after dinner chaos

Just thought I'd share a glimpse of our daily living:



I don't mention it here enough, but Gabriel is incredibly present with our kids.

He gets home from a long day of work and commuting and jumps right in to our family life at home. He knows that even though he has had a long day of work, I have too.

A lot of evenings feel like a rush to get everyone fed, bathed, and into bed, but at least we do it together.

twinkle twinkle little star wars

I made a set of wooden teething toys for my friend Rachael's new little girl, Bailey, to go along with the theme for her shower: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star Wars.

Meet Yoda, Darth, and Leia.

I actually made them a few months ago, but didn't get them in the mail until last week. Some things are easier said than done...

I used my awesome hand-me-down scroll saw from Gabriel's parents. The teethers are 1" oak with wood-burned details, a.p. certified non-toxic watercolors, and beeswax/olive oil finish.

River tested them out along the way (oh, how he has changed in just a few months...!)

He thought they were great for chewing, licking, and manipulating. I hope Bailey will agree.

And because I just could't help myself, I also made Bailey a pair of Rae's Newborn Baby Pants.

I can hardly wait to meet Little Miss Bailey.

re-milking

For the past month or so, I have been slowly reintroducing milk into my diet and have even been giving River dairy products to sample on his own.

He has had no problems with any of it: no stomach pains, no gas, no diarrhea, and no blood in his stools. His only reaction to yogurt, cheese, and even a taste of ice cream: mmmm...

So far, so good.

So good, in fact, that we have been getting fresh local milk for the past couple of weeks. The farm where we used to get our milk before our dairy-free stint is down to one milking cow and more customers than they can keep up with.

We found another farm just over the border in Oklahoma, and they welcomed us to come for a visit to meet their milking cow and see the farm.
Making arrangements through Craigslist leaves for a degree of uncertainty. I never quite know who I'm dealing with until we meet face to face.

When we first met Sue and saw the farm, Gabriel and I were hesitant. Sue lives in a trailer home with an assortment of campers in the front yard. I counted at least four of her grandkids milling about, all with obvious behavioral issues, and I am pretty sure some of her grown children live in the campers in the front yard.

But after I got over my fear of the geese standing guard in the driveway, and began to follow Sue and her husband around their farm, I had a glimpse into a life different from my own and the way I think things should be.

These are kind people. The animals are well-cared for and well-loved. And those grandkids, they were enthusiastic about their farm, telling us all about the ducks down by the pond, the bottle-fed steer gentle enough to pet on the nose, and early morning milking with Grandpa.

The farm is scrapped together, and filled to the brim with different kinds of animals. Guineas are everywhere, keeping the fleas and ticks at bay in the warm months. They have chickens for eggs, and ducks in the pond.

These two were scheduled to become bacon the next day. The kids were licking their lips with excitement just telling us about it.

And this is the milking cow. She is half holstein, half milking shorthorn. She provides enough milk for us to have 4 gallons a week, which hardly puts a dent in their milk supply.

Sue delivers the milk to our house on the weekends.

Having fresh milk in the house seems like such a luxury now. A cup of coffee with some cream skimmed from the top makes my morning.

And I have begun making yogurt and cheese again. I am finally getting good at mozzarella.

These mediteranean burgers (recipe from the March 2011 issue of Everyday Food) were amazing topped with homemade feta and yogurt.

It all seems like such a gift: yes, the milk to drink and make into yummy treats, but even more so, the chance to know people I otherwise would never have approached. The fact that I even make such a distinction shows I still have a long way to go. This learning to love people as people. But I am glad for the milk that is helping me along the way.

the crawling clip

proof:

this and that

In the last few days:

River started crawling.

I cut my hair.

I made River a shirt and pants (along with a lot of other sewing projects...)

River had a checkup with the cardiologist.

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At his appointment, the doctor was still able to hear River's loud murmur and assumes that everything is basically the same, which is good enough for now. She opted to not do another echocardiogram this time since he is at a really rough age for laying still for 45 minutes, and he seems otherwise very healthy. She was overly-pleased with his growth, development, and obvious enjoyment with table foods. Our next appointment is scheduled for a year from now.

On a whim, I cut my hair Tuesday afternoon. I love it. Liam keeps telling me it's funny. And Gabriel just keeps saying it's short.

He's right, but I am finding that short is good for this caring-for-little-people-all-day-long season.

And River figured out how to get from one place to another. He often scoots backwards, and is great at going from sitting to stomach and back to sitting again. And he pulls up on anything he can get his hands on, which, as of Tuesday, means he can now get into everything.

He's crawling the proper four-limbed crawl.

I'm working on getting a video of him in action...somethings are tricky to do with a rambunctious nearly-3 year old.

And his little blue sweater came off the knitting needles a few days ago. The yummy blue cotton yarn is hand-me-down from Gabriel's Aunt Dotha, and I reworked it into the toddler's playground shirt found on Ravelry. I am working on spring/summer wardrobes for the boys, and have been making lots of little pants from cast-off shirts and sweaters. That deserves a post all its own...

walk with me

the weekend outdoors

We made the most of this weekend's warmish weather and spent as much time outside as we could.

Sundy morning waffles are so much better eaten outside on the picnic table.

But for Liam, forget about waffles: there is no better way to start the day than with an extra helping of mud.

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In the afternoon, we went out to Wedington for a hike.

Winter in the woods is so much more than drab browns and greys. The bare bones of the trees are striking against a cloudy sky.

And splashes of brilliant green are everywhere, waiting to be discovered.

Spring bulbs, like these daffodils, are beginning to peek out from beneath the leaves.

Every leaf, rock, branch, and bug was a treasure waiting to be uncovered by our little explorer and his beagle sidekick.

And a pile of leaves and branches are as good a spot as any for taking a break.

Then it was back to the trail for more exploring.

We found mushrooms.

We found small pools in unexpected places.

We found a "holstein cow" tree.

We found a stream.

We found benches for taking another little break.

We found deer droppings (exciting!).

And we found a good place to stop for a snack.

We found lots of things. But mostly, it was just great to get outside, stretch our legs, and feel connected to the land around us.

And then we found our way back home.

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Early in the evening, we spent some time in the yard, readying the garden for spring.

Apparently, I missed a couple bulbs of garlic when I dug them up last summer. These were growing in large clumps that needed room to stretch and grow. Much better.

There is still a lot more to be done before spring planting can begin, but this small taste has me yearning for spring to hurry up and stay for awhile.

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Inspired by Amanda.

another day at the Tulsa zoo

Finally, we are out of the sub-zero temperatures and snowy days, and since this is Arkansas where the weather is fickle, the days have been in the high 50's with sunny skies.

This seemed a good enough excuse for me to take the boys to the Tulsa zoo. Liam agreed.

We had a great day at the zoo, with visits to all of our favorite animals and a peek at some that aren't usually out and about.

Liam finally got over his recent fear of goats and was especially taken with this little guy.

This cow makes me smile every time. Have you ever seen a cuter cow face?

We always bring our own water bottles, but hydration really isn't the point of sipping from a drinking fountain. Not when you're a two-year old.

The otters are never out when we visit. Never until today, apparently.

River is getting good at spotting the animals now. He waves his arms up and down and shrieks when he sees one he particularly likes.

We always stop to watch the big fish. Liam was fascinated with the little fish in this one (the little dots that make the water look granulated in the picture). He was totally oblivious of the alligator hanging out right in front of him.

Liam has been doing mostly great walking, rather than riding in a stroller. He has more than enough energy to tour the zoo, and even took turns pushing River in the stroller. They both thought that was great.