Oak Tree in an Acorn: Crowe's Nest Farm

Friday, May 8, 2009

Crowe's Nest Farm

Ms. Boone's Kindergarten Class Field Trip 2009

Olivia's kindergarten field trip was to Crowe's Nest Farm, a non-profit farm designed for educating the public about animals. The kids had a great time riding the bus there, seeing the reptiles in the big red barn, having a picnic lunch and hayride, watching how a cow is milked by machine (this was still painful for me to watch...those who have exclusively used an electric breast pump to nurse their baby will understand!), going on a self-guided tour around the animal pens, and walking through Faeriewood. They had fun just being together and doing something outside the classroom. I felt so lucky to get to go and experience this with Olivia. My good friend Blanca, her daughter, Sabrina, and I rode there together, and it was fun to visit and catch up along the way. Her son, Max, and Olivia were in preschool together where we made this same trip before, but it's so amazing to see how much the two of them have grown and changed in just one year.

Blanca and Sabrina feed the ponies as we wait for the school buses to arrive.

A windy picnic lunch...hold onto those grapes!

Sweetie Pie, the milking cow; I know your pain!

Olivia and her class listen attentively to Farmer Dave.
He squirted Olivia with fresh milk from the cow.
She got a big laugh and said it went into her eye not her mouth!

The look of wonder...priceless!

Magnificent ostriches!

Ms. Boone and her class pet the goats.

Say "Goat Cheese!"

Such a memorable day with my big girl makes me feel lucky to be a mom.

This little lamb made me think of Genevieve and how I hope to be making this trip with her soon.

What an awesome day to share with friends!

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Why the title, "Oak Tree in an Acorn"?

Well, really it's all about perspective when raising the girls. It helps me to think about the grand scheme of parenting and remember that what we do now affects how our little acorns will grow. Like an oak tree, we want them to be strong in their words and deeds, be able to withstand life's storms, set and reach their goals, and be people that others can lean on and trust.

We have an oak tree planted in our yard that came from an acorn my dad planted in a pot. This acorn came from a huge oak tree that was planted in the backyard of my dad's childhood home. My dad's father also planted this tree from an acorn he found on his hunting lease in the early 1960's. Our tree is thus a family heirloom, a "family tree".

It was the year of Olivia's birth when we planted our little sapling. It looked so very sad that winter with no leaves; it was, basically, like a stick rooted in the ground. Five years later, though, it stands 9 feet tall, and we continue to nurture it and watch it grow. We hope one year it will produce acorns of its own, and we can continue to pass on this family heirloom. We hope to remember it's example of how each acorn has the potential to be an oak tree, and how our acorns, Olivia and Genevieve, will one day, with help from God, become mighty oak trees themselves.