Farm Visit

What a lovely family (among a WHOLE WARD full of lovely families) we were so blessed to spend time around yesterday! I learned about a "farm visit" possibility the first Sunday I was in my new Ward. And they keep GOATS! I was SO excited about the possibility of bringing my girls to a farm with goats, so I made sure to talk to the sister I'd heard was having the visiting days. She was! And she was so super kind and helpful, to boot! She drew me a map, gave me her card, and told me she would be happy to have me at any time I'd like to come on either day.

Well, I was planning, from the get-go, to visit on Friday, but I woke Friday morning feeling like pooh! Seriously. I felt just wonky. So, no go for the Golly Girls. Thankfully, I'd kept my trap shut about the specific day of the plan to the girls. Thankfully, also, Jessie didn't mention it to them that morning! We made the trip Saturday morning. What a blessing cruddy feelings can be! Come to find out, my friend had another family visit for milking time (which, OF COURSE, is when I HAD to be there!) on Friday. The funny thing about that is that lots of families talk about coming to the farm on visit days for the milking hour (8am), but don't. I think my friend even said no one had come yet. But this year she had one family on each day! So, our visit NOT working out Friday was really for the best. Had we been there, we would have simply extended the whole process overmuch for the goats and, perhaps our hosting family. His ways are not our ways... but they are GLORIOUS! How well he knows EACH of us is just miraculous. And such instances, when I can see them, are JUST such a treasure!

It was just wonderful. The girls got to enjoy milking! I got to try it, too! We also saw some geese, chickens, baby goats, a couple dogs, and a couple pet rats (as well as some pet birds). Pretty neat, right!?

How could such an awesome adventure get better? I will tell you true, it DID! The hubby side of my friends took my girls to his workshop (with Mama in tow, of course) and invited them to pick out a toy! Yes, you read that right. He GAVE them each a toy. There were some amazingly lovely horses, some giraffes, some planes, as well as some elephants. If I was a little girl, I would've picked one of the ponies. They were just painted SO pirdy! ;) My girls chose a herd of something. Wanna guess what? Well, planes don't fly in herds... do they? ;) Giraffes? Well, I'm not sure if their family groups are referred to as herds. But I do remember watching a Discovery show (ages ago) in which a group of elephants was referred to as a herd. How they can be a herd, I'm not quite sure... they are just too gargantuan to be a herd - at least to my way of thinking. But that's what my girls chose. Each one chose an elephant. So, we have three adorable wooden elephants on wheels!

I don't think anything could top that for a Saturday morning. Wanna know what the girls (particularly Ria) have talked about the most? The food. OH! I forgot to mention it, didn't I? How could I... with a chef as a hubby... SLAP my hand!

Well, my friends put out crackers, gave us homemade goats' milk cheese handmade by the Mama of my friend! And MAN! That cheese is the kind one would rather eat off a spoon than spend on a cracker! (At least if that "one" is me.) That cheese is knock-your-socks-off GOOD! Seriously. My favorite was the horseradish. I think Ria's favorite was the Ranch. Kat and Tea's faves? Any - so long as you gave them more of it! ^_^ My friend also gave us tastes of plain milk, chocolate milk, yogurt, and ICE CREAM. The last is probably the greatest hit with my girls since they really don't get that kind of thing often. My friend also gave us some goats' milk to take home, AS WELL AS TWO duck eggs and a chicken egg (for comparison purposes). My friend LOVES her ducks and it didn't take us much to understand why... though her chicken's egg was basically the same size as the duck egg, the flavor was a bit nicer on the duck egg and the shell as well as the yolk color were definitely cooler. ^_^ It was all really wonderful! What a gift, right?

On top of sharing their lives with us for a few hours Saturday morning, my friends sent to me the pictures they took of us. How nice of them right? Yes, I thought so! I'm so grateful for such efforts of love and kindness! They are SUCH a treasure to me. So, if you have an invite, hop on over to the other blog and check out the few pictures of my greatest treasures (my girls, of course!). If not, check out these awesome extras my friends shared with me! ^_^

The bird coop.

Well, except for the geese.

One of the two farm dogs watchin' a hen.

Geese.

Some of their kids.
Goat babies ARE kids, don't ya know!? ;)

Their herd sire.

Okay, so we did NOT see their peacock,

but I included their picture because my girls

LOVE

peacocks (and peahens, too, actually)!!!

There are at least 3, and, I think, actually FOUR

in our neighborhood and the girls always ask

to drive down "the peacock street"

cause we sometimes see a peahen

or peacock as we drive on it.

Herd sire smiling.

I would, too, if I had such a pretty herd!