Still pretending to be farmers

After 3 months of our kind neighbor mowing our lawn, Dave couldn't take it any longer out of feeling guilt every time he pulled in from work to our neighbor mowing our lawn every 5 days (it didn't need it that much - but our neighbor really likes to mow). The kids all had fun helping Dave mow. I didn't get a picture of myself - but I quite had the fun time as well (I did it all by myself...Dave wasn't the driver).

Sadie held on to Dave's arms like this the whole time. Something about it was so cute to me.

Nate had more fun than he is expressing in this photo. He was a bit apprehensive about this wild machine that was loud and went fast, but every time they zoomed by me, I got a hesitant smile from Nate. Now every time we walk past the mower in the garage, Nate makes all sorts of excited noises.

The girls are plotting which way to empty the wagon full of weeds. Well, at least I think that's what they were doing. Their job was to dump the weeds out there, but I guess they had to plan it out first?

Ashlyn's shaking our cream to make butter. We shook and shook and shook, and before too long we had our own butter!

We went to a mozzarella making class last week. Then we went home and tried it ourselves. Here the girls are separating the curds from the whey.

Next you stretch the cheese over and over like pulling taffy. This is mostly to squeeze the rest of the whey out.

It turned out so delicious! I love it so much better than the store's mozzarella, so now I guess I have to keep making it.

We also tried making yogurt - but I have some more to learn on that one.

This post is for me to remember...

...that it's all worth it. And they are cute, and just kids.

It was a long day with the kiddos. Lots of issues to work through, LOTS of patience needed that I had trouble finding, too much crying, lots of dishes, sweeping, bathing, etc. I'm exhausted - physically and mentally. After church the girls went straight to check on the animals in their "chicken coop boots". Dave saw them walking together and snapped the shot. They are good buddies, most of the time.

Bedtime is a favorite for Nate. He loves his bed. Tonight I walked him into his room while he was screaming so hard I hoped he'd stop for air. Then as soon as we reached the crib, he found the biggest smile and it was all play from there. Oodles of kisses, hugs, songs. He loves it. Then he bursts into tears when I walk out of the room. But then he snuggles up and quickly falls asleep. Funny boy.

Nate loves to give kisses. I don't know what's cuter - when he is giving a kiss, or the proud grin after he gave the kiss because he knows he did a cute thing. He has also learned to blow kisses - but he does it backhand style. He kisses the back of his hand and then sends it out to you. So cute. He gave kisses to everyone before going to bed.

FYI - we didn't plan for Nate's room to be green. It will get painted when we get around to it. It practically blinds you when you walk in.


Some are open-mouth kisses and some are closed-mouth. I love them both!

Some of the neighborhood girls having a popcicle in the shade. Baby Judy kept hopping up on the table to try and steal the show.

Moral of this post: When you have a hard day, look at pictures of your kids being really cute - it will remind you that it's all worth it.

Buttercup's Feta

I know, not the most focused picture...but sometimes you just have to snap fast!
We finally made cheese. We started with feta...and someday will try chevre. As long as you have a few days (mostly playing the waiting game) it's really not that hard to make. We save up the milk from Mama goat Buttercup, and then started in on the process. I was amazed at how much whey is leftover after you get the curd separated. Then I learned that ricotta is made mostly from the whey.
Here we are...separating the curds from the whey.
(By the way, the baking soda and vinegar you see in the background did not go into the cheese. We were making a volcano mixture for a science project in between the cheese making.)

The cheese before entering our home made cheese press. AFTER starting our cheese making process, I came to the part in the recipe where it said to pull out your cheese press. Cheese press? Yikes! Don't have one of those laying around. So I made my own cheese press. I never got a picture of it.

The finished product. Taste-wise, I thought it was a little too salty. I'm not sure if I put too much salt in the cheese, or if it was an overly salted brine that the cheese sits in while in the fridge. I'm guessing that making cheese is a trial and error sort of thing until you get it really good. I'll let you know if that ever happens.

Tomorrow we are having 2 gallons of our friend's cow's milk delivered. We have a field trip Thursday morning where a friend will teach us how to make mozzarella with our milk.

Ashlyn's Poem

Spring

Green, burnt trees wave in the breeze

Pink, cheerful flowers bloom in the sun

Violet clouds move in the sky

Yellow pollen sprints through the mist

Red birds fly through the air

Brown, damp mud hardens on the ground

Sage grass grows and appears on the floor

Gray chipmunks bounce inbetween hills

Orange butterflies flicker down the slopes

Blue skies fill the racing streams

Oh! Spring, the time of my life!

Budding Apple Pickers

Our neighbor's friend had oodles of apples to be picked. So we jumped at the opportunity and had fun picking a laundry basket full of apples.

It was fun to have our first try with a real apple picker.

My try at "Bang Bang Chicken and Shrimp" from a copycat recipe book for Dave's birthday dinner. This is his favorite dish at Cheesecake Factory. It tasted much better than it looks.

Place mat and decor done by Ash and Sade (along with the rest of the house that they decorated).

In the middle is a mound of rice, with lightly battered and fried chicken and shrimp surrounding the rice. The meat is topped with a vegetable thai curry sauce, and the rice is topped with a thai peanut sauce. The garnish is crushed peanuts, parsley, green onions and toasted coconut.

The boys working on the candle blowing...Dave is deep in thought making his wish. This was my first time making "Tunnel of Fudge Cake". There really was a tunnel of fudge in the middle...and it tastes best when warmed and then topped with homemade style vanilla ice-cream. The girls did the candles (as in, the younger girls). Don't ask me why they put 6 candles on. Maybe Sadie was secretly dreaming of her next birthday while putting the candles in.

Happy Birthday to my better half

I can still remember like it was yesterday (it was really about 5 years ago) when Dave's brother, Chris came to visit in our SF apartment. He brought his guitar and played while we all sang. It was one of my favorite things to do when we were with Chris and Jamie. After they left, I suggested to Dave that he get a guitar and learn how to play. He was in the middle of a busy first year of dental school. We figured how we could cut back on groceries for the month and other little places we could cut corners to save the $150 to buy him a guitar. That was probably my favorite $150 we've spent! While in school, Dave found bits of time here or there to teach himself the guitar. I am amazed with how well he can play now - even though if you ask him he'll say he's not that great and it's easy for any one to learn.



One of my favorite things to do is to listen to Dave play the guitar. I love watching the veins pop out of his head as he sings the really high notes. I love watching the girls dance around the room to his fun music. I love watching him play with Nate in his arms at the same time. I love seeing tears spill on his cheeks as he sings about our little babies. I could sit for hours and listen...and sometimes I do.

So for Dave's birthday, I thought I'd share one of my favorite things about him.
I wish I had a recording of this song, because the tune is amazing. But for now the words will have to do. This is a song Dave wrote to me for our anniversary this past year.

Everything

The first time I saw you you were singing
The world turned to black and you were light
I sat there and watched the way you moved
I watched you laugh and smile and scrunch your nose
I knew somehow somewhere that I would find you
Your face without a name burned in my mind

Chorus
You and I would walk life side by side
And bind through the high and through the deep
How could a stranger own my heart?
You were no stranger to me

The second time I saw you you were dancing
My timid head could not hold back my heart
I asked you to dance but someone beat me
The wait seemed like hours until my turn
I held you in my arms as I met you
With no idea that we'd never let go

The third time I saw you you saw me
The look on your face matched me inside
I sat right behind you and I watched you
The pounding in my chest consumed my mind
Just a stupid kid I had no clue
Had no clue that you were everything


Dave - I wish I could be as eloquent and creative with my words like you. We've been through high and we've been through deep and I love you higher and deeper than I did when we first met...and I loved you a lot then.

Thanks for everything you do for me and our family. I hope you have a wonderful birthday and know how loved and appreciated you are!

Playin' in the Rain

Nate and I always wait for the girls to get off the bus out on the front lawn. Nate sits there watching and watching for the bus. As soon as he sees it, he starts waving and gets so excited. Well, it was raining one day, so we sat waiting on the porch. They came home and threw their backpacks in the house and headed back out for some fun in the rain. Of course, Nate had to join them. The umbrellas were mostly a toy - they were under the rain more than the umbrellas.

Nate loved being free in the rain.

Thanks to some recipes other than my own, we finally had a good dinner. I feel like I'm in a meal rut and seem to always think of the same things to make for dinner. My mom made us moo-shu chicken and it was such a delicious dinner that was also simple and quick. Then Emily gave me a recipe for her home made tortillas. So we did moo-shu wraps with tortillas instead of the little pancakes that you get at the restaurant. Everyone loved the meal - which is not always the case at our house. And even better was the fun we had making the tortillas.

Nate trying to figure out how this rolling pin thing works.

I just had to throw this picture in. This is almost a daily occurence at our house. Nate plays all around the piano during lesson time. It's been good practice for the girls to learn to stay focused despite Nate's many distractions. Nate cries because he wants to get under the piano so baldy, and then he cries because he can't get out. You might notice he has necklaces draped around his neck. I promise he has masculine toys, but these necklaces seem to win over the trucks at the moment. If one is in his sight, within seconds it is around his neck. I suppose he probably thinks they are just a bunch of balls strung together.

Last but not least...Nate and one of his best friends, Grandpa John. I was planning to visit Shannon and her new baby some time in October, but at the last minute things fell into place to visit Shannon over Labor Day at Mom and Dad's. Dave had the long weekend to be home with the girls. It was so great to only pay for one ticket!! It was such a treat to be spoiled by Mom and Dad's great cooking and lots of playing with the kids so the girls could have some time together! Nate and Grandpa were instant buddies. If Grandpa was in the same room as Nate, Nate HAD to be with him, usually in his arms. Sometimes Nate would be on the floor right at Grandpa's feet, just looking up and smiling at him.