A Sweet Day at Gentle Barn!

We took the girls to Gentle Barn today. I have wanted to go forever and a day, and it has always seemed too far to drive. Well, this weekend we just decided to go "to the farm" - no matter the distance. I wish I would have gone years ago because it took less than an hour to get there...no traffic!

Gentle Barn is a sanctuary for abused animals, often rescued from the most terrible situations. During the week, they allow at-risk kids and special needs kids to come and interact with the animals. On the weekends, it is open to the public...thank goodness, because we got to go!

The girls loved brushing the cows. This one is named Buttercup:



I even got to hug a cow. This one is named Buddah. Such a sweetie!



We petted the horses, which was Ginger's favorite part of the trip. She fed an entire bag of carrots to all the horses there (about 15 horses total). She was scared at first, but then so brave.



We didn't get many pictures of the big girls feeding the horses because we were too busy managing Ginger and Paprika and making sure that they didn't get their fingers eaten off by accident! ;-)



It was really sweet to see the horses, who had been so abused in their previous lives being so trusting and sweet with us.



The chickens were a big highlight...I think because they are so small, they are less intimidating to the girls.



Paprika loves the chickens best of all. She likes to follow them around and talk to them. She spent quite a lot of time with the chickens.



It very much reminded me of this special day when Paprika had just turned two years old. Do you remember this blog post?! :-) What do you dream about, chicken? I will never forget it. Ha!



The girls were so excited about seeing a peacock up close. Ginger had to tell the peacock how she has a peacock (Halloween) costume at home. Why, yes, she does!



The girls thought this was soooo funny. Mr. M had to hold them up behind there because they were too short. Good job, babe!



And the girls even got to pet an emu. The emu was actually a lot nicer than she looks. Haha.



It was just a great day. I was especially proud of Ginger today because she wore clothes and shoes the whole time we were there. ;-) All three girls were actually amazing the whole trip, and it was just a really fun and special time. I am so glad we made the trip, and we're already talking about our next trip back. Success!