A Grammie's Heart

There is no doubt in my mind that kids and farms are a match made in heaven. 

 And there is nothing that pleases me more than to watch my precious Littles as they roam our acreage with nothing more than their imaginations!

We had Mackenzie and Easton with us Thursday evening through Saturday evening.  Because we missed our summer vacation at the beach with our family last summer because of Covid, I had wanted to plan some special day trips with the Littles this summer.  

Friday we took them to a wonderful little amusement park, not-too-far from us. 

 It is the perfect family destination - a cool, woodsy setting- not crowded, and rides payed for with tickets that never expire (we still had some tickets left from when Tyler was little.). 

Without paying an admission fee, there is no need to stay all day to get one's money's worth.  

With children of a younger age, an entire day at an amusement park is overwhelming and exhausting... often resulting in someone having a melt-down by day's end.

  So, spending just a couple hours riding some rides ends up being the perfect day.  We all had a blast, and none of us was worn out by the day!

In fact - we spent the evening playing outside in the mud (it had rained quite hard during the latter part of the afternoon.)  It is no surprise that the two of them had to be hosed down before I could take them into the house for tubbies.

Saturday we gave the kids the option of going on another adventure- to a cave, or a reptile zoo with a dinosaur exhibit (Easton loves dinosaurs right now), or staying home and playing on the farm.

Can you guess which option they both picked?

Yes... that's right... staying home on the farm was the most desirable choice - 

which made my Grammie heart happy.


Anna's little girls came for a play date, and all of the girls wanted matching hair.   We French-braided, and added daisies and coneflowers....  "princess hair", they called it.

We picked blueberries to share for lunch

 and followed berry picking with a picnic in the picnic pavilion.

Meanwhile, Hubbs practiced a little cat meditation with Yogi Griz.

At one point, Mackenzie remarked that "we never watch TV here on the farm...we're always too busy playing."  Another comment that made my Grammie heart smile.

The day was filled with the simplest of adventures... something that I fear our children, these days, don't get enough of.  

Having the ability to run free and play out in the fresh air with friends is what childhood is all about (in my humble opinion.) 


 I am so grateful that I can give these experiences to those that I love.

It's a good reminder even for myself that it's the little things in life that mean the most.  Staying home and enjoying simple pleasures brings me much joy.

Sunday I did just that.  The dogs and I walked the edge of the woods picking raspberries...

and I made berry jam.

I baked zucchini bread with chocolate chips and nuts....

did the laundry, and worked on a knitting project.  Sunday was cloudy and cool.  Birdsongs filled the air all day long, as pollinators floated from blossom to blossom.

A perfect summer day to top off a wonderful summer weekend with the Littles.

I can think of no better weekend than that.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Perfect weekend with your family!
jaz@octoberfarm said…
when these kids are adults, i just know their best childhood memories will be of the time they spent on the farm.
I have to agree! There is nothing better then fresh air an lots of time playing outdoors away from electronics. My best childhood memories involve friends and being out in the woods building a fort, eating lunch outside, playing ball, riding bikes, climbing trees and sleeping well because we were tuckered out at the end of the day. Summertime was best! It's the little things that makes our hearts happy!
Marcia LaRue said…
A glorious weekend that will be long remembered by your Littles!
Love those braids and, you have to admit, the girls did look like princesses!! So cute!
Love the Yogi Griz and Hubs picture ... so doggone cute!
Thanks for sharing another weekend on the farm with the rest of us!!
Sounds like a great weekend. You are very blessed.
phyllis Schmitz said…
Lovely post as always, thank you.
This N That said…
Perfect..Fun for all...It's the little things....Hugs
Wanda Devers said…
When my son was small we ended up with a load of topsoil dumped in our back yard--can't remember why. Anyway the kids loved it and I would let them hose it down for a slide and a mud hole. We had an outside water connection with warm water so I hosed them off every day & they liked that almost as much as the mud hill. Eventually my brother-in-law scooped it up and moved it for use somewhere. My 35 yr old son still hasn't really forgiven him and will occasionally remind his uncle about stealing his mud slide.

The braids are beautiful! I used to try to braid my nieces hair when she was little but her hair was so smooth it would immediately come loose but we both had fun trying. Little kid's hair is wonderful--smells and looks so lovely.
littlemancat said…
Wonderful post - so full of joy. Love the photos,and wondering if it was Dutch Wonderland amusement park?
Mary
What a lovely post today from your weekend. What fun you had with your precious littles! You always come up with so many fun things to do. I love reading your blog, enjoying the commentary and wonderful pictures. No more talk of cicadas...they must really be gone! What a relief for you to hear the beautiful sounds of summer once again. mmm your zucchini loaf looks so good, now I'm thinking about baking something!!!
Oh gosh....forgot to mention how much I loved the flowery princess braids on all the girls! Beautiful!
Lynne said…
Perfect . . .
Looks like fun for everyone!
THE BEARDED ONE said…
WOW....THESE PICS AND THE SUPERE ACTIVIES ARE GREAT...WE HAVE NOT HAD AN INTERNET FOR 5 DAYS...SO I AM WAY BEHIND...I SURE LOVE THESE ...SO WONDERFFUL...KEEP SMILING !!!


EDGAR C. BEARD