It's A New Year!

To Blog...Or Not To Blog...
Now THAT is the question?!
Well, it is a new year...and I have been filled with the delimma of...do I want to continue blogging?  I don't think really anyone reads it anymore....but I am not really sure if I am writing in my blog for the world to see, or for long distance relatives to read, or just merely for me to do what I love to do...and that is write.  I started my blog thinking it would be a fun way for my family in California and friends in Arizona to see what a crazy life I live with my family on our farm.  It slowly went from, "This is what we are up to" to "this is the crazy story of the week".  I would get a few emails, "Hey, I saw your blog, great pictures!"  or, "Funny story!"  I guess feedback is always good, as it gives a sense of direction.  Thoughts would go from, "Ok, I think they liked that one" then I would think, "I don't think anyone is reading this anymore."  Truth is, I don't really know what others think.  I know I have gone from starting this blog, and putting on a counter and now I have almost 17,000 hits.  I think that means there have been a couple loyals out there! :)
So, here we are in the year 2011!!  Can you believe it?  I think...I like to blog.  I think...I should continue!  I think...(no, it doesn't hurt...)...I think I like sitting here in my little solitude, telling my boring kid stories.  I like to share what life is like on our little farm.  We have new things coming up for us in the new year, and this is going to be my place to vent my little tidbits.  Biggest event this year?  We are building our new house!
We are so excited...but there are so many decisions to make!  Floors, cabinets, paint, fireplace?  Should we pad the walls to the playroom?  That way when we lock the kids in there, we won't hear a thing and they can fight it out all they want!  Do we put bars on Kaycee's windows, as she is appearing to be better than Houdini at escaping.

So many thoughts and so much to say.  Is it just a place for me to chat to myself, as I am so surrounded by kids life that I am starting to talk to myself, and people look at me funny?!  Well, I think I like it and I think I will just keep on talking!
So, it looks like I am back.

I haven't been here in quite awhile.  Lots has happened since the fall...some sad, some happy.  Kids are good.  Farm is good.  Life is good.  Christmas was great.  2011 has started and here we are at the end of January!  Wow!  Where is the time going? 
Guess I better sign off...I have a crying 2 year old, dinner to be made, and a night to finish off.  I hope whoever enjoyed reading my blog in the first place continues to enjoy it.  For those who have left...goodbye, you are always welcome to come back and visit!  And for me...who writes all this nonsense...quite rambling and get to cooking dinner!
CIAO!

Nicki singing with Tenore - final.wmv

**Just a note, be sure to push the STOP button on the music player on the right hand side of this screen before you watch Nicki's video. If not, you will have both playing at the same time...**

Here is Nicki singing "Sempre Vicino" with the group, "Tenore". She was invited to sing with them on Saturday night. It was a pretty big deal for her, and she was so excited. She met them last year, and was runner up in a contest that they had, and this year they invited her back. I will post some pictures of the night too...

Here is Nicki at the end of the night...utterly and completely Over The Moon!

"Tenore"

Jason Catron...Jason is from Nashville, and Nicki thinks it is pretty cool that she actually knows someone who lives in Nashville. She thought it was even cooler that he was at the opening of The Grand Ol' Opry after their floods.
So, Jason is really in Nicki's "cool" book. ha!

Shane Wiebe...He is from our town. He was was a finalist on Canadian Idol. He recently did a cross Canada "motorhome" tour with his wife, Angela...and family. They have an amazing talent.
(Yes, he is in her cool book too...)

This is Mark David Williams...he is from Minneapolis.  He was so great to work with.  He helped Nicki on where she would be standing and what she needed to do with her mic.  He has an amazing testimony.  He talked about being in a terrible accident, as he was hit by a drunk driver.  It is amazing all that he went through, and having a great faith to get him through it.  Wish we all could be a testimony from accidents or situations such as that rather than fall victim to it.  Oh, and for sure he is the 3rd in Nicki's cool book. :)

So here she is practicing for the show.  Actually, Nicki did not know until that afternoon if she would be performing or not.  They needed to make sure that she meshed well with the group, as they didn't want to mess up the song in anyway.  So, after she sang it for her 2 times, they told her that she would indeed be singing with them that night...

Here she is after they told her...TRYING TO CONTAIN HER EXCITEMENT! :) 

Look at that smile...she was thrilled. 

(And mom was a little proud too when Jason gave me the thumbs up.)

Off we were to get dressed.  I promised her I would not post a bathroom picture of her.  She said EVERYONE would know I just took her picture alongside a TOILET! 

Sorry Nicki...Your mother likes this picture, toilet or not...so...Here it is! 

And another below the stage...no toilet involved here.

Just kinda liked this picture.  Don't remember taking it actually.

The Tenors being funny...they did put on a great show. 

This is Shane and his wife, Angela.  I love this picture. 

Alot of the pictures didn't turn out because there is a "fog" that went throughout the whole church.  But this one turned out so good! 

The Introduction... 

Here she goes..."Sempre Vicino"

Whew!  The pressure is off...Now here is Nicki acting like the goofy 11 year old that she is.  I was very proud of her that night...she did a fantastic job!

Thank You Shane, Jason and Mark...You guys were so nice to our girl.  Each of you have a testimony to be proud of and it shines throughout your show.

And many thanks to Jill Siemens....she wrote the song, "Sempre Vicino", and she also founded "Tenore" and she is also the founder of "The Canadian Tenors"...I appreciate that she invited Nicki to sing and that she shared this song with Nicki.  It was a challenge for her, and it was great for her to be able to share in this night!

D...is for...

"Don't It Make Your
Brown Eyes Blue"
Don't know when I've been so blue...
Don't know whats...come over you.
You've found somebody new.
And don't it make my brown eyes blue.

I'll be fine when your gone.
I'll just cry all night long.
Say it isn't true.
And don't it make my brown eyes blue.

Tell me no secrets, tell me some lies.
Give me no reasons, give me alibis.
Tell me you love me and don't let me cry.
Say anything but don't say goodbye!

I didn't mean to treat you bad.
Didn't know just what I had.
But honey now I do...
And don't it make my brown eyes ...
don't it make my brown eyes...
don't it make my brown eyes...BLUE.

Ok, well, it isn't like Ryan is having an affair on me or anything...but truth is...I will tell you...he started kindergarden! I know...can you believe it?! Then the little stinker went and turned 5 on me the very next week! Wouldn't you know, he was MINE. All mine...up until the "S" word came along. Oh ya, "SCHOOL" is now his everything! I showed up to school so excited to see him and ask him how school was going and he started to CRY~! I ran by his side, "Oh Ryan...what is wrong? Did you miss mommy? Did some big bully hurt you? Is your teacher mean to you? What terrible thing happened to make you so upset?!"

His reply? "I don't want you to be here! I want to go with my new friends on the bus!!"

Are you kidding me kid?! I am the one who has taken care of you over the last 5 years! I spent 9 miserable months with you in my belly...many hours of unforgetable labour...5 years of nurturing you into the fine boy you are today. We have cuddled, and snuggled, and laughed and played. I changed your diapers and fed your sweet little self.

And this is the thanks I get?
You were all mine until your teacher came into your life and

now you love her more than me?! How can this be?!

Ok, well whatever the reason is...I know you will be coming home sometime today and I know that at some point over the next 13 years you will come home and say to me,

"I want my mommy"

...right?! Seriously, right?!

Yep, it is true. I was my guys number one gal up until September rolled around and now I am on the back burner. Feeling a little jipped, and kinda miss the little stinker during the day. Think I might do a mommy stalker thing and drive by the school today. What? I have 2 other kids at that school?! Thanks for the reminder! Ah yes, I remember...these are the emotions I have felt for each of them for like the first month of their kindergarden days...then someone taught me the definition of FREEDOM.  Hmmm...well, for now, maybe I can bribe them with french fries to come say hello to me through the fence...

Have fun at school my Little Bear. I am off to nurture my Kaycee now.

She is ALL MINE over the next 3 years...that is...of course...until friends and teachers and school busses get in the way!!

Awww....look at her say, "CHHEEEEESE!!"

Oh, and for some more "D" posts...head on over to Jenny's page at http://www.jennymatlock.blogspot.com/

She hosts a letter a week called Alphebet Thursday...a little thing to spark writing topics. 

Give Thanks...

Well, it has been awhile since I have blogged...I think it is time I get back to it! I have had a few people asking me when I was going to start blogging again. Not sure really why I stopped. Guess it was a very busy summer...seems like we never slowed down. Now that the kiddos are back in school, I am finding my "normal" again. So...normal to me, is finding time to write a little bit about what goes on in our world...here on the farm.


Today is our Canadian Thanksgiving. I have a hard time getting into the Thanksgiving mood in October...seems like November is the more "festive" time. But I do think, why not be Thankful more than once a year?! Why not celebrate twice?! Hey...maybe I will be thankful YEAR ROUND! Imagine that?! ha!
As of right now I have a ham cooking in the oven and it smells soooo good! Can't wait to sit down and enjoy it.

I thought I would share with you, on this Thanksgiving Day....Joey's "I Am Thankful For..." paper that he brought home from school on Friday. I think he said it perfectly.

"I Am Thankful For...."
My dad putting me in 4-H.
My 4-H calf helping me out at the fairs.
Clothes for warmth.
A farm for money.
A school for education.
Carrots for health.
Milk for calcium.
Family.
Finally, my little brother for surviving his huge fall
out of the hay loft this summer.
-Joey age 9

Carrots for health?!  Not sure where he came up with that one...ha!  But, good job on your writing Joey.  I hope we can all be as creative in our thinking of things to be thankful for.  (And...we are also so very thankful that our Ryan survived that very scary fall...)
Wishing each and every one of you a WONDERFUL Canadian Thanksgiving!!

Introducing Maybell and Jewell

Who knew calves could pose so pretty??!!
We decided to do a little "4H calf photo shoot"...

Unfortunately, Jewell, Joey's calf, died that night...which was 2 days before Joey and Jewel's first fair.  We don't know what happened.  Just that, when Tony went to the barn the next morning, she had died during the night.  Joey took this quite hard, as he was so excited to get up early and go see her, only to find out the sad news. 

He didn't want to quit...so figured he would try a new calf.  We tried to tell him that a new calf, without the training that Jewel had, would be quite hard to deal with. 

He picked out "Sunny"...Sunny, so far...has done a GREAT job! 

We will miss you Jewel...

Trip To Cannon Beach, Oregon...

We recently took a little trip down to Cannon Beach...and we had a fabulous time!  Of course I took a TON of pictures...so I am just going to upload all of them.  So many to go through.  I think they will probably be out of order, and maybe a bit repetitious...but...I like them. :)  The first 2 days were a bit cloudy, but by the end, Mr. Sun came out and gave us his greatest smiles.  Take a look...

This was our room...we stayed at the Tolovana Inn...We had an oceanfront room, which was PERFECT!   We could just sit on the deck and listen to the waves.  Loved it.  It was a 2 bedroom, 2 bath, with a living room, dining room and kitchen.  Very spacious for our loud and rambunctious party of 6!