This has made the kids, especially Hollie, surprisingly antsy. We've taken a few walks in the rain, but a recent bit of congestion has kept outside time to a minimum.
So, we've been keeping busy...experimenting in the kitchen (dijon-maple chicken, seafood gumbo, pumpkin bread, mmmm), visiting the library, preparing for a visit from Abuelita and her parents (see you tomorrow!!), and converting antsy into artsy...
Yep, we visited the pumpkin farm with Hollie's school, and lived to tell about it!
In case you're wondering, she is holding a tiny kitten.
Keeping the kids rapt attention + giving instructions to the big people.
When I found out that I would be driving one other student, and that I would be responsible for him and Hollie, I decided to leave little Blake with my friend Heather, instead of take her along as I had planned. I'm very glad I did. This farm was a madhouse of school groups being herded from one activity to another...and there was a LOT to do. We played on a playground, watched a duck race, visited the petting zoo, rode a tractor trailer out to the field where we chose our pumpkins, and rode back to cap off the afternoon with some ice cream. The little boy who rode with us, Cole, was a bundle of energy...and not a hand-holder. He certainly kept me on my toes! The best part of the trip (for the parents and teachers, I think) was going out into the field to choose pumpkins. The open fields surrounding the pumpkin patch prevented any kids from making an unnoticed escape, unlike amid all the farm buildings where we were constantly mixed in with other groups and we could barely keep track of each other much less the two or three kids we were each responsible for.
The best part for the kids, I'm guessing, was the ice cream. Because we were on a farm, naturally I expected that we were going to sample some homemade pumpkin ice cream made with fresh milk from a nearby dairy farm, or something like that. I was sadly disappointed.
The kids weren't!
You may have noticed Hollie's unusual outfit. She likes to pick out her own clothes, and I like letting her. She usually lets me point her in the appropriate direction for long vs. short sleeves, shorts vs. pants, etc., but that day, she started without me and came out of her room wearing this...
That's Cole, by the way.
That's a black skirt over blue pants with white spots. Daniel and I saw her at the same time, and I think our jaws both hit the floor! Of course, we never asked that she change. It's just a trip the farm...if it had been for a nice dinner (with a three-year old??) we might have had to make some gentle suggestions! Anyway, the more I looked at her clothes the cuter she looked, and her teacher loved it too.
It was a fun, busy day! That's all for now. Can't wait to see the girls' great-grandparents and show them our new home!
I think we'll paint pumpkins this year, too!
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