LIfe on the Farm (the sights & sounds)

In addition to the beautiful 80 degree weather during our time in South Dakota (to me, it felt like fall/football weather),

the sights and sounds of the farm lured us all in to the wonder and magic of nature. Grandpa (David's buddy) was kind enough to give David and I a tour of one of the cow pastures, and we both enjoyed seeing them "mooo"ve about as we tried to get closer.

We also had a great time watching Uncle Tin (Tim) and Tattick (Patrick) continue work as usual, like using the tractors to "pick up cow food" (bale hay) and put up a new fence by one of the corn fields.

David enjoyed the farm so much that he would stop to take a picture of his own. (Here's a cute photo of his picture-taking method.)

In addition to the farm, we traveled to Mitchell, SD, to view the world-famous and only Corn Palace. (In the early 1900's, farmers wanted to prove that they could make a living in South Dakota, so they used their surplus to decorate the outside of the building, and now, each year, designers choose a new theme and re-decorate.)

Overall, the OKC Farnhams loved "the Farm."

More to come, Emily

South Dakota: Travel Time

Well we are back home from our trip to the farm in South Dakota. We went to see my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins on the farm that my mom grew up on as a kid. We saw and did a lot on the trip, and we are still sorting through the photos and memories. We will post more from the trip as we get things squared away.

The first topic of discussion... traveling with a soon to be three-year-old. We left Tulsa with my parents at 6pm on a Friday night (after stopping at Sonic) and traveled through the night to get to the farm at 6-ish on Sat. morning. We made a potty stop in Joplin, MO, and changed David into his PJ's. After a couple episodes of Baby Einstein on the portable DVD player (thank you Granna and Poppy), David finally went to sleep. He was wonderful and slept most of the trip. We could not have timed it better as David announced that he was "awake" about 30 minutes before we arrived at the farm.
As for the trip back, we decided to leave early Thursday morning to be able to stop in and see Uncle Scott and Aunt Andrea. Again, David was great and did not whine or complain the entire ride home. The blockbusters on the DVD player were the Star Wars series and some Backyardigan episodes. After a quick morning nap, David passed the time coloring, playing with his new tractors (thanks Tim and Julie), and telling stories of his adventures on the farm.

This being or first experience traveling with a toddler, we did not know what to expect. Granna and Poppy assured us that he was perfect, and they would know considering how many times they heard Scott and I hollering from the backseat!

More to come...

Kyle

It's OFFICIAL!!!

Today was our appointment at the courthouse to go before the judge and finalize our adoption in the US. David charmed all and kept the judge, court reporter, and our lawyer laughing. In fact, after Kyle and I answered the judge's questions, the judge turned to David and asked, "Do you have anything to add?" David simply replied, "Uh, Star Wars DVD's!" :)

Our lawyer, Khristan provided pictures and a small American flag, which David adored; he emphatically noticed every US flag on the way home.

After filing paperwork, we celebrated in an All-American way by eating at a Chinese restaurant! Then, we headed home for nap time, and I went to the State Health Dept. to get copies of David's new birth certificate. After nap time, we had a snack, got some passport pictures of David, and sent off our final citizenship papers for David. One last thing to finish, and we're done!

Overall, it was a great and happy day, and we made sure to tell David that we hoped this was the last time we had to come to the courthouse for him! The next time would not be so happy and celebratory.

Here's to finishing the long and winding road,

Emily

Firework fun...

It was David's first 4th of July day-o-fun! We bought a few kiddie fireworks to ease him into the holiday. You know smoke bombs, snaps, sparklers, and little tanks.

In general he enjoyed the lights and sounds. He only got upset when he wasn't aware of what was happening. So...as long as we warned him when something loud was coming he was cool.

Maybe next year we can graduate to some fireworks with a little more kick to them.

Later,

Kyle

Brunch and Bowling...

Today we decided to try a Guatemalan restaurant that we had heard about and then go bowling. The food was great and reminded us of our trip last November. The fried plantains were especially good. I think I am going to learn to make them soon. We are definitely going to be returning to Cafe Antigua.

As for the bowling, David really enjoyed everything about it. He thought it was great to get new shoes and danced around every time the pins fell over. The only down side to the whole event was when David got a little to confident carrying his bowling ball, tripped, and gave the ball a kiss. He managed to get a fat lip from the whole affair. Overall a good day.

Later,

Kyle