Raspberry Colada

We had a great time in Kansas! The girls did great- especially Franny- and it was really nice to be together as a family and relax (although Bobby relentlessy hit the books every morning we were there at 5 AM. I'm not sure he can sleep past 5 anymore.)

Here's a picture we took of Franny after she insisted on being hoisted up into this tree. It's maybe the best picture I've ever taken of her.

We spent about half our time there just playing outside on my father-in-law's land. It seems like every time we go there Larry is working on something new on the land- a new building, a new animal, etc. Anyway, his latest addition to his property is apple trees, plum trees, and grapevines. I am so excited for next year when his trees start to yield fruit! He planted a McIntosh tree, and as I learned from our good friend Bill Brady (his apple pies are legendary), McIntosh apples are THE BEST to bake with. I can't find them anywhere around here. The roosters totally attack the little kids, and most of us have a theory that the reason they are so mean is because the ratio of roosters to hens is out of control. If I ever saw one attack one of my kids, I'm pretty sure the rooster population on Poppy's land would be reduced by at least one.


Bobby's dad has a pond stocked with what seems like millions of fish and the kids love to swim and go fishing and ride in paddle boats. I was talking with my sister-in-law and heard Bobby scream, "FRANNY!!" and I looked over and she was waist-deep in the pond. She has no fear when it comes to water so we really have to watch her. Most of the time when we were down at the pool all the babies were naked and the older kids were in their underwear. It was so fun. One thing I have learned after joining this family is that it's okay to get dirty, sticky, sweaty, and wet. It's made me a better mother.

The other half of the time we were all hanging out with Bobby's mom and her husband Howard. They were out visiting for the weekend which is why we headed out there. It was so fun to be with them! Everytime we visit Kansas between the months of March and October, we buy a snow cone for every day we are there. There is a man (we'll call him Donald since I don't know if it's right to put his real name on this post) who has perfected the art of snow cone-making. He shaves the ice so fine that you would think you were eating ice cream. He has over 400 flavors to choose from, and adds more every year. Donald works from 11:00 AM to 11:00 PM seven days a week from March - October, with no employees. He does it all himself. Our absolute favorite is Raspberry Colada with cream poured all over it. We usually get a "monster" size of this and share it. We usually try one new flavor each year but we always come back to old faithful. Franny's flavor is Barbie, which is a combination of vanilla, cotton candy, and raspberry, I think. When it hits your lips.... it's so good.


Here we are with my niece Zoe, and here's Bobby holding two delicious snow cones.

Over 400 flavors!

We also played at the park and ate at Bob's Grill, which is one of Bobby's favorite places. They make great pancakes.

Here's some Franny stories from our trip:

Bobby's dad is hilarious. He was leaving to get us sandwich stuff and root beer and he asked all the kids, "Should I get A&W or the cheap crap?" He talks really loud and Franny had a lot of fun with him. Franny is kind of echolalic (repeats a lot of what she hears) and said, "Cheap crap!" so Bobby's dad screams back at her, "CHEAP CRAP?!" So Franny screams back at him, "CHEAP CRAP!!!"

Bobby's dad has a dog named Buster. I really don't like Buster very much. Franny likes Buster, but he growls at her in a very angry and possesive way whenever she gets too close to my father-in-law. Larry yells, "Buster, no!" when he growls like this, so Franny picked that up, too. Every time she saw Buster, or any other dog, she was yelling, "BUSTER, NO!!"