Hay Ride in the Afternoon

As if an airplane ride wasn't fun enough, only a few hours later we all got to go on a hay ride and help Deanna and her husband Marc feed their cows. The Clarks live on a ranch not too far from our parents, and Deanna was happy to oblige when I told her my boys would love a tractor ride some time.

So after lunch we headed out to Etna and loaded everyone up on the hay wagon.

Jeanette and Greg rode on the hay wagon with all the kids. You can see Autumn, Jacob, Samantha, Kaylee, Marisa and Braydon on the back of the truck with them.

Joe and I got to follow along behind in a covered ATV. It was pretty fun. Check out my fuzzy-faced driver.

This is the first time during out entire marriage that Joe has had any facial hair at all! He intended to shave it off on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, but then it snowed a bunch and he ended up shoveling at the church, going to ward council, then coming home and shoveling the rest of our driveway. So he didn't even have time to shave. So he decided to keep the facial hair for a while. I think he is still handsome.

So I have accounted for nearly everyone except for Ephraim. He got to ride in the cab, and Deanna assured me that he was definitely driving the tractor all by himself! She would tell him that she needed to turn the tractor and he would respond by saying, "I do it!". What a funny boy!

You can see in this second picture that Deanna is taking a picture of Joe and me in the Ranger, and Ephraim is the only one with his hands on the wheel!

Jacob and his cousins had a great time throwing hay to the cows.

He was having a great time and kept smiling and waving at Mommy and Daddy. What a cutie!

I used my zoom lens and got some pretty fun pictures of the action. I didn't really mind that I wasn't on the hay wagon, since I am allergic to the stuff!

After a little while we went over to the fence where the horses are. Ephraim got out of the tractor for a minute and joined the other kids on the hay wagon.

Then the kids got to give some hay to the horses, and Marc was kind enough to give the kids a bareback ride on one of their horses. Here is Jacob on the horse with his cousin Marisa.

Ephraim decided that he wanted to ride in the Ranger with Mommy and Daddy. Well, he actually probably wanted to drive it, but he had to settle for riding in it instead.

Then on the way back the other kids got to take a turn riding in the cab of the tractor with Aunt Deanna. They all thought it was a ton of fun! My boys were loving their time on the ranch.

So now I guess it's a toss-up as to whether my boys would rather be pilots when they grow up, or live on a ranch and drive a tractor!

After so much excitement, we took the boys back to the apartment for a nap. They both slept for over an hour, which was nice because my brother Shon's family arrived later that evening from Boise, so we stayed up late hanging out with everyone at Grandpa and Grandma's house. Fun times!