The Farm Report

Category: family

  • Hooks

    Hooks
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    It took us roughly 5.5 years, but we finally hung hooks in the kids’ bathroom. Which is worse than the 3 years it took us to hang a toilet paper holder. And, yes, I know, these hooks are probably really for dog leashes, but they make all of us smile.

    I should not even confess what has occurred in the interim—towels shoved on counters, which then fall on floors. Or little people grab a clean towel from under the sink, wipe their mouths or hands, and then shove it back among the clean towels, thinking I won’t notice. (If they would learn to fold properly, they could carry this off with a bit more panache.)

    While I was in the bathroom, I snapped a pic of one of my favorite things we added to this house. If you know my children, you understand why this tile is not only amusing but also likely necessary.

  • The day after

    The day after
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    The day after Christmas started well enough. Our family present was a big bunch of Lego. When everyone seemed restless, we cracked it out and began building. Neko and I worked on a house, Tom worked on some wheelie contraption, and Ellery made a grocery store. Shep worked on a bedroom with a secret door in the roof, but it got taken apart before I got out the camera. I love that they’re finally at the age where they make THINGS.

    By afternoon, we were off to Barb and Ev’s house to celebrate with Tom’s side of the family, which was somewhat incomplete due to our nephew’s unfortunate ear infection. I swear, the moment we pulled into their driveway, the inevitable post-holiday letdown hit. Suddenly our under-slept, over-excited children became raving maniacs. It was great to see Tom’s family, but, ohmygoodness, those kids were crazy.

    An early departure was followed by an even earlier bedtime. We’re looking for a few quiet(er) days ahead.

  • White Christmas

    White Christmas
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    What a fantastic day.

    Neko woke up at 5:30am, but we managed to put her off until 6:15am. Everyone was ecstatic about their gifts. I declare that everyone got exactly what they needed. Butterscotch the horse was adored every bit as much as Neko said she would be. Ellery pranced in her twirly skirt and Shep delighted in his magnetic roller coaster.

    In the afternoon, we visited my parents for another round of gifts, good food, and sledding.

    As a Christmas gift to myself, I decided not to pick up the camera. Instead, I decided to just be present in the day. (But I couldn’t resist snapping a few as the kids squealed their way down the sledding hill.)

    Don’t worry—full documentation of favorite gifts, including the world’s most enormous robotic horse will appear here shortly.

  • Christmas Eve at the museum

    Christmas Eve at the museum
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    As has become our tradition, we headed to the museum on the morning of Christmas Eve. It is a low-traffic day at the museum, and it gives us a chance to have some solid family time during the holiday. This year, loads of friends joined us, which made it even more fun.

    We arrived right as the museum opened, and as we walked in the door, Santa was waiting for us, scooping up little ones for a hello hug. Ellery, who’s often quite shy, jumped right in. From that point on, she was smitten. And Santa, not having a lot going on this day (he said Mrs. Claus had it all under control), spent plenty of time listening to her and admiring the trains.

    I love this time, before it becomes about unwrapping and assembling, where we get to spend time in the company of such good folk.

  • Digging our way through the day

    Digging our way through the day

    Well, we’re nearly a week into break, and Christmas is almost here. The inevitable result of this is kids that are bouncing off the walls because—wheeee—Christmas is almost here! Meanwhile, the parents in this house are in a state of panic because—eeeeek—Christmas is almost here!

    And did I mention everyone is sick? On Tuesday, I propped myself up against a wall in the basement, and watched the children run in circles around me for six hours. Bless them, they were angels.

    But today we had a welcome diversion when Garrett and Katrina came by. They brought with them a few things for the kids, including this dinosaur dig. They also brought a few other handmade items, which I’ll save for another post when I have better photos.

    But for today, this dig was a lifesaver.

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  • Happy birthday, Tom

    Happy birthday, Tom

    Happy birthday to an amazing man.

    Somehow, we have misplaced the candles, so we were candle-less on his birthday. So the man with the birthday made this paper candle, and as he blew on it, he snipped the flame with a pair of scissors, and blew it away. Which, of course, the kids thought was fantastic.

    It’s somehow symbolic of this man we all love. Not everything in life is exactly where we thought it would be, but he often comes up with a way to roll with it that is somehow more magical and wonderful than we ever could have imagined.

  • Decorating

    Decorating
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    We waited a day, and then got around to decorating the tree.

    Ellery was Martha Stewart, Jr., spending the better part of an hour decorating and finding the perfect spot for each ornament.

    Despite no photographic evidence, Neko was, in fact, there. She likes to hide from the camera and she’s pretty quick. Shep is moving into that territory, as well, sadly. Soon this whole blog will be filled with photos of chickens.

    Speaking of chickens, Neko and I made sure they didn’t miss out on the festivities.

  • Snow and a tree

    Snow and a tree

    We meant to get a Christmas tree last weekend, but time ran short, and we decided to push it another week.

    Clearly fate meant it to work out that way. We woke to find our first snow of the season. At the Christmas tree farm, things were downright magical. Not only was there a blanket of snow, but perfect, little flakes kept falling on hats and eyelashes.

    We need to remember that Christmas trees look bigger next to small people, as we got home and realized our tree was a bit on the small side. (Next year, we’re bringing a measuring tape.)

  • Alba

    Alba

    This long holiday weekend has allowed us to spend a generous amount of time with Tom’s family. This is our delicious neice, Alba, who has really come to life since we last saw her. Next time we see her, she’ll be walking all over the place.

  • This renovation brought to you by IKEA

    This renovation brought to you by IKEA

    Really, how did we ever do anything on the cheap without those Scandanavians?

    (Photos by Chris.)

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