Cows and Cones

I have about 597 Maine photos I could be posting today, but summer keeps rolling on and I loved these photos of boys and ice cream from last Friday, taken at a new local farm stand/farm/dairy bar. Animals galore, beautiful farm scenery, a lovely shaded place to sit and very good ice cream. Locals? I highly recommend, ask me for the 411.

Not pictured: the swim that immediately followed this ice cream outing.

Well, HELLO, ice cream, where have you been all my life?

Must eat quickly. Must not look up or breathe in between bites.

No WAY am I sharing this with my little brother or anyone else. No WAY.

Little does Will know he already did share—a scoop out of his into Henry’s empty cone…

So the toddlers (mysteriously replaced here by these hip, vacationing dudes) stayed neat and clean while the ALMOST four-year-old had to ditch the shirt after ice cream. How does that work?

Dude! Enough with the cows. Isn’t there a casino around here someplace?

THE BEST PARENTING TIP YOU WILL EVER RECEIVE HERE. OR ANYWHERE ELSE.

When faced with an outing like this, particularly when the child/adult ratio is not favorable to adults? Forego your dreams of licking and savoring a scoop of mint chocolate chip or that sundae you’ve had on your mind.

No, I say cut your losses and GET YOURSELF A MILKSHAKE. Even when it gets a little melty, because you’ve just had to spend precious minutes away from your ice cream to strip down and hose off a child, you still have a sweet, delicious treat waiting for you when you return, almost entirely uncompromised, and it won’t spill or melt down your arm. You know, the one you’re using to pry them off the cow fence.

This strategy almost always works perfectly.

For more Best Shot Monday and perhaps more messy boys headover to Tracy’s for the full Best Shot Monday roundup.

Posted in , ,

Anna Sawin

Anna Sawin is a Connecticut-based portrait, wedding, and editorial photographer. She lives in the shoreline town of Stonington with her family and has discovered the perfect cupcake. Just ask, she is willing to share her secret.

28 Comments

  1. megan on July 14, 2008 at 9:38 am

    oh that melty ice cream — a kid’s dream! your shots captured the outing perfectly!

  2. chaotic joy on July 14, 2008 at 9:42 am

    Gorgeous pics.

  3. Tanya on July 14, 2008 at 9:47 am

    Is he actually MOLDING his chocolate ice cream with his hand?!?! Ohhhh I want a boy!
    great shots!

  4. Stephanie on July 14, 2008 at 10:19 am

    Those are priceless! Little boys just dig in wholeheartedly to whatever they’re doing, don’t they?

  5. B. on July 14, 2008 at 10:23 am

    Yum!

  6. JenBun on July 14, 2008 at 11:10 am

    Mmm… milkshake…

    Those pics are GREAT! And they would need to go swimming after all that… Will is a chocolate monster! 🙂

  7. Elaine on July 14, 2008 at 11:23 am

    Those are some cute, messy boys!! I love the one of them all hanging on the gate! Cute!

  8. Maria on July 14, 2008 at 12:05 pm

    Am I forgiven for the outfits? Those shirts illustrate to me that there’s a fine line between “I’m on vacation- casual beach-going dude” attire and “I’m looking for some slot machines and forgot my gold chains”….You do have my permission to never let Henry wear that again , if you choose! 🙂

  9. Melissa on July 14, 2008 at 1:30 pm

    I adore the one of the three of them on the fence. That to me is what childhood is all about.

  10. NTE on July 14, 2008 at 2:16 pm

    This is a great post – from the evocative pix, to the wonderful advice, it’s just perfect. It looks like a wonderful outing, and I hope you had a great time. That one of the three of them on the fence? Priceless.

  11. Jaimee on July 14, 2008 at 2:59 pm

    What an awesome series!!! My favorite is the one of the three toddlers on the fence…now that is a perfect shot!!!

  12. kim on July 14, 2008 at 5:55 pm

    Nothing says summer like kids with ice cream. Gotta love those sweet ice cream faces. 🙂

  13. libound on July 14, 2008 at 6:40 pm

    Dairy Delightful! Can we go there soon?! I can help with your ratios!

  14. Maggie on July 14, 2008 at 7:36 pm

    YUM! I love the one of the toddlers on the fence (SO HANDSOME) but I don’t think that anything is better than the mess Will made enjoying that summer treat!

  15. Sara on July 14, 2008 at 7:47 pm

    Beautiful pictures! A perfect reminder of what summer is all about.

  16. sdh on July 14, 2008 at 8:29 pm

    Tommy is getting so big! They are all adorable, I love the tourist Hawaiian shirts.

  17. sdh on July 14, 2008 at 8:30 pm

    also, if it has ice cream in it, it’s called a Frappe. 😉

  18. Christina on July 14, 2008 at 9:54 pm

    The very best part is your captions. And that’s saying a lot, as the pictures are some of the best and funniest I’ve see. Especially #2. Will sure is a kid that knows how to enjoy himself.

  19. carrievoris on July 14, 2008 at 11:29 pm

    That is a fantastic series – great photos and words!

  20. katy on July 15, 2008 at 9:35 am

    In the 2nd picture, is that a young Patrick Swayze (or was it Demi Moore?) auditioning for the pottery scene in “Ghost?”

  21. Sarah on July 15, 2008 at 9:47 am

    I go for a diet dr. pepper with vanilla added at Sonic when the boys get ice cream, but somehow they still manage to make off with my drink when their ice cream is gone! Got a parenting tip for THAT???

    p.s. I posted photos of the end results of the pirate birthday cakes in the boys’ blog!

  22. elizabethews on July 15, 2008 at 10:09 am

    I’m a local! I’ll take the info!

    Amazing photos….as always. Especially the 3 on the fence.

    If you’re from RI, a milkshake is called a cabinet. I have not idea the reasoning… just thought I’d share.

  23. The Casual Perfectionist on July 15, 2008 at 10:39 am

    Those are great pictures!!

  24. Maya on July 15, 2008 at 4:50 pm

    Very good parenting tip there! I love that he had to ditch his shirt. Wish it was that easy for us sometimes when we spill stuff! Ha!

  25. laura on July 16, 2008 at 12:31 pm

    Love the pics and the tip about the milkshake!!!

  26. thelandofka on July 17, 2008 at 2:21 pm

    Oh, love this set! Ice cream is a kids idea of Nirvana isn’t it??

  27. Kath on July 18, 2008 at 12:08 pm

    oh my, those blue shirts …. am melting like the ice cream!

  28. Rich & Linda on October 8, 2008 at 10:16 pm

    Gotta say the pic of the 3 standing on the gate is our favorite!
    Thanks for visiting, it looks like the outing was a fun day for all.

Leave a Comment





anna

Anna Sawin is a Connecticut-based portrait, wedding, and editorial photographer. She lives in the shoreline town of Stonington with her family and has discovered the perfect cupcake. Just ask, she is willing to share her secret.