The Farm Life with the Woodsons
When Jeremy Woodson and his family brought home the latest addition on their farm, no one expected a new house pet. But their miniature potbelly pig, named Sparkles, had other plans.
“My daughter Annabelle didn’t want her to go to the barn when we first got her, and she was a well-behaved pig, so we let her stay in the house,” Jeremy says. “When she was little, she would sleep on the kids’ backs.”
Sparkles is now one of many animals both inside and outside on the Woodson farm. Ten years ago, Jeremy and his wife Lisa purchased their 5-acre property located in Minier, Ill., just for that purpose.
“It was our dream to buy property like this to be able to have the animals and to raise our kids on the farm with all the animals!” he shares.
Today, Jeremy works as a project superintendent for O’Shea – but his workday doesn’t end when he clocks out. He then shifts his organizational and leadership skills to managing his farm during his spare time.
And his two children, 9-year-old Annabelle and 5-year-old Memphis, are fully immersed in farm life and love to help take care of the animals.
The Woodsons started slowly to grow their farm, acquiring two quarter horses, named Moon and Bullet, from Jeremy’s uncle in Colorado. Since that time, they have added four goats, three white turkeys, many chickens and ducks, and barn cats.
“And we just added two miniature donkeys: Felix and Fiona,” Jeremy says.
Inside the house, it is no less crowded, with two chinchillas, several dogs, two cats, a tortoise and some small lizards – and Sparkles, of course, who is fully potty-trained.
“We plan on getting more chickens this spring. The kids go out and get eggs each morning; it’s like a Easter egg hunt here every day,” he says.
It’s a dream come true for the Woodsons, who love working together to take care of the property and animals and knowing that their kids are getting to experience the joys and responsibilities of farm life.
“We do chores as a team; the kids love helping. They even help clean horse stalls,” Jeremy says. “What I love most about it is watching the kids grow up and helping and playing with all the animals.”