Kazakh kid fun and apple pickin'

My mom and dad have been in town which has been great! Mom came a little bit under the weather and our allergen laden air has not helped at all for either of them. But, we have been able to get out and do some fun things together.....oh, and Pat and I got to go to a movie, yes, an actual movie. The last one we saw was in Wisconsin in July while around other grandparents! Having family in town would be such a luxury to us....those of you who have it, don't take it for granted! Shower your family with gratitude even if they just watch the kids for a minute so you can run to the store.......trust me, it makes a big difference when you don't have them around!



We (Nick, my mom and dad and I) met two kazakh adoptive families in Cinci for a farm visit. Muriel (the famous mom of Sophie and Jack) and one of the great coordinators of Kazapalooza along with Max's mom (one of the infamous 3 Karens) gathered at Karen's Cinci home and then caravaned to the farm. Karen had bags of goodies for all of the kids (THANKS, Karen!) and she had a special donut just for me because I found out she lived near one of the top 20 donut shops in the nation.....so I asked her for a sample. Very, Very top 20 tasting. She also had cookies for the kids from the same bakery. Nick doesn't know that he had cookies in his bag.....I'm a bad parent! (yes, I still have one left for him but he doesn't know it exists just in case I change my mind) :)




My pictures are random and we did not get a group picture which I cannot believe but we did have 3 two year olds, a newborn, and a 4 yr old so I guess it is not that hard to believe that we didn't get a picture. Muriel treated everyone to pony rides (Thanks Muriel!) and they all loved it......I believe the great Kazakh horse tradition runs thru their veins.





Below, Nick and Max are waiting in line for the ride. At one point during the day when Nick could not find Max, he said "where is my brother"? It was so sweet.


Nick loved the pony and rode like an expert. He looks so grown-up and even less like a preschooler and more like a boy. You know how I love to compare pics. Look at his first pony ride almost a year and a half ago. I cannot believe how much he has grown and the confidence and joy in his face makes me get all teary.

NOW



and THEN (july 2007)






Max looked great on his noble steed also. He wasn't scared at all. This was his FIRST pony ride!



They had little tractors to ride. Nick was loving it except they were really hard to pedal!





This picture just cracks me up. The moms were having Sophie give hugs to Max and they got some great shots. Absolute classic sweetness. BUT, this is the picture that I ended up with and Max is most likely saying, "If this is how it is now, I think I am going to skip Prom and homecoming!" LOL!






Nick loved this pig. It was very verbal and Nick was just mesmerized by him/her?

They had a great big playground that looked like a barn, waycool! Nick called me over to meet "my new friend". She then told her mom that she had a new friend. They were so cute but I hope he realizes that he is not allowed to date until he is 30. I am not kidding!

They did not have tons of pumpkins but I thought this was a cute shot as he was trying to roll this pumpkin away from its original display. Nothing is safe with Nick around! ;)

Nick wanted to push Max at the mall. He was not a focused driver especially if he sees his reflection in the glass doors! lol!

We could not get all the kids to sit at once! Imagine that!

Muriel, did you notice the advantageous shot that I used that will not give away Sophie's feet just in case you want to use this pic to show your mom! lol! The beautiful long curls belong to Sophie's BFF Teagan! I realized that we have no pictures of The Prince, Jack. Sophie's new brother. He was so good all day and added such cuteness factor!

We rode this merry go round over and over again.

All of the kids hit maximum stimulation at the same time so we packed up and headed out. Max was the only one that had a "laid back" attitude.....the rest just had attitude?!? :)

It was a great day of visiting and celebrating our cute Kazakhs! Adoption will bond any families together but Kaz adoptions make you family!

_______________________________________________

We went to Evan's Orchard on Saturday. Nick was thrilled to be in Ata Bill's truck again so he could watch movies. That day, he decided that he needed his hat on all of the time even if he had headphones on.......can you say, goof ball!

Daddy showing Nick what the good apples looked like in the tree.

Daddy is tall and that has its advantages when the good ones are up high!

The orchard had a great play area and we spent the majority of the time there.

They had the boy mecca.....a dirt pile with ropes. He looks like quite the mountain climber...he is the one pulling up on the rope!

They had a corn maze and these fun tubes to roll/walk down lanes of tubing. Nick was exhausted at the end of the trip!

We have a few more outings to accomplish while we have "help" so I must finish this post but wanted to get the pictures out for everyone to enjoy.