Goodbye Ole 40 Footer?

Well, its always funny to me the way things turn out in life. Every week around here lately brings some sort of unexpected change. A couple of weeks ago, I finally talked Travis into selling the Quantum wagon. As much as we love the 40mpg, the car is too small for three car seats and we need to upsize anyways. So, I finally convinced him that we shouldn't put any money into repairing it, but rather just try to get some money for it. These old diesel VW's are pretty desirable, so we knew the engine and tranny would bring enough money that we ought to be able to buy something else to get around in. So, I started looking around online to get an idea of what to list the car for, and came across an ad on the Olympia Washington craigslist from a guy who wanted a Quantum, dead or alive. So, I emailed him, thinking I probably wouldn't get a response since he probably wouldn't really want to tow the car all that way, but since these cars are so rare it was worth a shot. Well, lo and behold, the next morning I get an email from him saying he was on his way to our town anyways, he was driving a friend here, and would love to check out the car! What are the odds? He thought one of his friends was playing a practical joke on him. Well, he came and looked at the car, and said he was interested if we made him a good price. Trav and I talked about it, then emailed him a price the next day. I didn't hear from him for about a week, so I lowered the price and emailed him again. That same day, I found out that my cousin has a 95 minivan for sale, cheap, and the thought of buying a car from someone trustworthy excited me. Well, the Quantum guy called that afternoon, and got my hopes up, so I texted my cousin to see about the van. But, when I called the Quantum guy back, I discovered he wasn't calling with an offer to buy the car, but rather an offer to fix the car for a couple hundred bucks. So, no money for the minivan. We agreed that he could try and fix the car, that way at least we have it driveable, and we can always sell it later. But, I was really excited about that minivan. Well, yesterday, a couple of good friends came by and helped Travis work on his truck, and one of the guys expressed interest in the school bus. (I once sold him my 1969 Mercedes, many years ago.) Travis and I had tossed around the idea of selling the bus a few weeks ago, in our desperate times. Well, this morning we found out just how seriously he wants it, because he was willing to pay our price, even though he needs to make payments. So, it looks like its goodbye to the old yellow 40 footer, goodbye to our school bus conversion plans. But, it isn't goodbye to hopes of life on the road, it will just be a slightly less grand lifestyle. It will be a travel trailer for us. I'll miss seeing that giant yellow billboard advertising freedom out my kitchen window every day, but I've had a lot of experience accepting change in life, going with the flow of life is what I do best. So we'll just see where that flow takes us next. Hopefully I won't be stuck with a minivan forever! :)

In the ski pulk

Cute cousins under the Christmas Tree

Stone From Montana, Blue Eggs, and other Myths

Well, in the end, we did manage to suffer a few more blows during the month of December. I finally was able to get in to the lab for my three hour glucose tolerance test, and failed, so I have now joined the league of daily finger pokers and I get to think all day about what I can and cannot eat. But, on a positive note, my blood sugar seems to be fine for the most part, and who can blame my body anyways after all the stress it has endured this past month! A few days after my test, Travis headed back up to the Dalles to pick up his Dad who was helping the grandparents, and our trusty little Quantum, (which incidently, Trav just managed to fix by replacing the glow plugs and what-do-ya know? it starts right up) had a disaster four blocks from Grandma and Grandpa's house. The front axle pretty much self-destructed, possibly damaging the transaxle as well. So, once again we were facing the possibility of a broken car in another city. Grandpa Stewart saved us though, and let Travis and his Dad tow the poor Quantum home with his truck, and it now sits broken and sad in the garage. We've already had one person check it out and express interest though, and I haven't even advertised it yet, so with any luck, it will move on soon and my two and a half year love-hate relationship with the "grunge-mobile" will be over. Above all else, I will very much miss the 40mpg, especially with diesel up to $3.45! The weekend after the axle shredding, Travis headed back down to Malin with his Dad to fix the new truck. So, for our anniversary I stayed stuck at home surrounded by broken vehicles, and he spent the day in his Dad's driveway fixing a broken vehicle. When we got married on January 1st, I think we thought it would be an easy day to celebrate our anniversary, but so far, nearly every year has been messed up (in the past by the arrival of little munchkins). Oh well, at least he was successful in getting the truck back to Bend, so in the end it was worth it. And, thanks to my incredible Aunt and Uncle in Portland who allowed us to leave our broken van in front of their house for several weeks, we were able to broker a deal to sell said van without even returning to Portland. So, hurray! Happy New Year, all the vehicles that we've been scattering around the state are gathered up, back on our own half-acre, or sold and gone. And, we get to drive huge old diesel Fords around for a while, the new "Big Tan" which will hopefully become the next Veg-Mobile in town, and Grandpa's old Flatbed. I really feel like a hillbilly driving the flat bed around with my two kids, ha ha. Reminds me of a family I saw back east that pulled up to a convenience store in a little Toyota pickup, and huge mom and dad with mullets climbed out of the cab while four or five mulleted children piled out of the bed. Hopefully we can at least avoid the mullets, and the hugeness! At any rate, its awfully nice to have a vehicle sitting out front that will start when I want it to. And on a very happy note, Marmie finally made it out of her undignified position in the snow in the side yard and has happily returned to her hiding spot beside the travel trailer in the back. Since her tags are very expired, and come due in March, we've decided not to make use of her reliability unless necessary so as not to have to renew the tags twice in a year. And come March, she will only be an option for me for a few weeks, since there aren't enough seat belts for three car seats. So, the old gal is back to semi-retirement, and we are once again on the trail of a family vehicle. One that will fit all five of us plus dog and stuff, one that gets good mileage, one that starts reliably and always runs!
So, in spite of all odds, the end of our most difficult month ever, and the beginning of this new year brought us unexpected "prosperity." Amidst all the vehicle chaos, we have of course been suffering a lack of work as well, due to this mysterious truck load of stone that was supposed to have left Montana about six times over the past four weeks, but never seemed to arrive here. We had pretty much decided that the stone from Montana was just a big myth, and Travis was in fact scheduled for a more permanent unemployment. But, amazingly, last week, the stone arrived! And Travis went back to work full time. Of course, I haven't actually seen this stone yet, so I still wonder if its real. On Christmas day, another "myth" was proven true as well. Since getting into the world of chickens, I have wanted Americanas, the easter-egg chickens who lay blue eggs. Well, some friend of ours had has a similar desire and had purchased a couple Americana chicks one spring, only to have both escape their pen and get eaten by neighborhood critters. I decided to brave it anyways, and bought three Americana chicks last spring. Well, one managed to escape the chick pen while they were still small and I was out of town, and of course disappeared without a trace. Another grew up desperately attempting to hide his beautiful long tail feathers and roosterly strut as all the girls picked on him mercilessly. So, he had to go to a new home. Americana chick number three grew up as well, but the months passed, the other chicks began laying, but no blue eggs showed up in the nest boxes. I had pretty much decided that either blue eggs are completely a myth, or she was in fact some mixed breed chick that had ended up mixed in with the americanas at the feed store. Then, surprise! A green egg for Christmas! She was simply a late bloomer, and now I get that lovely green egg in with all the brown ones every other day or so.
And as for the happiest thing of all? The other day, I sent off the full payment for our mortgage! After all that, we made it through the month, we paid all the bills, we didn't starve, we somewhat resolved the vehicle situation, and we had a wonderful, happy Christmas. So, here's to a better New Year, filled with more happiness, more love, more prosperity.

Well, the final blows (I hope) were delivered yesterday when Travis discovered that our little VW wouldn't start due to an abundance of air bubbles in the fuel line, likely the cause of a cracked fuel line, and, he didn't get to work yesterday either due to an abundance of snow. Here we are, for the first time in our lives, wishing it would stop snowing, and also, for the first time in our relationship, completely vehicleless. The Quantum was our remaining legal vehicle, and of course, Marmie still sits in her snow trench, with tags that expired in March of 2009, nearly flat tires, and probably not enough gas to even make it to the street. And she certainly isn't going to climb out of that snow without a huge amount of help anyways. So, yesterday morning started with such delightful discoveries, and I knew right then that we were either due for a turn in luck, or our house would likely burn down. Well, around noon, our very good friends whose dog we had been sitting for the past week came home and collected the little menace, which was good news in itself, but also, they offered us the use of their second car for a few days to buy us some time. This is the kind of friendship that I value so much. Because our families are all mostly so far away, having friends who are like family is invaluable. Anyhow, now we get to drive around in a Mercedes for a little while, which brings back fond memories of my good ole 1969 Mercedes I had many years ago. What a fun car to drive! The major differences are about 15 years in age, and of course, this Mercedes starts reliably, where as my old Olaf might consider starting every other day or so. With much gratitude, I can say that we are not entirely stranded now, and Travis has a way to get to work, should he ever get to work again!

Ugh, having a tough time right now. My usual positive outlook on life has suffered some severe blows lately. I keep reminding myself I don't have it nearly as bad as so many people in this world, but it isn't helping too much. On top of the difficulties I described in my last post, things have continued to slide downhill. Travis didn't work for nearly two full weeks, and upon returning to work, he is only getting four hours a day, which will definitely not catch us up. I have been desperately trying to make money selling things on craigslist, my efforts yielding a few dollars, but nothing like what I was doing last month. Four days ago, after my glucose tolerance test, I got the dreaded phone call. My blood sugar was elevated. So, there goes my remaining hope of a healthy, normal pregnancy and birth. Of course, I have to go in and do a three-hour glucose tolerance test, and both yesterday morning and this morning I tried to go in to the lab. I can't go in during the week while Travis is working because a) no babysitter and b)we only have one car right now and he's driving it to Sisters. Anyways, our delightful car, being a particularly persnickity diesel, wouldn't start yesterday till around 1 in the afternoon, and of course, it wouldn't start again this morning. So, now, I won't be able to do the three hour test till a week from Tuesday, when my Mom is here visiting. That ought to make my doctor happy. I even tried to bust trusty ole Marmie out of the foot-deep snow in the back yard. While she obligingly started up after a few tries, and she put up a valiant fight against the slick, bumpy hill out of the back yard, she ended up ingloriously stuck sideways in the side driveway. Where she will undoubtedly stay until the snow melts, pouting in her embarassment. Yes, Volkswagens can pout! But for the record, in my eleven-year relationship with Marmie, she has only let me down just a couple of times, so I can't hold it against her. I'm impressed she even started.
Meanwhile, the van that is stuck in Portland has been for sale since being left there, and we've had a lot of interest, including a couple of cash offers. So, with any luck, it will sell by the end of the month, one big load off, and enough money to fill in the gap on the mortgage payment.
The month of December may well go down in history as the longest month of my life. Unless, of course, as is usually the case, the third trimester goes even slower than the rest of this longest pregnancy ever.

Ever have one of those days when it feels like everything is in crises and you can do nothing right? That was today. We've had a series of difficulties around here lately, beginning with the truck we bought in Merrill (we had my father-in-law check it out for us so we actually bought it sight unseen). We went to collect it in Malin on Thanksgiving and discovered the radiator is full of oil, so it needs about $400 in repairs, and it still sits in Malin. Then, the new family van, the 1987 VW Vanagon we bought just three months ago, had a critical blow out in its engine on the freeway in Portland, so it still sits in Portland at my Aunt and Uncle's house. We can't afford to repair it, and the can't tow it home because the truck sits in Malin, also broken. Then, to top it all off, Travis hasn't worked for a week because the stone they need for their next job did not get ordered or delivered on time. And this comes after having the past two pay periods short on hours. So, now we are in near-dire financial circumstances, unsure how we will pay all the bills and our mortgage, and we have two broken vehicles on opposite sides of the state. Needless to say, I am feeling the pressure. And then, today, I felt like I couldn't even do a good job as a mom. I know all moms make mistakes, all moms have days and moments they regret, but I just hate having those. I hate letting my kids down, I hate that fear that I might be forever screwing up these two little boys with the mistakes I make. I will be glad tonight when I get to snuggle up with little Eli on the bunk beds and read to the boys until I hear that sweet sound of their sleep breathing. Glad to wake up tomorrow to a new day, another chance to do a better job, to learn and grow as a mom.

We're Still Here!

Well, last month was national novel writing month and I succeeded in writing a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. So, now I am returning to my long neglected blog in hopes of a continuing creative outlet. I apologize to those who have checked back here only to find that I haven't posted in an eon. Life has swept me away into the world of busy small people as my two boys continue to grow and develop so fast. I am still in shock as we enter the month of December that Isaac will be four and Elias will be two this month. The years fly by so quickly.
Of course, the months do not for me right now. As most of you know, I am expecting our third and final child, and I can honestly say this is the longest pregnancy in history! March is still a long, long ways away.
This morning I awoke to sugar-coated trees and that beautiful, snowy light in the early sky. I love mornings like this, they are mornings that make me miss being one of the first to arrive at Sunrise Lodge to open up the mountain. How I miss that quiet, snowy air before the lifts begin to run, before all the skiers and boarders show up in splashes of noise and color. It is difficult for me to get out into the snow these days. Any attempt requires about an hour of dressing and bundling small bodies, and my own not-so-small body just doesn't operate like normal, making balance on slick surfaces challenging. I look forward to Decembers in the future, early sugar-coated mornings when I can take my three children up to the mountain for a day of powder.

Early attempts at self-dressing gone wrong...

Psst, your Mom isn't looking, so let me lick
that ice cream off your face!

Hurray, the world is Eli's, he can get down the patio steps!

Fun with blankets!

Modeling the super cute sweater overalls I made for him.

Spring Is a Terrible Time To Get Serious...

Well, here we are, three days away from Spring, and I have to get serious about getting some things done? Are you kidding me? The sun is out, the river is calling...why on earth are taxes due in the beginning of April? Why do baby chicks have to be started in March? Why does the garden need to be planted? And why can't my sewing machine be on wheels so I could just roll it out to the patio every day? It needs a solar panel!
But seriously (?), I do have to get some things done. The school bus blueprints are in the works, we've pretty much established the layout, now we just have to really draw it up. The trailer is all torn apart, most of the important pieces we need are ready to go into the bus. So, maybe this weekend we will tape a layout on the floor of the bus and really see what it's going to be like. (Tight!) I'll try and get some pictures on here!
With the sun of spring I have my usual overwhelming urges to raft, raft, raft, and am really looking forward to the possibility of getting some work days on the river this summer. Now that Elias is gaining some independence from me (and my milk!) I might actually get to earn some money doing what I really love! Yay! Of course, don't get me wrong, I love sewing too, I just don't make much money doing it, and it would be pretty hard to do on a river. But, speaking of sewing, I am preparing to launch my new business! Wild Iris Threads, wild threads for wild kids. :) I am hoping to do more clothing and quilts and less diapers. Also hoping to break into the alterations and repair market around here.
But anyhow, enough about me...Isaac is starting to talk so much better, and I can't believe how huge he is. I worry that by next week he will be up to my eyeballs! It can be hard for him because he loves to interact with everyone he encounters and people always think he is like five, and expect him to be able to talk like a five-year-old. Same goes with other kids on the playground. But of course, he is only three, and has a lot of pronunciation issues to work on still. :) Poor guy, its not for lack of brains, that's for sure. I fear Isaac will be the kid who can't stay out of trouble simply because of boredom, because his brain works much faster than most! Elias is emerging more and more as a little ham. He keeps me laughing with his antics, "dancing", walking around with things on his head, going around and around till he tips over with dizziness, and his "silly walks." Just in time for the sunny weather, he figured out how to get down steps, so he has been given some measure of freedom in the back yard. (I still have to watch out that he doesn't pick up a handful of dog poo or start eating dirt, etc.) But its so nice to open up the french doors and just let the boys go while I try to get a thing or two done. Of course, I tend to just inch my way out those doors too!
It will be time to start feeling like a farm wife again soon. We had to do away with two of our hens so we are down to four. That means chicks, and the boys and I will probably go pick up a few in a week or two. And we will be doing some planting this weekend! I'm sure that will bring in some storms, with plenty of giant hail balls. :)
Well, I'd better get some pictures on here before Eli wakes up in dire need of breakfast...

Okay Okay, I admit, I'm a Slacker!

Sorry all for being such a slacker and not posting to this blog again for so long. You have to understand that December is the busiest time of the year for the Stewy family and it takes January to recover. :) Elias had his first birthday, Isaac had his third (!?) birthday, we had Christmas at home and the boys and I had another Christmas in the valley. Of course, this month started with our anniversary and brought our lovely new niece, Lila, and snow! Finally its winter again! Before the snow, I got to go on a bike ride, lovely muddy single track out in the desert, for the first time in years! I actually got a tear in my eye driving out to the trailhead because it wasn't Bojo in the car with me, but Rocky will be a good mountain biking compantion too, once he learns all the cues and commands anyways. I only almost ran him over about six times. My sewing machine has been pretty quiet these days, so my bank account is lacking. I've got big plans for the business, but am still trying to come up with a new name and get labels made up to comply with the whole CPSIA lead law stuff. So, things are kind of on hold these days. But, things are starting to move on the ole 40 footer! We've measured it up and are working on our floorplans. Hoping to start framing it up within the next month and get the wiring and plumbing going. I will soon have pictures of the project to post! And I promise to get some pics posted of the boys soon too!

Enough is Enough...

Ok, so I'm a big fan of excitement and adventure, but enough is enough. I'm ready for a snowy vacation, a hot (cold?) date with my skis, more snow, my skis...
So everything started with the 6:00 oclock news about a month ago. The headlines mentioned a double homicide in town, which is kind of rare around here, so I thought I'd watch the story. Well, it turns out, an old housemate a good friend who had sort of gone off the deep end a couple of years ago was now in jail, under arrest for the murder of two transients he had been camping with. Apparently, he had been living as a transient here for nearly a year! I'm just sick that this has happened, and while I haven't heard anything new, I can't believe he did this. I genuinely believe that he was not in his right mind, that he hasn't been for some time. Very sad!
A few days after that, we got the call that Trav's mom was in the hospital, likely with only a few hours left to live. So, we loaded up quickly and headed to Klamath to be with her and the family. That was a tough day, hard to lose her, but also glad to see her pain and suffering ended. She had put up an amazing fight against ovarian cancer for seven years, I think she had over sixty chemo treatments! She was a strong, strong woman. I'm so glad that her family was able to be there with her, holding her hands, she got to put a hand on her unborn granddaughter, before she left. I was sad for her and the family, and also it renewed sadness for the loss of my father, who refused to have his family with him at the end.
The following weekend we returned to the basin for Mary's memorial service and to spend time with family. It was a pretty healing time, really, I enjoyed seeing Trav's family pull together like I've never seen before. I couldn't help but feel that Mary would be so happy to see that too.
Upon our return home, I got the word my big sis was in labor. Finally, happy news! My nephew, Mathew, was born healthy and strong and perfect. Me and the boys headed over to the valley to meet him, but also to see Grandpa Honey, who was on his deathbed. More sad news. It was awesome to see baby Mathew, what a cutie! It was hard to see Grandpa, but I'm so glad I was able to see him one last time. He passed away a few days after. We will be heading back for his memorial service on the 20th, then heading to the Dalles that weekend to see Grandma and Grandpa Stewart.
We did get to come home with a puppy, which is a happy thing. He is half malamute, half springer spaniel, which is a bizarre mix. So far, he has been an angel for a seven month old puppy. I feel like I'm cheating, its been so easy! We got him from a malamute rescue, and I was so happy to find a rescue puppy!
Unfortunately, we also came home with the flu, and my battle with it is almost over but Isaac's just started last night with a 102 degree fever and aches and pains. Poor guy! Hopefully he beats it quickly, and hopefully Eli avoids it altogether since he's still getting mama's goods (the all natural innoculation.)
So, its been a way too busy month! I'm ready for the snow to fall, feet and feet of it, so we can just stay home and stop running around the state for a while.

Surprise!!

Look what happened this morning! Guess we will not be heading to the valley today!

Life on the Farm...

Well, its fall, and cold, cold, cold! Had some gropple-ish snow today even! Our garden is all done for the year, we pulled all the green tomatoes and threw them into a brown bag in hopes of getting a few ripe ones, made salsa verde out of the wild tomatillos that have overtaken the yard, put the pumpkins out to look cute on the front patio, and frozen the last strawberry. Last week, Henrietta and Agness started crowing, proving once and for all they were in fact Henry and Auggie, so Trav did the sad deed and we've already eaten one of them. Life with chickens, I suppose. I wish that we could have kept one, the crowing was actually kind of nice. Now, we are down to only three hens, so I'll be starting a new batch next year for sure. Eggs any day!
We did not get to adopt our new friend on the coast. After leaving him in the pound for four days, not responding to phone calls, his owner showed up. But, we might adopt an amazingly beautiful malamute from a malamute rescue program. We're getting pretty excited about him, but don't know yet when we'll get to meet him. If we love him, he will come home just in time for lots of skiing!
Well I'm off to the valley tomorrow for my sister's baby shower. Yay, finally going to be an aunt in a week or two!! And then again in January! I've been waiting a long time to spoil my sisters' kids.
Wood cutting season has officially begun so the ole forty-footer will soon be rolling again. And then, we knuckle down and start designing and building our new home. It'll be a busy winter.

Hurray! At the Beach!

Eli's carefully watching and learning how to play in the
world's greatest sandbox.

And sampling the sand. Think he likes it as much as dirt.

Yay, we love the beach! Its
only Eli's second time!

Splashing through puddles, good
coastal fun.

Maybe our new friend?

Well, me and the boys are at the coast, living it up, playing in the sand, and waiting on the rain. Our first day here, we went to the beach early and played in the sand and loaded up on some good treasures. On our way back from the beach to Grammie's house, we cruised past the dog shelter and looked at all the puppies outside in their pens, and I spotted a super cute one. I told Isaac maybe we'd swing by later and meet all the dogs, just for fun. (I know, bad idea.) Anyways, we headed up the steep, steep hill to visit with Great Girma and Girpa. All to brief of a visit there as the boys were both getting tired and antsy. When we got back into town and turned to go back to Grammie's house, Isaac started whining about the "puppy house" so we drove there. As soon as we walked in the door, the lady working there said, "are you looking for a dog?" I told her we had just lost our dog a few weeks ago and were just kind of curious to see who might be in her pens. She said, "I have just the dog for you!" Then she ran outside and came back in with the very dog I'd been admiring from the car earlier. Either she is psychic, or it was meant to be. So, yesterday we took him for a walk down to the port to try and get to know him a little, and then put a hold on him till today. So today is decision day. We love him, but part of me feels bad picking out a dog without Travis around, even though I don't really think he is too worried about that. Also, he's a very big dog, and is only about 9 months old, so he's going to be GINORMOUS, and will quite possibly eat us out of house and home. Plus, we might have to attach a horse trailer to the school bus just for him. :) But, I think I'm already sold. And he is much more affordable than dogs at the shelter at home, about half the price. So, if we adopt him today, he has to stay at the pound till Wed or Thurs. when we go home since there's just no room for him here at Grammie's house. That will be tough, but I think we can take him out to play with us during the day. Well, I'll know for sure this afternoon after we go back to the shelter to see him again.
Hoping to enjoy as much beach time as we can while here, and some KidCastle time, and some river time, and plan on coming home with buckets and buckets of berries (and maybe a dog).

Goodbye My Forever Friend...

Bojo the snowrunner

Bojo my shadow

Bojo the mountain bike racer

Bojo the longsuffering

Bojo the beach bum

Bojo the backpacker

Bojo the nonswimmer

Bojo the traveller

Bojo the ever-so-patient

Bojo of the mountains

Bojo the mountain climber

Bojo the rafter

Bojo the babysitter

No, I Didn't Forget the Pictures!

Perfection!

The First S'more moment.

The smoke and clouds, and if you look real close,
you can see the bomber in the picture too.

Forest fires always make such pretty sunsets.
The blurry spot above the clouds is the bomber.

All the smoke.

Bojo trying hard to beat the heat.
What a beach bum!

Ya, you won't see him in thid seat
when he's sixteen!

My little water baby!

Now I know what this silly opening
on this tent is for!

Wild and crazy lightning storms at home.

Summer's Whirling By...

Ok, sorry for the long time no write again, I can't believe that it's August already! This summer has completely gotten away from me! So, what have we been up to? Well, let's see...
We headed off to Trav's hometown for the big hundred year celebration. It was great to see family, and friends, and we had fun wearing the boys out in the city park. Plus, an airplane dropped ping pong balls out of the sky on everyone, and how often do you get to see that happen?
The next weekend we were supposed to head to the Dalles for Trav's grandparent's 60th anniversary celebration (yay!) but Isaac woke up Saturday morning covered in suspicious red bumps. So, Trav went without me and the boys out of fear that we were harboring chicken pox in our midst.
Monday morning the boys and I climbed into ole Marmalade and headed south to go camping with my Mom and sister for a week, chicken pox unconfirmed. We had a blast camping, swimming every day, sleeping in our tent, making smores, getting bug bit till we all looked like we had chicken pox, etc. And, we had a big forest fire directly across the lake from our camp so the big bombers were flying right over our heads and the helicopters were dipping from the lake and dumping on the flames, it was quite the show! We came home dirty, bitten, sunburned, and happy. And my hopes of Isaac having the chicken pox fizzled along with all his weird bumps, they just faded away instead of turning into blisters, etc. So, who knows? Maybe a mosquito spent the night in our bedroom, feasting only on Isaac!
Since coming home we've been trying to re-organize ourselves into daily life. I'm working on my one and only diaper order, and also trying hard to get ready to have a booth at an upcoming community bazaar. Money is agonizingly tight for us right now, making ends meet gets harder each month, but me and the boys splurged yesterday and paid for a trip to the pool. Wow, that place is amazing! They've built this awesome play area for kids, its all pretty much 3ft deep and less, perfect for the boys. And Elias is proving himself to be quite the water boy! He can dunk his head, and I feel like if I just let go of him, he'd swim! Its so amazing to watch him in the water. Isaac is still pretty nervous, but he gets more confidant every time. And tonight, our neighbors surprised us by giving us a big 10ft wide pool that is about 20 inches deep. Perfect for these guys to learn to swim in! Hopefully I'll have these boys swimming in no time! (Ready for some whitewater action in a few years?!)
Our gardens are finally starting to produce, we ate a giant zuccini the other night and we've been feasting on peas in the pods for a week or two now. Yum! The chickens are fat and happy, but ready to move into a bigger, permanent home so that's the next big project. No eggs for another month or two, and right now I'm just hoping none of them start crowing in the next week or so. Hope they are all ladies, but two shes look suspiciously like hes! Henrietta and Agness might actually be Henry and Auggie. Yikes!
Well, that's it for now, more busy life ahead!

Hope Everyone Had a Fun Fourth!

Bojo looking hungrily for the next plastic toy he can eat.

Yay, Eli's first ride in Marmalade!

The view of the fireworks from our back door

Nature put on a show too, with lightning and
beautiful clouds to match any fireworks.

Eli's giant smile after his big brother smeared
dirt onto his head.

Can't believe another fourth of July has come and gone! We hung out at home to watch the fireworks this year since we have a great view from our back door. I love July 4th, think its my favorite holiday, along with New Year's I guess. Mostly its the noise, I love the big booms of the fireworks. But, I guess really even more than that its the nation-wide "block party" feel of the whole thing. Most people in America celebrate the fourth, and its so fun to see everyone come out of hiding and celebrate together. I love that, and I have had soooo many fun fourths over the years, whether I was way out in the woods or riding a bicycle around town through shooting firecrackers. I admit my love for the fourth of July has little to do with patriotism, its all about the party and the noise. :)
We are still busily trying to decide what to do with ourselves right now. Trav is still working, largely I think because his boss really doesn't want to lose him and so is making up odd jobs for him to do while waiting for new building jobs to start. I'm scrambling trying to find anything that doesn't require childcare, and trying to increase sales of my diapers. I'm getting excited to try a new community bazaar that has started up this month here in town, I'm planning to reserve a booth and see if I can get some sales out of it. We just have to see what happens from one day to the next. Many who know me know that that's how I normally live anyways, but its a bit stressful when there is a house involved. Its a challenge when you feel like you've really worked hard to invest in something that might be your only chance at financial stability in the future, only to face so many challenges to hang on to it. I've always been financially poor more or less (but rich in happiness), but now I really have a much greater understanding of what people experienced during the Depression and how that shaped their thinking about finances. Anyhow, enough about all that and onto something that always makes me smile!
We decided that it made a lot more sense for Travis to drive our 40 mpg car to and from work instead of his 17mpg pickup, so I got to drive good ole Marmie around today on my errands. For those of you who don't know, that's my first true love, my old orange VW bus, and few things make me happier than a cruise in the old gal. Plus, it was Eli's first drive in her! Of course, true to form, (she always lets me know that she's been feeling a bit neglected) we got done shopping at the grocery store and the key wouldn't turn in the ignition. This has happened before, and we had to replace the whole ignition. So, I called Trav who was at work an hour away, and he said he'd pack up and head our direction. Then, thinking like the old school VW driver that I am, I decided to firmly press my foot on the steering column at the floor (I know what you all are thinking, and no, it wasn't a kick!) and lo and behold, the key turned smooth as silk. Ah Marmie, always keeping me on my toes. I just can't hear the sound of that rumbling (purring?) VW engine without grinning from ear to ear.

Yes, We Are Still Here...

A breakfast table game of peek-a-boo.

The boys all dressed up for my birthday

Eli doing some modeling for me, unleashing his wild side.

The two cutest little guys ever!

Sorry for the long-time-no-write folks. Busy as usual. Feels like summer has finally arrived, and I'm loving the sun and the heat. I would rather be lovin it on the river though! But, we're getting some good play time in and the boys are growing as fast as the garden and the chickens. Elias got his first tooth today and he has been sitting up really good for a while. He is really trying hard to scoot along, probably won't be long before he's roaming the house in four-wheel drive. Isaac is talking sooo much, although nearly impossible to understand by all but me. He surprises me every day with a new word, sentence, or by recognizing a new letter or telling me a memory from when he was "much younger."
We are trying hard to gather up the bits and pieces we need to start on the big bus project and are hoping to at least get a jump on it this summer. For now, the ole 40 footer is doing greenhouse duty though in our pathetic attempt to extend the unpredictable growing season around here. Hopefully we can not freeze our tomatoes this year.
Speaking of unpredictability, Trav's job is on shaky ground so we have started tentatively "job hunting" to test the waters out there. Things are getting a bit scary! Options on the table mostly involve leaving the house, which would be fine in another year perhaps, but we just aren't set up for that yet. So, its entirely possible that our young fam will be doing time apart for a while. We'll just have to wait and see, as always.

The Ghetto Chickens...

Isaac helping Mommy and Daddy build the chicken tractor.
For those of you who don't know, a chicken tractor is a
portable chicken coop so you can let them eat away at
various parts of your yard (jungle?) and fertilize it too.

Happy bird in their summer house.