A little outing

Yesterday, Kristen and I had our long-awaited date to Smithville with the kiddies and the aunties. She’s been dying to check out the Oak Cupboard, and we’ve been dying to show her and the kids our other favorite haunts in Wayne County.

We started at the Oak Cupboard, where the children were charmed by giant lollipops.

(Oh, and this IS Olivia’s "charmed" face. She’s a bit stoic.)

Then we went up the street to Toyrifix, which is a very fun store no matter how old you are!

Before leaving Smithville, we had to check out the swings and the ducks at the Barn’s pond.

We left Smithville for Marshallville, where we had lunch at a diner called Heavenly Hash. The twins ordered Mickey Mouse pancakes, and they were the hit of the day.

Finally, we checked out Marshallville Meat Packing, which is a fun place for carnivores and omnivores to explore. I had WAY too much fun showing the kids all the "gross" parts offered.

"Hey look! That is a cow’s heart!"

"Gross! EWWW!! Look, Ben! That’s a cow’s hawt!"

"Look guys! Pigs’ feet! Brains! Pig tails!" (and on and on. I don’t ever buy any of this stuff, but it’s good for the shock value.)

My favorite reaction was Ben’s:  "Ewww! That’s grosss!. . . .What else is there?"

And here is Olivia’s take:

I love this picture. It’s my favorite from the day:

On the way home: happy, sugared-up, and sleepy: