We’ve been home from Idaho for a week, and yet I still feel as though I’m cycling through laundry and mail…and pictures! Coming home from vacation and facing reality is always the hardest part.
We were in Idaho for a month – going for that long, you don’t feel as though you have to go – go – go every single day to fit everything in. Instead we could relax, hang out and look forward to an activity two days away. It’s my favorite way to do it. The weather was beautiful. So beautiful, we had to wait towards the end of our time to run through sprinklers and do slip and slides so it was warm enough for our Arizona-blood children.
We bought some thick painter’s plastic and put it on a hill with water running down it. I thought it would be plenty long enough…but by putting it on a hill, the kids gained speed and eventually the plastic ran out and the kids ended up in the grass. Mud and grass and everything dirty – made for happy kids.
I also called on a friend who’s parents own a dairy farm in the area for a little field trip. Call my kids sheltered, but they had never seen a cow up close. (They don’t often have cows at zoos) They also didn’t know exactly where milk came from. We changed that and they may never grab a glass of milk again! Hunter’s face was pure confusion when they explained the process and showed him cows being hooked up to a pumping station. He looked at me for confirmation of the tall tale the bearded man was telling him! Bennett was more concerned with the cows that were relieving themselves right at eye level; he was too funny to watch. I told them when I was a girl I stayed the night at this dairy and in the morning we had fresh warm milk with breakfast – that’s when my dislike for milk was born! First question that came out of their mouths – the milk was warm?? Perhaps it’s better to let them think there’s a faucet in the back of Walmart that creates the milk!
This particular dairy farm had far more animals than just cows and we got to see it all. Kittens, pigs, chickens, turkeys, horses…it was a regular petting zoo and my kids were in heaven.
Hunter will tell you this was one of his favorite days of the whole trip. He would’ve stayed in that barn all afternoon searching for more kittens if I would’ve let him! I can only imagine the mischief and fun he would have if I gave him full-reign to explore the property for an entire day! He was made to explore.
