My Crazy Life as a Farmers Wife

iPhone Photo Dump

1. Kate taking dinner to daddy in the field last night 2. Wild plum trees blooming on the canal bank 3. Grace and I going for a morning run 4. Lily and Kate getting ready for their day with mom and dad 5. My bedroom and bathroom are all put back together after the remodel 6. Riding in the tractor with my man while the kids were at art class 7. It was a WINDY day, so David and I took the older kids to a daytime movie 8. Ashley, Grace & Lindsey baked a fancy cake for Sandi's birthday 9. My side kick, Kate 10. Grace and Russ went to a fiddle contest with my parents in Kalispel, Montana 11. Grandma Russell came out to help me transplant all of our cabbage plants...we're growing lots cause she is going to teach me how to make sour kraut this year 12. I'm trying to finish up my spring dish towel embroidery project 13. Grace sent me the sad faced photo of herself holding baby donkey toys. She wants a donkey sooooo bad 14. Grocery shopping with the kids 15. A beautiful rainbow 16. Heading to the field to ride with daddy while he plants potatoes.

Short-Lived Blossoms

Grace and I had a long conversation today about nature...and how the prettiest things in nature are very short lived. It's really true. The blossoming trees are only in bloom for such a short time, and that sweet smell floating on the breeze...it comes and goes in what seems like an instant. Tulips and daffodils, lilacs and roses are just the same. They don't last long enough. And then, the peonies bloom and you think there couldn't be any more beautiful sight, and in an instant, they're gone again. Is is really that beauty fades so fast, or is it beautiful because we know it doesn't last? If they were always in bloom, would we take their beauty for granted? Would we think they were so beautiful if we saw them every day of our entire life? Grace and I had a moment of deep thought about this today. Either way, I feel like every splash of color is just like a miracle straight from the hand of God. He is behind all of the beautiful things on Earth, and I for one, can't contain my love for the beautiful world around me.

It's been a hectic week. We seem to have been over-scheduled (which is NOT something I enjoy). I am always trying to simplify my life so that I'm not running all the time, but this week, it was just out of my hands. The kids had to do their ISAT testing this week in a computer lab in town, and so that made two days of running around and spending time in town (BLAH!). Then between two group violin lessons, one private lesson, visiting teaching, scouts, achievement days, dance and million other little things, it felt like this week was a little out of control. Grace looked at me one night after a full day of running, and she said "I just don't like living like this. I can't be outside and enjoy life." This morning, we were finally able to settle down for a bit. We didn't have any commitments this morning... And the best part...WE'RE DONE WITH SCHOOL! We finished our cirriculum, and the kids did AMAZING on their ISAT tests. I can't believe how much more efficient we are than the public schools! Grace says she feels we covered almost two-three times as much material in one homeschool year than she ever did in public school, and Russ has proven to have increased his reading skills by leaps and bounds this year. It feels so good to have it all done. We're taking a little break from school for a few weeks, and then we have some plans for a simple summer program to keep the kids going so that they don't lose all of their skills. With no plans for this morning (and no school), the kids couldn't wait to get outside and play. They spent all morning catching bees on the blossoming trees, jumping on the trampoline and riding scooters. I walked around and enjoyed the overcast morning, taking photos of all of the beautiful things in bloom. I can't believe how early our spring has come this year. It really isn't normal for our area of Idaho. In fact, the lilacs are blooming, and usually, we are lucky if they are blooming for Memorial Day. I am normally wondering if they'll be blooming in time because I  love to take Lilac bouquets to decorate graves. I guess I'll have to rething my bouquets for graves this year :)

and even though this last photo is totally unrelated...LOOK AT THE SIZE OF THAT EGG! Russ found it in the chicken coop yesterday and brought it inside. He was so excited! I think it's the biggest egg we have ever gotten. It's more like a goose egg than a chicken egg! That poor chicken!

Day in the Mountains

This weekend was beautiful...I can't believe the unseasonably warm spring we've been having. With temperatures in the mid 80s, we couldn't refuse a trip to the mountains behind our house. We all loaded up on the four wheelers, dirt bikes and Ranger, packed a picnic lunch and headed for the hills! We roasted hotdogs and had a delicious salad and chips along with some Muddy Buddies Grace and I threw together last minute.

David has been going to this same spot his whole life, and it is actually the location of our first date. Lily is standing by she and the kids' names carved in the tree in 2004. 

Russ enjoyed riding his dirt bike, and he even let Shelby and Grace learn how to ride it!

June was so hot...she was so glad that we found a small creek of cold run-off water so she could cool down...

Grandpa brought all of the kids' archery equipment, and they had a blast shooting all of the targets they set up.

They are all pretty competetive (especially since grandpa has handmade them each their own set of personalized arrows), but Kate was super determined to hit the target (a water bottle)...

after archery, it was time to shoot the BB guns...

and by that point, everyone was pretty hot, so they decided to build a dam in the creek to back up the water.

 

even June helped with the effort...

as the water level started to rise behind their dam, the kids' pants came off...

as per his usual self, Russell decided to be brave and dive completely under water. He's crazy like that...

this photo just screams pure happiness to me. It doesn't get any better than this...

there was plenty of resting too...

ha ha...I couldn't resist!

this is the beautiful view coming home from the mountains...our beautiful farming valley below...

by the time we got home, we were covered in dust, so we turned on the slip and slide so that everyone could have a little pre-shower...