Pumpkin Patch fun

We have been talking about going to the pumpkin patch for a couple of weeks now. Yesterday afternoon we finally had time to put our plan into action.

The girls were starving, as usual, so we decided to go eat before we hit the patch. We decided to try out a new Chinese buffet and we were pleasantly surprised. The girls were fascinated with the stuffed crab shell that I tried. They had hollowed out the underside of the crab and stuffed it. So after I ate the stuffing out and turned it over the girls could see that it was a crab. I pointed out where it eyes were and then they wanted to know where it's legs were! I said that they probably used the meat from the legs to stuff the shell with too. RaeAnne was saying "Oh the poor crab!" They even had frog legs on the menu! I had to try one because I never had before. It wasn't too bad, but it definitely did NOT taste like chicken. Jordis was game to try it and LOVED it!! I didn't tell her what it was and the look on her face was priceless when we told her Frog! RaeAnne piped up and said "Poor frog!" ZoraLin wanted to know where the rest of the frog was! Then the conversation turned to the fact that we do eat "animals". I remember when I was about their age when I found out that the burger I was enjoying for supper one night was actually part of a deer that my Dad had hunted and shot! I was SO upset that we were eating "Bambi"! I think I was vegetarian for about a week until I realized that many of the things we eat were living at one time or another! It didn't sound like I have any girls who will be vegan so I won't have to be cooking special for anyone!!

Once everyone was full, it was off to the Pumpkins! Because the vines have all been frozen and flattened out, the girls could see all the pumpkins in the field and they were so excited to get to them! We had to take photos of the girls by the "How tall this fall?" sign. I think a couple of them were on their tippy toes!

The girls really got a kick out of the farm animals we looked at. They have a very nice set up for fowl and have a variety of birds. Ducks, many different breeds of chicken and even some exotic Red Golden pheasants that come from the mountaineous areas of China! The birds didn't want to pose for me, but trust me, they are very beautiful! Of course, I am biased and think that many beautiful things come from China!



The girls spotted a 512 pound pumpkin and I snapped a photo of Dad and the girls checking it out. I then broke the news to the girls that THEY would have to carry their OWN pumpkins because I could see they thought the big one would make a pretty neat Jack-o-lantern!!



This is obviously a real working farm and I was impressed by the artwork on the fuel tanks! The girls were just wanting to get out to the pumpkins...so off we went!



The pumpkin field was a muddy mess in quite a few areas. The wagon dropped us off and Daddy spotted a bench to sit on. So off trekked the girls and I to find the perfect pumpkins! Pumpkin vines are not the easiest thing to walk in and Kendalan took a nose dive quickly. Mom just kept telling the girls to make sure they didn't get their shoes stuck in a mud puddle because I wasn't going to come pull them out! They each quickly started looking for THE best pumpkin. I did have to remind them that THEY were going to carry their own pumpkin...especially after RaeAnne and ZoraLin each found HUGE pumpkins they could barely lift! I first asked them to pose by one of the big pumpkins they had spotted and they promptly sat on it!!



Of course, we were in the area where the pumpkins were bigger, so off we took for the first patch we had rode by to find the smaller pumpkins. Daddy decided to catch the "hay" wagon back and leave the girls to the decision making! It took some foot work and a couple more trips over the vines before I started grabbing pumpkins to hold up and say "What about this one girls?" Then each of them wanted THAT one pumpkin until I would pick up the next. Seems Mom has a knack for pumpkin picking! Who'd a known?? Everyone finally found their perfect pumpkin and just in the knick of time as it started sprinkling a little!





Mom even got into one picture with the girls and pumpkins!



Since the pumpkins are too small to carve, tomorrow the girls and I will attempt to paint them. Kendalan has already decided that she wants a pink pumpkin!!! Go figure!!

The finished product

Mirror, mirror on the wall......

who's the fairest of them all?!!! Tonight the girls all had their hair done and then off we went to have photos taken. RaeAnne really didn't like the whole idea of dressing up along with her sisters. I knew that is why these photos had to be taken soon and using the excuse of Halloween was all I could think of! RaeAnne was stoney faced and kept saying that she wanted to go home and dress up in her last year's witch costume. But after the photos were taken, she actually decided that it was fun and she wants her hair done like this again!

Kendalan really was excited about getting her hair curled. First she told the hairdresser that she didn't want the sides curly, then she changed her mind and also wanted her bangs curled! Her crown was just a little too big and kept slipping.




ZoraLin was so thrilled with her hair. She has been bugging me to curl it for a couple of months now. She was so quiet in the salon that I thought we had a different child with us.



I think that the smile in the mirror says it all!! The photos turned out quite nicely too. We think they ARE the fairest in all the land!!

The Flu Bug

Has hit our house! Yesterday morning Jordis was complaining that her stomach hurt. As I was asking her to explain to me where it hurt and I went to touch her belly, I could feel the heat radiating off her. Her fever was 102.6. Mark quickly emailed her teacher and the school secretary that she would not be coming to school. When Jordis doesn't feel good it is very apparent. She spent the whole day in bed watching cartoons and sleeping. She did finally report about 1:30pm yesterday that she was hungry, but she didn't have much of an appetite. Last night at bedtime she started crying and crying. It was obvious that she didn't feel good, but she wasn't able to quit crying to tell us where or what hurt. She wasn't running a fever, but I did finally get her to tell me her stomach still hurt. She slept in bed with Daddy and I last night. That is the first time she has ever done that!!

This morning Jordis was feeling better, but our school has a policy that they must be fever free for 24 hours. However, RaeAnne was coughing, hacking and saying her throat hurt. She had a fever of 102.9! RaeAnne had a dose of acetaminophen, both had some Sunny D and back off to bed they went. So now they are both laying in bed watching cartoons. Jordis is still fever free and I think she will go to school this afternoon when we pick Kendalan up from preschool. RaeAnne on the other hand still had a fever of 102.0 at 10AM this morning so she had a dose of Ibuprofen.

Santa Fe Trail

Saturday we drove the short distance to Overbrook for the Santa Fe Trail Days. They had Cowboys, Indians, covered wagons, a stagecoach, food, crafts, a petting zoo etc. The girls all had a chance to see some of these things Friday as the school took the classes down to the park. The weather was pretty nice, so we decided to go have a look see.




They were cooking ham and beans in a very large, old kettle over a fire. They were very tasty! The girls enjoyed the petting zoo and tried to convince Dad and I that we needed another kitten. We wandered around looking at old photography equipment that was used way back when. I had the chance to visit with a physician who has quite the collection of instruments that were used. Many things they used many years ago have been revamped and look much like the original items...just refined!

The girls took a ride on the stagecoach and looked for outlaws or wild Indians. Thankfully they returned with their scalps intact!

There goes the neighborhood.....

Was it something we did? Something we said? Maybe it was our dog? Okay...hate to admit it, maybe our girls are too wild? Anyway, the neighbors on each side of us are selling their houses. Mike and Crystal to the east of us have two boys. Darrin is 6 and Jaylyn is 3. They are hoping to sell their house so they can move closer to where Mike teaches school. Their house has 5 bedrooms, three upstairs and two down. They just finished out their basement last year. They have a two car garage and a small storage shed. They are asking $216,000.

Amos and Julie have two little girls and live to the west of us. Their house has an unfinished basement with two bedrooms and two baths upstairs. He is in the military and has taken a new job. I have not seen inside of the "green" house like the girls call it, but they are asking $196,000 for their house.



We don't want to see either family move. But I thought I might put this out there for the chance that someone we know may want to live near us??!!!

~M~I~A~

Yes, I have been Missing in Action lately. Between getting the girls off to school each morning, doing laundry, cleaning house, working full-time, getting ready to have a farm auction and daily life in general....I have just not had time to blog.

The girls are really enjoying school. They are doing great with their routine of getting up, eating breakfast, brushing their teeth and hair, putting clothes on and climbing on the bus before 7AM each day. Sometimes...okay, many days....Mom and Dad crawl back in bed for a quick nap after they leave for school!


We have always had the tradition that when it is your birthday you get to pick the place we will go eat to celebrate. Jordis picked Red Robin for hers. The staff came over and sang Happy Birthday to her when they brought her ice cream. I think she had a good time!





Everyone else also had a great time. It is always loud at our house looking at this photo, I realize why now. I really didn't know that Kendalan had such a big mouth!



ZoraLin had a great big mouthful of ice cream too!



We are having Dad's farm auction on October 31st in Lenora. I have mixed feelings about selling all the machinery. Dad had asked me many years ago if I was interested in farming the land. I was getting ready to start nursing school and I asked him if he received a regular paycheck from farming. His answer was no and I still feel that I made the right decision. However, there are times that I will miss having the opportunity to go help with harvest. I am really sad that my girls will not have the chance to experience working the land, riding in a truck, on a tractor, playing in the back of the truck filled with wheat.