How can you not go and check out the tulips when we live so close to Tulip Town is basically what I told myself as I was in my 7 hour of working inside City Hall today.
So I got home from work, told Josh he had 2 hours to himself ( which translates to this is the time to do yard work) and the kids and I headed to chase down some tulips.
I've done this a few years in a row and each time I learn a new trick to taking the kids to the muddy tulips. The best way to see tulips is to pay the $2 per person and take the tulip tractor tour through the fields. You avoid getting the I've too tired and wanting to be carried, therefore you have mud on your legs from where their boots are hitting you. You avoid a lot of others things as well ( get to that later), but most of all you really get the best views.
After the tractor ride, I tried to do my best photo shoot with the kids. The trick here people is that you promise them something that they really want ( ice cream) and then you just snap away, just hoping to take that x mas card photo for all your family and friends to admire.
OK, so maybe Grace has a silly smile, but you know what I'll take it. This is what I get when I ask them to say " Tulip" really loud and awkward so people are starring.
Here we are trying another approach to the theme of the photo. Hey kids lets pretend we are wild animals in the tulips. No people I have not starting drinking, I really am this silly and weird.
At last the reward for playing along to all of my tricks and stunts to get them to look through the camera lens. ICE CREAM!
Thank you E & G for really a perfect way to get my Friday night started.
The only thing or person missing was Josh.
As I mentioned earlier there is a learning curve to taking kids to the tulip fields. Here are a few things of what not to do and like always I only speak from my person experience...
1. Don't pull into someones driveway that lives near the fields and think you can get out of the car and take in the sites of the tulips. They don't like that much.
2. Don't take your kids to the tulip fields after the flood gates of heaven just stopped pouring in cute shoes or converse.
3. And finally, don't bring your husband to the fields when he has skipped lunch and you want the family to all pose for that perfect shot that again you hope will be used for your x mas card. It can be intense and you know those smiles are all forced.
Until next year tulip fields...
