Mmmmm...maple syrup

On Saturday, F--, C-- and I set out on an adventure to witness maple syrup production, pet baby farm animals, and eat pancakes. We travelled to McCullys Farm, just outside of St. Mary's, where we got to travel on a horse drawn wagon through the sugar bush. We saw all the buckets of sap being collected, as well as the huge, wood stove where they boiled the sap down to make the syrup. This was all quite interested to the girls, although even more interested was the cat that came along for the ride. He looked just like Boots (C--'s cat) but without a tail (a manx, as C-- informed me).

Then, we got to see a barn full of baby animals -- pigs goats, lambs, bunnies. There were also chickens, ducks, miniature ponies, and a rather sad looking donkey. Very Eeyore-like. The girls were most fascinated, however, by the new baby lambs that were born a couple hours before we got there. It was live and in-color, including the afterbirth, which they found mesmerizing. They got to pet the baby goat, lamb, horse, and the "favourite", a baby bunny. F-- was great because she went up and pet each animal.

Afterwards, we had pancakes, maple sausage and maple baked beans, drenched in maple syrup. Yummy.

Once the girls were suitably reved up on sugar, we went into Stratford to pick out W--'s first birthday present at Family and Company, a very cool toy store. They have selling down to an art there. The staff walk around demonstrating the toys, and anytime the kids touch something, the staff person shows them how to play with the toy. A fun place for kids, and I escaped by just buying the girls a 50 cent pink, stretchy lizard. :)

The funniest part of the day was the ride home. C-- states from teh back seat, "Countdown to a toot. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1." Toot. And a real stinker too. :) Her parents were suitably impressed by their daughter's talents when I recounted the incident.