the cabin by the pond

ian said, "mom, now i'm not scared of the cabin, because i saw that's there's no ghost inside like emmie said there was."
last saturday was free museum day in utah.  i knew because my visiting teacher told me so.  she knew because she and other daughters of the utah pioneers were fixing up the cabin by the pond to get it ready for saturday.  they flung open the door and window, cleaned away all the spiders and even served cookies, soda and tootsie rolls.

it was fun and informative.  i had no idea that davy crocket helped build the salem pond fort, the boys were very excited about that fact.  i just hope that we were not the only ones to enjoy the opportunity, because those ladies really put in a lot of work.

austin's goat

that's right, a goat. and yes, it is austin's goat. i've decided i will not claim her. she ate one of our grape plants, she invaded my chickens' coop and ate all their food, whenever she gets out she goes right for the raspberries, she has sharp little horns and when she pushes against my leg it HURTS, and she has stepped on lydia a couple of times in her excitement to play so they're not friends anymore either. but she is adorable. that for now is her saving grace. plus she loves me, i think she's really hoping we can be friends, she follows me everywhere and when i scratch her sides she gets this look on her face like it's pure bliss.

 

i had to put the chicken feeder on top of the coop to keep it goat free.  when she gets big enough to jump up there -and she will : (  -i'm hoping by then she will be too big to get into the coop and i can put it back in there for the chickens.  yes, i spend much of my time trying to outsmart a goat.

this is our new rooster, zues.  the children love the chickens, but the other day fiona said to austin, "zues is always lying on top of the other chickens"  she thinks he's kind of mean.  i'm not looking forward to the day she realizes what he's doing.  like the white rabbit said in disgust, "they do their 'shookim' out in public, i had to avert my eyes!"  i wish zues would do his 'shookim' more discreetly as well.

september is my least fav month in my favorite part of the year

well, that about sums up this month. it's been somewhat of a nightmare at times, but we are making it through and there have been some great moments to enjoy as well.
this past monday was an especially trying afternoon. i ended up in tears and crying on austin's shoulder when he came home. then, out of no where i see this.....

it gave us both a good chuckle.

here are some other things that have helped to have a smile through the trials...

the boys found a caterpillar hanging on our back door, we put it in a jar and the next day is had spun a chrysalis.  10 days later we got a great surprise!  (i was worried, i thought the little guy wasn't going to make it, because of all the trauma of being manhandled and stuffed in a jar)

the north park in spanish fork finally opened and they have installed a splash pad.  it is awesome and the weather was nice enough to let us enjoy it a couple of times.  (the boys were here too, but the camera batteries died before i could get their pics)

one day when i was doing laundry i found this strange creature in my dryer...

i think she's been helping keep the towels nice and fluffy.  when the other children saw these pics they asked if they could get in the dryer too.  maybe tomorrow we'll have some dryer pics of everyone.

this month has also taught me much.  i'm learning that these small joys are truly miracles and heavenly father's way of letting us know that he loves us and he's aware of us.  i feel so loved this month, no matter how bad it's gotten.  and thanks for all the prayers and fasting for lyds.  she seems to be doing so much better and i thought i should  let you all know.  we'll know more specifically in november and keep you posted.  we really appreciate your faith and love.

who's cute

Well, I finally tried something that I've never done before and I can say that it was a learning experience. I learned that I enjoy doing this stuff more just for fun than for a living. I had a booth at the Salem Days fair in the square. I spent the whole day there and it was a bust. It definitely did not go as planned. So now I have many headbands lying around waiting to find a good home. If you are interested let me know. I'd love to hook you up. The upside is that I have many great baby shower and birthday gifts all ready to go. So look out if your bday is on it's way;)