Wheeler Farm and an Experience

This past week the girls and I had a field trip to Wheeler farm.  We loved it there.  Anna has lots to explore, Emma has lots to climb, and mommy has a great time seeing them entertained!  We saw lots of animals and played with friends.

Anna, Emma and our friend who lives down the street.  He is a great playmate, and they were there too!  So much fun!

We had to climb in... we just had to!  

We decided to stick around for the milking of the cows.  Anna and Emma were both very excited to see the cow so close.  I grew up going to an uncle's farm almost every summer, so cows, and milking them, was part of my childhood.  This was an experience I really wanted my girls to have.  They were both very interested in the demonstrations.

So this is how you do it.  Who wants to have a turn?

I know the pictures are at bad angles now, but Anna was very hesitant.  After all... what in the world was her mother wanting her to do?!?!

After some coaching and big breaths, Anna decided she could do this.  Still a little apprehensive, but she did it!  So proud of her for trying something new!

Emma, on the other hand, needed to be reminded to calm down, go slow, take it easy, don't go under the cow, don't scream with delight, you might scare the cow, be gentle, no you can't squirt people...  She jumped right in.

Amazing!  That's where our milk comes from!  Emma was a little pro, you'd think she was around cows all the time.

At the end of the experience all the children left, except mine, who wanted to see the cow milked to the very end.  Anna had all kinds of questions now.  How is the milk made?  Does it hurt the cow when we do that?  Why is the milk so foamy, does it have soap?  Can we drink the milk?  Why can't we drink the milk?  So what are you going to do with the milk?  Do you have to mix it?  What about the cow's baby, will it have enough milk now that we took some away from her?  Why is the milk so warm?   

I couldn't help but feel very sentimental about this experience.  To most it's just a cow milking... to me it was a little bit of what I enjoyed every summer as a child, and seeing that my children were so interested in learning and being close to things like this... like a farm, animals, how things work... it took me back to thinking of my ancestors, my heritage, the simple people I came from.  Maybe my "american" little girls can't deny that part of their bloodline after all.  Or maybe their mom is just a sap.  Either way, I'm treasuring this experience.