Flashback to summer

When I have spare time (which is rare) I love looking back at pictures of the kids and of life on the "farm".  This blog gives me a great excuse to take some time to relive those fun moments.  For example, we hatched nine ducks on our farm this year.  The first was given to us by friends as an egg and we tucked it under a mama hen to hatch along with her chicks.  Here's that little duck.  When we managed to catch him (or her, we're still not sure), it was so soft - much softer than a baby chick.

The kids spent an afternoon picking wild strawberries and then wanted to make strawberry pies.

We always camp in the same place over the 4th of July and this year we continued the tradition.  Unfortunately my sister was unable to join us, having moved to Alaska this spring.  And my mom wasn't doing well so she and Dad stayed home.  It was definitely a different camping experience without them there.  Mom would always take books and read to the grandkids when they needed some quiet time or when they were waiting for the parade to start.  One of their collapsible camping chairs was a rocking chair, which was super nice for rocking fussy kids and babies.  And she would always bake a big chocolate cake and then pick up some ice cream to go with it- a super treat while camping.  It was hard not having her and Dad there to enjoy the grandkids and share stories and good times.

This was our only camping trip of the summer and it was only a few days long.  So I felt bad for the kids in that regard.  Having animals limits us in some ways, but to be honest we just had a lot on our plates this summer.  And camping with little people (who don't always sleep through the night while in a tent) can be exhausting.

That said, the kids love their "home away from home".  I think Karl would be happy just hanging out in the tent most of the trip.  They love setting up their little "areas" in the tent, which is starting to feel rather crowded with four kids.

The water was freezing but we still swam and dunked a lot because the days were so hot.

Lena looks like such a little "big" girl at the picnic table!

Peek-a-boo!

Not liking her s'mores put together sure cuts down on the mess!

And back at home... This little girl loves her dollies!

An incredibly difficult part of the summer was watching Mom's health deteriorate and eventually, the need to say goodbye.  So, so hard.  She had been in poor health for over two years, battling Lewy Body Dementia, so we were prepared and expecting it.  I'm grateful for the time to say goodbye.  On the last day she was conscious I held Lena up and said, "Give Grandma a kiss" and Mom instead gave Lena a kiss.  So precious.

When the end came, after watching her body slowly give up, I was just so grateful for her victory in Jesus, grateful that she was no longer attached to a sickly body, but rather face to face with Christ.   But now, several months later, I'm forgetting her sickly self and remembering her competent-full-of-life-and-adventure self.  And that's the Mom I really wish could still be here today.

I thought I would take some time to memorialize Mom a bit here on the blog but I don't even know where to start.  So many good things to say.  One of the things I miss the most was her advice.  She could give the best advice.  Not telling me exactly, but knowing just what questions to ask to make me realize for myself what I needed to do.  I certainly miss that.  And just the other day I wanted to ask her something regarding parenting and her experience with a particular topic and .... I couldn't.

Mom isn't one who would love pictures of herself posted here, but I'll post some of the kids as they spent time with Grandma and their cousins in Mom's last days.

Clare canoes with Uncle D on the pond:

Lena down by the dock:

Catching minnows and frogs in nets:

We are storing our brother-in-law's tractor at our place, since they bought property just down the road from us but can't use the tractor while living in AK.  Here's Nora trying out the tractor seat:

Picking raspberries.  We got a decent number off our plants this year but nothing compared to the bounty at Mom and Dad's.  It's so fun to have our own raspberry plants and the space to grow them.

Our farming neighbor is nothing short of awesome.  He cut our field, baled it, and gave us the bales to feed our sheep this winter, for free.  That's 90+ bales up in the hayloft.

Can you find Nora in this picture?

My aunt is moving to a new house and offered free perennials to me before she moved.  Of course I couldn't say no but it meant digging up a section of yard to have space for them.

Trying on Mommy's gardening gloves:

Nora turned four this summer.  How is this little peanut already four years old?!  Nora is such a darling, but tends to get lost in the crowd of busy Karl and even busier Lena.  I'm trying this school year to really spend some quality time with her.

She wanted an Angel Surprise Cake with Raspberry Fluff Icing (if you've ever read Bunny Cakes by Rosemary Wells you'll understand).  She didn't really want anything for her birthday except for candy, candy, candy.  She got an art tote though with her own ream of 500 sheets of paper which she's been happily plowing through.

I guess that takes us through July.  Next up: August and the garden.  I should be reverse-publishing these, I guess.