Aw Shucks

What makes you happy? What gets you excited? What makes for a good day? 

How about a gaggle of moms with loads of preschoolers tromping around a farm doing chores, picking pumpkins, riding on tractors, and jumping on hay bales? 

Those things make me happy. And excited. And definitely make a good day!

If you live in the Charlotte area, Aw Shucks farm is a must-do with your kids. There is more to do than there is time to do it. We spent three hours there and didn't even make it to the paddle boats, corn maze, and walking trails in the woods.

While waiting for friends to arrive, the boys ran through an old passenger car and were convinced they were, indeed, making the signal change colors so the train knew when to stop. "We have an important job to do, Mom. The train might crash into people if we don't work hard."

Annalyse wanted out of her stroller and was itching to be with the big kids, getting her hands dirty doing chores.

First up, the kids were taught how to hoe the ground, dig an appropriate hole, cover the seed, and water the garden.

Since my boys do this everyday in the sandbox with their apple or watermelon or cucumber seeds, they were pros right away. Granted, nothing they've ever planted has actually grown even the teeniest of sprouts, but still.

Hhmmm. I could be wrong, but I'm guessing this is why their gardening attempts have failed. A tad too much water.

Next chore: collecting eggs. The kids followed Ms. Bonnie to the chicken coop with buckets in hand.

After collecting eggs, it was time to milk a cow and feed the sheep and goats. I've decided that I want a goat someday. Purely because I think they are the cutest little things with tickley lips. Come on, you agree, don't you?

My little farmers were disappointed when the barn chores were done. "But I want to get a whole bunch of eggs like you have in the refrigerator." "Can I pick grass to feed the sheep?" "I want to give the goat a bath because he's very muddy."

The final chore: sort fruits and vegetables and place them in the appropriate delivery bin. Of course it would be my kid that actually bit into a strawberry and a carrot while working. Ay-yi-yi.

Sweetie-pie Darcy gave Annalyse some love and attention throughout the day. I'd catch some tickles and some kisses out of the corner of my eye. And I'd catch Annalyse trying to touch Darcy's shirt (and if I'm being honest, I kind of wanted to touch it too because it looked so soft!).

Our group climbed on a trailer for a ride around the cornfield. Micah commented that the tractor "was a mighty machine that has power to pull lots and lots and lots and lots of people," Grady Lee wondered "why the tractor wasn't plowing the the corn fields?" and Annalyse just wiggled to try and get down.

After a ride around the fields, it was time to pick a pumpkin. Between you and me, I'm pretty sure all the pumpkins were previously harvested and that each morning the workers placed a batch of pumpkins back in the field for the kids to get. Clever.

Decisions, decisions...

... but they finally chose the perfect one to take home.

Oh, wait a minute. Annalyse has changed her mind and found a different one.

Help! I can't lift this thing up! Where are my brothers when I need them?!

As cute as these photo ops could have been, Micah of course chose to hide and then to make silly faces. He walks to the beat of his own drum - always.

Time to climb on and run over hay bales! Back and forth, back and forth. Again and again.

Have you ever seen a cuter cowgirl? Didn't think so.

While the big kids rand and climbed and jumped, Annalyse found her own ways to have fun. Because every good and cautious and responsible mother lets her newly-crowned one-year old swing by herself, pick up pointed sticks, and play by teeny-tiny pieces of corn. (For anyone wondering: there were no near-death experiences and all is well.)

"Since we have a big woods in our backyard, can Daddy make a house like this for us to play in? Please? Please? Pleeaassee?"

This child was created for trucks and dirt and all things loud and messy. He belongs on a farm. He belongs outside. I wonder if Aw Shucks is hiring four-year old farmhands...?

I was half-tempted to join my boys for a ride down the wagon slide, but after glancing at the cute and proper moms surrounding me I decided not too. After all, my baby had already been caught gnawing on a stick and grabbing fist fulls of corn. I couldn't be caught screaming and wheeing down a slide, too.

This picture sums up our day: take a close look at the expression on Grady Lee's face. It's pure joy and excitement and happiness.

Aw Shucks, for sure, made my kids and I happy, excited, and able to call today a good day.