In Pursuit of Cows

When we came back from our recent visit to Hershey, PA, Madeline came home with a newfound appreciation for cows.  In Chocolate World, they have this “ride” that takes you through the history of the Hershey company, how chocolate is made, statistics and things like that.  I loved the behind-the-scenes peek into the company.  Madeline loved the cows, which were featured quite prominently throughout the five-minute ride.  Singing in one scene, dancing in another, happy cows = good chocolate apparently.  I swear Madeline moo’d happily in her car seat all the way home the next day.

I promised her that we would find some real-life cows that she could see in person.  I knew it would blow her mind, and the next day we set off in search of them.  Two hours and a curly fry stop later, we came home defeated.  I knew there was a farm with masses of cows about 45 minutes away, but I thought I could find something closer.  Clearly going where the wind takes you doesn’t always work.  After a little research and a confab with a co-worker, we found a farm with two baby cows, and as soon as Madeline spotted them out of her car window, she started yelling “Moo!  Moo!”  It was too cute for words.

When she first got out of the car, she was a little hesitant to go near the fence.  Even though they were babies, they were still a lot bigger than she is and she was a little intimidated.  Nick went up to the fence, to show her it was okay, and put his hand in the back for her to grab it and come closer.  I love that about him.  Whether it’s cows or a new playground toy, he always takes a moment to stop and help her feel more comfortable.  She’s so lucky to have such an awesome big brother.

After a few minutes, she was right up at the fence, blowing the cows kisses and moo-ing at them.  This picture below?  She was playing “where’s the baby” with them (her version of peek-a-boo).

Note the germ-laden cow tongue coming at my daughter for a big fat slurp. She got a kick out of it, but rest assured, we did all but bathe in sanitizer as soon as we got back to the car.

I took one shot of the cows by themselves, and got an enlargement of it.  Now it’s on the refrigerator, right next to a picture of Elmo from the 4th of July parade.  Pictures she stops to kiss nearly every time she passes by them.

We were there for about forty-five minutes, and it was all I could do to pry her away. Good times, people, good times.

P.S. Thanks for responding to the little poll yesterday, much appreciated!