Thankful for...the beach?

Thanksgiving is almost here and the Drinkall clan scurried around tonight packing for a holiday quest to St. Louis.

If you ask Mike or Lisa what they are packing for the trip they will tell you:
a.  money to go shopping for Christmas gifts
b.  camera to snap pics of Max at the Magic House
c.  sweatpants to allow expansion after Thanksgiving dinner

If you ask Max what hey is packing for the trip he will tell you:

a.  beach towel (because that's really where he thinks he's going...)

b. Diego swim diaper to keep the beach clean

c.  swim instructor to brush up on his technique

d.  diving board for excitement

e.  spotter for safety

f.  hunky dad to attract chicks while sun bathing

Max mas be disappointed in the lack of beaches in St. Louis this Thanksgiving but I'm sure spending time with his family will make up for it!

No matter where your travels take you this Thanksgiving, the Drinkall family hopes you share love and laughter with those who matter most to you!

Love,

Lis

Happy Halloween Trails

The Drinkall fam went to Bloomsbury Farm in search for a pumpkin for their little man, Max.  It was a wild, cold and WINDY ride...

In order to make their way to the pumpkins, the youngest Drinkall, Max, led the crew through a jungle of farm animals.  Hamilton, the tea cup pig provided only a few challenges.  He was so gosh darn cute, Max didn't want to leave his side making it very difficult to proceed toward the pumpkins!

The next animal challenge was at the chicken coop.  We almost lost a finger here!  Who would have thought finding the perfect pumpkin could be so dangerous!  Note to self, always remember a quarter or two when finding pumpkins at Bloomsbury Farm.  You'll need it to buy chicken feed out of a gum ball machine to prevent finger loss!

Leader Max tried to go "night night" on the job, causing travel toward the pumpkins quite difficult.  Sleep at Bloomsbury Farm?!  I know!  Apparently Max associates Llamas with his favorite bed time story Llama Llama Red Pajama.  How confusing!

The Drinkalls knew they couldn't succeed in finding the perfect pumpkin with a sleepy leader so they convinced Max to whiz down the black tunnel slide.  Boy, that sure woke him up!  Success!  It was time to continue on with their mission!

Just when things started looking up, BOOM!  The Drinkalls were yet again faced with a challenge.  Have you heard of quicksand?  Well apparently there's such a thing called "quickcorn".  This acts in the same manner as quicksand.  No worries though.  Max was able to escape along with his parents.  PHEW.  The Drinkalls were bound and determined to find a perfect pumpkin!

It's not too hard to believe that fighting the "quickcorn" for hours left he Drinkalls exhausted.  Leader Max has a fabulous idea of highjacking a wooden tractor to high tail it out of the danger zone and enter the land of pumpkins.  He needed a little assistance from his daddy as he only has his learners permit.  Daddy was happy to help! 

Finally, after a long day of adventure and Bloomsbury Farm, the Drinkalls made it to the pumpkin patch!  

Leader Max surveyed each and every pumpkin until making a selection.  His wish was to leave the perfect pumpkin a surprise until carving time...  (or his mom forgot to take a picture of the winner!  wink wink)

Happy Halloween Trails...Hope your perfect pumpkin search was as exhilarating as ours!

Love,

Lis

parDy in the yarDy

There's no better way to spend a sunny Sunday afternoon than in the yard with my mom...or at least that's what she told me when I woke up from my daily afternoon nap today...

Everything started out just dandy... a true party in the yard as my mom had promised.  I assisted her in strategically placing my pumpkin bag-o-leaves and the creepy scarecrow my Grandpa Drinkall created last year in front of the house.

Trouble soon followed when I spied  pesky leaves that had invaded my turtle sandbox. How is one to party it up in the yard with such a mess?!

My mom told me the only way to fix my problem was to clean up the leaves with a device called a rake.  She had a large one in her hand.  I was about to call her crazy for even dreaming up such an idea when she handed me my very own "Max-sized" rake.  Gee thanks, ma...

I humored this idea for a brief second but spotted the hose.  I LOVE the hose!  Therefore, I turned it on and watered the leaves for my mom.  I figured that was much more helpful than "raking"....whatever that is.

Now, don't get me wrong...watering the leaves was almost party-like but I soon stopped due to the fact my whistled needed to be wet.  I didn't want to bug my mom...(she looked like she was struggling with the "Mom-sized" rake thingy) so I took matters into my own hands...

Refreshing!  Soon after this photo was taken, mom must have gotten tired of partying it up in the yard.  She dragged me in the house and peeled off my wet clothes.  

The party in the yard with mom wasn't so bad after all.  I'm still a bit perturbed that my sandbox is full of leaves but I have faith mom will get that taken care of eventually :)  Next time I wake up and mom asks me if I want to have a party, I'm going to suggest we go to a park or somewhere that serves cake at least!  Raking just doesn't float my boat!

Love,

Lis

"Life in General"

No worries!  The Drinkall fam is alive and well despite months away from the blog!  I'd like to give you the excuse that we've been too busy jet setting across the world but in fact, it's just "life in general" that has stolen our blog time.  Allow me to explain:

Do you ever feel like your life demands too much from you and you aren't able to enjoy what matters most to you?  Well my mom and dad have said this often this fall.  I imagine they just want to hide from some demands and spend more time with my cute self.  Here is a picture of how I imagine they might feel at times:

Do you every feel like life in general may be causing you to go crazy?  Shhhh!  Don't tell my mom...but she's a bit coo-coo these days between work, grad school, and my crazy 2 year old self :)  How do I try to de-stress my mom?!  Well, one option that always works well is to greet her looking my best with dinner prepared on the table.  I am still figuring out how to get dinner prepared on the table but DEFINITELY have looking my best mastered.  Please take note below :

How else am I trying to relieve stress from my mom and dad's lives?  

1.  I save them money by refusing to eat anything they put on my plate.  Well, technically I'm wasting their money but I have faith they'll soon learn I don't need anything fancy, just peanut butter and jelly!

2.  I help them with their many home renovations.  You'd think they'd know that now isn't a good time...but obviously not!  The current project?  Tiling the basement.  Good thing I own my own workbench and tools!

3.  I get lots of sleep for my mom and dad.  They appear to have a lack of rest.  I can tell because they have so much luggage under their eyes one would think they are preparing for a long vacation!

4.  I offer demand throw a tantrum to drive my mom and dad around town.

5.  Most importantly, I convince my dad to buy my mom chocolate and flowers on days she doesn't get to see me due to conferences at school.  I can imagine how hard not seeing me for a day could be on a gal!

Life in general may be incredibly crazy right now at the Drinkall household but we manage!  Blogs may be put on the back burner but our love never will!

Our life in general is crazy blessed!

Love,

Lis

12 Steps to Preserve Summer

The Drinkall fam recently completed the "12 Steps to Preserve Summer" plan:

1.  Secure your family members in your car...

2.  Head on down to the Amanas... (If you don't have a car, a horse and buggy will do...)

3.  Have your wife take at least 1 embarrassing picture of you while waiting for the pizza you ordered...(biGOWK!) ; )

4.  Let your kid eat that pizza in the hotel hall while someone runs to get a key to the room that actually works...

5.  Make a list of all the fun water activities you'd like to tackle...

6.  Get your swim gear on... (Oh, and make sure you don't have anything stuck in your teeth...there could be hot ladies and gents down at the pool...)

7.  GO WILD!!!!!!

8.  Get some relaxation in with Sponge Bob before bed...

9.  Replenish your body with a healthy breakfast upon waking...

10.  Repeat step # 7

11.  Chat it up with the people in the hall while others pack up...

12.  Veg out on the ride home after a terrific (exhausting) jaunt!

You too can take advantage of the "12 Steps to Preserve Summer", but hurry, offer ends SOON!  (Too soon!)

Love,

Lis