More Farm Fun

Last week was our "April vacation." While we spent most of it hanging around the house and getting some projects finished, we also traveled North to the Farm to help my parents butcher chickens.

I am so incredibly proud of my husband. Butchering isn't a job anyone really wants to do but, Aaron did it (like a champ) to make sure we had fresh poultry to eat this year; no chemicals, salt-water injections, or medicated feed in our chicken! Although the reason for our visit was for slaughtering, Aaron and Dan were able to get it done quickly so we could spend some quality time with my parents on the farm. Toby is just so happy there. He loves Mimi and Papa so much.

I will admit, while at the farm, I was totally the "mamarazzi" ... following my kid around clicking away like a maniac as he "ooh'd and ahh'd" at all the farm has to offer. 

(click on any picture to enlarge)

 It's fiddlehead season... little buttah, salt & peppah! Yum!

 

This picture is probably one of my top ten favorite pictures of Toby, ever. While I was hoping to capture a serious picture of him, I didn't know that Aaron was sneaking up behind me; only Toby could see him. I don't know if I can explain what I feel about this picture but, Aaron loves his son so much... and Toby loves his Dad. Not that this is notable, because really, isn't that how it works? But the love they have for each other isn't what I expected. I always knew Aaron would be a great dad but I didn't expect for him to be such a natural parent. It comes really easy for him. And it's evident.

Playing "Three-Billy-Goats-Gruff" with Mimi. He adores his Mimi-Goose.

No, we're not keeping him caged all the time. He loved it in there. He pretended to walk around like a chicken. It was hilarious!

Oops, watch out for that... "mud"

There is nothing like Mimi's baked goods.

"And then I said, 'Duh, to get to the other side.'"

 

Top Ten Tuesday: Vacation Fun

Aaron had school vacation last week so I took the week off to be home with him. We threw around ideas of going a few places but, when everything was said and done, we stuck close to home and scratched some projects off our to-do lists. Below are ten of the many things we did during our April vacation.

10. Eat, eat, eat! We kicked off vacation by going out for a nice dinner and made elaborate meals all week.We (re)discovered bruschetta; I'd hadn't tried it before, boy-oh-boy, it's dangerous.

9. Went to Portland to celebrate my Pepe's 88th birthday.
8. On one of the rainy days we lazed around with the boys and we did "nothing." I love "nothing days."

7. I read a book one day and started another a few days later. I bought and finished the memoir, This is Not the Story You Think it is: A Season of Unlikely Happiness by Laura Munson. It was amazing and, true to its title, it wasn't what I thought it would be. I loved it. I later started The Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick. I'm about halfway through and so far so good.
6. Aaron made two bird houses from some wood we had laying around and we're going to decorate them for an upcoming "date night."

Almost finished... They just need to be sanded and have tops added then we can decorate them!

5. We had our friends (and their Chihuahua) over for burgers on the grill.
4. Yard work, Yard work, Yard work!
3. I did quite a bit of crafting. I find that so relaxing and therapeutic.
2. We had our stumps removed!!! Finally! Since the trees fell in February we've been waiting for everything to dry out enough to have them removed. The nice people at Stumps Are Us drilled them out.

1. We started the shopping for our landscaping ideas. Yikes! What a job that is going to be.