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!

Bye Bye Arkansas

See ya later Arkansas......

We are Missouri bound!

Garvan Gardens

We went to Garvan Gardens to check out their 'Lights on the Landscape' display. Lori's mom had the great idea to arrive right at 5pm when they opened their doors - and what a fab plan! The place was starting to fill up as we were walking out.

Over 1.8 million lights illuminated the grounds.
Why did we even bring the stroller?
The train was a big hit with Cooper.
Completely mesmerized.

Man Cave

Someone is siting in Grandpa's chair......

Arkansas

And.... WE ARE OFF!


We headed out on our Midwest adventure on the 20th, and our flight took us to Little Rock, Arkansas via Chicago. Cooper was great - he is becoming quite the pro at this whole flying-thing. Grandma/pa picked us up, loaded up the car, and off we went.

It takes about an hour to drive to Hot Springs Village.

Grandma sat in the backseat so they both could get in some quality time together.

Weather is way nicer than the frigid'ness we left in NYC! And all Cooper wanted to do was go outside and jump in Grandpa's piles of leaves.

Brown Eyed Boy XVI

Micioni Non'Christmas

There is an annual get-together of the Micioni clan on either a Saturday or Sunday in December that the cool kids refer to as our Non'Christmas. The premise? The fact that Maria's family on her father's side is just oh so very big, over the years it has proven impossible to coordinate holiday plans. So all gather on the specified day to enjoy pepperoni bread, homemade ravioli, pizza, and lots of wine with their presents.

Did someone say 'presents'?
'Tis the season.

A little wine in breast milk never hurt anyone.
Awwww, so very angelic.....
That moment has passed!

Wait - angels again.
Can you pick out the one still in high school?
The clan.
Mangia! Mangia!
BOO-YA! Great Grandma got ya Alex!
Merry Non'Christmas!