Week One

We are on the other side of the first week of school, Tim and I's first week of teaching in over a decade and the kids' first week of school ever! I am not going to lie or sugar coat it. It was rough. It is a huge adjustment for us all. The kids have been angry. They've been in tears, and so have I. One even passed out in class from what we can only assume was a combination of not eating enough and stress. We all are exhausted.

But we made it through the first week.

All the places in homeschooling that we were more relaxed on are glaring in my face as the kids struggle in their classes, and we work with them at night. It is easy as a homeschooler to spout the benefits of children working at their own pace, the importance of life skills over book knowledge, or the development of the child's interest and strengths. At my core I still know that all this is true, but it is hard to not feel like you've failed your kids when they are suddenly with a group of their peers and are "behind."

We will work through this.

The things I don't like about the system of education are also glaring in my face. At this small, private school, there isn't nearly as much red tape, hassle, and ridiculousness. The system I refer to is the classroom, age level, memorization, cookie cutter system, the do school for 7 hours and then do an hour or two of homework.  Kids don't learn at the same pace. It is so easy for them to feel like failures in this system, and so many character traits and life skills are hard to value in the academic system. Life is more than memorizing your multiplications tables! The system leaves little room for figuring it out yourself or critical thinking.

We will do our best to encourage and celebrate those things the system doesn't.

At the end of the week though, it isn't all bad news. The kids don't hate school. I count that as a win.

I am enjoying teaching. I'm pretty much flying by the seat of my pants. Often I feel like I have no clue what I'm doing. The school routines are new to me. Teaching an elementary group is new to me. Learning that with Vivian, who is "behind" and a little clingy, in my class is a challenge. A completely full day of students combined with full nights of helping my own kids leaves me with almost no preparation time for class. The kids are sweet. They are co-operative, and luckily I'm pretty good at winging it! The teachers around me are wonderfully helpful and supportive. The elementary building really works as a team, and that is a great experience.

Tim is also enjoying it. He is less stressed, and having fun with the different age levels he teaches. Our latest nights home from school are about the same time as his earliest nights home from Kerr's. Our nights have been filled with chores, dinner, homework, and getting ready for the next day, but it is nice to have the family all home working together.

It is refreshing to work in a Christian environment. I'll admit to some reservations there. The church is more conservative and traditional than we are, but it doesn't bother me as much as I thought it might. The atmosphere is loving, encouraging, and Christ focused. What a difference from other work places we've experienced.

At the bottom line, the two paychecks are nice. Granted any "extra" this month has been consumed by school uniforms and supplies, but it is so nice to see that wiggle room in our budget again. We are ready to attack that last looming debt monster of student loans that is still hanging over our heads.

It was a tough week. There will be more tough weeks until we are on the other side of the adjustment. Though there were times this week I had my doubts, I still feel like this is the right thing for us as a family. There is another family at the school who has been a great encouragement to us. He is Lydia's teacher. She teaches high school math. They were in our shoes three years ago. Their four had been homeschooled from day one. They struggled with the switch. They survived and thrived.  We will too.

Preparing for Changes

August is here! This summer has been a strange one. There has been lots of rain, and for the most part it has been cool. It feels like fall already with warm days and cool nights. It feels like we haven't even had a summer, and here we are a mere two weeks until our summer vacation days are over and we set out on this new adventure of private school. I'm not ready!

The past week has been a blur of school shopping, last days of summer play dates, school paperwork, searching Pinterest for classroom ideas, talking nicely to the tomatoes to hurry up so I can do some canning before school starts, and trying to prepare the gears to make the shift to our new activities and schedule. I'm exhausted!

The kids are warming up to the idea. Vivian is thrilled. She has been from the beginning. She will be in my class, and to her this is the best decision we've ever made.

She is not ready for is the getting up early. Our kids have never been big on sleeping in. They are usually all up by 7. Vivian, in the last week or so, has decided she loves sleeping in. Not only sleeping late, but then lounging in her bed for awhile after she wakes up. I've been dragging her out of bed between 9:30 and 10:00. We will need to leave for school before 7:00. This is going to be an adjustment.

Nolan is the most adamant that this is a horrible idea. Have you seen this angry face before? This picture was taken a few years ago, but Nolan still makes the same angry face now. If anything it is more intense. This is the face we get any time the word "school" comes up. The face, along with a lot of grunts and growls.

The other day he and Vivian were having a conversation about the money he earns from his Ham, Bacon, and Egg project.  He told Vivian, "Next year I am going to put all that money into my savings account. I'm going to need it for college because now that we aren't homeschooled, I won't be so smart. I won't get as many scholarships."

Between you and me, I think Nolan will probably love school the most. He is very social. That is part of the reason he is so upset about the change. He is sad to be leaving all his homeschool friends. Once we get through the initial transition, I think he will love being with other kids every day, and I think the structure of school will be good for him too. We'll see.

On a complete rabbit trail, in the interest of writing this down before I forget, Nolan and Vivian had another interesting conversation the other day. We were processing chickens, and they were helping me package them up. They cut and seal the bags for me. They help me get the trays ready for packaging. We use biodegradable trays with absorbent meat tray pads something like this:

They were putting the pads on the trays for me and making a stack. I'm not sure how the conversation started, but this is what I heard:

Vivian: I don't know. I think it is toilet paper.
Nolan: I thought they were diapers.
Vivian: Diapers?! They are too small!
Nolan: Diapers for the chickens.

They were talking about the meat tray pads.

Back to the subject on hand.

Lydia, my sweet sweet Lydia. She doesn't have much to say about school. When you ask her how she feels the answer is "I don't know." She really is just an easy going, go with the flow, cooperative child. We met her teacher. I think that helped put her a little more at ease with the change. I think she is a little nervous. That is understandable. School is something completely new. I'm a little nervous about math. It has always been hard for her, but she has worked hard the last couple of years. She has gained some confidence in math. I think it will be ok. I think she too will enjoy having her friends around every day.

And then there is Kellen. This picture pretty much sums up his reaction to going to school. His biggest complaints have been about the loss of freedom. He has complained about the dress code, the required courses for graduation, and things like that.

He is used to pretty much learning what he wants when he wants. Deadlines and structure are not part of his homeschool experience. We keep pointing out that it will be good practice for college.  I think he gets that even if he doesn't like it. He also appreciates that there will be classes he can take there that are hard to cover at home like sciences with labs, foreign language, and classes he can get help with like higher math where he is well beyond his mother's math skills.  I think he understands why this is the best thing for the family even if he wishes it would have happened a few years later.

Personally, though I am far from ready, I can't wait until we are past this transition and into the new schedule. The transition is hard. It is like we have each foot in a different place. We are trying to tie up the loose ends on one side while we plan and prepare for the other side. I am very sad to leave our flexible, laid back homeschool life. I am sad to leave the co-op we've been a part of since Vivian was an infant. Sad that I've had to step down from the board of The Wild Ramp. Sad that this change also means changing churches. There are so many people that I'm going to miss regularly hanging out with.

I am excited though for us to embark on this new adventure as a family. I can't tell you how thrilled I am for us all to be going to the same place on the same schedule every day. I am excited for my second grade class. There are only seven kids, and in many ways it will just be an slightly expanded version of what I've been doing for years. I am excited for Tim to be home in the evenings, for the time on the farm we'll have on breaks, and for the breathing room in the budget. This is going to be a good thing. Now, if I can just get through the next couple weeks!

Never say Never

Once upon a time a newly married couple were in college together. Both were pursuing teaching, one in music, one in social studies. They dreamed of the days when they would be teaching together. They'd have their own little family. They'd teach in the same school district their kids attended. They would be on the same schedule with  the same days off. And summer. Oh they had big plans for summer. The plans involved an RV and the time to see all the beautiful places in this country.

Time at college was complete, and the couple found that public school teaching was not all they dreamed. The man looked at other careers. The woman continued to teach for a time, but found it hard to leave the new baby with babysitters, and with the birth of their second child, the woman also left the teaching profession.

When their oldest child was school age, the choice of public schooling was not appealing in their location. The choice of private schooling was not even considered because of cost. So, it was decided homeschooling was the way to go for the time being.

The couple and their growing family, third baby had arrived and fourth on the way, had the opportunity to move out of state with family. The new home was out in the country with plenty of space for gardens, animals, and kids to run. The man found a job that seemed a perfect fit for him, and the couple moved. A few months later the new baby had arrived.

By this time homeschooling was very much a part of this family's life. They loved it, and the kids learned from books and learned from life, hard work, and all that comes with raising animals and gardens for your family. The man worked long hours, yet finances were still a struggle, and the family looked for ways to make all the things that were important to them fit with the mundane things of this life.

The woman worked a part time job for a number of years. That was a help, but she worked when the man was home and family time suffered. The little farm grew and began to sell at farmers markets. The family hoped to create income flow there, but kept tripping over the same hurdle. The farm need to grow a little more. It needed more muscle, and more time. The man, working 50-60 hours a week, just wasn't around enough. The family missed him, and the farm suffered.

Then a friend recommended the man for a teaching position at a private school. The couple thought, "This could be the answer to our time problem." At the same time, knowing private school pay scales, wondered how they could make that work financially. The private school asked the man, "Your wife doesn't teach does she? We are looking for a second grade teacher."

The couple were taken a back by the opportunity in front of them. This is not exactly what they had in mind. This was not their plan, yet, in so many ways it seemed so right. It took them back to the dreams of their early marriage. The family, together, on the same schedule and the same calendar. Instead of summers travelling, summers would be spent together working on the farm. The financial piece was there. The time piece was there. The family piece was there. It seemed a perfect fit.

The family is embarking on a new journey, and a huge change. Some of the younger members have a little less peace about the change than the man and the woman. The realm of school is unknown to them. The man and woman are confident the children will thrive once the ball gets rolling.

This life is full of surprises. Dreams that were once put on a shelf to gather dust sometimes find their way back to the realm of possibilities. They don't always look exactly how you expected, they rarely happen on the schedule you plan, but they do happen often when you least expect it.

The Never Ending Learning Curve

I love gardening. I love getting out there and working in the dirt, and I particularly love the pay off in fresh produce the garden provides. Gardening is therapeutic. It is also challenging, like a puzzle that changes a little every year. Just when I think I have a particular aspect manstered, the weather, the pests, or something else throw me a curve ball, and I get to learn something new.

Last year we tried Florida Weave to trellis our tomatoes for the first time. It worked wonderfully, and I thought I finally had the "trellis tomatoes" part of the puzzle figured out. This year we set it up, and I have dutifully been adding string as the tomatoes grew. It was all going so well.

Then this morning I found this:

It might be a little hard to see from the photo, but two of my once beautifully trellised tomato plants just escaped and plopped themselves right down on the ground. Upon closer inspection, I found the problem. The bottom rows of trellis string had broken.

Last year we used whatever we could find for string. Most of it was baler twine, and I used all we had last year. We aren't baling hay this year, so I didn't want to buy so much. I bought a smaller roll of thinner twine. Both were natural materials, but last year's was heavy. I'm sure a contributing factor this year was all the rain. The string stayed wet, and just rotted away.

So this morning I spent a couple hours going through tomato rows. This was the only spot where I found plants actually lying on the ground, but there were many spots where a line of string was broken. I did my best to give them a little more support with some fresh string. Next year, back to the heavy twine.

And while inspecting and re-trellising, I found something new in the tomatoes, Margined Blister Beetles.

I've never seen those before. I had to and google it. The bad news is they will eat the tomatoes, and their blood will make your skin blister. The good news is they only stick around for a couple weeks, and can be killed dropping in soapy water. They can join the Japanese, and bean beetles that I've been dealing with in the same way.

So garden, you are throwing me new challenges this year. I'm up to it! I will figure out your ever changing puzzle. Now, I expect my reward! Produce all ready. My pressure canner is getting lonely!

Three Weeks with the Cousins

My niece Ashley, and nephew Miles moved to Florida a couple of years ago. They came up for a three week visit this summer. It was so great to see them, and the time went super fast. We kept busy with farm tasks (as always.) They worked for mom some around her house, picked berries, helped feed animals, and Miles helped process chickens. Ashley, conveniently, slept in that morning.

We did some fun things too. We went to laser tag. Tim created a firing range, and friends came over for an afternoon of shoot followed by a campfire.

They spent a weekend in Ohio with their mom. Mamaw took them to the New River with their dad, and to the Exhibition Coal Mine.

Eric, Betty, Miles, Ashley

It was great to hang out with them again. I know my kids missed them a lot. They've grown up so much. I hope it doesn't take two years for the next visit. 

The Bright Side

All to often things just don't go as planned. We have good intentions, and often good plans, but snags trip us up. They are frustrating. They make us angry. Yesterday, we encountered such a snag.

Kellen was excited and ready to attend his second year of CTY Camp. His plane was scheduled to leave at 6:30. He and Tim were up at 4:00. I got a call at 6:30 from Tim. The airline would not let Kellen board. US Airways does not let minors fly alone until they are 15. (He will be 15 in one week!) The airline blamed the travel agency (and said this happens regularly.) The travel agency, Travelocity, blamed me saying I checked the wrong box.  I'll take part of the blame (though I'm not entirely convinced and there is no way to know,) but his birthday is listed on the ticket for goodness sakes! And seven days later this whole issue would have been a non issue! 

There is plenty to be angry and frustrated about here. And believe me, thinking through some of it makes my blood boil now. The end result of the morning was that Kellen did not get on that, or any other plane. My mom took the three younger kids to church and then dropped them off with our friends, the Richardsons. Tim, Kellen, and I were on the road by 8:30 for the six hour drive to Dickinson College. It wasn't it in our schedule. It wasn't in our budget, but it needed to be done. Now, I'm trying to look at the bright side.

• Time with Kellen. He is rapidly approaching adulthood. He is busy with his own friends and activities. One on one time with him is rare. We got 6 hours of it. It was good.
• We got to see where he will be spending three weeks. He flew in last year, and we never saw the campus, the staff, the dorms, or his friends. We went to the parent orientation. It was nice to see him off on location. And as friends have mentioned, at least camp was close, and his flight was scheduled early enough we could get him there on time.
• We met his teacher. He looks like he is 12. Tim tells me I'm getting old. Kellen will be taking electrical engineering this year. His teacher actually is old enough to have just received his masters, and has been teaching some undergraduate courses. He is personable, and excited about the subject. They have lots of hands on activities. Building electrical things. Tearing apart electrical things. Soldering electrical things. No, I really didn't understand all of what the teacher was saying, but hey Kellen will, and he will love it.
• Time alone with Tim. Another rare thing. We got six hours of it on the ride home. And we stopped for ice cream, and ate entire container of hummus by ourselves. Not, your typical date night, but it was nice. 

It really wasn't a bad trip. Calling it enjoyable might be pushing it a little bit, but it was fine, and the mission was accomplished. 

And Tim called the airline today. Kellen will be flying home as scheduled. That is good news! 

Thanks!

Taking a moment to say a big thank you to those supported Kellen on his missions trip to the Dominican Republic. While there the team hosted a three day VBS, visited orphanages and played with the children. They visited Lilly House, a ministry to former prostitutes. They painted a church,  purchased and delivered food for a village, and provided funds for the purchase and installation of new fencing.

Kellen had a great time, and reported back about being impacted from the simple things that gave the children pleasure like homemade pinwheels and balls. He commented about the prevelance of rice in their diet. Rice was part of almost every meal. Homes, business, and other buildings were always fenced with chain link and razor wire. Below is a link to a video another team member made about the trip, and a link to a slide show Kellen made about the trip.

Video

Dominican Trip


Thanks again for your support! 

 

Hobo Dinners

One of our favorite meals is hobo dinners. They are nothing fancy, but there is just something fun about eating your meal out of a tin foil packet that has cooked on the campfire. We've even done them in the oven before, or on the grill.

They are simple and flexible. Start with a good sized rectangle of foil. Add meat. We often use stew meat or ground beef. Other meat will work too. Add chopped vegetables. The standard is potatoes, carrots, and onions, but green pepper, tomato, corn on the cob (cut in half,) cabbage, and other things work too. Use what is in season. Season with salt and pepper, fresh herbs, garlic, or other family favorite seasonings.

Tent the foil and roll down from the top and sides to create a packet.

Cook times will vary depending on your method, but generally about 40 minutes. Open one the packets to check if the veggies are done. When they are, it is time for dinner. Unwrap and enjoy.

Messages from The Dominican Republic

I truly didn't expect to hear much while Kellen was in the Dominican. Cell phones do not work there. Phone calls are made from a hot cramped pay phone at $0.35/minute. Only the team leader, Glenna, has access to the internet, and that is limited. I've been pleasantly surprised to actually get one phone call from Kellen and two emails from Glenna.

In the email last night, Glenna wrote the following:

Hello to everyone in WV!  We have been really busy here.  There are so many people here do so many things that it is truly wonderful just to participate in and to watch.  Last night at SCORE Challenge, there weren't enough seats for everyone at the church.  If I had to estimate, I would say there were about 250 of us in the building.  It was an awesome sight!  And, we made a mighty noise when we sang!  We have chosen a picture to share with you before we get home.  Check out the team (minus the photographer, of course)!  The picture was taken after Sunday morning services at a church named Juan 3:16 in San Pedro, about 15 minutes from our hotel.

Following the update she had a quick message from each team member to their families.  One teen wrote:

Dear Mom, Dad, Luke, and Joanna,I’m having an amazing time here. It’s fantastic to see how God is working. The weather is lovely, the food is great, and the children are ADORABLE! Joanna, I’m sorry I missed talking with you last night. I’ll call you from the airport on Saturday. I love and miss you all.Ruth 

Another:

Dear Diggity family and Wikman, and Hobbs family,I hope you all are having a great time at Amelia. Our VBS has been a lot fun and the kids here are really special to work with. Tomorrow we are going to Catalina Island for our rec day. While we are having fun in the clear blue waves, I’ll think of you. Please continue to pray for the kids and the work we’ve been doing. I’ll call soon. Love y’all.Sean 

And then there was Kellen:

Nolan,  get out of my bed.Kellen 

Typical. Love that kid!

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

There are so many reasons to love gardening. Most of mine have to do with the tasty reward at the end of all the hard labor. Another thing to love is the garden is a constant puzzle to figure out. There is always a challenge. Always something new to learn. 

The past few years learning about bugs has been my challenge. We all know that bugs can destroy your precious garden work in a matter of a few days. If you don't want to just mass blast your garden with chemicals, controlling different bugs requires different challenges. Controlling caterpillars on cole crops is best done with light row covers. Forgetting to put them on (ahem) causes much frustration, and cabbage with lots of holes. Hornworms are easily controlled by handpicking unless you see this:

Let those parasitic wasps do their work when you see a hornworm covered with larvae. 

We battle Japanese beetles every year. Every year I fight the losing battle by hand picking to try to control them. This year I learned that guineas love beetles. Guess what will be the next fowl to come to live on our farm? 

They may be ugly. They may be loud, but if they eat beetles, they are here!

The battle of early 2013 is aphids. We have a few aphids every year. I normally just hand pick them, but this year there was a huge infestation on the tomatoes. At first I saw a few lady bugs. Lady bugs are good. Then I saw lots of these. 

These, which I've seen referred to as garden gold, are lady bug eggs. Now, there are significantly more lady bugs and less aphids. I also bought some insecticidal soap, but have been a little leery of using it because of the heat. I've also been told that those same wasps who do a number on the hornworms are great for aphids too. Where are they when I need them?! For now, I'm monitoring the situation. Hoping the ladybugs prevail, and standing ready with insecticidal soap if needed. 

But the big lesson of the year, so far, is that knowing the good bugs is not good enough. I nearly wiped out those lady bug eggs. I need to know what they look like through their life cycle. Lesson learned. Now to learn the life cycles of the other good garden bugs. Lacewings, praying mantis, parasitic wasps, are there others I need to learn?

Now, to figure out how to control those blasted vine borers! 

And They're Off

This is a whirlwind of a month. Vivian attended day camp. Tim took a week of vacation (because it really was the only week available with his work schedule and the kids' activities.) Lydia and Nolan came home from overnight camp today. They are both exhausted. Lydia is half sick (a good rest will fix that I think,) and Nolan has all but lost his voice. They had a great time.

A few hours later we met the mission team. Kellen and the team are on their way to Cincinnati. Tomorrow, bright and early, they are off to The Dominican Republic. Thank you to all who have supported Kellen with prayer and finances!

They have VBS planned, and service projects, and I know it will be an enlightening experience. I am very excited. I think we all should travel to a third world country. It really makes you appreciate how good you have it.

I am praying that despite their plans and preconceived notions about this trip, that their hearts will be open to the Lord, to His life, and to His love.

My niece and nephew arrive from Florida on Tuesday. We are so excited to see them. It has been far too long.

The gardens are in, and we are working on mulching, weed, and pest control. I hate June in the garden. It is all work with very little of the reward. We have had the best spring ever though. There has been lots of lettuce and other greens, a decent amount of broccoli and peas, and we are just now enjoying the cabbage. All of which is about spent, and needs pulled and work for the next planting. See, just more work.

And I just realized I never shared our new farm addition:

First timer, LuLu had eleven piglets. They were born June 12th.  They were uniform and active from the get go. She did lose one, but the remaining ten are getting nice and plump. They are adorable, and I don't think I'll ever tire of new farm babies.

I really didn't intend for this post to be such a ramble, but here it is. This is what you get from me in June.

Rabbits on Grass

One of the many projects accomplished on Tim's "vacation" week was converting a chicken tractor into a rabbit tractor. We did this by simply adding wire to the bottom of the pen.

The bunnies weren't so co-operative with me for a picture, but believe me, they were thrilled to get out on grass. Momma rabbit was thrilled to get her pen all to herself again, and Vivian is thrilled to not have to go pick quite so many greens to feed the rabbits.

It is a win win!

Adventures in the New River Gorge

Last Saturday we loaded up the Suburban and a trailer (gear for seven and a dog takes a lot of space) and headed out to The New River Gorge for a camping trip. We camped in the national park. The campsite was right a long the river. The kids loved it. They played in the river, and did a little fishing.

It was a short drive to the Bridge. We spent an afternoon exploring the bridge and areas around it.  We took the Fayette Station Road Tour, filled our water jugs from a spring, and hiked the Kaymoor Trail to see old coal mines.

That night it rained, and rained, and rained. It isn't really a camping trip unless it rains right? We'd hope to do a little more exploring the next day, but it was still raining, and we were soaked. We packed our soggy selves and things and headed home.

West Virginia is full of beautiful places. This place is one of them. I wish we'd had more time and better weather to explore more!

Growing Things

Spring is the season of growing. Watching the trees come into full leaf, marking the time by which wild plant is in bloom, and anxiously waiting the fresh bounty that is coming, these are some of my favorite things about spring. I love to watch the little seedlings nurtured in the house flourish when they finally get their roots into the earth. Watching the tiny seeds put into the ground become huge and productive plants always seems like a small miracle.

I am so excited to actually have some spring crops. I had almost given up on growing them here. Other years it has been too wet to get in the garden early, and/or has gotten too hot too quickly for the cool weather crops. I plant fall crops of those items usually, but this year we could get in the garden pretty early. I decided to try again. I'm so glad I did. The spring was cooler than normal. This week is hot, but we've had some beautiful cool spring like weather. In the garden that translates to spring spinach, lettuces, and snow peas. We are looking forward to the broccoli, cabbage, and shell peas too!

~Now if I could just get the rest of the summer garden in. . . but that is another story.

The animals are growing too. The bee hives have gotten taller. Not sure when that happened, but I imagine the bee keeper must have had something to do with that. The turkey poults are about triple their sized. The bunnies are just about to be weaned. And can you believe this is our puppy?! Vivian could hold her like a baby when we brought her home a couple months ago! Stella is almost as big as our other dog now.

Of course there are more things that just keep growing around here. Four of them that just won't stop. Can you believe these are my babies?!

The family vehicle has also grown. Bye Bye mini van. We are now a Suburban type family.

Of course this family vehicle also doubles as a farm truck.

Lots of growing around here. What are you watching grow this spring?

Ivy Face Viv

You know when you a long weekend away you're going to pay for it the following week. It is great to get away, and we needed it but while we were gone the garden didn't get planted, the weeds didn't stop growing, and the to do list only grew. It has been a non stop week of farm work and other commitments. I'm whooped!

Poor Vivian got poison ivy on her face. Yesterday her little face was swollen. We decided to wait it out and hope that it cleared on its own.

This morning, my mom had an outpatient procedure. We were at the hospital at 6:30. At 8:30 Tim sent me this picture.

Poor Vivian had woken up with one eye completely swollen shut and her face swollen and sore. Waiting it out wasn't working. While I was at the hospital with mom, Tim took Viv to the doctor. He have her a steroid shot, and pills to take for the next 12 days. He warned that she may be grumpy and have an increased appetite. Look out! It is going to be a bumpy ride.

So now, where to start on that list of mine.....

Science

You might be a homeschooler if you have a trip planned for a church conference, decide to leave early, and drive a little farther to hit the local science museum first. 

The Great Lakes Science center in Cleveland was a great start to our long weekend. The church conference was wonderful too, but no pictures to show from that. :)

Happy Birthday Nolan!

Today my baby boy turns 9! He celebrated by having his two best friends, Judah and Jackson, over to run through the woods, giggle about those things only 9 year old boys find funny, and battle each other on the WiiU.

We surprised Nolan with a "fruit" cake. Believe me when I tell you that he could not have been more thrilled. That kid loves fruit. So much so, that recently Kellen paid him for helping with a job. Nolan used all his earnings to buy mangoes. I kid you not.

Happy Birthday Nolan!

Happy Hens and Brave Bunnies

2 1/2 weeks old and starting to venture from the nest. 

The hens love spring in the woods. 

Look Who Showed Their Faces!

The turkey hens got up for a little bit, and we got to see the poults! Hard to tell how many there are, 11-12 I think. I love the black ones! The hens went back onto to the nest. There were still quite a few unhatched eggs. We will see if any more hatch. There is another hen sitting still too on a different nest!