Sunny Days at Wooden Shoe

 In between the hospital trips, we got to get out and enjoy a little bit of this glorious
sunshine God has been blessing us with.

Our first priority was making it to Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm for the annual Tulip Festival.
The girls hadn't been for a couple of years, so it was definitely time for a visit.

 

 

 

 I planned the outing carefully, choosing a Thursday morning {weekdays ~ us homeschoolers always plan our outings for weekdays so as not to run into the massive crowds}.

I knew it would be clear and sunny {not the greatest conditions for photographs, but beautiful weather to get out and enjoy the fields}.
 

 

 

 What I was *not* expecting was that everyone in Oregon would have the exact same idea!
There were, literally, thousands of people there.
You may not be able to tell from the photographs, but it was CROWDED.
 

 

 

 Take note:  Miss Taylor is *smiling*!!  That was one of the very few smiles we got that day. 
You'll see . . .
 

 

 

 The colors were gorgeous. It is such a beautiful sight to see!
 

 

 

 Oh! There it is. 
That was Miss Tay's face almost the entire day. 
Actually, that's Miss Tay's face most days.

It's rough being four.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 After a couple of hours I was ready to escape the crowds, but I was so glad we went.
What are your favorite places to visit?


And if you're dying for more tulip pics, here's some fun memories from years past:

2012

2010

2013

2011
 

 

 

 

 

Tulips

Tulips are a favorite of mine.
They're so beautiful, and bright, and cheerful.
I mean, don't they just scream "Spring"??

We try to make it to the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival every year.
This year my dad came with.

Are these two the cutest things ever?
Taylor calls Grampa her "buddy".
She talks about him first thing in the morning.
She asks about him in the afternoon.
They are quite the pair.
 

{Yeah.  It's freezing here.  Hoodies and jackets, socks, and boots, and we still froze!
I keep asking Jeremy if we can move . . . I think his resolve is weakening ;)}


So.
We arrived at the tulips.
And found that 4.2 million other people had the same idea.
 

The girls got side tracked, though, when we first arrived.
There were pony rides, and bounce houses.
Trampolines, and rock walls.

While Kenners and Kam were waiting in lines, Miss Tay found her favorite activity:
 

I couldn't get her out of that thing!


Kam loved the pony rides.
 

So did Kenners, for that matter.
 

But Tay started getting fidgety, so we tromped off to look at the pretty flowers.
 

 And hitched a ride on the wooden shoe train!
 

There was every color of tulip you could imagine.
 

So gorgeous.
 

 Next time, we are hitting the field first.
Once I am satisfied with the "group shot", then the girls will be rewarded with the activities, lol!

Because, you see?
This is what I got:
 

Kam was hungry and tired, Kenners was grumpy because Sierra was using her camera.
Tay was just plain ready for a nap. 
Thank you, Sierra.  That's what I'm looking for!
 

 Please girls?  Just a quick smile?  Mkay.  A little better from Kenners.  Sis is still rockin' the smile.
Kam?  Totally had it.
 

And this, folks, is the best one.
Sad.


Awww.  My biggest and littlest.
These two have quite the bond.
And they remind me so much of one another!
 

I had about 2.3 seconds to snap a few more pictures, and then that was it.
 

The girls couldn't handle any more. 

 

 

 So, it was off to Arby's for a drive-thru lunch.
And then home for naps.
For all of us.

 

 

 

Tulip Fest!

I have been looking forward to visiting the tulips since . . . last year. Seriously, it is one of my most favorite outings each year. The fields are gorgeous, the flowers are beautiful, and the girls have so much fun.

This year. Well, we've had a LOT of rain. A lot. So much rain that I was afraid we wouldn't make it to the fields. Somehow tromping out there in the pouring down rain just didn't seem as much fun. But last week there was a break in the weather, so we raced over! Twice :)

One day we brought my sister and her littles, and one day we went with my Mom-in-law.

They smelled almost as lovely as they looked ;)

And the cow train. We couldn't forget the cow train. This poor mama thought she might just go into labor on the cow train. It was a liiiiiitle bumpy. Lesson learned.

Is there anything more beautiful than a tulip?

Well, besides daffodils.
Daffodils and tulips are my favorites!!

And for as far as the eye can see . . . this.

Ahhhhhh, so gorgeous. We're hoping that we might be able to make it out there just one more time before it ends. Of course, the constant drizzle forecast for the next week isn't too promising. But we're holding out hope.

{Also ~ look for some new prints in my Etsy shop soon! I want to have a canvas made for our powder room, and these flowers would be so beautiful hanging on any wall. Just sayin' ;) }

What about y'all? What are you enjoying about Spring?