Down on the Farm

A couple of Saturdays ago, we made our annual trip to the corn maze and pumpkin patch.  There is no shortage of fall activities and/or pumpkin patches around here.  Over the years, I think we've tried out three or four different places.  We've always been a big fan of McGarrah's Farm in Pea Ridge, but since this new one opened up closer to home, it's our choice.  It's just a little easier for us, and I'll do anything when it's easier for us.

Last year and again this year, we went to Farmland Adventures to have some fun celebrating the arrival of Fall.  There's a big corn maze, pony rides, a tractor hay ride and feeding cows and a small petting zoo.

I didn't get any photos of us in the actual corn maze because I was toting one kid or another on my back most of the time.  What a workout!  I had to bring the little ones out through the short cut so Big Sis and Lee could finish the big maze. 

Here are some pics of our fun (but cloudy) day on the farm.

Here is last year's post about this adventure.  I like to look back and compare. The twins were too little to ride the ponies last year, but they sure enjoyed watching Big Sis ride. Never mind that Big Sis wore the same shirt for both trips...oops.

November wrap-up

As I've been thinking about Thanksgiving over the past couple of weeks, I've had this song pop into my head more than once--

Count your blessings, name them one by one,

Count your blessings, see what God hath done!

Count your blessings, name them one by one,

*Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.

This is one of my favorite songs to sing in church.  I've already written about many of our blessings, but here are a few more to end our month of thankfulness.  

I'm very glad that my kids have two great-grandmothers. I've had fun teaching them about how we are related to everyone in our family. You know, "she is MY mom, but SHE is her mom....." and so on. I'm not sure they really get it yet anyway.

This is my Nanny. My kids totally adore her and she's crazy about them!  We don't get to see her often enough, but they are always talking about her. When anyone sneezes, you'll always hear, "Nanny says scat," followed by a giggle.  And lots of random "Nanny's silly!" comments.

This is my Texas Grandma. I'm so excited that she got to meet my kids for the first time this month, on our recent trip to Brinkley. You might also remember, this was the same trip as the infamous bathroom incident.  As an adult, I haven't seen my grandma as much as I should or as much as I'd like to.  Being separated by distance is a pretty hard thing once you start having your own babies. Note: I'm not sure what's going on in that picture above, but I LOVE IT!


This is my newest favorite photo of my kids.

I am also thankful for our photographer, Kim, who I'm happy to call a friend. She owns Sweet Portrayal, and has done our photos since the twins were born. She also understands that, as a mom, getting kids clean, dressed and wrangled for a photo can be exhausting and overwhelming for me. She has been so encouraging to me (more than once) when I  know we need family photos but I just cannot muster the strength to get it done.

Because of Kim's work, I have a new appreciation for the beauty of  photos done right. (Poor Big Sis, her baby photos cannot hold a candle to the twins').  Kim is a special person with a creative spirit and such a generous heart.  She has blessed my family with each beautiful photo she has taken.  And now, I'm sure she will be really embarrassed by my gushing over her.  : )

Thanks for indulging me. And don't forget to count your blessings, too.

Gorgeous Fall Outing

I guess we have somewhat of a fall tradition around here; we've been visiting a pumpkin patch since Big Sis was a little thing. We have tried out several in our area, with our favorite being the one in Pea Ridge. We took the twins out there last fall, but they were too little to remember it now. This year, we opted to try a new place that was much closer to home. Not that we don't love McGarrah's, just that Big Sis's class took a field trip there at the beginning of October. I'd read about Farmland Adventures, so we decided to check it out. Two thumbs up! Not much of a pumpkin patch, but this place scored super high marks from us on everything else: a giant corn maze, pony rides, a petting zoo, pig races, a tractor-pulled wagon ride and the corn boxes, a la sand boxes.  The corn was the kids' favorite, by far. We had to drag them out of there!

For the record, you pay one admission price and everything else is included.  Some places will nickel and dime you to death for every activity. It was a beautiful, warm day and we ended up staying there for FOUR HOURS! Insane, I know. But super fun!

Boy Twin was in corn heaven!

This was so cool because it's so much cleaner than a traditional sand box. Genius!

We dumped kernels from their diapers, shoes and pants pockets.  Boy Twin let us bury him, which was really fun.

Silly Big Sis!

Girl Twin was the bravest one! She petted and fed the goats and sheep.

Baby piggies! Girl Twin also squealed with delight.

Pony rides for the big girl. Little ones wouldn't have any part of it.

My sweeties at the end of the corn maze. We got through it in about 40 minutes, and they were so good.  Hubby wanted to come back after dark for a more challenging maze, but he didn't. There's always next year....

Tradition, Habit or Strange Obsession?

This week, I'm participating in the Blogtober Fest Challenge sponsored by Arkansas Women Bloggers. Today's topic is Fall Traditions.

First, let me explain that my husband grew up in the tiny town of Yellville, Arkansas, a place I'd never been until I met him. In this tiny town, they have a fall festival called Turkey Trot; it includes a 5K race, turkey calling contests, a Miss Drumsticks beauty pageant and a parade. But the highlight of the festival has caused much controversy in the media in the past few years....they throw live turkeys from airplanes flying over the town square. Yes, you read that right. This little festival just celebrated its 67th year this past weekend, and we were there! Try not to be too jealous. I'm pretty sure this was my 5th year to attend, though I can't remember exactly.  

I will say that last weekend there was a collective heaviness hanging in the air around town, that I've not seen there before. I hate to tell this, but there were no turkeys hurled from planes this year. And, OMG....you would have thought someone died. It was the talk of the town all day, as the Turkey Trot regulars walked around with their necks craned toward the sky. After many years of complaints by PETA to the FAA, it seems that the turkeys have finally been spared. I, as an outsider, do not have this strange feeling of sadness that's apparently shared by those who have enjoyed this insanity for most of their lives. I can say that it was definitely a sight to see and I'm glad that I got to witness it, or I might not believe it myself. 

Here is a little Bramell family pictorial of Turkey Trots from the past. You can see how my kids grew and multiplied over the years.  Enjoy!

Big Sis, age 17 months at 2008 parade

Always fun during election years--2008

Look closely between the first two power lines--a turkey!

See? I did not make this up. Dude got a turkey!

I forgot to mention that the ones who are lucky enough to catch a turkey are expected to walk around the town square to show off his/her bounty.  

The twins' first Turkey Trot--2010
Clearly, they are not impressed.

2010--Big Sis, age 3

YSHS Band--2010

Bonus points for creativity--2012 parade float

My sweeties totally digging the parade--2012
Twins, age 2 and Big Sis, age 5

Fashion Fun: Is she Five or Fifteen?

This week, I'm participating in the Blogtober Fest Challenge sponsored by Arkansas Women Bloggers. Today's topic is Fall Fashion and Decorating. 

When I saw the topic for the first day's challenge, I will admit that I was a little stumped.  Fashion is not really something that I stay in tune with.  I wear what I have, what's clean and what fits; and the "clean" part is negotiable. So, then I thought about focusing on the "decorating" part of the topic. Hmmm....well sure, I have a few pins of great looking projects that I'll never get to.  I have some decent fall decor ideas, but with two little grabbers in the house, that will have to wait a few more years. Right now my fall decor includes Matchbox cars, baby dolls, coloring books and random shoes strategically strewn around the floor.  Top it off with a plastic pumpkin, and we're good to go.

I finally settled on Fall Fashion featuring Big Sis, the sassy 5-year-old in my house.  I talked it over with her and she was more than willing to help out.  At least if I can't be a fashionista, then my kid can.  

Above:  Check out this green corduroy jumper that I found last week at the Goodwill store, of all places.  I went in to look for Halloween costume pieces, and found this sweet GAP dress in perfect condition for three bucks.  Score!  Below:  Something we threw together from her closet. We actually bought the super cute knee socks from the LittleMissMatched store in Orlando way back in May, and have been waiting oh-so-patiently for fall weather to wear them.  Yay!

And, finally....my favorite of them all.  I never, EVER buy the girl expensive clothing.  Mainly, because she is still pretty clumsy, messy and generally rough on clothing. When I saw this sale online for Vintage Couture way back in the summer, I jumped! Y'all, this dress cost me TEN BUCKS (I think reg price was $70)!!  Oh, how I've waited for the weather to be right for her to wear it.  And I can't find brown tights anywhere, wouldn't you know.  Nonetheless, it suits her perfectly and we love it!

Obviously, nobody will ever turn to me for fashion tips. But I appreciate this challenge because it caused me to think outside the box....and have a GREAT time with my little girl, who won't be this eager to help for long.

BLOGtober Fest Challenge

Check in every day next week to see what's going on here.  I'm going to participate in a blogging challenge, issued by my Arkansas Women Bloggers friends.  That means I'll be posting on a new (assigned) topic every day next week.  This should be a real challenge, as finding the time to blog everyday is difficult.  But I am up for the challenge, and I want to do it!  I'll also give links to the other participants so you can see what ideas they have to share.  Happy Fall, Y'all!