A pumpkin adventure

Our circus headed off on an adventure this morning to see some beautiful countryside and to find ourselves some pumpkins. Mama had done a bit of research and discovered what promised to be an authentic pumpkin patch. It was in Half Moon Bay, home of the Art and Pumpkin Festival and about a dozen other pumpkin patches. (The festival is this weekend and the horrific traffic it creates prompted our weekday journey.) At this particular pumpkin patch, though, you could actually cut the pumpkins off the vine! It was supposed to be low-key, less-crowded, and affordable. Oh, and it had ocean views. I was sold. Unfortunately, the directions I'd printed from the internet took us not to some out of the way pumpkin field, but to a shopping center complete with a Starbucks. Whoops.

We drove around a bit, hoping we'd stumble onto the pumpkin patch, but we had no immediate luck, and our passengers were beginning to protest our seemingly endless drive around the countryside. We chose instead one of the bigger, better-known pumpkin patches. And while it wasn't necessarily the "authentic" experience we'd been hoping for, the girls absolutely loved it. It was plenty busy for a Thursday morning, so I really can't imagine how crazy it would've been over the weekend.

To begin with, there were goats.  If you've learned nothing else about Kathleen over the past few months or so, it's that the child loves to feed some goats.  At first, she was surprised to see the animals...

Surprise quickly gave way to glee.

In addition to a bouncy house, a "railroad," and pony rides (all of which we somehow avoided), the pumpkin patch had rocking horses a various spots around the farm. The girls both loved them. (Actually, I think the girls' love for the rocking horses had a lot to do with why we were able to skip the other, non-free aspects of the extravaganza.)

Eventually, though, we got down to business. Everyone helped choose pumpkins.

Madeline scrutinized the pumpkins most carefully.

Kathleen alternated between examining the pumpkins and dancing to the old-time country music. After lots of looking and a fair amount of dancing, we settled on one enormous pumpkin, one large pumpkin, two small pumpkins, and one pumpkin/gourd hybrid, which we loaded into the wheelbarrow. It was just a little too heavy for Kathleen to push.

Thankfully Daddy was around to haul the pumpkins out to the car. When we'd loaded the pumpkins and the girls, we headed back toward home. We dropped Daddy off at school and made it home in time for naps. (For the girls and for Mama, too!)  And aside from not actually "picking" our pumpkins, it couldn't have worked out better.

What a pumpkin adventure!

Playing at our "big" park

So, we've still not found the camera.  I think it's truly gone.  I don' t know how that could've happened, but it appears that it did.  Rats!  Maybe I'll get a new one for my birthday and we can glue it into my hand or something, so I won't drop it, or lose it, or otherwise ruin it.  Maybe.

We did, however, discover the old, old camera while unpacking.  This is the camera we used before the one I dropped and before the one I lost.  It's not great, but it gets the job done.  Sort of.  My photos are largely blurry.  I'm trying to figure out why that is, but I haven't had much luck yet.

Anyway, I though I'd share these less-than-ideal, but still rather cute photos of the girls enjoying the park across the street.  They call it the "big" park, to differentiate it from the toddler park down the street.

Kathleen concentrates as she climbs the ladder. Although you can't see it, our house is just over her left shoulder.

Madeline isn't about to be left out of climbing! She doesn't need any help up the stairs, but she needs plenty of watching up on top of the play structure. If she were left alone, she'd walk right off the edge...

She will let Daddy help her climb the "mountain." That's probably only because she's not tall enough to get up the first step!

Otherwise, Madeline wants to do everything the way her big sister does. These pants pretty much sum it up. Plus. they just make me laugh:

Both girls love sliding. Kathleen has mastered all of the slides -- the tall, twisty slide, the bumpy slides, and the tunnel slide. Madeline's not quite there yet, but she's fearless at the ones I'll let her try. One slide actually has three slides right next each other, and we three girls can slide down together, all holding hands. Perhaps one day we'll get a photo of that!

The Herd at our House

I don't know that I've mentioned it before, but Kathleen has some imaginary friends.  This is pretty normal for toddlers, I know.  Here's what's a little out of the ordinary: they're cows.  This friendship developed months and months ago.  It started with just one cow, but it grew into a whole family -- Mama Cow, Daddy Cow, and Baby Cow.  The cows show up for tea parties and during craft time.  Sometimes they require their own craft or tea or what-have-you, but generally they're simply happy to observe.

Kathleen sometimes becomes a little upset if we've left the house without talking about the cows.  Occasionally she'll worry that we've left them behind, but usually she'll just notice them on the side of the street as we're driving.  "Mama!" she'll yell, "The cows!  They're in the street!"  At that point, I'm expected to roll down my window, stick out my arm, and call out encouragement to the cows, who have to jump up so that I can grab them and pull them into the moving car.  Daddy Cow jumps first; he requires little encouragement.  Mama Cow is a bit slower, and so requires some more forceful urging.  Obviously, it's a pretty big jump for a Baby Cow (Is that obvious?  How big are these cows?  That's not clear.  They do all fit in the Versa...), but he always makes it, too.   It is fortunate that we live in California, where my gesturing and yelling merely blends into the tapestry of crazy drivers.  When the cows are all safely in the car, I roll up my window and Kathleen exclaims, "Cows!  My's so happy to be here with you!" 

This week the cows started appearing at the front door.  We were eating breakfast when Kathleen first alerted me to their presence, and I left the table to go open the door and invite them in.  (Kathleen had to correct me, because I shut the door before all three cows could enter.  Honestly, what sort of hostess am I? )   We'd nearly finished eating when Kathleen informed me that there were more cows at the door.  

"Really?" I asked, "Are you sure?  Because I thought all the cows came in -- Mama Cow, Daddy Cow, and Baby Cow.  There can't be any more cows left out there."

"No, Mama. Cows.  Cows at the front door," she insisted.

"Kathleen, who are all these cows?  We've got the cows with us right here, honey."

"The brown cows, Mama," she replied, frustrated with my inability to see the obvious.

We repeated the process for the brown cows.  And then the pink cows.  And then the green cows.  I'm not sure how they all fit, but they did.

We'd love to have you come visit, too.  Just call, though, so I have time to move the cows off the sofa.

Technical Difficulties

The girls and I headed out on our run as usual this morning. They were loaded into the double jogger, "bundled" up in long pants and sweatshirts against the relative chill of a California morning. (There's not generally a chill on Oahu, well, ever, so we're just not used to it.) We were stocked with our usual provisions -- a cup for each girl, some board books, a sleeve of saltines, and a sandwich bag of Fruity Cheerios. (I know. They're glorified Fruit Loops and a good mother wouldn't let her children eat them. But you'd be amazed how much quiet you can buy with two little girls sharing a bag of Fruity Cheerios. When the saltines, sippy cups, books and toys won't cut it any more, we call in the reinforcements: Fruity Cheerios. It's worth at least a couple miles.)

We really enjoy our runs together. After a whole summer of running alone (we'd shipped the double jogger, deciding it was just too cumbersome to try to check on airplanes, much less have somewhere to store it while we visited people), I'd been worried that running with the jogging stroller again would be painful. But we adjusted just fine. Sure, I'm slower with a jogging stroller, but that's no big deal. Besides, I get the benefit of pushing 60+ pounds of little girl, which surely makes up for my lack of speed! The girls seem to like our runs as much as I do. Our little base is much quieter than any we've lived on, so we don't have much traffic to deal with. Kathleen points out the big hangars and the airplanes each morning, and she waits eagerly, hoping that one of the light rail trains will zoom by us while we run along the edge of the base. She usually gets her wish!

This morning's run was different, though. It felt hard from the very first step. I don't wear a watch these days, so I don't know what my normal pace is, or what I was running this morning, but it felt awfully slow. As I was running, I was trying to figure out why it wasn't going well. I was tired, but not that tired. I decided I was just being a wimp and tried to push myself harder.

It wasn't until the halfway point that I figured out what was going on. I tipped the stroller back on its rear two wheels, pivoting toward home and saw it: the right rear wheel was totally, completely flat. We were riding on the rim. I don't know how I missed it. A flat tire.

Ugh.

Well, at least it wasn't me!

A Reunion, but no proof!

We had a special treat this morning: we got to spend a few hours with our friends the Starlings! They're doing what we did almost a year ago -- visiting graduate schools. Like us, they're going to go to graduate school for a few years before teaching at West Point. They're considering Stanford (and Berkeley) and, while visiting family here in California, they came to check out the campuses.

We had a great time catching up with Jim and Joni and meeting little Sammy. And the photographs don't lie -- Joni looks fantastic and we look forward to meeting the next little Starling. I can hardly believe that the last time we saw each other, we lived in Germany. It's been a long time! Our girls played together while we chatted and ate lunch on Stanford's campus. The only disappointment in the visit (aside from that fact that they couldn't stay longer) was that because our camera is still lost, so we have no photos of our mini-reunion. Rats!

During our visit we shared about what we've been learning about living in the area (about the base where we have housing, about the church we checked out, etc.). We wish the Starlings the best of luck in their school search and application process. Selfishly, we hope God brings them here!

Underestimating the Baby

Two events this evening made me think that perhaps I've been underestimating the baby. And maybe that's part of the problem right there. It's probably time to stop calling Madeline "the baby"!

Jim was working late at school tonight, so the girls and I ate supper by ourselves. Kathleen had discovered some sprinkles in the pantry this afternoon when she'd helped me unpack a box, and had asked to eat some. Knowing that I won't have time for mixing, rolling, cutting, and baking cookies in the near future, I offered a compromise. We made some vanilla pudding for dessert instead, and Kathleen put some sprinkles on that. (Not a perfect solution, I realize, but she went for it, and that's what mattered!) So, while Kathleen ate her colorful pudding dessert, I offered Madeline a (plain) bit, too.

Madeline does most of her eating herself these days. She eats fingerfood almost exclusively. When she does have something that requires a spoon, like yogurt or oatmeal, I generally feed her. Tonight, though, Madeline took a few bites of the tasty dessert and decided I wasn't shoveling pudding quickly enough. She took hold of the spoon, dipped its end into the bowl of pudding, and stuck the spoon in her mouth. Again and again and again. It wasn't perfect, and it certainly wasn't neat, but she got the job done. I only wish we'd found our camera, because video of her newly discovered skill would've been priceless.

Madeline can eat with a spoon! Who knew? Certainly not Mama!

After the pudding, though, we moved directly to the bath. The girls bathe almost every night anyway, but there was no delaying that ritual this evening -- Madeline was a sticky, sticky mess. The girls were playing and gently splashing, and I was sitting cross-legged on the floor directly in front of the tub. After I'd scrubbed them each down with a washcloth, I leaned backwards (still sitting in front of the tub) to rummage around the under-the-sink cabinet, looking for some Q-tips. And as I turned back around, I was startled to find Madeline standing next to me. For a moment I was confused. What just happened? And then I realized -- she'd climbed out of the tub by herself!

I popped her back in the tub and watched as she stood up, threw one leg over the side of the tub, squirmed up onto her belly, and then slid down, out of the bathtub.

Madeline can climb out of the bathtub! Who knew? Certainly not Mama!

I'm going to have to keep an eye on this baby little girl!

Moving Day

And at long last, moving day arrived! We'd signed for our quarters the day before, and we'd hung around the empty townhouse for a few hours while we waited for our new washer and dryer to be delivered. (By the way, if you're in the market for a new washer and dryer, want to save some money, and don't mind some "dings," it's worth it to check if there's a Sears outlet in your area. We got a great front-loading set at a significant discount because there were a few scratches. We figure they're just going to get scratched during a PCS anyway, so we're all about saving money on what's basically inevitable!) After the washer and dryer were delivered, though, the girls and Mama went back to Nan and Grandpa's for one last sleep. We weren't really up for camping out in the new house, especially since we didn't have to!

We arrived bright and early on moving day, only to discover that the movers were stuck in traffic. That didn't bother us! We spent the extra time playing at the park across the street. The movers arrived eventually, though, and the girls were delighted to see their big truck and our crates.

Kathleen danced as she saw the truck arriving, and began a litany of all the things that would be on the truck, "My bed! My toys! My books! My rocking chair! My tunnel! They were in Hawaii. Now they're in Calibornia! At my new house!"

Once the movers started unloading things, the real work was in keeping the girls out from underfoot! Thankfully, Uncle Kevin, Nan, and Grandpa were around to help. They could redirect the girls as I tried to direct our belongings to the appropriate rooms. It's always so nice to see your own house take shape as your own things arrive!

I've not written about the house before. We're living on an old naval base about eight miles from Stanford. There's not much military presence on the base (it had been one of the bases closed during the realignment), but there is a NASA research station, a few reserve units, a commissary, and privatized military housing area. We'd come to visit an empty unit (although not ours) just after we arrived in California. I'd taken lots of photos and meant to do a post, but you know the story about the camera. Oh, well. Still, we're pleased with our housing. We're in a two story townhouse that's only two years old. The townhouses are built four in row, and we have one of the units on an end. The unit has three bedrooms, all upstairs, along with two bathrooms. Downstairs is another half-bath and a spacious living area. We think we'll be able to set up our living room and dining room and still have room for reading/children's play area. We have a garage and a fully fenced backyard. All that, and the park across the street! Perfect!

We think this will be a very sweet "home, sweet home"!

What a playdate!

Daddy's begun classes at Stanford, but since our house there isn't available yet (and our household goods haven't arrived), Mama and the girls are still staying at Nan and Grandpa's. Daddy's been driving back for the weekend, but he stays with a classmate during the week. We miss him, but we've been keeping busy in the meantime.

Recently we met up with Mama's good friend Jenny, and her darling boys Zach and Blake for a day at the Bay Area Discovery Museum. Talk about a great playdate! The girls had so, so much fun! (And Mama had fun, too, catching up with her friend!) We did so much, and we only managed a fraction of what the museum has too offer. Each time we've been to the museum, our girls have loved it more. We'll definitely be going back in the future.

And although our camera is still missing, Nan loaned us hers for the day. Unfortunately, I failed to get a group shot of the kids or of Jenny and Mama, which is really a pity. But at least I can share some of these shots of the girls having fun, fun, fun!

Both Kathleen and Madeline loved the waterplay area. The museum provides the little water-resistant aprons, which help keep the play from being a completely soggy mess. Plus, they're just really cute! The girls loved playing with the plastic frogs, crabs, and fish.

Madeline even tasted the fish! (For the record, she does eat fish. Just not usually the plastic kind.)

Frogs made another appearance later in the morning. The girls loved making music with them.

They also got a kick out of the giant spider web.

The "construction" gravel was another big hit. Madeline was surprisingly effective with a shovel. (And she looked pretty cute, too.) Kathleen seemed to prefer the dump trucks.

We'd probably have stayed longer in that area, but Madeline was still tempted to eat the gravel, so we moved on rather quickly. We headed inside to another exhibit. Zach was all about the enormous train table in that room, but my girls loved the big fishing boat. They both climbed all over it. Kathleen did a great job hauling in loads of crabs; Madeline even helped toss a few in!

After a full morning of play, we ate a tasty late lunch at the museum's cafe before heading home with some seriously sleepy girls. Thanks, Jenny, Zach, and Blake. That was a fantastic playdate!

Madeline's Celebration (and the sad story of our camera)

We celebrated Madeline's birthday in grand style at Nan and Grandpa's house. On a very warm, sunny afternoon, we were joined by Aunt Caroline and Uncle Craig, and Aunt Marie, Uncle Kevin, and baby Nora. We celebrated with gifts and food (lots of food!) and laughter.

Kathleen had been talking all week about the present she wanted to give to Baby Madeline: a balloon. That morning she and Daddy went to the store and picked out an enormous, pink, "Happy Birthday Princess" balloon. Kathleen very sweetly gave it to Madeline at the party. Of course, Kathleen spent the rest of the week playing with it herself! I'm not sure Madeline even got close to it once the party was over.

Kathleen was much more excited about the presents than Madeline, although Madeline was genuinely happy with some new playthings. The shopping cart from Nan and Grandpa was a hit with both girls, and toys from aunts and uncles and Mama and Daddy made ensured that there was plenty to do! Kathleen helped Madeline unwrap for a bit, but then we set her up with a big garbage bag, and she was quite pleased with her "cleaning-up job."

We all enjoyed pizza for supper (we went with the low-key celebration) and coconut cupcakes for dessert. Madeline posed with her one candle and made a predictable mess with her birthday cupcake. And then, before a big day was too big, she was shuttled off for a bath and to her bed. She was a darling and very well-behaved birthday girl!

Here's the sad thing about Madeline's birthday, though. We took turns snapping photos of the celebration, and we'd captured lots of great moments. If only I'd uploaded and blogged them than evening, because a few days later, the camera disappeared. We've looked everywhere we can think of, but we simply can't find it. The camera is gone. Yes, the "new" camera Daddy got for us the day we moved out of our house in Hawaii. The one I've had for just about a month. It's missing, along with the photographs of my sweet little girl's first birthday. We've also lost photographs of our new house (we've seen it, we just can't move in yet), and of the girls playing in the pool at Nan and Grandpa's, and lots of other things. We keep hoping it will turn up, but so far we've had no luck. Rats!

Madeline is One!

Our sweet baby girl is one!

We can hardly believe that it's been a year since the doctors had to coax Madeline into joining us during Daddy's R&R. Nor can we believe that the tiny, dark-haired baby who arrived in the middle of the night is now our walking, climbing, signing, laughing little girl!

We've had so much fun this past year, getting to know little Madeline, watching her personality emerge. She and Kathleen have become playmates and co-conspirators (of course, they're still occasional enemies) and the mixture of their laughter is the best music I know.

Madeline has shown herself to be an adventurous spirit. She'll climb just about anything. I can't count the number of times I've turned to find her teetering in some precarious position, atop the rocking horse, a table, a box, or some other "obstacle." I frequently tell people that she believes she's two and half -- that's how she plays. Her misadventures have already cost her a chipped front tooth; we're lucky she's escaped with only that! She loves to play peek-a-boo and to be chased. She laughs mischievously as she runs away, carrying something you'd rather she not have.

Madeline's using a few signs and a few almost-words. She signs fish, milk, bed/sleep, eat, plane, fan, light, more, and dog. She makes a barking noise for dog, too, and a funny chirp/quack for bird. She calls her grandfather "Ga," her father, "Da," and her mother "Mama." Oddly, Kathleen doesn't seem to have a name yet, although Madeline is quick to respond to Kathleen's voice or her name. She loves to go to get Kathleen in the morning, toddling down the hall to her door when we say, "Let's go get Kathleen!"

Madeline is (and always has been) extremely ticklish. She laughs just anticipating the tickles! And now she'll run up to us and wiggle her fingers, saying something that sounds rather like, "Tck, tcka, tcka." She tickles us! And Madeline snuggles. A lot. She'll frequently stop playing to come and hug a leg, or asked to be picked up so that she can lean into a hug against someone's chest. She'll run across the room, hands thrown into the air, eager to be held. It's so sweet.

Happy Birthday, little one. We love you more than you'll ever know.

Water fun!

On our last full day with our cousins, we headed to a water park in Bloomington. As far as Kathleen was concerned, this was about as perfect as a day could get. Three cousins, her parents, her sister, and her aunt to dote on her, and an entire park to splash in!

Outfitted in her special swimsuit (the sort that's also a coast guard certified life vest), Kathleen could explore fairly independently. Of course, we were never more than arm's length away, but she felt like she could do it by herself.

Madeline was slightly less adventurous, but she loved splashing in the shallow water and collecting snuggles from her family.

The day was beautiful and sunny, but not too warm. When the sun disappeared behind a cloud for a few minutes, we got a bit chilly... but we warmed right back up when the sun reappeared. Madeline might have been a bit cold, but she was still happy!

The water park had some big slides, and we all tested them out -- even Mama! I was a little nervous that Kathleen was too small for the slides, but Daddy reassured me that she wasn't. And he was right! Just look at how much fun she had sliding with him!

She was very proud of herself. And she couldn't wait to do it again!

After a lot more sliding, we eventually headed home. And we enjoyed a lovely evening together before we had to fly out the next day, back to California and Nan and Grandpa's house.

We had such a great visit with Uncle Eric, Aunt Katherine, Sarah, Melissa, and Ethan. Thanks for being such wonderful hosts! We can't wait to see you again!

An Afternoon in the Country

The country was just gorgeous this summer. I know I've mentioned it before, but the corn and the beans were lovely and green, and I was just captivated by all the farmland. On a Sunday afternoon Katherine and Eric drove us out to a friend's place, so that the girls (well, mostly Kathleen) could spend a little time on the farm.

We all trooped into the barn to check out the tractor and combine.

Ethan helped Kathleen take a peek inside the tractor, while Melissa climbed way up on the combine.

And then, before I really knew what was happening, the guys were loading my babies into the tractor (Eric and Kathleen) and the combine (Daddy, Madeline, and our friend the farmer) and cruising around the countryside. And then, just then? My camera's battery died. So, no photos of my two-year old "steering" down country lanes or of my toddler looking oh-so-tiny in a combine. But perhaps that's just as well!

A bit later we ran back into town quickly. Sarah drove me (yes, Sarah drove me!) so that we could pick up another camera and some swimsuits and towels. That meant the children also got to do a bit of swimming, while the guys had some shooting practice.

We managed a quick pose in a wheel, once everyone had had enough of the water.

And while the guys finished playing with their clay pigeons and targets pinned to tree stumps (and felling a few stalks of corn in the process), the girls played with the dog and romped in the grass and even enjoyed some ice pops.

Hooray for a fun afternoon in the country!

More Cousins and a Culinary Adventure

Just a day after our adventure to Tanner's Orchard, we packed the circus into the car and pointed it towards Aunt Katherine and Uncle Eric's house. It's actually a lovely summer drive, but Kathleen couldn't be bothered to check out the fields of beans and corn.

Still, her absorption in her coloring book paled in comparison to her delight in her cousins once we arrived. And Mama was pretty delighted, too. Not only was it great to get to see everyone again, but Katherine made ceviche in honor of our arrival! (We'd fallen in love with ceviche when Katherine and Sarah came with us to Kauai.) So we got to enjoy great company and some fantastic ceviche (for which I now have a recipe I can use anytime I want -- hooray!).

Kathleen and Melissa were fast friends. To Kathleen's glee, she slept in the same room as "Mewissa," a true big-girl privilege. The two cousins clowned around together endlessly, as you can surely tell.

Madeline was, of course, the center of much attention, a position she relished.

The next day we attended cousin Ethan's football game. Ethan made some great plays! We still find it a little hard to believe that he's grown up enough to play ball. Where does the time go?

Sarah and Melissa both looked after the girls, which meant that the grown-ups actually watched the game...

That evening Sarah headed up the household so the grown-ups could go out for a special surprise, orchestrated by Uncle Eric. (Thanks, Sarah!) We drove to Ron's Cajun Connection in Utica, Illinois, where we enjoyed an enormous and very tasty dinner. The restaurant's website calls it "an experience you won't forget," and that was certainly true for us!

For one, as we arrived, we were greeted by a overly friendly and truly ancient Elvis impersonator. The restaurant was busy, so we had to wait for a bit outdoors, near where the faux-Elvis was performing. He seemed to want to interact with Katherine (and possibly me) very badly, but we managed to avoid eye contact by hiding behind our husbands, once they returned from fetching us some cocktails. We escaped soon enough, though, and began our culinary adventure -- an adventure, it turned out, that was a belated celebration of Eric and Katherine's wedding anniversary. Aren't they a cute couple?

Although Eric and Katherine had eaten at Ron's before, I'd never tried much Cajun food. (I'm not sure that boxed red beans and rice really count.) That evening I was introduced to boudin balls, ettouffee, jambalaya, alligator, and creole. Here in our circus, we're pretty adventurous eaters, so it all sounded good to us! Only one item on the menu made me balk: frog legs. When Jim proposed ordering frog legs (we had agreed to share our entrees), I flat-out refused. "Look," I explained, "I love Kermit. Didn't you ever see the Muppet Movie? How's poor Kermit going to ride his bicycle if we take his legs? I'm just not going to do it."

Well, somehow I was distracted during the actual ordering process (I'm still not sure how that happened), and when my plate arrived, it included frog legs. Oh, no! I tried them, though, and endured Kermit jokes for the rest of the night. They weren't even tasty. Poor little frog gave up his legs and I didn't like them. Oh, and to make matters worse, the owner Ron stopped by our table later on and asked how I liked the frogs legs. Embarassed, I fibbed and said they were great. Eric sold me out, though. "You didn't even like them!" he exclaimed. Fortunately for me, Ron wasn't offended, since these frog legs were apparently from China. Chinese frog legs just don't have the same flavor as those from the bayou, Ron explained. I'm not really sure that was my problem, but I smiled and nodded. Already stuffed, we somehow managed some pecan pie for dessert. And let me tell you, that was some amazing pecan pie. We might insist that Eric and Katherine fly it out to our circus for Thanksgiving!

Anyway, all that's to say that if you ever find yourself in Utica, Ullinois, it's worth stopping by Ron's Cajun Connection. It is an experience you won't forget!

Tanner's Orchard

On yet another fine, sunny, yet not-too-warm Illinois morning, our circus headed off for a bit of an adventure. We drove out to Tanner's Orchard, a lovely spot not too far from Aunt Marg and Uncle Craig's home. In the fall, Tanner's is a popular destination for families looking for pumpkins and apple picking. A little too early for that, we arrived at the height of peach season. (We were sad to miss the peach pancake breakfast by only a few days. How tasty would that have been?) However, we didn't spend any time in the orchards. Instead, we took advantage of some of the other kid-friendly activities.

For one, there's an enormous play area for the children, complete with a wooden pirate's ship, a wooden train, a firetruck, a school bus, and a number of other more predictable play structures. One of the benefits of arriving during peach season, rather than during apple season, was that the play area was practically deserted. (And it was free! I think there's an admission fee in the fall.) The girls had a blast.

Kathleen loved the ship. She'd climb in it and on it, and she couldn't seem to understand why Mama and Daddy couldn't get through it quite as quickly as she could!

We all tested out the train, although Kathleen insisted on being the engineer.

Madeline liked the horse-swings. She'd rather have ridden by herself, but Mama's not brave enough yet.

Kathleen tackled the "rock wall" with ease.

And Madeline wasn't about to be left out!

Wait, who's that in the back of that firetruck? Why, it's Grandpa!

Grandpa and Aunt Angela joined us a little later in the morning. They also supplied the quarters for the next bit of our adventure -- feeding the goats!

Kathleen had loved visiting the goats when we'd gone to Tanner's when she was smaller. She loved it just as much this time. Madeline, too! Little Madeline very bravely held out her hand for some goat food, and then let the goats lick the oats off her hand. She did, however, give Daddy quite a fright when she tried to test out the oats herself!

Once we'd rescued the baby from that bit of potentially germy (and otherwise untasty) eating, we decided we'd better mosey along and get some lunch.

Fortunately for us, Tanner's also has a great cafe. (And an extensive gift shop, but I'll spare you the details. Except for this: the yummiest smelling apple soap I've ever smelled. It was like autumn in a bar of soap!) We drank cider and ate sandwiches and followed it all up with assorted varieties of pie -- peach, strawberry, and dutch apple. We liked the dutch apple so much that we bought a whole pie! (But don't worry, we didn't eat it. Well, not all of it! We took it with us the next day as we moved our circus along to Uncle Eric and Aunt Katherine's house!) What a fun and tasty morning!

An Afternoon in the Park

One quiet afternoon after naps, we decided the circus needed just a bit of an outing. We loaded the girls into their cousins' wagon and took a little walk to a nearby park. Our stroll took us right past Grandma and Grandpa's house, and they came out onto the porch to wave to us. The girls just loved that! (Madeline loved it so much, in fact, that she could hardly be persuaded to sit down anymore.) A few blocks later, we were there -- a park where Daddy had played as a little boy! The park had recently been redone, and the new equipment delighted our girls.

Madeline seemed to think that she was two and a half years old, rather than not yet one, and climbed all over the play structure. If Kathleen could do it, so could Madeline!

Kathleen particularly loved this little turret which topped a "rock" climbing wall. She climbed to the top and called out, "My's a princess! In a tower!"

Both Kathleen and Madeline enjoyed the swings. The set-up was perfect -- an infant swing for Madeline and "big girl" swings for Kathleen. But while the girls enjoyed the swings, they loved the slides. Kathleen, of course, led the way.

After Kathleen had demonstrated for a bit, Madeline had a go at it. She had plenty of cheering and a big sister to catch her at the end.

In case it wasn't clear from the video, sliding was a huge success!

Eventually we had to head home. We stopped on our way to visit some horses in a field, but they weren't as interested in visiting with us as we were in visiting with them. They were actually a bit spooked, since the weather was changing as we walked. The beautiful afternoon we'd begun with had somehow become a stormy evening! We somehow managed to make it home before it really started to rain, though. And a few minutes after that, Grandma and Grandpa arrived bearing pizza. We finished off our evening with a pizza picnic in the basement. Fun, fun, fun!