Adventures at Mainstay Farms

November 2013

The weekend after Halloween, we headed south of Fort Worth to Cleburne, Texas to Mainstay Farms. Some close friends of Brandi and Ryan own Mainstay Farms, and I was feeling a little disappointed that we hadn't made it to a pumpkin patch, so this was perfect!

There were so many fun activities for the kids to do there. We were busy all afternoon doing different things and could have stayed even longer.  When we arrived, we headed straight to the zip line, stopping only long enough to watch a pumpkin get launched off of a ledge and smashed into a wall (this is very cool if you are a 3 or 4-year-old boy)! When I saw the zip-line, I was nervous that Jack would be too small to do it, but he proved me wrong. He looks so tiny here, but he loved it and went back again and again, as long as we would let him:

In a different part of the park, Livi even got to try the zip-swing.   She was not as excited as Jack:

We spent a few minutes in a rope maze and then headed over to the giant bouncing balloon. Everyone except Livi and Charlie had fun bouncing - even Nana took a turn:

Daddy and Jack bounced together (so cute!):

Even though Livi was too little to participate, she found a nice dirt pile nearby and had her own fun!

We all took a hayride:

My sweet boy!

The hayride took us over to the other side of the farm where there was a giant playground and a maze. Even Tommy and Papa found something to play on:

The little boys tried it out, too:

At the end of the day, we stopped for some food and made one last stop so the boys could pose on a giant chair:

The night before this outing, we found out some very exciting news - the McCarthy family will be growing by one - Aunt Brandi is pregnant! It was a surprise for everyone, but a very welcome one. It's so amazing that Brandi and Ryan have gotten to experience the wonders of adoption and now the miracles of pregnancy and birth! I smile just thinking about it. The due date is July 13th (although I'm secretly hoping for the 9th!).  We can't wait to add another little one to our extended family!