Boys will be Boys

Watching our children grow is so interesting and exciting.  Alex, at almost 6 years old, is probably the most exciting right now.  Having a big sister and then getting a little sister can be hard on having real boy-time.  He takes it like a tropper though and plays barbies, "mom and dad", school, and does crafts with the girls.  We sent Grace and Alex to Art Camp and he LOVED it.  He puts his own spin on any of those "girly" activities so I've seen Barbie drive a dump truck, he has put his Playmobile characters in a little playhouse and his art always has a destructive flare (one of his pieces of art from camp was a mouse and his girlfriend blowing up... I still giggle about that one!). 
Just this past week he spent the afternoon with a friend who also happens to have a big brother  (two boys in the family).  When I picked him up they were running and chasing eachother and then wresting eachother.  It looked like someone was going to get hurt but he was having the time of his life, laughing almost to the point of crying (reminded me of his daddy's great laugh) and then doing it over again.  It was just one of those moments where I wish he had a brother to do those things with at home... Alex's sisters very rarely wrestle with eachother for fun! 
Last night we had friends over for dinner and they have three children; one boy and then two girls.  Their son is a few years older than Alex but when we get them together, they have a great time with imaginary play - exactly what Alex loves.  Both of these boys have amazing imaginations and when Alex has the opportunity to play with him, he leaves with a whole new gammet of ideas!  Alex knows about Star Wars, Harry Potter and Lego Characters because of this friend.  At the end of the evening they had made a comic book of adventures - it was awesome to see Alex so proud of this story that he got to keep; his friend is such a nice boy!  Despite the fact that there are a lot of guns, exploding, and dangerous activities that I don't understand, it is a keeper!  Exactly what Alex needs and wants.  Boys will be boys and we are open to that.  He will have a healthy understanding of boy toys as he gets older and I'm not afraid that it will affect him negatively.  Ian and I will make sure of that. 

The Life of a Farmer

Today my mind is on our farm and this year's growing season.  Everywhere we look we see dryness.  I don't know how long it has been since we've had a good rain but certainly it has been too long.  Our back yard is a desert, the lawn is completely gone - too hard for barefeet to run on.

Notice the irrigation pipe across what used to be our lawn... we don't irrigate very often but these days it is most of the time.  We are thankful to have a creek to get water from but I'm sure they are monitoring the levels and will be ready to give it a break when needed.  Water is precious.
As farmers, we rely on the weather for our success and this year it is testing our limits.  All we can do it hope and pray for rain and be thankful for our blessings such as a well that continues to provide us with water for our home. 

I have almost given up on my own pots of flowers - they are showing the effects of too much heat and too little water.  As a farmer, that is trivial.  I find myself thinking about people who live is very dry climates and how they survive on the water that is give to them - this year it is our turn to understand their struggles and hope that next year it will be better for us.  As a farmer, there is always hope.

My Week So Far...

It is Tuesday evening - almost bedtime.  This has been a great week so far and even though it is only Tuesday I want to accentuate the positive.  It isn't always easy being part of a very hectic family business but these days I'm trying really hard to love it. 
The kids are really enjoying their days without any real schedule.  We continue to collect craft supplies and colouring books and look for activities to do that don't require very much preparation.  We set our beloved tent trailer up in the yard and it serves as a hideaway and play area - great for pulling out the playmobile, barbies and puzzles.  Being able to do crafts outside on the porch (despite the wind) is always fun and easy (especially for mommy).
Summer is not a relaxing time for us but my goal is to work hard and play a lot.  It seems like we are on the go quite a bit but I want us all to enjoy soccer evenings, going to Grandma and Grandpa's pool, and visiting family and friends at their cottages and homes.  Feeling exhausted at the end of the day is worth it if we've connected with eachother and our surroundings AND tried to work for our life to... farming doesn't really stop; the crops keep growing (as long as we get some more rain) and people still want to eat our good food. 
Thankfully I have a very comfortable bed to crawl into and a nice cozy body to cuddle up with!