6 already?

Time flies. We had C's 6th Birthday Celebration today, just a little early so Papa could come along. C decided his birthday party should be a costume party at Stoney Ridge Farm. If this photo doesn't say love, I don't know what does. That's Mom the Pirate, C ...oops, I mean Superman, Grandma the crazy witch, Auntie the Evil Queen (tell me about it- try being her little sister!) and Papa the bright and safe construction worker.

This kid has four adults very firmly wrapped around his little finger to get them all out in public like this a full 20 days prior to Halloween. It certainly took a little bit of pride swallowing and some thick skin to ignore the stares, pointing, snickering and comments from our friendly neighbors enjoying the day at the farm. Belinda tried for a time to keep explaining to everyone that this was the birthday boy's wish, but that tactic was bound to fail so she gave up and we all just tried to stick together.

We were joined by our good buddy Jackson on this lovely Fall day, and the boys got the full meal deal (something I NEVER spring for at the farm) which included the tractor train ride (you know, a John Deer pulling a bunch of empty barrels on wheels). Silly me, I handed the driver $5 expecting to get some change and was told, "uh, lady you still owe me a dollar". Sheesh!

We continued on to the tractor ride over to the pumpkin patch, apple trees and corn maize (ha ha). Where the two little rescue heroes led us safely out of the haunted forest of corn stalks and chomped down a surprising amount of apple while searching for C's perfect pumpkin.

Luckily we were saved by the sun (gasp, that actually HAPPENS here?). The boys got too hot in their costumes and we all got to change into our street clothes to visit the animals, play on the playground, eat our contraband cupcakes (ooh, the liability of "outside food") and buy our apples and cider. This year they significantly expanded the goat area, where you can use a pulley to dump a can of grain way up high and the goats climb a long ramp to get their goodies a few stories up. We watched a bit a bully goat behavior and then dutifully fed our handful of grain to the resident bully who just laid at the top gorking out while the other little goats sat there pitifully and watched.

I expected the boys to fall asleep on the way home, especially since C had been up since 5:30 because he was just "so excited". But instead they happily munched kettle corn and yakked each others' ears off the whole way. Happy (almost) Birthday super dude!