As soon as I saw on the school calendar that spring break was 2 weeks long, I knew exactly where we were headed!!! A place for endless fun and entertainment...plus great company and low rates...a trip to the farm was just the thing!!! And the weather could not have been more spectacular. We were literally outside for 6 straight days and enjoyed every minute of it.
We headed down on Monday morning...it was just the kids and me since Tod sadly had to work. They were really good on the drive, and we arrived by late afternoon ready for a week on fun.
And it was indeed, a week of fun...the weather was so warm...in fact, I really should have packed shorts and t-shirts...instead, we cut off the pants we brought, because some days it felt like the middle of summer.
Some of the things we enjoyed most-
Riding the 4 wheeler...since all the kids wanted rides all day long and Tod wasn't with us, I had to step up and be the driver. And I did just fine...except when I took Jordan out to the very back field and we ran out of gas and had to hike all the way back wearing flip flops...and how on the last day we discovered that the brakes had gone out probably from over use...but other than that, I did just great!
Horses!! The older girls are getting to where they need to learn how to take care of the horses and saddle them for riding. Grandpa is a great teacher.
Ashton was able to ride without a rope in the round corral. She is becoming a natural.
Jordan is getting more confident, too.
Regan and Cole are still just along for the ride.
The swing in the barn is always fun!
On Wednesday, our former neighbors came up to visit us. It was so good to see them, as we miss them SO much. We had a picnic by the pond and just enjoyed hanging out together again!
On Thursday, we headed to the city to see the new bike bridge that was just built. It was really neat as you can now walk up and see out across the river. I have to put in a word here about cousins...my kids LOVE Kayla and Leah. And they are always so good about hanging out with us when we come down...I get to enjoy seeing Megan (and Jerimy too!), and the kids just play endlessly together. It is such a gift.
Cole man was totally exhausted when we got back...I don't know why since I carried him most of the way. But he loved his nap in the hammock with Grandma.
Grandpa needed some help on Friday hauling wood and everyone got right to work. All week the girls had been working on earning extra money for some things they want to buy. Grandpa was a good sport and gave them a list of chores and what each was worth. It was quite impressive to see how hard they were working...like little worker bees...I wish they would work that hard for me...maybe it's because Grandpa pays better!
On our last night there, we went fishing at the pond. This was a new experience for the kids, and it required patience and stillness...hard to come by, but so much fun! It was a beautiful evening.
Some other things to remember- going to the pet store and being greeted by a huge box turtle walking around, ice cream sundaes at McDonald's, eating dinner outside, studying the stars in the sky, hanging laundry out to dry, endless Disney channel.
I know I say it a lot, but every time we go to the farm, I always feel so lucky to have such an amazing place to retreat to. It is a place where we can go to get away from everything and to spend time together with people we love. It is a place to be with grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles. Every day the kids came inside covered in dirt, filthy and exhausted from a day spent running around outside.
That is so hard to come by sometimes in our busy life, and to me, it seems priceless!
