at home

I missed posting at the end of last week for a good reason. It was due to sheer exhaustion following a day's events. My children and I rose before the sun (something that hasn't happened pretty much since we moved here to Idaho) instead of our usual 9 -10 am and dropped Kevin off at work. As hard as it was to wake up that morning, it reminded me of just how much I do like starting my days off early. I feel so much more alive when I do. We then took the hour long drive to Glenns Ferry to go support our friend's daughter in the Elmore County Fair. We had such a blast cheering her on. She is such a natural with her pigs and apparently it wasn't just obvious to my children and I - she won overall grand champion that day.

When our friend's daughter was in between classes we spent most of our time loving on the sheep. I look forward to that day when we can have some of our own. My children look forward to this, too, and were begging me to buy them a sheep that was for sale there. If we didn't have a cubicle sized yard and strict housing rules on base I would have gone for it and sneaked him in. I doubt Kevin would have even batted an eye upon our arrival home with it. Eh, what's one more animal to our current count of eleven? But I will remain patient and wait for the right time to begin our flock. While I wait I'll just keep up with my knitting skills and practice spinning and natural dyeing more.

I honestly wasn't very sure of how Baby F would handle being out all day. I was expecting him to be quite upset with the whole thing but boy, did he prove me wrong. He was so at home up on me in the baby carrier listening to the pigs, sheep, alpacas and goats. He never slept so well nor smiled as much as he did that day. I think he was trying to tell us something. Alright, Baby F if we must have our dream homestead to make you happy, I guess we will. *Wink. wink* 

Much to the dismay of my children we had to leave the fair before the carnival rides opened up. We had arrived there at eight in the morning and I knew we weren't going to last until five. Plus we had to pick up Kevin at work. I decided to make up for it with something my children had never had before - shaved ice. They looked at me in amazement when I offered it to them. K kept saying, "But Mama, it's just chemicals and food coloring!" Not that she didn't want it, but she just couldn't believe I was offering it!

As we said good-bye to our friends and packed up to leave K told me that she had so much fun that day and that she will never forget it. I asked her why and she said it was because she got to cheer on her friend and eat shaved ice for the first time in her life. Her siblings nodded in agreement. Days like these are my favorite. Simple, laid back and spent with friends, animals and the people I love most in this world.
p.s. This happened about ten seconds into the car ride home and lasted until we carried him into the house:

at home