the look in your eye. I see the hoping that THIS will be the time that I am ready "right now" to play.

In those moments it all becomes clear....like a child whose "twirling dizziness" has worn off. It all comes into focus and I see that I am putting things of limited consequence above the little people who offer endless joy. I was recently doing the dishes when it began to rain. It was the perfect thunderless rain.......steady and warm. You were outside and I rushed to call you in - to keep you from getting wet....then I saw that look in your eyes and before I knew it we were dancing in the rain, laying in the street while the water rushed around us, and chasing each other through the soggy grass. We were sad when the storm clouds passed.

"Children teach us how to find joy even under the most challenging circumstances. Children haven't yet learned to be depressed by concentrating on the things they don't have. They find joy in what is available to them." - Richard G. Scott

As I mature, I am learning that I need to stay young with you. There needs to be less checking off of the lists and more dancing in the rain. My laundry will be there forever.....and you will be MINE forever....but you will be little for such a small time.

I need to rush and capture up these moments like the fireflies we catch in the summer. Seal them up and call them mine. Treasure them....lavish in them....lather myself up in the suds of your childhood....soak you up like the sun.....absorb each moment like a thirsty sponge.

I need to stop and touch the wet puppy noses.

I need to eat some leaves ...and chew on a few rocks.

I need to not get so caught up in all that I have to "do" - that I forget what I should "be".

And what is that, little bear cubs? ........Your mama.

Elder M. Russell Ballard said, "There is no one perfect way to be a good mother. Each situation is unique. Each mother has different challenges, different skills and abilities, and certainly different children...what matters is that a mother loves her children deeply and, in keeping with the devotion she has for God and her husband, prioritizes them above all else."

"Above all else". Above callings, chores, friends, responsibilities and "To-Do" lists.

Elder Ballard continued, "We need to remember that the full commitment of motherhood and of putting children first can be difficult... I know something of a mother’s emotions that accompany her commitment to be at home with young children. There are moments of great joy and incredible fulfillment, but there are also moments of a sense of inadequacy, monotony, and frustration. Mothers may feel they receive little or no appreciation for the choice they have made. Sometimes even husbands seem to have no idea of the demands upon their wives."

"Author Anna Quindlen reminds us not to rush past the fleeting moments. She said: “The biggest mistake I made [as a parent] is the one that most of us make. … I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of [my three children] sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages six, four, and one. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less."

So I thank you, little bears. I thank you for what you teach me and the way you gently remind to "come back" to childhood. Come back to your club - and leave everything else behind. It is YOU that matters most. It is YOU I choose.

I love you more than you will ever know.

EVAH!

I had laundry to do - so instead I...

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Nature vs. Nurture

Karah stayed home sick today.

Had all three....all day...

Did my song and dance....

exhausted all possibilities to entertain them....

Movies.

Music.

Dancing.

Crafts.

Jumping on furniture.

Forting. (that's not a typo....though there WAS some of that....I DID mean building a fort.)

Getting fresh air before the rain came.

Chores.

More TV.

Books.

Naps....er, the get in bed part.....and the right back out part.

Webkinz online....my "casino" fix.

You name it, I tried it.

"Let's make a TREAT!", I said.

"Yes, YES!", Karah exclaimed.

"What should we make for our yummy treat?", I asked.

"Bacon!" Bradley shouted!

It has to be nature. It couldn't be nurture!

I have tried to suppress my obsession with good bacon.

I have tried to be the transitional character -

the one who won't pass on the clogged arteries to the next generation.

Bacon is a rarity anymore....and if it's in our house ....it ain't from a pig - just a turkey...

which defiles the word in itself...."turkey bacon".

It's almost sacrilegious to call it bacon.

Sweet, sweet bacon.

Though the real thing has rarely touched his lips - he yearns for it.

He beckons for it when I am offering up sweet indulgences.

Begging, ever begging.

I fear for him.

I know if I indulge him and grant his requests....

he will be on The Maury Povich Show

in an over-sized diaper before I know it.....

the audience ridiculing me - screaming to know

how I could give in to his demands.

The 2oo pound child who starts his day off with

2 pounds of bacon, a loaf of bread, and "yeggs".

I must refrain. School my senses. Reign in my own longings.

We must control this. We CAN'T afford to have Bradley be the little boy

on the playground who is sweating gravy. Dat aint Coo.

Apparently, we aren't the only ones fighting this genetic inner demon....

The heavens heard my desperation - and sent an angel (Katie)- bearing sugar cookies with peanut butter cups in the middle. No emergency trip to the butcher required. Yes, the butcher....best bacon in town......1/4 inch thick slabs of heaven........

Sorry, I have to end this. Now.

When is a Speech Impediment an Impediment?

Karah was born talking. Her first word was literally a sentence......"whatisthat?" She went through her Spanish stage where she rolled her "R's" and pronounced her "L's" as "Y's" and "J's" as "D's". For instance "I Yove Uncle Donny!"

She then went through a brief "lazy talking" stage - where she would only say portions of a word. One night Tommy T was dancing around like a 12 year old boy...to which I said, "Don't be RIDICULOUS!".....Karah quickly chimed in with her lazy talking and said, "Yeah Daddy, don't be dickless!" After that I was SO a fan of lazy talking.

Click here to read another of her classic impediment stories.

Beyond that - she has mastered the English language, demonstrating better word usage than I could ever dream of. For instance, I might say...."Class was crappy today." Karah, in her 6 year old voice would say, "Today was difficult because I found it challenging to concentrate with all of the noise happening around me."

Well, I first delivered a Thesaurus .....three years later to deliver a sling shot. Tom gave him this nickname on a road trip when he was very little. His first word was "Ehhhhhhhhhhh" - but officially it would have to be "NnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnO!" Driving to Oklahoma City, windows up (threatening to implode from the vibrations of his voice). He would start the "Nnnnnn" and draw it out as if he were pulling back a taught sling shot....and then with INCREDIBLE force - release the rest of the "NNNNNNNN" and the honkin' "O" until it was delivered from his juicy lips to then rupture our ear drums. Blood was coming from our ears - and Tom was literally crying and begging him to stop. Three hours of this relentless Hell.

A couple of years later his vocab exploded and he developed a stutter, trying to catch his mouth up to the brain. He grew out of it and now struggles with wanting to put a "d" on front of everything....similar to Karah's old habit.

He can MAKE the sounds.....just not at the right time. The other night he said, "I want a Dookie." I corrected him and said, "Say, KUH, KUH, KUH, KUH Cookie!" He looked annoyed and rolled his eyes and yelled " KUH, KUH. KUH, KUH, DOOKIE!"

Another afternoon he and Dawah (karah) were playing outside and she stole his tree branch he had been playing with. He chased her through the neighborhood, yelling...."DAWAH! DATS MY DICK! DATS MY DICK! GIMME MY DICK BACK!"

Tom and I have decided to give it another year before we look into speech therapy. The neighbors would be so disappointed.....but I guess they would still have the Tutu....watch below....hilarious!

Draw Nearer

My Daddy......

Little Bear Cubs,

Tonight I wanted to write you a letter about something that has been weighing heavy on my mind and heart lately....."grieving". I recently began reading a book about grieving and loss - as a goal that I set for myself, to completely mourn the loss of my Daddy. He passed away when I was a little girl - and I never fully grieved his loss.....which I am beginning to understand now. Grief is something that each of you will experiences in life....not just when someone dies....but when life takes unexpected turns, we deal with sickness, disappointment, or you are simply wishing you could change certain relationships in your life.


I wanted to share some profound words from President Thomas S. Monson.

"Frequently death comes as an intruder. It is an enemy that suddenly appears in the midst of life’s feast, putting out its lights and gaiety. Death lays its heavy hand upon those dear to us and at times leaves us baffled and wondering. In certain situations, as in great suffering and illness, death comes as an angel of mercy. But for the most part, we think of it as the enemy of human happiness.......

The darkness of death, however, can ever be dispelled by the light of revealed truth.
I am the resurrection, and the life,” spoke the Master. “He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live... And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.”
This reassurance... could well provide the peace promised by the Savior when He assured His disciples: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

"This is the knowledge that sustains. This is the truth that comforts. This is the assurance that guides those bowed down with grief out of the shadows and into the light. It is available to all.

"How fragile life, how certain death. We do not know when we will be required to leave this mortal existence. And so I ask, “What are we doing with today?” If we live only for tomorrow, we’ll eventually have a lot of empty yesterdays. Have we been guilty of declaring, “I’ve been thinking about making some course corrections in my life. I plan to take the first step—tomorrow”? With such thinking, tomorrow is forever. Such tomorrows rarely come unless we do something about them today.

Let us ask ourselves the questions: “Have I done any good in the world today? Have I helped anyone in need?” What a formula for happiness! What a prescription for contentment, for inner peace—to have inspired gratitude in another human being.

Our opportunities to give of ourselves are indeed limitless, but they are also perishable. There are hearts to gladden. There are kind words to say. There are gifts to be given. There are deeds to be done. There are souls to be saved."



I am learning the grieving process is one of joy. Grieving does not mean that you sit and cry all day....for days upon end. It means that you allow yourself to "feel" - "accept" - and not "fear".



Continuing President Monson's words...

"It gives hope. It motivates change. We can turn from the paths which would lead us down and, with a song in our hearts, follow a star and walk toward the light. We can quicken our step, bolster our courage, and bask in the sunlight of truth. We can hear more clearly the laughter of little children. We can dry the tear of the weeping. We can comfort the dying by sharing the promise of eternal life. If we lift one weary hand which hangs down, if we bring peace to one struggling soul, if we give as did the Master, we can—by showing the way—become a guiding star for some lost mariner."


Because I am allowing myself to feel and to grieve... I am beginning to truly understand that life is fragile and death is inevitable. We have to make the most of each day.



When I was in the hospital, laboring with each of you - Daddy read me words of some of my favorite hymns. One of which has brought me strength and courage through every difficult situation in my life. It's called "Where Can I Turn For Peace?"


Where can I turn for peace? Where is my solace
When other sources cease to make me whole?
When with a wounded heart, anger, or malice,
I draw myself apart, Searching my soul? …
He answers privately, Reaches my reaching
In my Gethsemane, Savior and Friend.
Gentle the peace he finds for my beseeching.
Constant he is and kind, Love without end.




THAT is HOW, little bear cubs. That is how.


I love each of you....with everything. The way I know MY Daddy loves me.

Time to play Tag again!!

I have been tagged by my sweetest friend of 25 years.....Renee (pronounced RuhNay - not ReeNee). You know the one.....if you are a reader of my blog - she is the friend that I visited in Utah - that spit a huge spit ball on my face while we were waiting in line for Chinese Take-out. Yes, that one. She is a looker - but that chick can still spit...don't be deceived!!!

Here are the rules: "MY UNSPECTACULAR QUIRKS"
1.Link to the person who tagged you
2.Mention the rules on your blog
3.Tell 6 unspectacular quirks about you
4.Tag 6 following bloggers by linking to them
5.Leave a comment on each of the tagged blogger's blogs letting them know they've been tagged.

So here we go...the quirks...

1. I am a winter air snob. In the winter you can see people breathing. If I am walking by a "less desirable" person - I hold my breath so I don't breathe in their fog they are blowing out. Actually - I hold it for just about everyone. Cuckoo.

2. I have a severe aversion to what I refer to as "man food". Beef Jerky, summer sausage, slim jims, etc. If Tom eats it - I won't let him near me....he can't be near me - let alone kiss me.

3. I am a massage conversationalist. I feel guilty that the person giving the massage, facial, manicure....whatever.....I feel guilty that I feel good and they are bored - so I feel it's my job to entertain them. This goes hand in hand with how I used to clean my house before our housekeeper came (back in the day)....and how I vacuum all of my carpets before the carpet cleaner comes.

4. I have the bad quirk of assuming every Arab or Mexican (since I can't tell them apart) is a terrorist. Though I know this is SO not true....I still am quick to assume that the guy in the produce department talking on his cell phone is actually giving the "go" to the guy outside in the moving van full of ammonium nitrate. This is so bad.

5. I eat before I go to church potlucks. I then will eat a little bit of what I brought....or a close friend brought. I feel strongly that there needs to be full disclosure at these things.....including....WHO made it.....WHAT'S in it.....HOW MANY animals (counter dwelling cats) are in their home....WHICH illnesses are being battled.....IF hands were washed......IF meatloaf was mixed with a utensil or hands......WHICH children "helped".......IF the dish it was delivered in was "hand washed" or on the high temp cycle in the dishwasher....AND the mental state of the preparer.....you never know if someone is bitter enough to defile just for grins.

6. I am an odd "deep" thinker. Probably as deep as the kiddie pool compare to most of you....but nonetheless....let me illustrate. When you yell into a fan - what do you say? What do you say when you are in a cave? What do you yell through a long wrapping paper tube? THAT'S RIGHT......"Hellooooooooo!" I have always contemplated this and whether it is unique to our society. Is this American? Where does this stuff start? I can't help but ask these questions. Well- I was exiting Kirklands the other day - and to my JOY I saw four little Mexican boys gathered around a floor vase. What were they doing? Sticking their faces in it and yelling "HOOOOOOLA!" "HOOOOOOOLA!" "HOOOOOOOLA!" You would have thought that I had just found the cure for cancer. I was ecstatic!!! (My friend Anne was a bit confused by this.) An answer to one of my deep, pointless thoughts. There are SO many more of those. For example....."If 7-Elevens are open 24 hours a day......365 days a year - why are there locks on the door?"

There you have it....and the list could have been much longer :) Now it's your turn. Who will I choose????? I tag.....

1. Kristen

2. Josie

3. Kasey

4. Diana

5. Shannon

6. Maren

7. Courtney

8. Corrie (cincinnati)

I know - that's 8. But that's another one of my quirks. I hate rules.

Friday Night Fall Feast

Before I begin on tonight's menu...I have to just share one joy in life that I just adore. All of you with little ones will know EXACTLY what I am talking about. I sit here tonight with Barbie's "The Princess and the Pauper" being watched in the next room. Karah came in wanting help with her princess dress....because you have to dress like the "actresses" (are they actresses when it's a cartoon?) Anyhoo....I put the dress on her and she immediately twirled out of the room. Bradley came in with a cape (playing the part of the bad guy). I velcroed it around his neck and he immediately took flight into the other room. It is so magical how their imaginations transform them immediately from little boys and girls into Lords and princesses. There have been several "wardrobe malfunctions" - capes falling off and getting bored with certain dresses.....and their "power" is lost. As soon as the cape is refastened and the new dress is put on - BAM! Flying and gliding out of the room once more. I realized tonight that I love this. I can't wait for the cape to come off again.....

In the words of Nacho Libre....let's get down to the Neeeety Greeety. I woke up happy this morning. Very happy. It was COLD outside. Fall had arrived! I was instantly in the mood to cook a Friday Night Fall Feast! I cooked.......They Loved....and I'm Sharing!

For your viewing pleasure - I created a photomentary. (the children were so patient watching me photograph the food.....they actually find it quite funny.) Hope you try these out. They are definitely keepers!

I shall name the main dish.....

"Creamy Baked Chops of the Pork"

Ingredients

4 butterflied boneless pork chops (1/2" thick or more) or you could use 6 regular boneless chops

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp seasoned salt

2 eggs, beaten

2 C. Pepperidge Farm Herb Seasoned Stuffing, crushed

4 T. olive oil

1 (10.75 oz) can cream of mushroom and garlic soup (or you can use plain mushroom soup)

1/2 C. milk

1/3 C. White cooking wine

Directions

1. Preheat over to 350 degrees.

2. rinse chops - pat dry and season with garlic and seasoned salt. Dredge chops lightly in flour dip in egg, and coat liberally with stuffing crumbs.

3. Heat oil in skillet over medium high heat. Fry chops a couple of minutes on each side until breading is browned. Transfer chops to 9 x 13 baking dish and cover with foil.

4, Bake for one hour. While baking, combine soup, milk, and wine in bowl. After chops have baked an hour - cover them with soup mixture. Replace the foil and bake for another 30 minutes.

The side dish shall be named...

"Root Vegetable Cobbler"

It's our new favorite way to have veggies.....SOOOOOOO good - kids LOVED it!

Ingredients

1 small onion, sliced

2 tsp olive oil

4 small red potatoes, cubed

2 carrots, chopped

1/2 C. water

2 medium leeks, halved lengthwise and cut into slices (just the base - not the greens)

2 C fresh spinach, chopped

2 C. vegetable broth

1 T. flour

2 tsp. dried parsley

1 T. soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon salt

Cornbread topping

Directions

1.Saute sliced onion in hot oil in large skillet over medium high heat until tender. Add Potato, carrot, and 1/2 C. water; cook, stirring constantly 2 minutes. Add leeks and spinach and cook 3 minutes or until spinach wilts.

2. Wisk vegetable broth and flour until smooth. Stir broth mixture, parsley, soy sauce and salt into spinach mixture. Bring to a boil. Cook, stirring for one minute. Reduce heat to low; cook, stirring often, 5 minutes of until thickened a bit.

3.Pour vegetable mixture into 8 inch square baking dish. Drop cornbread topping by heaping tablespoonfuls onto hot veggie mixture.

4. Bake at 400 for 30 minutes or until golden.

Cornbread Topping

1 C. Flour

1/2 C. cornbread mix

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

2 Tbsp. butter, softened

3/4 C. buttermilk

2 tsp honey

• Combine first 5 ingredients; cut in butter with fork or pastry blender until crumbly. Stir together buttermilk and honey. Stir into flour mixture.

Dessert shall be known as....

"Holy Crap this is Incredible Apple Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting!"

Ingredients

1/2 C. butter, melted

2 C. sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2 C. Flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 tsp ground cinnamon

4 granny smith apples, peeled and chopped chunky

1 C. chopped walnuts, toasted (few minutes at 350)

cream cheese frosting....recipe below

Directions

1. stir together first 4 ingredients in a large bowl until blended

2. Combine flour and next 3 ingredients; add to butter mixture, stirring until blended. Stir in apple and walnuts. Spread into a greased 9 x 13 pan.

3. bake at 350 for 40 minutes or until it passes toothpick test. coll completely and then spread with cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting (this is a thinner frosting - makes the cake extra yummy)

Ingredients

1 8 oz pkg cream cheese

3 Tbsp. butter, softened

2 1/2 C. powdered sugar

1/8 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

Directions

1. Beat cream cheese and butter together with mixer until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar and salt, beating until blended. Frost baby. Frost. Lick fingers.

***I also used the leftover stuffing from the pork chops and actually made stuffing. This was out of love for Tommy T - but not recommended to all of you.....puts the meal into carb overload. Don't do it. Step away from the stuffing. Save the prime stomach real estate for the apple cake***

What a lovely night. What a lovely meal. Full bellies....but still light enough to fly in their capes and prance in their dresses .....with their green hair.

Perfect Fall Kickoff

If any of you are going to be in the Kansas City area....I highly recommend visiting the Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead. It's incredible - and free. The grounds are gorgeous- petting zoo (complete with hand washing station) fishing ponds that are so well stocked the fish pretty much walk out of the lake. They take you on a hayride and drop you off in the beautiful pumpkin patch - where everyone gets to pick their own pumpkin. They have TONS of children's activities and a corn maze. You DO have to pay if you want to do the hayride/pony rides....but it's reasonable. The food is cheap too!!

We have gone up several times through the years - it's a great way to kick of the Fall season. This past weekend we had a great time there....oh, and did I mention there is a CULVERS right down the road???? OMG.

After checking out a bald eagle, pigs, buffalo, sheep, bunnies, and the butterfly garden,

We headed to feed the goats. They crack me up. In the words of the Backyardigans...."Oats, Oats - come and get yer Oats! Come on get your Oats.....before I give em to the goats......."
The goats were not impressed with Karah's shirt. We fed the goats until they had bloated bellies (see below).

We then headed for the hayride! Doze wuz sum big Ho-hees.

Grandma loved the scenery.

My three little pumpkins.

Proud of my cheating boy. Who has the time or patience for this ridiculousness?

Spooky Corn Maze.It was refreshing for the kids to play these games without contending with the tickets that would be shooting out of the machine if we were playing at Chuck E. Cheese (rat bastard).

Lookin' up to his big sistah.There were a few "severely cool" playgrounds for the kids to choose from.
Barefoot Pony Rides....what could be better?

...Maybe cuddle time with Grandma

Or a mobile nap at the end of the fun

(while visions of Fruit Loops danced through his head).