Anticipation

Because we are heading to Sunflower Farm in the morning, and because we are going with some of our very best friends, the Rices, I am absolutely giddy with excitement. Last October, we went with our cousins, Katie, Porter and Paisley. With this upcoming visit to the farm, I went back to look at that last trip and realized I'd never blogged the pictures, so here they are!


We started the day playing in an old airplane. Porter was excited to be the pilot!

Then it was off to visit the sheep and give them a bit of a corn snack.

How precious are these sweet cousins?!

Waiting for our turn for a horse back ride, Paisley, Elizabeth, and Emily talked to the horses.

Getting those horse back riding helmets on!

Emily got to go first this time. Look at this big girl riding a horse! She loved it!

Addie was up next. She got to ride the little pony, and got to hold onto the saddlehorn like a real cowgirl.

Elizabeth got to take her first ride with Mama. She was pretty excited!

Porter rode like a natural. A true cowboy on the back of this horse.

Paisley got to ride with Mama, too. What fun!

Emily tested out this rope swing....

...while Addie bonded with this little friend over the magic of Frozen shirts.

Zip Line Time!

Porter found the giant sandbox and made himself right at home with the trucks.

Right by the sandbox there is a little house we've never explored, and the girls had a blast climbing to the kid-sized loft above and watching their friends play below.

Tire swing!

This handsome guy did a little strutting for us.

A little corner of the farm we hadn't visited before...complete with cozy swing and cozy coupe.

And right around the corner from this corner, was this.... the largest collection of outside toys I've ever laid eyes on. Cars, bikes, scooters, roller skates...just about everything you can imagine. We hung out here until the 1:00 bell ringer came around, letting us know the farm would be closing.

While the kids entertained themselves, I got a couple pictures of some of the awesome folk art that can be found on the farm.

 On our way out to our cars, the kids found the pumpkin patch.

I was awed, as usual, by the amazing view of the mountains that comes with a visit to the farm.

Can't wait to go back!!!

One of My Very Favorite Spots in Colorado

It's magical, wonderous, laid-back, real, beautiful...it's Sunflower Farm. We got to go twice this past season (September and October is the length of the season), which I was very pleased with, although I wouldn't have minded at all if we'd gone a half a dozen more times.

The first time we went this year, we brought Jennica, Kaia and Kastor along. Kastor was wide eyed and amazed at the beginning, but then spent most of the rest of the time in the stroller napping on and off.

"Wow, Sunflower Farm, it's all I had hoped it would be!"

 First stop, tractor play!

Kaia wasn't so sure about sitting in the farmer's seat, but wanted to steer the tractor anyway

 Next stop, tree house heaven...

Emily was happy to lend a helping hand to her little friend

These are some STEEP steps, and these are some BRAVE girls!

 A couple great spots for lounging...

 And swinging....

Peacocks roam the grounds, along with goats, chickens, roosters, cats, and dogs. This one was kind enough to pose for me.

And Emily was able to get up close and personal with this one...

Addie found this sweet barn cat taking a nap under one of the trees.

There's a large bonfire pit on the grounds. During the day, it's mostly coals and there are marshmallows available to purchase for roasting. There are nighttime events when the bonfire is burning full force, something we have yet to experience.

Playground, farm-style...

Of course, no trip to the farm would be complete without some goat and sheep feeding!

Happy Goat

Happy Girl

And of course, the corn house. No Addie, the corn is for the animals.

Don't you want to be buried in corn?

Emily became entranced with a stream of sunshine coming into the corn house. Dust floated in the sunshine, swirling and spinning, and looking as magical as pixie dust.

Then it was off to wait in line for a pony ride...

Kaia decided to sit back and watch her big friends ride. Hopefully next year, she'll feel brave and take a ride. Up first, Emily!

Then it was Addie's turn!

After the pony rides, it was time for a picnic lunch. Kastor woke up to eat with us, and Mama even got some smiles out of him!

Mama hen and her chicks...

Addie the coachman, with her little riders Emily and Kaia.

We said goodbye to our Emmons friends, and then headed over to the zipline.

Ready? Set?

Go!

On your marks! Get set!

Go!

This amazingly cool old silo may just look beautiful on the outside...

But on the inside, it's even cooler (quite literally, as it dropped about ten degrees when we got inside) because it's home to a giant sandbox where kids can play and moms can relax...

Because I just had the big girls with me, I was able to relax, look around, and enjoy the unique perspective of looking up at a blue sky peeking through the top of the silo.

One more stop at the treehouse and tractor before it was time for us to say so long.

How does this work?

Let's do this

Meanwhile, Chris and Elizabeth and Cathy, Eric, and Joey were visiting Mike, Rachel and Ezra in Boston. On September 18th when the girls and I were at the farm, Elizabeth was playing at the beach with cousin Joe.