Down on the Farm

Two weekends ago I put on my big girl pants and loaded three kids in the car for - what I thought would be a 5.5/6hr trip to Madison, Indiana - to see my mom's family. It was actually more of a 7.5hr trip. Or in other words A LONG A$$ TRIP. But - it was worth it! We arrived at my aunt & uncle's farm on Friday evening. My mom was already there, so we al settled in for a fun weekend.

Saturday we had a Colbert family (my grandma's side) reunion at Clifty Falls. Then I drove the kids around Hanover College - because, as Grandpa Jerry will tell you - it's NEVER too early for a visit to Hanover. I will give Hanover credit - gorgeous views of the Ohio River.

We also spend some time celebrating my Grandpa's 87th birthday! I'm so thankful that 3/4 of my grandparents are alive and healthy. My kids will have memories with them and that means SO much to me.

The farm is a VERY fun place for a 5 year old and a 3 year old! See Jack up in that tractor? He got to ride along with Uncle Larry to bale hay. Highlight of his summer!

Josie put on her boots and went to the chicken coop with Aunt Debbie to collect eggs. Surprisingly - she didn't break any!

Even farm girls can strike a pose.

Grandma Shirlee was there to lend a hand. Traveling with 3 kids is crazy. I'm a little crazy.

But - as I said - it was absolutely worth it to see so many people we miss and love.

And on Sunday - I loaded my crew back into the car and drove home. Fortunately it was only 6.5 hours back. Looking forward to our next visit to the farm. But in the meantime - I need to consider getting my pilot's license.

Summer Fun List: A Morning at the Farm

We spent a day at the Domino's Farm in Ann Arbor. It's on our Summer Fun List and it's a great way to spend a morning. Tyson was working from home that day - so it was also a way to give him some "quiet."

The kids fed some pigs, goats, horses, and a donkey.

It was a little overcast, but it wasn't busy. We had fun running around. Jack asked approximately 175 questions while we were there. He's in a very inquisitive stage.

We sat down for a snack, said goodbye to our farm friends, and headed back to Northville.

More Farm, More Ice Cream

Monday night I was sitting at the computer working when I received an email from Jack's teacher. It was titled: FIELD TRIP TOMORROW. I panicked. Pregnancy Brain (yes, that's a real thing) had struck again. I was SURE the field trip was Thursday. Nope. I immediately contacted Josie's sitter and  - PHEW - she was scheduled to come Tuesday. Seems I gave her a date "May 13" from the permission slip... So all Tuesday plans were scrapped and Jack & I headed to the Kensington Park Farm.

There were TONS of new baby animals to meet! Jack got to pet a baby pigmy goat and a lamb. We also saw a bunch of ducklings, piglets, and a calf.

This is the Draft Horse, Mary. She came out to say hello - but her boyfriend, Max, didn't.  Jack learned that horses wear shoes...which he thought was hilarious.

The Dairy Cow, Pearl. Fabulous name. Jack really liked her.

It was a muggy day and these pigs were enjoying the coolness of the mud. Interesting pig fact: their gestation period is 3 months, 3 weeks, and 3 days.

As we pulled out of the MetroPark there just happened to be a Dairy Queen. Jack didn't see it, but I did! We stopped for a pre-lunch treat...because Mommy & Jack dates are rare & they deserve to be special. Tyson asked Jack what the best part of his field trip was and he said, "Ice Cream!" For the record, I did make it a "teachable moment" by reminding him that ice cream comes from milk, and milk comes from cows - like Pearl. See - it was actually educational.

Busy Saturday

Saturday morning was Jack's 2nd soccer game! We were all happy to have warmer temps this time around. Jack played well and had fun! {seriously, how awesome is the pink skirt on the soccer field?}

After soccer we decided to take an adventure with Grandma Nancy to a nearby farm. We got to see lots of animals!

Nancy made friends with a llama. They chatted. I still think she should have taken him home. Denny would love having a llama friend around.

Jack got into a "conversation" with a hen & a rooster. It was hilarious. The hen would cluck, the rooster would cock-a-doodle-doo, and Jack would talk to both of them.

After a nice lunch out in Northville, we treated ourselves to some Mother's Day ice cream. Definitely a fun, but busy day!

Down on the Farm {Part 2}

Saturday morning we woke up to find that one of the cows was having a baby...in the field...by herself. {apparently this is common for cows} I couldn't help it, my mommy instincts made me feel for this mama cow. Uncle Larry reported that the feet were out. No big deal. He sat down and ate some breakfast. By the time we got out to the field, the baby was standing up and her mama was giving her a "cow tongue bath." Talk about amazing. We left the mama and her baby - and headed off to North Vernon for the Farmer's Market.

The afternoon brought rain and a tractor ride for Jack. He was in heaven. We also "helped out" with feeding and Jack rode on the four-wheeler...again, in heaven. Uncle Larry was his new best friend.

 Oh look - I got in a couple pictures! {Thanks, mom!}

Jack may not look excited about riding the tractor & the four wheeler - don't be fooled. He talked about it the whole way back to Michigan. He also asked when he could go back to The Farm...

My answer: "When Aunt Debbie, Uncle Larry, and Grandpa Walker recover from our visit...it may take a while."

Down on the Farm {Part1}

When I was little, I always got SO excited to take a trip down to Southern Indiana to see my family on their farm. This past weekend, I took Jack and Josie down to The Farm and they had a blast! My mom came along for some {much needed} support.

Josie met a real cow - face to face. Her name was Sissy and it was love at first sight. Jack collected the chicken eggs from the hen house. His first attempt at "placing" an egg in the bucket was a failure. He learned quickly that he couldn't slam dunk them.

This was Josie's second time meeting my grandpa...and she thought he was pretty great. I think the feeling was mutual.

Our first day on the farm included: ride on the mule (not a donkey), visits with cows, feeding the horses, collecting eggs, peeing outside {Jack}, playing with Chad's old tractors, eating pizza, and a good night's sleep.

My kids were still in everyone's {mainly my own} good graces...and yes, peeing outside on The Farm is perfectly acceptable, as long as he doesn't carry this over to peeing in our front yard {like he did a few weeks ago}.

More from The Farm coming tomorrow...

We're heading South

The kids and I are heading south today. We have some people to visit…we may visit some cows, pigs, and horses, too…but mainly people. Pretty important people - who my kids don't see enough. So if you're looking for us this weekend make your way to Commiskey. We'll be on the farm.

Josie did some light reading to study up on farm animals. She's kind of obsessed with them.

If you have a second - stop by Mumbling Mommy today to see my post on Educated Birth! I promise I don't get too graphic (but I will, if you want me to).

Domino's Petting Farm

Yesterday the kids and I took a little trip to the Domino's Petting Farm. It is about 12 minutes from our house and I'd read that it was a fun place for kids.

Josie and Jack loved feeding carrots to the goats. Josie tried a few and thought they were pretty good.

We took a hayride and saw some piglets. Seriously. How cute it that guy?

Aside from a few "toddler moments" - it was a fun morning! I think our next visit to the farm will be an exclusive event to Uncle Larry & Aunt Debbie's farm in Commiskey.