Amy's Farm

Today we dropped Simon off at Grandma's house and the three older kids and I drove our hour to my favorite place on Earth... almost... Amy's Farm in Ontario. Okay, well, maybe it's not my favorite, but it sure is close. Last time we went to the farm we didn't enjoy it too much thanks to a windstorm, a very macabre character who told us any rather gory detail about the animals around the farm, and a dry-erase board blown up by the wind. As it turns out dry-erase boards can do major damage to an eight year old's forehead. (Sorry, Johnny! We love you!) Today, I weeded, no sand was blown in my eyes and the day did not end with a trip to Urgent Care, so I count it a day well done!

The farm was beautiful as always.

See the weeds? Darn right you don't! Because I weeded the heck out of these green onions for a good hour! I was a weeding machine! I love weeding. I don't particularly care for the spiders one finds while weeding the jungles of overgrown cilantro, but there is something about uprooting unwanted plants that just brings me satisfaction.

Farmer Randy holds a Bible study every noon. Today there were seven adults and nine children. We read a section of John, prayed, read two old blessings, and sang. There is something deeply precious about the place, the room, the people, and the simple children songs dripping with truth.

I can't figure out how to move pictures into their proper order, so consider this an "artsy" post as I jump around on my timeline. Here is an irritated Alynna (wearing two different colored socks) putting on boots (her third pair of shoes that morning). The picture was taken by an equally irritated mother.

Math was the only official book work done that day. Simon colored in Nathan's math book while Nathan was in the bathroom. Notice Simon's notebook sitting lonely in the middle of the table? Yeah, he chose the workbook and colored every zero he could fine a bright green.

I nearly forgot I had a DVD player in the car! This morning I dusted off the buttons, popped in a Life DVD, and the kids were at the farm before they knew it. Once at the farm Nathan befriended a wonderful man named Jeff. Jeff spent the entire day digging up his foe, Bermuda grass, from the walkway flower bed. It was serious physical labor. Nathan spend almost the entire time with Jeff asking him questions, telling him about our dinner plans, and at one point he just stated the obvious about saying simply, "I talk a lot." Kaeley also enjoyed wrestling with the deeply rooted grass. She harvested a bit and weeded. Alynna did a little bit of everything. They worked like I had never seen them work before! Maybe when I need the playroom cleaned I'll just hand them a shovel.

This is on the way home, which took an hour and a half. It was a very long ride. The kids watched another Life movie and a half. Alynna tried hanging in there for the whole cinematic event, but finally couldn't take it any more. Somehow she finds that sleeping position do-able.

Now they're all in bed asleep, the fresh organic vegetables are in the kitchen waiting their pending doom at dinner tomorrow, and Brad and I are holding our tummies in pain wondering why it is we ate so much at Soup Plantation.