Homestead Happenings, June 2015

 We've been busy as honeybees on the homestead this spring. Good thing I didn't put in a garden this year because it got hot... fast, and has stayed that way for so long that I don't think we would have gotten much of a yield for our efforts. Instead, a growing baby is taking front and center, as she should be. I love watching Rina with her Daddy. Here a couple of precious pictures of the self proclaimed, "grumpy old man", with his newest daughter. You can tell he's head over heels in love with her.

Love Michael's smile in this pic.

 My girls at Rina's baby shower. Our church and friends spoiled us with lots of girl clothes and diapers and wipes. I haven't had to buy a diaper yet and she is two months old now. We've been so blessed!

My husband is a sucker for baby chicks and came home with 22 chicks of various breeds. The kids were thrilled. I was skeptical as we didn't have any place to put them except in a cardboard box. The kids had so much fun with them and named each of them. They let their friends name some, too. The chicks sported names like "Sir Hot Wings", "Dinner", "Bean", and "Chicken Walker".

Michael quickly built a brood box and they were thriving. 

Sadly, when we transferred them to the garden that has a deer fence made of chicken wire around it, a fox dug under the fence and ate ever last one of them. The kids were devastated. If they had had a coop to go into at night they would have been OK. It was a hard lesson in putting the cart before the horse, but guess what? My husband finished the coop. Now we need to reinforce the bottom of the fence and we'll be ready for chicks again in the spring.  

On a happier note, I took this pic of Rina at one month old in the little daisy dress that my sis bought her. She looks like a little smiling cupcake. Such a sweetie. 

Hailey swinging with her sister. The kids are enjoying her even more now that she is responding to them and they are able to comfort her.

Our sleeping beauty. 

Michael was gone again for training in Hawaii soon after Rina was born. This pic was taken the night he got back. The girls love to snuggle with their daddy. Love my handsome soldier :)

Josiah swinging with Rina in the cool of the evening.

Hailey saved up and put some money towards a pink bee suit. Both Josiah and Hailey's hives are doing awesome despite the drought and heat.  They are looking forward to harvesting honey soon.

We were able to go to the family camp out at the ranch in Heppner. We didn't get to ride our ATVs a whole lot since it was terribly hot that weekend. We mostly just hung out in the shade, trying to stay cool. The kids played in the creek a lot. Poor Rina mostly just slept the heat away.

Rina got to spend some time being held by my dad, "Papa", as well as all the other relatives. 

Rina, trying to stay cool in her pack and play while camping. 

I took these pics at sunset right after a big lightening storm hit all around us. It started several fires that we could see. We watched "Hot Shot" crews repelling out of helicopters to fight the fires. That part was pretty neat, but the lightening storm was terrifying. Way too close! You can see the fires started on the ridge across from us. I've never seen the ranch so dry this early in in the year.

My niece, Jess, caught her first trout in this pond that weekend. We were all really excited for her! It truly is God' country over there, especially at sunset.

Time is flying by. Rina is now two months old and smiling and making us fall more and more in love with her every day. It feels like we aren't getting much done on the homestead this year between taking care of a baby and the extreme heat we've been experiencing, but that is OK. We are readjusting as a family. Making room for Rina. Reconfiguring the activities of the older kids. Spending more time with friends at the pool. Getting some inside projects done. I'm so thankful for this life. The different seasons bring their own challenges and blessings. I don't want to waste a precious minute.

God Bless,
Jackie