Tasty Treats

One warm evening, Daddy needed to mow the lawn, but the kids were very ready to get out and do something.  The solution?  An ice cream run with Monga!  We walked in the door of Baskin Robbins, and Dale ran to the counter.  I lifted him up and asked him which flavor looked good.  Chocolate fudge.  No hesitation, no changing his mind.  That boy was ready for a chocolate ice cream treat!  We don't keep a lot of sweets in our house, and we almost never have ice cream.  So when we take our kids to Baskin Robbins, it's special, and they know it.

Rose had her grandmother wrapped around her finger, as she made Monga feed her one little bite of ice cream at a time.

One More Time

Before we headed back home, we decided to squeeze in one last trip to a playground.  The kids were all tired but happy.  As was I.

Every time we return to a playground, Dale seems bigger, taller, and stronger than before.  He wants to play like a big kid and hang from the bars, with all the courage in the world.

Dale is slowly working up the courage to take that last step.

Rose, on the other hand, has enough courage for everyone combined.  She climbed right to the top of the playground equipment and dangled off the side.  She knows what she wants and goes for it.

I had to rescue her from this one.

The children are discovering new ways to play and learning to use their imaginations. 

Straight to the top.

Aunt Sara met us at the playground and delighted the kids by giving super duper swing pushes.

I love the smiles you get from pushing a child on a swing.

The Day a Goat Tried to Eat Rose

Visiting Aunt Sara and Uncle Dave's house puts us closer to fun things like Deanna Rose Farm, so we knew we had to take advantage of the situation and go pet us some goats!  Dale went straight to this little bench and cheesed it up for me.

Major cheese.

Major cheese's little sister would not cooperate.

I sure do love this gal.

I also love Deanna Rose benches.

Deanna Rose Farm really is a blast for toddlers.  On this trip we had four of them...and we lived.  We had our little friend Hannah with us, and she's just a bowl of sunshine.  But this trip was not without its ups and downs.  Rose simply did not have time for pictures.  Or strollers.  Sister wants to be a big kid so very much.

Thank goodness for Monga!

All of the kids thought the big goats were great fun in their own way.

Rose:  Hug and kiss all goats.

Dale:  Pet goat, laugh hysterically and run away.  Try to race goats.

Lily:  Smile widely.  Watch other children closely to see if they are also having fun.  Then smile some more.

Hannah:  Boss goats around, and if they disobey, scold them.  Get mad if goat tries to drink water without permission.

Everything was flowers and sunshine until this goat tried to eat my baby!

I still haven't washed that strap off.

The highlight of the trip for the three older toddlers was definitely the pony rides.  It was Dale's first time on a pony.  He was in complete awe when he sat down on that saddle.

Lily smiled so big the whole ride, while Hannah cheered her on loudly.  It was hilarious.

But as you know, goats and ponies are exhausting.  When little ones become worn out, there is only one thing you can do...ICE CREAM!

Chocolate ice cream perked those gals right up.

Adorable prairie Rose prefers vanilla.  Okay fine, she doesn't get a choice just yet, but she likes her vanilla just fine.

Dale sat in complete silence until he was done with his chocolate treat.

When the day was over, we returned to Aunt Sara's house where Rose gave Lily and Dale a bath.

Happy day.  Happy kids.

Back To Lawrence

Lily stayed with us for a handful of nights, but then dance class beckoned, and we had to take her back to her parents.  We got her all dolled up and ready for her class.  She liked wearing her leotard, because she could tuck Patty inside all snug, where Rose couldn't get her.

Once we got back to Lawrence, we took Lily to ballet class.  It proved difficult to keep my children out of the class, but Lily was all kinds of cute.

Then everyone got rewarded with a trip to the playground.  Rose had a great time wandering freely on the jungle gym, and Mommy had a great time letting Rose roam.

There was a whole lotta happy running around.

Cheese Dorito smile courtesy of Monga.

The Day Our Suitcases Became Rockets

I love watching Dale's imagination grow.  Every day we play "rockets" many times.  Dale never gets bored with his rockets, never loses interest in racing them.  Sometimes I wonder if he thinks about anything else. 

I walked into my bedroom one day to find my suitcases opened and lined up with Dale lying inside.  He had turned our luggage into rockets, and he was blasting off over and over again.

Rose wanted in on the game, and Dale was more than happy to have another passenger in his rocket.

Dale let Lily in on his rocket blast off as well.

Returning To The Refuge

We made it to the zoo!  I love Rolling Hills Refuge immensely, and it was such a nice day too.  Everyone was super happy.

Oh the Rhinos!  If you ever go to this zoo, you simply must see them.  Here are Dale and Lily right after the rhinoceros peed on them.  It's true.  That mutha walked right up to us and let loose at our feet.

Dale's favorite animal is now the rhinoceros.

We had to spend a good chunk of time cleaning up the little yellow play house, of course.

There was so much urgent cleaning that had to be done.

While Rose ate an apple covered in ick from the floor...

Lily served up dead moth.

Yum, dead moth sure sounds tasty!

Dale and Lily got along so well this trip.  They even had long conversations with each other regarding running and laughing and making loud noises.

This dude just creeps me out.

Zombie tortoise?

Since this was Lily's first time at Rolling Hills, we took her into the museum, where I learned that big scary polar bears are apparently hilarious.

The museum at Rolling Hills Refuge has an art gallery inside it that holds great exhibits.  On this visit, there was a collection of Charles Harper's works on display.  I was so excited to see these pieces, because I have been a Harper fan since I discovered his illustrations in children's books after Dale was born.

Love it!

Before we could leave the Rolling Hills Refuge museum, we had to spend several long minutes staring at this animated snake charmer.  In fact, we had to watch his skit at least twice all the way through, which in Mommy time is way too long.

Sidetracked In Salina

Monga came to visit...(please pause for applause)...so we were able to get out and explore a little more than usual.  We decided to check out another Kansas gem on our way to the zoo one morning.  Cozy Inn Hamburgers in Salina was voted one of the "eight wonders of Kansas cuisine" a few years back, so we knew we ought to check it out, being good Kansans and all.

I'm not sure Dale and Lily ate anything but Doritos.

Despite the fact that Josie's should have won the Kansas Wonders contest, Cozy Inn was quite fun and their sliders were tasty.  They have been in the same location since 1922, and they still boast the original stools and cabinets.  I got a kick out of watching the cuties dangle their feet from the stools while munching on cheese Doritos.

Cozy Inn sits in downtown Salina, where old buildings and history abound.  We were in a hurry to get to the zoo, but I still took a quick moment to snap a few pictures of some old town goodies, and I cannot wait to go back.