Two Months Old

Hi!  I'm two months old today, can you believe it?  Neither can my mommy! 

Willa Esther! ... the past few months

We have been so blessed these past few months since the birth of our little girl!!  SO much family coming to help - don't know what we would have done without our family helping with the kids, meals, the farm, farmers market, etc. etc.!!  Like I said - so blessed.

Our little girl is just - well - PERFECT.  We are all just smitten.

No more so than her big brother BRUCE!  

Grandma time!

Her favorite place to sleep.  :)

The Werner kids!

Bruce is just enchanted with this new little person.  It just makes my heart melt to watch him with her.  

He loves "holding" her on his lap.  Not sure what the deal is with the glasses here ...

Papa time!

More grandma time!

... and more grandma time!  :)

Me with my kids ... so in love.

Visit from the cousins! 

Welcome Willa Esther!

A week with Grandma!

Bruce has been thoroughly enjoying his time this week with Grandma Betsy!  Mom is staying with us this week - since Gage is helping with Western KS harvest - just in case the baby comes early.  :)

Left Bruce and Grandma playing in the sprinkler this morning as I headed out to work.  :)  Good times!

Father's Day Weekend

I'm a little slow getting Father's Day pictures up, but here they are anyway!  What a great weekend!

Bruce and Papa Don kayaking on the watershed

Bruce throwing rocks with Grandma Betsy (Gage kayaking and fishing in the background)

Emily fishing! 

Rainbow after our THIRD rain of the weekend - yea water!  

I should have taken pictures of the fish fry we had the next day.  :)

The Greatest Show on Earth

We took Bruce to the Ringling Brothers Circus last night, the "Greatest Show on Earth."

There were horses (didn't have my camera out quick enough to get the big horses and camels!)

 There were jugglers

There were acrobats

There were clowns

There were motorcycles

There were contortionists

There were dogs

There were aerialists

There were ELEPHANTS!

Bruce's favorite part?  The toy he got to take home.  :)

Big Boy Bed

We finally got Bruce's Big Boy Bed this weekend!!  He was excited to help daddy put it together.

Tightening the bolts.  :)

So fun to have a bunk bed!

Bruce spent his first night in his new room on Sunday, and slept ALL NIGHT in his new bed!  Last night was another matter, but we will get there eventually.  :)  I spent a lot of Sunday and Monday moving Bruce into his new room, and it is looking really great!  Will post pictures of the completed room soon.

Now, on to the baby's room.  :)

Monster Tomato Plants, but ...

  ... no tomatoes.  Really kinda bummed at this point.  Makes me feel like I don't know what I am doing.  Anyone have any ideas why our high tunnel tomatoes won't set fruit?

I have ruled out overfertilization ... if that were the case, the plants wouldn't have blossoms, and they are COVERED with blossoms.

Can't be a lack of pollinators with our abundance of honey bees.

Too cool at night?

Too hot during the day?

Both possibilities, but hard to be sure.  We should have had fruit set at LEAST two weeks ago.  And we still have nothing.

I don't know, but it sure is frustrating.  We were hoping to have tomatoes in early June.  At this point, the BEST we can hope for is LATE June.  

*sigh*

Oh well, at least I know that at SOME point, we are going to have a LOT of tomatoes.  :)  I was just hoping to have some good farmers market weekends before I am toting a newborn everywhere.  Speaking of, any volunteers to help us with farmers market in July?  :)

Beautiful plants!  Just can't find a single darn tomato.

Here you go.  It helps to place a three-year-old next to them for scale.  :)

Taking Shelter

Lucy thought this was an appropriate place to take shelter from Sunday night's storms.  Just look for the glowing eyes!  We headed to the safe room not long after this ... luckily, no damage.

What I wanted for Mother's Day

It's a sad commentary on state of the drought (and probably on our personal priorities over the past few summers, too ... can we say "work too much?) that our son had never been kayaking.  That's right ... as in NEVER.  Of course last year, this pond was dry.  Totally and completely dry.  It has been almost a year since the creeks around our house have had running water in them.  So now that we have had a little rain, I decided all I wanted to do for mother's day was take my son kayaking!  

Or rather have him go kayaking with Gage, as I decided it was a bad idea for me to have a wiggly 3-year-old in my boat, as my balance is already bad!

Of course he loved it ...

... but probably not as much as he loved throwing rocks in Papa's pond.  What is it with little boys and throwing rocks???

I'm thinking we are going to have to make more time for kayaking in the next few months ... good times!

Around the Farm

A few shots from the farm:

Barefoot boy

Strawberries!

High tunnel tomatoes

Anxiously awaiting the first green tomato!

Our newest addition, "Rooster Cogburn."  (We are taking good care of him, Daisy!  We think he is pretty happy with his new girls!)

Wildflowers by the bridge.  You can't really see, but there is water actually flowing, yes FLOWING in that creek!  Wahoo!

Daddy and Bruce harvesting asparagus  :)