Old McDonald Had a Farm, EIEIO!

It was my turn to teach Joy School and the theme was "Farms." The kids really got into this lesson making animal sounds, galloping around like ponies with scarves as their tails, and creating farm animal puppets so they could sing "Old McDonald" over and over again! All of us moms were excited to surprise them with a visit to Wheeler Farms as a field trip the next day. It was awesome! Here are some highlights...

In the car on the way over, Emily used her pretend phone to call Grandma and tell her that she was going to the farm. She's so spontaneous sometimes, it kills me! :) I'll be driving along and hear her talking to somebody or something, so I'll turn around and find her "on the phone" in a very serious conversation with Grandma or Etta or Beau the dog or whoever! The other day, she "called" Elyse and said, "Your mommy, Miss Taffy (Kathy)...she go walking with my mommy, otay (okay)? You miss her? Me too. Otay, good bye." It reminded me of my cousin Karen's little guy, Ethan, who has similar "conversations" with Buzz Lightyear! Kids are so funny, aren't they? I love it!
Here's Ems chasing the ducks. This was, by far, her favorite part of the farm! She ran around just giggling and giggling...running after the ducks and finding it hilarious that they ran when she ran... too cute!
Jon and Gibson loved watching Etta and Emily chase after those funny ducks!
The tree house was a hit! The girls climbed up to the top, and then would peek out the windows and say, "Hi mommy! Look at me!" to each of their moms. It was funny! Here's Emily with Salote and Elyse climbing back down, ready to go enjoy more of the farm. We had such a great time on the farm! I just wish I had more pictures to share, but it was one of those days that I was enjoying myself as much as the kids, so I didn't take as many shots with the camera. I usually take pictures on the tractor ride, but just as we were all seated on the wagon, ready to go, the tractor engine started with an especially loud roar and freaked Emily out! She jumped up, crying, and ran for the stairs to climb off the wagon, when I jumped up after her and all the moms yelled, "Stop the tractor! Don't go yet!" Luckily, I was able to swoop her up in my arms as she hit the bottom step. I then tried to calm her down and convince her that "It's not scary. It's fun, I promise"...I don't know if she ever believed me. Strange enough, she usually loves the tractor ride, but obviously this time was different. You have to have a little drama on every field trip with kids, right?

After visiting all the animals, even the darling baby chicks :) we sat down at a picnic table and enjoyed a yummy lunch together. I loved spending time with my friends, away from the noises of the big city, and just enjoying country life a bit. What a good day!