What a Summer! It feels like the entire Roloff clan has been running hard in every possible direction these past few months.
The thousands of miles of travel has been fun and rewarding and we have created memories that will last a lifetime - but it sure feels great to have my feet firmly planted at the farm again.
Many of you have asked why we travel so much - but even before the show, Little People Big World, the emphasis on the “Big World” has definitely expanded our horizons. Wait until you see our new season of episodes starting October 13th… they’re my favorite so far!
Fall seems to have arrived, and with it a shifting of our family back to a more familiar and hopefully, more laid-back schedule. But…not until we get through our most exciting (& stressful) time of year “Pumpkin Season”!
Pumpkin Season is the one time of year that we are blessed to be able to share our farm and home with you. With the growing number of visitors it was obvious that we needed to expand our hours and days of operation.
We open for business on Saturday, September 27, and thereafter, Roloff Farms will be open every Thursday through Sunday from 10:00 am - 6:00pm. We will close for the season on Sunday, October 26, 2008.
As usual we have added new attractions this year that are sure to keep things exciting for everyone!
Sven has been working feverishly to complete “The Pumpkin Family Funhouse”. I don’t want to give away too much… but Sven has created the perfect home environment for a family of pumpkins! Trust me, Seven is a mad artistic genius and everybody is going to love it!
To keep me from micro-managing Sven, I decided to keep myself busy building a new bridge.
As things often go - my idea of a small bridge quickly expanded from its original design and was suddenly a structure to beat all structures! I’m soooooo proud of this bridge and I can’t wait to show it off! (Maybe we will poll our visitors to see which attraction was their favorite)?
Our long lines from last year just had to be fixed. We have doubled our tour capacity - going from three tour wagons we had last year to as many as eight this year.
But…enough about pumpkins!
It’s hard to believe that Zach and Jeremy have begun their senior year of high school. I wonder how long it will be before it sets in that they will soon be graduating and moving on to a new phase of their life.
It is amazing how much they have grown and also how fast the time has gone. It is a cliche, but it seems like only yesterday that they were babies. Amy and I are starting to accept that our boys may soon be leaving the nest…or maybe not! 
Molly is a smart, poised articulate, A+ student. She is truly my pride and joy.
Molly just took the test to get her driver’s permit. I’ll reserve the details of that for a future episode (but did I mention she is a straight A student)?
I am bracing myself for the day when a young man knocks on the door to take her out to the movies or dinner, or wherever kids go out these days. I don’t know exactly how I will react or what I will say, but I wouldn’t want to be the kid on the hot seat when that day comes.
Jacob is now in middle school! He keeps busy playing soccer and doesn’t seem to be in a big hurry to grow up.
The highlight of Jacob’s summer was the week he spent in Space Camp in Alabama. He’s always loved astronomy, space and NASA; and his time at Space Camp seems to confirm that it is not just a passing fad for him.
His greatest passion this summer was spending as much time as he possibly could in our swimming pool. I’ve never seen anybody spend more time in the water than Jacob and I enjoyed our many warm summer night swims together.
Amy continues to schedule and book speeches and public appearances and is loving every minute of it.
For many years, I traveled endlessly, and Amy stayed home with the kids.
Now, more than ever, Amy enjoys getting out there and exploring the world. She is especially fond of small town middle America, and always returns to the farm with great stories of the places she has seen and the wonderful people she has met.
I realize more than ever how much I love our farm. Most of my time these days is gearing up for pumpkin season, and considerable energy is being given to re-organizing D.A.S. to ensure the companies on-going success and expansion into new markets.
Recently I was contacted by a friend of mine serving in the military. He had run across an Iraqi family with three children with dwarfism (similar to mine) who were in desperate need of medical care.
This amazing story will be highlighted on the season opener of Little People, Big World airing on TLC on Monday, October 13th, 2008. Don’t miss it!
The opportunities “Little People, Big World” has given my family cannot be overstated. Four years ago, we started out making a show that was primarily about our family’s life on our small farm in Oregon. And although the majority of our episodes still revolve around our day-to day life - I think it is a testament to the power of television that we are able to engage in good works that can change lives.
Warmest regards to you and yours,
Matt
