A Day on the Farm

Last Thursday we visited a local farm with our Moms group. I was unsure of how to handle both kids on my own and manage my Nikon--it probably qualifies as a 3rd child! Thankfully the farm was small enough that even Moo could run around and enjoy her independence without making my heart drop to my knees. Since there weren't very many of us, we got a nice, small tour of the farm and there was plenty of interaction between the kids and the animals. It was perfect for the toddlers--and the mommies! There were hoards of flies, however, which Dman has quite a fear of. I think after our time there, he has pretty much conquered his phobia...or at least learned to ignore them!

We got to walk through the garden and see how radishes and potatoes grow underground, and there was a "pizza" garden filled with all sorts of Italian herbs for cooking. The orange blossoms on the orange tree smelled heavenly, and the grapefruits were near to bursting off their branches. Our guide, Miss Amy, allowed the children to pick rosemary off the bush, and one smart cookie noted that it smells like "Christmas trees."

After the garden, we met Cinnamon--a newborn calf, about a week old. My Moo was ok with petting and standing near this baby; afterall, she was in a small pen and very quiet and docile. But that's pretty much where Miss M drew the line at being amicable with the farm animals. We got to feed lettuce to a pig--aptly named Wilbur--and then enter the goat pen. Moo freaked! There were 2 sheep and several goats, both kids and adults. I was trying to let Moo get used to being around the animals on her level, making her stand right by me (ok, ok...I wanted to get pics of Dman with the goats!). But all of a sudden her whimpers turned into a startled squeal, and I looked down to see the most precious black-and-white baby goat happily nibbling away on Moo's hair. So much for being brave! After that I held Moo in one arm and wielded my Nikon with the other hand. Thankfully Dman was comfortable around the animals and cautiously petted them. Then again, they weren't trying to eat his hair!

After visiting the goats, the kids got to bottle-fed calves in the "nursery." Since Moo wouldn't have anything to do with animals after the goat incident, we let Dman feed 2 calves. From there we visited Tina, the cow, and 2 old horses. Dman was a sport and gently rubbed the cow and one of the horses on their noses. I tried to get Moo to pet them, but she tried to craw into my shirt instead. That tiny goat ruined her for the bigger, more docile animals! The bunnies were next--no major freak-out here since they were smaller than Moo...and in cages. But she did try to dig out handfuls of rabbit feed from their troughs!

After washing our hands and running laps around a chicken coop (come on, who doesn't love that?), we picnicked quietly with the flies and then headed home...again, with a few flies. I was so happy with how much Dman interacted and enjoyed his farm experience. He can be so cautious and reserved when he's in new situations, but he jumped in there and tried everything! I think it would be fun to go back in the fall and pick pumpkins there. But next on the list is another farm...this time with only produce to contend with!

Running laps around the coop!

















Moo plays with the hay bale.

















Dman feeds a calf.