Punkin's at the Pumpkin Patch

Hi! I'm Grant Alan. I want to bring you on a tour of the Pumpkin Patch we went to visit last weekend. It was at the 4 R Ranch just south of Avon.

Here is a picture of my Dad and Sissy in front of the main office.

Not long after we got to the ranch, I made friends with a little kitten cat. He looked a lot like my cat, Gibber Gabbers (Gabby) but he had white paws and a white nose. He was so cute and friendly I asked if I could take him home and my Dad said no. I should have asked Mom, she is a sucker for animals and I know I could have gotten her to say yes!

While looking around the grounds, we saw this cool little building. If you can't read the sign it says "Eileen's Pickle Palace" Sounds yummy!

There was an old rocking chair on the front porch and my Mom decided she just had to get some pictures of us sitting in the chair. We were more interested in looking around the ranch so Mom didn't have much luck getting us both to smile at the same time.

Wait, is that a smile behind those fingers???

Nope, false alarm.

Anyhoo... here is me with my DaDa.

Tootie, with my MaMa.

And here is our whole family.

Since my little sister was born on Oct. 29th, she was too little to remember her first Halloween last year and this is her first trip to pick out pumpkins. She though it was really cool!

And I am an old pro since this year is going to be my 4th Halloween. I even picked out my own costume this year. My Mom bought me a cutsie froggy costume by I axed that idea and made her return it and buy me a Bumblebee Transformers costume. Isn't commercialism awesome!

Mommie tried her hardest to get a good picture of the two of us smiling together, but is just wasn't her day. Either Audrey would make a funny face...

or I would make a goofy face.

So as my Mom was sitting there trying to take our picture and blah, blah, blah...I caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of my eye. Is that what I think it is?...

A horse drawn hay ride!!

Woahhhh...Cool!

I got to go for a real hay ride out to the pumpkin patch to pick out my own pumpkin! How cool is that?

Here is my pick of the day.

Isn't it a doozy? It is so big I can hardly carry it!

And now Tootie's turn. Hmmm... Which one should she pick?

I think that one is just your size little girl!

And now how in the world are we going to carry all of these pumpkins to the car? I know...how about a wagon? Yep, and we can even stick Baby in there too!

Boy, this is heavier than I thought it would be!

Maybe Dad should pull us the rest of the way.

And while Daddy was loading us and our prize pumpkins into the truck, my goofy, plant-crazy Mom just had to go snap a few pictures of some pretty cool plants.

What do you suppose these things are???

Not sure, but they look like something I might eat with ranch dressing!

Until next year...

Bathtime Bliss

At first glance, this may look like a sweet little angel enjoying a nice warm evening bath...but don't let her fool you.

In the blink of an eye, she can transform into a screeching little monster!

And then, the devil horns pop out...

and she tries, but she can no longer contain herself...

out comes a snarfle...

then a sniffle...

and then more screaming...

And now look at her beaming with pride from her impromptu angry bull vs. matador imitation!

TaDah!

And then there is Captain Jack Sparrow...

or is it Pinocchio's long lost brother???

Or is he the real Devil in disguise???

Better watch out...this little devil may pounce at any second!

I promise...this will be it for bath time pictures for a while. I just had to get these posted before they were too out of date. And I hope this gives you a glimpse of what little characters we have to deal with. They bring a smile to my face no matter how terrible my day has been. Just can't explain the deep unconditional love a mother has for her children. I just wish everyone had the blessings that I have been so generously gifted.

Good Clean Fun!

Time for some good clean fun! One of my favorite parts of the day is bath time. It is always a good bonding time for myself and the kids. Instead of a chore, we make sure bath time is full of fun and playfulness...just not too much splashing although when the floor gets wet, it forces me to wipe it up which is probably a good thing, right!?

I am going to share a few of my favorite bath time pictures of both kids, but I realized I had some pretty funny ones of Audrey from the end of August that I just have to share also. I will do that in another post since my brother said my posts sometimes get too long. Well, phooey on him!

This first pic was taken when Audrey turned 9 months. Since I usually do the dishes after I get Audrey to bed, she rarely ever gets to take a sink bath. I guess I must have been ambitious this particular evening!

Isn't she a little Dumplin'?

Then, there is my little man who loves to pretend to "shave" while in the tub. We make funny soap foam faces and he "shaves" them off. Here is the most recent one. Maybe some time I will share some other faces we have created.

Grant also often tends to annoy his little sister in the tub...and everywhere else for that matter. He always has to be touching, poking, squeezing, stealing her toys, nuk, etc and as you can see by her face, she is not happy with him! She will do whatever it takes to protect her coveted squirty stars!

But how could she be mad at a face like this?

I think he just got yelled at for splashing his sister in the face in this picture. Can you see the little shyster (never tried to spell that before) coming out in him?

And then there is little Tootie's obsession with sticking out her tongue. This weekend my sister-in-law suggested that I dress her up as Gene Simmons from Kiss for Halloween. Tempting, but I think she will make a better lamb.

And isn't this picture of Grant cool? He was laying back in the water and I just happened to get this shot of him spitting the water straight up.


I also love this next sequence of pics of Audrey. She had just discovered the faucet this day and was fascinated with the water coming out. The pictures can probably tell the story of how this went better than I...

And then after every bath, I wrap Audrey up in her froggy towel and she scrambles to get her hands unwrapped so that she can wave to the "baby" in the mirror. It is actually really cute and I am going to miss when she stops wanting to do that.

And it wouldn't be a complete bath time without a tandem mini 4-wheeler ride around the living room before it is time to put on the jimmer jammers!

Speaking of jimmer jammers...I better hit the hay. Duke is gone elk hunting so I am flying solo and it is a big change for me to have to get up extra early to get the kids up, ready and off to daycare. I guess I am kind of spoiled because Duke always gets that leg of the race. What a saint he is! Wouldn't trade him for the world.