Haircuts

I know I shouldn't be surprised. They're children after all. But isn't 8 a little old for self hair cuts?

mom: where did you cut it?

Cam: in the crawl space

mom: where's the hair?

Cam: in the crawl space

The mice in the crawl space are probably so happy to have some padding for their nest :}

Ps. No I actually don't have mice there. Spiders, maybe. 

Boxes, Scissors, Tape

It's always a good idea to have lots of boxes around. 

We'll call him Franklin. 

After breakfast one morning Cody noticed the Best Buy flyer and his dinosaur loving self was so intrigued. Being a bit naïveté he asked if he could please go to the movies. When I explained that it was actually an ad from a stores for tvs he immediately went to work making himself one. 

He and Cara found an old outlet cover, a box and tape and went to work. 

As soon as the tv was ready they went to work getting the movies ready they wanted to watch. Cody has a movie about dinosaurs and "how Lego came to be". Cara's is about horses :)

They added a screen. But now what? Their audience couldn't watch their movies/plays/puppet shows with a screen in the way.

No problem! Steal the lamp off Cody's bed and put on a Jaws show.

Imagination is such a wonderful thing!

A Girl and her Dog

They are delighted to see each other 

And smother each other with affection

And there are no hard feelings not even if Missy sticks her tongue out. 

Also, don't be deceived by the the title.  The dog still does belong to Gramps and Gramma.

Western Day

If you wear a uniform to school every day, ending a themed month long read a thon with Western Day is a VERY big deal!!!

The boys crowed around google images to pick out their new look - provided with an old eye liner pencil.

They used kinex and tin foil to add spurs to their boots.

Cardboard + tin foil + sharpies + glue gun + safety pin makes for a right fine belt buckle any cowboy would be proud of!  And I was very thankful for cowboy hats for 75% off at Value Village.

Egg Cartons

The kids are always cutting up stuff to make something new. Pretty sure this is the best way I've ever seen an egg carton reused! Thanks to Cara for plucking my mum by the back door :)

Thoughts of a Seven Year Old

I simply cannot afford to forget this conversation...

Cara's favorite place is still in our bed, smack between Steve and I, as cuddled up as can be.  If she wakes up in her own bed and we've already left ours she begs for a few moments of cuddles. These cuddles often lead to great conversations.
Other fun facts about Cara.  She reminds us so much of young Shelly that we do call her "little Shelly" from time to time.  She's quite pleased about it! I'm not sure what came first, Cara's desire to be a nurse or her delight with being a "Little Shelly" but somehow I can't help wonder sometimes if she thinks she has to be a nurse to be like Shelly more than she actually wants to be a nurse.  This morning's conversation added to those musings.

Cara: You know how I really want to be a nurse? I'm just not sure if I really want to.
Mom: Oh, why not?
Cara: Cause MOST I want to be a Gramma.  BUT THAT'S A PROBLEM!!!!!
Mom: Oh, how come?
Cara: Because then I first need to have kids.
Mom: True....
Cara: But I DON'T want to get married!!
Mom: Well, I think I used to think that to, now look at me! I used to think boys were icky and now?!...
Cara: What's icky?  slight side trail to the conversation about definitions and boys in general
Cara:  Well....why didn't God plan that we could all just be like CHICKENS????!
Mom: What do chickens have to do with anything??
Cara: Well, there's LOTS of chickens and they don't all get married to the one rooster!!!!!!!!

(Yup, there's new hens and a rooster on the farm and there is talk about chicks... should she ever get a husband he will need to be a willing listener.  This one is a ponder out loud child!)

Last minute Summer

Leah's been begging to take Grampa and Gramma's dog hiking.  We decided on Vedder for our first run.... it was a gorgeous day

 with a very happy girl and dog

 and Gramps too!

 SO very pretty and peaceful!

Only down side was the forest fire smoke that had rolled and blocked us from having any real kind of view.  At one point we thought we smelled such a strong smoke fire that we looked at eachother a bit funny.  It wasn't till we got home that we saw pictures on the news of a small forest fire on our mountain.  Thankful it didn't explode like some of the others did this summer!

Visiting

It's going to be very, very hard to leave.

One thing that's really struck me coming here is the fact that Holly has always surrounded herself with God's Word. She has Bible verses stuck everywhere in their house, kitchen cupboards, bathroom mirror, décor etc.  This morning we read Isaiah 55 together.  When we got to vs. 10 -11
For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven,
And do not return there,
But water the earth,
And make it bring forth and bud,
That it may give seed to the sower
And bread to the eater,
¹¹ So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;
It shall not return to Me void,
But it shall accomplish what I please,
And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

I told Holly that for me, it was God's promise that all His word, with His promises, His comforts, His tender love were there richly for her.  She treasured His word all along and He will not leave her now!

Hot day

What you do to stay cool

When you don't have a pool!

They Call it Throw Back Thursday

But really they are precious moments and memories

 that we are given as a gift

 to go back over and savor

 and yet also to remember that life is frail and children grow up.

But that God never changes. "For I am the LORD, I do not change" Malachi 3:6a

 



Camping

Spending the days at the farm are special.  There's always a lot of work to do and work shared is very, very pleasant.  Seeing as our kids are quite a bit bigger, I found it easier for our family to spend a few weeks on the farm. 

You know, as long as Gramma's feeding them breakfast and all that!

Every time we headed home, though, we had a van full of blankets, pillows and clothes.

But thankfully the clothes were mostly clean.  Usually it went like this... get dressed in the morning, get filthy all day, get cleaned up and into pj's at night, get clothes into the washer and dryer, repeat!!! Didn't have to spend much time deciding what to wear :)

Broken

So Gramma puts up with a LOT in berry season!! She has kids and adults tromping through her house all day long asking for this and that, cookies and bandaids, containers and bags for collecting fruit, etc. etc.  Gramma's kitchen is also the berry farm chuck wagon and so she works hard putting out breakfast (for our kids) lunch and supper.  Every day.  For lots of people.

Gramma has to put up with a lot.

There was a novel that got brought outside to be enjoyed and then left where it got wet when the sprinkler went on and the reader moved on to other exciting adventures.

There also was a bowl that was on it's way out to one of the forts to be a collection container for who knows what. 

I was minding the stand during one of the slower days and Gramma was gone visiting out of the country.  I had made my way up the driveway and over the lawn to check on some noisy kids when Cam happened to see me coming his way. He just thought it might be wise to mention that he had broken a bowl.  A little while ago.  You know, a small after thought, just in case I thought it might need to get cleaned up.

Are you kidding me already?? How did he not think it was appropriate to come running to get me the minute this thing hit the floor!!  I'll just mention that this is right in front of the back door so any unsuspecting person heading in with bare feet would have put all kinds of slices into their soles!

That's a corel soup bowl, by the way.... you know, just in case you didn't recognize it.

Snuggles and Sqeezes

Sure were glad when we had time to just enjoy this tiny bit of sweetness!!!

Standing

I signed up with a phone for berry season because there are so many reasons to be connected while in the busiest time.  Steve started calling or texting just to say hi and see how things were going.  The first time he phoned he asked me, "are you standing"?  I quickly sat down, unsure of what kind of news was going to follow that question!

But what he meant was, was I tending the road side stand. :) I was there often enough but I never did get completely used to the question or text, "you standing?"

For the first few weeks, "standing" was a completely crazy busy and totally fun place to be.  Once it slowed down, the days started to feel a bit longer!  Cara started coming to sit and play Uno.

One windy day, as I started to deal out cards, she advised me to just put her cards up her "short sleeves" to keep them from flying away :)

 

Day on the farm

For the last few years we've had some great visitors come by near the end of the season.  The boys were convinced that their friends would enjoy a elaborate croquet course so they added tunnels and jumps.  They spent the whole morning planning and setting it up.

A couple great ladies were willing to give it a go and it was pretty sweet to hear the boys coaching and cheering them on! 

 

After supper

It didn't happen very often this year but every once in a while we head out to the field as a family after supper.  It's not like everyone is excited about it, but it is a pretty time to pick!

I don't know how she does it but Leah picks almost twice as fast as me!

Always animals

Probably Leah's greatest joy of being on the farm is having all the animals to fuss over.  She was even willing to go catch one of the chickens that was free ranging about so that Gramma could give it a little doctoring.

I took great joy in getting this picture after Leah was in bed.  Gramma has this fluffy cat that hides all day and only comes out for some loving in the early morning and night.  Leah would have snuggled the cat, I stayed as far away as I could while still looking close. :)  Nope, she won't be getting any house animals here in town any time soon!

Daily Visit

There are lots of things about farming and berry season that cannot be predicted but one thing is for sure, if Opa and Oma are in town Opa will be by at least once a day.  And there are lots of great grandkids to hang on his truck and shower him with love and nonsense. 

Driver's Ed

The one thing about having tons of room to run around is that often there is something that's needed on the opposite end of the farm and it isn't always fun, or possible, to make deliveries or pick ups on the bike.  One day, Leah and I went to go get the blue berries that she had picked for our freezer.  We didn't actually have Gramps' permission so I told her that she had to sit on my lap to drive so I could reach the pedals if necessary.  On the way out back I remembered that I probably was her age when I started driving Gramps' blazer for picking sweet corn. 

You know how it goes with grand kids... they have it WAY easier.  :)  Gramps didn't seem too worried about Leah driving his truck but I think I'm confident enough in her driving that I would even let her take the van out back if needed. 

With a speed limit of 20, of course ;)

Game Over

The nieces and nephews love to tease Auntie Shelly and she gives it right back! Her ongoing threat is that if they bug her she'll throw them in Gramma's pond.  Well, one morning she decided Cody needed to go in.

He only got dipped not tossed but it was enough of a lesson that he'll think twice before teasing Auntie Shelly again!

Canada Day Hike

Canada Day was  a bit quieter at the stand so we took the chance to leave a bit early.  We thought to make a special treat of it, stop by KFC, eat picnic style and then quickly do a hike.  I wasn't maybe the most cheerful or willing hiker to leave the parking lot at 7.  In my Mom eyes that was a bit late to start.  Still, I'm thankful for this picture...

And for the bit of time we had to enjoy the gorgeously quiet lake.

And it's always good to have a rock throwing contest.

Leah's always showering love on this dog.  Missy didn't mind posing in a Canada Day hat, even if it was pretty battered.

Swimming

We were so thankful for the generosity of Mr. & Mrs. Les for inviting us to cool off and be refreshed in their lovely pool on a few of the very hot days! Sam captured our collective cannon ball :)  All 10 or so of us.

Never Bored

Did you know, Mr. Bosman, that if you get tired of riding the skelters the normal way that this way works almost as good.... after you figure out how to coordinate it properly, that is!!

Birthday

This dear, dear boy's birthday was pushed a little to the side! Already before the harvest season we had talked about how he would probably not be able to have a birthday party with his friends while we were doing berries and how we would try to do something in July.  The night before his birthday Steve and I warned him that actually we hadn't even had time to get him presents.  He shrugged his shoulders so acceptingly and peered up at us hopefully, "maybe in July?" he suggested.  He sure did love the ice cream cake Auntie Krista went to town for with her brand new baby. And he didn't mind at all that the day of his birthday slowed just enough for Steve to sneak off to town to buy a couple gifts! And now he's excitedly counting down the sleeps till we have his friends over to play in 2 more sleeps. :)

Tired

All the guys worked SO HARD.  They were working a crazy amount of hours in a day doing both berry harvest and regular construction work  (or in Dad's case only berry work) in the very hot sun.  Steve's a hard worker but always comes home willing to help if needed. This night he was completely finished.  I can't imagine how tired he was to fall asleep 8 feet shy of the trailer door! 

Soccer

We also got to finish off a very fun soccer season in the middle of the craziness.  Sam had great coaches and a  lot of fun with his team mates.  Cam also had a fantastic coach but Auntie Krista has his last game pictures.

Entertainment

Sometimes customers bring the best entertainment of the day. The boys quite enjoyed having this truck come on the yard a couple days in a row!  When they asked if they could sit inside the back the sheriffs quickly assured them the back was gross and only for bad guys and they NEVER wanted to sit back there! They offered them the front seat instead :)

 

A Big (Enough) Scare

Cam gave us quite the scare one evening when he came crying back to the house with a banged up face and without the motor bike he had left with.  The main concern with the bump on his head was that he absolutely couldn't remember what had happened. He started to panic when he couldn't remember and was starting to act a little scary so we beat a quick path over to the ER.  They are such a great group there and they took it VERY seriously.  I was very thankful for it because I wasn't so sure he was ok either.  Mostly not knowing what had actually happened left for a bit of room for my imagination to come up with some scary enough scenarios.  They let him a sleep and they did some xrays but soon enough he started to come around, whine about being hungry and anxious to go home. He also started to remember bits of what happened shortly before he crashed and after he came to again.  We know he wasn't going super fast and that he did have a full face helmet on (he won't ever leave the yard without doing the chin strap again!) but we still don't know exactly what really happened.

He spent the next couple of days with a good head ache and spending lots of time resting inside but thankfully tomorrow will already be a month ago that it happened and we haven't seen any side affects.

He also hasn't been willing to get back on his "horse" yet.  We'll see how long it takes.