Blackberry and Banjo Pickin’ Down on the Farm

So this past weekend we went to visit our dear friends Greg and Ana Kelly, who by the way, own the first sheep dairy farm in Alabama, Dayspring Dairy. It is a gorgeous property and so much fun! We went to pick blackberries…well Eric and I were going to pick them but the girls were a little needy and I didn’t dress them correctly. They really needed long pants out on the farm, so we had to carry and hold them way out by the blackberry patch and by the time we got there the girls were whiney and hot. Sooooo, Noah picked them for us. We also got to pet several sheep, lambs and dogs. There were chickens to spy on and we got to leave with a dozen farm fresh eggs in a variety of colors! (They are delish, btw) We were able to sample a ricotta based berry ice cream, and several of their homemade cheeses that are soon to hit the market. Yummm.  Eden’s favorite part was playing with her friend Sofi, they played dress up in all of Sofi’s princess dresses and then did each other’s hair. They also harassed the boys a bit too. Noah’s favorite parts were the pillow fight with his friend Everett and then playing a Wii game with him that used the pad you had to jump on with your feet. Yaya’s favorite parts were the sheep, the giant dogs licking her in the face and the Banjo playing!

Greg and Ana’s neighbors are so amazing for several reasons…they are just so kind and gracious for starters. They have this incredible garden that would rival Botanical Gardens, it has taken years to cultivate and it has the most amazing details hidden all around the paths. They also have this old home that they call the Opry House that is over 200 years old and every Friday night they play bluegrass music there. There is a stage and rows of chairs and apparently anyone can show up and play. So one of the musicians agreed to play a little for the kids. The girls really liked it. Yaya was so intrigued by the banjo pickin’ and didn’t know how to react but when he would stop playing she would sign the word, “more.” She had never heard anything like this before and this girl really loves music. She looked so serious almost as if she didn’t like what she heard but she never wanted the music to stop. She bobbed up and down a little but mostly stared. Eden on the other hand…she loves to dance…so naturally she was breakin’ it down in the garden. Noah and Everett were in a gazebo thing close by and too cool to come out and listen, but Noah told me that he liked the music as well. All in all it was a fun day at the farm.