10:04 a.m. - October 30, 2006
Hayride!
Needless to say, Saturday started out in a sucktacular fashion. Let�s just say the HIGHLIGHT of the morning (besides playing with the kids � that�s always a highlight) was getting cut, somehow, taking out the trash, and having to wear a Hello Kitty band-aid the rest of the day.
(Hey, it was either that or the Care Bears!)
But it soon turned into a great weekend! How�s that?
Simple, a Halloween party for the Montessori girls!
I had a Wabash game to be at on Saturday, and Katie had a Halloween party at Justice�s house Saturday afternoon, so it was already a busy day. After I got back from the game I encountered a sugared up princess who was revved up and ready to go to the farm where Kate lives and have a wienie roast and a hayride, among other things.
Needless to say, with the way the morning started, and the way the game wound up (Wabash won 20-10, but one small thing in the stats program threw something off and we weren�t able to fix it on site) I wasn�t really looking forward to going out in the cold and wind with nine screaming four and five year old girls.
It was a bit chilly on Saturday, but it was sunny at least, which was a big improvement from the weather over the past week. So we all god bundled up and headed out to suburban Waynetown (heh � talk about BFE land!) and went out to the farm.
On the way, Liz mentioned that Kate had some horses on the farm, and Katie quickly corrected her.
�They�re ponies!�
�No, dear � they�re horses. Ponies are different.�
�No, they�re ponies! I know what they are! They�re ponies!�
Ok, so they�re ponies for today.
We got there and found where the festivities were. The bonfire was roaring and there were about six girls already there along with their parents.
Katie saw the horses ponies and for about 20 minutes was just enraptured with them. They were very patient with her too � allowing her to stroke and pet them.
Liz had Kristin in the Baby Bjorn and we found the other parents. They had a nice spread of snack food and water and soda and beer. I was already told that I was the designated driver. However, due to the chill, I did NOT want a beer.
No, I�m not kidding. I did NOT WANT a beer.
Oh, bother, it was blustery, though. But the fire was warm and it was good to talk to the other Montessori parents away from the school. There was a barn kitten out running around as well and all of the girls were trying to catch it and hold it, and when they set it down it ran away, but it never got smart and ran into the barn our out in the cornfield. It just hung around the fire, where little hands were ready to pounce on it.
The girls went on a scavenger hunt to have them work off some excess energy (most of them were at Justice�s party as well) and then it was time to roast the hot dogs.
I was the chef du jour for the Smed family. Now, normally, my modus operandi in cooking hot dogs in a bonfire would to make sure it�s nice and black. Mmmm�charred goodness.
However, I know Liz doesn�t care for them that way, and Katie would reject them outright, so I had to be CAREFUL and not just stick them in the fire.
Success! The hot dogs were done with only the slightest hint to char. And they were delish.
Kristin was having fun, and it was cute seeing Liz hold her in the Baby Bjorn while trying to feed Kristin macaroni and cheese.
Soon, though, Kristin tired of being in the Baby Bjorn, so we set her down and she started to run and romp around. We successfully kept her out of the fire � but basically she wanted to sit in one of the chairs around the fire like a big person.
It was getting dark, and soon it was time for the hayride. I didn�t know if they had room, but everyone fit on the two wagons they hitched onto a big old pickup truck.
Liz and Kristin were bundled up, and Katie was lying down with her glow sticks and her Halloween light, and we were off for a ride in the country.
It was really neat hearing all of the girls singing and laughing and having a great time. I had a nice chat with my optometrist (whose daughter is one of the Montessori gals). She is a native of BFE land herself, but didn�t really recognize the area. (It was between the metropolis of Waynetown and Alamo � bright lights, big city!)
Well, she needed to go out with ME and I would have shown her the sights. Sure, I would have driven about 75 on the gravel roads in the Rock and Roll Omni, but still�
(Actually, she was a freshman when I was a senior in high school, and at the time the freshmen weren�t in the building, so dating a freshman was a big taboo. Besides, she married her high school sweetie so it�s all good!)
We went down this gravel road, and some dogs welcomed our arrival with barks and yelps, and then we went down to a church and used the parking lot to turn around.
It was still a bit chilly but the wind died down. Kristin, however, soon hit the wall. Since she wasn�t able to walk around like she wanted to, and since it was almost 2 hours past her bedtime, she just went on a five minute crying jag before almost passing out in the hay.
Liz and I both decided to take the girls home right then, but Katie doth protest.
�I need to make a S�more!�
So now my marshmallow toasting skills were brought to bear. Again, I prefer marshmallow flamb�, but I did my best and accomplished the goal. Two S�mores were make � one for Katie and one for Liz.
Then the Smed family bid our goodbyes and headed back home. Since it was late, both chicas went right to bed, where they slept soundly. In the morning before church, Liz gave them both baths, and they needed it, because there was hay in the hair and they smelled like a bonfire.
Saturday night was such a blast, and it carried over onto Sunday. And before the craziness of this week, we decided to get some pictures of the girls in their Halloween costumes. Now, excuse the blurriness, but someone can�t sit still, as you can see!
