Tour of Redmond Dairy Farm - Lunch (part 2/4)

After touring the milking facility we had a chance to have some lunch.  Ironically we didn't have any raw milk but we did have hamburger!  There were options for hot dogs too.  They had also prepared some baked beans and some potato salad.  However, they did have some homemade ice cream using the raw milk.  That was pretty good stuff.  Too bad they didn't provide their recipe...

Just like anywhere we go to have a picnic lunch, the boys are easily distracted.  David made instant friends with the cute blonde sitting next to him.  Donovan sat at the end of the table and slowly ate his lunch.  Michael, Aleky, Quinten and Gidean couldn't sit down long enough to completely eat their lunch and were all over the place, especially over by the fence corralling the cows.

About the only time they sat still was when the ice cream was distributed.  With ice cream in their bowls that paused at the tables.

After lunch I grabbed Quinten to take him to the bathroom.  Who knew that the line of 1 little girl would take 20 minutes!  But we managed to catch up with the group just as they were starting the hay ride.

Tour of Redmond Dairy Farm - Milking Facility (part 1/4)

Several weeks ago we bought tickets for our family to tour the dairy farm where they produce the raw milk that we buy each week. We thought the boys would appreciate a change of scenery and an educational experience.

So today we took a 1.5 hour drive down to Redmond, UT. I'm not gonna lie, this place wasn't easy to find... even with the little signs on the road. At one point we hit a moo-ving road block. But I only had to stop once for directions.

We managed to find the farm down a dirt road, about a 1/2 mile off the pavement.  Things were already started when we arrived but we were able to catch the farm tour with the first group.

We started the tour at the milking area.  The farm has over 100 cows that they milk twice daily.  The milk goes from the milking area threw a filter, through a cooler (which drops the temperature of the milk to 38 degrees) and into a holding tank.

While we were in the back room with the tank they talked about how their milk is always bottled and in the stores within 3 days of milking the cows.  If they have "extra" milk they use it to make cheese.  We got to sample some of the cheese and taste the milk.  We also got a brief explanation of difference between raw and pasteurized milk and some of the benefits and additional dairy products that you can make using raw milk.

Michelle was really excited about the extra options available from raw milk and asked several questions.  She also asked to see the cooler where the bottled milk, cheese and eggs are stored until they are shipped to the stores.

We also were able to see the egg cleaner.  It looked like a super-sized set of tooth brushes.  The eggs go through the tooth brush machine and come out clean on the other side.  It looked cool but I didn't get a chance to take a good picture.

That ended the first rotation, first part of the farm tour.

Cub Scout Olympics

Tonight our boys participated in the Cub Scout Olympics.  This year they let all the boys compete, not just the Cub Scouts.  That meant that all of our boys had a chance to try out their skills and see how good they are doing.

Since it's a cub scout event the boys started with the Flag Ceremony and a prayer.  Each boy received his score card and was assigned a team (by color).  Our boys were on the yellow team.

I'm not sure how they divided things up but the softball throw was a random event done at the beginning while everyone was gathering and being assigned teams.  If you arrived late you just ran over in between events and did it when you could.  I don't have any pictures of the softball throw.

The first event for the yellow team was the craft table.  There were a bunch of supplies on the table and you made something.  There were scores and awards, just supplies to enjoy.

After crafts we moved to the long jump event.  The boys did very well.  I didn't get any good pictures because I was trying a new feature and it just didn't work out.  But I did get a couple of stills.  Here Donovan just landed...

Aleky is preparing for his jump...



After the long jump we rotated to the sit-ups. The judges at this even requred the boys to do real sit-ups to count.  Even with this tight restriction the boys did very well.

After the sit-ups we moved to the 50-yard dash.  This was the boys favorite event.  I think each boy ran the event at least 6 times.  I should have caught the summer-saults version as the boys rolled down the grass.




Michael is in mid-celebration, just having beaten one of the cub scouts in his race.

The final event of the day was the push-ups. The boys really put in their all. Donovan was brave enough to go in the first heat. The other 5 boys went in the second heat. This one was too cute to pass up so we caught it (at least a portion of it) on video.

 

(video)

Playing with the Birds

After watching the BYU production of "A Wrinkle In Time" we stopped at the bird Park by the MOA.  The boys loved exploring the various art structures and literally examined them from every angle.

Finally, the boys had enough exploring and decided it was fun to climb up and jump off.  We happened to catch them in unison (synchronized)!

A Wrinkle in Time

This afternoon we attended the BYU presentation of "A Wrinkle in Time".  The Provo Library had an incentive that if our boys were reading they could get a few pass to watch this play.  We also started reading the book together as a family so that we would know and understand what was going on in the play.

We we got to the theater the actors we interacting with the kids, playing games, coloring pictures and chit-chatting.  So everyone was on the stage together.  The production was done right there, up close to the audience.  I think that made a big difference in the overall feeling of this play.

We were able to secure the whole second row in the center section.  That was really nice since we were not the first ones there.

The show was done in 2 acts with a 10 minute intermission.  This was the entire cast; obviously there were multiple actors doing multiple roles.  Only the three main characters has single roles.

After the show we were able to catch Mrs. Whatsit (Stephanie) for a picture with some of the boys.  Michael and Aleky had run off and Quinten was asleep.

Overall, I think the boys had a fantastic time.  They were completely interested in the play and we didn't have to tell any of them to stop, sit down or be quiet.  Both Quinten and Gidean fell asleep during the show at one point or another.  But we had a great time as a family.

Summer is Starting with a Bang!

For a summer morning we got a quick start for the day. Michelle woke the boys up just after 8 o'clock. We took time for our morning devotional, got dressed, finish our ADL's and had a nice hot breakfast. With the kids still sleepy it was a struggle to elicit cooperation but we managed and we were ready for the day. The boys played while Michelle and I put together a quick picnic lunch to take on the road.

9:12 - We pull out of the driveway for the kids craft at the home depot.

The kids made a lawnmower pencil holder. Each boy had the chance to glue and nail their own project. And then they painted them to make them beautiful. Within reason, each boy stay true to his own color.

10:09 - Headed out from The Home Depot to the library for the summer reading kick off party.

We get to the library and head to the underground parking. The boys begin screaming! Hearing the echo is probably the best part of going to the library.  After a quick potty break we head up to the kick off.

The kick off lacked some luster and pizzazz. We put our names on a paper, got a tracking sheet for each kid and a Laffy Taffy. Next, we went downstairs to get a few books to get our summer reading program started with.

10:59 - We left the library for the park and lunch time.

We decided to go to the Scera Park in Orem. We ate or lunch and then played on the playground. However, the swing set won the popularity award for our family today! At one point we had every swing claimed by someone in the family.

12:16 - We left the park for Real Foods Market to see the farm animals.

It was quite the bonanza, going from booth to booth trying all the food samples and asking questions.  The boys started getting tired of all the food samples, most of which were not sweet.

1:51 - We leave the store for home.

We grabbed a couple gallons of milk before heading to the suburban. Quinten and Gidean were asleep before we got home; Gidean was asleep before we got to the first stop light.

We finally got home, the family was exhausted. The two boys who were asleep were successfully transferred to their beds for an afternoon nap.  The other boys were quietly playing. But there's no nap for me...I've got to many things left on my plate for today! But it's been a great family outing.