Thank God, he's [in the] country boy!

I have decided that Jack needs to live on a farm. Perhaps all toddlers should live on farms. Like happy puppies they can roam around, free from parents shouts of: "Don't run in the road!" "Hold mommy's hand now!" On the farm, (our toddler anyway), is also free from the possible influence of the expletives from neighbors who live about 10 feet too close to our house. (But that is another story.)

Ah...on the grandparents' farm, there are no neighbors in sight! Just peacefulness and wide open spaces!

I also observed that on the farm, Jack is able to enjoy doing things that we normally get bored of watching him do, for example; bang a stick against a tree repeatedly. He is allowed to partake in all the dawdling he requires--I only had to intervene when he decided to start licking rocks. Salty perhaps?

You can tell he is a city kid though, it took him about half a day to stop requesting me to pick him up. He was a little scared of the dogs (understandable, when a creature bigger than you is trying to lick your face off). But by the end of the farm weekend he had loosened up and was embracing his freedom--and so were we!

Ending this utopian story is a warning that when frolicking through rolling hills at the farm, remember that it is TICK SEASON! YUCK! There is nothing more delicious to a blood thirsty tick than a toddler and his mommy. We picked off at least six of the tiny vampires after our tromp in the photos below.

 Toddler meditation.

After meditation run.

After the run--too tired to walk. Tick bait.