First Berries

Tonight we had the first berries of the season. Ok, ok, I admit that the kids have been eating berries out of the garden, but none of them were ripe. They just couldn't resist the pink berries with the tart taste. But, now they are starting to ripen and we had a fun afternoon snack in the garden! Looking forward to pies soon!

Now, That's a Frog!!

Matthew and Eli found this little guy in the yard tonight. Although we hear them often, we have never seen them in the yard. Emily named him or her Jackie. He was fascinating to watch swim in the pool.

Curves, Flips and Jumps

This is Eli, saying "thank you" for the coolest new toy! Cousin Josiah outgrew his wall-mounted Hot Wheels track and we have all been having so much fun watching the cars maneuver the track and jump the ramp at the end. It is fun to have some boy toys in the house!

Fun with Friends

What little girl doesn't love a slumber party? The girls had so much fun with a few friends overnight. And, I was pleasantly surprised when all the girls were sound asleep at 10:00!! That's never happened before. 

It was a rainy weekend, so we didn't get to play as much outside as we wanted, but we broke out lots of board games and had a fun time despite the gloomy weather! We are looking forward a summer full of sleepovers with cousins and friends!!!

Snack time with popsicles and puppy chow

I will not be surprised if one day Emily announces her enrollment in a Veterinary Science program. Here she is removing ticks from Essie.

Signs of Summer

Aren't they a cute couple. We love watching these two lovebirds flirt under our Chinese elm trees!

Watermelon. This one was store-bought, but I can't wait until we have watermelon to pick from the garden!

We spend time each day working with our 4-H fair projects. This is Love, and she looks less than thrilled to be on the lead rope. But don't let her fool you -- she loves the attention!

Popsicles on the porch swing. You can't see her, but our dog, Essie, is sitting nearby, waiting for any drips to reach the porch. Even the dog likes a good popsicle!

Eli doesn't wait for me to change him into his swimwear -- he just jumps in. All the time. I can't tell you how many changes of clothes we go through!

Ominous Clouds

Last Sunday evening these clouds rolled in suddenly. The weather radio alarmed all evening with new warnings and watches. Fortunately, we didn't see any severe weather, and within 15 minutes these clouds were gone and the sun finished setting in stillness. But this time of year is always a reminder of the power of God's hands that control the weather. 

As we hear of communities that are experiencing the tragedy of severe weather and tornadoes, we say a prayer. 

Phase 10 Game Night

One of my favorite card games is Phase 10. Each hand you try to complete your phase so you can move on to the next phase in the next hand. The goal is to finish all 10 phases before any other player does. 

Eli didn't have much interest in the game, but he LOVED the puppy chow that I made for our snack!

Here, Chicken, Chicken!!

We were so excited to receive the invitation from a friend to come see their chicken operation. This trip fueled Emily's desire to raise chickens. We all learned a lot about these birds, and I think it would be a lot of fun to start a small chicken operation.

We started with the hens. They are absolutely beautiful. There are 14 hens, and together they lay between 6 and 8 eggs a day. While we were standing in the hen shelter, one hen jumped up into the bucket roost, and we hoped to see an egg when she hopped down. No luck. 

Sam is so good with the hens and chicks. It seems she has a love for animals too! If she and Emily disappeared, we could find them either with the hens or the chicks. I regret that I didn't get a photo of Jacqueline. The girls played so well together, and we are looking forward to getting together again.

Here is a really cool hen roost! Unfortunately, this poor hen could not get any privacy to lay her egg. One hen has developed a bad habit of breaking eggs. This hen looks awfully suspicious. 

Emily wants to hold every animal she encounters. It didn't bother her that just seconds before this photo, the hen was flapping her wings and getting upset. One of Emily's life ambitions is to study veterinary science. She is compelled to animals, and is gifted with taming them!

These chicks are only 3 weeks old, and already getting their feathers. 

Although we weren't in the hen shelter when an egg was laid, Emily and Sam checked a few hours later and there were four eggs to collect. One was still warm! 

I would love to have farm fresh eggs every morning. I would love to have 40 frozen chickens in the freezer. Maybe someday . . .

Caramel Popcorn -- Simple and Delicious

Need a sweet snack? Warning: This snack is ADDICTIVE!!!

I made it for game night and I ate WAY too much of it!  

Caramel Popcorn

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup light Karo syrup

2 sticks of butter

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

1 tsp baking soda

14-16 cups popped popcorn, lightly salted

Boil first four ingredients for 5 minutes. Add cream of tartar and baking soda. Place popped corn in a LARGE greased pan. Pour topping over popcorn; mix well. Bake at 250 degrees for 30 minutes, stirring after 15 minutes. Cool for 30 minutes. Store in a tupperware bowl.

A Few Junior Farmhands

Two of the Kreps boys came out Tuesday morning for a little work on the farm. The girls loved showing them around. They tried their hand at bottle feeding the calves. I think they were a little surprised how messy calves are when they guzzle a full bottle of milk.

They also rode a few hours with Matthew while he planted corn. They were excited to get out to the tractor, and rode two hours before deciding they should come back to the house to play with Eli. 

Toby commented that it was a LONG time to sit still. Yes, Toby, it is! 

I am amazed how long Matthew can sit in the same place, driving back and forth and seemingly not going anywhere! 

Anyway, hope you both had fun! Come again, boys!!

Emily, Getting Down and Dirty!!

Both of our girls love the animals on the farm, but Emily is especially drawn to the barn. She couldn't wait to get up this morning and get a halter on her calf. "Love" is gentle and doesn't tug on the lead rope, but is still a little difficult to lead. Emily is convinced that she can break this calf to be as tame as a rabbit before the fair.

And, here is Spot, the pig. He has grown so much since we got him. Emily is great with Spot! She discovered that he has a special spot on his back, and when she scratches it Spot lays down and relaxes.

Loading Corn

Frustrated. 

That explains how little Eli felt all day as Matthew repeatedly loaded the grain truck and then drove off -- without him! Eli ran to the kitchen window every time he heard the truck returning to fill up with corn. He stood with his face pressed against the glass and watched all the action outside. He was stuck inside. 

Finally. 

We finished school and ran outside to enjoy the beautiful day. It didn't take long for Eli to make his way to the truck and watch as the corn poured into the back of the truck, blowing corn dust everywhere. His favorite spot is the driver's seat. As I look at this photo I wonder. In 20 years, will I take this same photo of our grown-up little boy driving loads of corn to town in "Shorty?" 

Zzzzzz...

After a fun afternoon at the park, picnicking and playing, Eli napped soundly!

Silly Bathtub Fun

 Eli loves baths -- and vacuuming, but that's another blog! He frequently asks to get into the bathtub, but rarely asks to get out. He loves the bubbles, the toys, and blowing bubbles in the water. He loves cuddling in a towel afterwards. And, if he can get away with it, loves streaking through the house before I can get his clothes on. (He LOVES to be chased, whether after a bath, or down the aisles of Farm King!!) So, one day while he was splashing, I asked him to "say cheese," and this is what I got! Silly boy, full of fun and joy!