Cow Slaughter Day

                                                                             Coal

                                                                             Weber

                                                        

 It is good for the children to see where their food comes from. To feed, care for and love the animals. To see the final moments and how their animals are processed. I was concerned about their response. But they surprised me.  Luke wanted to help. Daphne picked dandelions for the slaughter men. 

                                          Snacking on apples from our orchard while watching.

                                                         Coal's hanging weight: 641lbs
                                                                               
Weber's hanging weight: 645lbs

We all admit we miss them. The farm is different without them. Weber doesn't moo at us anymore.  But the time with them was good. We are thankful for the provision the Lord has given us.

First day of school

Time out

 

Ryan put Daph on a timeout. When he said she could get up, there was no response.

Cuddly baby time.

A job

 Grandpa and Grandma hired Luke and Daphne to board their Dachshund "Dascha".  Luke and Daphne fed and watered her with the rest of the dogs.  When Grandpa and Grandma returned, there was a serious conversation about responsibility.

And the reword of payment.  Thank you Grandpa and Grandma for a great opportunity.

 

Several weeks ago we all hiked up Multnomah falls. Ryan and Luke were eager to get on the trail. It was Daphne's first time to walk all by herself.  

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 It started out happy.  I did not get the pictures of her crying, most of the way up.  Daphne is one to think something is too big and unachievable.  So she gives up before the battle has begun.  We cheered her on, gave her breaks. But the crying continued.  Blotchy, red welts covered her face from crying.  Luke tried to encourage her. People gave us scolding looks.  Others felt sorry for her.  We knew she could do it! 

In contrast, I was surprised at how effortlessly Luke climbed up. He'd get far ahead and then hike back down to meet us.  He hikes like his Dad!

   

Heading up the rear.  We continued on..

                                                                           Success!

 Cheesy fake smiles.  They happen. They just do this now.  Also, I couldn't muster up the strength to look over the falls and take a picture. I don't do so well with heights.

As soon as we arrived at the top, Daphne's attitude changed. She was so excited that she did it!  2.6 miles and 700 foot elevation.  It was a success.  On the way down, she looked at other crying children and cheered them on. Other parents, seeing Daphne, encouraged their children "Do you see that the little girl climbed to the top? You can do it too."

At the end, it was a great day. Happy children. Good life lessons in perseverance and encouragement.  We are so blessed to have our children.

 

I don't like pink, pride..and why I choose to wear it

I don't like pink.  I liked it for a small time in the late 80's. I think this was because I had mostly blue clothes and Jocelyn had pink....  Jocelyn and I were similar in size growing up. We are 2 1/2 years apart. But she was taller for her age. She was also very muscular.  So we had similar sized clothes. To tell the clothes apart, my mom bought my clothes in blue and Joss' clothes in pink. Now that I'm a mom, I can see the wisdom in this. I guess when we were little, mom asked what our favorite colors were, and this is what we decided.

My girls wear pink. Mainly that is because I like them in pink. Especially fuchsia.

So here is today's story. I don't like pink, but I have lots of pink clothes.  You will see me wear them often. Why?  Ryan likes me in pink. He likes me in girly flowers too. Just take a look at my snow/muck/rainboots.


Maybe someone may think:

"What about YOUR OWN style and preferences.     Doesn't he need to love you and how you look even if you were in a burlap sack?" Didn't he choose you and not the clothes you wear?

Well, yes. And he would. But he especially likes me in pink. Just like I prefer him to have a goatee. Or I like a certain pair of jeans on him. Or I like how he smells after he's been working around the farm in the morning. I prefer it.  I love him all the time.  Just like he loves me all the time.

Wrapping.
When I give a gift, I like to wrap it. I like to wrap the gift appropriately. Wrapping aimed at the gift receiver. Wearing pink is like putting a special bow on a gift. Just a little more thought and consideration.

Where to draw the line?
I cannot wear pink with sparkle on it. I just can't. I also cannot wear leggings.

My identity.
Does this ruin WHO I am? No. It just doesn't. WHO I am is not based on what I wear, or what others think. It's just based on WHO I am. 

My favorite color is green. Oddly, Ryan really does not like green.  Sad. I do have some green wardrobe, but not much. But what am I looking at? Not myself. I put green around the house. Ryan wears green for me. Yay!

So I wear pink. I wear pink for love.

The barn.
 My mom always talks about painting the old barn. You know, that old falling apart barn with the peeling paint? It would look loads better with a fresh coat of paint. Maybe the barn should be painted red, or blue, or green? Maybe the farmer gets to pick the color because he works around the barn all day? Maybe the farmer smiles a little more when the barn is in his preferred color?

Our first house we painted yellow. Butter yellow. Just after we painted it, we'd pull in the driveway and smile. Talking about how beautiful that yellow was. Taking pride in the yellow house. Was it the same house as before? Yes, but it looked all the better to our eyes in butter yellow.

Pride
I was prideful. I was prideful of my appearance. I took identity in what I wore. I wasn't even a trend setter. I was just a lady in jeans and a sweatshirt. Sheesh! Isn't that the same as wearing only name brand things? Silly. What was I trying to prove? Clothing, hair and appearance are just some exterior thing that helps draw people to our countenance? Right? The person we are on the inside.

The point
Anyway, I know ladies who wear lots of makeup for their husbands. Or others who wear jewelry, straighten their hair, perm their hair, wear those awesome high-healed boots, etc.... I also hear women telling me their husbands would like them out of their sweatpants or P.J.'s when they get off of work. People, let the farmer paint the barn a little. Just a little. Pick one thing they like. It's OK to stretch for someone you love and respect.After all, he really loves and respects you too. Do it for love people.

Note:
We plan to paint our current house green!  It was Ryan's idea!

7th Birthday

Luke,
You are growing so fast. Already a wonderful young man. We pray that God would continue to mature and bless you.  We love you son.

Teaching Faith to crawl

 I put Faith on the floor for tummy time. So, Luke and Daphne decided to give Faith a crawling lesson.

 And, as usual, Daphne became distracted by cuteness.

Gifts

We received so many gifts for Faith. This time around, I asked people to borrow things.  I asked for used items. And I asked for unprepared food. We are so thankful for all of our good friends and family.

 This fantastic cake has diapers in the interior. Some people are crazy awesome crafters. Thank you Auntie Karin!

  Maybe babies in hand-me-downs are happier?

What's eating the chickens?

 Several months ago chickens began disappearing. We were losing them between 4 and 6PM. Our neighbor lent us a trap. We set the trap out and managed to  catch our dog a couple times.

Then something came in and took out 8 chickens. The chickens were in the run. The predator waited until the chickens poked their heads through to get grass growing outside the run. The it grabbed their heads and pulled them clean off.

We installed 2x3 inch wire instead of chicken wire due to the bears in our area. So Ryan stapled chicken wire at the base of the coop. then we bought a bigger trap.

Here is what we caught after 4 weeks of baiting traps. We used cat food and tuna fish. I just wish there was raccoon, possum, skunk, weasel and coyote food! We're not sure if this is the only predator.

Ryan's comment when he came near the cage and it came after him was...
"That's bigger than I thought he was!"
Maybe that's what the chickens thought right before they died?

Welcome Faith Abilene

 Baby quality control. These two tell me every little thing going on with Faith. I'm told about nails to trim, skin to apply lotion to, poopy diapers, sleep in eyes. They also like to report any movement.

"Mom, she stuck out her tongue"
"Mom, she's waving at me"
"Mom, she's kicking"

                                                                          8lbs 11 oz.

 We were told by the doctors and nurses that she looked like a 2 week old, not a newborn. This is a newborn diaper. She barely fits into it. Birth story to follow.

                                                           Proud and smitten Daddy.

                                                            The makings of a big sister.

Ryan and I have tried to decide a girls name that we liked.  No arguing. Just many conversations that did not lead up to a name.  I would make lists, hand him a list at the end of the day, and he'd veto the names.  He'd give me names, I'd look up the meaning, and they would also be vetoed. I had always hoped of naming all of my girls flora, fauna or nature names. This time around...I thought it wouldn't work. If we could just find a name that cemented with both of us, I'd be fine with it.  We liked the first name of Faith.  We couldn't figure out a middle name. Then one day Ryan came home form work...

Ryan: "Shels, did I tell you what the baby's name is?"

(He said it with such confidence and authority. As if the stars had aligned and a voice form heaven had said it was so.) I laughed and asked him what the baby's name was.

Ryan: "Faith Abilene"

I was shocked, in a good way. I really liked how it sounded. Now I just needed to find out what it meant...

Faith- Belief in God and acceptance of God's will, loyalty, confidence.  The Bible defines faith as the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen. 

Abilene- Land of meadows, Place of green grass, Hazelnut or filbert, A city in the ancient Holy Land mentioned in the book of Luke

Abilene: (land of meadows), a city situated on the eastern slope of Antilibanus, in a district fertilized by the river Barada (Abana). It was part of the original Holy Land set apart for the Israelites. The city was 18 miles from Damascus,on the way to Heliopolis (Baalbec). It stood in a remarkable gorge called Suk Wady Barada Mentioned in Lu 3:1 as the tetrarchy of Lysanias at the time when John the Baptist began his ministry. The district derived its name from Abila, its chief town, which was situated, according to the Itinerarium Antonini, 18 Roman miles from Damascus.


When I researched the location of Abilene, it spoke of a fertile, green land surrounded by dry, infertile lands.  Like a larger oasis. It is also currently a border land. It is next to the anti-Lebanese ridge. Where many battles have been fought over the centuries. 

I truly think it is neat that the name has a Biblical and a nature meaning. Ryan didn't even know what the name meant.  
Welcome home, our sweet precious gift.