Baby Animal Days!

Last week My mom came with me and my kids to Baby Animal Days at the American West Heritage Center in Wellsville. We went early so we could spend all day there, letting Naomi and James see all they wanted to. It was so cold when we got there! I had the kids in double layer shirts, jackets and then coats, gloves and hats too. But I forgot sunscreen. I don't remember that I need that, even if it's cold!

We were there all day, by the time we went home it was much warmer, we had peeled off a lot of layers. It was such a fun day there. They really make it into a festival. There were all kinds of activities, a mini rodeo, experts on different animals. Crafts, bug collections from USU, and even the Easter Bunny!

We decided to meet the animals first.

These pygmy goats were pretty funny, they didn't seem to even notice the kids milling around their pen. They just kept looking for stuff to eat.

The ducklings were so sweet. No claws there. The volunteers/workers would hand the animals to the children, instructing them how to hold them to keep them safe and warm. They would switch out the batch of animals every 20 minutes or so to give the babies a break. My children included, the kids were pretty enthusiastic about holding these babies and I'm sure it's stressful on the animals.

Just look at his happy face, James loved these little "duckies".

The baby chicks were pretty cute too, but less snuggly. They were starting to get mature wing and tail feathers too, Naomi thought that was interesting, she wanted to know if they could fly yet and when they would be able to.

Here's my mom handing a little chick to Naomi, they had all colors of animals.

Oh the bunnies! Naomi was so excited to hold one of these, James too, in theory! Naomi just snuggled one right up and asked if we could have pet bunnies. Um, nope.

James was scared of the rabbits and their sharp claws didn't help. He got poked through his jeans and started a panicked cry. I tried to calm him down and keep the bunny calm too. No good. He got down and sat with Grandma, they held a bunny together and then suddenly that little stinker of a rabbit bit both of them on their fingers! James lost it, we got out of there and helped poor James stop crying. Traumatic experience, he's still talking about where the bunny bit him.... sigh.

Pony rides were next. And they were so fun! Naomi was a pro and picked the biggest pony to ride. They had helmets for them to wear. The ponies just walked around a few times and everyone was thrilled.

Happy rider.

Then we went to see the baby bears! Bear World from somewhere in Idaho brought down some black bear cubs. They were seriously the cutest things ever. My photo is grainy but I wanted to show them anyway. They looked like little teddy bears. They would crawl over and climb up on the trainer peoples laps. Awesome.

Choo-choo! This is a mini train that we took a ride on, the conductor plays it up and the kids just sit and wave and wave to everyone we passed. It's kind of like a ride at Disneyland. 

Naomi on the mechanical bull! She had a great ride and stayed on for the last "eight seconds" as the operator counted down for her. She says she "won"!

James getting up close and personal with the piglets. They were sleeping so James got down on his tummy to get a closer look, maybe try out the soft hay for himself.

This little calf was sweet and docile. It let the kids just pet and touch her without a problem. I was told it was between 1-2 weeks old.

We made it back to the ducklings for round two. Still in love with them. They were my favorite too. They have the coolest feet! I showed James and he kept telling me back that they had "webbed feet"!

Naomi waiting for her turn at Mutton Bustin'. Seriously, I was nervous for her to do this, but she was determined that she wanted to. They suited the kids up in a protective vest and helmet. Then they helped them onto the back of a sheep, told them to hold on tight and let the sheep go! These kids got tossed and went flying, rolling and a few were even stepped on a little bit. A good handful got up crying. Naomi watched it all and still was game. In the end the cowboy ran with her and caught her for a soft landing. Phew. I was nervous. She was thrilled and loved it. I might put her in the rodeo again this fall! Look at us turning back into country folk. What city?

Here she is, ready to ride!