a week on the farm - on the way home

Okay, so I am finally getting around to finishing our week on the farm posts. Yes, it has taken me nearly two weeks. And, yes, that drives me crazy. But it is what it is.

Especially since I have been single mom this week: Gabriel gets back tomorrow from yet another week-long business trip. While he has been in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, I have had the joy and privilege of a very-two-year-old and a teething baby all to myself. It's a lot of fun.

Maybe next week I'll get around to posting some of the fun moments from the two since we've been home. Maybe.

...

Like all return trips tend to go, the drive home from the farm was not nearly as peaceful as the drive up had been.

Liam was. not. happy. to be in the carseat going away from the farm. Janelle was amazing enough to have some special surprise gifts for him to open in the car, and of course they worked their magic. But magic only lasts so long, and the normal 8 hours by car took us a good 12 hours coming home. Whew.

We made a long stop in Kansas City, the half-way point, at a shopping mall with this fun restaurant:

Welcome to Fritz's, every train-loving-boy's dream.

Model trains rumbled on tracks throughout the dining area, and more trains circled around overhead on tracks along the ceiling.

Each table had a phone from which we called to place our order.

And there were conductor hats.
But the real showstopper was when the trains overhead delivered our meal. They have these special trays which hang below the train and then lower at the appropriate table. In hindsight, I should have explained to Liam what was going to happen, but I thought it would be a fun surprise for him. More like a moment of terror when the train stopped above us and started lowering a big box of who knows what. He got over the panic quickly, not because Gabriel and I were telling him that it was okay. No, it was all about the grilled cheese sandwich he found inside.

Across the street from the shopping mall, we found a great place for Liam to let loose some of his bottled up energy. But he was a bit intimidated by all of that water shooting out of the ground.

Once Gabriel started running around in the fountain with him, Liam decided this place was more than okay.

They were soaked for the remainder of the drive, but Liam took a huge nap once we were back on the road.

...

We had a fantastic trip, but it is always nice to be home again.