Sigh...

The Hay Maze

There was a neat hay maze - perfect for younger kids.
My niece and Julien enjoyed it too.

Addie tried to be a big girl helper

but quickly decided that Gabi was better suited for the job.

It was a beautiful, bi-polar kind of weather day.

One minute it was freezing cold, the next it was absolutely perfect, just as it should be!

The Animals on the Farm

I don't know why Chunky Monkey is so frightened by random things, but apparently small, furry animals make the list of things that unravel her composure.

The animals that were available for petting were all very well kept and did not appear to be ready to attack my child at any moment.

There was a tiny horse, pig, rabbits, turkey and several other animals that I never got to look at because Monkey was certain they were lethal.

For whatever reason, this little bunny caught her attention and she was all about the bunny.

She just wanted to sit and look at the bunny.

Monkus had no immediate desire to touch the bunny...

but at one point, she did give it a kiss without actually coming into contact with it.

She was happy and content to sit and watch the bunny...just sit and watch her.

Hmmm...I don't think she actually made contact with the bunny at any point.

She just talked about the bunny's "nose, eyes and ears" by naming each one!

This super sweet lady offered to open the gate so that Addie could pet the horse. 

She thought it might make Addie feel more at ease (I can't think of any other time in my life that has ever happened...I was impressed!).

Despite the best of efforts, Addie refused to touch the horse and the horse appeared to be more afraid of Addie than she was of her...
or maybe the horse was just terrified of me.

When I started to push Addie's sleeves back so that she could pet the horse, she appeared as if she might actually make contact with the horse.

It didn't happen.

She walked away from the horse, gave the others animals a quick once over and decided that she was all done.

Bad Dog

When Chris got out of the car at one of the local stores, the dog in the car next to us just about scared him to death when he started barking at Chris through the crack in the car window.

The dog got Addie's full attention!

You can pause the music over to the right if you feel the need to hear my annoying voice and the sweet little voice of Addie.

Bennett Farms

Bennett Farms is exactly what I needed.

I needed to experience life at a slower pace and I needed to get away from the crowds, to be at a place where we could truly enjoy the day and to take in the pure beauty of nature.

I happened upon Bennett Farms website, sent Chris an email and told him to look at the website because it was moving to the top of our to do list.

Last Saturday, we made the hour and a half drive

and

despite the immense car drama that we had to endure

it was absolutely worth it.

Bennett Farms is family owned and is truly the result of a dream.

There is a video on the website that is quite heartwarming and from the short time that we spent with Jim Bennett, he appears to be one of the nicest men I have ever had the pleasure of meeting.

We spent the day at Bennett Farms surrounded by sincerely kind people.

From the time that we arrived until we left, we were greeted with warm smiles, offered assistance and thanked for being there.

It was an experience that doesn't happen often enough anymore.

It was a day where we never once felt out of place, we were able to be ourselves and to enjoy each moment.

The day was absolutely beautiful!

Pumpkins planted by hand.

It somehow makes them more special.

They make Sorghum Syrup and we got to watch the entire process.

The syrup is available for sale in the store at the farm.

Snake Creek...

There was really no need for me to investigate any further.

I took the sign for face value and stayed away.

They don't call it a farm just for marketing purposes.

I could have stayed all day.

We will definitely be returning to Bennett Farms and wish them the best of luck!

There's a First Time for Everything

Last year, we had our first experience playing in a bin full of cotton.

This year, we had our first experience playing in a bin full of corn kernels.

I must say that the bin full of corn kernels was way less messy than playing in cotton or sand and Addie had a great time!

I mean seriously...how neat is this???

Silly girl found a whole ear of corn and knew that it definitely did not belong....and thank goodness, she didn't try to eat it!

October 1, 2011

Just for the record

When at a football game surrounded by hundreds of teenagers and I say "excuse me" so that I can pass by...the appropriate response is not, "My bad".
although I would like to thank the teenage boy who said that to me....it served as a great reminder to have a refresher course on manners with my own child.