Part of driving all over the Midwest this summer has meant passing lots of corn and soybeans and family farms. Red barns, gray-and-white-striped silos, and bright green John Deere tractors dot the landscape and serve as foreign scenery to our city kids. 
BUT! Part of the fun of visiting America’s bread basket is learning a thing or two about how the Family Farm works. Thanks to Deanna Rose Children’s Farmland, hands-down the BEST attraction I’ve ever taken my kids too, and the generosity of my parents’ many friends, our kids have gotten up-close-and-personal with the farm.
Here’s our sweltering cowgirl sitting in hay while massive horses pulled our cart. I love this picture because it nicely captures the 100+ heat happening in the midwest during our trip. Not to mention the straw looks like the poor, parched pastures.
Gigi grew up on a farm, but it wasn’t a dairy farm like this one. One afternoon we visited this family-run dairy farm to see them milk their 100-cow herd. Nate LOVED the whole experience. Probably because of his obsession with lactose. Or sugar in general.

 I love that this picture could have been taken this week or fifty years ago. The kids loved watching all those cows and all that milk. And didn’t even mind the smell of 150 cows.

Even though I hate this ad campaign and America’s overuse of such a lame phrase, I have to use this caption….Got MILK? 
Yes! They did1 Jug after jug after jug!

 This is the cow-dog, who Nate loved even more than the cows. Yes! This dog that happily lapped up spilled, unpasteurized milk and sits in cow droppings was the best thing Nate could think to cuddle with. And he did! Even better news…the dog didn’t bit his head off!

 Did I mention our love for the sweet Children’s Farmstead that featured ACRES of FREE KID FUN? With beautiful botanical gardens! Love!

 Here’s Nate, our little country boy having a great time picking the rare roses. I guess that the Midwestern kids that usually visit this place must have a better feel for when not to pick rare roses.

 Do you know which kid this is? I love this picture because it looks like all four of the kids rolled into one. Of course I won’t be loving that resemblance when I’m trying to sort pictures decades from now and I can’t tell the kids apart.

 And we fed goats! With bottles! Yes, the goats were really hostile about it (apparently they don’t respect the free milk like we respected the free admission to their farmland). Here’s the (relatively) docile goat that Elisabeth found to nurse.

 Catie handled the hostile kids like one tough farm kid. Even when they tried to knock her over.

 We finally got to try out one of those red barns for ourselves. Now to explain to the kids that most barns don’t come equipped with jungle gyms and giant slides.

Ponies! Even the most city girl of us all, Ms. Elisabeth, tackled this little horse with the side-saddle ride of a lady. Love. This. Picture.

 Really, Nate is a farm natural. If farming is all about looking cool on hanging out on fences. And picking rare flowers.

Oh, and dogs. This was the Wolf dog at the Farm Where We Drove Tractors. And these dogs were even cleaner than the cow dog. And (thankfully) also not biters.
And finally, our city girl as Complete Cowgirl, riding the tractor like a pro. So proud. 
And also, we’re so stinky. Love that too.

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