A day at the orchard for mom's bday.

It's already early morning and we still weren't in bed after the party. Cheri was so tired she wore her pajama pants under her dress with a zip jacket over it. I laughed because she didn't realize she looked like a Middle Eastern woman, which inspired me to paint a red dot on her forehead with lipstick. I was surprised she easily allowed me, but then again she had a few glasses of wine also...


Little did she know that lipstick was long-lasting. She didn't have cold creme to remove it, so she spent the next several minutes trying to remove it with a toothbrush, only to make a red smear between her eyes... and I wasn't about to give her my creme. I was having too much fun watching her, as you will...



The following morning I dress Hope in her Paris-style outfit of leopard print and maryjane socks. Isn't she adorable? There is still a lot of room for her to grow into it, as she will fit well into it by this winter. I just couldn't pass on getting her this outfit. Cheri thinks I need to get a baby girl...what do you think Greg?

Mom and her sister Rosa came over and we all headed to Hobart, Indiana for the County Line Orchard. Out in the middle of nowhere we enjoyed ourselves riding a tractor to the corn maize-maze.

Mom and Auntie Rosa on a tractor ride.

The map of the corn maize, which actually spelled the County Line Orchard.

We found only 3 numbered trail questionnaires in the corn maize on the map before we became thirsty, and had to find our way out...

The cousins begin to wrestle.

...and then later make-up.

Cohen has been acting like a big brother to Kai, making sure he stays on the trail.

A. Rosa, Cohen, mom, Arleen, Kai, Greg and Adira stand on top of the bridge to overlook this massive field. I could see how easy it is to get lost in this 7-foot crop of corn.

Hope sucks on her readily available pacifier.

My sister Cheri (aka Charlie's Angel) and her kids Hope, Adira, and Cohen.

Goofy me stands between A. Rosa and mom. Don't ask what I'm doing? Posing like a chicken, I presume?

Kai finds an electric car and tries to make a quick getaway only to find the batteries have died.

We make it back to the entrance and go see the bee display.

Kai observes bees making honey.

Greg wheels a couple pumpkins around.

Kai and Cohen find hijack a bus!

My brother Eric and his girlfriend Dawn finally make it after an hour of being lost. And I run into an old highschool friend, Wendy Pong with her husband and 3 kids! She is still the same old Wendy, but not as shy and more outspoken (as I told her, and she replied "bullsh**!"). I hadn't seen her since I was about 20 years old (that was almost 20 years ago! OUCH)

Then we drove back to Illinois and went to Pappa Deaux Restaurant in Arlington Heights to have a seafood dinner while musicians played New Orleans style music. Mom had her birthday all over again.

Unfortunately, by the time we got our food it was already way past Kai's bedtime. He was literally climbing the table, throwing food, and crying. Greg took him outside for fresh air. At first, Greg had Kai appear through the window (by himself) at nana, which caused her to jump- then cousin Adira started to run out the room to retrieve him thinking that Kai had escaped.