Summer Fun

We have had some wonderful opportunities to spend some great family time. Here are a few.
This past weekend we went camping near Prescott, AZ. We got there Thursday and set up our tent in the rain. It rained and drizzled most of the time we were there, but we still had fun, especially the kids. They played at a lake.Then we played in the puddles.Climbed the trees.And had a good time with friends.We have a source for raw milk. My s enjoy helping make butter out of the cream.We went to a waterfall in Colorado and let the kids play in the water. They had a great time. Abby really loves to get wet.
Another weekend we went to the Bisti and helped Grandma round up cows and did some branding. Grandma gave us a two cows for helping. The kids watched the round up from a safe location.
The cows waiting their turn.
The kids loved climbing the fence.
All the kids love animals. Beth managed to catch this hen as it was wondering around the yard. The hens I have right now are very gentle and friendly. Some days are too much fun to wait for nap time.
Another hike we took in Colorado, just north of Dolores. It is very beautiful and green. I love all the green. Abby took our picture.
Robert keeps rocks with him to throw in the water any chance he gets.
Girls playing in a little stream.
Beth did some walking in between riding on our shoulders.
This summer we celebrated six years of marriage. We found out this past week that I am expecting again. I am tired a lot, and soon expect morning sickness to set in. We are excited and look forward to another home birth.

Thanksgiving

We had a good Thanksgiving. We have so much to be thankful for. At the top of our list is family, friends, home, Bible, and salvation.
We stretched our celebration out over three days. Wednesday I cooked a big meal while the guys (Gabe and Rueben) were at work, and the kids were coloring turkeys or playing computer games (after finishing their chores). We ate our thanksgiving meal Wednesday evening before going to church. We have done it this way for several years, and I really like it. In past years we have done different projects or gone hiking, if the weather is good.
Thursday we had a nice home cooked breakfast and then headed out to the Bisti Wilderness to go hiking. The weather was cool, but when hiking in the wilderness that is a very good thing. The sun was very bright and the kids soon took off their coats. The kids hiked for about two hours, and Gabe and Rueben went a little further before returning to the van. We had dinner at Gabe's mom's house, then came home and played games like Dutch blitz.
Friday we went in to town to check out some of the black Friday deals, but soon gave up, too many people for my liking. After lunch of turkey sandwiches we went to the Four Corners. We had read about it in a library book, and the kids wanted to see it.

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Elisabeth with potatoes all over her face.Starting our hike in Bisti WildernessBeth enjoyed the ride!

Nice photo of Rueben!This is what we went to see.Exploring the badlandsThe kids found a bit of snow on the northside of the hills.Four Corners

I hope you all had a good Thanksgiving as well. We set up our Christmas tree and the kids are now all excited about Christmas.

Busy Days

In the past few weeks I’ve done a lot of canning and freezing, which is one of the reasons that I haven’t done much blogging. Other reasons are taking care of my family, new chicks, caring for teething baby (I'll be glad when the teeth come through), home schooling, etc.
We canned nectarines and jam. I got them on sale at a local orchard, and one of our bus riders came over to help. I froze green beans (from my garden) and green chili’s. The kids helped out some. I am happy to see them old enough to start helping with things like this. Some of my favorite childhood memories are of canning week when Grandma came to help us can and freeze. I love the way canned foods look in the pantry.

My husband’s work has slowed a bit and he is not getting as much overtime, so we have had time to do more hiking as a family. Here are a few photos from our most recent hike to Potato Lake. We told the kids that we were hiking to a lake so Robert carried a rock from the parking area to the lake (about a mile). There were plenty of rocks along the way, but he kept his rock!

Not much has been done in the way of official home schooling, but learning continues to happen throughout our day. I have gone to several yard sales this summer of teachers who were retiring or changing grades and I have bought games, visual aides and more – too much maybe, but they were a good deal! We are fairly well set with curriculum for first grade. I really enjoy using My Father’s World. It is very gentle, fun, and hands-on. The kids like it, too. They ask to do school, if I skip a few days. They are really enjoying art and continually ask to do more. I am having trouble staying ahead of them in reading the book.

Saturday with the whole family

Our family headed for a hike after finishing our bus visits today. The first place we stopped had WATER!! Abby got herself wet up to her waist in no time and the boys were busy throwing in all the rocks they could find. Us adults sat in the shade and watched them.

Beth enjoys sticking her tongue out.Sisters

Next we went hiking up the canyon to a ruin. It was a short hike and rather hot. The kids did great on the way up, but on the way back there was a bit of tears from tired children who missed their nap. They fell asleep shortly after we got on the road, so we had a peaceful ride home.

Robert and Josiah, and

I even got a good picture of Rueben.

The ruins on the rock is what we hiked to see.

Now I need to wash up dirty kids and get them to bed.

Hiking again

Since my parents are in town, I have had the opportunity to go hiking twice. My dad will hike forever! Last Wednesday we went to Sharktooth Pass trail. The book we had said the trail was open mid-June to October. They were telling the truth. We hiked in snow, but it was beautiful. There were many meadows with water from melting snow that were full of flowers. It was a short hike since we had all the little kids with us. Abby kept asking where all the people were. She didn't like being out there with no one else around.

Saturday Gabe kept two of the kids and let my dad and me go for another hike. We had originally planned to go as a family, but there was too much to be done at home and we were getting a late start. We went for a long hike this time. We took Elisabeth and Robert. Elisabeth slept for almost the entire six hours that we hiked, and Robert did great at keeping up with us. I did give him piggy-back rides for short distances.

It was really challenging to hike in the high altitude. We calculated that we were at least 2100 ft higher at our turnaround point than when we started. We hiked to the trail ended. I felt like I was almost on top of the world. The view was awesome. God made a wonderful world. I am so glad He allows us to enjoy it.

My dad was impressed that Robert did as well as he did. When we turned around. I told him we were going back to the van. He said, "Yeah, lets do that." He was happy to go down the mountain. I am still a little sore from the hike, but I'd do it again. I am looking forward to taking the kids on more hikes.

Photos taken where we turned around.