Prairie Home Companions

The title is my mom's--clever, huh?!

On Sunday, after a fun breakfast with my Dad, we headed south to visit the Hossfeld Family. We had a great time with Torrie, Scott, Anna, and Tyler! We attended Anna's basketball game in the afternoon, and followed that with a drive in SNOW (gotta love that Colorado weather!) to the golf club for appetizers and drinks. We watched the snow until it stopped and the kids munched on popcorn. Then it was back to the Hossfeld residence for dinner and a very pleasant evening. RJ had a great time with all of the toys Anna and Tyler have outgrown, and even some toys that they haven't outgrown. RJ even learned some Jedi tricks to go with his Jedi mind tricks from potty training. I think Tyler his channeling his Obi Wan here.

And here's Anna Banana and Ryleigh having some girl time.

On Monday, we headed east to Stratton. After lunch in town, RJ hopped in the pick-up with Grandpa and Grandma, and Jip, Ryleigh, and I followed in the Volvo. On our way to the farm, we saw a herd of white tail deer.

My Dad is retiring from farming after this year's wheat harvest, so this trip to the farm might be the last one for Jip, RJ, Ryleigh, and I--at least for a good long while. So, I wanted to take some farm pics as well as pics of the kids enjoying the farm.

Here's the farm.

After we got to the farm, RJ, Jip, and my Uncle Ron took out the combine, sans header.

While they rode around, Grandpa and Ryleigh took one of the semis out for a spin.

Then the boys joined in.

Then it was tractor time.

RJ was overwhelmed with all of the farming stuff. Ryleigh napped, ate, and walked around with the grandparents or me. Grandma and Grandpa tried to give Ryleigh a ride on an old wagon--she was not a big fan.

After RJ got his fill of the equipment (well, he didn't really get his fill, but the adults were done), we went to a neighboring farm for a baby animal experience. Over the years, Downey Farms has had animals, but several years ago, the Downey Boys got rid of the last of the cattle--and they were so glad to do so. But, that meant that grandkids didn't get the animal experience. So, to help RJ fulfill his wishes of "cows, horses, sheep, and pigs," we went to a neighbor's farm. The Mills Family were so generous in letting RJ get up close and personal with their sheep and cows. They had a lamb that was part of a set of triplets, but since the ewe could only produce milk for 2 lambs, one was bottle-fed. They also had three calves that had been orphaned, so they were kept in separate pens.

We've seen lots of horses as we've been driving, but we still need to work on the pigs part. Maybe today?

Before I go, I need to throw in another picture of Ryleigh.

We're enjoying our prairie home and our prairie companions!