End of School Activities

The school year has been completed. The kids had a whirlwind of tests, assignments, projects and finished with a string of swim lessons, a trip to the amusement park, picnic and awards day, and a field day. Bruce paired up with his friend Easton and Aunt Ashley who is mom to friend Ace. The boys declared their dire hunger around 11 lunch was at 12. She bought them dippin dots. She asked what size Easton requested the large! Lucky Bruce to have such a winsome chaperone. 

Lucky Easton to have such a tall friend as he could not drive the go carts but Bruce easily qualified. Aunt Ashley never looses but the boys still had a great time trying to outrun her. 

I got this picture of Lia very high up on the ropes course. What a great time. 

Aftong went a level higher and braved the ropes course. 

At the awards assembly these cute kiddos were paired up with their cousin friends to also watch. Merle and Myla, and Andrea and Marilla are best friends. 

Afton's class treated us to a quick ukelelei concert to a popular pop song. It was very well done. 

So engaging the audience got up to dance. Those kids could not contain themselves. I loved watching the enthusiasm and youthful vigor. 

Millie got illuminating leader award for leading her reading groups and Livy got most improved English student for how far she has come in the last 4 years. Alivia also got the best mathematician in her grade award. Millie got awards for being a student leader and having a 3.5-3.9 GPA. 

Bruce got awards for Iready most lessons passed and a fitness award. 

The graduating of the 8th grade class. Showing this years quilt donated by Grandma Lori Chamberlain. I love seeing what she designs every year. 

Lia got multiple awards too for being top of her class. Afton did not get any awards and was upset. I had to remind her she performed a skill only her class learned and really entertained the crowd.

The student leaders prepared a pinata for the school kids. Bruce helped deliver the candy to the waiting crowd. Big Dan holds the string and keeps all things taken care of at the school. 

Addie had a lunch date with her 8th grade teacher to receive her 8th grade time capsule letters. She accomplished almost everything on this list. 

And followed the advice her 8th grade self dreamed. Especially the apply for every single scholarship there are many scholarships and she earned a lot from this effort. 

The reunion lunch with her 8th grade class and the teacher Mrs. Bair. 

Millie with the leadership group who run events and provide quick learning opportunities for the other students at Willowcreek.

Reed received many awards at high school too. This is for top auto student in the sophomore grade level. 

He made the varsity science clube. The grit award from PE (only boy to receive that). Math excellence, the hallway nascar champion award for walking so fast everywhere. He cleaned up I think. 

Addie got a handful too. The kids learn the lesson of obedience, working hard, and endurance here at home. Those lessons transfer well to the school environment. They have challenges and successes. Each one has had to keep driving forward and working to overcome the educational stumbling blocks they have. Determination and patient teachers and aids have helped them get to these levels. We are blessed. 
 

Irrigation

Here in the dessert water is critical to get anything to stay alive. On our farm we have added challenges with poor soil types and obstacles like rocks. Not to mention our desire and need to use as little high priced diesel fuel has made us work a little harder this year. The kids spent countless hours and I mean that fully this year on this field. These rows weren't deep enough, the soil is so dry from lack of snow or winter rain means the water just soaked in. So they walked each row of water down the field. Removing cornstalks and clods making sure the rows held their shape and allowed the water to keep flowing full force down the long rows. This was tedious and dirty to say the least. 

While it is good to be outside and we all enjoy the beauty of the great outdoors it was long. Thankfully there are a lot of us and this is only 38 acres.

After 2 years of asking Greg set up the cultivator to shield the corn while digging the rows deeper. I told the kids this is what hope feels like. The deeper rows held the water and we made it halfway downt he field in a little over an hour instead of 4 hours helping the water flow. A spectacular relief and a promise that we may in fact succeed at watering the entire field. 

Because the rest of the farm is primarily pivot irrigated. And this year we even upped our precision with a water point electrification system. This little box provides a charge to the water which in turn allows it to better soak and stay in the soil. We are very excited by this sales point. Oddly enough it can not get wet. So we had to set-up a better drainage system at our pump station. A kind neighbor came with his backhoe to help.

While the backhoe digs efficiently it also digs a lot and we found pipes and wires we didn't know were in the ground. In short the big dig created big problems. This is Tueday afternoon for reference. 

The broken pipe. Greg found 2 drain pipes however they were silted shut as our ditch has grown cat tails which back up the water and stop the outflow. 

Thankfully we have a pump to help keep the water down while figuring out solutions and fine tuning the dig. 

Some dads play with their kids, some never see their kids. This dad works with his kids all the time. Bruce is resting in the mud this is probably 10:30 at night or later. 

Oh we were so thankful for all the help digging Greg's legs were so cramped at this point all day shoveling mud and dirt is tedious. They worked all day Wednesday and Thursday to get this back together. Harold came one night and was an angel of Mercy for his dad. 

They installed new and old pieces only to realized the old pieces needed to be fully replaced and done right so this would last another 20 years. So they redug and replaced. Harold also suggested Greg take mustard after a sleepless night of cramping. We have watched the football players over the years guzzle that on the sidelines. It did in fact work well for Greg too. 

Jake and I going to check on kids or a pivot or both. 

Jake is pretty content in his stroller and the kids are happy to play with him for a while. I'm thankful for both. He will sit and wait for quite a while, while I work and do what I need/want to do outside. 

We live in  a beautiful country. We are able to experience the seasons in real time. We are always working striving to survive. I wonder and get extremely frustrated, tired, and angry at the difficulty. The pictures don't do justice to the raw exertion from most of the family during these days, and the days and days into weeks of irrigating that still has to be fought as few rows made it to the end. Farming is work. It is hour after hour of work. I wonder why we do this? I wonder what the point is of our life choices to be fighting nature still. I marvel how long lasting choices are. Fields that were never completely leveled. Choosing not to do a job- cleaning the canal. Many other choices that have long term consequences. Yet I hear the children come in after 11 pm running in the house laughing and smiling. And see the accomplishments of the older ones and think well they know how to work and not quit. They know you have to figure out solutions. They know what teamwork is. They are valued and able. They are strong, they don't have workouts they have daily living. I read their papers they write for school and they say they are loved. They are, I'm glad they feel that way. 

So we keep going. We keep working to grow little plants. We learn and teach lessons. The kids figure gospel truth out like there are right and wrong ways to do jobs. We have to remove obstacles from our life to feel the spirit or God's love. Life is better when we work together. So in spite of the trouble it is good. God is good, he does hear our prayers, he blesses us with inspiration, beauty and opportunity. We are blessed. 


 

Beginnings and Adulting

After much anticipation and months of waiting. The high chair is out back in its spot and a new baby is watching the world from its seat. Jake likes to chew on things so the silicone ladle was big and colorful and slightly entertaining for a few minutes. The pill bottle is an easy rattle he didn't take to. 

Avacado and green beans. He didn't do much with this but he did like pushing it around. There is so much to learning to eat. And they don't make the bibs I used with all my other kids. We got this heavy duty one we shall see how long it lasts. I had forgotten how hard food is on clothes. 

He learned to blow a spitty kind of action with his lips. He's so cute. He also got two bottom teeth maybe that's part of the drooling. 

And then I have moments like these with these adults completely independent and awesome. And my heart swells enough to make me cry a bit and I'm so so thankful to be a mom. To go from the total dependence that is so hard and long to watching them make the world a better place. To watching them have true joy and happiness. It is so comforting to my soul and wondering if being a mom is worth anything. 

My sons. Oh my sons. There have been so many tears for, with, from, and about you. From health concerns- mine and yours, to discipline and correcting you and me, worries and regret and fear for agency there is a lot that goes into raising kids. Yet here they are fun, smart, confident ready to make their own lives. That is so fulfilling. I love these big men. I love that they testify of gospel truth to each other as they learn by experience how generous God is. I love that they share counsel on how to be a missionary, how to work out better, and probably other things I don't hear about. I love how they tease me and yet still love me. I love their strong hugs and the happiness I see in their faces and words. These are good men. And the small one has a great heritage to follow. Life is good. 

 

the real tractor baby

It's that time of year to turn dirt. While we mostly watched from the house one or two days we hopped in the green machine and did our turn. Jake joined in. The carrier was critical to secure him and free my hands. 

He did well on my lap only adjusting the throttle on the arm rest near me a couple of times. No toes were burned in this outing. We have to be very aware of these fair skinned children that live in my house. 

Merle ready to ride. He is a patient rider who sits as long as the machines are on. He is also a very handy helper. When I would unearth a fence post he could get out and carry it out of the field. He's strong and cautious in his 6 year old body. I was very thankful for his help. 

Jake asleep tucked into the carrier with hat on head to prevent a sneaky tractor sunburn.

Trying to help. The neighbor has llamas Jake and Andrea thought those were pretty fun to watch while we worked near their fields. 

Each  year is a different situation. I haven't drove tractor with such a young baby before. I probably won't again. I'm thankful I still can. 

The days are beautiful and the season is calling my heart. Sitting with my favorite people in the big tractor, watching Greg planting seeds a ways away in the same field is truly a peaceful feeling. There is a lot of work ahead. There will be and are many prayers for pricing, fuel, safety, and protection. So many variables and big consequences with each day. Yet it is in the very weight of the opportunity that we grow and become. I hear my kids come in at night after long days. Days where I also hear the insults, the frustrations, and see the problems happening and being fixed. I hear them come in happy, confident and joking with each other. Even racing in the door. How do they do that after all the other things they did in the day? Youth is beautiful. But it is in those night time returns I know the work and all the differences that are us, are ok. We are abundantly blessed and so thankful for the life we are able to live. 
 

Biography Project

Bruce completed the annual biography project. He chose George Washington. I made him read two more books on Mr. Washington, even though Bruce assured me he knew enough from the one he prepared in class. I did help him spell check and enlarge some portions of his poster. He completed the rest in class. I'm thankful for these projects that stretch the kids and make them think outside their current reading interests and knowledge base. 

Cousin Eloise was Susan B. Anthony. 

This is what I'm learning and doing. Adjusting to a hungry wanting to do more baby at 6 mos. He is not always happy in fact he is more adamant than ever how life should be. 

After the resisted naps. He's much more pleasant. 

He thinks food looks interesting and might be worth trying. I thought this was funny he was trying to get to the ice cream and brownies. He is a smart kid. 

Everybody is advancing and growing in experience and understanding. We are thankful for health and strength and daily bread/sweets. Life is so good.