Hay Happens and Hay's Happen

I love this girl so much. Loving someone this much, unconditionally, takes no work when it comes to Tatum. My daughter, my sweet little girl, absolutely knocks my knickers off. So, I might not wear knickers, but if I did, they’d be flying off into outer space with the amount of awe I have for this kiddo. She actually reminds of a juicy grape. But, she did not start out that way.

This little raisin has been producing more plumpness as time has gone on. Now, what is it that makes me crazy about her? Our negotiations. I have become the prime negotiator as she usually has to have her way. (I know..a little girl wanting her way. Whoda thunk!?) For example, every single morning, we have to decide what will come first: Coti going out, her baba or the morning “ride.” When we finally get to her ride,….well, I should say morning push because she doesn’t really “ride” the bike quite yet….she sports her grapey little jacket. It keeps her cozy warm as she learns to turn right and left and not run into the wall. Ha!Then, there are the lessons. She wants to please! We discuss the desired behavior incessantly. Tatum, you will listen and honor your teacher. Of course, she knows that she must obey if she wants a big smile from mommy. But more importantly, she is learning the concept of respect. Today, she wanted to wear these grape-colored Cressi Crabs. They sure helped her see more clearly. Wouldn’t it be great if all we needed was a pair of grape Cressi’s to be able to see the clear picture?

Tatum, FOCUS! (sometimes I have to remind her)

Then, of course there is the little shopper’s need to empty the basket and hand and name each item to the cashier. (Hopefully, it’s Kevin, her favorite TJ’s employee). She finishes, pushes in the tray, returns her cart and rushes to get her stickers. This kiddo has it down.

Every single solitary day, I understand how fruit is produced. Pruning must occur. As John 15 points out that without the struggle and the pruning of some challenges , plump juicy grapes could not be produced on the vine. So is it with raising Tot. We fall forward every day as we work through being the best we can be (with what God has given us!) Some may wonder what it is that makes me so crazy about her? Well, just hang around her for more than one second, and you’ll see why. She’s charming, funny, creative, and will keep you on your toes! She’s as sweet as a bunch of grapes. And the great thing? This little orb continues to get more and more juicy and plump every day. How can it not be with God’s love and her family’s love pouring all over her.

I can only be “grape”ful.

Hat: Check. Sunscreen: Check. Tennies: Check. Music: Check. We are off to Old MacDonald with our Mom’s group! Oh, yes, did I bring my stroller to carry a pumpkin? Nope. Did I bring extra water? Nope. Ok, so I’m not completely prepared, but we arrived early enough that it was not too busy, and I figured we could get some help.
As usual, the car ride is a karaoke party. Tot and I sing along to Laurie Berkner songs like “We are the Dinosaurs, I’m Gonna Catch you, There’s a Mouse in my Toolbox, The Cookie Bakers of the Night..” It’s one big songfest. Good thing nobody can hear me but Tot!

Arrival time: 9:04. Wow! How many acres is this place? It’s Old West Disneyland!

HI MOMS and Kiddos!!!

We are ready. First stop: Pony Rides! Cricket, the pony is a great sport, because Tatum cried for a few moments when she first plopped down. Is this going to hold me? She’s thinking I’m sure. Plus her helmet was flopping all over the place. I held her steady on the pony the whole time and she was so brave. If it wasn’t for the floppy top, she’d be a star on that Cricket!

After realizing she couldn’t reach the pedals…

We opted for the petting zoo. For 3 bucks, we bought a cone of pellets for these aggressive little dudes. They jumped right on top of her, so I took over…

And here he comes…!

Hello Mr. Goat!

More animals to see now….finally a nice little one. Whatcha got in your hand?
Let’s go this way to see the….
Pig Sheep, goats..
and..oh, now he wants some love!
Ok..enough of the petting thing. Let’s go where the action is! There’s GOLD down here in these parts!
Painted gold rocks. Hmmm.

OK, so now, where was that pumpkin patch? On the way to the hayride, we got distracted with a carpet covered bull and lasso. Ride ’em cowgirl!

An opportunity to show our strength. Tatum could barely lift the tool to test it. 
I of course wanted to show my strength  (LOL) but…oh look! There it is!!! We found the hayride. We got lucky with a hayride almost all to ourselves so we could chat with the driver. Lovely ol’ chap. 

To the pumpkins we go!

This one will work. C’mon kiddo, it’s 95 degrees in October. Let’s pick one!Yahoo! On the way back, more distraction.  All I can say here is Thank God for indoor plumbing. Say goodbye to the ducks and hello to our cool car. The shower is the first stop when we get in the house. Thank you Ol’ MacDonald for a “HAY”PPY Day!

There’s a museum for that! It’s called the I.D.E.A museum, and oh does it live up to its name. When you first walk into the museum, there are multiple sized xylophones to bing and bong. It is tough to just get inside because these are so inviting.

When Doug, Tot and I arrived, we first discovered socks were needed for the “art” room. This was more like a tumble, rattle and roll around room. Not impressed here. However, Doug built, Tot climbed through and plopped down the blocks that Doug built. Just like the story says…they definitely needed to be built of stone and not cushions!

Next stop, the recycle art center. They have bins and bins of plastic scraps, egg cartons and water bottles. I attempted to make an aerodynamic race car with an egg carton part and plastic Downey lids, and to no avail…well, no strong glue..FAIL. Doug and Tot, however, cranked out a supersonic rocket made out of a paper towel roll. Who knew these could be so useful!?Then of course we had to add to our scrap fun by making something out of glitter glue, felt, popsicle sticks and confetti scraps.

It was hard to hide that RIGHT BEHIND us there was…the iPad invasion. Yes, many little seat with opportunities to draw. I said, “Two minutes” because Tot took to this like white on rice. What is it about these darn machines?There was one cool part of the museum where they have an iPad set up in front of a “scene.” You create action figure legos, and then make a movie with the iPad. You pick the music etc..Then RECORD! She just wanted to hit the Music buttons.

Finally, I convinced her that we had to go have tea with the Mad Hatter.

I was lucky that I wore my glow in the dark electrified fluorescent shirt! We looked simply radioactive..and we even saved Humpty Dumpty.

We barely scratched the surface of this treasure of a place, as we just touched the surface of the train exhibit. We are definitely going back to make art out of scraps, dine with Alice, build a train or two, and just have some creative fun.

Thanks for taking pictures, Doug!

 

She works so hard helping me each day. From carrying my spaghetti squash

and oh is it heavy…

to helping me in the kitchen. This child loves to chop, snap, stir, and especially shake. Spaghetti squash has its own delight in the fact that it is strings you actually eat. After enjoying lunch and winding down ready for nap. (she’s yawning and falling asleep)… I know it’s going to be a good one. However, I leave the room and the party starts. What happens from all of this new excitement and playing to the max is this comfortable position:

After this it was time to hit the festival. Speaking of “max” (in the blue), we had a great time seeing him at the Train Park Festival this weekend. Mary Jo and I marvel at how much our kiddos love to push buttons. They make the trains go. Talk about control freaks!

We made a full circle through our day of winding up and down, it was time to do the actual up and down in a circle!

 

Love this kiddo!