Country Girl's Creamery

We recently had the privilege to go on a field trip to Country Girl's Creamery. It was an amazing experience for the whole family, and I am so thankful for the homeschooling group that organizes these outings.

We started the tour with an informational session. Did you know it costs nearly $5 a day to feed just one cow? And that one cow will produce about 5 gallons of milk a day?

 There was plenty of hay around, and the children enjoyed playing in it:

 Jacob enjoyed this cow licking him:

 Will had his boots to keep the cow poop under check:

Bella observed the worker and asked so many questions, I loved it:

 The children took turns bottle feeding the young calves:

As I was taking this photo, I was thinking about how it really is a blessing to be on this homeschooling journey. My children all get to experience things together that they wouldn't have a chance to in a traditional school. For that I am grateful. 

 In the milking room, Will got to help spray off the feet of the cows...

 ... and Bella hand expressed a bit of milk:

Each child got to wax a piece of cheese, which we also got to bring home. They are aging in the fridge. The neat thing is that we can age it up to 6 months, so we will be able to enjoy some of the cheese with Jake when he gets home. That makes me happy. 

We finished the tour with a picnic lunch of fruit, grilled cheese sandwiches, and chocolate milk. It was delicious!

 Jacob chugged the milk till it was gone - the whole pint!

Since we were up north near our favorite ice cream shop, we stopped by for an afternoon treat on our way home. I know, that's a lot of dairy, but it was a special day. 

Will actually ate the ice cream this time!

By the time I pulled up to the house, all four children were soundly sleeping. It had been an early morning for us, as I had to wake them up at 6:30. We usually sleep until 7:30/8:00 around here (yet another perk of homeschooling).

It was an awesome day, and I hope to return next year for sure, if not sooner!