Girls, Barns, Birthdays and Pumpkins

At this time of year, it seems like everyone with children in the KC area heads out to one of literally hundreds of "farms" to hunt pumpkins, join hayrides, feed smelly goats, ride horses, pick apples, and otherwise enjoy nature.

We got a jump start on the season with an invitation from the blonde next door....Hope turned two and had her party at Red Barn Farm. We spent a whopping 4 hours in brisk wind basking in mother nature.  It was nice to watch the kids run without worrying about them getting into trouble. They wore their boots (we had lots of welcome rain the day before) and we didn't worry a second about mud, though we went home caked with it.

The party was a blast. The boys were the only representation of their gender, surrounded by 5 blondes and 1 brunette....all under the age of 6.

The birthday girl showing off her plastic pig topper!

A photo of the ladies and brothers Vogt....

Gill in action mode, complete with boots and muddy pants. He was very excited about the pumpkins, but could not be persuaded to pick one, rejecting every one we could find without a flaw.

Jonas taking a ride on a fake horse. He declined the real pony rides. He was more excited about cooking the pumpkins than carving them. He also enjoyed picking apples and immediately eating them.

An interesting twist to the end of our day.  The pumpkins we carefully selected, harvested from the fields, posed with for a family photo, carried back on the hayride, lugged up a hill, watched over carefully during the picnic, and schlepped to the check-out line were left there when we realized it would take an hour to pay for them.

So we went home....pumkinless, exhausted, and happy.

Bed Time

For years, bed time has been a stressful occasion.  It still is, but we are either finally acclimating to it, or the kids are getting better at it.  Probably a little bit of both.

From a parenting perspective, we are total failures at bed time.  The "good" parents have their kids fed at 6, bathed at 7, asleep by 8.  While ours are usually fed by 6 and bathed by 8:30, they often don't fall asleep until 10 or 10:30.  We tried the 6, 7, 8 thing and put them in bed by 7:30.  All it meant was a 3-hour fight, filled with frustration.  So we gave in. We sometimes still try at 9, and Gill will go down.  But Jonas is hardcore until 10.

Often, laying down with them is a remedy.  Tonight, as I lay between the boys, I realized it was my favorite moment of the day.  Jonas was curled into me on one side, told me he loved me with his blue trusting eyes, and I heard his breathing slow and become a gentle snore.  He often sleeps with both hands cushioning one cheek. On the other side, Gill's springy hair tickled my neck as he lay with his head on my shoulder. They both love to cuddle so I often have one on each side. Jonas loves covers; Gill hates them. Bedtime stories (2-3) are a must, and tonight, singing became a tradition. Jonas and I sang "there were 10 in the bed and the little one said, roll over, roll over, so they all rolled and one fell out."  He likes me to do the math on the first end, and he sings the 2nd part. Gill began to chime in about halfway through.

Jonas then requested the farmer song with the wife and animals. Since Ed knows this one, we had to pull him away from his computer and work. He came up and we all lay in the double underside of the bunk bed and sang the old American tune together, with Jonas and Gill doing the "griffy griffy" animals noises.

Sometimes we have to let everything slide, give our children the attention they love and crave, and just enjoy these moments with them. I did tonight, and I'll never regret it.