Rob's Parents Come to Visit

One of the things they all did together was a visit to a nearby farm to buy some pumpkins. Alex had been to the same farm just over a week ago, and had loved it, so he did not mind going again. The weather that day was rather unpredictable. One moment it would rain hard, the next moment the sun would shine. In fact, one could say the weather was almost Dutch.

When we came to the farm, the weather was gorgeous. As soon as we got out of the car, Alex was quiet and focused on one purpose: a ride on a straw-filled flatbed trailer behind the tractor. The rest of the gang was not as enthusiastic about this, because they noticed the ominous dark grey clouds approaching fast. Not Alex. He only noticed the trailer. So on it we went.

Alex enjoyed it a lot. He saw the wooden sea monsters in the pond next to the trail, he saw the pumpkins fields, and he noticed all the puppets in the 100 acre wood. Alex hardly noticed when Rob put him on his lap, wrapped his raincoat around him, and hunched over him to protect him from the rain that was lashing down hard and cold. Eeyore, Rabbit, Harry Potter, Winnie de Pooh, Dumbledore, Kanga, and Roo were much more interesting. Cindy was carrying Irene, and neither of them was wearing a rain coat, but fortunately some of the people next to us offered Cindy and Irene a spot under their umbrella.

At the end of the ride Alex was not quite happy being a little wet, but mostly he was very happy having been on the ride. The added adventure of having his pants taken off while standing on Rob's shoes between two cars was very welcome, as was the opportunity to stand on his shoes again when Alex decided, only after being seated and strapped in his car seat, that he needed to pee before we headed back home.

As for the pumpkins, we left in a wet hurry after the ride, and did not buy them on the farm. In stead, we went to the local supermarket, a short three minute drive from our home, after we got back from our trip. Not quite as fun, but very practical, and Alex liked these pumpkins as much as any others!

Later that day, Dan and Kathy visited as well, and we had a great time that evening and the next day, and a great opportunity for pictures with all the grandparents.

On Sunday it was time to introduce Rob's parents to a great American tradition: carving pumpkins for Haloween. They came out quite well, and looked quite nice.

The last days of the visit passed quickly as well, but managed to get some nice pictures of grandparents, parents, kids, and grandkids.