The Ranch

Sunday after church we headed to my cousins' ranch.  I always loved coming here during the summers as a kid.  There were so many fun things to do, & it's probably what lead me to look for a farmer to marry (not that he ended up being one in the end, but that's another story)!

My cousin has enough quads for us all, so we went for a ride up to what we call "The Bench".  It's a flat piece of land where my Grandma grew up, & the house is still there.

Chancery was very excited for her first quad ride!

And I was also excited, they are so fun to drive, & it was time to share that with the kids!

My parents took the Razr instead, & were thankful for the windshield which deflected a lot of the dust.

Up on the Bench we discussed the crops, & the old license plates used to patch the grain bins while the kids explored...

They climbed up in the old wooden grain bin

And we found the old International truck!

This is the old house where my great Grandfather & my Grandmother lived.  We even got to go inside & kill some mice we found (which the kids found super exciting!)

 Then Justin let the kids try out the combines

 And while PChad & Justin talked about the mechanics of it all, the kids played with the grasshoppers

It was a really fun ride, even if we did get a bit dusty!

A Gathering of Generations

The second surprise for my Dad was that we were all going up to Lynden to have breakfast with the extended family.  We had 4 generations represented.  All in all a great turn out!

  In the front, are the cousins, along the right side of the ‘L’ are the parents, & Great Uncles & Aunts, & in the booths in the back are the cousins’ kids.

 

Great Uncle Bill always has good stories!

There are 21 cousins, & 10 of us made it to breakfast (we took this picture after Michael left).  Represented in this picture are Washington, Hawaii, Iowa, Maryland, & Prince Edward Island!

After breakfast we went to Grandma’s farm, & of course had to swing on the rope in the haymow!

Then we went to visit Grandma.  We had a nice time reminiscing & visiting together.

What a Way to Spend Islander Day!

Yesterday was Islander Day, so the kids had off from school.  We had made plans to go to Mr Harrie & Miss Geesje’s farm in the morning, so after breakfast, we waited for PChad to clear the snow off the driveway & off we went!  We always head to the barn first, & the kids were delighted that one of their favourite cats “Butterfinger” was there to greet them & be pet.

 

There were also twin calves born that morning, so we got to see the 2 tiny heifers.  One of the calves in the calf pens really wanted to get out & see us.  Every time we passed in front of her pen, she would stretch her neck out & try to lick us.  She even licked Butterfinger, which the kids found really funny!  Chancery got licked by a cow as well, but apparently she didn’t taste very good, because that cow sure shook her head a lot afterward!

 

Then we went into the house for coffee time!  Mr Harrie has been teaching Asher how to play cribbage, & they played for quite awhile.  Chancery made some playdough with Miss Geesje, & I just drank lots of coffee!

 

After we left the farm, we headed to the MOVIE THEATRE!  We had gotten a coupon from a cereal box, so PChad & I decided to take the kids to see Frozen.  It was only playing at 12:30, so PChad brought burgers, & we had a lunch of burgers & popcorn during the movie.  We all had a great time at the movie, & I think it is one of the best ones Disney has made in the last while.

 

We headed back home & the kids had a bit of rest-time, then we played for awhile, & ordered Domino’s Pizza for dinner!  It was a busy, but very enjoyable day!

Hay Ride

We recently went on a hayride at a friend’s farm.

 

The kids really enjoyed running around in the trailer & climbing up the racks.

And I discovered that if I sit between PChad & Chancery, I don’t get any bug bites… unfortunately they do!

 

And since it was Asher’s birthday, we finished the day with some pizza!

Baby Kitties

Saturday afternoon, I brought the kids out to Miss Geesje’s farm to see the kittens.  I reminded the kids over & over to be gentle, Asher did really well, Chancery had a harder time of it.

At one point I told the kids that they shouldn’t cross the driveway with the kittens, since they might not know that cars are dangerous.

 

Chancery: “And then the kitty might get killed by a car, & then the mummy kitty would be sad about her babies.  She would have to lay more kitty eggs, & then wait & wait for them to hatch!”

 

Chancery was very excited during the explanation about her baby kitty eggs, though a bit misguided.

 

Me: “Cats don’t lay eggs, they just have baby kitties.”

 

Chancery: “And then they are teeny tiny like mice, & then they grow up, & up, & up into bigger kitties!”

 

Whew!  We salvaged that one!

Return Visit

After my parents left, they boarded a cruise ship with my Aunt Joyce & Uncle Winson, which had a stop in Charlottetown.

Chancery & I got to spend the day as tour guides, showing them a bit of the Island.

 

As we were waiting at the harbour, Chancery met a friend.  She went up & asked the Mountie, “Where’s your horse?”  He chatted with her for a few minutes until Grandpa & Grandma arrived with Uncle Winson & Aunt Joyce.

 

The weather was nice, but cool, so after an obligatory stop at Tim Horton’s, we were off to Green Gables.  Chancery kept asking, “Where’s Anne?” but we never saw her.

I think she only hangs around in the summer.

 

Chancery was really enjoying another day with her Grandparents, & “the other Grandpa & Grandma”, as she kept referring to Uncle Winson & Aunt Joyce.

 

We stopped by the beach…

 

but it was pretty cold & windy, so we didn’t stay long.

 

After lunch, we took our tourists out to Mr. Harrie & Miss Geesje’s farm.

 

 

  My parents had such a good time when they were there a few weeks before, that they asked if they could go back again!

 

Mr. Harrie & Miss Geesje graciously hosted us for tea & a farm tour.

 

We picked Asher up after school, & our last stop of the day was to the Poffertjes shop!

 

Before we knew it, it was time to say goodbye again.  The next morning, Asher asked, “How many more days until Grandma & Grandpa come back again?”  He was a bit disappointed when I told him it wouldn’t be ‘til after Christmas!

Cows

Herding cattle can be a lot of fun!  But I’m not sure this would work for very long.  Eventually the cattle would probably stomp on the car…

HAPPY FRIDAY!

Strawberries

A few weeks ago the kids & I headed out on a berry picking adventure.  I was more interested in the experience for the kids than I was in getting a lot of berries, & it’s a good thing that was my aim!

I had instructed Asher to only pick red berries.  Then I had to tell him all the colours to leave in the field, “Leave the green, white & pink berries because they aren’t ready yet.  Only pick the bright red berries because they are the best!”

Asher followed all the instructions with a question, “What if I find a black strawberry?”

For every 3 strawberries I picked, Chancery stole 2 out of the bucket.  It’s a good thing they didn’t weigh her before & after!

We had a great time on our berry picking adventure, & we even brought a few home for Daddy!  Maybe next year we’ll get enough to make a pie!

Baby Chicks

We are part of a vegetable co-op this year.  It has been quite the experience for me, since I have to learn how to cook around vegetables, instead of making the menu based on meat.

The farmers we get our veggies from also have a few animals, & I took the kids out to the farm to see them last week.





Asher is at that stage where he really wants to hold, or touch any animal he encounters, but as soon as he has, he’s looking around for the next thing.





He enjoyed the chicks, but then he wanted to go ‘pet’ the chickens…

Luckily I could distract him by drawing their attention to the swingset.

And of course, who doesn’t love a tire swing?

Apparently it became more of a bucking bronco…

The kids had a great time on our little farm adventure.  I’m so glad they have the opportunity to experience a bit of farm life sometimes.