Exploring Farmlife

The girls recently had a couple of days to explore their great-grandmother's barn lot and they fell in love.  They've been regularly coming here their whole lives but this was the first time I let them out completely on their own to explore and they discovered new things every time they went outside.

Their favorite part of the yard was the pond, I think.  We spent the most time there, walking around in circle after circle and searching for the giant bullfrogs.  They are so loud that we would hear them clear across the farm and would come running to try and see them before they jumped into the water.

This is my grandpa's woodshed where he worked cutting things out for us to paint when we were little.  I still have a lot of things he made for us and after we explored inside of it I found some more hidden items, too.  I can't wait to clean them up and stain them so they all match.

The big red barn was where my brothers and cousins and I would play.  We would open up that big door in the front and climb up the ladder into the hayloft.  Unfortunately, it's fallen into ruins inside and I told my girls they couldn't even step foot inside it anymore.

We raised pigs here in the pig barn and no matter how many years it's been empty I still sniff the air when I get near it because the strong pig smell is so ingrained on me when I see this yellow building.

Out in the back of the yard is a pile of old rusty farm equipment.  I think it's a giant pile of tetanus waiting to happen, but they have been obsessed with this corner for weeks.  Their favorite thing is the old truck of my grandma's.

My grandma's cat (the girls named him Carrots) loves to get on top of the buildings and look down at you.  The girls thought this was hilarious.

My grandma was born and raised in the mountain township and her dad took care of their farm for them.  I've never asked if the old equipment she has in the yard was some of my great-grandpa's or if it's just stuff she bought at estate sales.  We have pictures of him using a horse drawn wagon just like that first one though.

They had such a good time having adventures at their great-grandma's.  I love it when they come in all dirty and grinning and exhausted.  The dirtier the kid the happier the kid.