Family Day on the Farm

What a fun day! Sunshine, good food, good music, family, friends, and lots of good laughs....what more could you ask for? I really feel bad though.....it is terrible to have so much fun at the expense of your guests! :) But I know others had just as much fun! :)

We sure enjoyed having the Mahlstedt family play again this year. They even surprised us with a little singing, which was great! They are a very talented family!

After music we ate lunch and then started the games. My favorite game, by far, is the Barnyard game. First the players draw an animal name (there are two of each kind), then they put on a blindfold and make the sound of their animal. For example, if they picked "cow" they have to walk around blindfolded calling "moo moo" listening for the other cow. For some reason I find it hilarious to watch. I actually had pains in my stomach from laughing so hard! The noise is deafening, and to see people wandering around so helplessly making animal calls is hysterical!


After the Barnyard game, we played "Grain Race". Here the couples had to race to see who could eat their "grain" the fastest. Al made this game extra funny with his chicken antics! :)


Then came the Egg Toss Game. The partners toss the egg back and forth, taking a step back with each toss until one egg is left unbroken. Emily and Kaylin won this one!


Next we had couples line up to give their best Rooster and Hen calls. Some roosters sounded like they were dying, and some hens sounded like an animal I am not familiar with. :) Jay and Janell took home the prize for this game - a fat juicy chicken (from our freezer). :)

We had a lot of prizes, all from our farm. Apple pie made with apples from our apple trees, Emily's crab apple jelly, canned beans, eggs, homemade bread, cookies, cinnamon rolls, watermelon, crab apple juice, crab apple syrup, Boxelder syrup, barbecue sauce, and dill relish. So even though our guest did suffer some embarrassment during the games, they were rewarded with yummy prizes. :)

Name that Vine Crop was the next game. We weren't going to play this game, but it was put back on the schedule by popular demand (Grandma wanted to play it again! Sorry Al!). Here the contestants guessed the name of the crop as fast as they could with a little surprise at the end. Watch the video and enjoy! :)

After that game we all headed out to the sheep pasture for sheep herding. In this game a team of two had to herd the sheep between two posts. The pair with the fastest time won. Uncle Kevin and Isaiah Mahlstedt took home the prize. Uncle Kevin lucked out on this one, being teamed up with a country boy, whose family also raises sheep! :)

Then it was on to Mutton Busting. While this game was fun to watch, it was also somewhat of a flop. Mike wanted to use the lambs because they were much smaller than the ewes, and that way there was less chance of someone getting hurt. But the problem was that when Mike finally got a child on a lamb, the lamb could only go so far before it buckled under the weight.

Here Ben is attempting to bust a lamb. The last game was a fun one to watch. It was called "Pa and Ma Do Chores". The couples raced the clock in this game; the couple with the fastest time won. First they had to get dressed, then collect two eggs, milk the goat, fill the water pails, and lastly carry a sack of grain, the milk, and the eggs across the finish line. Steve and Cindy Kerzman, two bona fide city slickers won this game (to much surprise)! :) They took home a loaf of whole wheat bread, a dozen eggs, and an apple pie. Good job guys! :)

These pictures are of my parents playing the game.

We planned to have more games, but the time got away from us. For the rest of the afternoon people visited, some rode four wheelers on the trails, and some played Redneck soccer (no rules). Then Emily organized some games for the children. We finished off the evening with a campfire and s'mores.

At the campfire, Emily enjoyed "getting" people with her whoopie cushion. It was pretty funny! One of our guest said, "How many indignities do I have to suffer from this family!" We all laughed hysterically! ;)

What a day!! Thank you to everyone that helped clean up, and to everyone that brought food. 'Til next year.........

Posted by the Family Day on the Farm Director :)

P.S. Also, we were so thankful to have our friend Myrtle at our family day this year. She will be 101 this month. Amazingly she stayed most of the day. She enjoyed watching the games and seeing the farm animals.

This is a picture of Myrtle, our oldest guest, with my niece, Isabella, our youngest guest (two months).