We're in full-blown summer mode as of this week, though I ended up getting stuck teaching a class this summer, which was not my plan. I'm making the best of it, though, and working on being very productive and efficient while I'm in the office so that I can make the most of my time with the family when I'm not working. My plan for the summer is to work Tues, Wed, and Thursday and stay home with the kids on Mondays and Fridays. Well, not stay home. More like go to museums, the zoo, the waterpark, and whatever else we can come up with to take advantage of some fun in the summertime!
Life on the farm is good...Miss Peppa Pig is growing up and learning to walk on a leash, which is as funny as it sounds. Ruby still adores her and reads books to her in her room for hours by bribing her with mini marshmallows. We got a baby pool for the ducks (who are now full-grown) to swim around in, but they haven't quite figured out the swimming part yet. They mostly just stand on the edge and get their faces wet. Sounds like we may be inheriting some Nigerian dwarf goats from a friend in the near future. Goats are my favorite, and I can't seem to say no when they're offered up for free. They have such great personalities--like dogs, but cuter!
We went on a quick family outing this past weekend to Canton, TX, home of the the "famous" First Monday Trade Days. It's basically acres and acres of flea market finds, and it happens once a month year round. We had a blast, and there truly was something for everyone. Ruby, our animal lover, spotted a mini potbelly pig in the "animal section" of the fairgrounds, and we couldn't say no. So, here is Miss Peppa Pig in all her glory. We're working on training her to walk on a lead. Ruby is absolutely in love with her piggy, and Aaron has also found a soft spot in his heart for her. I went to take a shower last night after dinner, and returned to find him snuggled up on the couch with Peppa watching TV!
Kai is playing T-ball for the first time this spring, and he is absolutely thrilled about it. He would wear his uniform to school everyday if I let him, and his fun-loving spirit shines out on the field. He giggles his way around the bases, high-fiving the other team's players as he jumps on each base with both feet. It is absolutely adorable, and so much fun to watch.
Well, once again, it's been way too long. Life has just been so busy lately. Thank goodness for the camera on my phone, otherwise I'd never remember to document all of the precious moments in everyday life we've been enjoying. I thought I'd do a little bit of catch-up blogging, mostly with pictures. Pictures are always the best part anyway! Here are some of our spring pics we used for our Easter card this year. We took these down by the creek at the end our our property, and the kids had a blast exploring while I snapped some photos along the way.
January was pretty tough. My dad, who lives in Granbury, about an hour southwest of us, was in a near-fatal car accident on the day after Christmas. He had to be taken by helicopter to JPS Hospital in Fort Worth and has undergone six major surgeries and remains in the hospital on a ventilator. If you're interested in monitoring his progress, I've been posting updates on Caring Bridge (www.caringbridge.com/blakebarker) since the accident. It's been hard on my dad, obviously, but its also been a huge adjustment for our family as well. We certainly did not expect to spend a portion of every day for the past 36 days in the hospital, nevermind juggling child care for the kids, jobs and taking over dad's bills and other responsibilities. Many times in the past month I've wished there were 3 of me, rather than just one! But, we're managing. We're doing what we have to do, prioritizing and re-prioritizing, and trying to enjoy the moments that Aaron and I are together in the same room with all three of our kids. It's been a rough ride, and we're hoping that February proves much kinder. :)
January wasn't all bad, though. Amanda has been such a wonderful support, watching the kids at a moment's notice when I've had to drop everything and be at the hospital. And my mom is amazing. She's made us meals on several occasions and even came up last weekend for an impromptu visit, which was wonderful. We are blessed.
I recognize that it's been over six weeks since I posted last, and
it's stressing me out to try and do a catch-up blog, so we're just going
to skip over the past month and a half and start fresh. Okay? Whew...
Here's
a video of Kai feeding the sheep--I love how his ingenuity comes
through as he problem-solves a way to reach the feeding trough despite
his short stature. :) My little helper.
As
far as an update on the farm goes, we're a bit depleted at the moment.
Our beloved donkey, Leroy, disappeared a couple of months ago and
despite all of our efforts, we never found him. Our suspicion is that
he escaped our pasture one too many times and was taken by some
irritated neighbors that were fed up with his shenanigans. But, of
course, we have no proof, so who knows?
We still have
four turkeys. We're hoping the hens will lay some eggs this spring that
we'll hatch and then raise the poults. So the turkeys survived
Thanksgiving this year. :)
The same can not be said
for the chickens, who, after not having laid a single egg during the
past 2 months, are now in our freezer and ready for the stew pot. They
were old and when they did lay an egg, ended up eating it anyway. So
we'll plan on getting a flock of new chicks in February as soon as the
weather is more consistently warm for longer stretches of time, and eggs
will follow a few months later. For now, though, it sucks, as we're
having to buy eggs at the grocery story (cage free, of course!) for the
first time in the past 7 years!
Life on the farm was
pretty rough last week when the ice storm hit. While we had purchased a
half cord of firewood the week before the storm, we failed to check our
propane tank, and realized a day into the 4 day ice-in that we had less
than 10 gallons in the tank (virtually nothing). We spent 4 days
camped out in our living room with our wood-burning stove, and felt like
real homesteaders when we heated up pots of water on the stove for
baths. That is, until the water pipe in the well-house froze, and we
were without water for 36 hours. One of my favorite shows to watch on
tv is Alaska: The Last Frontier, which is about a family of amazing
homesteaders living in the extreme climate of Alaska, so I just kept
reminding myself that if they could do this year round, we could
probably manage for a few days. The kids actually had a great time and
saw it all as an adventure. By the end of four days cooped up together
in one room of our house, I was thrilled when the ice finally melted and
the adventure came to a happy end.
