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For Camdyn’s 4th birthday party we knew that the perfect location would be the Deanna Rose Farmstead. Cute farm animals, impeccable 1800s inspired design, and hands-on activities make it our favorite place to go as a family! So come join the party and get a tour of this incredible venue…

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Living on a little hobby farm of our own has given us a love for the rural lifestyle, however our fixer upper farm pales in comparison to the epic beauty of Deanna Rose Farmstead. Situated in the middle of Kansas City, Kansas the farmstead was started about 30 years ago to help educate the local city children about the heritage of America – “The Farm.”

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Interactive displays, historic demonstrations, and even an 1800s rural town show guests what life was like on the frontier. A fully operational blacksmith, barber shop, sweet shop, bank, schoolhouse and country general store are all part of the experience, but Cami Grace’s favorite buildings are the barns.

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The DR farmstead is just oozing with farm-charm, so decorating for Camdyn’s party was easy. I let the surroundings do most of the work and concentrated my efforts on the party table. Simple gingham tablecloths, a burlap runner, mason jar bouquets, and a hand-painted sign gave a country vibe. While classic streamers, and matching paper dinnerware kept me on budget and made for a quick cleanup. For the first time Cami Grace blew out her candle and opened her gifts all by herself, proving that she was quite a big girl now!

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Next, each little guest received a hand-painted “Thank You” bag of farm goodies for attending. Then, we attempted to take a group photo before we headed to the pony rides. Getting 8 kiddos to sit still,  look at the camera, and smile all at the same time turned out to be more than we bargained for. Especially Avonlee’s baby friends who kept escaping…. We finally gave up and headed to the stables.

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The pony rides were on the opposite side of the farmstead from the picnic area. On our way there we stopped to catch a hayride drawn by a magnificent pair of Draft horses named Tom and Jerry. Then we stopped to pet the goats and visit the chickens. Finally, we reached the pony stables. Every little friend age 3 and up got to ride a pony. When it was Camdyn’s turn she beamed and giggled the entire ride. Though it was a sweltering 105° that day, Cami Grace was in heaven…

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Just outside the stables was a pedal-tractor track so all the kids jumped on their new rides and did what kids do – turned it into bumper cars. My girls inherited my short legs so they convinced their grandparents to push them around in the heat! Poor Grandma and Grandpa never complained.

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Finally the heat was more than we could bear so we decided to check out the air conditioned exhibits. Other than having air conditioning, all of the buildings are exact replicas of 1800s examples. Most of the materials and all of the furnishings came from rural Kansas towns, and were lovingly restored for the interactive exhibits around the farmstead. Their attention to detail is astounding!

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We stayed till the farmstead closed and still didn’t see everything! We are so thankful for our friends and family who braved the heat to celebrate Cami Grace’s special day with us, and we hope you enjoyed tagging along too. We will treasure the unforgettable memories we made celebrating the 4th year that God has blessed us with our little farm girl!

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