It Takes a Village

Once upon a time, when I was only slightly less insane than I am now, I opened my big mouth. I made the fatal error of telling my children that I thought it would be enjoyable to do a "fun thing" on Saturdays. Some small activity/event/adventure that we could all do together and that everyone would enjoy. Once we had done this for approximately one-and-a-half Saturdays in a row, it became law...apparently.

So now, each Thursday and Friday as the weekend approaches, the questioning begins: "Mommy, what's our fun thing for this Saturday? Have you thought about what our fun thing is going to be this Saturday? When will you decide? You're thinking about it? When will you be done thinking about it?"
It's been at least 2 years, maybe more, since I made this suggestion on that fateful day. We have yet to spend a funthingless Saturday.

One good thing about this? We're in Utah now, baby! Thank goodness, as I was running out of options in the lovely-yet-limited Sierra Vista, Arizona. But here, fun things abound! Here's what we found today. A delightful little place called Gardner Village in West Jordan. It's a charming community of cottage-style shops--candy shops, doll shops, quilted/handcrafted gift shops, even a year-round Christmass shoppe (you have to spell it 'shoppe' when it's a Christmas shoppe. I know there's a written rule about that somewhere). The bonus: a tiny river that runs through with ducks and fish and even big ol' frogs! And let's not forget the petting zoo with pony rides.



(Childrens' wardrobe and accessories courtesy of Auntie Donna. Thank you, auntie Donna! We love it...such cute stuff!)

The boy's just asking for it:

This little goat was so cute. He?she?it? was my favorite. Made the most adorable little crying/bleating noises.

Behind them is a big (actual running) water wheel. Very cool. If I was a better photographer, you'd be able to see that.

This feathered couple cracked me up. I had to take a picture. Aren't they funny?

Look at the mama duck and her itty bitty babies! They were so stinking cute!

Lucas and his shades. He needs to trade the horsey for a Harley.

p.s. I just read over this post and noticed that I used the word "cute" approximately...well...WAY too many times. It's somewhat out of character for me, but I'll own it this time. I mean, look at 'em. They're just so darn c***...ahem...precious. They're precious.