Fun on the farm

This morning we went on a field trip to Homestead Farms in Keller with the NISD Family Involvement program. I've never heard of Homestead Farms and I've probably passed by it about a dozen times. It's definitely hidden away if you don't know what you're looking for. Ethan LOVES his books and youtube videos with animals so I figured he'd enjoy going.

When we first got there, as usual, he was pretty overwhelmed by all the people and so much going on. He kinda stood back and took it all in. But then he saw the chickens and went running over trying to make little chicken noises. He spent a lot of time just watching them, until we noticed there were little baby chicks and we got to hold one.

They had an area where kids could plant a seed. He just wanted to play with the shovel and dirt so I let him get dirty for a little while before we headed over to see the goats. As usual, he got distracted by anything with wheels. He saw the tractor and went running for it, then tried to pull it.

At first he was a little scared of the goats and kept hiding by me and wanting to be held, esp when they'd come really close to him to say hi. But once we got over by the smaller baby goats, he got a bit more comfortable. He kept pointing and squealing and even ended up petting them. I loved seeing his smiles as they would pop their heads out.

When we were getting ready to head out, we saw the hayride was about to start so we decided we might as well do that too. It was only $1 a piece so why not? Make sure you bring some singles with you so you can take a ride around the farm. He wasn't too into the hayride since he's so little, but it gave us a nice break to sit down and chat with other moms.

The farm also has a bunch of goodies to buy. This is always a fave for me since you get to try different things and support local businesses. The farm itself has goats milk, fruits/veggies, and meats. But they also have stuff from other vendors in the area too, like local honey, granola, salsas and jams. My fave was "In a Pickle" foods. They had a booth so you could try samples first-always a plus. We loved every kind we tried, but ended up buying the Apple Bourbon Cinnamon and the Lemony Pear Vanilla Bean since they were soo delicious and they had unique flavors. I also got a jar of sweet and spicy pickles for Josh. When I was checking out the store, I also grabbed some Chipolte Corn Salsa from Renfro foods for Josh. He loves his salsa.

We only ended up staying for about an hour, but we had a blast. I loved seeing him warm up to the animals and experience something new. We've taken him to the zoo a few times, but he was really little and didn't really know about animals yet. Also loved getting to meet some new people and getting some new treats from local places. I'm so glad we found out about the NISD program since it's getting Ethan used to other kids and learning with hands on play.

Here's a link to Homestead Farms
The yummy stuff we bought from In A Pickle
And the salsa from Mrs. Renfro's

Easy peasy

Every once in awhile I have some great, easy days with the little guy that I finally start feeling like I really have this parenting thing down. He sleeps in, we have good meals, we're all smiling and happy everywhere we go, etc. 

The last 2 days have been the easy days. He slept in (til 10 today!), we had lunch, did errands all over while without complaints, we danced through the store, we played at the park and the backyard, he took naps like a champ, and went to bed quickly. These are all amazing things to me since most days rarely seem this easy. 

Errands can be fun some days!

Swings and smiles

These are the days that make me think, hey maybe I'm not so crazy to be having another one soon. Maybe I will be able I handle 2 under 2 keeping some of my sanity. They are the days that make me wonder why some days are so much harder. So hard that I dream of being back at work or school so I can get some "alone" time and think I'm not cut out for the stay at home mom gig.

I wish I had the slightest idea what makes  a happy child some days and a terror child the next so that I could make them all be like this. I'm trying to brace myself for tomorrow when he'll likely be back to a crankerpants. We are supposed to get rain which usually makes him cranky for some reason. 

But for now, I'm just enjoying these happy, easy days for a change. Sitting outside as he plays at his water table, splashing happily. Cross your fingers we start getting more days like this. It's fun not going crazy for a change.

Even the dog is happy!