A Day at the Farm

This is one of the things I love about Pittsburgh...we have chosen to live in the city, an urban area with lots of wonderful amenities, culture and social experiences, but yet we are just a short drive away, even within the same county, to reach a peaceful, beautiful and natural space to enjoy a day away from the noise (and there is a lot of it) outside our windows.

If you live in the area and are looking for a great summer day activity (or any season, because they are open year round), check out the website for directions, etc...
www.county.allegheny.pa.us/parks/rhfac.aspx

My friend Krissy and her twins, Jonathan and Faith, went to this park this Spring and they invited us to join them for their visit today. It was a great outing! We enjoyed all of it. Koen loved riding in someone else's car and he was very concerned about still sitting next to Tavin. I assured him that he could sit next to Tavin (so sweet!). Koen got to sit in the 3rd row and I allowed him to bring Teddy, so he was quite quiet for the trip there (and most of the trip back) just taking in the sights. I can tell when Tavin wakes up in the car because Koen starts talking to him, "good morning, Tavin, how are you?, did you have a good rest?"

Last night a cold front blew through and we are experiencing amazing weather today. It was in the 60's this morning, so a great day to be exploring a park and a farm. The farm is beautiful. White fences around the pastures for the horses and cows, well-kept white buildings with red roofs that house the different animals and supplies and equipment.

Koen, Jonathan and Faith were fast friends (they only get to hang out every few months, so it always seems like a re-introduction) and were quickly leading one another around the farm. Koen and Jonathan in particular really hit it off. They walked hand-in-hand several times "so they didn't get lost" as Jonathan said. So cute!

The kids walked through the barns and visited all the animals at a remarkable pace. Krissy and I were very surprised and a little nervous that our outing would end too quickly, but we didn't need to be worried because this park has a lot to do!

After the animals and averting Koen away from climbing on several abandoned pieces of farm equipment, we headed over to feed the ducks and geese. Thankfully, the kids didn't notice, but today the birds were not hungry, there was tons of bread just floating around as they must have been hit hard with generous visitors that morning. Koen actually enjoyed some of the bread himself despite my request that he stick to eating his lunch instead of the food we brought for the birds. My little hungry man ate his lunch anyways and some of the Evans'.

After the ducks and geese, we headed over to the groves that are available there. They all have different pieces of playground equipment. We had our picnic lunch and the kids played with Krissy while I fed Tavin.

Then, afterwards, despite the cooler day, we allowed the kids to play in the aquatic playground. Yes, that is right, they even thought of that! It looks very new and it looks like a lot of fun. Had it been 85, I think the kids would've been soaked, but they were a little tentative due to the temperature of the water and the air. Krissy commented that if this type of playground were in the North Hills or down in the city it would be absolutely packed, here it was well attended, but not overwhelming. Come on Allegheny County, can we get one somewhere in the city limits?

We knew we needed to get packed up and headed home to try and attempt for a naptime for all these kids. Tavin fell asleep about 10 mins. into the trip, Jonathan fell asleep about 20 mins. into the trip and Koen and Faith stood strong all the way home. All of the kids did very well with minimum upsets and complaints. Koen really enjoyed that Miss Krissy had a Veggie Tales CD that tells stories. I didn't know he would like those, so I'm excited to get us some at the library!

When we got home it was obvious that Koen had had a full day, so we headed straight to nap. Straight to nap means one thing to me and another to Koen. I mean it literally, for him, it is a trigger to pull out every excuse imagineable while laying on the stairs (I'm hungry, I want to play first, I have to go to the bathroom). The bathroom I conceded to, I even let him finish his peaches from lunch, but I had no energy or time for playing, so finally he was laid down. Unfortunately, he is still up there singing to himself more than 2 hours later, but at least he is happy. Currently his song choice is "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star."

I couldn't tell if Tavin was really tired or just out of it, so I kept him up until 3pm so that he would hopefully take a good nap. Well, he was definitely tired. He is still sleeping. Yay! He is such a trooper. This day was definitely not a fun one for him. He had shots yesterday and I think his legs still hurt from them and then his tooth is still cutting through, so I think he just doesn't feel that great (not to mention this annoying cough has still yet to be conquered!).

Thanks to Krissy, Jonathan and Faith for having us along and giving us a ride. We really enjoyed the experience from start to finish. Krissy and I have determined that outings that involve a little car time are pretty great for the mommies. We haven't had that much uninterrupted talk time together since before our kids were born!