The Trip to Bauman Farms aka A Not so Proud Mommy Moment

Today the kids and I went with a group of friends to visit a great place called Bauman Farms. It is a wonderful farm that has mazes, a pumpkin patch, tractor rides, a playground, animals that the kids can pet and feed, and so much more. We had a fantastic time and because today is Connor's 5th birthday he thought it was a party for him, which is great because his actual party isn't for another 2 weeks. Here are couple of shots from our day at the farm. When you look at these pictures you will realize why I don't take pictures of my children more often. They just don't get the concept of smiling at a camera. And don't even tell them to say cheese, it doesn't work.

"Liv, look at the camera."

"No, Livvie, smile at the camera."

 

 

 

"Olivia, pay attention! Look at the camera!"

 

 

My big five year old. He makes my heart happy. 

 

Saying cheese.

 And by now you are probably wondering what my not so proud mommy moment was. Well, let me just tell you I had a panic attack in the dark corn maze. I seriously almost layed down on the floor in the fetal position and waited for someone to come rescue me and my two children. The only way into this dark maze was down a huge slide. Connor went down first and then I forced Olivia to come down with me. The minute we landed at the bottom of the slide I knew I made a huge mistake. It was pitch black in there and all I could feel were walls all around me and no way out. So I did what any responsible mommy with two kids depending on her would do...I started screaming at my friends. I could see my friend Kelly through a small crack in the wall so I started yelling at her, "I can't see anything! I am panicking! My heart is pounding! Get help! Did I mention I am panicking!" So my friend Jodi came into the dark abyss and saved us. If it wasn't for her I am not sure what would have happened to me. We were able to feel our way out of the maze. I crawled through part of it until Jodi asked me why I was crawling because it was tall enough to stand up and walk through. (Sometimes I do ridiculous things.) Jodi is now my hero, I even hugged her when we got out of the maze.

I had a feeling before I even went down the slide that this was going to be a bad idea. It was probably the Holy Spirit warning me not to go in there, but I didn't listen. "How dark could it be?" I thought. Next time I will listen to those warnings since now I am afraid to even blink my eyes. I also had to apologize to my children for taking them in there, I should have known better. But I have to say they handled the whole thing better than I did. They held my hand and calmly walked through the maze while I just kept praying that I wouldn't pass out and have to be drug to the end. So my friends, make sure you listen to those little warnings even if what you are going to do doesn't seem like a big deal, you may find your self in a situation you are not able to deal with.

New Pets

Now those of you who know me are probably thinking to yourselves, "Amy has a pet?! I thought after that whole psycho cat fiasco, and the guinea pig that shrieked like a bird all hours of the early morning, and the puppy that made her wear two mismatching shoes to work and made her stand in her yard in her bathrobe at two in the morning so the darn thing could go to the bathroom and then it wouldn't go until the minute it stepped back in the garage made her decide she never wanted pets again." Well, my friends I have found the perfect pet for me, Mexican jumping beans. I am not sure they are technically Mexican, or shall I say Hispanic, since they came from Dallas, Texas but whatever. Scott actually brought them home for Connor but once he found out that he couldn't eat them (he thought they would make him jump higher) he pretty much lost interest in them. I however think they are kind of cute and they are really easy to take care of. I don't have to feed them or walk them. If I am feeling really adventurous I will let them out of their little plastic case and let them roam around the counter for a little while, I just have to make sure they don't jump off the counter and land on the carpet. I would hate to accidentally vacuum one up. The only draw back is that they don't show me any affection whatsoever and the clacking sound they make while they are in their little cases is kind of annoying. But other than that they are wonderful pets and a great low maintenance addition to the family.

The Orange Flag

So I know this blog is supposed to be about my kids, but they have not been very inspiring lately so here is another story from my childhood.

I am pretty sure I had the most protective parents EVER when I was growing up. If I wanted to do something but there was the slightest chance I might get hurt, there was no way my parents would let me do it. They pretty much stomped any adventurous side I had to the ground, which is why I am probably the least adventurous person ever. White is a daring color for me. And me being the obedient child that I was would never do anything my parents said not to do. Although there was that one time when I was at my grandparents house. My mom wasn't there and my cousin wanted to go to the store, WITHOUT ANY ADULTS. And we had to cross the street to get there. I rebelled. We crossed the busy street and went to the Plaid Pantry. I was so afraid when my mom came to pick me up that it would somehow come out that I went to the store with my cousin. I felt guilt for many years every time I saw a Plaid Pantry. It was just a few years ago that I fessed up to my mom what I had done. Of course we laugh about it now, but if I had to do it over again I would have stayed at the house. So not worth the self imposed guilt. But I digress.

As parents we know that there are some things that you just have to let your children do even though they might have some risk involved, one of these things is riding a bike. This is something that was not taken lightly in my house. Before I could ride the bike I had to have the proper equipment and safety training. First, was the bicycle safety video. Yes, my friends, there is such a thing and I pretty much have it memorized to this day. The video had kids on it singing different songs that teach you bicycle safety. To this day I can't cross the street without first singing,
"You gotta stop, stop, look all about. Wait til the road's clear and then move out."

The next step of the bicycle safety was the helmet, of course. Gotta keep my brain safe. This is one of the reasons I don't ride a bike today. I don't want helmet hair, but it has been so ingrained in me that if I don't wear a helmet while riding my bike I will surely crash and die, that I am afraid to ride without one. I will just avoid the whole thing and walk or better yet, drive.

So, we have the bicycle safety video, the helmet, the reflective clothing, the bell to warn cars that there is a small bicyclist around; I thought I was good to go. Then one day "it" arrived. "Gee mom, what is the giant orange flag for? You gonna put it in the back yard or something?" "Why no Amy, we are going to strap this 10 foot tall orange flag to the back of your bike." Well if that won't make your friends laugh at you nothing will. Yes, everyone one in the next county could see that little Amy was riding her bike around. I am sure you could see it from space. And yes, my friends did make fun of me. It kinda took the joy out of riding my bike.

The orange flag is still a tender subject. Anytime I bring it up to my parents they say, "well, you're alive aren't you?" Yes, I am a live. I may be a little emotionally scarred and I my eye might start twitching at the sight of orange flags, but yes, I am still alive. Although they never made my brother or sister ride with an orange flag on their bike and they are still alive. Hmmm. Explain that one Mom. I guess I should just be happy that they cared about me so much, or maybe they really just liked laughing at me and my orange flag.