THREE MONTHS, Anna-Kate

Anna-Kate, you are now three months!

You, sweet girl, are the baby I have been asking for for four years.  You are everything that I hoped for, and more.  You are a sleeper, a girl who smiles, a girl who loves her mama (but will go to other people). You hate being wet, love to be moving, love the ring sling baby carrier, are sometimes a fan of your pacifier, don't mind the car, prefer calmer days at the beach instead of the windy ones. You like ceiling fans, silly songs and watching the clothes on the line. You (mostly) love your siblings. You eat, you play, you sleep all night. You are a dream baby and we are SO lucky to have you.  Happy three months, baby girl.

Those Ducklings...

Those ducklings have quite the life with Miss Audra.

 There's sister/duckling parties...

 Pool parties...

 And schooling.  We have literate ducks.  They know their letters...

 And there's art class.

 And book time.

 And she prays with them. I kid you not...these ducks are quite well rounded.

My View

My view from here? Well, it's pretty amazing.

Haying time!

Oh, it happened.  While I heard Farmer Rick roll in at 5:30am to begin haying, the kids didn't.  And when they woke up and saw what was happening, they did just as they have done years past....run outside, hollering and jumping for joy. "It's HAYING time!"  And then they remind me to make doughnuts because I "always" make doughnuts to celebrate haying day, so they say.  Twist my arm.  Fine. I'll make doughnuts.  Mmm.

Look at the air they have here!

 Adrian just cannot believe this day has come.

Haying day isn't really a day, it's a few days.  In those few days, all else has to be cancelled, as my kids NEED to be outside watching "The Farming Show".  They pretty much do nothing else but catch the show from dawn to dusk.

 This year Farm Rick let both kids 'help' by riding the tractor.  It's Audra's first year 'helping'.

  I am told she had plenty to say.

 No one minds the tractors left in the yard overnight either.  Didn't grab the camera while the big ones were awake, but at least got Anna-Kate.  Here she celebrates her first "Haying Day" holiday. Many more to come!  Thanks to Farmer Rick, who is a celebrity in our home, for letting my kids be a part of "Haying Day".

 

Working Hard

Give this 6 year old a hammer and a few nails and you better bet he'll have projects to work on. Oh, the seriousness...I love it.

Bag Challenge #6

My reusable bags are a mismatch medley, which I'm working on replacing with ones that "spark joy". Inspired by The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo and how she talks about keeping things that spark joy.

 As it turns out, I've pretty much made a new bag a month and have six handmade reusable ones now.  I brought my homemade ones to the grocery store last time and the bagger was really impressed with my collection. 

Bag 1 here.

Bag 2

Bag 3

Bag 4:

Bag 5: 

I think I got this fabric from the thrift store fora a quarter or something. Now it's a new re-usable bag.

Bag 6:

Thrifted

My favorite little thrift store had a 50% off sale. Didn't this just make my day!

 Canvas fabric, two like-new shirts for me, milk jar, cookie jar, candle holder, hand embroidered kittens and next size up shoes for Audra.  $5.00.

And the homeschool version:  books, ruler, pack construction paper, new notebook, two reams of paper, bookends, four binders and a hole punch.  $5.50.