Old MacDonald

We set out on our trip northward to Missouri on the morning of the 23rd, and we were armed and ready with an arsenal of snacks, beverages, books, toys, DVDs, and a solid game plan to entertain Cooper on this 8-hour trip. Won't keep you guessing..... The kid was a CHAMP. Not a problem. Whew! Lucky, huh?

Left the gates of The Village around 9am we think, and the first scheduled stop was at a McDonald's about 2+ hours from our starting point.

Fries, burgers, coffee - check!

Hit the restrooms. Then we hit the road.

In sticking to the schedule, Cooper promptly fell asleep after our five-star lunch. And he stayed asleep (woohoo!) until moments before the next stop on our itinerary, which was to visit Uncle Sonny and Aunt Carolyn at their farm.

Cooper was thrilled on all counts - he was out of the car, had attention from even more adults, stole candy after candy (after candy) from the serving dishes in the living room, and he was on a farm. Animals! Open spaces! He was way psyched.

Two of the horses were in a corral close to the house, so Cooper was at the sliding glass door and could not wait to go outside and check them out for himself. But when he got their? The horses were a bit bigger than he anticipated!

Don't let me go Mommy!
Cooper got his confidence back after visiting the bulls. These two big buggers ran away and were very scared of the kid. You GO city boy!

Ok Team! Where to next?

To the pasture. Got in to the truck to search out cows and horses.

"Hi cows!", said Cooper.

"Hi Cooper!", said the cows.
Located three more horses through the trees. Jumped out to say hey.
But then... In the distance.... TRACTORS!!!!
I love tractors.

Hey Mommy, do you see me on this tractor?

Uncle Sonny started it up and gave Cooper a demo.
Cooper is SO MONEY, and doesn't even know it.

Carolyn made the best hot buttered rum for the majors in the group.
The cage-thing was not a highlight for the boy.

THANKS UNCLE SONNY AND AUNT CAROLYN!

Cooper can't wait until he comes to visit again!

The rest of the trip was pretty uneventful. Drove through Lake of the Ozarks and got a bite to eat at Wobbly Boots Roadhouse. Their "imported" beer came from Boston and Kansas City..... Luckily the food was very good!

Cooper was all too happy to play 'Spot The Backhoes And Dumptrucks' before it got too dark outside. The kid is obsessed with anything vehicular.

And we arrived in Jefferson City at a respectable hour! Yay!