We just returned last night from a trip to my dad and stepmom’s farm in southern Oregon, while my stepsister and her family were visiting from Seattle. Bracken had a list of things he wanted to do during our visit. Go on a tractor ride with Grandpa Bob. Go on the zipline. Play with cousins. Make icecream in the ice cream maker. See the animals. And then when we arrived on Wednesday afternoon, there were some other surprises to be enjoyed.

We celebrated Bracken’s 5th birthday, along with his cousin’s first birthday, and even had great-grandparents there, which was so special. After the good food and presents, the grandparents had a surprise for the boys waiting outside. Oh my goodness was it a good surprise! A small tractor and car were immediately hopped into and driven all over the farm. The vehicles sometimes required a wee bit of help to get up the hills and there was always someone at the ready to help out.

Those boys had a blast driving around and they hardly wanted to do anything else the entire time. They probably would have lived on them if we would have let them. They might pop into the playhouse for a minute, take a turn on the zipline, or chase a few bubbles, but then they’d quickly be back to driving around again. Grandpa said those vehicles would be like a magnet pulling the grandkids back to the farm and he’s right about that, they will get a lot of use for years to come. (Oh, and by the end of the tractor ride on the big tractor, Bracken said it was stinky, thus the hands up to the noses.)

On the phone recently, Bracken was talking to his Grandpa Bob, who shared their conversation with me. It went something like this: “How does it feel to be five?” “Yeah! Do you want to be five too?” “Yes, that would be great.” “Then you wouldn’t have to work anymore and you could play with me all day long.”