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
12 Responses
Hey MAtt,
I just wanted you to know that watching your family is a great joy to my husband and myself. We also have 2 boys and one is a senior. I crack up. It is like deja vu! You and Amy are really great people and I am glad that your feet are planted firmly on the ground. We live in New York. We also live on a pretty large 10 acre piece of property. I love you guys. Best Wishes, Cathie Versland a friend from NEW YORK< NEAR WEST POINT
Posted on October 3rd, 2008 at 3:42 pm
I love watching your show!!! I am so excited to be able to come to your farm this year!!!
Posted on October 5th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
Our family can’t wait! We truly look forward to all the Roloff adventures! Thank you for being a part of OUR lives!
God bless you all.
Posted on October 5th, 2008 at 9:41 pm
Matt and Family,
My family and I are looking forward to your new season show. I also have two boys about the same age as your children, one learning to drive and the baby as I call him started high school this year. We also have many sports, they are both on the school bowling team, and have been A students making honor roll everytime since kindergarden. We really enjoy watching a good family show. thanks for sharing an God bless!
GREETINGS FROM NORTHUMBERLAND,PA.
Jenn & Family
Posted on October 7th, 2008 at 2:06 pm
Hi Matt and family,
My husband and I and our 2 1/2 year old just returned from your farm. I wanted to say we enjoyed it greatly and Zoe had fun picking out her own pumpkin.
We ar looking forward to the new season of your show.
Thank you,
Cathy, Jay, and Zoe
Posted on October 11th, 2008 at 11:00 pm
Hey Matt & Family,
As i was sitting here watching ‘Little People, Big World’ today, all day on TLC i see the commericals for the upcoming season and gets goosebumps everytime i see you with the Iraqi family!
You and your family are such great people! You should take great pleasure in the family you have, as i’m sure you do!
Canada loves your family
Posted on October 12th, 2008 at 9:33 pm
I decided to check out your farm on Google Earth and am kinda disappointed that I can’t figure out where the western town, Molly’s castle, etc. are. I DID see your red SUV and Amy’s white van parked up near the house though. Guess I’ll have to make a point of coming to visit during next year’s Pumpkin season so I can know what’s where when I revisit Google Earth’s view of Roloff Farms.
Posted on October 12th, 2008 at 10:52 pm
Hello Rolloffs! I’ve been a huge fan for a few years now, and I look forward to the new season every fall.
You and Amy are terrific parents, and I just love how your kids are growing up knowing what to do with a hammer, or a bucket and a pile of dirt! Not too many kids know what to do with themselves if there is no TV or video game involved, so your down-to-earth approach is now unfortunately hard to come by these days. Hats off to you both of you for your dedication to your family, and general passion for life! You are making a big difference in the lives of all little people everywhere, and the attitudes of society regarding little people. I wish you the best, and will be following you all this year again.
Posted on October 13th, 2008 at 9:08 pm
Dear Matt and Family,
My name is Cristy Barnett… i watched the show this evening and much to my suprise.. there was my husband Ssgt trevor barnett! It was a great show and a very special treat, thank you so much and God bless to all!
Cristy
shaker214@yahoo.com
Posted on October 14th, 2008 at 3:28 am
Hi Matt and Family,
I’m sitting here watching the Season 5 Opener and have heartfelt tears in my eyes. I spent some time in the Middle East and it was really interesting seeing you go over there for the children. I really admire your efforts to the children. It just brought tears to my eyes how close they were to everyone around them.
To see Saaja crying while having the x-rays taken just broke my heart. ‘Inshallah’ the children will get treatment.
I look forward to seeing the rest of the story.
Sioux
Posted on October 14th, 2008 at 3:51 am
Hello Roloffs!
It was a pleasure to watch your season premier! Our household has especially anticipated it since your trip to Iraq was a bit personal to us–my husband, SGT. Shawn Riley, was one of your military PA escorts while you were in the International Zone. Your trip was special because of its purpose and because of the positive experience and memories it gave my husband during his (fourth) deployment to the Middle East. My daughter and I watched the show twice and kept hitting rewind on the DVR to catch glimpses of her daddy. He will return home after a VERY long year over there in just a matter of days now and he can’t wait to see the show as well! We have enjoyed your family for a couple of seasons now and look forward to more!
We hope to possibly see you next pumpkin season and look forward to hearing updates on the Iraqi children from the show.
God Bless!
Sheli, Oklahoma
(Could you tell us how to obtain a copy of the episode?)
Posted on October 14th, 2008 at 4:57 am
MAtt and Amy,
I love you guys but please…. clean your house. Your on national TV and everyone I talk to always talks about how “messy” everything is. Clean it up!!
Posted on October 21st, 2008 at 5:03 am