Holy Cow

My daughters and I discovered a lovely place not too far from our home. The Texas Oil Ranch welcomed a very large play group last week and we had a blast. This is me milking a cow.

Actually, I felt rather guilty for tugging at the teet. I knew her discomfort, all too well. I even patted her side and told her I knew just how she felt...child after child, lining up to pull and tug and gawk at the squirting milk flowing from her bosoms (can you call a cow udder a bosom? and if you can, is it bosom or bosoms?) At this time I would like to clarify that I may know an element of how it feels. I only have one child that tugs at my teet, not lines of grimy elementary school students on a field trip. Thank Heavens.
This is my 2 year old milking the cow.

My 4 year old had been talking about it all week and then chickened out at the last minute. Get it? Chickened out?...we were at a farm?..
Anyway, we had a really fun time. They have pony rides, milkable cows, a train, baby animals, a petting zoo, tee pees, swings and lots and lots of room to run...and each paying child gets to chose a pumpkin from a large pile by the entrance.

The kids had a great time. We played and ran and explored and wore ourselves out.

Even the baby Mia got to milk a cow...so to speak.

To Keep or Not to Keep

This is a very sad ghost barrett.

It went for a little swim today. A very upset 4 year old came to me with the confession that she had accidentally knocked it into the toilet. (Our hair stuff bin sits precariously perched on a shelf above the toilet...I mean, why not?..oh yeah, right.) So my question is, if the toilet is relatively clean, and there was nothing besides, ya know, toilet water in the bowl--do I go to drastic measures to save the ghost or not. Is it worth a trip to Target and a whole dollar to replace the set, or do I get out the hairdryer?
What I really want to know is, What has been in YOUR toilet? And is it still in use today?

A Funny story not about me.

In honor of my six-week post partum check up this week I have a funny story to share, that is not about me. Tonight after dinner my mother in law told us something hilarious that happened to her recently at a grocery store. She was standing in line behind a man who was purchasing the following ( and only the following): a package of steaks, a bottle of wine, a rose and a box of condoms. When he got up to the register the cashier said something like this:
"Hey! I know you! Your wife, didn't she just have a baby?...like six weeks ago? Wow, how are you?" The man did not answer but looked increasingly uncomfortable as the cashier went on and on, totally clueless of anything that she was insinuating in front of the line of customers behind the man. My mother in law said that everyone in line was trying very hard not to laugh out loud but absolutely couldn't resist when the woman got on the PA and got a price check for the box of condoms. True story.

Mr. Moms

So the other night we decided that the men would take a turn with the wee ones. "Hey Clark and James, would you watch the little people so we can 'whatever whatever'?" "Sure, no prob" came the reply. We were indeed impressed with their parenting abilities. It was minutes before we realized that it was oddly quiet upstairs.

Notice the vacant and mesmorized look on sweet, innocent baby Caleb's face. (Is it just me or does he have very much the same pleased smirk on his face as his father?)
I like to sit and watch my husband play with our kids. He has always been great with kids. When we lived in South Carolina, before we had any of our own, the neighborhood children would knock on our door and ask if Clark could play. I'm not joking. From time to time I cringe at the rough-housing that he is teaching our sweet, gentle, feminine daughters, and only occasionally do I step in and intervene. But I love that they are adventurous, silly, imaginative and have no fear. They have inherited the best of both of our senses of humor. I mean, we come from pretty funny families. And though there are some games I wish we didn't play, and tricks I wish they didn't know, I wouldn't change anything about who they are.
I have to admit that tonight during the "lets lick each other's face" game I was laughing. Then again, tomorrow it might not seem so funny.