A visit to the family farm

The kids woke from their nap early on Saturday when we were in Iowa so we decided to make a trip to Shannon's Uncle Frank and Aunt Marlene's farm. Shannon spent many many hours at their farm while he was growing up and has very fond memories that he shares with me. We had been informed that some sweet corn was ready for picking and thought the kids would enjoy the learning experience. Shannon and Frank headed down the rows of corn, filling a couple buckets. We enjoyed it for lunch the next day and it was some of the best corn I've had - can't get any more fresh than that!


We also got to see their 2 baby cows. Frank threw some feed by the fence so the mama would come for a snack and the babies followed close behind. Sara thinks cows are really neat...but when a huge head poked through the fence and blew hot air onto her arm, she jumped back!

A pickup pulled into the driveway and it was Shannon's cousins Kevin and Anita who live on another farm a few minutes away. They had a special surprise for Adam and Sara so off we went!

First up, kitties! It felt like they were being swarmed by cats, there were so many. And about 3 different sizes.



Make that 4 sizes. Anita pulled these brand new kittens out from the hosta plant. Their eyes weren't even open. Sara's mommy skills kicked in! The kitten was probably about the same as Sara when she was born!


They have a beautifully landscaped area at their home, including a pond with fish. It was dinner time so the kids helped feed the fish, too.


Then we hopped on Anita's gator and took a bumpy ride down the hill, past the wild marijuana plants (shhh...), to feed 2 baby cows a bottle of milk. Adam jumped right in and held onto the bottle with Kevin. The calf pushed really hard to nuzzle the bottle and Adam almost fell over but held his ground! Sara wasn't too sure and thought it was safe to watch from a distance.

Time for a ride!


Sara, too! When Sara was sitting on the calf, she kept looking down at her leg. We finally figured out the calf was swishing his tail on her leg and it was tickling her. I think it surprised her.


Just before we left, Kevin went to get his baby pet raccoon to show us. She was a little shy at first but then got to playing with the kittens and splashing in a little pool. Here she is enjoying a marshmallow!