A Few Days at the Farm

We weren't going to travel down to Missouri over Christmas break since we've been gone so much, but with the weather being so warm, we just couldn't pass it up! Of course, we couldn't breathe a word of it to our kids until we were absolutely positive we were going because they get SO excited! Ashton had a basketball tournament on Tuesday, but on Wednesday morning we headed out for a few days of fun. The drive was a cinch...5 hours for this family is nothing! And the weather was spectacular...We spend the next few days almost entirely outside which is almost unheard of for December in the Midwest!

A couple of things that made this trip special:

We were able to see the Porter family...they used to live next door and moved away last summer to Missouri. We were glad they were willing to make the drive to the farm (on long winding country roads!). It was so fun to just be together and have time to visit and catch up. After living next door to Sherry for 3 years, I feel like she knows me pretty well...and has seen me through lots of different things...and still likes me!! The girls were so happy to be with their buddies again. They have missed them a ton. We had a great afternoon...remembering the good old days and looking forward to future plans together.

On Friday, we got to go ice skating with the Morse family (Tod's sister). We love spending time with them...we all get a long so well and they are just easy going and fun. The kids absolutely adore cousins Kayla and Leah. Regan has been wanting to go ice skating for almost a year, so it was good to finally do it! And she surprised me by catching on really well. Even Cole got in on the action...although trying to help a 2 year old ice skate was somewhat of a challenge. After ice skating it was on to Baskin Robbins- I love that place and grew up on their Peanut Butter and Chocolate ice cream!



The weather was perfect this time for horse-riding. Getting a private horse riding lesson from Grandpa Steve is such a special privilege. Since Grandpa doesn't love to have his picture taken, I try to take advantage of snapping pics while he is busy with the horses. He is such a natural and so patient when it comes to teaching the grandkids. It is amazing to see the older girls- they are getting to be so much more comfortable around horses and have learned so much about proper riding techniques. I wish I could say the same for myself, but I am still quite fearful of the beasts! Ashton and Jordan are working towards being able to ride alone (with out the lead rope). Regan is still mastering some of the basics. Cole is along for the ride!





I had to include some of these pictures of Cole. This boy is a cowboy through and through. He loves being at the farm. All of his prayers include, "Bless Grandpa and Bless the trucks." He kept begging to go from rides in Uncle Marc's new truck. He is certainly in his element on the farm!




Of course, Ashton loves spending time with her dog Oreo. She misses him so much when they are apart. As soon as she arrived, Oreo became her constant companion and kept laying on his back for his belly rubs. She LOVES dogs.


This is a picture of Ashton and Jordan after returning from a hike with Grandpa and yes, that is mud on their faces. When they told me about their adventure, they mentioned that Grandpa had named a couple of creeks after them...they also tell me little treasures of knowledge he shares with them. So priceless. These girls are blessed with amazing grandparents.


All and in all we had a great time. We took a little detour on the ride back (I may have taken a wrong turn when Tod dozed off), but we eventually made it home just in time to bid 2011 good-bye. We were so tired from our adventures that we didn't even stay up until midnight! Here's to a great 2012!!!