Chickens!!

This is the rooster that has since passed on! This is blacky, the mystery chicken.
The chopping block...dun, dun, dun!!This is the rooster which passed on, and yes he was yummy!

Our first egg!!

Porter Holland

Born June 23rd at 3:30 am. He was 9 lbs 10 oz. Porter was born very peacefully, besides mommy screaming, at home in a birthing tub. Contractions started around 10 am and then progressed all day. They started to get pretty intense at about 6 or 7 and so I called Dean to come home and my sister Sarah came over. Then about an hour later I called my awesome midwife Dawn. She got here about 9 and then a bit later she checked me and I was at a ten, but my water hadn't broken yet. A little bit later I asked her to break my water and she did and then in a couple more contractions I felt the urge to push and then after a bit of pushing Porter finally came out. He was beautiful and looked so chubby and cute!! I held him on my chest for a little bit and then once the cord stopped pulsing we cut the cord. Then I climbed into bed and snuggled up with my baby and Dad. Then we slept for the rest of the night and in the morning Parley came home to meet his new brother. It was the hardest thing I have ever done, but very cool too. I felt so much better emotionally and mentally stronger after this birth then my first. I guess I felt more in control, like I was the one guiding the experience instead of feeling like I was just there and didn't really have any say or control of the situation. It was very peaceful and calm and it was so nice to curl up in my bed and go to sleep. It was amazing and the more I reflect on it the more amazing it seems to me.

Parley and the Tractor

Garden Harvesting Fun!

I love gardening and am having so much fun seeing new things growing each day. Almost everyday i pick some vegetables and saute them with butter, olive oil, and some spices. It is a delicious treat!! Here are some pictures of some of the things I have harvested. I have been storing stuff away a little bit, but we eat a lot too. Today we pulled up 3 square feet of carrots, which was about 48 carrots, minus the ones we pulled up in the last couple weeks. Also we harvested the potatoes from our pots. We planted some in about 12" round pots that wouldn't fit in the raised bed. I wanted to see how they were growing so i dug them up and there were quite a few red and yellow pototoes in all the pots. They are just the right size for roasting. I threw some in with the sauted veggies today and Kohl loved it. Anyway, we are now just starting to plant our fall crops and a few things that will be ready by the end of the summer like radishes. We are just having a good time gardening!

School Around the Corner

So i finally got everything together for school, i think. I am enrolled this summer in Biology and Organic Chemistry. i think this could be a mistake to try to conquer two classes that i didn't do so well in during high school. I usually take on one per semester/quarter at a time, but this time i decided to really kill myself or something. My husband just got called as the Elder's Quorum President and so he will be pretty busy with that calling and will not be taking classes this summer. Initially i thought i should do as much as i could during the summer because Dean would not be in class, but now that didn't work out the way i planned because he got a new calling. So then i was thinking about waiting until the Fall or later to start, but then a sweet friend who offered to help out and babysit Parley a couple days per week so that i can be in class and Dean can fill his calling. So it looks like it will all work out and i can go ahead with school. It is very exciting. Today i had to finish a couple things and turn in some more forms and i happen to run into a good friend at the desk and then met with a great advisor who was super helpful and got everything together for me. It is really nice to come across those people who are just really helpful and a blessing!!

Midwifery

So today was an amazing day!! I had the priviledge of being present at my sister's delivery. It was so cool!! I was serving as her doula kinda. I am not really a doula yet and i probably didn't help too much, but i was just there to help and support her during her labor and delivery in any way that i could. I hope that i was some help. Anyway, I don't want to spoil any blogging or telling that she might do, so i will leave out the details until later, but it was probably the coolest thing i have ever seen and she was awesome and her little baby is beautiful!!

Anyway, I am just starting school again this summer to finish a few required classes and then apply to the Seattle Midwifery Program. I will be going at the same time as my sister Sarah. This was a wonderful experience for me to have in preparation for school and just in general it was really cool. There is something pretty amazing and spiritual about seeing a baby being born, it made me cry! I guess that must be because the veil is so thin when that sweet baby is being born!

Beautiful Music!!