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!!

Parley...zoom zoom zoom

Dean finally pulled out the camera the other day and took some pics of Parley. He is really getting around well, but hasn't quite started walking. He has taken a few steps, but that is is so far! :-)

He loves to stand up though and he can stand for a long time, he usually gets quite the grin and you can tell he is pretty proud of himself!

I have to love this picture. A few hours with dad, a dirty face, a bruised head, and having so much fun!!! I confess the bruise was from an earlier fall, but it was funning coming home to this face. He loves to hang out with Dad and even says the little Da Da Da. It is pretty cute and you can tell he is trying to say Dad! He does the same for Mom too! :-) (He likes to stare people down with his mouth open... he gets that from me i guess)

Garden Pics 2009

I know that it has been quite a while since i put anything on my blog, but i have been very busy as you can see. I enrolled in school, got a new calling at church, helping out with my brother's new baby, trying to get these gardens up and running and doing the everyday things like laundry, changing diapers, watching my super cute little boy and all that jazz! So anyway, here are the pics of the garden as it stands right now and hopefully there will be more delightful pictures of lots of things growing very soon!! :-)
Okay, so here is the little map of my garden that i might have gotten a bit carried away with when i decided to do up a little map on the computer.... now i have 8x10 glossy colored copies of each raised bed with the all the little details of the garden. We shall see if this is helpful or a bad idea in the end.

Here are the tomato starts that i recently got and they are doing quite well and look very healthy, but i only have two to three weeks before i have to get them in the ground or they won't do so well. I put them outside during the day and inside at night for now.

Here are two of the raised beds with them all plotted out into 1x1' squares ready for planting. Don't they look great!! :-)

here are the other two raised beds. One is a double decker because we are planting carrots and potatoes in that bed. These are not finished yet as you can see, but are getting super close. Hopefully tonight. I am also putting in little stepping stones between the boxes and tiny pebbles to go around the stones, just so it looks delightful! I hope they grow well.

Gardening 2009

So i am super excited this year about my garden. I got Dean to build me some raised beds after Sarah and I plotted them out. We have 4 4ftx8ft raised beds, 3 6" tall and one 12" tall. We feel like we are part of a revolution or something. Almost everyone in our neighborhood is planting a garden. It is super exciting!! Last year i just planted tomatoes and a few other things in pots, but this year we are getting a bit more adventurous. Anyway, there will be pictures to follow soon!! :-)

The Fun Begins! ;-)

Here is a little video of Parley crawling! He has been crawling for a little while. First he started out with the military tummy crawl thing then got up on his hands and knees. I was pretty excited at first, but then i realized my job just suddenly got a bit harder.... he some how knows exactly where to go to get into the most trouble and danger and it is surprising how fast they can move once they crawl. Yesterday i spent a few hours as a spotter while he was trying to balance himself standing up holding onto the laundry basket, toy basket, etc. Funny thing though, he still can't really sit. Apparently he has no time for such things, always must be on the move, that seems to be his personality! :-)

Potty Training Adventures!!

I know what you are thinking, is she crazy?? Parley is only about 6 months now. That is what i would have said too, but here is the story. So about a month ago I was holding Parley in the rocking chair and realized that he was trying to poo. As i sat there thinking that I would need to change that when he was done, it all of the sudden occured to me that i didn't want to change a poopy diaper, go figure! So instead of waiting for him to poo, i went and put him on the toilet and he went in the toilet without any trouble. After that success i decided that everytime i noticed him trying to poop, i would do the same and save myself from a poopy mess. Then after a couple more times of catching him pooping and setting him on the toilet, i decided why wait until i catch him pooping. So then i started putting him on the toilet everytime I changed his diaper. I was amazed at the results. It kinda feels like an experiment!! :-) Anyway, so now it has been about a month and i haven't had any poopy diapers. He pees and poops in the toilet and I don't have to wait for a long time, he just goes when i put him on the toilet. If he doesn't have to go, then he wiggles himself off and will fuss a little. Then i just put him back in his diaper. I honestly think he is starting to hold it though. He still wets in his diaper, but he will go in the toilet as well. Also as a result I have been noticing more of what is going on with him and paying more attention to how often i take him potty. Not that i didn't pay attention before, but i didn't notice as much. So it is pretty cool and thought i would share this with all of you. It really hasn't been much work, in fact it has been less because i don't have to clean poopy diapers. I never thought that the elimination method or whatever it is called would work, but i guess that is kinda what i am doing. I have never read anything about it, so i am not sure. I have just been making it up as i go along. If it helps him to be potty trained a bit sooner, well then i guess it is worth it to me!! :-)

Parley and the Monkey Toes!

A few weeks ago... okay it has probably been a couple months now, Parley discovered how yummy his toes taste and now every time he gets a chance, when his diaper is off, he loves to suck on his toes! I finally got some pictures of it and now i am finally posting it, after a long silence on my blog! I have been busy with our Best Loved Baby website and after i am done working on that for the day, i don't want to see a computer for a while.

From LDS Daily Gems!

I really like this and thought i would share it!

"I take great delight in my role as a nurturer, which allows me to express my deepest identity as a woman. I never fail to be struck by the way that women, young women, and even little girls seem to have an instinctive interest and ability in nurturing. It is not only a mother's primary responsibility but also part of our 'individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose' ("The Family: A Proclamation to the World," Ensign, Nov. 1995, 102). To nurture is to teach, to foster development, to promote growth, to feed, and to nourish. Who would not shout for joy at being given such a blessed role? "The scriptures use the word nurture only twice and in both cases speak of the responsibility of parents to raise their children 'in the nurture and admonition of the Lord' (Ephesians 6:4; Enos 1:1).Susan W. Tanner, "My Soul Delighteth in the Things of the Lord," Ensign, May 2008, 82

Attack of the Killer Baby!

Here is Parley in his new pajamas from Grandma Peterson. We thought this video was pretty funny! Grandma Post is in the background talking and Parley is playing with his little duck. Just at the end is the funniest part! :-)

Christmas with the Simmons

So we had a really fun Christmas and it was even a white Christmas, which i felt was a nice bonus! Dean and I went up to Port Orchard and spent the night with Dean's parents and Grandma Post! There was so much snow we weren't sure we would be able to make it out there, but we managed. There was such a nice yard full of snow when we got there that the boys set in making a snow fort. When we arrived Barry had already started work on it with Isabella and Genevieve. Dean jumped right in with the work crew, i am pretty sure he didn't even come into the house until it was finished. I watched from the window with Parley. It was nice though, even from the window, it brought back some memories for me of making a big old snow fort with my Dad and all the kids. So here are the glorious pictures of the fort they constructed.

Christmas Eve we ate Christmas cookies and sat around and visited while the kids played in the snow. It was the first time that I was able to meet Bill's wife Sarah and her three girls (Genevieve, Isabella, & Josephine). Bill is in the military and they moved around a lot. Right now Bill is in Korea, but we got to chat with him online. It was really nice to meet them all and get to know them better. Then we had a nice dinner over at Grandma's house and Dean and I sat down for a game of Sequence with Grandma. First Grandma won, she is a real tricky player and then I won the second round. Then we finally settled in for the night. The next morning we got up and opened the stockings and some gifts from Mom and Dad Simmons. We also opened a package from Grandma Peterson. We thought about staying one more day, but the weather reports kept threatening more snow and we didn't want to get stuck there, so we headed back home that night. When we got home Sarah's kids opened there other presents. They were all lobbying that we go home too instead of stay another night because they really wanted to open their presents. Dean and I cheated and opened ours before we left. :-) I knew Dean couldn't wait, after all last year he woke me up at 5:30 in the morning on Christmas Eve to open our presents, so for the sake of my sleep i decided to open them up before we left.

Bringing in the Christmas spirit...

I think the above pictures speak for themselves! :-)

This is a little tradition from my family. We always made paper chains as kids. Some would end up decorating the tree or be hung from the walls, but it was a fun thing for me and reminds me of Christmas in the past and good family fun memories! So this year i made some paper chains to help bring in that special Christmas spirit. What are some of your christmas memories and or traditions?

I was tagged by Mel!
Here are the rules:
1 - List the person(s) who tagged you
2 - Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours
3 - Tag fellow 5 bloggers

Quirk #1: I am not sure how to explain this quirk, but i like to lean on , put my feet on, sit on, hang on, or put my head on my siblings, family, friends etc. I used to do this a lot to my brothers and have occasionally done it to a perfect stranger accidentally. Those were kinda embarrassing moments. I guess it is my way of showing my love!! ;-)

Quirk #2: I like to play a game called "scenario masters" as my husband calls it. This game involves me making up scenarios in my head of conversations with people and figuring out various ways to respond to something another person might say. This could be somebody i do or don't like, but usually i do this while driving or walking or doing mundane tasks. Sometimes it is a person i would really like to give a piece of my mind, or when i was younger, some guy i would really like to talk with. It all started while i delivered newspapers as a kid. I would get bored and so my mind would start to wonder and I would usually end up deeply engaged in a game of scenario masters. Often i am talking out loud, so when i happen upon a person while walking for example sometimes it can be embarrassing. However, usually i don't know if I am talking out loud or just in my head... one can never tell.

Quirk #3: I am a habitual saver of receipts. You know when they ask if you want it in the bag or with you, i always say with me. I dutifully stuff it in my wallet with the growing stack of other reciepts. When this first started i always planned on keeping track of them and balancing my check book or something that i for some reason felt compelled to do because my mother told me to, but i obviously missed the point of her lesson because I eventually throw them out when they start to burst out of my wallet and in my mind rationalize that I am too far behind and will start fresh with my next batch of receipts. I know there is a good sound financial reason for keeping these in order to track spending, but I decided to hire an accountant to do this for me, my husband!! :-) Unfortunately i still have not been able to kick the habit even though my husband doesn't use my receipts.

Quirk #4: I have a rather short attention span, or maybe i just get bored quickly. At any rate i have multiple stacks of unfinished crochet projects. Don't get me wrong, I have finished a few, but those were mostly scarves or hats or very small lap blankets.... actually when you think about it all those blankets i started have just been downsized into dish cloths. Nevermind this isn't a quirk at all! :-)

Quirk #5: When i was in high school and probably still now I had the quirk of making half a comment in a class or something and then would pause and try to figure out where the heck i was going with that thought and then would finish or occasionally would not. I just collect my thoughts and phrase my sentences and speak at the same time and sometimes the collecting/filtering of thoughts is a bit slower then my mouth. I think i have gotten better at this, but I realized this is why my mouth often gets me into trouble. It doesn't like to wait for the collecting and filtering before it starts blirting things out!

Quirk #6: I love to change the channel. I am the worst person to hold the control or be the one who controls the stations in the car. I have to go through all my favorite station, just to make sure i am not missing a song or show that i like. Sometimes i like a song, but i have to check the other station to make sure there isn't one that i like more on another station. So anyway it is a blissful ride when i am alone in the car, but maybe pure torture for anyone else!

Emalee, Bronwyn, Helena, Erin Horn

I Love Thanksgiving!!

Back at the farm again.... kinda! ;-)

Patiently awaiting dinner while playing some traditional bored or i mean board games!

This is a real contemplative moment.... how can we get that turkey to cook faster??

I really enjoy Thanksgiving and all the yummy food!! This year was especially fun because my three brothers came, two of whom are married. So my sister and I and three of our brothers got together and we had a really awesome time playing games and cooking food and spending time together. It was really nice to see them all and catch up on things. Sarah and I finally got to meet Johan's wife, Megan. We love her!! Anyway is was all very nice but mostly it is really nice to spend time with family.

My two super cute fellows!!

Dean was messing around with a new style while shaving... he thought it as pretty funny, but i thought it looked pretty awesome!! ;-))

ZZzzzz... zzZzzz...

I love those wide eyes!

see... he looks pretty handsome right! I was thinking a cowboy hat and wow, look out Marlboro man, just as handsome without the black lungs!!! ;-) hehe

I love my hubbardy! :-)

Here is Parley's Halloween costume! Some sort of skinny jack-o-lantern! Anyway, we had to sport the cute pumpkin baby legs from auntie Samara and the onsie from Gina D! :-)