Run, Forest, Run

My brother scored a touchdown in the first game of the season last night! Go #29!!!

47-0. Woohoo!

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.

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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.

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

a week on the farm - simple pleasures

Being on the farm in Iowa is one of our favorite places to be. Janelle always bemoans the fact that there is nowhere exciting to go and nothing exciting to see. Exactly! That is what we love most about these visits: the excuse to just relax and enjoy simple tasks and the pleasant ache of a workday finished.

And they have cows.

River got a crash course on where the milk that he won't be drinking comes from. It was a little odd being on a dairy farm on a dairy-free diet. Milk, milk everywhere, nor any drop to drink.

milk truck

Gabriel and Liam spent most of their time out in the barn building new stalls with Jim for the cows. Liam was happy to dig in the dirt and the sand and give the skid loader plenty of space.

Gabriel was happy to get his hands dirty (okay, his entire body...shower every night, please).

And look at this guy. I can't help but smile.

The farm is just one gigantic playground for Liam.

The kinds of sweets he doesn't get at home...yum.

And because they're dairy-free! , I had my fair share of Oreos, too...

Corn fields to explore.

Kittens to meet

and to share.

and to snuggle.

We all had such a nice time. Really, this is our favorite vacation destination.

Liam is still talking about the farm, asking when we are going to go back and see Unca Gim (Uncle Jim) milking cows.

Next week? is his suggestion.

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Thanks goes to Amanda for such a lovely idea.

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Even more farm pictures coming soon. Liam is behaving just like a two-year old today. It's a bit exhausting.

a week on the farm - Iowa State Fair

We spent Thursday at the Iowa State Fair.

Gabriel has great memories of the fair from when he was a little kid, but I had never been before, and Liam jumped at the chance to see more cows...and pigs, sheep, horses, goats...

But first we had to consult a fairgrounds map, circa 1891.


At the fair, we made our way over to the Little Hands on the Farm, where they outfitted Liam with a farm apron, a bucket, and an oversized hat.


He followed the path from the veggie plot where he harvested some peppers, squash, onions, and carrots,

around to the apple tree, fresh for the picking but not for eating. Liam tried taking a bite of the plastic apple...it wasn't quite what he was expecting.

After a stop at the grain barn for both corn to give in exchange for milk and soy beans that became the fuel for his tractor,

he was off to the market to sell his goods

and earn some cash

just the right amount for a tasty treat.

fun fun fun

But the real fun was to be had in the barns...

This horse's back stood taller than Gabriel's 6'2"... And we didn't want to get one step closer, so you'll just have to take my word for it.

Baaa.

There were plenty of cows to see and pet

cows taking a bath

and blown dry until they're soft and fluffy

River took it all in, although his view from down in the stroller may not have always been ideal...

sweet sweet little cows

And then we saw some pigs. They wanted to see us, too.

I had a lot of sympathy for these poor mama pigs...

But everyone's favorite was the goats. This one in particular.

See?

Liam was especially taken by him.

Okay, we all were.

It was all so much fun that it wore River out.

Tractor time!

Big tractors...

The first thing he said was, Where are the keys?

And what would a visit to the fair be without some food on a stick? Yummy pickle!

It was a big day. A fun day.

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After the fair, we stopped at Gabriel's cousin Jared's house to visit him, Allison, Makenna, and to meet Colin for the first time.

Colin is 2 weeks younger than River, but also a good 2 inches taller. It was fun to see them side by side.

And these two. They were going non-stop.

You can see a video of all of the commotion over on Jared and Allison's blog here.

And trying to get a decent picture of the two of them together...well, it was about like this.

This is as good as it gets.

We had a nice visit with them, thanks guys!

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And it was on the drive home to the farm late that night that a deer did this.

The picture doesn't really do it justice. Our poor car is in the shop until sometime next week.

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In other news, River's appointment with the cardiologist yesterday was encouraging. Although the hole in his heart has not yet closed up, the doctor didn't think surgery would be necessary since River is thriving: he's growing well and is a very happy baby.

It's a relief. A big one.

But, of course, before we left for the appointment yesterday morning, we discovered that our refrigerator had stopped working. The freezer still works, and a repairman is supposed to come back with some replacement parts sometime tomorrow.

In the meantime, we have stuff in coolers in the kitchen, and our milk delivered last night has already gone sour. Boo.

C'est la vie, oui?