The Pinkalicious (Feeding) Party

(Be sure to scroll down to see all the pictures)

 We were going to some pretty big extremes to pull this off, but this was our last ditch effort at helping our child who had regressed significantly in her feeding issues. Kylie is now 8 years old and experiences Autism.  One of the things that goes along with that diagnoses (for Kylie) is significant sensory issues which also create feeding issues.

Feeding issues can be sensory, psychological, emotional or physical.

And, let me share a personal note here... Feeding issues are HARD!!  They are a continuous (multiple times a day) battle.

On most days, Kylie has to be hand fed (she doesn't want to touch food) and she has an extremely limited diet (usually only 5-7 select foods that she will eat. If she adds a food, she will usually reject a former favorite.)  It takes months, even years for her to feel comfortable enough to be able to sit at the table with an unfamiliar food, smell or texture.  Often times she will crawl UNDER the table and shout "It's fake! It's fake!" or she will go to another floor of the house to escape the foreign item.

This is one area that is quite frustrating for parents and caregivers as 1.) you eat 3x a day (and usually more) and 2.) The medical community doesn't address this issue unless a child LOOKS significantly malnourished. (with Autism, children tend to look very healthy but it is only because the foods they will tolerate are unhealthy and cause them to gain weight - this can be just as serious as (starving) undernourishment.  Kids need certain vitamins, minerals and nutrients for proper brain development.)

Feeding is also difficult because so much of our every day world revolves around food! Holidays are all about food (other things too, but food is usually a central theme), birthday parties, classroom parties, summer fun, restaurants, family outings, state fairs, movie theaters, picnics, theme parks, and Vacation Bible School. Take food out of the equation, and things become quite difficult.

Just imagine Thanksgiving day with a child who wants nothing to do with the typical Thanksgiving Day feast!

While the medical community does not offer parents much in the way of hope, the therapy community does. But often the techniques go directly against everything you ever learned about etiquette, manners and in some cases healthy eating.

For example, to boost my daughter's metabolism and help her start to feel hunger (which she does not do naturally), we often give her a snack size candy bar before a meal. This would have been a HUGE no-no for a typical child, but it works for our unique child.  Also, we encourage her to touch her food, blow bubbles through her straw into a drink, chew on ice, play with her food (ever try painting with colored pudding?) and many other typical taboos that usually encompass the label of "good manners." Now, imagine training a child care provider or grandparent on these techniques. Imagine the stares of shock from the parents sitting in the next booth to you in a restaurant.  It can be quite difficult and you must develop thick skin to accommodate all the opinions out there!

We are fortunate that Kylie has an unusual attachment to books. During the time of this story, she had just been introduced to the book Pinkalicious by Victoria Kann and she quickly became hooked.  She took the book with her everywhere and started to declare that Pink was her favorite color.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the story of Pinkalicious, the book is about a little girl who LOVES pink. She wears pink and her room is pink. On this particular day, it is raining so her mom suggests they make cupcakes. Pinkalicious tells her mom that she thinks pink cupcakes with pink frosting would be divine! As they are working in the kitchen, Pinkalicious eats a couple of cupcakes and then, when her picky eater brother turns down his cupcake, she eats it for him. After dinner, her parents allow her to eat another cupcake but Pinkalicious still wants more of that fluffy, frosted goodness.  Her dad tells her she has had ENOUGH! The next morning, Pinkalicious wakes up to find that her skin has turned pink! Pinkalicious is thrilled that she looks so beautiful and tells everyone her new name is "Pinkerbelle." After a bath does not wash off the pink, her mom takes her to the doctor where the she is diagnosed with "Pinkititis." Pinkalicious is unfazed and decides her new name is "Pinkerella." The doctor then tells her that for the next week, she can eat NO PINK FOOD and, to return to normal, she must eat a steady diet of green food. That night, Pinkalicious pretended to eat her green food, but when everyone else was asleep, she snuck into the kitchen and ate another delicious pink cupcake.  When she awoke the next morning, she had turned RED! Pinkalicious was horrified! Red was most certainly NOT PINK!  She decided she wanted to be her old self again so she began to eat green foods, many of which she had never tried before. Before long, Pinkalicious was back to her old, wonderful self.

For some reason, Kylie really connected to this book.  As parents, we loved it as it had wonderful illustrations of food (especially various green foods). So, I talked to Kylie's feeding therapist and asked her if she would consider doing something "out of the box" and make our next feeding session a Pinkalicious Party.  We could make a big deal of it through the week and build it up so Kylie would have a level of excitement about it (Kylie really dislikes feeding therapy and asks us hopefully every week if her therapist is out sick). Kylie's therapist, Jenny at Childserve, agreed to the idea and we set to making plans.

On the day of the party, Kylie wore her best pink dress. She also brought her Pinkalicious book and her Pinkalicious doll (which is washable, I might add).

We even invited Daddy to take time off work to come with us to the party!  When daddy arrived, he brought with him pink roses for "Kylie-licious"

We took a quick picture of Kylie with Pinkalicious, her Pinkalicious book and Miss Jenny. Then the party began!

It was amazing to see how Kylie was so willing to try new things. For some reason, having seen them in a book, made them more "safe".

There is a mirror on the wall, and they are looking at themselves eating the green peppers! Yes, I just said GREEN PEPPERS!!

They followed along in the Pinkalicious book...

AND... she liked it!!

Next, they tried watermelon... watermelon was super cool because it had BOTH pink AND green on it!!

She was a little unsure about the texture, but she did it!

They tried strawberries and strawberry ice cream, but THIS food is the one Kylie had been waiting for.  Keep in mind, that Kylie wouldn't even go near cake or frosting before....We are getting ready to try Pink Cupcakes!

Even though they look super yummy, she still is afraid to actually touch them.  So, she uses her tongue instead. This is a coping technique.

She survived!!

 Then, Jenny showed her that you can TOUCH the cupcake (I love the look of awe on her face) ha!

 Kylie decides to try it too.

Touching was too much, so she decided to use her green pepper to dip it into the frosting!

 Hmmm... that's pretty yummy!!

Kylie then looked into the mirror and discovered that her tongue had a pink hue to it, so she declared that she was turning pink and needed to eat some green food!  

It was HER IDEA!!  (Can we say progress??)

They ended the party with drinking pink lemonade from a silly straw.  Kylie LOVES silly straws.

It was such a GREAT and successful therapy day!!

And, yes, I know that mommy isn't featured in any of these photos, but you DO get to experience our world through my eyes! 

There are many other books that you could use for an event such as this to assist with feeding issues.  Here are a few that we enjoy!

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

One Watermelon Seed

The Seven Silly Eaters

Pancakes! Pancakes!

How To Make An Apple Pie And See The World

Thomas Jefferson's Feast

Pinkalicious

I Will Not Ever Eat A Tomato

Curious George Eats Pancakes

These books are very helpful for understanding feeding issues: 

Food Chaining

Just Take a Bite

Other Resources: 

My daughter chews on these all the time when she becomes overwhelmed, anxious or just needs deep joint pressure. They are amazing and keep her from chewing on non-edible objects and clothing. There are many scents and styles available...

Ark Therapeutic Chewy Tube "Grabbers"

Ark Therapeutic Textured Chewy Tube "Grabber"

Triangular chew

"Y" Chew

Z-Vibe Oral Motor Tool - vibrates

Elephant Jiggler - 

we use this the Elephant Jiggler all the time, and his ear can double as a spoon!  :0)

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Raising Kids on the Spectrum

Important Details to Know Before Pediatric Dental Surgery

I recently found out that my 6 year old daughter has a condition called "Shark Teeth."

As you can see from the picture above, Sharks are known for having more than one row of teeth.  When this occurs in humans, it is usually because adult teeth are growing in behind baby teeth and the baby teeth are not getting loose on their own. (I later found out that this is pretty common in children who experience special needs)

To make a long story short, my daughter had to have her 4 front bottom teeth extracted all at once.  THAT was her first "losing a tooth" experience!!

This mama was no less than DEVASTATED!!!  I had spent months planning how our family would welcome the Tooth Fairy and all of the precious traditions that we would start in order to ease the trauma of having wiggly teeth and then losing them. (Especially for a child who experiences sensory issues).

So, to be consistent with all the other things that are "A-typical" of our life, my daughter ended up having  major surgery at our local hospital and all four teeth were extracted (though she now insists she lost "a tooth"...and we allow her to believe that! ha!).

I learned a few things that day (and how to prepare for that day):

1.) Schedule your child's procedure to be the first procedure of the day.

• The reason for this is the child cannot have food or drink after midnight.  When kids first get up in the morning, they want to eat or drink.  If you are the first procedure, you can tell your child they can have breakfast after seeing the dentist.  (Or, as we communicated... "First see the dentist, THEN eat breakfast")

• The second reason is to avoid delays in the procedure.  If others are scheduled ahead of you, it is possible that due to unforeseen complications in their procedures, your child's surgery might be delayed (meaning a longer time for anxiety to build up, longer time to wait to eat/drink)

• Also, it will help if your child is relaxed from just waking from a full night's sleep.

• This (lack of delays in scheduling) also ensures you will get the anesthesiologist you were originally assigned.

2.) Talk with your doctor and anesthesiologist about the drug "Versed" to see if it would be an option for your child.

• This is the same drug that they often give to patients who will go through a colonoscopy.

• This drug calmed my daughter right down before surgery (making it so much easier to administer anesthesia).

• FYI--The drug is a liquid and it must not taste that great, because after they gave it to my daughter, she kept asking for water.  

• This drug is a quick acting drug. 

• The drug also helps with the recovery process.  My daughter was so calm in the recovery room and when we took her home. My child, who NEVER sleeps on her own, actually found her blanket and napped for 2 hours.

3.) Advocate to be assigned to an anesthesiologist who will allow you to remain with your child until your child is asleep. 

• In our hospital, there were over 30 anesthesiologists, but only 4-5 that allow parents to stay with children until they are asleep.

• My husband was allowed to suit up (in a paper suit), carry my daughter to the operating room and hold her while she "blew up the purple balloon" (they put a mask over her mouth and nose and when she breathed a purple balloon looking device inflated and deflated. This sedated her so they could then start the anesthesia via IV and she didn't feel a thing)

4.) Try to distract or re-direct your child from looking in the mirror for at least 24 hours after the procedure.

• Day one is rather a disturbing sight.  The "holes" are really red and sometimes blood filled.

• Day two is so much better, the redness and swelling have decreased significantly, and it is much less scary to look at.

5.) The night before surgery, dress your child in what they are going to wear to the hospital the next morning.   

• You can take your child straight from their bed to the car and avoid a lot of questions. 

• Doing so also gets you away from the refrigerator quicker.

6.) Pack a cup (no straws or sippy cups) and your child's favorite beverage in a thermos. Put them in the trunk or back of your vehicle (out of reach of your child).  Keep it in the vehicle until your child is in surgery.  

• Once your child is in surgery, go get the beverage and cup and have it ready for your child for when they wake up in the recovery room.  

• The hospital will have options to offer you, but your child will desire and feel so much better if they have their comfort beverage available to them.

7.) Be honest with your child, but DO NOT give your child too much information.

• My daughter is always asking "What's next?" she wants details.  So, what we told her was that we were going to see our friend, the Dentist, because he was going to help us make sure there would be enough room for her pretty big girl teeth to come in.  That information was just enough.

• DO NOT give the gory details of surgery, or a play by play of medical equipment, stitches and etc.

• DO tell children that medical professionals care about them and want to keep them safe.

8.) Present your Medical Professional in a positive light.

• We constantly tell our daughter that our medical professionals are our friends.  

• We always point out fun things about them.  "Our dentist is so nice, he sings to your teeth" (and we are fortunate, because he does sing to her teeth.  Our daughter is really big into numbers and counting, so he also will count her teeth to help calm her.)

• Also, when entering a strange room with lots of equipment and antiseptic smells, be sure to comment about how "cool" all that neat stuff is!

9.) Make sure mom and dad are at their best

• Line up support from family and friends to have a meal or two delivered so that you can focus on your child once you arrive home and even the night before (gift cards for ordering in work great too).  (It was hard and humbling, but I emailed my friends/family and flat out ASKED if any were available to provide a meal or gift card.  I am so thankful I did!!)

• Consider setting up a "Caring Bridge" site so you can keep all family and friends updated with one message (vs. sending 25)

• Pack a breakfast for you to eat after your child is in surgery (An amazing friend made us mini muffins to take with us. We kept them in the trunk with our daughter's drink and once she was in surgery, we retrieved them and renewed our energy.)

• Wear soft comfortable clothing that your child will want to cuddle against.

• If you normally wear perfume or cologne, wear it, but keep it light.  Your child will be able to recognize you by your scent before they are awake enough to see you.

• Bring a blanket from home (your child can use it before and after surgery and you can use it while they are IN surgery)

• Get a good night's sleep the night before.

10.) If your child experiences sensory issues (sensitivity to light or sound) you might choose to bring your child's sunglasses and ear muffs with you.  These came in very handy for us with my daughter- especially in the recovery room.

And a couple of bonus suggestions: 

** If your child experiences any allergies or sensitivities to anything, be sure to discuss this with your anesthesiologist and medical professional and make a plan in advance of anything happening.  For example: my daughter is terribly allergic to all adhesives - even if they are latex free.  The adhesive literally burns her skin and also makes her break out in a terrible rash.  We made an advanced plan that included what medications/creams to put on them and when to call the hospital if something serious were to occur.

**Be prepared for your child to come out of anesthesia in a very emotional way - usually, either angry or sad (crying).  (a friend of mine joked that how your child wakes up from anesthesia tells you what kind of drunk they will be someday- ha!).  In our case, because of the "Versed" calming drug, our daughter woke up and was just very quiet and calm.  However, many children around us were crying.  We actually had to leave early because all the crying was bothering our daughter.

**Know your hospital's policy and state law regarding extracted teeth.  In our case and in our state, the law considers teeth to be a "body part".  Every body part that is removed during surgery must go to the pathology lab.  However, if there is no decay/infection in the teeth, we may pick the teeth up once the lab has completed their tests/review.  (If there were to be decay in the teeth, they are then classified as a bio-hazard and cannot be returned to you.  In that case, have some white tic-tacs on hand to leave for the tooth fairy)  =0)

**If you are especially sentimental (like me) you might consider having your child's photo taken before their procedure (we did this the night before at our local photo center). Be sure to take your camera with you to your child's surgery. We captured many "fun"/memorable experiences (my husband sporting his paper outfit, pictures of doctor/anesthesiologist, how our daughter looked after surgery and in recovery, etc, etc)

I hope your child will never have to experience dental surgery, but I found that it was much easier once I knew what to expect. 

If your child has experienced dental surgery or other procedures, I'd love to know what other tips you have for parents or what policies your hospital or state implemented. I firmly believe that knowledge is information!!

Holiday Happiness and Home Cooking! (PLUS a giveaway!!)

I thought I would share with you a few pictures of Kylie's first visit (of 2011) with Santa.  It was a Magical Time. 

Kylie was scheduled to dance with Dance Without Limits (a ballet class for children who experience special needs) at the annual charity benefit for Blank Children's Hospital called Festival of Trees.

We were to arrive early and it was during our wait that we noticed Santa and Mrs Claus were also at the event.  Wasn't it SO NICE of them to make time in their busy schedule to help support Blank Children's Hospital?

This is the first year we have helped Kylie put together an actual Christmas List (I'll write more about that in a future post, as, of course, you KNOW we had to adapt the process!)

However, on this particular day, God really answered my prayer as, when we encountered Santa, there was no one else around - Miracle!!  This made the atmosphere and sensory level just perfect for Kylie to (with a good bit of encouragement) approach Santa.

With prompting and a very patient and kind Santa, (and mommy interpreting) Kylie was able to tell him the two things she has asked for this Christmas.

Take a look at our pics and Enjoy the Magic we experienced in those moments...



Kylie is admiring the Barbie Tree



 

Today is also Day 5 of my series with Jolene Philo, Author of

 

Different Dream Parenting:

A Practical Guide to Raising A Child with Special Needs

* To read my Introduction of Jolene click here

* To read part 1 of my interview with Jolene click here

* To read part 2 of my interview with Jolene click here

* To read Jolene Guest Blog Post click here

 

There are a lot of people who know Jolene as an Author, but I also want to share with you that Jolene is a FABULOUS cook!  Maybe someday we can convince her to put together a cookbook. 

 

I asked her if she would share a recipe that her family really loves. 

 

Here is her recipe for Cashew Chicken and the story behind it...

 

 

 

 

A few years ago, my daughter Anne begged me to get the recipe for Cashew Chicken from her best friend’s (Rachel’s) mom, Joni Gainer. So I did, and the dish quickly became one of our family favorites. The vegetables in the recipe provide quantity guidelines, but you can swap those listed with whatever is in season. Try green or wax beans, cabbage, cauliflower, zucchini, summer squash, grape or cherry tomatoes, different varieties of peppers, and sugar snap peas.

The last time I made this, I’d just returned from a week of travel. When I went to the cupboard, the peanut butter jar was empty, so I substituted almond butter. The cashews were gone, so I used almonds instead. Conclusion: Jolene’s Almond Chicken is tasty, too.

Joni’s Cashew Chicken

3 tablespoons soy sauce

3 tablespoons peanut butter

3 tablespoons honey

4 tablespoons sesame or peanut oil

1/2 cup cashews

1 whole chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces

3 cups green onions, washed, topped, and cut into one inch slices

1 cup peeled carrots, sliced into thin, one inch pieces

2 cups broccoli florets washed and cut into bite-sized pieces

3/4 cup sweet red pepper, washed, seeded, and cut into half-inch pieces

2-3 cups pea pods, washed

Sauce: Combine soy sauce, peanut butter and honey in a 1 cup measuring cup. Heat in the microwave for one minute on high. Stir until peanut butter is mostly melted. Set mixture to the side.

Turn burner on high and heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan or wok. Add cashews and stir for one minute, until cashews begin to brown. Spoon them onto paper towels to drain. Heat another tablespoon of oil in pan. Turn burner to medium high and add chicken. Stir until meat is completely cooked and begins to brown. Spoon chicken into a bowl and set aside.

Heat last two tablespoons of oil in pan and add vegetables, one kind at a time, at one minute intervals. . Add chicken and stir until mixed. Pour sauce over all and stir until the stir fry ingredients are coated and sauce is bubbly.

Spoon mixture onto a bed of rice and sprinkle with cashews. Serve hot.

*************

I just love the picture that Jolene sent of her Cashew Chicken.  It looks so festive with it's red and green presentation.  I can just see it sitting on a holiday table!

If you try out Jolene's recipe, please let us know!  We'd love to hear what you think!

(I can't wait to try it!!)

ALSO.....

As an added bonus, Jolene has generously donated a copy of her new book - just released last month: Different Dream Parenting: A Practical Guide to Raising a Child with Special Needs for me to give away to one lucky reader!

To enter the drawing to receive a FREE copy of Jolene's new book just do one or more of the following before December 20th:

* Comment on this blog post
* Sign up to "Follow" my blog (and leave a comment letting me know you did)

A Bicycle Built for .... Jingles???

Pssstttt... Don't tell Kylie, but Jingles had a little help from one of Santa's helpers to get into place on this particular morning.

Notice his green Grinch pants??  (He's looking a little Grinchy too! but really... he's just trying to get down off our couch without having to file a medical claim)

On this day, Jingles had a note for Kylie.  It basically told her that Because she was 5 and because it was December 5th, that she could open door # 5 on our gingerbread house countdown.

I found this gem of a Christmas Countdown in a little shop in Valley Junction several years ago.  It was one of those purchases that I put away for "someday when I have a little one"...

Kylie is finally old enough to "get it" and I was SO EXCITED to get it out this year.

I love that it is oversized and that there is lots of space to put things.

This is the tag that is on the back... I thought it was cute. 
(you might have to click on the photo for it to be big enough for you to read)

It was so much fun figuring out where each little trinket would fit.

Kylie has just LOVED opening up the little doors each day. 

I actually think she enjoys opening the doors more than she likes receiving the presents. 

(This is how children with Autism play... instead of rolling the car across the floor, they prefer to turn the car over and spin the wheels instead.)  Kylie prefers to open and shut the doors on the gingerbread house.

Sometimes this (a-typical play) makes the holidays really hard as people expect a "reaction" from Kylie like they would from a typical child.  Kylie will have a reaction, but it will probably come 2-3 days later. 

Kids with Autism take time to warm up to new things.  They need repeated exposure in small doses in order for the item to become familiar and less threatening.

While sometimes this is difficult where others are concerned, it is also something that I really treasure about Autism: It forces our family to SLOW DOWN.  It gives us the opportunity to really enjoy our surroundings and the events and decor of the holiday season. The "Hustle and Bustle" of the season has been replaced with "Silent Nights" and "All is Calm" - it HAS to be or our family (particularly Kylie) suffers.

Kylie has given us the gift of really experiencing the holiday in a sensory way: Seeing, Listening, Touching, and Enjoying the scents of the season.

Our holidays with a child are very different from how we always envisioned they would be, but we love them just the same, and we love our precious girl even more!

Stay tuned to learn more about our experiences with Jingles, Our Elf on the Shelf (and our experiences with Autism too)!

A Sensory Cornucopia

For the month of November, I am trying to teach Kylie the history of the first Thanksgiving (on her level, of course) and what it means to be thankful. 

I really wanted to show her what a Cornucopia (or Horn of Plenty) was but had an awful time finding one. 

This led me to try and put one together myself. 

The finished product ended up being a GREAT addition to our November sensory items.

I found a set of sticky, yet squishy, play food at Oriental Trading.  These fruits are filled with some kind of styrofoam and they are very pliable (like a stress ball but even squishier - is that a word? ha!).  They came 12 to a package.  Click here to purchase (they are currently 40% off and selling for $5.99 - normally $10.00- A GREAT DEAL!!) - Act quickly!!

They tend to get fuzzy if you play with them on carpet or if you line them up on the floor like my Kylie does. HOWEVER...they are very easy to clean.  I jut run them under cold water and brush the fuzz off.  I then lay them on a dishtowel to dry.  They are like new again.

It took me a long time to find an actual Cornucopia to put them in so we started off just having them in a bowl.  (I picked up the bowl in the Target dollar aisle a long time ago)

I finally found a woven/basket type Cornucopia at Michael's Craft Store.  If you hurry, they are in a sale bin for 70% off. 

Kylie is getting a great workout squeezing the fruit.

She doesn't always like the feel but, so far, she has tolerated it and it is helping to desensitize her avoidance of such textures.

We had to have a little talk explaining the difference between a "horn" and a "horn of plenty"  - No, we DON'T put the Cornucopia in our mouth!  ick!

After all the frustration of trying to find a cornucopia and coming up with nothing.  I am pleasantly surprised by what we ended up putting together. 

This cornucopia will be great to experience for years to come.

Here's a link if you would like to read the history and uses of a Cornucopia in our culture.

"Let us remember that, as much has been given us, much will be expected from us, and that true homage comes from the heart as well as from the lips, and shows itself in deeds."

  ~Theodore Roosevelt

Pumpkin Pie Scented Playdough - A Pumpkin Carving Alternative

Pumpkin Scented Play Dough is a great activity that will give you many fun and memorable times as a family. Mold it, enjoy the scent, make ornaments, use it for therapy purposes, the fun options are limitless.



Pumpkin Pie Scented Play Dough


You will need the following:

* 2 1/2 cups flour
* 1 cup salt
* 1 tablespoon cream of tartar
* 5 tablespoons cooking oil
* 1 ounce pumpkin pie spice
* Orange food coloring (2 parts yellow to 1 part red, 15 drops total)
* 2  cups water


Directions:

* Mix all dry ingredients together. 
* Add liquid ingredient except for food coloring.
* Mix well.

* Add Food coloring.
* Mix well. 

*Cook in a saucepan (using medium heat). 
*Stir until the mixture becomes thick and forms a ball (pulling away from the sides of the pan). 

* Using wooden spoon, form dough into a ball. 
* Place on waxed paper to cool. 

* Once cool, knead completely.
* Store in an airtight container (I wrap it in waxed paper for extra protection and to preserve scent even longer, then store it in airtight container).


NOTE:
I came up with this formula last year (2010) and it turned out great. I pulled it out a week ago and it is still perfectly soft and in great shape (after a year in storage). This is a QUALITY recipe.

We LOVE it!!


I'd love to see the creations your family dreams up with this awesome pumpkin scented playdough! Post pics if you get a chance!

Center Grove Orchard Fun - A great way to celebrate fall!

Center Grove Orchard - Fall 2011

I wrote yesterday about Kylie's Sound Sensitivity and how it impacted our visit to Center Grove Orchard.

We did manage to have a good time (when we could dodge people and find a few semi-quiet places)

Enjoy sharing in our day...

A stolen moment in the old fashioned school house



We skipped the "official" orchard sign (and the huge line of people that went with it) and found a simple pot of fall flowers.  (You can tell the sound is starting to get to her.  It was shortly after this pic that she started putting her hands over her ears)

She loves to have her picture taken with mannequins (and scarecrows) - maybe because they don't talk??  =0)

Kylie LOVES animals.  Even stinky goats!

Kylie and the White Rabbit.  (Have I mentioned she has a "thing" for Alice in Wonderland? Both "Alice" and "Henry" (we don't know where he came from) live at our house and are Kylie's imaginary friends.)

Playing at the Mad Hatter's Tea Table

Pouring Tea... one of her favorite things.  We could have stayed under this tree all day.

In the old fashioned school house - What a student!

Can you say "detention"??

Bored in school??
(actually, she started to see a group of people enter the school house)

Watching Daddy be silly. 
We figured out we can make her smile if we sing "How much is that doggy in the window" (she starts to laugh and tells us to "turn that off" - so funny!)

Favorite thing: Jumping Pillow

She jumped so high!! She was loving it!

more jumping

The corn ocean: Kylie normally LOVES this, but she couldn't take it this year with all the kids screaming.

She pretty much was attached to our legs and begged to leave. (not-like-her-at-all)

The end of our fun day - and ready to go to ....
PIZZA RANCH (Kylie's favorite place to eat)

It was a fun day - though a difficult one for our precious girl.  We might try to go back in November and see if she doesn't do better with less people around.  We'll see.