A Couple Fun Outings this Week

First to Old MacDonald's Farm with Nanny, Aunt Klions, Lulu, Becky & her girls and Colby

SBG was a rocking fool!

http://s288.photobucket.com/albums/ll184/klhark/?action=view&current=MVI_6627.flv

Here are my 3 favorite rockers - Aunt Klions, SBG & Bubba

How many summer before he's too big to drive?

September 2008

September 2006

Second - a trip to the trail around the Lily Pad Lake. Bubba loved the freedom of cruising without having to stop for intersections and cars.Our best find of the morningA fuzzy wuzzy caterpillarMy favorite thing about the station wagon. A bike and a stroller fit in the back.

Here's to more beautiful Indian summer weather!

Look who stopped by

About 6 pm CST our neighborhood was filled with the sounds of diesel and a very loud horn brought to us by the very best Papa and driver in the world

All of Scott & Katie's worldly possessions

Rear Window View

Test Drivers

Thanks to everyone who prayed for our Papa. He's at home resting up tonight and tomorrow and then he'll head to Chi-Town early Thursday morning.

Crazy Great-Grands

Nanny reminded me I forgot to include these silly great-grands playing on the bunk beds,
crazy from all the sugar, and saying"Shake your booty".

Why we drove 3 hours in the rain

To get this 4th Generation together!

Back row: Austin, Joseph, Madison, Jack, Kaitlyn, Elle
Couch row: Sydney, Susanna, Ben wtih Dawson in front of him, Bubba, SBG, Cole, Clay

Missing: Ashley, Amelia, Scotty, Mac, Lulu

Our Annual Cousin Reunion for my Dad's side of the family was yesterday. Rain couldn't stop those crazy Criddles from enjoying the day. We all hung out in Uncle Randy & Aunt Terry's garage while the kids had a great time in their enormous basement.

The time flew catching up with everyone - Gram & Gramps, Aunts & Uncles, 8 cousins and their spouses and as of January their will be 20 great-grandchildren. (Somehow Gram keeps track of everyone and sends birthday and anniversary cards to all). As always - it was a blessing to have our once a year chance to reconnect. Oh & thanks to Papa for chauffering us :)

Here's some pics of the fam just hanging out. Chris, Todd, Heather, Kim, Chad, Dawn, M.A.

Circle of Ladies: Rochelle, Gram, Nanny, Aunt Terry (standing), Heather, Kim, Dawn

Gramps, Thad, Uncle Gordon

SBG & I with Gramps

Enjoying some ice cream - it's definitely genetic

SBG had so much fun with her Great-Grandma March (Marge)

Kisses

Cuddling

Playing Dress up with Grandma's Necklace

A little dancing too

http://s288.photobucket.com/albums/ll184/klhark/?action=view&current=MVI_6575.flv

Cousin Fred (Cousin Kim's husband) is a volunteer fire fighter and paramedic in their town.

So when all of the other outdoor plans fell through he rescued the kids (literally) with a ride around town.

Bubba's face matches his shirt

Papa poses with the truck

Cousin Fred

Thanks again Fred!

"I'm Not Tired!!!"

Naptime today

I came in to check on him an hour later and here's what I saw. Why the floor and not his comfy bed? Who knows? He's still sleeping and it's 3:45. I'll ask him when he wakes up.

The Apple Orchard

Bubba's preschool class had their first field trip today. We had to dodge a few sprinkles but we had a great visit to an apple orchard.

Here Mrs. Yount and the kids listen to a Master Gardener explain the finer points of apple pollenation. Bubba's on the far right in the navy sweatshirt.

Checking out the trees

Bubba & Joel - neither one wanted to pose for the pic so I got a fake smile from my guy and an "I'm not so sure about this apple" face from Joel

The owners of the orchard - such a cute old couple - explain how the apples get a "shower" and then are polished so they look appetizing for the consumers. All of the kids got to pick an apple, shine it on their jeans, and then eat it. Hopefully Bubba doesn't want to do that with the mulberries in the backyard.

Another one of the privileges of being an at-home mom - getting to drive for a field trip. Bubba even invited me in to class for the last 1/2 hour when we got back. What fun watching him play and sit criss-cross-applesauce for storytime! He's having the most idealic preschool experience imaginable right down to his teacher. As she read the book I just wanted to giggle at her enthusiastic voice but the kids were enthralled. So thankful to God for it all!

Rina at Home

Nanny had purchased this for our girl sometime ago and I kept thinking it was too big. Well...I guess not! Rina wore this for 3 hours this afternoon. We practiced plies, turns and points! So fun!

No Place Better to Spend a Rainy Monday

than at Tara, Lydia, and Holly's House

We read some books

Ate some snacks

Perched precariously on a ledge

Played "Rina" (as in Ballerina) for the 1st time

Here's some video of "Rina"

http://s288.photobucket.com/albums/ll184/klhark/?action=view&current=MVI_6514.flv

A Visit to Matt's

Bubba and his Dad had a little field trip to Thad's buddy Matt's farm.

I don't even want to think about him riding the four-wheeler but he loved it. And the first thing he told me about it was how Daddy forgot his helmet but he let him ride it anyway. He wanted to make sure that he didn't get in trouble since we had a talk about the importance of helmets before he left :)

Silly face but had to have him posing in his Hawkeye sweatshirt