Road Trip to see the Greats

Last November we had planned a trip so that our Mothers could spend some time with our granddaughter. Our mothers live only 15 miles apart, but they live 400 miles from Carter. They've only seen her a few times. So we decided to make a road trip to take our 3-year-old Carter to see her 93- and 91-year-old Great-grandmothers.

From Kansas City to Beaver, Oklahoma, is more than a six-hour drive on a fast day. When traveling with a three-year-old, there's no such thing as a fast day. We had stops along the highway for potty breaks, and others just to get out and stretch our legs. We even made a stop in Hutchison, Kansas, for the zoo.

We saw baby alligators and sharks,

and used up some energy in the dinosaur playground.

Hutchison's zoo has no admission charge, so we didn't feel like we needed to stay all day to get our money's worth. It was neatly landscaped, and just the right size for a little stop for a little girl.

Pun intended, we had an ocelot of fun at the Hutchison Zoo! It was right in the middle of our road trip today, and we were a little sad when we had to leave and get back in the pickup.

Denisa was almost hoarse from reading books out loud by the time we finally rolled into the driveway at the ranch. We're having a slumber party here, as Denisa's Mother is spending the nights so we can all be together. Carter immediately went into teacher mode, instructing her 90-year-old "students" to line-up while she checked them into school from her desk. It took some explaining to her that these students would need to sit in chairs instead of on the floor this time.

Our first full day was cold and rainy, but we still got to see some of the animals we had been telling Carter about. Uncle Danny took us for a bumpy ride through the pasture to visit the cattle, and Carter now proudly explains that bulls are boys, cows are girls, and the babies are called calves.

The next day was warmer and drier, and we got a golf cart tour of the ranch.

Great Grandma Reta drove that golf cart through the horse pasture, while Carter exclaimed that she should "watch out for the poop!" The horses came running when we started handing out cake. These protein-rich pellets are a different kind of cake than our city girl was expecting. Grandma also had a birthday cake that was waiting for her when we got to Beaver. Carter already had a birthday cake when she turned three last week, so she was a little confused to see another. She asked, "Am I four now?"

We fed cake across the fence to another mare that enjoyed the extra protein and some pats on the nose.

This horse, named Josie, has a new colt that was trying to stay hidden behind her mother.

Carter also enjoyed the wildflowers here on the ranch. Unlike the city flowers that she can only look at, these country flowers are good for the picking.

It was nice enough outside that Carter lined up all the grandmothers and entertained us with bubble blowing and a musical song and dance routine that she wrote and choreographed on the spot.

It wasn't all play here at the ranch. After feeding the horses, she also filled the bird feeders. They intentionally spilled some on the ground for the wild turkeys. The turkeys have shown up twice to strut in front of the picture window in the living room for us.

We also had a big meal, where all the relatives from Beaver came together for this special guest. We forgot to take pictures, but a good time was had by all. By the end of the second day, Carter announced, "I love Beaver!" In fact, we can say that everyone enjoyed this three-day road trip to see the Greats!