Friday, February 27, 2015

October 2014

Something's happening at the chicken water bucket, though I couldn't say what.


Annaliese was a Star Student, and received a medal at a special parent-breakfast.


We've re-constituted the classroom in my office above the BTC, and Caspian assembled the floor padding by himself.  If it hasn't been mentioned before, he is a very fastidious young man, and puzzles or puzzle-like projects are definitely in his wheel-house.


While Caspian has been focused on the game this year, Annaliese comes to soccer for the times when she is not on the field.


Muscles?


I cherish this picture.  Annaliese is running towards the ball, is at the head of the pack, and looks like she's intending to kick the ball.

The rest of the action-shots from this season show a very pretty young girl running up and down the field, always on the outer edge of the pack, easily keeping pace with the rest of the players, but showing no interest in trying to go faster than anyone, or getting too close to the ball.


An impromptu post-game trip to Oxford for some late night sushi.


Boatie getting a thorough cleaning.


This boy and his animals.


A little cider-making.


Paper mache giant ant project.




Sure bed time was a while ago, but look at the productive things I've been up to?


Me!


Pretty lady.


Getting rained out.


Stolen from Alexe's phone, she has a knack for forcing the kids into sibling pictures.


This little one greets me every day when I get home, running out with a big smile and fully suited up to help with the feeding time chores.


This came through town.


Andy, the head of the electrical department and a good friend, who besides helping put up a dozen meters, swinging by to lend us a crane when we need to move things to the roof, and taking down power lines when we need to work around them, also has some rope-braiding skills from time on shrimp boats down in the gulf. He came by to braid the new rope on the elevator.


This one is growing like an inch worm.  He goes to bed looking puffy and wakes up looking like a skeleton and standing an inch taller.


We still haven't found a human related use for these, but there's something so satisfying about gathering them.  The pigs have been enjoying them.


My helpers on a HD run.


Alexe took a trip to Greenwood to speak at a conference.  The kids and I went for a walk/run in the back pasture.


Followed by some time on the dome.


And a dinner of pasta and asparagus.


And some apple-sauce making.


Some time later.  Someone here is faking.


For some reason the boys were left on their own.  We made do.  I drew on his foot.


He drew on mine.


We caught salamanders.  Or geckos.  Lizards?


Our mama pig, sometimes called Sarah the Pig, sometimes Petunia, mostly just the mama pig, had babies.  10 of them.


They were adorable, and the first animals to be born on the farm. 


Doing his chores.  They each get $2 on Sunday if they do their chores every day.


Um.  Lookout world.


We like our traditions.



Caspian was zorro, Annaliese was a princess fairy.  We joined the usual crew in the neighborhood for Trick or Treating.


She can make anything look adorable, even the rejected parts of a 6 year old's Halloween costume.


A friend of Caspian's.  


We've been trick or treating with Billy since he and Annaliese were less than a year old.


September 2014

This month happened, and looking back on it from this cold February morning, there are a few pictures of our family activities in between the many of the Blu Buck project.

The kiddos waiting to go to soccer. 


This was right after the pair of Katahdin sheep joined the farm, making the world feel complete.  


Our farm boy, taking scraps out to the chickens. 


Sidelines of a soccer game, this young lady was practicing her selfy-skills.  There are nicer ones of her, but she managed to catch me picking my nose in most of them.


This little rock star went from a star-gazing-on-his-back-in-the-middle-of-the-field 4 year old to a ball and goal focused 5 year old athlete.


We fit in a little firewood cutting. My helpers managed the snack supplies on the tractor, and walked back to the house to replenish them periodically.


Watching these two roam through their world makes our hearts explode daily.


Courtesy of Alexe.


A little hammock time.  


Donut making.  Despite the obsession with the project downtown last year, I kept the weekend sacred, and Saturdays until 3 were adventure time with these cherubs until Alexe came home.  


Then family time starts, and runs until paperwork time on Sunday night.  


One of the many joys of living in a small town:  If your cow is running around the fields with a bucket stuck on her head, you'll get half a dozen calls from concerned citizens, and can pop home to pull it off.


Annaliese in her first grade classroom, with her first first-grade teacher.  There have been a few.


A couple of the local boys, the one on the left works at the pharmacy, the one on the right is a volunteer firefighter, playing music during the Art Crawl.


The prettiest wall flower.


From housing at Burning Man to jungle-gym in a field in Mississippi, this geodesic has finally found a new home and purpose.


Random photo op while walking up the street. These kids belong to Annaliese's current first grade teacher.


We hatched some monarchs, a huge treat here, where a local enthusiast ordered milkweed seeds off the internet and has single-handedly brought monarchs to town, and is now sharing them in chrysalis form with the local kids.


I sat for a portrait.  


Alexe has been battling third-baby desires.  Her tactic is to borrow other people's babies at every opportunity, and return them the moment they start getting fussy.  It's kiiind of working.