First Trip of the Year to Young's Dairy

It was 60 degrees today, so we went to Young's Dairy with my parents. We ate dinner, enjoyed ice cream, and saw lots of animals. I was even able to enjoy my favorite cinnamon ice cream (which is only a winter flavor)! It was a fun time!

The Kids with Mimi and Papaw

Emmy liked her vanilla cream cone

Ellie had strawberry

Jacob's favorite is black raspberry

Emmy liked the baby cows

Ellie was very particular about who she fed...no goats with horns for her!

Jacob and a baby calf

Mimi and her new car...a Subaru Impreza

Scary to think about!

Young's Dairy

Even though it was windy, we decided to head to Young's Dairy with my parents today. On the way, we stopped at Arby's to have lunch. Then we drove to Young's to see the animals and eat ice cream. The kids only played on the tractors for a couple of minutes because the wind was so strong and cold. Despite the weather, we had a good time together.

Our last name spelled out in curly fries...note the irony!

Emmaline shares her blanket with a goat

Jacob feeds the goat he nicknamed "Beardy"

Gabrielle liked feeding the babies (and there were lots of them!).

While we were in the barn, they were cleaning out one of the goat stalls, so those goats had free reign of the barn. The kids thought it was fun to chase and be chased by the goats.

Gabrielle and Jacob enjoy ice cream with Papaw.

Emmaline, Mimi, and Jacob

Me, Gabrielle, and Jacob

On the walls of the dining room at Young's, they have tons of pictures of people wearing Young's Dairy t-shirts. Some pictures were taken locally and some are from far out, even obscure, places. We sat down in a booth in the corner and I mentioned to Mom that my friend, Emily, had sent in a picture of herself wearing her Young's shirt on her honeymoon. As we were eating, Mom was reading all the places the various pictures were from, when lo, and behold, Emily's picture was right above us. I took a picture of it with my phone and sent it to her. She was so surprised because she never knew whether they had put it up or not. I've included the picture here for your enjoyment too!

Fall Fun with Katie and Mom (aka the day of 100 potty breaks!)

Katie hasn't been home from Cincinnati in almost a month, so she took the day off work to come spend some time with us. The weather was gorgeous, so we decided to spend the day doing fall, outdoorsy things.

Our first stop was at Clifton Mill for lunch. The food wasn't great, but there was a nice view of the river and working waterwheel from our table. They were setting up their Christmas lights for the holiday season outside, so the kids were fascinated by the miniature scenes and the abundance of lights. (# of potty breaks: Jacob - 4, Ellie - 2)

Next, we went to the Raptor Center at Glen Helen. There were lots of birds to see (including a one-winged bald eagle named Solo). We didn't stay too long though, because Ellie needed to use the restroom (surprise, surprise!).

Watching an owl

We decided to take a hike at John Bryan Park (after the customary stop at the outhouses). The leaves were so pretty and the trails weren't too muddy, despite the recent rain. We walked for about 45 minutes and then headed back to the van. See the comment below Ellie's picture for what happened during the restroom break in the woods. After the necessary clothes changing, we headed to our final destination.

On the bridge over the Little Miami River

Jacob, Aunt Katie, and Ellie walk hand in hand

Jacob on a stump

Ellie on the same stump

Aunt Katie helps Ellie take a potty break in the woods.

What this picture doesn't show: We thought Ellie was done pottying when she decided she needed to go #2. Not having the diaper bag with us, Katie had to use a leaf to wipe her. As Katie disposed of said leaf, she got mud all over her shoes. Ellie laughed because she thought it was funny and then fell naked-behind first into the mud behind her. Again, we had no baby wipes, and she now had mud all over her backside. Katie needed several more leaves for this clean-up job. And of course, Jacob decided he need to make a pit-stop in the woods too. Thankfully, it was much easier for him to accomplish!

Last stop...Young's Dairy for dessert. You can't go anywhere close to Yellow Springs without stopping at Young's for some ice cream. We each enjoyed a yummy treat and then headed outside to see the animals before heading home. The kids fed the goats, played on the tractors, and even posed for some cute pictures by the pumpkins. It was dark and chilly, so we made our way back home (after a final stop in their facilities). Overall, it was a fun day and we made some great memories!

Emmaline pets her first cow. She liked how soft its nose was.

Jacob drives the tractor like a race car.

Emmy - all bundled up!

Outing to Young's Dairy

Our Home Group from church met at Young's Dairy tonight for dinner and ice cream. Nathan had to stay home with Jacob, who had been running a fever all day, but the girls, my parents, and I went to enjoy the evening. The food was yummy and the ice cream was even better. Cinnamon is my favorite and they only have it during the fall (I'm thinking of starting a petition to make it a year-round flavor...who's with me?). After we were done eating, the kids played on the old tractors, fed the goats, and petted the other animals. It was a fun time!

Emmaline thought the goats were pretty funny!

Ellie and Papaw feed the goats.
Ellie said they made her hands sticky!

Some of the kids in our group (Amazingly, there are 7 more kiddos not pictured!):
Elliot, Emma, Noelle, Ellie, Emmy, Sam, and Owen

Ellie drives the tractor while Emma navigates