We had a lot of fun together on the tractor, the kids and I.  It is completely without remorse that I will tell you, by the end of harvest, my children were politely turning down offers to ride with Daddy or Grandpa in the combine because, well, you know where the party was! 

The kids each brought something to entertain themselves each day, and a lunch box full of food an snacks.  It also makes a handy seat.

Farmer Boy, sitting on his lunch box, doing the predictable.

I taught them my favorite ‘passing time’ songs from childhood:  99 bottle of beer on the wall (we’re Catholic, remember?), Little bunny foofoo (thank you, Lisa and Ian), and Found a Peanut.

We played eye-spy, hangman (I almost got Shooter with ‘bracelet’), alphabet games (think of a word that starts with), language games (I’m thinking of a two-syllable word that starts with ‘t’ – “Tractor” shouts Farmer Boy), and listened to the radio.  Our favorite was “Car Talk” on NPR.

Shooter's action figure (It's NOT a doll, Mom) can climb walls!

Okay, also I was the most popular because I had time to let the kids sit on my lap and steer the tractor going to and from the field and trucks because combining is, like, fifty times more complex than what I was doing.  So there.  I wasn’t really cheating, but maybe it’s close enough.  I’ve admitted it now so this way the other drivers can make plans for fall – maybe brush up on their singing. 

That's a crochet hook in her left hand. Yes, she can actually crochet. She made several chains each day. I know, freakish!

Although, Grandpa did tell me that this wheat harvest was the first time he had ever sang “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” in June.  Thank you for that, Little Cowgirl.