Happy Halloween!

A bow hunter and Dorothy from "The Wizard of Oz."

Don't miss Toto in the pumpkin... affectionately referred to as "Tu-tu" by Miss Dorothy.

fallin' for the leaves

Before the recent cold spell, we headed to the park at the lake to play.  We did play for a long time, but we found lots of leaves to play in, too.  We don't have a lot of trees at our house and the leaves that do fall seem to blow away.  We don't even have enough to rake (no one is complaining).  But there were plenty of leaves to play in at the park.

 

Burying Lucas...

 

 

 

Burying Hannah...

 

 

 

 

 

 

my turn

After all of the riding in the tractor buddy seat the last few years, I finally got my turn. 

As the youngest on a crop and livestock farm growing up, I was a pretty good helper to my dad.  I learned the basics of driving in a tractor.  It first came in the form of a riding lawnmower as a kid.  By eighth grade, I was driving the tractor to pack silage.  In high school I was chopping silage, discing, cultivating and hauling wagons and unloading to the dryer and bins.  I always enjoyed my time in the tractor.  Even in college I spent several weekends helping my dad cut silage and harvest.  He was an excellent teacher and it was a very special time for us.

When I started my new career as a stay at home mom, I was excited that I would be able to help more with the farm.  I love it. 

I was a little nervous getting started, but Steve is a good teacher.  It was a little like riding a bike - you never really forget.  I spent most of my time chopping cornstalks; it was peaceful, quiet, and I enjoyed every minute of it. 

 

Steve even offered to wash the windows of the tractor one morning.  I assured him it wasn't necessary since I don't think I ever drove a tractor of my dad's that had freshly cleaned windows. :)

 

I spent some time in the grain cart, catching on the go.  So nervous. 

There is something neat about night harvest... the big dark sky, machinery lights and the cool, crips temperatures.

 

 

October birthday party

We gathered for my niece and nephew, Caleb and Adele's birthday a few weeks ago. 

My dad and I get to squeeze into the light for our October birthdays, too. 

 

Caleb decorated the cake this year - how cool! 

 

Papa Richard had lots of help opening his presents.

 

These two were occupied for hours. 

 

Lucas thinks it's serious business.

 

Hannah was in on the Nerf gun fun, too. 

 

The best part of the day was FaceTiming with Aunt Ann and Uncle Koen. 

diagnosis

I started this blog when Lucas was little... the age Hannah is now. My purpose was (and still is) to record the happenings in our lives. The good, the bad, the happy, the sad.

My sister, Ann, has been diagnosed with cancer.

Today is her first chemotherapy treatment.

Please pray for her.  Please pray for healing.  Please pray for wisdom for her medical team and excellent care for her.  Please pray for her husband and my parents, too.

Hannah says

Booka - book, any of the hundreds in our home
Booga - boogie, "get me a kleenex" this one is from the nose
Buga - bugs, as in the hundreds of box elder bugs that were swarming our house a couple of weeks ago
***You have to listen carefully to the second consonant sound. :)


She's at the stage where new words pop into her vocabulary everyday and more and more sentences.  Hannah loves books and says "more" every time you finish one.  She is very good at following directions and identifying things.  Well, unless she wants to "feisty" and just plain not listen.  :)

She loves her babies and even puts the Candy Land characters to sleep, saying "Shh!"

 

 

Hearing the corn dryer kick on, she puts her forefinger on her nose and says, "Shhh!"

 

 

 

She does everything her brother does... good and bad! 

 

 

My favorite thing she says?  Easy.

"Thank you, mama."

Never.Gets.Old.

 

Lucas says

On the first day of school, Lucas' journal entry already reflected where his heart was...

...with Grandpa, driving a tractor.

 

 

 

His preschool class studied birds last month. 

The task for this art project was to draw his favorite bird; he picked the ostrich. 

There is no doubt that I am biased, but isn't that a GREAT drawing of an ostrich?!?!

Lucas was scrunching up an empty plastic water bottle in his car seat.
"Lucas, hand me that bottle."
"Be patient, mom.  Why are you so bossy?"



Unprompted, after the cook-off at the fair, "I'm proud of you, Daddy."



Driving through southern Illinois while on vacation, "Why is that combine in the field in the summer?"  Seeing a combine in the field harvesting in August is such a weird sight.



Eating lunch a few days before cousins vacation, "Next year for cousins vacation, we should fly over the ocean to visit Aunt Ann and Uncle Koen." That is a great idea! 



Pulling into a soybean field, Lucas looks around and says, "Last year this field was corn."  Another observation, "these beans are really dry."  How does he know/remember this stuff?  He knows the "names" of the fields.  Just ask him!

He was a great helper picking the last of the produce from the garden with Great Grandma Perry.

 

Can't you just hear him asking about the 'pomatoes?'

Harvest 2012

Starting about two weeks out, there was a countdown to harvest at our house, not just by the little boy, but the big guy, too. 

For Brent the countdown was anticipation to see how things performed with the dry conditions.

For Lucas the countdown was riding in the combine and tractor.  He's started asking if he can go to the farm instead of preschool... uh, no. 

 

 

It was a warm, sunny {really bright} September day when we had our first harvest visit for this year.  

Great Pa, Lucas, Daddy, Hannah and Papa Steve. 

 

She loves her Papa!

If you say "farm," "tractor," or "combine" to Hannah she replies with "Papa."

 

Smiles with Great Pa.

 

 

Another day... another farm visit.

Harvesting the Pioneer test plot. 

I just love the "I can fit in the tire" feeling. 

 

 

I cannot tell a lie.  I love the tractor & combine time as much as the kids. 

 

Making a plan. 

 

 

 

 

Because we don't get to see as much of Daddy this time of year, we try to have as many farm visits as we can squeeze in.  I'm thankful to be home for this.  It is fun to take picnics to the guys in the field and enjoy the amazing gift we have to be involved in the farm.  There is no better life!

flashback Friday

October 2008.

Lucas' first harvest.