Heritage Farmstead Museum

Boy, I'll tell you what.  If you want to make me a happy girl, pack up my camera, a picnic lunch and send me on my way to one of these outdoor museums.  Oh and throw in the kids too...they can come also!

We met Tam and the boys (and her friend and kids) for a day of exploring and running free.  This farm was the perfect size for us and was so interesting.  The old house was a historic home built in 1891 in the Blackland Prairie region of Texas in Plano.  It had a huge wraparound porch and that classic Victorian era trim that makes me SWOON!    

This was the school house with a real live costumed schoolmarm giving a spelling bee.  I feel quite at home in that one-room school house with rows of desks and a wood burning stove.  There is just something so quaint and lovely about it that really strikes me. 

Joseph didn't last long in the spelling bee.  He wanted to run instead of learn.  I think if it was really 1891 he probably would have gotten a smack with a ruler or had to clean chalkboard erasers, right?

This ol' cowpoke is concentrating hard!

...Got 'em!

Cousin Cayden and his best friend Simon and his sister.

They had several different games of the late 19th and early 20th centuries that the kids could play and even though these guys couldn't quite work the stilts, they had SO much fun trying!

Hahaha!  Why is mowing with a reel mower kinda fun?!  We could have mowed that grass all morning and kept ourselves entertained by it. 

We made our way into the barn where Alaina and Joseph took a break for a classic game of checkers.

Then after a good rest, Joseph got to work milking the cows.  This picture still makes me laugh.  That there is a city boy if I've ever seen one!

Cousin Connor

The Farmstead Museum even had a big garden for the boys to plow a row and plant seeds.  After they used the hand plow, they got a bucket and trekked down to the creek to fetch a pail of water.  It was the real deal and I loved watching them get a taste (however tiny it may be) of the farm life. 

(I'm pretty sure I love this bush and want one now!)

And with one last tractor ride we said farewell to the Heritage Farmstead Museum.  I can't wait to go back and run around some more!

It's your first birthday!

First coo,

First laugh,

First bath,

Splish, splash!

First tooth,
First peas,

First mess,

 More, please!

First cake,

First treat,

First year,

    So Sweet!   

Miss March has a Birthday

My Miss March turned one year old!  We had family and couple close friends over to help us celebrate.  And for those of you who love photos as much as I do, this blog post is full to the brim of birthday fun.  Thank GOODNESS for Aunt Tammy who doesn't even ask, but just grabs up the camera and starts recording our memories for all of posterity.  Double thank goodness for her wonderful photography skills too.  She got some real gems. 

Like this one of Grandma Pankratz, Alaina and I.  Since Grandma moved here from Liberty (near Houston) we get the honor of celebrating with her and seeing that wonderful smile more.  Grandma's face brings back such happy memories of my childhood and is a reminder of who I want to be.  I know the fam down there misses her but I'm so glad she is here!

I tried to keep it very low key  this year.  Low maintenance is about all I can manage right now with two kids and my own mind to keep sane, but of course come midnight the night before, I found myself rummaging through my fabric for table-scape accents and snipping silk flowers from my stash for arrangements.  I guess that is what silk flower stashs and fabric remnants are for though, right?!

The cousins ran amok and the nerf guns were shortly confiscated.

The triplets ran amok, but they didn't have anything to be confiscated at this particular moment.  ;)

It took Alaina awhile to warm up to this new fangled thing called a balloon.  Once she figured it out that it wasn't a threat, she really had fun with them.  I love this sweet picture Tammy got of Alaina and I.  There is a similar one of Josh and Joseph at his first birthday.  I think I see a double frame for those in our hallway's future soon!

Alaina's buddy Ryan arrived as dapper and happy as ever.  We love our sweet friend Ryan who is only three weeks (to the day!) younger than Alaina.
 

Here is the money shot!  We all grinned like fools at that baby girl like she was the Queen of the World!  Boy does she have us trained.

I made 'cherry limeade' cupcakes and this was Alaina's first sweet.  Tammy captured the progression!

Hesitant but interested!

Checking out the sticky pink stuff!

 Easy does it!

Oh my goodness, I could just melt watching that little tongue trying it out for the first time.  

Ok folks, show's over.  She decided it just wasn't her cup of tea.  Or rather her cup of cake!  

Alaina got lots of help opening her wishlist of books!  We opted for no toys this year and instead everyone brought a book or two for her library.....best idea ever!

Thank goodness we have lots of good health and good times to celebrate this year.  And as always, I'm so grateful for leftover cupcakes too.