Princess Ava

Artwork by Ava - age 4

Ava has turned into quite the little girly, girl in the past few weeks. She swoons over "getting married", has multiple babies daily, and changes her outfit at least 5 times a day. Her outfit of choice is a swingy, lacy, spaghetti strappy, silky white slip that has seen better days and is in bad need of a wash. Each day she tries to get it past me in some way, shape or form - under jeans and skirts mainly. We've compromised and decided she can wear it to bed each night, even though I think she's got to be freezing.

Last night we were all invited to her wedding reception - but we had to wear masks that she had custom made for each of us. She was marrying her "gu-room" (she's also adopted an ah-cent for these occasions), who's last name as HELBERTSON, not HEBRTSIN, as she mistakenly spelled it. I have no idea where in the world she pulled that name from but she was dead set on it.

We watched "Enchanted" as a family movie night a few days ago and her little face was so lit up as she watched. John and I kept turning to each other and smiling that sly little parent's grin when your kid is so stinking cute. She was especially enthralled when they kissed each other ON THE LIPS and lived Happily. Ever. After.

A few weeks ago her school was selling carnations to raise money. I'm usually pretty opposed to school fundraisers but I figured for $5 she'd probably get a thrill out of a few flowers. I was very surprised to see her step off the school bus with 4 roses. 3 of them were from us and 1 was from a little friend in her classroom and she thought they were beautiful. Here's the proof that Ava's first flowers were from her family and not some hairy-legged boy.

Last Night

"Lub Do, E-Li"

Lias is a lover.

Especially of John.

As soon as the back door opens, Lias makes a bee-line for the door yelling, "Dada, Dada, Dada." John scoops him up and Lias gives the best, melt-into-you, hold-you-tight-and-never-let-you-go hug. If you're really lucky, he'll even rub the hair on the back of your head while he hugs you.

John's started calling him Eli lately, so Lias now thinks it's he and John's little joke to go back and forth, John saying "E-li" then Lias echoing, "E-LI".

I know I'm biased, but he just might be the cutest baby ever.

In the past few days, John's now gotten him to say, "Love you, Dada" - which sounds like "Lub do, Dada" and then John will echo with "Love you Eli" and back and forth the love fest goes.

I tried the other day and all I got was a "Lub do, Dada" so for now I'll just be happy to be in the "Lub Do" club even if he obviously loves John a little more.

Cowboy Slim

The many faces of Cowboy Slim

Kindly ignore Cowboy Slim's trusty sidekick, Fatty. He mistakenly thought this photo shoot was about him.

Watch out boys, there's a new sheriff in town.

Happy Valentines Day

What do you do on your 5th snow day in a row?

I like snow days. I'm afraid I might get killed if John reads this because to him - out plowing25 rental driveways and chasing 1000 cows through it - snow is nothing but a MAJOR, MAJOR pain in the @#&!. But since I have him and his tractors doing any work related snow chores, all I have to do is sit inside in my PJs looking at the blizzard and enjoying my warm kitchen. Ava and Nathan have braved the 3+ feet we have gotten over the past week about 4 or 5 times for over an hour. Lias and I, on the other hand, have stepped outside twice and decided it wasn't for us. The kids and I have only left the house once this past week and I'm surprised to say that even I don't have cabin fever yet. We've still got loads of things to do ... and none of them involve loads of laundry. And that's a good thing since they went ahead and canceled Ava's school for the whole week on Tuesday.

Today, me and the kids lazily made Valentines cards and cookies all day, in between a few movies and naps and meals. John came home early since everyday for the past week he and his guys have been working non-stop. He spent 3 hours trying to build a paper hot air balloon that would really float. Ava and I recently finished reading "James and the Giant Peach" so a few weeks ago we watched the movie and John's been convincing Ava ever since that he can build a hot air balloon like James. He's got the kids convinced that whether or not the movie is true (giant peach, talking bugs, flying hippos) hinging on this one small detail of the hot air balloon. Sad to say, they weren't successful this time but it wasn't for lack of trying. The first one went up in flames in Ava's hands but was quickly stomped by John's bare feet. The next one was too small, or big, I can't remember but I know they used all my birthday candles in the process. Their third prototype is still in the kitchen and John thinks if he tweeks it just a bit he can really make it work this time. Only on a snow day...

I just made cookies this whole time and shot doubtful looks their way. I now have over 100 valentines cookies sitting in bags to take out to neighbors - my better-than-never attempt at Christmas cookies. I started this when Ava was a baby and it's just too fun to let die. Besides, this way I get to see which neighbors bring me something and then I just repay the favor. Why be neighborly to someone who's not neighborly to you, right? JK. But you do have to be on my good list to get cookies.

John took the kids to bed for me while I was finishing up - it was almost 10 and I'm sure they'd each eaten at least 10 cookies - and I just came up to find them all asleep in the boy's room. Ava and John are snoring away together on the twin mattress on the floor that we pulled out for a guest at Thanksgiving that still hasn't been put away. Nathan and Wolfie (his first real stuffed animal attachment) are sprawled out across his red, full sized bed that's conveniently big enough to fit whichever adult ends up crawling into his bed to keep him company each night. And sweet, sugar filled (really, he ate over half my cookie dough) Lias, sacked out in his crib with a new found love - board books - scattered all around him and one clutched in his little chunky fingers. Perfect warm ending to a snowy, blizzardy, bone-chilling day. Good night.

Murphy's Law

Announcing the arrival of Bonnie and Lass.


Over a month early to us since we didn't expect them till mid-March but full term to their mama.

And, of course, during the middle of the worst snowstorm in decades.

Ava was quite worried since we have lost many a goat baby to the cold,

But so far this mama is showing up all the goats we ever owned. She had them in the barn, in a nice stall without any direction from us - John was quite surprised to find them this afternoon. Both little ewes (girlie sheep) are healthy, nursing, dry and alive as can be.

And that makes one little girl happy as can be.

Before the Blizzard - for Heifie

PS. Thanks for leaving your hat here at Thanksgiving, Uncle Steve. Nathan's ears are nice and warm.

Goodbye, Our Old Friend

Last night, we lost an old friend.

Allie - our 4.5 year old border collie - and John's loyal sidekick, companion and right hand on the farm, died Friday afternoon while chasing squirrels out in the woods.

John came home from work right at 5:00pm but he called me outside and asked the kids to stay inside. He told me that he and the two dogs had been walking in the woods when Allie had a seizure. She has scared us a few times previously with these seizures but always seemed to recover. John realized this time was different and was on his way to the vet but by the time he got there he realized she was already gone.

For those of you lucky enough to have visited us here, you'd have met Allie in the driveway - either begging you to throw something for her to chase or growling at you to get out of her yard.

Anyone really lucky would have gotten to watch her in action - she lived to chase cows or goats or sheep or pretty much anything John asked her to do.

Unfortunately, all this love of chasing got her into trouble with me when she started in on my pets. But, even with all her chicken and rabbit killing and little kid nipping, I still was heartbroken to see her gone. Sometimes you take something for granted so much you don't realize they're there until they're gone. I'll miss knowing she's right outside the door, ready to growl and bark at anything that comes by, when I'm up alone late at night on the computer in the kitchen. And I'll regret that I rarely gave her a pet even though she met my car each and every time I came home.

As for those little kids she nipped, they're heartbroken too. Ava and I cried and cried as John dug her grave and Nathan, who we weren't sure if he quite understood, broke down and bawled as we put the dirt over her. He claimed to be super upset that we had buried her right on a spot he thought he needed to stand, but it was so sad to watch him tear up and not be able to express why he was hurting. The next morning he asked if she was back and continues to ask if she's ever coming back.

Lias waved bye-bye, showed the sign for dog and told her "nite, nite" as we laid her down.

We got her the summer we moved here to Virginia. She was our first real pet as a family and Ava and Allie got into tons of mischief together their first summer, including getting Ava bit by a snake when she was 13 months old and going to visit the goats at the barn behind the house by themselves when Ava was 14 months old.

Some of our fondest memories of her are:

swimming in the creek whenever John threw her in, sleeping right by the back door of the garage, riding in the back of the truck, sitting out at the back fence obsessively watching the animals in the pasture, going on walks with us and splashing after rocks that we threw in the creek, mothering the baby woodchucks we tried to keep, eating all our leftovers, and terrifying the kids with her barking at skunks in the night.

We hope there's lots of goats and cows to chase up in heaven. Nite, nite Allie - You're a good dog.