This week was 'Farm Days' at Oregon Dairy. Julie & I planned on taking our kids together, but as luck would have it every time we schedule anything there, the forecast went from sunny to rainy and cold. So, we re-scheduled yesterday's plans for today... only after a rough day for them yesterday, she decided today wasn't going to work after all. I tried my sister who wasn't interested with all she already had going on, and my mom who also had no interest. But, Grandpa Georgia is always up for an adventure! He came right over when I called and away we went to the Farm. Here he is standing in line with Caleb. We got a great parking spot - they directed us to the last one on the end of the aisle facing out, which was perfect for leaving.
The first thing the boys saw were the tractors. They were excited! Joshua really wanted to ride on the blue tractor, but at the last minute it was full and we were the first ones on the yellow tractor. Thankfully, even though there were TONS of people there, the staff was well-prepared and all the lines moved really quickly.
Soon we were off to the other side of the farm. We went through the cow 'barn' and the man on the microphone told us all about how much energy is produced, how much cows eat and drink in a day, how much milk they produce, why they look lean, etc. Joshua's favorite 'blue' tractor followed us through this area, so he got to see it even though we weren't in the wagon behind it. Here's a view from our seats.
Once they dropped us off, we went into the exhibit area with the little baby animals. Joshua held a tiny yellow chick. He wasn't afraid and he was extremely gentle with it. Caleb got to pet the one Joshua held, and both boys were in awe. One little girl in that circle dropped her chick to the floor. Yikes! I was glad Joshua was extremely careful. Since I was keeping a close eye on both of them with my hands out to help, I didn't take any pictures, but it's a precious memory in my mind. Here's a picture that Dad tried to take of us in front of a big tractor - the boys weren't all that excited for pictures, though. Haaa!!!
Next we saw baby piglets and some calves and a few eggs still incubating with feathers starting to peer out of one cracked one.
They also had a display where you could 'milk' the cow, which cracked me up. The cow was painted on wood, and there were hidden buckets with fake rubber udders that children would pull on and they would squirt water. It was hysterical!
Unfortunately, Joshua's beloved corn tables were completely full of kids and kids waiting, so we decided to move on. Daddy's little ingenious copy of the idea with the corn, etc in the covered box on our back porch does the job and keeps them happy. Joshua was in awe of this little fountain as we walked away from that area. We also washed our hands with soap and water when we left that exhibit area.
Then we saw the barrel rides, and Joshua asked to go on them. I said okay, why not? I didn't think Caleb was old enough, so he stayed with me & Grandpa while Joshua had a blast. We got in the never-ending line and waited and waited and waited. Then one woman behind us in line pushed her two children (who looked to be about 8ish or so) in front of Joshua. And while I was furious (who in their right mind is mean to an adorable 3-year-old boy?!?!?! Grrr...), for the first time in my life I kept my mouth shut. I thought to myself, what lesson is she teaching her kids? How can people behave that way? And yet, what good does it do to 'beat my gums' about it? If I want to be a true demonstration of Jesus to my children, walking with grace for others is the first step. I then thought to myself, what am I teaching my kids by my reaction, one way or another? Originally, these two children stepped over Joshua at the prompting of their mother or grandmother (I wasn't sure which, honestly) and took the last two rides of that particular train and then we were going to have to wait through yet another round. I was annoyed, but I kept telling myself waiting a little while longer was not going to be a big deal. But, then they climbed in together at the last minute, much to their guardian's displeasure, and Joshua got the open car behind them. He was so excited! And I was happy for him and didn't let someone's pushiness ruin my attitude for the day. I didn't even think about them again until now. As I get older, I realize that we can't let circumstances (especially little ones like these) steal our joy. Look at my little Bean smile!!! He was thrilled to be there!
I didn't realize how long this ride was - they really went out around the whole area. I gave Joshua instructions to stay seated no matter what and hold onto that steering wheel. He excitedly agreed, and I'm comfortable with him obeying instructions at this age, where I feared Caleb may try to escape half way through and get hurt. In another year or so, I'll allow him to ride, too.
Joshua had a blast! He called this barrel ride "little tractors" and told me how much fun he had on the little tractors!
You can see him above in the red barrel, which matched his red Lightning McQueen shirt. He decided against the other little ride where he could pedal around in a little tractor (a 'real' one this time) and instead we caught the last few minutes of the puppet show.
Next, we waited in line to get samples of ice cream, which both kids loved! Caleb wore a majority of his chocolate cone. Then I got them each samples of chocolate milk. They were in heaven! We ran into Anthony's dad there, who talked to us for awhile in the tent. Then, Grandpa bought the boys a hot dog to share (Caleb ate some of the meat and Joshua ate the roll), and we decided that it was a good time to start heading out. While there was still more to do, it was getting extremely close to nap time, and Joshua told us that he was tired.
We waited in line for the tractor ride back to the original part, and then I went and got our chicken dinners while Grandpa stayed with the kids on the playground. Today was just beautiful - upper 70s, sunny and a gorgeous breeze that makes you feel good to be alive!
We had a fun morning out. Thanks for coming along, Grandpa Georgia!
The first thing the boys saw were the tractors. They were excited! Joshua really wanted to ride on the blue tractor, but at the last minute it was full and we were the first ones on the yellow tractor. Thankfully, even though there were TONS of people there, the staff was well-prepared and all the lines moved really quickly.
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