Canadian Farm Adventure

I was told, when we arrived home, that "The chicken didn't bite my sock, Mommy!" See, mommy's do know a thing or two about the farm. I just had this gut feeling that the chicken wouldn't bite his sock - and it didn't.

And when asking both kids what the highlight of the day was, they enthusiastically shouted, "Riding Izzy/Horsey Ride."

Our farm day was so much fun. Our host, Mrs. Mary, was delightful. She most certainly loved children and loved sharing her farm life with us.

Our vehicle of choice for our adventures was this zippy ATV {all-terrain-vehicle for you non-farm people ... smile}:

Mom and Mary.

Oh, by the way, this is one serious farm. It's a privately-owned beef farm that holds anywhere from 2300-3000 cows at one time. Probably 5 barns. Lots of tractors. Just such a great way for us "city folk" to get in touch with our "inner-farm" side.

This was my personal favorite cow. I just wanted to 'squeeze' him. That is, until I smelled him. Oh mercy. Hold your breath and RUN.

See what Betsy is stepping in below? Ya. I'm pretty sure THAT'S what we were smelling. Jackson kept saying, "Go, now, Mommy. Yucky."
The chicken coop where Jackson did NOT get bit.
And now ... drum roll, please ....

Meet IZZY.

The HIGHLIGHT of our day, er, I mean, decade.

Maddie got on first, and while she was just a bit nervous to begin with, she quickly got used to the feel of riding and absolutely LOVED it. Honestly, she could have ridden all day long.

She is CONVINCED that we could have "just a little pony" in our back yard. "It would fit, Mommy. I KNOW it would," were the last words out of her mouth as she fell into bed. Have you SEEN our back-yard, people? It's the size of a postage stamp.

And Jackson, who was terrified of the farm puppy that came up to his knees, could HARDLY wait until his turn. He LOVED Izzy and was not scared for one second. Not one little second. {Oh, and the horse is 14 hands high - that's HUGE for a little 2-almost-3-year-old}

Jackson's version of cowboy boots:

Oh, and here's some boy humour. So we got the horse into the barn to saddle her up and it let out a major, um, how shall we say, B.M. Well, without missing a beat, Jackson burst into laughter and YELLED at the top of his little lungs ... "POOPY." {Amidst serious fits of laughter.}

What IS it with boys and bodily functions? I will never understand. Never.

Once again, I was reminded of the simple things in life. Those little things, really. Maddie and Jackson didn't need us to spend fifty bucks at Chuck E. Cheese. They didn't need us to buy the latest gadget they'd toss under the couch in about a week {if not sooner}. They just needed to be outdoors, having an adventure, trying something new. Making memories.

Just riding a horse ...zipping through the open field on an ATV... and taking in the fresh scent of eau de manure. Nothing better my friends ... nothing better.

Thanks, Mrs. Mary, for an incredible gift of simple fun and joyful memories. My kids won't soon forget their trip to the Canadian farm, thanks to your generous heart and gift of time and sharing what you've been given.

OH ...

And Alice, this one's for you ...

Ba-kok!