Stunning Sunsets

Simply the shapes of these sweet people make my heart smile!

I love how these photos draw your eye to the little details: fringes of eyelashes, tiny lips, strong jaw-lines... These moments were captured on the hilltop of our summer farm. The sun was setting in the west...

on its way to bid our friends and family in the western states a goodnight.

Brent: in a season of learning!

This summer has been a busy, physical time for Brent.

• He is caring for 1800 laying hens, which includes moving their portable houses every other day with a tractor, then gathering/washing/boxing/delivering all the eggs that are laid (at the height, 1100/day). Every other night he also closes their houses at dark.


• Brent is raising 4 batches of broiler chickens. Each batch consists of 20 pens with 75 chicks. As they grow, they are pulled to fresh grass daily, fed and watered. Maturity is 7-9 weeks.


• The cows have returned to graze the pastures of this farm. Moving them daily involves: setting up portable electric fence, moving/filling water tanks, filling and putting out mineral, and of course... physically getting the cows from one pasture to another.


• He is also gaining more mastery of the chicken processing by working one day/week at the butchering.


• Making such a huge mid-career change is a learning experience in itself. Different physical demands, meeting new people, and the non-stop action are all parts of learning the details of this new lifestyle.
  

Abigail: a farmyard school girl

• She is enjoying all of the outdoor spaces to explore and the huge selection of creepy-crawlies to inspect. She is also learning to ride her new bike.


• Homeschooling is such a blessing right now. Since we took a break from school in April and early May, we have been finishing up this summer. We will finish with 2nd grade at the end of August and we'll begin 3rd grade the first of Sept.


• Abigail is a great help with the farm chores! She is very fast and confident at gathering eggs, washes eggs (almost as fast as her daddy), and helps with feeding/watering.
  

Samuel: loving to work and play...outside!

• He is enjoying his summer break from school and will begin 1st grade the first of Sept. It is so nice to have him home again.


• Samuel is still an early riser and goes to the field to help his daddy before breakfast. He helps gather eggs, wash eggs, and loves to move cows. He's becoming quite the pro at moving electric fence/stakes.


• After getting really sick in June and having alot more trouble with his asthma in the humidity, Samuel is finally feeling well. He is growing so fast too. He lost his front tooth last week...so he now has an adorable elementary school smile.

Ethan: oh, the joys of being 2

• He is such a big helper, always wanting to be involved in everything. He grabs his little camo apron and pulls a chair to the counter anytime I start cooking! He gathers eggs and "washes' too. The cutest is watching him move the cows. He stands at the gate and yells as loud as he can (just like daddy) with every confidence that all 400 of these large animals will obey his command.
• Ethan is our earliest riser and is always the first thing his mommy sees as she opens her eyes. His willingness to put on his clothes and his work boots so blesses my heart. The sun is still rising and he is trudging out to the field, sucking his thumb, to help with chores (and he's quite the little chicken catcher too).
• Our goals for the summer are potty training, obedience and vocabulary. Speaking of speaking, Ethan's favorite movie is Annie...the classic one with Carol Burnett :) This sweet boy can only say a handful of one syllable words, but he can sing "too-ma-row, too-ma-row" all day long. So cute!

Melissa: the wife, the mom, the 'blogger' :)

• I am so enjoying the beautiful green planet that we are working on! God has blessed my heart with the location of this farm (more on that in another post) and the beauty that we are surrounded by. I'm also enjoying the old farm house with all its character and quirks.
• Homeschooling is going well, as we are finally settling into a routine. Its exciting to be both finishing a year and looking forward to the new material and changes that will begin soon.
• I am the indoor farm hand. After trying, at first, to help with all the chores, cook all 3 meals, teach school, laundry... we realized that it wasn't working. So, I am the indoor crew and I venture out with them if I feel caught up. It's working much better for everyone.
• I am cooking! Yes, rural life has greatly decreased the amount we eat out, but I am really enjoying it. Turns out, you can do more with eggs than just scramble them :)