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!

What We've Been Up To...

I just wanted to give an update about what we've been up to.  Strawberry season is almost over and we are just starting to pick raspberries - we have never picked raspberries in June before!  The extremely hot weather we have been experiencing has allowed us to take full advantage of Grandma and Grandpa's pool, which is just around the corner.  We've been swimming with the kid's cousins, Noah and Alli, a few times.  Grace and Alex are confident on their own the water now and Jean is jumping in like crazy with her pool noodle.  She is on the verge of swimming on her own to!  Grace enjoyed her primary track meet and Alex graduated from kindergarten last week.  Above is a picture of him accepting in diploma from his amazing  teachers with his picture on the screen above.  It was a great ceremony despite the sweltering heat - he told the audience that he wants to be a lego-builder when he grows up!
That's us in a nutshell right now.  We are really looking forward to the summer break from school and have many fun activities planned in the coming weeks.  Hopefully there will be some unplanned ones as well! 
Happy Canada Day - whatever you are doing, make sure you take time to celebrate being Canadian!

Loving June

The month of June has arrived... and it has swooped in and taken me with it!  I am running around like crazy but still trying my best to find those moments to take in what makes June so fantastic.
In our business, June is the month where we prepare and plan our summer season as we open for business once again.  This is the time where so much needs to be done in the field but also behind the scenes and that is where I come in. 
Besides that, school is busier than ever!  I have chosen to be a mom that tries to volunteer as much as possible at our school.  I love being a part of our school community but my favourite part is that I can be at the school with my children (sometimes) and get to be a part of some of their classroom activities.  This topic requires a whole blog post to itself!  Anyways, I try to go on the kid's school trips, visit them at their track meets, help out on their "fun/activity days" and certainly attend their recitals and graduations all while taking the kid's to soccer, dance and swimming lessons after school.  Needless to say, June is one busy month but I love it!  I'll rest a bit in July and enjoy down-time in the fall!

I love this picture.  Grace and her friends are practicing
their dance before performing, on the river's edge,
while Alex and his friend, Anton, are deep in conversation
in the background. 

I hope you can find enjoyment in this lovely, warm month of June to... oh and if you are in the area, pick up some fresh, local and TASTY strawberries right from our own fields!  Yum!

One of the best field trips EVER!  Alex's class
got to visit the Fire Station and Police Station
among some other great spots.  Alex and
his buddies really enjoyed it all!

A New Era - Sleepovers

We are missing someone tonight...  and I can feel it.  We have entered the phase of "sleepovers" and Grace is off to a birthday party/sleepover at her good friend's house tonight.  This is her third sleepover and so far so good.  She loves them!  The one thing she told me this morning is that she hopes they don't go to bed too late tonight!  She can be so funny - she loves her sleep (unlike her little sister).  I have such good memories of sleepovers from my own childhood and I hope the same for Grace.  She has a few really good friends and I'm proud of her for that.  As a mommy though, I'm having bittersweet thoughts about how fast she is growing up.  I've said this before but I just want time to slow down! 
Grace's next birthday party will also be a sleepover and I'm looking forward to it.  It will be a small number of girls (thankfully) and I will have a few activities planned but mostly it will be the girls just "hanging out".  My opinion is that they should be able to find ways to entertain themselves - I remember dancing, planning airbands (oh my, what a blast from the past) and singing our hearts out. 

So in Grace's absence, we have rented movies and are going out to dinner.  At least we still have our two little ones to keep us company.

Grace is on the left... with her good friend (and distant cousin) Olivia.

Giving In and Going With the Flow

 Well it certainly is busy around here... it is inevitable... the middle of May arrives and we are swamped with things to do for the business and kids activities and then trying to find time to just be together.  As my title indicates, my goal this for right now is to go with the flow, give in to the busy time and just take it day by day. 
As Grace and Alex were walking from the bus they found two huge sticks and decided to have a sword fight... a little crazy looking so I had to take a picture!
Below, Jean is sitting pretty.  I just LOVE my porch off the side of the house.  I'm having fun adding planters with flowers and herbs... it makes it look even better and I like having easy access to my herbs when I'm cooking.

I like to attempt new things in my kitchen... so here is my first batch of pickled asparagus.  Doesn't it look pretty?