Checking in with the Chickens...

  This post is dedicated to our Best... the one who always drives, waits patiently while I make 5 trips back into the house for things I forgot, doesn't mind Cheerios all over his brand new car, and plays trivia with me when Peanut falls asleep on a long trip.  I feel so safe with him at the wheel, and I always find myself thinking how happy I am to be his co-pilot on these wonderful adventures.
  It was Friday evening when Best broke the news to me.  We were on a date (thank you Gammie and Papa) and he says, "So I mapped that farm you want to go to tomorrow."  I could tell by the look on his face that it wasn't as close as my estimate.  "It's a little over two hours away".  The next line just sums up why I love him so much.  "Let's go for it babe, I'm game."  Smile.
  So with that said, here is a peek into our amazing day at A-maze-n Farm:

We started off in the big red barn. 

 The goats were friendly and so was Peanut!  So many animals, so little time, ha ha.  Peanut just kept going back and forth to all of the cages and then petting anything he could get his hands on.  These were patient animals.

I think these animals have learned that these big bags in the strollers usually have some sort of treat inside.  Good thing Mama was watching out, or Peanut would've been robbed blind!
Next we headed to the bird house.  The pictures don't do it justice.  It was incredible.  The sign said to watch your step as there were birds EVERYWHERE.  I opted to hold Peanut, we didn't  want any casualties.

Next we found 2 mazes.  A big one and a small one.  It was a nice day, but hot enough that we decided we didn't want to take the chance of getting lost in the big one.  Besides, we had a maze competition in South Dakota on our honeymoon....and I'm hanging onto my title as long as possible!  We did, however, find out that Peanut loves mazes too.  This maze was just his size...not mine I learned as I gave myself quite a bump on the head getting these pictures.  Well worth it.

I don't think he understood that the object was to find a way out, but we sure had fun playing peek-a-boo and sneaking up on each other.  The train was just pulling up when we found our way out, but it wasn't scheduled to depart again for awhile so we decided to save that for a return trip. 

Next we visited the hen house.  There was a definite pecking order and here is a shot of the "Ruler of the Roost". 

I felt like we were under surveillance the whole time but we behaved ourselves.  Ok, maybe someone tried to steal an egg or two... 

We had so much fun with the chickens, but apparently their air conditioner was broken.  We decided it was time to cool off and have a little indoor fun.

Nothing low fat here...Daddy gets the real stuff! (and that day so did Mommy...yum!)

Puppy anyone?  Best has such a soft spot for puppies and Peanut seems to love them too.  I adore them as well, but wasn't the least bit tempted as these pups have a great life at this amazing farm!  

More indoor fun with a Peanut sized tractor and a whole room of bouncers!  Lots of indoor picnic tables too.  This place would be great for a birthday party!  Hmmmnnn...maybe if I chartered a coach bus....
Once we cooled off we headed back outside to play a round of mini-golf.  And why wouldn't there be goats on the golf course?  Last week we had chinchillas at the bookstore.  What a wonderful world. Smile.

I can't say enough good things about this place.  In addition to what is pictured here, there is also a corn pit (Imagine a ball pit with corn!) indoor and outdoor picnic areas with a large playground, a gift store, a huge slide, pony rides, a cafe, and a pedal tractor course.  Not to mention it is family run and they were so kind and made us feel so welcome.  I am looking forward to visiting again in the Fall for pick a pumpkin and then again to build a gingerbread house during the holidays. You can find out more about this gold mine of fun and all their upcoming events here. I feel like we stumbled on a very special place where we will have lots of fun and make tons of memories.  All because our Best said "Let's go for it".  Love you babe.

Oh, and the two hour car ride?  Not a big deal.  We sang to Peanut and played trivia on the way up and here is a glimpse of the trip home...the first 20 mins that is:

I sat in the back and shared a sandwich with Peanut.  He scarfed it down and then it was lights out!
Have a great week friends and family and go ahead and "go for it"...it might be well worth the trip.

The Wild Rumpus

Sometimes you just need to go on a little adventure...perhaps a wild rumpus?  So I googled every possible combination of the words "kids" "free" "fun" "activity" and "educational" in our area...and we came upon a story hour not too close, but we were intrigued and decided to go for it.  I'm glad we did.

and as the sign suggests, it was kind of magical inside...

 we like animals

 of all kinds...(chinchillas)

 and discovering them all over this bookstore made it quite the adventure!

Story time was enchanting.  Lots of kids and moms and cheerios and cheers of fun and lots of frolic.  Peanut danced to the songs and shoveled cereal in his mouth as the stories were read.  Note: We like places that allow snacks. Smile.  It was his first time to do the Hokey Pokey.  Not sure he knew what it was "all about"...ha ha, but he sure had fun!

We saw this written on the sidewalk across the street and decided to continue our adventure in the toy store there.

 

This giant bear blowing bubbles welcomed us inside.

 Pushing this baby was his favorite thing in the whole store!  He kept trying to take out it's pacifier (presumable to claim it for his own) but it was attached.  Eventually he found another baby and just shoved it right on top for a tandem ride.  Maybe he needs a double stroller?

And I was getting hungry by now so we found some lunch

 We sampled the spinach feta bread and honey breadsticks before deciding on a roasted veggie sandwich with hummus. Yum.  Peanut and I found a spot outside in the shade and shared our lunch.

 And wouldn't you know if Peanut noticed an ice cream shop nearby and insisted on a scoop.  wink wink..

Someday Peanut will be able to say, "No Mom, I don't want to share your non-fat banana yogurt. I want chocolate ice cream!" but that wasn't today:

Don't feel bad for him though...turned out he loved it!  

I love places that have entertainment built right in.

 Such a great day.  We stayed and played with some kids, chatted with their mom, and let the grandmas reminisce as they watched us.  I love days like this.

Have a great week friends and family and do something fun with the ones you love.  Hokey pokey anyone?