Applefest and Wareagle

Nana and Papa came to visit. They arrived Friday night, just in time for all of us to hit the MCL cafeteria. We needed to fuel up for the big weekend.

Saturday was Ashley and my 11th anniversary. Since the Auburn game was that night, we certainly weren't going to go out for dinner and a movie. Nana and Papa offered to watch Bode while Ashley and I went out for a nice lunch. Granted, this probably doesn't go down in history as one of the greatest anniversary outings of all time, but we did enjoy some alone time together. We made it back with plenty of time to spare before the kickoff. Here are Ashley and Bode all geared up and ready to go.

The game was a back-and-forth contest. Auburn went up early, fell behind, came back, fell behind again, and eventually won it. Eleven years ago, Auburn played a similar type game against Mississippi, but lost in overtime. This didn't ruin the wedding day, but it probably wasn't the best omen :-) Fortunately, things have worked out, and now Auburn knows they have to win on every September 25th of the 21st century.

On Sunday, the five of us went to the Apple Festival. This wasn't a huge event--small and rather quaint (which is becoming an overused word--everything nowadays is quaint, meaning the word quaint is no longer quaint...but I digress). There were tractors, animals, painting stations, tire-sandboxes, and food. Below are some photos. First, here are Ashley, Papa, and Bode sitting on a tire. The weather was fallish, meaning Ashley is starting to box up her shorts.

Bode enjoyed the face-painting station, although he didn't want to paint on himself. He liked to paint on the mirror, and he enjoyed watching other kids get their faces painted. However, he wanted nothing to do with paint on his skin.

Bode liked the Billy-goat, but he (the goat) wasn't very friendly. We had to keep our distance.

The alpacas were less apt to bite.

There were some tractors for the kids to sit on...

one huge combine...

and some carts that were for staff transportation. Bode probably liked these best, so he spent a lot of time climbing up on the golf carts.

There was also some pretty scenery--herb gardens and flowers and the country landscape.

Here's a cute one of Bode...not sure what he was saying or doing but you can tell he's been eating...the messy face is a dead-giveaway.

Finally, here's a shot of me and little guy in the sandbox.

We headed home after lunch, watched some football, and chased the little dude around the house. Nana and Papa headed home on Monday morning. We had a wonderful visit.

Pleasant week to all, for those of you that know what I'm doing on Wednesday (tomorrow), I'll simply say right now I'm starving :-)

What Happens in Starkville...

On Wednesday, we headed south for the biennial Auburn-at-Mississippi State SEC matchup. We've been going to this game since 1998, and missed only once. In 2008, we weren't quite ready to travel distances with the Little Man, but now, Bode has proven to be a very capable traveler so we shouldn't miss another game. Ever (unless Jon and Meghan move).

The game was Thursday night, televised nationally on ESPN. Ashley awoke early, the butterflies already racing in her stomach. She had to figure out something to do to pass the time. Fortunately, Jon and Meghan have a zip line in their back yard. Here's a movie of Bode going for a ride.

The game started at 6:30 pm. We debated whether to bring Bode to the game--you're never too young for your first Auburn experience. However, we worried he would get sleepy, and neither one of us wanted to have to leave early. Jon and Meghan arranged a sitter for Bode and their two boys, Elliot and Oscar. Here's a photo of them sitting around the dinner table as we were leaving.

Jon and Meghan live about 1/2 a mile from the stadium, so we walked. A pregame collegiate football atmosphere is always electric. We soaked in the experience and found time for a quick photograph of Ashley and Meghan. Note Ashley in her obnoxious Auburn t-shirt :-)

We made it into the stadium, and paused for a couple more photos. First, Jon and Ashley.

Then, I grabbed a quick photo with Ashley in case she wasn't smiling later in the game...

The game was back-and-forth. Auburn went up 7-0 on their first possession, but Mississippi State scored after a costly Auburn fumble. Auburn was leading 17-7 at halftime, but the Dawgs cut the lead to 17-14 early in the 3rd quarter. Auburn was still leading by three late in the fourth. Mississippi State had the ball and they were driving. Ashley was very nervous.

Fortunately, MSU couldn't capitalize, and Auburn prevailed, 17-14. Wareagle!!!

We had a great visit with Jon, Meghan, and the boys. Hopefully we can convince them to come to Dayton. If only Nebraska would play Ohio State--and they do, now that they are in the Big 10. Let's just hope they don't play the same weekend in 2012 as Auburn-vs-Mississippi State. If so, maybe we'll just swap houses :-) Pleasant week to all.

Dave Rankin, Safety Expert

We shot the following video of Bode riding one of the tricycles while at Young's Dairy. Bode doesn't do anything special in the video. However, pay close attention to Dave and Charlie.

Looks like Dave won't be winning any "Father of the Year" awards anytime soon :-). Pleasant week to all.

Orchardly Park

Sunday morning, we went to Orchardly Park. This is a little neighborhood park with slides, swings, sand, and other apparatuses upon which kids can play (injure themselves). As soon as we got there, the kids were off and running.

Before we got there, Teddy says, "I don't want to do any spinny rides." So what's the first thing he does? He climbs on a dizzy-making machine and proceeds to laugh and proclaim how much fun it is.

There was a large sand pit, which Bode and Charlie enjoyed (Charlie is at Bode's two-o'clock in the photo).

Here's a neat shot of Bode playing peekaboo.

The weather was slightly cooler than expected, so the boys were not all that excited about playing in the fountain. However, Teddy eventually braved the elements and got a little wet. Bode opted to stay dry.

These trips to the parks are (sobering) reminders that Bode is getting bigger and growing up. A few months ago, Bode was unable to handle the chain bridge. Now, he was flying across it.

Finally, here are Dave and Charlie relaxing up on their perch. You can also see Bode zooming down the slide.

The Rankin clan left late Sunday afternoon, and had a much better trip back to Denver. We thoroughly enjoyed their visit. Bode is now bored because he has no one to play with. Perhaps we'll take him to visit Simon (4) and Estelle (2.5), new neighbors across the street.

Pleasant week to all.

Young's Dairy Farm

For Labor Day weekend, Ashley's brother, Dave, his wife, Kathy, and their two kids, Teddy (4) and Charlie (1.5) came to visit. Their trip got off to a rough start. They didn't arrive at the Dayton airport until 3:00 am Friday morning. They had a little weather trouble in Chicago. Fortunately, this was the only major hiccough of the weekend.

Friday, after we all slept in a little later than usual, the four oldest boys (Dave, me, Teddy, and Bode) went to the Air Force Museum. I didn't take the camera, so you'll have to use your imagination. We checked out lots of planes and the little guys must have burned 1,000 calories running from exhibit to exhibit (and yes, running is frowned upon in the museum and we were scolded for it by one of the curators). There was also a pretty cool remote-controlled model airplane demonstration going on. Some of these planes could go really fast and do some wild maneuvers.

Saturday, we all went to Young's Dairy Farm. The kiddos had a blast. Here are some photos (yes, we remembered the camera this time). First, here's Bode driving the big green tractor.

There was a little baby kitten running around the grounds. You'd think Teddy and Charlie had never seen one because they loved this little guy.

We then went into the barn. Ashely bought some feed for the animals so the boys could give the "starving" animals some food.

The highlight of the day had to have been the wagon-train ride. A bunch of 55-gallon drums with seats, steering wheels, and tires were linked up to a tractor. Teddy and Bode hopped in and went for a ride.

While the kiddos were away on their trip (the ride lasted about five minutes), the adults+ Charlie paused for a group photograph.

We then went to the big play area. There were slides, tunnels in which to crawl, a corn-box (a sand-box but with corn kernels instead of sand), and some little tricycles. What a time they had. Here's Bode going down the slide.

Next, we have the three boys in the corn-box stuffed in a tractor tire.

And here's Bode and Teddy riding their cycles.

After a hearty morning of playing, we had some lunch and, of course, some ice cream. We had great fun at the farm.

Saturday night, we had a cook-out at our house with some burgers. Afterwards, we watched the mighty Auburn Tigers win their first game of the season! Wareagle to all!