Entering a new era (aka “Life”)

Posted on August 11, 2017 by Jenni

First off I want to take a minute to applaud, myself. This is the third blog post I’ve done in less than 2 weeks. ;) Insert cheering…crowd going wild with excitement and a bow by yours truly.  ***Enter baby, crying to be held so I presuming typing with my left hand, right hand carefully holding him away from the computer. All while I hear squabbling going on between number 5 and number 6, it’s basically a miracle we are all still alive, let alone blogging happening :)****

Notice the abandoned computer on the wicker chair? He won.  This little one keeps me on my toes! He’s a ball of energy and gets into everything, and we love him to pieces!

Here’s the real reason I wanted to blog. These past 14.5 years has gone by so very fast. This week I dropped my two oldest babies off at church camp, it felt so strange. Tomorrow we pick them up and I’m ready. This morning I felt this lump in my throat when I was thinking of them, off on their own, hopefully having a blast, making memories, building lasting relationships, growing up (cue tissue).

It’s kind of strange how I feel like every time I go to write a blog I feel like I am starting a new era, but I guess that is what life is all about, right? Every phase is like stepping into a new chapter, each with it’s own plot and set of adventures. This year we will have our first of many high schoolers, Aidan will hopefully be starting driver’s ed in the spring (yikes!) and one chapter leads to the next, it’s this amazing journey that I feel so blessed to have a part in, in each one of our children’s lives.

There is something very special about camp, it’s an opportunity to step away from our children and think about the things about them that we miss…***Another long pause, this one lasted a couple days. The baby never stopped fussing and I finally looked at his mouth while he was crying and noticed he has thrush, still nursing at 15 months (go me, I’ve never nursed that long) and it’s the first time he’s had it! :( Poor kid, so I stopped the blogging and took him to the doctor but by the time I came back I was too tired to write anymore. Here I am again, feeling a little refreshed and ready to finish my thought.*** So these feelings we get when our children are away, these times when their absence makes us think about why we miss them, what it is that connects us. I found myself in the days the boys were gone, looking for Aidan when I heard something funny or when the kids did something funny, he’s always good for a laugh and I love that he gets my humor. I missed the way Eamon loved entertaining Ralph and seeing how much he truly loves babies just really warms my heart. I was surprised that I didn’t miss them so much for all the chores they do everyday, instead it was a great opportunity for the younger ones to step up, and/or let the house go to the way of the pigs.

Eamon holding Clark Olsen. We stopped to meet the youngest of 10 Olsen kids, great to have friends who have big families! I love that Eamon even though he is pretty shy, overcomes his shyness to ask to hold the babies :) He’s a keeper!

It’s so great to have our boys home. Somehow they seem older. And they had  a wonderful time at camp and are ready to go back again next year! I love that they had an opportunity to connect with the other teens in our church, such an important part of growing up and becoming independent.  Well I better end this here or I might cry with the sentimentality of my big boys growing up! I love these boys so much and I’m so thankful for them, they set the tone in our family and they are both fine young men.  Aidan and Eamon we are proud of you both!

 

 

 

Posted in Aidan, Eamon, Family, Friends | Leave a comment

Life is just hard sometimes

Posted on July 26, 2017 by Jenni

Lately, I have had this knot in my stomach. It just doesn’t want to go away. Without going into all the details, it has to do with a leaky roof and the damage from that leaky roof. Eventually we will tell the whole story, but right now we are in the middle of it and cant really talk about all the details. But I’ve noticed something about myself these past few months, it’s not always easy to be jovial. But that is life right? Our stories would be pretty boring if we went from one happy story to the next, who wants to read a story like that? No, we want to read stories about the guy who had no money, even lived under a bridge for a season but somehow he manages to pull out of that part of his story and now he is hero. He turns himself around and what he does today makes you want to cry. Redemption, mercy, forgiveness, those make great stories. Truth is though, we don’t really like being in the story, in the middle of the story where all the sad stuff happens.

The internet is kind of an interesting addition to life (especially for those of us who remember life before the internet) ;) We can easily portray “everything is all hunky-dory” see these pictures of our cute family, everyone is smiling and we just had this sweet moment we wanted to share with you. So that one post can give a sense that, wow they are doing great, their children are always happy and getting along, their house is always so clean (zoom in on that clean sink because there is garbage all over).  Sweet, real life friends have asked lately with a smile, “how was your week?” I’m thinking to myself in a brief moment, do I give the Facebook response or do I actually tell them the truth that my week was really hard, that I have had a knot in my stomach that wont go away, that I’m worried about how we will fix our house, that I’m constantly worried about the health of my children, that I cant seem to get rid of this sick feeling. I pray and ask God to help me trust Him, I know in my heart He is GOOD. But knowing for someone else, or knowing in hindsight is a lot different than knowing when you are in the midst of a trial.

Don’t get me wrong, these past months and weeks have been great. So many wonderful moments, so much cuteness and so much joy. But the knot in the stomach, still is there. It’s my ever present reminder that we are just human, there are no guarantees of success in this life, no golden ticket to assure you a seat in the comfortable chair. Life has so many turns, so many unknowns. So many sorrows. So many opportunities to be bitter, or to forgive, to demand justice or show mercy, to dwell in the shadows or to choose joy.

I’m sorry if the vagueness of this post is annoying to you. ;) I guess I just needed to declare it for myself, to tell the knot in my stomach to chill out. I’ve read about His faithfulness, He’s got a pretty amazing record. His people are pretty important to Him, and He always shows up. My God is big, He kind of made the wood that our house was made out of, and He owns all the trees that will fix the problem with our house now. He’s in charge of all the pages in my story, and I trust Him. I don’t know what’s going to happen on the next page, but I know He knows and that is good enough for me.

Posted in Family, Home Repairs, Projects | 2 Comments

Watercolor Paintings by Jenni

Posted on November 23, 2016 by Jenni

If you see something here that has already been sold and you are interested in a similar painting, please shoot me an email and I’d be glad to paint another for the same price. Just know that these are all originals and they wont look exactly the same. My email address is chrisandjenni-at-gmail.com Prices do not include shipping prices (depending on sizes shipping rates are around $4-$6 per painting and will be shipped USPS)
I accept payment through paypal, please contact me through email to make sure the painting is still available.

Thanks for looking!!
Jenni

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Autumn Drive – $20
6″x 9″

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Pair of Pears – $15
6″ x 9″

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Carrots – $15
6″ x 9″

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Rocks and Sticks in the leaves – $30
6″ x 9″

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Artichokes and Tomatoes – $15
6″ x 9″

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Succulents – $15
6″ x 9″

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Fidalgo Coffee Roasters – $15
9″ x 6″
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SOLD – $40
Boats at Night
6″ x 9″

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SOLD – $15
You Are The Apple of My Eye
6″ x 9″

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SOLD – $50
Bird of Paradise
8″ x 10″

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SOLD – $15
Red Flower
9″ x 6″

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Posted in Watercolor Paintings | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

10 weeks – it’s a baby!!

Posted on October 12, 2015 by Jenni

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Today I had my first midwife appointment, great to talk to my wonderful midwife Michelle, chat with her about this pregnancy a bit, share my concerns with her about my 8th birth, 10th pregnancy. We also chatted about this new genetic testing they offer for women that tests with extreme accuracy for triosomy and other defects. The difference between this test and an amniocentesis is that it is done through the mother’s bloodwork, so the risk to the baby/mother is nearly nonexistent. Kind of amazing if you think about it. They can also tell if you are having multiples, and the gender of the baby, all at 12-14 weeks gestation. :) So for the first time I opted to have this testing done, not because I would choose to abort the baby if I were to find out if we were having a baby with say Downs, but because I would want to know, but I would never choose to have an amniocentesis, for any reason that I can think of simply because of the risks to both mom and baby. Anyway, interesting. :)

So at the end of the appointment, she tried to listen to the baby’s heart beat. I wasn’t hopeful because I’ve never heard the baby’s heart beat before 11.5-12 weeks, we are only 10 weeks 3 days. But would you know, she got that baby’s heart beat, and it was nice and strong. I was very pleased. It truly is amazing to once again hear that lovely sound. The swoosh swoosh swoosh of the beat of life, inside of me and beside my much slower beat. I can’t tell you how in the middle of my busy life, full of blessings and challenges, it truly is a blessing to slow down for a few moments and take in this precious feeling. God, in His great mercy has seen fit to bless us with another precious life.

Alongside all of the feelings of joy, I’m mixed with emotions and thoughts of my other dear friends and family members who struggle with fertility. Who long to have this “problem” with fertility that I struggle with, being altogether “too” fertile. There is this part of me who wants to keep these moments to myself, knowing that I have a cousin who yearns to hear that beat of life inside her, just once. So I offer this post as a prayer to our Loving and Merciful God, please hear the prayers of my dear sisters, and comfort the arms that long to hold life. Dear Father, we trust in Your sovereignty, and our hope is in You alone.

Fully aware that this may very well be my last child I carry in my womb, I am truly doing my best to treasure every moment (although I’m going to be honest, I really look forward to the end of October, and the end of morning sickness) :) I’m so looking forward to feeling the baby move, and having a little more energy in the second trimester! The kids are so very excited about this new one, and have been excited to see what our baby looks like each week. Jack is so sweet, he will often put his hand on my tummy and say, “I LOVE our baby Mommy!” Little one, we are all looking forward to meeting you in a few months!

Oh and about the title of this post, when I came home from the midwife appointment, I told the kids, “Hey guys! I got to hear the baby’s heart beat at my midwife appointment!” Aidan said, “is it a girl or a boy?” I said, “It’s a baby!” :) He didn’t look impressed. He’s disappointed that we don’t want to find out the gender until the baby is born. Deal with it.

Posted in Mothering, Pregnancy | Leave a comment

Rasar St Park…Oops

Posted on September 9, 2015 by Jenni

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We just recently bought a fancy new trailer to haul the two littlest (growing heavier by the minute) children. We haven’t done very many bike rides this summer, probably mostly because it’s just been too darned hot! So this cooler weather, the new trailer (a $250 double trailer snagged off craigslist for $75 and in perfect condition!) and with the beginning of school, we are making the most of this warm, not hot and not raining weather. Whew that was a run-on sentence if I ever made one! You get the idea, we are finally getting this family on the road, enjoying some outdoor time at the park, fun days!

So Victoria, whenever she says she needs to use the bathroom, we take her seriously, and even though she’s 5 1/2 we always make sure she doesn’t need any help. I followed her into the bathroom at the park. She was doing good but she realized that she had locked herself in the stall, and she couldn’t reach the toilet paper. Mom to the rescue. I go into the first stall, she’s in the second stall. I get a big wad of toilet paper, then proceed to stall number 3. I reach under the stall wall and hold it up for her to reach down and grab. I say, “can you see it?” “Yeah, but I can’t reach it.” I stand in front of the stall, wiggling the door and say, “hon you are going to have to hop off the toilet and open the door or get the paper yourself.” Mortified, she says, “I can’t!”

Okay, plan number 2. Back to stall number 1, I un-wad the toilet paper and hang it right over the toilet. She cant seem to grab it. “Can’t you reach it hon?!” She sounds desperate now, “No I can’t, mommy I’m in the one at the end!

Oh dear. She is NOT in stall number 2. She is in stall number 4? Who’s in stall number 2? Is there someone in stall number 2?!!!! I quickly and easily manage to get her the toilet paper, now with this knew knowledge that she is not in that other stall, no wonder why she could never see it or reach it! Then as soon as I get her the toilet paper I inspect stall number 2, you can imagine my relief when I realize that stall number 2 is indeed locked but it’s empty (some brat probably did that, thanks a lot!) Then I was hysterically laughing at myself, at how embarrassing it would have been had there been someone in that other stall, all the sudden having toilet paper being offered to her from every angle. I am so glad it was empty, of course if it had someone in it, it would have made a much better story. But still, I make myself laugh. Hopefully you laughed at me too. ;)

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Posted in Bike Rides, Family | Leave a comment

Games and Riddles

Posted on September 8, 2015 by Jenni

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If you like riddles, here is a fun one we did with the kids. Can you figure it out?

Sidenote for those of you who might be confused about the J – Jack picked J, there wasn’t a J in the phrase and he was freaking out a little bit, “write the J!!” Then a little bit later he wanted the J to have a mouth, J for Jack :) Love that boy.

Have fun!

Posted in Family | 2 Comments

Dandy Girl I am going to miss you dearly!

Posted on August 28, 2015 by Jenni

I bought Dandelion a couple summers ago and she was my favorite from the get go. When she was tiny I would sit on a pallet in their field and she would hop up on my lap and sprawl. She continued doing this, I called her my “lap goat”, I believe the last time she did this was 2 days before she delivered her first set of twins. Silly girl. She was such a lover.

Saying Goodbye to Dandelion  Early this spring, Chris and I decided that we are going to rehome the goats and pigs just so that I can have more time to focus on school and we also would like to be able to focus on doing some traveling next year. You wouldn’t believe how many times I’ve thought, “I’ll just keep two this winter…” and then had to talk myself out of it. It’s really heartbreaking to me. Just writing this post I’m having to choke back the tears. Saying Goodbye to Dandelion

Thankfully when I’m feeling like changing the course that we feel like we need to be on for this coming year, my hubby has been so careful to remind me where we’re going. :) I love my little farm, but I need to recharge and take some time to figure out what we really want out of the farm as a family, not just me. Taking a year or two off will help us decide together what our next project will be.

Saying Goodbye to Dandelion

I’m so grateful that my good friend Corina took Dandelion and is taking wonderful care of her (check out her website, lots of homesteading goodness there!), she is very happy with her new home and her new family, which makes it a “little” easier. But I still feel weepy when I think about her. We miss her so much. Saying Goodbye to Dandelion

This is her little “Tulip” who acts a lot like her mama only is more timid. But she has the same spunk and love for life. And she looks so much like her, so I’m enjoying her while she’s with us. And little Ginger is Gracie’s little one, they are both going to a wonderful new home sometime in Sept. We are just soaking up the time that we have with our sweet little caprine friends.
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Saying Goodbye to Dandelion

I love you Dandy.

Posted in Farm Life, Goats | Leave a comment

An Era without a Stroller? Huh?

Posted on June 16, 2015 by Jenni

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I keep waiting for life to slow down a bit, then I will blog more. But it’s just not happening. In fact I feel as though we are picking up speed and moving forward…wait did I just say moving “FORWARD”? The past 12 years we have known nothing but diapers and strollers, playpens and more and more diapers, and then maybe one more stroller for the grumpy kid who doesn’t really need a stroller anymore ;)

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So this is strange. We haven’t used a stroller for quite some time now. Sometimes I walk ALL the children, from the car into the store, although most of the time 2 of them still go into the cart on the way to the store). We are even starting to enjoy day hikes as a family. Haven’t done a whole lot of those in the past because I can’t carry babies on my back for very long without my back hurting me for weeks. Chris discovered that he can take the kids on an extended walk if the littles have a walking stick (Jack calls his something different, you figure it out but it’s pretty funny). So it’s pretty amazing, these sticks give the little ones something to focus on, Jack usually pushes his stick in the dirt or pokes things with it, or tries to whack his siblings, but for the most part he’s good.

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We are moving forward. With gaining momentum. I remember feeling like we were going to be in this snail’s pace crawl forever. But we are making progress. The big kids take showers on their own, the boys have started mowing the lawn this year, they can help with the farm chores, the cooking, so much of the cleaning, 4 of them CAN READ! Things are changing, it’s good. I still miss the babies but I am loving this stage too. And Jack has promised me that he wont grow up but he would always be able to sit in my lap. I said, “well, Aidan said he would stay little but he doesn’t sit in my lap.” He said very possessively, “No! Only Jack.” :)

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He’s three today. Three. My baby boy is three? How did that happen? I’ve always had a baby by this time. I’m enjoying him though. It’s been a good crazy 3 years. Jack was like having 2 babies. He is so busy and sooooo into everything. Loving this stage of life and all of it’s joys and challenges. So much more to share but gotta go get ready for Jack’s little birthday celebration :)

Looking forward to this next stage of life with all of it’s new adventures, together with this family God has blessed us with!

Posted in Family | Leave a comment

A Snowman, Cowboy, Ladybug and a Cop

Posted on January 7, 2015 by Jenni

Kind of sounds like a movie. Not quite.
Wooden Peg People

I got some more wooden people to paint to sell, and I bought a few extra special pieces for the kid’s set. I made these last night.

Wooden Peg People

Wooden Peg People

These guys were too much fun! Then this morning I let the kids do some painting, I’ll share theirs soon when they are finished but here are my cute little ladybugs I painted while they were working. Challenging to do while Jack is vertical.

Wooden Peg People

And while I was distracted this is what Jack was doing. What you don’t eat your peanut butter out of the container with a gun?

Peanut Butter Jack

Peanut Butter Jack

Posted in Crafts, Jack | Leave a comment

Writers Block

Posted on January 6, 2015 by Jenni

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At the beginning of last year I had decided I was going to blog more. We’ve had this blog for 13+ years and over the years I’ve done a pretty good job keeping up a chronicle of the days of this family. But Last year I posted 4 times. In 365 I only found the time to write 4 posts. Granted I have a few excuses but it really does bother me.

But do you see the picture up there? That’s my computer. Jack helped me out with that many moons ago and kind of stripped my desire for blogging away, along with the keys that remain un-fixable. The clamp on the side of the computer, it’s not really there for looks. If we don’t put the clamp there then the computer will not charge, which means no computer. So there you have it, my big excuses. It’s hard to type with the letters missing, but even harder when you have to maneuver around a clamp. Plus I have been taking pictures with my tablet. In order to get them in the post I have to email them to myself, then save, download, extract, edit, resize, export, locate and then upload to my blog. It’s an annoying process, to say the least.

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Here’s my new and improved setup. I have a keyboard with all the keys, and a nice little mouse. And I don’t have to type around a clamp. I got my good camera back (the charger had been missing since October, then we bought a new one and I left the camera down south at my auntie Terri’s house over the holidays). So yesterday we got the camera back, AND “Murphy’s Law”, found the old charger. So no more excuses. I’ve got a nice set up in the Red Room, got my camera back, and tons of stuff to write about this year. It’s a new day. I can feel it. I’m going to get back into the swing of writing. I’ve been in a funk since we moved here in 2009 and it’s time to get back in the saddle. :) Hopefully a few of my faithful readers will join me here again.

Really looking forward to this new season in our lives. And hoping that you all are well and looking forward to this new year with it’s new challenges and adventures.

I think that a new laptop may possibly be in my near future. Which would be totally awesome :)

Posted in Family | Leave a comment

Whittling Away the final Minutes of 2014

Posted on December 31, 2014 by Jenni

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My last little endeavor of the year, making some furniture for the little painted dolls I made the kids for Christmas. They love them but lets be honest, I think I like them better than they do. ;)

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Here’s this family again, looking amazing as always. And to top it off, this woman not only painted all of her children’s clothing, but she carved their dining table by hand! Some people.

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And these people, all enjoying some chatting around the fire pit while the babies get into mischief. Even I know that you don’t put four babies together unattended! Well, I’ve been having a little too much fun this year. Hoping to have even more fun next year! Can’t believe 2014 is nearly over, I really am excited about what 2015 has in store.

Happy New Year’s Eve everyone!!

Posted in Crafts, Homemaking, Randomness | 1 Comment

Another open workspace

Posted on December 30, 2014 by Administrator

July summer 2014

Posted in Family | Leave a comment

A Year in Retrospect-2014

Posted on December 30, 2014 by Jenni

I’m not going to lie, as years go, this was one of the more challenging ones since we got married. Without going into all the details lets just say I’m glad it’s over and we can move forward to 2015. But in the midst of the challenges we had so many wonderful memories and truly have found great blessing, rich friendship, support and renewed health. (I got to say goodbye to a body part that had been bothering me for a couple years, and suddenly I want to cook again! So thankful to NOT have my gallbladder anymore ;)

I think one of the hardest parts about this past year is that it just didn’t look at all like we envisioned it when it got started last January. But that’s life right? We have to learn to roll with the punches and come out on top and I think that we did. I’m so glad for this year, because without it we couldn’t move into next year :) I’m not going to make big predictions about next year, but I think it’s going to be fabulous!

This past year I’ve been all about simplifying and that theme is just going to stretch into this year. I still have a lot of stuff to get rid of. We turned the room Jack had been sleeping in, into a craft and now music room. For Christmas we got instruments and music books so we can all start learning an instrument together! I’m really excited about that :)

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Sometimes I wish my family looked as neat as this little family looks ;) The amazing thing is no matter what they do, they always look nice! I feel like I know families like this. We are certainly NOT this family, and that’s OK.

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I think this is going to be a year where I’m going to get some good female bonding, with friends and our girls. Maybe not THIS many girls but you never know, some of my friends are very prolific in the girl department, some of them, not so much. ;)

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And while the girls are out doing our girl things, hopefully the guys can sit around a round block of wood and “chew the fat” or whatever guys do when they get together without the women species around.  These guys are doing a really good job of keeping their hands to themselves, which means nothing will be broken when the women come home (they will also probably not be doing a whole lot of cleaning, but you can’t have everything right?)

Here’s to out with the old and in with the new! I’m ready for this new year and all of it’s unexpected turns. With a heart of renewed faith, a potty trained toddler, a garden just itching to be planted, wooden dolls wanting color, and seven beautiful children anxiously soaking up all they can learn. I have a full heart, and with anticipation I watch this canvas God has set before me, the strokes of the story of our lives together making a beautiful piece of art. My heart is full of gratitude, I have been given so much!

I hope and pray for all of you my friends that you will find renewed faith and hope in the coming year as well!

 

Posted in Dreaming | 2 Comments

Just wait until they’re 15, your teen will be horrible!

Posted on September 18, 2014 by Jenni

What is it with people?

The other day a guy came over to pick up something free I offered on freecycle. He was commenting on all the bikes in the yard and we were laughing about how they grow from trikes into big bikes. Then he was noticing the how many we had, we do have a lot of bikes. We are standing on the porch chatting and the kids of course starved for outside human contact start piling onto the porch, then two of the children’s windows open with kids pouring out of the windows. It was like a scene from a movie, I think I played the part of the woman who lived in a shoe.

I’m pretty sure he was starting to feel a little claustrophobic, and asked if they were all mine. When I said yes he replies with a boisterous, “Oh just wait until they are 15, 16 years old!!” I said, “I can’t wait until they are 15 years old! I’ve been training them all these years, they are going to be awesome teenagers!” That wasn’t quiet the response he was looking for and he totally changed the subject. I looked at Aidan who is always listening and he had a smirk on his face. :)

I’ve never really been very good at quietly sitting back and not saying anything. Sometimes I really wish I could just graciously and sweetly ignore what people say. But I guess I’ve seen too many teens actually turn out as horribly as the adults in their lives keep telling them they are going to be. How about a different approach? How about we start a conversation with someone and instead of snarky remarks about their teenagers-to-be we actually speak hope, encouraging words, and courage for the parents who are embarking on this new adventure?

Anyway, the look on Aidan’s face was priceless. I’m not saying my kids are going to be perfect teenagers. They ARE in fact humans. But I DO look forward to their teen years. So excuse me if I don’t join in on your degrading comments about my pre-teens in your presence. I think they need to know that I believe they can be AWESOME teens, not rebellious little misfits.

There’s my rant. Love my kids, all of them. And I can’t wait to have teenagers, free babysitting!!! ;)

Posted in Family, Randomness | 3 Comments

Winter…Spring…Summer…oops I forgot to blog

Posted on September 16, 2014 by Jenni

Life. It just doesn’t stop going 100 mph! I can’t believe I haven’t blogged since IMG_4654 last December. I would like to stop time for a few weeks. Freeze my children and my animals and take a couple of weeks to clear my mind of all the memories and photos that are floating around in my brain. But that’s just not going to happen (I think it’s illegal to freeze your children, and I’m pretty sure that I wouldn’t be happy with the productiveness of my thawed out animals.) I think I just need to say a few words about my lost memories and move on, forward, let it go so I can start blogging again. Deep breath, it’s going to be okay.

IMG_4656This summer has been fun, busy, full of life and flowers and laughter and fruit and veggies. The kids have had a lot of fun with their little gardens this summer, we did the same kind of thing we did last year, each of the kids got their own 2′ x 10′ garden bed, they got to plant whatever they wanted (from the seeds we had) and had a lot of fun watching everything grow. It’s been great seeing the kid’s love for gardening growing. I’ve noticed each of them gaining an appreciation of this life we are trying to create for them, even a love for the outdoor chores. On several occasions Cait has told me she loves working on our farm, Connor is so sweet and will often say that he likes that we are farmers. Victoria is my little garden shadow, whenever I’m out there she is too and loves helping with planting seeds or transplanting things we started indoors. I love working outdoors on our farm but honestly my favorite times on our little farm are when the kids are engaged with me in the beauty God is creating here in our little world.

IMG_4786This summer I’ve spent a lot of time learning more about gardening, what it takes to be more productive and coming up with a plan for next year, I’m hoping next year I will have extra veggies to sell. I’ll be sharing more thoughts on that at another time. We have really been doing a lot of dreaming, brainstorming, even dreaming with our children about our future together and what they want to do with their lives. It’s been a stretching, challenging season as well. But at the end of the day we look at these beautiful people God has put in our lives, and all we can say is God is so good.

IMG_4745I feel like I’ve really gotten into my groove with goat milking and cheese making this year. I’ve got quite a few wheels of cheese in my cheese cave, and we are just really enjoying the goats this year, they are all healthy and sweet personalities. Next year we will be milking 4 goats and we are already looking forward to the spring when we get to welcome new baby goats into the family :) Up until now the goat milking has been my thing, partly because I just really like to do it and partly because I’m a bit of a control freak. So last week I had a pre-op appointment to have my gallbladder removed. I have to check in for my surgery at 6am, which means I wont be milking that morning, it also means that Chris wont be milking that morning. I couldn’t see many other options, I needed to finally teach the kids how to do my morning chores, as well as my nighttime chores. I am so glad this happened. Now I go out with the kids in the morning, the last couple mornings I’ve brought my fried eggs and coffee out there and watched them do “my chores.”

IMG_4767It’s kind of weird that I didn’t take the time to teach them before, but I’m so thrilled and so are they, to see them doing the chores and doing them so well. Aidan was milking Penny the other morning and said with satisfaction, “I feel like she’s my goat.” :) Guenna milks Dandelion and Gracie and Aidan milks Penny and does the rest of the feeding, grain and hay and water. It’s fun watching them work so hard and take their jobs so seriously. Cait and Eamon have been doing my evening chores, graining and hay and water, as well as feeding ducks and chickens, and Victoria makes sure Brutus (our adorable bunny boy) gets his food. And Connor hmmm, I need to find a really important chore for him to do. Noted.

IMG_4758Here we go. Summer is almost over. We are just getting going with school again, and winding down with cheesemaking. Getting ready to breed the goats again hopefully next month. Getting the farm cleaned up and ready for the fall. Working on the leaks on the barn roof and working on getting better ventilation so we have less condensation on the barn roof so we don’t get mold in our hay. All the while dreaming of next spring and summer, thinking ahead but trying to live fully in the moment. These days aren’t always easy, our kids are sweet but they certainly aren’t perfect, we do our best to train them up but we are all sinners.

10629857_10152747677792069_6498585567835164652_nBut in all of our challenges and struggles my thoughts continually rest in this truth, God is good. He is sovereign over all, He in his goodness cares about the clothing the lilies of the field and he cares about feeding the sparrow, and He cares about all the things that concern you and I. He is good, and trustworthy, and I will put my trust in Him. Instead of worrying and wondering what He has planned I choose to enjoy these days, I choose to lift my eyes to the giver of life and know that He has good things in store for all those who put their trust in Him.

And with that, isn’t that a cute little watermelon holder? The watermelon wasn’t quite done but the kids eating it were all really cute and excited we grew our very own yummy watermelon, they will do better next year! Allright, I better go make some dinner now :)

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