Fall Fun

Last weekend, we visited a new-to-us pumpkin patch. The McWilliams Pumpkin Patch is about an hour away. The boys had not had a nap, so I figured it would be a quick trip. Turns out, the boys loved it!

They had TONS of activities for kids of all ages - even our young ones.

There was a hay bale maze with pens with farm animals scattered throughout. Sheep, pigs, turkeys, chickens, etc. Micah enjoyed meeting them all.

Jeremiah is starting to get a little more comfortable on his own.

He still prefers animals from afar though.

We got to ride in a covered wagon around the field of pumpkins.

Some headshots of the boys.

Jeremiah enjoyed the corn tunnels,

the corn bin,

the giant slide,

the kiddie train, (this was the first time Jeremiah rode one without one of us)

the tractor tire swing,

the culvert swing,

and the full size train. (Really a tractor, but really well made - a toddler didn't know the difference!)

The owner of the farm drove the train around part of his farm and stopped to tell about different animals. Perfect for a train and animal lover!

When it was time to leave, Jeremiah kept saying no and signing play. There were still many activities we didn't do: giant tricycles and pedal cars on a circle track, zip line, putt putt golf, Straw Mountain (think McDonald's Play Place in a barn), walnut launcher, pumpkin tic-tac-toe, miniature pony rides...maybe next year!

We told Jeremiah he could take a pumpkin home. He couldn't carry the one he wanted, so we suggested a small one.

We started to carve a pumpkin the week before the pumpkin patch visit, and Jeremiah didn't want anything to do with the guts. So we told him he could paint a little one instead. He was thrilled with the idea!

No chance of getting both Jeremiah and Micah to smile and look at the camera at the same time. You'll have to use your imagination.

 Here's our best effort of a family photo! As they say, "Happy fall, ya'll!"

It's a circus!

This time, I'm referring to an actual circus, not just our regular day!

It happened a month ago, but since it was the boys' first time visiting the circus, I'll still share.

We were able to watch the elephants' bath time in the afternoon. The three elephants were all over the age of 30.

This is Jeremiah doing the "elephant sound." That's how he holds his trunk.

There were several outdoor activities to do while waiting for the circus to start. Petting zoo, bounce house, train, pony rides. Each costing $500. Luckily, they're still young enough that "watching" is just as great.

I was able to buy tickets in advance (on the way there) at the grocery store for several dollars cheaper. The boys got in for free. (Another advantage of them being young.)

It was a one-ring circus that came to our small town for two shows on a Thursday night. While waiting, an older gentleman asked Jeremiah if he was excited to see the monkeys and giraffe. It was a great show, but no monkeys or giraffe. They did have dogs, horses, and elephants. Perfect for a two year old. Apparently, underwhelming for the over 65 crowd.

To a child, this probably looks like the gateway to a fantasy land. To a parent, this is a one-way ticket to a sauna where your wallets are magically emptied. (Again, counting my blessings that the boys are too young to know that peanuts, popcorn, cotton candy, balloons, and elephant rides are better enjoyed up close rather than from afar.)

Did I mention that it's hot in a giant enclosed tent on a summer day?

 

Jeremiah loved it! He still talks about the circus and has a new love for elephants. I better start saving my pennies hundreds before they come next year!

Hanna's Big Adventure

Nine years ago, we adopted our first child, Hanna.

From the moment we met her, she was a spitfire. (Can you see the pink on her nose? As she got older, the pink turned to black.)

This picture was taken the day we brought her home. We joked that she never napped again!

Through the years, we've gone on many adventures together.

A few years ago, she retired and moved to the midwest.

Now she spends her days lounging around and antagonizing the boys. (These are all pictures of Jeremiah!)

Jeremiah has grown quite fond of her too. He makes sure she has food and water, and he likes to take her outside.

Hanna has always been an inside dog. She is a people-lover (she's jumped in strangers' cars before). She doesn't know how to act around other dogs (or cats, rabbits, horses, grasshoppers...). She's allergic to corn. She's terrified of thunderstorms. In dog years, Hanna is about 65 now. The hair on her face is turning gray. She has developed arthritis and often limps. Making the trek to our mailbox tires her out for the rest of the day.

One day in June, I had to run some errands in town. During a thunderstorm. I left Hanna home alone for just over an hour. Lightning, thunder, and very heavy rain. When I returned, I found the door to the house wide open. Hanna was gone.

Josh came home from work to start searching. He walked for three hours on the property to our north where we thought she would have gone. Nothing. He drove down the country roads near our house. Nothing.

The night was long. An inside dog, out there, all alone. The what ifs played over and over.

I made missing signs with her picture and Josh taped them to our mailbox and a couple stop signs on his way to work the next morning.

After the boys and I had breakfast, I decided I had to go out searching for her. We loaded up the car and headed out. My goal was to put a missing sign on the other end of the dirt road where Josh had hung one of the signs.

I'd stop at clearings in the trees and yell her name. I drove slowly every time I came to a house, thinking she might have found a friend. I showed her picture to a few people I met on the road. Jeremiah sat in his carseat saying, "Hanna!" over and over. It was heart-wrenching.

After an hour, I still hadn't found that stop sign. There was a Y in the road. Micah was getting fussy. I looked at the GPS. To get home, I needed to turn left.

We crossed a bridge. There was an abandoned house. Then a mobile home. A dog ran out to the car barking. Jeremiah barked from the back seat. I said, "Yeah, a dog. But it's not Hanna." As I got even with the mobile home, I saw that they had a yard full of dogs - probably six or so. And laying on the top step of the porch - was Hanna!

I parked in the middle of the road. I got out and called her name. She lifted her head and ran to me. She was limping. I hugged her right there in the road. She whimpered as I petted her. And I cried happy tears.

"Is that yer dog?" a man asked me. "She showed up here last night. At first I thought it was one of mine, but then realized it wasn't. I thought, 'Huh! New dog!'" Sorry, sir. This is definitely our dog. Our daughter. "Where's she live?" he asked. When I told him, he got a puzzled look on his face and said, "Wow! She ran a long way!"

I lifted her into the car. Jeremiah shouted, "Hanna!" I marked the spot on the GPS and we headed home.

As the crow flies, Hanna was 1.6 miles from home. The terrain is hilly and densely wooded. The grass is about chest high. She would have crossed multiple barbed wire fences, a dirt road, and a river. During a thunderstorm.

That night, I took Josh to show him where she was. It is 7.5 miles by car. He showed me where he had turned around when he was searching (about half of the distance to where she was). He said he never would have gone as far as I had.

Hanna slept for nearly 24 hours straight. She didn't eat or drink much at all. She had several ticks and a wound that seemed like it was from a barbed wire fence. After about 48 hours though, she was back to her old self. 

Nowadays, Hanna gets a few extra treats. And we deadbolt the door.