Kites, trikes, and haircuts

The boys were starting to look like hairballs. Ergo, haircut time. Megan's hair was starting to look kind of stringy so she got a cut, too. I miss being able to braid it, but I think it looks darling in a bob. She likes being "twins" with Kaitlyn....in the hairstyle department anyway. :P

Milk dud report: Oats all planted and spreading lime on the fields. Apple trees in full bloom. They look and smell wonderful.

The Stinker

Ahhh! Having a two-year-old again has returned us to the land of silence = trouble. Kaitlyn recently filled the dishwasher detergent compartment with a full bottle of vanilla. Yesterday she tried shaving with her daddy's razor and toothpaste. She loves to dismantle cherished, but unattended, lego projects. Anything that currently or previously held food or beverage and is within her reach will be sipped from, licked off, or sampled. It's like having a Hoover that doesn't just handle floor level.
Having moved through the honeymoon and settling-in periods, we've arrived at the testing period. Oh, joy! : )

This one's for Dennis

Okay, the rest of us are just looking at two turkeys: one dead and the other still strutting. I'm supposed to tell you that the dead one had 1" spurs, an 11" beard, and weighed 20.5 lbs. The live one wasn't wearing spurs, was beardless, and I won't hazard a guess on weight. We like to stay on his good side-especially when he's toting a gun. Is it happy hunting or Happy Thanksgiving?

Milk dud report: they're almost done planting oats and no neighbors called today about cows straying into greener pastures. I guess that means the fencing is coming along well. So far things are working out well with milking on one farm. Kenton's really enjoying not having to be in the barn in the evenings. Not that we at home have seen a lot of him, but he's getting a lot done. Domingo and Brent are starting chores around 3:15 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. It makes for earlier mornings, but frees up the evenings slightly.

Kaitlyn's Dedication

Kaitlyn's dedication was last Sunday. Of course, we were running late for church and after church is such a great time to get pictures when everyone just wants to change and eat. Lovely, aren't they?

Pun for the day

It's too good not to repeat:

Mahatma Gandhi, as you know, walked barefoot most of the time, which produced an impressive set of calluses on his feet. He also ate very little, which made him rather frail and, with his odd diet, he suffered from bad breath. This made him (I'm sorry!) a super calloused fragile mystic hexed by halitosis.

My kids like the sandbox....unless there's a dirt pile option. I especially adore how footwear that goes to the sandbox is always AWOL the next time it's needed.

Farm update: They are plowing, disking, that c word thingy that comes after disking, I think planting oats, and the inevitable spring fence repair. "Ahead of schedule" were words I heard briefly tonight.

Totally out of character quote for the day:
As your family grows up together, don't hesitate to ask for help from the greatest encourager of all: God. While you'll never attain parental perfection, God truly is the perfect parent. Your Heavenly Father waits for you to run into His arms, crying, "Help, Father! Show me how to parent." The Original Adoptive Parent is intimately familiar with every challenge you face, and He celebrates every milestone with you. God's Spirit, who dwells within you, communicates His thoughts to you and breathes life into you when you're exhausted.
Invite God to take charge of your childcare team. His power, at work in you, is able to do immeasurably more than all you ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20).

And as leavening......my favorite pun of all time will be repeated soon.

This one's for Lydia, Brooke, Natalie, and Jenna!

Enjoying grandma's delicious breakfast. Kenton's family has added three new little ones recently. This was the first time they were all together: Caleb, Kaitlyn, and Cameron. Photo shoots with this age are always predictably chaotic. However, no one cried, spit up, or fell off the couch.


My girls with their baby cousins.
Hey! Those big girls stole my baby and gave me this fake!

Pictures

As you can see, Davis is continuing is smile track record.
Hey! Look Davis really can smile!

Farm Changes

Monday a number of cows went to the stockyard. Tuesday was the beginning of the big move. My sister-in-law's cows left to join her husband's herd. The farm we rented was closed down and everything from that farm moved to the home farm. Brent and Domingo will be doing the bulk of the barn work with Kenton freed up to focus more on crops. Hopefully it will give Kenton more free time.....at least until spring work hits the end of April.
The move went pretty smoothly overall. Of course, one stupid beast went berserk and broke a water line, but pretty minimal in the scheme of things.
The sudden spike in temperature made for beautiful weather today. Kenton mowed corn stalks. I suspect he let the boys play in the lime pile, too, because when the girls and I got home from a baby shower, there were gritty footprints all over the house. Nice!