2012 Four Sisters Farm Family Fall Party

Pumpkin Decorating is a must at our Family Fall Party...note the "Picaso Kitty" pumpkin face by SuperGirl!

Superman summed up this year's fall party like this, "Pop, I'm having so much fun it almost drives me crazy!"

Iron Man on Duty

I think I know what he means!  The grandkids went full speed all day - not only with our planned activities like the costume parade, hay rack ride, food, and games - but with just sheer, all-out running and playing with their cousins.  They loved the new climbing wall Pop had just installed at the tree house and challenged each other to new feats of strength.  The tree house was well protected with Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, and a Secret Spy.

The Climbing Wall at the Treehouse

The Fishing Game

The weather was a little chilly but didn't freeze out any of our plans.

We were missing a large part of our usual party participants this year!

PhoJo and his folks (who usually come party with us) were gone to a memorial service many miles away - They made a decision for Rock Star and the superheroes to stay home instead of logging all the miles.

Romeo's parents had a 60th wedding anniversary celebration to attend and adopted grandkids from church so their weekend was already packed as well.  I'm guessing they will have a little Bitty Princess costume parade of their own! :-)

We missed the Unconventionals in a HUGE way now that they are residing in Indiana!  We also missed Doc's parents who usually come to the fall party.

Pop and Grammy with 9 of the 13 GRANDkids

We partied on with our much smaller troupe and did have a great time.  Pop surprised us all and dressed up as Cousin Eddie from Christmas Vacation and Grammy donned a crown (an extra from Cinderella) to become the Camo Queen.

The pictures tell the story of good food and fun.  Enjoy!

Farm Chick, Rock Star, and Pretty Princess hamming it up

The Superheroes helping make pies

Super Girl and Q sharing a moment

Bitty Princess and her daddy, Romeo riding the horse swing

EJ (aka Angry Bird) flying

Q enjoying a cake pop made by Aunt Pretty Princess

“Alotsa” Kids Have Birthdays on the 4th of July

Our grandson, “Superman’s” birthday is on the Fourth of July. He is a sensitive and handsome boy with blue eyes that rival those of big screen star, Paul Newman. He has been a superhero ALL his life. He comes by this naturally as superherodom runs deep in his father’s genes.

Superman is a typical five year old and his world is not complicated or confusing. It is quite evident that the fireworks displays so commonly seen around the Fourth of July are obviously for his birthday or for some other fortunate kid whose birthday happens to fall on the Fourth of July. We know this to be true because when Superman told the clerk at one of these fireworks stands that it was his birthday, she affirmed she knew that and that is why they were all there. In addition, when he sees other fireworks celebrations, he deducts that the fireworks are for some other kids’ birthdays. I would argue that this is pretty solid reasoning for a five-year-old superhero (specifically, Thor – God of Thunder, which was the superhero birthday party theme this year).

As a result, Four Sisters Farm enjoys an awesome Fourth of July celebration each year.

Grammy and Pop are blessed by little Superman’s fortuitous birthday. It is a sneaky way to get the Four Sisters and all their families to the farm. As we all know, God has a sense of humor and this year we got to experience it fully. The day started out more than warm and Romeo and Pretty Princess were at the farm helping Pop and Grammy make final preparations…there were pools to fill, hot dogs to cook, lemonade to make, swings to hang, grass to be mowed…all in preparation for Captain America’s, I mean Superman’s, I mean Thor’s birthday. Sometimes we get confused because so many superheroes come to the Four Sisters Farm and unbeknownst to the average citizen, most superheroes celebrate their birthdays here.

This particular day, the forecast called for 100 degree temperatures. Sunburns and superheroes do not go well together. Consequently, Pop went to the local hardware store and purchased a sun shade canopy with every intention of building a shaded oasis over the pool. He and Romeo set it up and Pretty Princess and Grammy were delighted! As final preparations were being made around the farm, Kansas weather once again reared its ugly head. The wind shifted to the north and in a matter of minutes was blowing in excess of forty miles per hour. Just as sunburns and superheroes do not go well together, high winds and sun shade canopies do not go well together. Pop was able to run down the canopy as it parasailed across the barnyard. This left Pop in a precarious position. He was hanging onto the frame of the canopy, unable to disassemble what had turned into a giant kite. Romeo had gone to town on an errand, Grammy was in the basement, and Pretty Princess was working in the kitchen. This left Pop hanging on for dear life and screaming for help. After what seemed to Pop like hours, Pretty Princess heard his cries and came to his rescue…which is fitting because we’re all about superheroes at the farm. However, we are not all about sun shade canopies any longer.

As the time grew near, the clouds continued to build, and shortly before “game time” (5 o’clock superhero time), it began to rain. And rain. And hail. And rain. You get the picture. This presented a conundrum as superheroes like hot dogs, hamburgers, and brats grilled outdoors. While superheroes are not scared of rain, hot dogs, hamburgers, and brats are. Unwilling (and maybe a little afraid) to disappoint Thor – God of Thunder (this year’s superhero birthday theme), Pop slogged the grill through the rain and opened up the big door on the shop, thereby preserving the menu and avoiding the wrath of Thor.

All our little superheroes, cowboys, dainty little girls, and team members made it to Four Sisters Farm in spite of the weather and we gathered in the house amid squeals of happy greetings frequently heard when the cousins get together. With our immediate family count now at 20, we are a crowd by ourselves…then for this occasion, we add some friends and Superman’s paternal side of the family which bumps the number up significantly. We rely on decent weather so we can utilize the 40 acres and spread out a little, but with the rain still coming down; we were in tight quarters for a while.

The rain finally did quit and the party went on. We were thankful for the rain dousing the lawn and the adjacent hay fields since fireworks is the big outdoor finale to this annual extravaganza. It was nice that Pop didn’t have to stand at the ready – waiting to extinguish fires while the dad’s shot off the plethora of fireworks they had purchased. It seems there is a bit of a pyromaniac in each of our daughters’ husbands.


When the rain finally quit, Grammy and Pop breathed a sigh of relief as the superheroes were released to the outdoors. It was a superhero’s dream…puddles to jump in, small buildings to climb (yes – literally – the well house is conquered regularly), bombs to throw (okay – hedge apples, but you have to give them credit for using their imaginations), swings to swing in, go karts to drive, and mud to be had by all. “Q”, the youngest of the bunch, ran unfettered until he had lost one shoe and was covered with mud spatters. We learned that our dainty little Super Girl has a need for speed and a penchant for singing while she’s driving. Pop called her “Danica Patrick” and says all the girls in the family inherited this need for speed from Grammy (which Grammy does not try to deny).

The fireworks finale was enjoyed well after dark without any fussing by even the youngest members of the family. When the last fuse was lit and the men cleaned up the mess, the mommies gathered their broods into the bath tubs to wash them up and put them in pajamas for the ride home. By that time, the Unconventional kiddos were hungry so some leftover brats were quickly heated up to sustain them on their journey home. DW is pretty sure they were stalling instead of truly being hungry, but she let Grammy indulge them anyway.

There is a deep sense of contentment and satisfaction to watch your children, your children’s children, and those you love at play. God gives wonderful “little” gifts. It is truly spectacular to have grandchildren who are superheroes. We highly recommend it. It is especially great to have a grandchild/superhero who has a birthday on the Fourth of July because you get to blow up stuff without getting in trouble from your momma. We all know you’re not gonna get in trouble from your daddy, coz he likes to blow up stuff too when your momma is not around. We look forward to blowing up “alotsa” stuff at Four Sisters Farm (when our mommas are not around).

Happy 5th Birthday, Superman!! You throw a "mean" party. Nicely done!

Look out Four Sisters Farm...

Fireworks are gonna be fun this year!

The finale is in honor of all the mommas.

Hee Hee.

Isn't that a hysterical box of fireworks!

Fall Party

2nd Annual Four Sisters Farm Fall Party

Well we did it!  We pulled together another rockin' Fall Party.  The kiddos are starting to really enjoy the event.  It is so fun to watch them get excited about this family event.

The Fall Party includes 28 people in all.  We were missing three so we had 25 people.

This year we missed Pretty Princess (she is in nail tech school and had to be at the salon all day).  We were also missing Romeo's folks.  Hopefully everyone will make it next year.

Pop, Romeo & Grammy

All day, I kept thinking, we need to take a picture of the four sisters together.  Then I would realize that Pretty Princess was missing!  This is not allowed.  I'm glad her Saturday classes won't last forever.


The Unconventionals and Doc's folks

The Farm Hands and EJ's folks.

The Super Heroes and PhoJo's folks.

This was our agenda:
Brunch...yummy stuff including the ever tasty pumpkin-cream cheese muffins
Costume Parade...this is super fun for the kiddos because they have both sets of grandparents to show off for.

This year we had:
Annie Oakley
Mario
Luigi
Olivia (the pig)
Batman
Soldier
Ladybug
SuperDan
Superman
Superbaby
Plus: SuperDad, SuperMom and the Flu Bug.

Games: Fishing and Bean Bag Toss...the kiddos get a full size candy bar for each game.  Holla!
Hay Rack Ride...Pop rocks!
Pumpkin Picking...We are still trying to get our pumpkin planting/harvesting right so we have had to "plant" pumpkins again this year.
Pumpkin Painting...The kiddos were super cute working on their pumpkin masterpieces.

I am already thinking about the things we should do next year!

Happy Birthday Pop!

We surprised Pop with a little birthday dinner last night. The super heroes couldn't make it because one of them got too close to kryptonite (aka a cold virus). We missed them but we did our best to make it a fun party. Pop was definitely surprised to see all of us when he got home.

Grammy made a delicious dinner and a very tasty cake! After Pop and the kiddos blew out the candles he picked a spot on the cake and let each of the kids stick a finger in and get some frosting. Who is this man? The kids LOVED breaking the rules!

Pop was excited about his present. It is going on top of the barn after the restoration. It's going to be beautiful!

Happy Birthday, Dad! We all love you so much!

A party saved

Our little Bubba turned 4 this past week. We LOVE birthday parties around here. It is so much fun to celebrate these precious lives God has given us.

I started asking Bubba several weeks before the big day what kind of party he wanted to have. He settled on a Toy Story party. I asked multiple times to be sure that my pre-schooler really meant what he was saying. Not only did he want to have a Toy Story party but he also wanted to be "Woody." So, I went to work. I found a Woody costume right after Halloween. Then I found a Buzz costume on ebay for his little brother to wear at the party.

The party planning continued as I scoured the internet for Toy Story paraphernalia. I ordered the dvd of Toy Story 2. I bought cupcake toppers. I purchased toy story stickers, stamps, fruit snacks, etc. for the cousin's treat bags. I even found a Buzz Lightyear party pack and ordered it. I finished up my shopping with Toy Story PJs for both the boys to wear to bed after our rockin' party. I was ready to roll!

Then Bub and Southern Gentleman had their birthday party. It was a Star Wars theme. My children have never seen Star Wars. However, the influence of an older, cooler cousin took over. All the sudden Bubba was saying, "Mom, I don't want Toy Story. I want Star Wars!" Hmmm..."maybe next year" I would say. This continued for a while. Then for some reason he started asking for a Batman party. I can't figure out where that one came from. He just kept saying that he didn't want Toy Story anymore.

I was seriously messed up in my business. The Toy Story invitations were out. I had planned and purchased all things Toy Story. I had recommended Toy Story toys to the grandparents. I was in too deep!

As his birthday approached I made one last ditch effort. EJ and I gave him his Toy Story 2 movie. He was pumped! He and Wubba watched that movie several times before the party. By then, he was rip roaring ready to go. With only one problem. He wanted to be Buzz now, not Woody. I could deal with that. On party night we stuffed Bubba into the Buzz costume I bought for his little brother. Then rolled up the sleeves and pants on Wubba's Woody costume that I bought for Bubba. Hey, a Buzz Lightyear wedgie is a small price to pay for birthday bliss!

Bubba, we love you "TO INFINITY AND BEYOND!"

Four Sisters Farm Family Fall Party or FSFFFP

I am aware that this is probably cheating but I don't want to leave you hanging. DW posted about the party on her blog so go check it out so you can see pics from that day. Am I a lazy blogger or what!

A Moonlight Hay Rack Ride

Twas the night before the Four Sisters Farm Family Fall Party and all through the house all the creatures were stirring...

At midnight Grammy was finishing flower arrangements.
Pretty Princess was cutting the cheese.I was trying my hand at pumpkin cream cheese muffins.This is what they are supposed to look like...Not this...Gift bags, check! Fall decor, check!

The Men, what were they doing? Building a hay rack ride. This is Romeo, Pop and EJ at midnight. Pop was determined to get it done!
Victory!

Around 12:30am Pop, Romeo and EJ invited Grammy, Pretty Princess and I on a hay rack ride. We couldn't say no. We dropped our flowers and food and grabbed our coats. It was beautiful! That moonlight hay rack ride put everything in perspective. The pre-party work would get done and the result would be fabulous memories to last a lifetime!

Dear Lou Lou

Thank you for turning 8 and having a party at the farm with tasty cupcakes with purple frosting.

Sincerely,
Trigger the Kitty Cat

P.S. Huckleberry thanks you too.