Of Extraordinary Beauty in an Ordinary Day

It was a typical September Sunday afternoon.

I was weary after a long week of harvest, and could hardly wait to enjoy a deliciously long nap.

But two certain little children had no interest in sleeping,

and it soon became apparent I may as well forget those dreams!

They begged me to come outside and play,

so I let them drag me along,

still wishing for my bed.

They spotted the trees next to the hammock, and decided they wanted to try to climb them.

And I realized I needed my camera to document the moment!

They quickly discovered that climbing the tree was actually much easier than

 figuring out how to come back down! 

Thankfully, I was close by to answer their loud hollers for help!

Eddie had to spend some time working, but he joined us for game of kickball:

a favorite summer game of ours.

The girls soundly beat the boys, mostly because the youngest player didn't understand

that he was supposed to run the bases and usually managed to get out!

But we all had a great time.

Then came lots of cool tricks on the bikes,

for which he removed his shirt. Can we say CUTE?!

Never mind that we are too big to ride a trike.

It's much more fun that way!

Next, they wanted to E X P L O R E.

And I found this beautiful butterfly!

Climbing the fence is the best part, obviously.

They wandered all over the pasture...

...picked some lovely flowers for me!

and then decided that the cows just might come back into the pasture,

and that would be scary,

so they had better hurry and climb back over the fence!

And somewhere along the way,

my frustration melted away.

It was still an ordinary Sunday,

but in their childish joy, they helped me discover a day full of extraordinary beauty.

Harvest Highlights

Friday marked the end of a three-week chopping season

 for Eddie and the guys on the harvest crew!

They logged hundreds of hours on hundreds of acres over more than a dozen farms in the area.

We're so grateful for another bountiful harvest and God's merciful protection over the guys,

in spite of a rather serious accident that happened. 

I think we all breathe a big sigh of relief when this job is behind us!

Nicholas was so excited to get to ride with Papa in the chopper,

and he ended up spending hours in that cab!

This is one of the very best parts of farm life: our children getting to work with their Papa.

When the guys were working on our farm, we took four wheeler rides out to the fields.

The kids always fight over who gets to sit in the front and "help" drive!

It looks like Hadassah won this round :)

Our farm has almost no flat fields, and sometimes I get a little anxious when I ride along on the hills!

But the view sure is beautiful!

One of my jobs as farm wife is making food for the guys.

I often ask Eddie what I should make, and he usually says "sandwiches"!

I usually scoff at the idea, but when he suggested these tomato mozarella pesto sandwiches (with bacon), I decided that wasn't such a bad idea after all!

We miss having Papa at home in the evenings, so sometimes we'll go out to the fields with food

and go for a ride!

The children squeeze side-by-side on the floor while I take the buddy seat,

and we all watch in fascination as the huge head devours the long stalks of corn.

Every year, Eddie ties one ear of corn to the side rail of the chopper.

Who said men don't like to decorate?!

Taking photos of the harvest and the scenery is therapeutic for me.

Occasionally, I can get video footage for Eddie to use in his seed dinner meetings in the fall!

My favorite shots are when the chopper is breaking through the end of the row!

Sometimes, we throw down a blanket and break out the watermelon...

....and then stuff our face full and cheese for the camera!

And THIS is how we all feel at the end of harvest!

10 Things I Learned in May

1. No matter how many "free" hours you think you have in a day's time, they always fill up. Always.

2. Prune all the bushes. It's an instant facelift for your house! (Thanks Dad and Fredi for the tip!)

3. Underbaked cheesecake is a disappointment. But when you spend precious time making it for yourself for Mother's Day, you eat it anyway! 

 

4. Spontaneous work trips with the husband in the middle of a busy spring are a gift.

5. If you haven't tried something new, your sister will make you do it!

 6. Dreams do come true! Ten years later, my hammock from Guatemala has a home in my backyard!

7. You can't help but smile when you watch tiny ballerinas twirl on stage!

8. If you forget to bring flowers to your daughter's dance recital, you may need to dash to Walmart 20 minutes before she steps onstage, and spend $15 on the last decent bouquet they have. But when she asks to put them in her room because they are hers, you know it was worth it.

9. Potty training is like running a marathon: halfway through, you decide that quitting is probably better than dying. But we haven't quit and we haven't died, so I guess that means we're making some progress!

10. The smallest things can bring the most joy to a child. And she doesn't need to know that she's actually being trained to take over my job!

And now, enjoy some random pictures from my phone!