Busy December

It doesn't feel like it was a whole 10 days since I last wrote! I suppose I've been busy and too cold to write. I'm convinced now that there is very little insulation in my craft/computer room. When it gets really cold there are these wet looking spots all over the eastern wall in here, which is odd. If I open my closet door it feels very cold in the winter and very hot in the summer. All year round it feels only slightly cooler/warmer (depending on the time of year, of course) from outside. So, when we got a week of 5 degrees to 20 below 0 I just didn't feel like coming up here! I felt even more like staying on the first floor of the house when one night the heater wasn't cooperating (something to do with a filter and gelled up fuel oil) and it got down to 38 degrees in the house. Brrr! It took awhile for this room to warm up enough for me to type.

Christmas is just around the corner and I'm a bit behind on everything. However, I decided I don't need to follow any unwritten rules of only making and giving gifts for Christmas. I mean, they don't have to be on time, right? Everyone likes getting gifts and I don't think the time of year is all that important when it comes to giving. So, I've decided to make my own rule for this year and that is to stretch this giving time of year until sometime in January. The gifts I'm making just take too much time to have them all done by Christmas! I really need to remember to begin my crafting in October next time. As for cards... I should probably make them about a year in advance! I'm a last minute person, so I need to learn to work with my own personality and have the cards ready so that people get them by Christmas instead of New Years Day! I'm usually making them around the time I should be sending them. Anyway, I wanted to show everyone the one 7-10 hour gift I did get done so far:

Front view of slippers I made for my sister, Kara. She was a great foot model!

Back and side view of the slippers. The bottoms were already getting a little dirty on my floors and I'll give my excuses shortly as to why my floors weren't perfectly swept.

(For those of you who could care less about the process of making these felted slippers you can go ahead and skip this one paragraph.) To make the wool felted slippers I first called my mom to find out how many inches long Kara's feet were, then I drew out a pattern. I felted three separate pieces for each slipper before felting them together. I felted the bottoms (which you can't see in the photos), then the front/tops, then the strip that wraps around the sides and back of the foot. After felting the pieces together I searched my house for suede. I had decided they needed suede on the bottom to make them more durable, but I wasn't about to drive all the way to the nearest town that would have suede for sale (about 25 miles away). It was already around dinner time by that point anyway, so going out wasn't an option. My husband was the one to find me some good suede in the end. He had a suede folder type thing for storing saw blades in that he had decided he didn't need. So, I traced out the bottom of the slippers onto the suede, cut them out, then began the time consuming process of hammering holes around the edges with a hammer and nail so I could sew the suede to the felted slippers. There's no way my needles would go through the suede without some pre-made holes. It worked, but since then I've thought of a quicker way to make holes in leather. After making the holes I used hemp thread to blanket stitch the suede to the slippers. After everything was sewn together it was time for decorating. I used one felting needle to make the dark orange wool petals, then stitched them on with the hemp thread. I think it would have been nice if I had added some bead work to the slippers, but it was already past 10 PM when I had gotten that far, so I decided enough was enough. The following day was going to be too busy to work on slippers. Here's one last view of them:


The following day (Wednesday) I got to work as soon as I rolled out of bed. There was a lot to be done, because my whole family (Mom, Dad, and sisters - Kara and Mariah) were coming over for Greek food, a trip to the hot spring, and an early Christmas gift opening party. I already had the gyro meat prepared (that takes quite awhile from start to finish, so I try to have that done the day before company is scheduled to arrive for gyros). I also had the Tzatziki (Greek cucumber yogurt dip) ready - it's best to have the spices in that marry overnight. However, I still needed to mix up the dough for pita bread, roll them out, and pan fry them. I needed to make the baklava, which I started first. I also needed to saute onions, cut up tomatoes, and clean my whole house. Yes, minor details. When I should have been cleaning my house the day before I was making slippers. I tend to always count on last minute energy to kick in. It often does, but when I'm in the first trimester of a pregnancy my body doesn't always cooperate. Not only was my body not cooperating, but as I was in the middle of pita dough my husband walked in with a sheep. An ewe had apparently gone into labor the night before and we hadn't even known we had any lambs due! I quickly cleaned the dough off my hands and went to inspect my new patient. I didn't need to go far since she was right inside my door on the front rug. Her uterus was bulging out - not good. She also wasn't dilated enough. All this took a bit longer than I made it sound. Sheep don't usually like you poking around back there when they're in pain or EVER. Completely understandable, too. She wasn't contracting, which was also a bad sign. I knew there was nothing I could do as soon as I realized I could only reach two fingers in - certainly not enough room to pull a lamb out of. I called the local vets that are able to treat sheep, but there was no way they could take her. It took us awhile to decide what to do with her and in the meantime plenty of blood and manure got on my floors. Finally, my hubby took her outside to tie her up. Company was due anytime and there was nothing we could do for her except end her misery, which we didn't have time for before lunch. As tough as I like to be I cried as I cleaned the manure and blood off my floors (see, at least that wasn't all over the floor when Kara was walking around in her new slippers!). That ewe just so happened to be the most friendly ewe we had on the farm. The one that would walk up for attention and food. I can't even remember if her name was Rosy or Petunia. We had two ewes that were friendly and look basically identical, but the one that had the problem was the most friendly one. I never did know which one was which.

I'm sure I have better pictures of her, but this is the last one I got of her.

I got the dough for the pita ready, but it wasn't fully risen by the time my family arrived. I was behind on things again. Everyone stepped in to help, but still lunch wasn't served until 2 PM! At least we were able to munch on baklava while we worked. :)

We had a great time with my family and really enjoyed the hot spring.

On Thursday when I went out to check on the ewe who had the trouble the day before she wouldn't eat, was bloated, and just wasn't looking good. I called around to the vets and still no one could help her. I quickly got my hubby and we prepared for butchering her. I'm glad to report she had a very quick death. I can't seem to decide whether to spare everyone the details or not. Hmm... well, as it turned out the lamb in her was completely rotten. It was probably the most disgusting thing I've smelled since I was a kid and came upon a rotten pile of beavers. It had been dead a long time, so was a miscarriage. I'm not real sure why the ewe's body wouldn't cooperate and let the dead lamb out. It was definitely near the end of her pregnancy, because the lamb was getting to be a decent size. It really was a sad ending for that ewe, but it's all over now. It was the first time we had to deal with a miscarriage on this farm, much less a miscarriage gone bad. I hope I never have to deal with another one, although realistically I probably will.

Well, that's probably more than enough for now! This turned out to be quite a long post. I hope everyone is having a very joyful and peaceful holiday season!

Random Knowledge Share of the Day

Store bought un-organic baby carrots are dipped in a high solution of chlorine water to prevent them from turning white (for money related reasons, of course).

Oxen Fun

Here is the moment I've been waiting for - pictures! It's a lot of fun riding behind the oxen and it looks like those who can ride them enjoy it, too. I decided to wait until after the baby is born to try my bareback riding skills.

Madeleine riding one of our oxen.

Front view of Madeleine.

Hubby's mom and the children going for a ride behind the oxen.

My sister-in-law, Julie taking a ride on the oxen with me and children in tow.

Taking a drink break. Each oxen can easily down a few gallons in less than a minute. That's me holding Robby next to the oxen. I was in many layers to keep from getting chilled that day!

Well, that's enough for now. I hope you enjoyed my picture tour of a ride with oxen! :)

December Thus Far

My mother-in-law and sister-in-law are now here for their week long visit. We've been playing games, enjoying the outdoors, and eating plenty of good food. We had our late Thanksgiving on the 4th as planned and have been enjoying leftover pie ever since then. Yum! I'm convinced that I could never enjoy a store bought fruit pie again. There's nothing like a homemade fruit pie. The texture and taste are just so much better! The pecan and pumpkin pies are great, too. I guess the only store bought pies I ever get anymore are Cyrus O'Leary cream pies. I should figure out how to make those next!

My firstborn son lost his first tooth the day before yesterday! He sure was surprised when it actually wiggled out and has been excitedly showing off the empty space since then. How time flies. It seems like just last week I held him in my arms for the first time and just yesterday he was teething in those first teeth. Loosing teeth sure beats getting them in for the first time!

I haven't been writing as much since every time I sit down all I can seem to think is, "I'm exhausted and pregnant." That would get boring for all of my readers real quick. I also have the, "I'm exhausted and feeling yucky" days. Things are going well over all pregnancy-wise. I'm past the loosing weight part. I always loose weight for the first month or two since I don't feel like eating when I feel yucky. I don't get morning sickness as bad as many, but I do feel nauseous often. This time it has truly been morning sickness. In most of my pregnancies I've gotten the morning sickness feelings either randomly throughout the day or in the evenings. My midwife informed me that protein helps. Her tip has helped me tremendously! On the mornings after I've eaten a good size portion of meat (especially red meat, I've noticed) I don't seem to feel yucky at all!

I'll have to write again soon, but I'd rather get some pictures first. I would like to post some good ones of my sister-in-law and children riding the oxen and the oxen pulling a sled full of me and the kids. It's a fun activity! And to think, it benefits the oxen, too - good exercise and training! They can pull about 500 pounds now! They're still a bit young, but within the next 2-3 years we'll be able to use them for plowing, planting, harvesting, etc., etc. My hubby is working on fixing up a bunch of horse drawn equipment in his spare time. That way when the oxen are old enough and strong enough we'll be ready to do some real work! :)

Butchering Among Other Things

We've had unseasonably warm weather for the past month or so, which has been really nice. I'm hoping it starts snowing a decent amount by the end of this month, though. Not for me, but for my mother-in-law who will be coming for a visit in early December and is hoping to get some skiing in while here. The ski slopes are scheduled to open on Thanksgiving Day (weather permitting), which would be perfect timing in my opinion.

Yesterday, my parents and I butchered six of my turkeys. I was happy to get that done - I hadn't been looking forward to this job for quite some time now. The last time I butchered some birds - roosters, I was 8 months pregnant with my daughter and didn't know I was supposed to starve the birds the night before butchering. I don't know if I would have cared even if I did know. Those roosters were really pesty - they would chase and attack Ethan (under 2-years-old at the time) and me. The protective mommy in me had had it, so those roosters weren't going to live another day. The problem with not starving the bird before butchering it is that... well... it poops while getting plucked and gutted. At least that was my luck with those roosters! The combo of pregnancy and a pooping rooster near my face didn't go over well, so I remembered to starve the turkeys overnight. It went a lot better doing that! I learned a new thing about my dad in the process of butchering. He is GREAT at chopping turkey heads off and gutting. I've never seen anyone gut anything that fast before! I'm hoping I remember all of his good tips concerning that.

Well, I thought I would think of more to write, but this will have to do for now. I'm working on scrapbooking today. I have a lot of pictures to catch up on. It would be wonderful to be caught up again! I hope everyone is having a lovely November! Take care...

Wonderful News!

I'm very happy to report that this morning I found out I'm expecting my fourth child! I'm due around July 7th, 2009! I'm planning on another home birth, of course (I wouldn't plan it any other way). So, for those of you who pray, please pray I have a great and healthy pregnancy and a wonderful birth!

Where does time go?! I can't believe it has already been 12 days since my last entry! I've been busy, but not much is new. I painted one of our bathrooms that desperately needed it. It was the first time I did any household painting. It's funny, because my dad is a professional painter and here I am, his daughter, who has never painted a wall until now! I can paint a little over half a gallon in a day where he can handle painting at least 5 gallons a day! I'm hoping he'll be able to help me with painting my kitchen. It's a big kitchen and would probably take me a week to paint!

Anyway, I hope everyone is having a lovely October! I'll try to think of something more interesting to write soon.

My Walking Baby

Robby (about 3 weeks ago) just decided to walk one day. He had been casually practicing here and there, but wasn't making a ton of progress. I could tell he just wasn't determined yet. Well, about 3 weeks ago my hubby decided it would be fun to put Robby's little shoes on and take him outside for a little walk around the yard. The day after that, on September 22nd, Robby decided it was time he learned to walk. I have a hunch he decided it would be fun to be allowed out more with his siblings! Anyway, here are some pictures from September 21st:

Awkward steps.

Walking with daddy.

Carefully walking over the hose with a little help from his daddy.

Bending over to pick up rocks.

Picking up rocks quickly became a game he enjoyed.

A campfire my children and I started for fun. Take note of the little guy behind Ethan and Madeleine. He noticed all the stacked rocks (Ethan and Madeleine made those rock "walls" for fun) and decided to add to them. He picked up small rock after small rock and piled them on.

Winter

At this very moment I have a pot of beef stew cooking on the stove. Outside we're getting our first snowstorm of the winter. It's supposed to snow all weekend and by Sunday night the low is predicted to be 12 degrees! Things are feeling cozy (besides my cold nose and fingertips). There is something about the first snow each year that is so exciting no matter how much you prefer warm weather. This winter I'm guessing I may gain a few pounds, though. As everyone living in this country knows, every form of heating is going up. My family and I, unfortunately, live in a 5000 square foot rental that uses heating oil. Since there is no affordable way to keep this house cozy warm this winter we'll not only wear layers, but I also plan on doing extra baking. I plan on staying nice and close to my oven baking cookies, bread, rolls, pies, cakes, muffins, cinnamon buns, casseroles, roasts, etc., etc. Winter is sounding downright nice to me right now thinking about all those warm goodies!

Another thing this first snow has me thinking about is Christmas. I think this year I'll make a good portion of my gifts as well as all of the cards I send out. I guess I had better not make a list of what I'm going to be making since certain receivers may read this. ;o)

This week I ordered everything I'll need to begin a new craft - felting. I'm really looking forward to using up wool from our own sheep to make things with! Hats, bowls, ornaments, slippers, you name it! I really didn't need much to begin this craft since I already have plenty of wool and other common items used in felting.

Well, I had better get ready for bed. I'm adding extra blankets to all the beds tonight! Brrr!

Windmill

Windmills can't handle extremely heavy winds, so have safety brakes for times like those. Here's what happens when a windmill's safety brake fails:

Plans

When I started this blog I chose the name based on my reasoning for even starting a blog - I wanted to continue my magazine. Plans certainly don't always pan out. The reasoning behind my halt on writing the magazine was lack of time and funds. It wasn't cheap and it took way too much of my time. I thought with a blog I'd be able to work at a slower pace and save money. However, I've ended up mainly writing about my personal life instead of all the informative articles I had planned! Ah well. I'm okay with this. I just thought I'd better explain myself to those of you who don't even know about "The Wild Truth Magazine" that I produced for 2-3 issues. My magazine began due to my passion for creation science, health, family, etc. I had a lot of fun with it while it lasted. The name of my blog wouldn't make sense unless you knew a partial history behind it, so I felt a need to explain. :)

Found!

We finally found out sheep! It took quite the adventure to find them. My family and I had to drive up the very steep, rough, rocky hill behind our neighbor's house to finally catch sight of them. The children and I got out of the car (we were nervous it wouldn't be as safe going over the slope over to the other side as it had been up to that point) and walk down the hill, then got back in the vehicle to drive over to the sheep and llama. We chased them over to the edge of the hill towards home. It was too steep there to drive any farther, so I put Robby in the backpack carrier, and got out of the vehicle with the children. My hubby had to drive back around to get down the hill/mountain. It started to rain as I trekked down the gravely hill side as quickly as possible to herd the animals in the right direction since they were headed the wrong way. It was quite the hike/run. I held onto Madeleine's hand, carried Robby on my back, kept and eye on Ethan, and all the while ran down the steep slop as fast as possible without falling. After we got to the base of the hill we ran to get in front of the animals to head them off and get them turned in the proper direction - towards home. Not too long later my hubby showed up and together we got those sheep home. It's so nice to have them back. We had a good amount of prayer into that search! My parents, three friends, and us! It really was an answer to prayer that led us to them, because I really felt we should go over that hill even though it seemed too risky with the vehicle (if we had gotten stuck no one would have gone out to get us out - that's how far up we were and how rough it was). I'm so glad we did, though, or we may never have found them! They sure had gotten themselves lost. I sure hope they don't pull any more shenanigans like that when my hubby is away to start his new job!

October

The peak of autumn is quickly passing by. The golden yellows will soon turn to brown and then the trees will be bare in the blink of an eye. I miss the eastern autumns where you get to see trees in every shade of yellow, orange, and red. Autumn is one season that isn't quite the same in the west. Still, I get to see high mountains with their uppermost peaks covered in snow and along the bases of these majestic mountains are many golden trees and orange-ish, reddish bushes. You don't get to see anything like that where I came from. I'm hoping that this winter we will get more snow that stays on the ground. For the past two winters that I've lived here we have gotten our most snow in November, then it seems to be all downhill from there. It's the wind... it blows and blows as soon as it turns cold out. I'm hoping, though, that this winter will be different. That there will be calm. That there will be enough snow on the ground all winter to play in.

Thanksgiving will be here before we know it. I plan on making a late Thanksgiving dinner - around December 1st when my in-laws arrive. There will be warm, homemade pies: pumpkin blueberry, and apple. I plan on making mashed potatoes, gravy, baked sweet potatoes, homemade cranberry sauce, a big green salad with all the toppings in little separate bowls - tomatoes, cheese, black olives, green onions, cut baby carrots, radishes, and (of course) cucumbers. I'll make a plump roasted turkey that we raised ourselves here on our little farm. I'll make fresh, homemade bread rolls that we'll spread plenty of Amish butter on. Yes... it will be a Thanksgiving to remember. It will be nice to have my in-laws here with us to celebrate the holiday.

Now that I've sat here dreamily talking about autumn for two paragraphs I'll bring up the bad news of the day: at least 30 of our sheep disappeared. We haven't seen them since Saturday night. We've figured out that they crossed over the fence in the back of our property over to the land behind us. My husband came across one Shetland ewe and our llama, Oscar on that property back there. He figured he'd come back to chase them home and went farther back to look for more sheep. When he came back, though, they were gone. He came back home and we packed up the children into the vehicle and we looked for the sheep together. We searched until it was nearly too dark to see out. We finally retired from our search for the night, ate our dinner in silence, and went to bed. I keep hoping they'll turn up. We'll search more today. It's just so strange that a whole herd could disappear like that. They must be out there somewhere...

Well, I better go get ready for my day and prepare for the search. Until next time...

Did You Know...?

Did you know that organic farmers are legally allowed to get manure for their crops from feed lots? This manure comes from animals treated with antibiotics, hormones, and are fed genetically modified food. We were told this recently from a big time, organic farmer who sells pre-started plants, cheese, milk, butter, meat, etc. all over this state. They use this manure (although I'm not clear on why - maybe because it's readily available and free) with their pre-started plants! Organic foods aren't quite what they're all cracked up to be unless... you have grown them yourselves and know exactly what went into that plant.

Draft Horse Expo

About 1 1/2 weeks ago, right after my hubby got back from a business trip, my family and I headed off for a day at the Draft Horse Expo just one town away. Here are a few pictures from our enjoyable outing:

This was one of our favorite teams. I think they won in both the Unicorn competition and the 6-horse team competition. For the 6-horse team they, of course, added on three more horses.

These mules, in spite of pulling that big bulky wagon behind them, won the Canadian maze race!

These folks nearly won the Canadian race. They sure went fast! It would have made sense if they had been the fastest with that nice, small, light wagon and a good looking team of horses pulling it.

A beautiful team.

Later, when Ethan was telling his papa, Jack about the draft expo he summed it up with, "It was kind of boring." It did last a long time for little ones, but I enjoyed it! All three of the children did great sitting still for the whole thing. I was very proud of them. Here's Ethan talking to his papa about the expo:


Here's a picture of Robby that doesn't really go along with the rest of this post. I can just see it in his little face - he was contemplating what to do with that pencil first before Mom noticed (the golden head is Madeleine's):

Back on Track

The cold has finally passed. Ethan had it for the shortest amount of time and I'm thinking it's because he prepared for it better. He consistently took Echinacea tincture, Elderberry tincture, plenty of liquids and vitamin C. If I had been making sure all the children took those things before cold season even started we may have been able to avoid that cold! However, it's very difficult to get a 3-year-old to take things like that. She'll take the vitamin C without a problem, but the nastier tasting things are a whole different story. I took all of the above as well as ate fresh garlic and was able to avoid the cold all together. I'm very thankful for that! It's hard enough tending to 3 little ones with a cold without having a cold yourself!

With everyone well again we're back on track with schooling, schedule, and chores. Both Ethan and Madeleine have reading lessons each day along with beginner math, writing, and science. They're both doing really well! I had to include Madeleine since she couldn't stand for Ethan to get all of the "attention"! Robby isn't as quiet during lessons as he used to be. He is learning to get around better and better all the time. He climbs up onto the couch, climbs behind the couch into the bay window, then back down. He usually aims for Madeleine lap on the way back down right on her school books. It's entertaining, but distracting, so I try to get him to sit somewhat quietly with some board books on my lap.

With the season change upon us we're preparing for winter; ordering hay for the animals, my husband is finishing up a few summer project he had going, etc. Madeleine and I built a campfire pit yesterday so we can have a few campfires this autumn. I thought it would be a fun evening activity - gathering wood together, sitting around the campfire and baking potatoes or corn in the fire. I remember all the summers of camping from when I was a child and my favorite part was always the campfire. So, why not have that here at our own home?

Well, I should get back to work! I hope everyone is doing very well!

Not Much New

It has been a week now and I still can't seem to come up with a good post! I've been busy with the usual; children, household chores, teaching, crafting, etc. The children came down with a cold, so I'm more tired this week from interrupted nights. Other than that, not much is new. I hope everyone else out there is staying well! :c)

Brrr...

I had a feeling for over a month now that winter would come early. Little did I know we would get our first snow on September 1st, though! Brrr! Of course, since the ground isn't frozen down here in the valley the snow melted within hours of the sun rising. Still, when it isn't raining we've seen snow flurries today. It's chilly! It finally warmed up to 47 degrees, but that doesn't feel very warm and it's supposed to get down to 29 degrees tonight. The rest of this week it's supposed to get into the 60's. The warmest day of the week (Sunday) is supposed to get up to 71 degrees. I'm wearing layers today since I'm not used to this weather. I refuse to turn the heat on this early in the season! Especially since this place is heated with heating oil. Ugh. We're hoping to talk the landlord into allowing us to put in a wood stove. That would save us thousands! If that doesn't work we'll heat with the minimum needed, which would make it a very chilly winter.

Anyway, I didn't mean to bore everyone with a weather update! Still, it's on my mind since I sit here in a lightweight fleece jacket thinking to myself... it's supposed to feel like summer still!

Last night I made up a big batch of cake donuts (the ones covered in cinnamon and sugar) for my hubby who had a hankering for them. They sure are tasty. Especially if eaten along with a glass of fresh apple juice. I've made way too many sweets this week; huckleberry pie, cherry pie, oatmeal raisin cookies, chocolate cake w/homemade vanilla frosting, and then the donuts. Is anyone getting a sweet tooth reading this? Good thing I keep finding plenty of help eating these things or certain, unmentionable parts on me might be showing extra, unwanted gain right now!

Well, that's all I can think of for now. I really should get to cleaning since I have a friend coming over tomorrow to craft with me! I hope everyone is having an excellent Labor Day! Bye for now!

A Windy Day

The wind is whipping around this house, causing all sorts of creaks and groans. This sort of weather reminds me of when one of our temporary buildings was blown over. Still, as long as it's not destroying anything I enjoy it - storms, that is. It seems like an adventure hits when it's storming. I'm not sure why. It always causes this excited, awed, cozy feeling for me.

The dark clouds have been hovering over the mountains all day and I keep wondering if it might be snowing up there. It would seem a little early, but still beats having fires all over! As long as the snow sticks to the high peaks and doesn't come down here in August, I wouldn't be bothered. I always have loved how mountain peaks look with snow on them - so clean, white, sharp, and... cold.

Yes, a day like this makes me think of pumpkins, hot apple cider, autumn leaves & colors, a lightweight jacket, blue jeans, schoolwork, and outdoor fun. It sure beats the temperatures we had last Monday when it hit 103 degrees! Today it's 60 degrees, but is supposed to be in the upper 80's and sunny on Sunday. Although the warm weather will be back for a little while, today makes me realize summer is nearly over. We shall enjoy maybe a month or two more of warm weather before winter arrives, then it will be time to pull out the coats, hats, gloves, and snow pants. Bicycles will have to be put in safe places along with other summer toys. Hopefully this winter won't be so windy and we'll have enough snow to build snowmen with! Either way, there will be lots of learning. Ethan has been doing great with his reading lessons, but it's time to start working on mathematics with him. Madeleine, at three-years-old, is ready to start preschool this year and I'm sure she'll do great. She already has about half of the alphabet memorized, knows some shapes, all of her colors, and numbers up to 10.

Summer Fun

I have so thoroughly enjoyed this summer! The temperatures have mainly been 70's and 80's, which is just perfect for summer in my book - especially the 70's! I wouldn't mind it if the weather was like this all year around, except for maybe 2 really snowy weeks of the year!

Ethan and Madeleine are old enough now to enjoy new things - like the circus we went to (talked about in my last post) and the fair we went to today. I have learned how to multi-task even more than before (I always find it amazing how many things can be done in a day!) My hubby has been in fair health and able to get several things done. Things are good.

Well, I'll try to find a more "awake" moment to write sometime soon. I just woke up from a nap and am feeling all groggy. I shouldn't have taken a nap right after eating! It felt good, though. I've been spending two hours a day on house cleaning each day due to my husband asking me to. Cleaning the kitchen, cooking, and laundry time don't count towards those two hours, though, so I've been extra busy this week! I hope everyone has had a wonderful week!

Circus!

I had been planning on going to the circus as soon as I saw the coupons for it at every store in town. I had gone to the very same circus twice when my parents, sisters, and I used to live in this area. What I remembered from it was the elephants - mainly and the fact that other kids were getting to pet the animals, but not me. This time, I decided, I would pet those animals! What I didn't know was that although the petting zoo part included elephants when I was a kid it no longer does, but they had something even better now...

When the big day arrived Ethan and Madeleine had been looking forward to it for over a week already! What child wouldn't be excited to see a bunch of elephants for the first time?! We took our good friend, Ruby with us. It was super hot out - 90's and without air conditioning in my vehicle, we were all sweating. (Well, maybe not Ruby since she is so cool!) On our way there we got some fast food, then dropped by another place for chocolate malt shakes (for us grown ups - Ruby and I) before heading over to the big circus tent to buy tickets nearly 2 hours in advance. I wanted to get good seats. While I was standing in line for tickets a little girl turned around to me and said, "Watch this!" She proceeded to take a drink of soda, then blow it out her nose and front teeth. I wasn't quite sure what to say! I think I probably said something like, "Did that just come out your nose?" because I remember her saying, "Yeah, but I was just trying to push it out between my front teeth."

I was able to get a front row for us before we headed over to the petting zoo which wasn't exactly open yet, but they were allowing folks to look. Ethan sure was excited to see a zebra there, I was surprised to see a hippo, but what we all found interesting (my children and I) was the donkey eating his own manure. I hadn't ever seen anything quite like that before. I mean... I've seen dogs and cats do that, but not animals like donkeys, mules, horses, cattle, goats, sheep, etc. That was weird. I later found out from my husband that donkeys commonly do that (he has read about it...). Anyway, I found it strange!

As we headed out to the vehicle to leave for WalMart (I needed more diapers for town days - I normally use cloth) we noticed a sign with a price for elephant rides, camel rides, pony rides, and I-don't-remember-what-other-kind-of rides! I suddenly realized my mistake. I had chosen a skirt instead of pants for our outing! I exclaimed, "We must check out the capris on clearance at WalMart!" I normally just buy my clothes at a thrift store or garage sales, but we had limited time for shopping, so I decided to do the one stop shop thing. I also decided everyone who needed to go to the bathroom needed to try using the potty at the store since the circus only had those stinky porta potties, which are no fun to use, but especially no fun to use with short people (young children). When we got there I grabbed the diapers, some bottled water (our mason jars full of water probably wouldn't be allowed in at the circus, I figured), capris, and a couple of others things on my list before we paid and headed back to the circus. I changed into the capris before heading in. After carefully avoiding the clown walking around out front we got in and bought elephant ride tickets. We stood in line for the ride when I suddenly felt sick to my stomach. I squatted down praying I wouldn't have to throw up (the porta potties were busy, but even if they weren't I didn't want to have to use one for THAT!) I told Ruby to go ahead and ride with Madeleine on the elephant (Ethan didn't want to). I took pictures of their ride and started feeling a bit better. We headed into the big circus tent after their ride and found our seats. I started feeling much better once we were seated. I'm guessing I felt sick from drinking a bunch of water too quickly, then being out in the very hot sun on top of too much excitement and not enough sleep. I don't know. What matters is I felt just fine sitting down! :c)

I totally splurged and bought a thing of cotton candy for all of us to share, snow cones for Ethan, Madeleine, and Ruby and a thing of popcorn for Ethan. It was quite the event! It was only the second time in my life that I ate cotton candy and the first for all three of my children! I didn't want my own snow cone, but I tried Ethan and Madeleine's. It was the perfect treat for such a hot day, because although it was cooler in the tent than out in the hot sun, it was still hot enough to perspire.

Here are a couple of pictures of my children eating things I normally don't allow (pictures didn't turn out great due to lighting):

The show had just started as you can tell by the excitement in Ethan's face. Not to mention how happy he was over the snow cone!

Madeleine trying not to make a mess.

Robby having fun with the cotton candy.

It was so cute, when the circus began Robby forgot all about the cotton candy he was trying to get and started happily laughing and squealing at the ponies and poodles doing tricks. He stayed entertained the whole time, which was a big surprise for me! I figured he would possibly need to be walked around or carried out during parts, but he did great! He especially loved the parts with the animals - ponies, poodles, elephants, camels, and snake. For me it was fun just watching his reaction to things - his bright eyes, giggles, laughs, even screams of delight! The only thing I really didn't like about the show was how loud it was!

At intermission Ruby paid five dollars to have her picture taken with a giant snake in the center ring! If I had had five dollars left I would have done the same thing with the children, but maybe another time. I think next time I'll take a camel ride, too!

When the show was over (it was a 2 hours long) we left the tent and Ethan, Robby, and I took our elephant ride before heading home. That was really neat and I'm happy I can now say I've rode an elephant! I'll try to remember to add a picture of that here later. I have to get it from Ruby first (my camera had gotten something on the lense by then.)

Later on that evening I asked Ethan and Madeleine what their favorite part of the day was. Ethan said it was the silly clowns and Madeleine said it was the elephant ride. I think mine was probably watching Robby's reactions to the cotton candy and animals in the show.

Training Oxen

My husband has patiently been training a team of oxen for the past 9 months and it seems to be paying off! When we (our whole family) went on a walk with them the other day we had them pull a chain with a few things attached to it (for a little weight) for the first time. It took them just a couple of minutes to get used to the sound of the chain dragging and weight. They did great following the commands, "Gee, haw, back, giddup, and whoa!" Here are a few pictures I took on the walk:

Our Scottish Highland oxen team (not yet full grown).

Hubby walking his oxen.

Little Bill and Curly Sue taking a break (we didn't name them ourselves).

Me watching them munch.

I'm so proud of my guy training these oxen. He even made his own yoke from scratch! I always find it amazing what my DH can train himself to do. He never saw anyone train oxen or build a yoke before, he just figured it out himself with a little help from some books and did it. I wish I were more like that! I tend to learn much better seeing someone else do it first.

Another Great Weekend!

I ended up having another busy, summer weekend! It started off with a bang on Friday - my firstborn son's 5th birthday. We had a good time. I made him (Ethan) some of his favorite meals (like cheeseburgers, which is a big deal when you're allergic to cheese and wheat) and desserts he could actually eat (this child has an allergy list a mile long). It was tricky in the meal department, but I got it taken care of. Then, there was, of course, gift opening time, a few hours of hanging out with friends, and a trip to the park. He enjoyed it.

On Saturday morning, after assembling a pizza for my husband to bake for lunch, I went over to my friend, Crystal's house to help prepare for a birthday party, then hang out for the party she was throwing for two of her children. Everyone had fun! We had probably the best BBQ beef sandwiches I've ever had, yummy pasta salad, potato salad, spinach dip with homemade bread, and fruit galore! I left the party STUFFED. I don't think I ate dinner that night.

Then, on Sunday after lunch I packed up my children again and headed for the mountains to meet up with my parents at a rustic log cabin. They were camping there for the weekend along with some friends of theirs. The road there was one of the roughest roads I've been on and I have seen many a rough road in my day! LOL. Really, I have. This one was steep, rocky, dusty, and definitely not well maintained. It was full of potholes and large rocks. I was proud of my SUV, though, because I didn't even need to put it in 4 wheel drive, although I did have to put the gas down a bit far a couple of times to get over a few big rocks. Once we got there it was nice just relaxing and visiting with my mom, sister (who met us up there, too), dad, and everyone. We went an extra 1 1/2 miles up the rough road to a lake in the mountains. Ethan went in even though he was wearing sweat pants and a t-shirt! Good thing he had an extra outfit in the vehicle. Robby got to feel sand for the very first time when he was set down in it for a little while - that was probably the only time he laughed out loud that day! Madeleine, surprisingly, stayed out of trouble most of the day and enjoyed playing with the other little kids there! I think probably the cutest moment of the day was when Ethan picked a bouquet of pretty wildflowers and instead of giving them to ol' mom, he handed them to a cute little girl his own age. Later he told me, "Mom, that girl that was at the river," (he confused the lake with a river), "had very pretty ponytails." (She was wearing her hair in pigtails). Too cute.

Today has been a day of catch up; laundry, cooking, cleaning, and making cards.

Here are a few pictures from our weekend:

Birthday Boy.

Madeleine stretching in the woods.

The lake.

Ethan standing by the lake at dusk.

Robby and me hanging out in the forest.

Robby enjoyed burying his own feet in the sand before he got too dirty for mommy to allow anymore play in the sand.

Farewell Ruby-the-Goat and More

Today is a good day. Ruby the goat (the one who was always getting her head stuck in the fence) went away to a new home today along with one of her kids. I'm glad I won't have to worry about getting her unstuck everyday now!

Schooling the children has been going very well this week. Ethan is learning how to read and doing a good job of it. He is also getting better and better at writing his letters.

A local gift shop in town is planning on taking a dozen of my handmade greeting cards on consignment. I sure hope they sell well! I'm working on them this week hoping to get them done quickly. Here is one of the ones I made the other day:
I don't know if you can tell the flowers are glittery and there is stitching on a few places on the card, but there are. I really need to work on my photography skills for close up shots like these. I can't decide if the fault lies in me or the camera.

Well, I just thought I'd update everyone before I get back to work on my cards. I probably won't post again until I get the dozen done! I need to get those in the store ASAP! :)

A Sunday Drive on Saturday

Today my family and I got to go out for what I would think of as a little "Sunday drive," only, of course, it was Saturday. What started out as a search for ripe huckleberries turned out being an afternoon of soaking up sunshine, blue skies, and the woods in all its glory. I always enjoy going out and experiencing God's creations. Today I got to enjoy picking wildflowers, taking snapshots of flowers, trees, and other things that inspired me, reminiscing over things I used to study in the woods with my mom & sisters, talking to my husband, and just appreciating my beautiful family. Here are a few of the pictures I took:

Rose hip (I think)

Indian Paintbrush

A tree a beaver felled.

A peaceful brook.

This is a sad one. This was a deer that tried jumping a fence and apparently got it's hind haunches stuck. Ouch! What a bad way to go.

And this is the crazy bouquet I picked today. I don't know the name of every flower in the bunch, but that big yellow one is a wild sunflower, the red ones are Indian Paintbrush, and I have some foxtail in there.

A Cute Question

Ethan recently asked me, "Mom, will there be dirt in heaven?"

"Yeah, probably." I responded, "Why?"

"I like digging holes."

It's funny the things kids worry and wonder about when they think about going to heaven.

Mastitis, Paper Crafts, Etc.

Yesterday evening, after tucking my sweet children into bed I realized I was feeling the soreness I connect with Mastitis. I went and drank a glass of water, but didn't feel up to eating fresh garlic (which has helped in the past) and didn't have cabbage to help with inflammation. It was too late to take a hot shower, so I put hot clothes on the infected area and pumped to try to clear the clogged duct. Although I did a couple of the things I know to do, I still came down with a fever, chills, felt nauseated, and got one of the worst headaches I've ever had. I slept horribly and just knew I was going to have to call my new friend to tell her I wouldn't be able to come over for our little visit. This morning I couldn't walk around without making my head pound worse, so I took 2 Advil and within 20 minutes I felt much better. I took a quick trip to town to check my mail and get some cabbage before deciding I felt up for a visit after all and packed up some paper craft items to play with.

As I was headed over for the little get together I realized I had left the house nearly 30 minutes too soon, so took a little drive to look for wild flowers. I didn't find the Paintbrush flowers I was looking for, but saw some other pretty ones that looked too prickly to pick. After our little detour, I drove the rest of the way to our destination.

Our kids had fun playing outside for about 5 hours on our new friends' swing set, trampoline, and sandbox and eating watermelon, strawberries, kiwis, and Popsicles. While the kids had lots of outdoor fun we enjoyed our relaxing time making 11 cards - mostly birthday invites. It was a lovely afternoon!

Now that I've bored everyone with my mundane life I had best be going. It's past my bedtime! :)

Weekend in a Nutshell

Here is the outline of my past weekend:

Friday:
Big hail storm. We had a hail storm with hail that was about 1 inch in diameter that lasted about 5 minutes. It was probably the loudest storm I've been around. My hubby was able to hear it off in the distance about 10 minutes before it even hit our place! Before the storm hit I noticed a big, beautiful rainbow outside...



I put the kids to bed at the usual time, because last year when I let them stay up for the fireworks they were off schedule for about 10 days. It just wasn't worth it this year. (I do have a slight twinge of regret concerning this. After all... fireworks only come around once a year.)

Saturday:
Robby took his first step!

I had a friend over for lunch and crafts, which was fun.

Sunday:
My kids and I spent the day with my parents and sister who live 1 1/2 hours from here, we did some grocery shopping at my favorite big health food store, went to a used bookstore, and hung out for most of the day. Here are a couple of pictures (the first one is my dad and Robby, and the second is Madeleine climbing a tree.)



Robby took 4 steps in a row after we got home from our visit with my parents. He'll be walking in no time!

Today:
It's my 6th wedding anniversary! How time flies!

I took some pictures earlier of my three cuties and was happily surprised they all smiled at the same time for me! It must be their anniversary gift to me.

Circling Robby

One of the things Robby really likes to do is go around and around and around in circles. Here's a sample of what I'm talking about:

I took a video of it after I saw him learning how to stand on his own. I thought he'll probably forget all about those cute circles when he learns to walk!

Here's one of our young turkeys (we have two) peeking in our window this morning:

This Week

What a crazy week I've had! I don't even know where to begin. I'll just tell you the minor details of the week. Things like my aching knees, hip, back and shoulder. I feel about 80-years-old and it doesn't feel very nice. I'm not even sure how I threw something out of place. My guess is when I took my dog, Lady for a walk about two weeks ago and she kept jumping off the trail forgetting she was on a leash. My arm and everything else kept getting jerked this way and then that way... I came back aching, then within a couple of days of that I noticed my knee hurting, then my hip, then my back, and shoulder. Or maybe it was when I was helping chase sheep around to give them their shots. You get in all kinds of weird positions doing that. Whatever it was, I think it's healing. It's hard to tell, though.

My right arm is all bruised up from helping my goat, Ruby get unstuck from the fence for the past couple of weeks. She was out grazing with all the other female goats, but always wanted to get to the water or food in the male's pen, so she would stick her head through and get stuck (her horns wouldn't allow her to get out). So, I finally put her in the pen. I decided it would be better for her to get bred the wrong time of year than to die of dehydration or heatstroke if I didn't get to her on time. Summer is finally here and I don't want her dying! The problem didn't come to an end, though! Now she sticks her head out of the pen and I've decided there is no method to her madness. She is just a very dumb animal. I'm starting to wonder why I had to have this goat in the first place! We were taking care of her and a bunch of other goats all winter for an acquaintance and I decided I really wanted her. Maybe because she is the daughter of the best goat we ever had, Snowflake. Maybe it was because she had just had kid goats who were females and they were so cute I just had to have them. Whatever the reason, I ended up with the dumbest goat a girl could ask for! I may have to find another home for her. One where they don't use cattle panels to pen up their animals.

Well, I better sign off for now. I'm going to have a lovely day of crafting with a couple of my very good girlfriends. I made up a good lunch for us - Thai food and pie. Yum! I hope you all have had a lovely week!

Snow!

A couple of days ago I was astonished to see snow flying outside! Back east it was in the 80's and 90's and here I was turning my heat on again and bundling the children up when they wanted to go out to play. Since the ground hasn't been frozen in awhile the snow melted as soon as it landed, but even so it was crazy seeing snow in mid June! It was in the 30's and the winds were strong and freezing. I can't remember another time that I've seen snow in June! Now it's in the 70's, blue skied, and sunny. Quite beautiful. I have finally begun the process of planting our indoor garden outdoors. If everything turns out we should have plenty of corn of several different varieties among many other vegetables and herbs. I sure hope it stays a bit warmer from here on out! At least until October...

Pajamas

Every morning, unless someone is supposed to come over, I like to hang out in my pajamas for at least an hour. There's something so comfortable and cozy about pajamas. This morning, as I stretched my time in my pajamas, I realized that I also like to leave them on to help me feel productive. How so, you wonder? Well, in my mind, when I'm wearing cozy, comfy PJ's, then it's morning! I got up this morning around 7:20 a.m., started a load of laundry right away, got Ethan and Madeleine breakfast, and started my kitchen clean-up/catch-up (I didn't clean any yesterday during the Sabbath day). I loaded the dishwasher and filled the dish drainer full of clean dishes. After those were done, I switched loads of laundry. Robby woke up around that time, so I fed him, changed his diaper, and got him ready for his day. I then got busy peeling and slicing apples for an apple pie. After the pie was in the oven, I switched loads of laundry again. Then, I put away all the clean dishes, loaded the dishwasher part way again and filled the dish drainer full of more clean dishes before heading down to switch loads again. Each time I went to the basement to switch loads of laundry I took hampers full of laundry down or other items that belonged in the basement to make the trip fully worth it. After loads were switched that time I went up and started folding an awful lot of laundry, then went around collecting clothes from various rooms, took the children's sheets off their bed, put away clothes, checked my email while I fed Robby, and went back to the basement to switch loads. I don't know if I wrote all of them down, but I had six loads done in my pajamas! I felt really successful. I finally took my shower around noon, then switched loads, got the pie out of the oven to cool, and made the children lunch. It was a productive morning, don't you think? And the best part is, I feel perfectly clean and as if I'm only now beginning my day!

Tired

I was just hit by how tired I feel. I sat down to write, my dinner settled suddenly, and now I feel ready for bed! It's only 6:30 PM, though. I often wonder why grownups feel tired after a meal. I've noticed that after a child eats they usually have too much energy to sit still. They need to talk, run, jump, play... do something! I remember being just such a child. My sister, Kara and I would run around the living room until we were so hot we would throw our shirts off and continue our run. I remember hearing my mother comment once while watching us, "That's what food is supposed to do for you." She said this with her chin in hand, leaning on the table, looking quite sleepy. I thought it was funny at the time, but now that I feel the same way my mom did (does) after a meal it isn't so funny.

If most mothers are like me, they're often tired. They just seem to notice it more when they slow down enough, slightly relax for awhile, and think about themselves for a moment. That usually comes right after a meal. I haven't figured out whether it's all the responsibility (because I seem to get enough sleep now), my metabolism, my age, or the constant testing. Testing of my patience, testing of my character, testing of my position as mother, testing. It's an interesting, priceless, difficult job being the mother I want to be and the mother I am. It's all so tiring. Completely worth it, of course, I just wish I had more energy!

Yesterday

Yesterday was a day full of interesting exercise! I helped my husband herd all of our sheep into a pin and give them shots (probably more difficult than it sounds to you city slickers out there). We also gave all of our goats their shots. I had never given anything a shot before yesterday. After I got used to it, it was actually somewhat fun... like playing doctor. I'm probably the only weird person on the face of the planet that enjoys giving anything a shot, but here I am! I found it interesting that the biggest babies were the rams and our billy goat, Bill. He (Bill) was the biggest baby of all. He let out a loud, "Baaaaaaaaah" when we had to give him his second shot. Then he went running around tossing his head back and forth. He got so irritated over the discomfort, he started butting all the rams in sight. The rams did the same thing after their shots - tossed their heads side to side, then started ramming each other out of irritation. You probably would have had to have been there to see why I found that so funny.

It was nice to have so much outdoor time yesterday. Instead of the predicted rain and 50's weather, we're getting high 60's, 70's, and plenty of sunshine. It's always nice getting weather the children can enjoy. Children are full of so much energy, they basically need plenty of acreage and good weather to use it all up in. Our whole family functions better when Ethan and Madeleine get their well-needed outdoor play in each day.

Today I plan on making several pairs of earrings I'm going to sell, hopefully get around to trimming my rabbit, Jake (an Angora), and tend to my everyday chores. I hope everyone is enjoying their Wednesday as much as I am!

Small Update

I waited long enough to write that the smell of manure already vanished from within my vehicle. I've been keeping busy, but didn't have anything too exciting to write. I've been working on all the boring jobs like laundry, dishes, cooking, schooling my children, feeding our dog, etc. We had a week of beautiful weather that I enjoyed. 70's and 80's... it was gorgeous. This week, though, has been rainy and in the 50's. It looks like things will be warming up again soon. I don't mind the rain. As dry as it gets here in the summer we need all the rain we can get. However, I am getting tired of the mud my children are tracking in.

Sheep in a Jeep

Have you ever read "Sheep in a Jeep"? It's a children's book that I always found a bit amusing. Well, today got me thinking about that little book. You see, today I got to ride with five big sheep in the back of our SUV. We don't have a trailer on this small farm of ours or anything else that would work well for hauling animals (yet), so when needed we load sheep in our "jeep"! These five ewes were pretty nervous at first, but after a few minutes settled down and were nice for the 100+ mile drive home. Most people might be nervous that a sheep would jump over the backseat and come join you in the front, but we've never had that problem. For the most part sheep and goats don't like being too close to us people. In a vehicle that works to our benefit! The only time I was a bit worried during our ride was when all of the ewes decided to look out the back window and their rears were facing my dear children in the backseat. I'm sure you can guess what I was worrying about! All went well, though. I'm not sure how long it's going to take for my vehicle to quit smelling like a barnyard, but from experience I DO know it goes away... eventually.

My Absence

Usually when I don't find time to write it's because I'm busy living. The kind of living that stands out in my mind years later. During my writing absence this last time I took a trip with my family (my children and husband) to Portland, Oregon to see my sister, Kara. We had a good time there and the children did GREAT on the drive there and back. I was happily surprised by that blessing since it was an eleven hour drive. During our visit there we also got to see some old friends of mine over across the border of Washington - it was really good to see them after nearly 6 years! Once we got back from our trip I had two days to unpack and clean house before my mother-in-law came for a six day visit. We enjoyed visiting with her, playing games, going shopping, swimming at the local hot spring, and eating some yummy meals and desserts. After she left I needed a couple of days of unwind time before getting back into everyday routine. I took it real easy the day after she left, then yesterday I worked on laundry, gave a reading lesson to my children, then headed over to play games with a very good friend of mine and her kids. I think we played 3 different games of Scrabble within 4 hours! We had a lot of good giggle time. I also made a new discovery about my very good friend; she is AWESOME at making long words!

Well, that's a very busy 2 weeks in a nutshell! I hope all is well with you and yours!

Plumber

After 2-year-old Madeleine plugged up the toilet by using too much toilet paper she quickly told her mother as she ran off, "I'll go get the plumber!" Knowingly, her mother waited for the plunger to arrive.

Half Deaf

Yesterday I took Ethan to the ear doctor. I had figured out Ethan probably wasn't hearing anything with his left ear. I thought it must have been a somewhat new occurrence - within the past year. I had three theories as to what caused the problem:
1. The no-see-'em bugs that got in his ears last year somehow caused a problem.
2. The clay that Ethan had made "earplugs" out of somehow got deep into his ear and covered up his eardrum. I thought I had cleaned all the clay out, but maybe...
3. Or for some reason wax had covered up his eardrum. You know, maybe a bug got in there, his body was trying to clean it out, but instead accidentally covered his eardrum with earwax.

None of my theories turned out being fact this time. I had really hoped it was something repairable even if it took surgery. However, the doctor said it's in the inner ear, it's a problem connected with the nervous system and Ethan was probably born this way. Ethan's left ear is deaf. He said most commonly parents don't detect a problem like this until their child enters school and said I had done a magnificent job detecting it so young. That's NOT how I feel, though. How could I NOT notice my child was deaf in his left ear until the fourth year of his life??? I keep going over in my head how I could have missed that and I wish I had figured it out sooner, because I'll always wonder if he ever heard out of his left ear.

This doesn't change how we live our life as a family. It simply means we need to pay more attention how we speak to him - we need to face him more often when we speak to him. Also, we need to speak in the direction of his right ear. The doctor said Ethan isn't able to tell where sound is coming from without looking around first. I had noticed that, but hoped we would go get his ears cleaned out and the problem would end. That won't be the case. However, there is still hope in my mind/heart. I believe in miracles and believe Ethan can be healed. So, send faith and prayers Ethan's way if you have a mind to. All will be appreciated.

Spring

It's really spring now. We have five little lambs running around (two were born yesterday) and three kid goats. It's so cute watching all of them play. The kid goats really enjoy jumping on our llama, Oscar's back when he is laying down. They sort of use him as a ramp. They run up onto his back, then jump off. Sometimes they'll throw a little twist-jump in and make it extra entertaining. It sure looks like they're having a good time!

My family is still working on getting over this last cold we caught. Mostly the children are down to coughing a few times a day, but I have such a stuffed up sinus system I've hardly slept the past two nights. I did discover this morning that by adding eucalyptus oil to some very hot water and inhaling the steam you can temporarily clear up congestion.

Well, I hope everyone is doing very well and enjoying the ups and downs of spring weather!