Iowa Apple Orchard and Cool Tractor

We have made it home safely and are settling back in to the house.  Cole loves all of his toys.  It is like they are brand new!  Unfortunately it is extremely hot so we are trying to find things to do that keep us cool.  

Below are some photos from the apple orchard we visited with Grandma and Grandpa in Iowa.  Cole had a blast looking at all of the animals and playing with the little houses.  They had different little scenes from children's books set up.  His favorite were the houses from the three little pigs.  

You will also see him "swimming" in a corn pool.  Basically it is like a large ball pit, but they fill a large area with corn.  Cole wasn't quite sure at first, but once he got going it was hard to pull him out.  One of the side effects is the amazing amount of dust that you get covered with from playing in the pool.  Oh well, he had lots of fun.  

This was one of the few days without rain, so we took advantage of it while we could.  

Cole also had a lot of fun checking out Grandpa's lawn tractor.  He got out of the car and stopped dead in his tracks and just stared for a bit.  Then he said "Cool tractor".   He loved playing on it and pretending to drive.  If he could have figure out how to start the tractor I am sure he would have taken off.  Nice to know he is on track to follow in his fathers footsteps of driving by the age of 4!   He did go for a ride with Grandpa and loved every minute.

Some photos from our trip thus far.

We are having a great trip so far. Cole has been a real trooper. He has been excellent on all of the flights and has been adjusting ok to all of the new surroundings for sleeping. We are wrapping up our time in Minnesota and starting the final leg of the trip. John is heading back to Iowa with Cole. On the way he will get to see Jim, Julie and the kids before staying in Ames with Grandma and Grandpa. Mary heads to Philly for some work and then we all meet in California late this week.

Here are some pics from our time in Minnesota. We have been staying with our friends Amy, Jim and Zander. Cole and Zander have been having a blast together and are really cute together. They have been chasing each other around the house and are always looking for the other when someone is out of the room. Zander is such a sweet kid and we are so happy to have been able to spend time with him.

Here are some pics from Connecticut. Cole spent time with his cousins while Mary and John went to a wedding. We were also able to spend a day with everyone. We went apple picking and through a corn maze. Connor and Aidan were fantastic with Cole. He had so much fun with the kids and really enjoyed playing with all of their toys. They truly do have a kids dream house.

End of Summer, Labor Day and Getting Ready For Our Trip!

This will be a short update as we are all exhausted.  Too much going on lately and it doesn't help that someone in the house is waking up at 5AM everyday.  No wonder he is tired mid-morning!

We had a jam packed weekend.  Cole and dad went to a petting zoo on Friday as their "End of Summer" outing.  Cole will be starting morning classes on Tuesday and Thursday this Fall, so the big outings will be harder to do.  He really enjoyed the farm and wasn't scared by the animals.  The goats we very aggressive, so I thought he might not like them, but once he figured out how to feed them he was good.  The rabbits were also a hit, but not as big of a hit as the feeder machine.  Cole is so mechanically inclined it is scary.  

We continued our animal theme by going to the Santa Ana Zoo on Saturday morning with some friends. It is a nice small zoo near where we live.  The kids had a great time.  One of Cole's favorite activities is to ride the train.  He picked out the red caboose this time and was very please with his trip.  

Later Saturday night we went to a BBQ at a friends house and Cole was able to play with his friend Sophia.  They had so much fun running around and playing in her outdoor playhouse.  This was the first time that the kids really played together as opposed to doing their own things.  

The rest of the weekend was a bit more relaxing as we did chores around the house and started packing for our trip.  We will be leaving tomorrow and returning on the 24th.  7 states in less than three weeks!  (9 if you count layovers.)  It took some skill to pack for this trip as it will be a combination of work, a wedding and vacation.  Plus, you never know what the weather will be like as we head into Fall.  

We are all tired, but excited for the trip.  Just wanted to post a quick update and say hello to everyone!