Grandpa and His Barn

This was a sign he made when mom and dad had Jenny. This shows you how long he holds onto things. This one is at least 32 years old.

A homemade pen holder.

Deer Legs- I ask Grandpa about these and what his plan was. He blamed it on Kendall and said Kendall put them there, which Kendall denied. I wonder how long these have been there.

Lyla pointing out the deer legs.

Grandpa has always been quite a character. He can talk about anything and fix anything! He is 82 and still going strong. He uses his four wheeler and scooter to get around on the farm now, but he still keeps busy. One of our topics of conversation this trip was his barn. Grandpa's barn is packed full of anything and everything you can imagine. Kendall was telling us that they recently cut off the bar and wheels sticking of the back of his scooter. When Kendall was done cutting it off he asked Grandpa what he wanted to do with the little bar and wheels. He was hoping Grandpa would just toss them, but instead Grandpa found a spot for them in his barn. Grandpa's barn may be full, but if you ask him for something he knows exactly where it is. It is an amazing place.

Barbeque Night

Another shot of Reesi pouting in the background.

Elye waking up from a quick power nap with Sarah.

There are lots of boots in this part of Missouri.



Grace and Katilyn

Peggy and Hailey

Whitney, Dinah, and Elye

Hailey

The men talking politics

Dinah and Elye

Grandpa and Anabelle

Aunt Donna Lou

Grandma and Mom

Whitney and Harley

Grandpa and the girls

The golf cart that Reesi flew out of.

Kris and Elye

When we were kids we used to touch the electric fence with blades of grass to get a little shock. Lyla was testing it to see if it works.

This is a dress that Grandma wore as a child. Her mother made it. We dressed Grace and Reesi up in it for a picture, but Lyla wasn't interested.

Katilyn, Harley, Grace, Lyla, and Reesi

Reesi is just a little dramatic. She loves to pout and cry in an effort to get her way. I think these pouts were because I wouldn't let her go swing and because someone else told their knock, knock joke before her.

What a great way to move your grill from one farm to another!

On our Friday night in Missouri Grandma and Grandpa invited all of the family for barbecue. All of Grandma's children were there along with a lot of Dale and Donna Lou's family. I didn't count how many people actually came, but there were a ton of kids. The adults sat around eating Aunt Donna Lou's fabulous rolls, barbecue, and Kendall's grilled corn while the children ran around crazy. The kids had a blast running through the barns and fields. The only problem was the electric fence. I lost count of the number of kids who got "bit" by the electric fence. Unfortunately, Reesi was one of them and this was her second boo-boo of the day. Earlier in the day she flew off the golf cart onto the concrete while Julie was making a sharp turn. It was fun catching up with everyone and watching the kids have so much fun. When the night was over Reesi was crying because she only had one more day left in Missouri.

Rest in Peace Miley

Today we say goodbye to a good friend and great frog, Miley. Our time together was short(two weeks and three days to be exact), but full of love. Tears have been shed for you Miley, but Reesi is planning on using your home for an aquarium to help her move on. As I toss you in the trash bin, I can't help but think, we should have gotten the snake.

A Long Weekend in Rogersville, MO

I love living in the city, but I also love a little getaway to the farm. On Thursday, my sisters, parents, all the little girls, and I loaded up in a rented fifteen passenger van ready to make the eight hour drive to Missouri. We were on I65 by 8:30 and the baby was asleep when a problem arose. As soon as my dad hit 60 mph the van was violently shaking and when he hit 65 mph it only got worse. It felt like those machines from the 80's that are suppose to shake your fat off. So we turned around, got a new van, unloaded the old van, reloaded the new van, switched over our three booster seats and one car seat, and we were off! A small delay, but we arrived safely at my grandparents by 5:30.

After dinner and a good night's rest the girls are ready to explore the farm. It is a beautiful and amazing place for pictures. The girls went non-stop the whole time and loved it. Reesi said, "I wish I lived in Missouri!" Here are just a few of the pictures I took while we were there. Between my sister and I we took about 400 pictures! More stories later, just pictures for now. Reesi skipping rocks in a green pond she called the swamp.

Cousin Kollin

Grandma and Elye Kate

We found this old double rocking chair on the farm that we loved. Kendall said he would strap it to the top of the van to take home, but it didn't really happen.

See the big silo behind the barn. Reesi spent the first day telling everyone it was an eagle's nest. She would say, "I told you eagle's nest-es are huge. I saw it on Zaboomafoo." After a night of exploring and seeing the inside close up she decided that it wasn't really an eagle's nest.

Elye still loves sleeping in her wrap. She will be sooooo spoiled when we get home!