tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72822687937048583622024-03-13T19:24:15.774-07:00AyersinAnzaOur out in the country adventures...The Ayershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00446048294979345202noreply@blogger.comBlogger63125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7282268793704858362.post-24805777059853991872013-07-02T20:54:00.001-07:002013-07-02T20:54:33.275-07:00Milking a goat<p dir=ltr>OK I'm going to explain step by step the process of milking the goat. I don't know how to do it with captions by each individual picture. So I'm going to put it all out there then the group of pictures will come after the whole explanation.<br>
1: take 2 bowls out to the milking station. One for collecting milk (stainless steel) and one full of water with iodine in it. <br>
2: before going out to milk, fill up a large pot of ice packs and water<br>
3: when you get out to the barn, your goat just jumps into the milk stand because you put the bucket of grain on the stand. This is a typical milk stand/station. You can buy them or make them, its a very basic build.<br>
4. When she's on the stand, take the cloth from the iodine  bowl and wipe her down. This just gets all the debris/dirt from the day off of her teats.<br>
5. Now milk one squirt from each teat into a mug. Give it a good look and smell it. You never want to not do this. Squirting the first squirt out into a separate cup is important. This let's you smell it and look at it and make sure its not sour or lumpy. This could be a sign of mastitis. Every first squirt that I've done has been fine.<br>
6. Let the milking begin. There is a certain way to do your hands, its not like in the cartoons! But milk until her teats are all squeezed out. Notice how raisin-y they look when they're empty compared to how full they were before milking?<br>
7. Strain he milk into mason jars and place the mason jar in the ice cold pot of water. We double strain it and putting it in ice cold water gets it down to a freezing temperature. This takes the place of pasteurizing or boiling. <br>
LOVE our raw unpasteurized goat milk!</p>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-WgqJrKQeAU4/UdDHqX31LOI/AAAAAAAABYU/tRwnOLZZXxA/s1600/20130629_154542.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-WgqJrKQeAU4/UdDHqX31LOI/AAAAAAAABYU/tRwnOLZZXxA/s640/20130629_154542.jpg"> </a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Mz6bZWk7sGE/UdDHra9sSdI/AAAAAAAABYc/h77m3RstBkc/s1600/20130629_150324.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Mz6bZWk7sGE/UdDHra9sSdI/AAAAAAAABYc/h77m3RstBkc/s640/20130629_150324.jpg"> </a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-4ao4jboQiWk/UdDHsbiX2kI/AAAAAAAABYk/DHttEVuQlso/s1600/20130629_150320.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-4ao4jboQiWk/UdDHsbiX2kI/AAAAAAAABYk/DHttEVuQlso/s640/20130629_150320.jpg"> </a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-xaoweyaTt2Y/UdDHtiflQbI/AAAAAAAABYs/s1600/20130629_141910.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-xaoweyaTt2Y/UdDHtiflQbI/AAAAAAAABYs/s640/20130629_141910.jpg"> </a> </div>The Ayershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00446048294979345202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7282268793704858362.post-91769862623525254042013-06-27T14:12:00.001-07:002013-06-27T16:22:09.504-07:00Recently<p dir=ltr>I guess you could say we are just plugin along with our small scale farming lifestyle. About 3 months ago we started milking our goat full time. Yeay! This has been a great accomplishment for us and one of the big reasons we moves up here. Leaving palm desert, we pictured having fresh eggs, goat milk and a big garden. The chickens and gardens just come with work and time. Buy chickens, wait for them to lay eggs. Next, read a bunch of crap on how to garden, figure out what and how you wan to plant, and see what happens. Gardening is a ton of work, but worth it. Now, getting a goat that may or may not be pregnant, or buy a "breading pair" so they can love each other and get pregnant, or buy a goat that's supposedly already pregnant and wait and see what happens... all of these above mentioned steps may just get you nowhere and in fact we have done all of the above and it got us nowhere. In fact it got us to hate goats. But that happened because who knows, the first pair of goats we ever purchased turned out to be very difficult. So the one thing that worked for us was actually buying a pregnant goat that was literally about to have a baby any day. And we, being goat retarded, apparently needed that as our only option. Look at her and know without a doubt that she is surely about to give birth. And that my friends ended up working out us. One morning I went out to the barn to feed and there was a tiny wet baby that had literally just came into the world and a first time deer in the headlights mama.<br>
Lots of details and months went by and waalaahh we are drinking fresh goat milk and are loving it. I will have to do a milking post next.<br>
I would've been fine with goats and chickens but Nathan wanted to raise pigs again for the delicious meat and he also convinced me that raising turkeys would be fun. Haha. Well in his defense, two years ago we bought a full grown turkey to fatten up for Thanksgiving and we did love how funny and cool the turkey's personality was. Yes I know, why become emotionally attached at all when raising animals for meat? In my experience, especially with what I teach my kids, I think it is almost necessary to love these animals. We are giving these animals a far better life than they would EVER have if they were being commercially raised to be sold on our supermarket shelves. So I say, love them, name them, have fun with them, and know that God put them on this earth for us to have dominion over and also for us to respect.<br>
Here are a few recent pics.</p>
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</p>
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text-align: center;"> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-8XLv_nMMZoA/UcoSJj_3pkI/AAAAAAAABWs/SSABBlwocPU/s1600/20130620_190833.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-8XLv_nMMZoA/UcoSJj_3pkI/AAAAAAAABWs/SSABBlwocPU/s640/20130620_190833.jpg"> </a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-p--aUzQ3DiU/UcoSKpE8OfI/AAAAAAAABW0/gJv78OgBEKY/s1600/20130621_103627.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-p--aUzQ3DiU/UcoSKpE8OfI/AAAAAAAABW0/gJv78OgBEKY/s640/20130621_103627.jpg"> </a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-kfqhNxAiZ3k/UcoSLhjN_KI/AAAAAAAABW8/FH0odVY1l5M/s1600/20130620_174843.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-kfqhNxAiZ3k/UcoSLhjN_KI/AAAAAAAABW8/FH0odVY1l5M/s640/20130620_174843.jpg"> </a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-m2jxVSrK2XY/UcoSM1irH8I/AAAAAAAABXE/tl1x_u-6kv8/s1600/20130620_162711.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-m2jxVSrK2XY/UcoSM1irH8I/AAAAAAAABXE/tl1x_u-6kv8/s640/20130620_162711.jpg"> </a> </div>The Ayershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00446048294979345202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7282268793704858362.post-19260440480762773052012-12-28T10:49:00.001-08:002012-12-28T10:54:37.417-08:00Teas, tinctures, and healing<div><p>Ok, I don't think I've ever written about it, but Colt gets this really dry barking cough every time the season changes. It's really bad in like March and November. It also comes and goes throughout the winter a couple more times. When he was 1 yr old I took him to the Dr for it and she prescribed him an inhaler. She almost treated it like asthma, and mentioned that a lot of kids get these asthma like coughs but grow out of them so they aren't considered asthma really. Anyway, so for the first couple years, I would just rely on the inhaler treatment for him. Then when he was about 4, he would get the cough and nothing would make it better. I would literally just have to wait until it got so bad that he got a fever with it, then I'd call the Dr and she would write me a prescription for antibiotics. That would instantly solve it. So from 4 yrs to just the last 18 months, I would rely heavily on that prescription of antibiotics. Well last March, a year ago, I got into Do Terra essential oils. With essential oils you can make your own antibiotics by dropping the oils into the tiny capsules. So, by learning about them and going to a few different classes and asking a lot of questions, I decided I was going to heal Colt's next cough. It was scary going into it relying totally on natural healing but many homemade capsules, rubbing oils on feet, and diffusing oils in the air later, He got completely better! His cough went away without a Dr. Prescription! Yeay. I'm not against doctors or modern medicine. Hello, Colt is able to get synthetic growth hormones every night because of wonderful technology and research and doctors. I don't know how we would be without those growth hormones. That's another post all in itself of how amazing his life became bacause of those. Anyway, I just get to thinking, what if there comes a time when I don't have access to a doctor or a quick prescription? I'd like to be able to make my own antibiotics to save my family from illness if need be. So then, after healing his cough a few times with oils, I got to thinking, well, what if I can't just go out and buy a bunch of bottles of oils!? I know, as if that wasn't cool enough right? So I started talking to this girl at school who is getting her herbalist license. She gave me this catalog of mountain rose herbs and I picked her brain about all the herbal teas and cough syrups I could make myself for Colt's cough. Soooo.... Lo and behold, my herbal cough remedies. With the help of weird herbs like astragalus, licorice root, cherry bark, and mullien leaf, I turned the kitchen into my own little herbal workshop. And with lots of help from Mr Google and a little will power, I had colt drinking funny teas and taking herbal cough syrup all day. And yes, once again his cough was healed without a Dr prescription!! I love knowing that in a hard time, or emergency I can make my own antibiotics for my family. I also want to eventually learn how to grow my own herbal healing garden. I just want to not have to be dependant on something so simple as an antibiotic because that is sometimes the only thing that saves a life from an illness. </p>
<br/><img src='http://lh5.ggpht.com/-guLH7fKP_HU/UN3q5_-M4vI/AAAAAAAABTA/NsALuvC1elU/IMAG1997.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh6.ggpht.com/-NmQUPbUDMaY/UN3q68G1ZBI/AAAAAAAABTI/qW7NHMO1y7I/IMAG2063.png' /></div>The Ayershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00446048294979345202noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7282268793704858362.post-79012847546099420522012-12-28T10:26:00.001-08:002012-12-28T10:27:37.076-08:00Pro Award<div><p>I was so proud of Colt when he got the PRO award at school. Each semester the teacher picks one kid out of her class to get this award. It's the People respecting others award. The teacher announced that Colt is always willing to participate in class and he cares about others and he is a shining example of how others should act. I WAS A PROUD MAMA! I just think about how far he has come. One and a half years of preschool, also all the primary and nursery teachers he has had, then kindergarten, first grade and now second, Colt has had a lot of teachers and a lot of school. In the beginning, I was so worried about him because he was so wild and the teachers would have such a hard time with him. And now that we've tried so hard to work with him, on his behavior especially, he is just such a good boy. <br>
Ok he looks really grumpy in this picture but he's just being serious. He does that in pictures recently.</p>
<br/><img src='http://lh5.ggpht.com/-bjEI67Ruuxg/UN3klpi1HMI/AAAAAAAABSk/Q-bFBBYS_eU/IMAG1893.png' /></div>The Ayershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00446048294979345202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7282268793704858362.post-40064058955470393312012-12-28T10:14:00.001-08:002012-12-28T10:17:11.400-08:00La La<div><p>Well at the beginning of November we for our pregnant goat La La. She is Sooo sweet! She ways her tail when we pet her! We for her from a family outside of temecula, who literally had her with a leash and collar on. She was their total pet, like a dog. She has been great so far. She will have a baby in the middle of January probably and we can milk her. If all does well, that is, seeing as how everything for us is such and experiment around here. I think she and Diamond are good company for each other. We love having the barn! So we have our beautiful chickens and rooster in one stall, then La La in the middle and diamond on the end. It's so nice knowing they are all protected from all the elements!</p>
<br/><img src='http://lh3.ggpht.com/-qe4bWC4uKGQ/UN3iGTuYQrI/AAAAAAAABSA/ouZTv_lQWXo/IMAG1966.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh4.ggpht.com/-6xKZZ6i5Ako/UN3h-cahgOI/AAAAAAAABR4/DYydmy6r9dc/IMAG1953.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh5.ggpht.com/-jI6JwBGbOB4/UN3h2qNhdzI/AAAAAAAABRw/oPHW-sUXP88/IMAG1965.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh6.ggpht.com/-1wx6qvUs4eQ/UN3iJHn0yNI/AAAAAAAABSI/vyFB2OurHr0/IMAG1970.png' /></div>The Ayershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00446048294979345202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7282268793704858362.post-81072498897441189042012-12-28T10:07:00.001-08:002012-12-28T10:08:59.386-08:00Halloween night<div><p>So this year Halloween was so different for me. I couldn't get into the spookyness! I was having so much fun doing all the cutesy things with my boys, I felt like maybe I was finally growing up! Until Halloween night when I got together with my spooky freak friend Sheila. And of course the trick or treating night turned into being all about us! But I didn't feel too bad because Sheila had her grandson here and the boys all had a blast together.</p>
<br/><img src='http://lh4.ggpht.com/-LwmRHLrGAnw/UN3f-V-xzPI/AAAAAAAABRE/3fTFHbFo4uE/IMAG1888.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh4.ggpht.com/-Kqb0rMcTWC4/UN3gF39LUII/AAAAAAAABRY/P8l_1pYJ3uk/IMG950491.png' /></div>The Ayershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00446048294979345202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7282268793704858362.post-58120488381093266002012-11-15T18:46:00.001-08:002012-12-28T10:03:28.276-08:0031 days of Halloween<div><p>Ok, October this year around here was more like a December. Melody made me this really great advent calendar with her sewing machine. But in each day slot, I made up different fun activities or crafts to do that day. Although it was a lot of work, it was worth it. I had so much fun doing things with the boys that I wouldn't normally do and it made the month so festive and fun and spooky.<br>
Here are just a few activities we enjoyed together:<br>
*Glow baths<br>
*Pumpkin carving<br>
*Jumping on the trampoline with our costumes on<br>
*Pumpkin bowling<br>
*Made our own trick or treat bags<br>
*There was also a grab bag choice about once a week. I really really had fun with this and we are looking forward to doing it next year too!</p>
<br/><img src='http://lh6.ggpht.com/-hFXU0NztmHA/UN3eueEPWkI/AAAAAAAABQM/OGfrKNX_ErE/IMAG1765.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh5.ggpht.com/-4ErMjBryIfU/UN3evaUeZBI/AAAAAAAABQU/rzumbmUwCQ0/IMAG1833.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh3.ggpht.com/-BJYDBdOMRuc/UN3ewNc5wzI/AAAAAAAABQc/imbNEJQFnZE/IMAG1741.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh3.ggpht.com/-D2TvmXb9a1w/UN3ewzj6fnI/AAAAAAAABQk/OF6bQlRG-gY/IMAG1775.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh3.ggpht.com/-F47bnRV4RnU/UN3exyS2uOI/AAAAAAAABQs/eS3LMTwCV8k/IMAG1753.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh6.ggpht.com/-ervHIpNmRiw/UN3ey-N1M6I/AAAAAAAABQ0/_bAvmetAAN0/IMAG1757.png' /></div>The Ayershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00446048294979345202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7282268793704858362.post-54541082615350794832012-11-07T12:41:00.001-08:002012-11-07T12:44:10.490-08:00Charley turns 4!<div><p>This is late too, but our big boy Charley turned 4 at the end of September! Oh I just love and adore him. I let him get away with way too much, he is often times a little spoiled booger and that's because I dote all over him all day long. He has finally started to enjoy learning his letters! Yeay. That is huge because he was always so defiant with anything having to do with learning before now. He is shy towards other people, he plays really well on his own. He plays with Colt so well (most of the time). I wasn't able to get charley in preschool this year which was a bummer. But I am enjoying him being home one last year with me. Charley is a super picky eater. Be literally complains that his tummy is too full every time we sit down to eat. I really think he lives off of scrambled eggs and granola bars. He loves this new cartoon called Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, he also loves curious George and this creepy cartoon called courage the cowardly dog. Well here are some pics...</p>
<br/><img src='http://lh4.ggpht.com/-OFs0Je-KU_0/UJrIC2wem2I/AAAAAAAABPI/AnmZcwKsAn0/IMAG1729.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh3.ggpht.com/-jZ9HdLBgj08/UJrIDi2qmeI/AAAAAAAABPQ/1j9JFrfA4V0/IMAG1722.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh6.ggpht.com/-UIg6PzYSFAA/UJrIElytQPI/AAAAAAAABPY/xBsy1WH0lTA/IMAG1843.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh4.ggpht.com/-NKc2Wzbzvx0/UJrIFY9ENaI/AAAAAAAABPg/YE8kednAmJQ/IMAG1634.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh4.ggpht.com/-LRMd0InfN7E/UJrIGB01dFI/AAAAAAAABPo/3-jwq5En_rM/IMAG1707.png' /></div>The Ayershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00446048294979345202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7282268793704858362.post-81884545144629730222012-11-07T12:16:00.001-08:002012-11-07T12:16:52.188-08:00Update<div><p>Whoa its been a while. But that always happens. We are enjoying our new home and new location so much. I hate that we like it so much, seeing as how we are still in California. And things are only beginning to get worse. But onto happier things. Here at this house we haven't been focusing as much on becoming self reliant like we did at our last place. Right now we are sown to five chickens and a horse. And we all know horses are big black money holes. So last wknd we did get a beautiful pair of meat rabbits. Meat rabbits are such a great thing to have because they don't eat or drink much, but in an emergency, they can breed, have a ton of babies and you can then have months of rabbit meat. Rabbit meat is lean, full of protein and very low in cholesterol. Now if only it tasted a little better! So we want to build up our chicken supply. Mostly dual purpose chickens that can lay and be good meat chickens. Our plan is to have about 15 of each. Them when the meat chickens come of size, we spend a day butchering and processing them. And wallah! Tons of chicken in the freezer. Also need a rooster so that we can replenish our supply. We also sold my beloved sweet heiffer, Molly. She was such a sweet cow and we loved her. And SHE LOVED US! BUT looking at it in a sustainable way, she wasn't even pregnant yet. I'd we got her pregnant, it would be another 11 months before she had a baby, then we'd be getting 8 gallons of milk a day. Hello! Also, in a pinch, cows go through a ton of water and food. If we had an area for her to roam, it would be different. We do have 6 acres here, but we didn't have the means right away to section a couple acres off for pasture. And finally, we are getting a garden area ready for a winter garden. We bought TONS of great heirloom seeds from a sees co online last year so we are set with being able to grow our own food.
Also important is out water supply. We have a well that runs off of electricity and if need be we can jimmy it up to a generator when times get tough. We also have a 10,000 gallon holding tank full of water and we have 2 550 gallon water tanks that we are constantly refilling with fresh water.
Now we just need to get off the map! Wahaha. Here are a few pics in no particular order from recent months.
<font color ="#000000">SH</font></p>
<br/><img src='http://lh6.ggpht.com/-aeEjfnC9hlY/UJrBoj_ZxOI/AAAAAAAABOQ/BETpjF2O2oM/IMAG1648.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh4.ggpht.com/-rYn_Ed-iV_M/UJrBpoOfkFI/AAAAAAAABOY/XkJmbWPfaJ4/IMAG1601.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh4.ggpht.com/-EUx_NSOIfeA/UJrBqs2z4xI/AAAAAAAABOg/tlIz0S4BRWo/IMAG1896.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh3.ggpht.com/-a7TdyhqE6kg/UJrBrlW6nqI/AAAAAAAABOo/S02efTZsQPM/IMAG1561.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh5.ggpht.com/-WsVpxWe8sWQ/UJrBsg4YLGI/AAAAAAAABOw/K-Xsr_1IfwM/IMAG1521.png' /></div>The Ayershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00446048294979345202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7282268793704858362.post-31141896524787952262012-08-09T16:31:00.001-07:002012-08-09T16:31:25.618-07:00Stop fighting!<div><p>So I think I'm ready for this summer to come to an end. Or, just ready for school to start. Maybe because we've been home a lot, but the boys are at each others throats. For a couple weeks there it was so bad. They were constantly yelling at each other. I mean, I'm sure its nothing abnormal, but I definately needed to do something. So I invented the amazingly creatively named, "The stop fighting jar"!  Its pretty simple, if the boys want to fight, they can work. There are several slips of paper in the jar with various chores written on each slip. So, the boys get one warning, and if they keep fighting after that, they get to each pick a chore out of the jar. Simple....And Effective! And now that I think about it, they haven't had to pick out of the jar in a few days so I'm pretty sure something got through to them!</p>
<br/><img src='http://lh6.ggpht.com/-mw1nvyRHsBE/UCRIMjhfXmI/AAAAAAAABNo/sbGo06gZ2ns/IMAG1390.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh5.ggpht.com/-9vboGZoig_0/UCRIPQBD01I/AAAAAAAABNw/D7lhrcngKwk/IMAG1389.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Sc4uPexc6Ag/UCRIR0N-BsI/AAAAAAAABN4/1d_vLVRObtg/IMAG1392.png' /></div>The Ayershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00446048294979345202noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7282268793704858362.post-70758083373550143852012-08-09T14:44:00.001-07:002012-08-09T14:44:21.713-07:00Raw local honey<div><p>I have fallen in love with raw local honey. This year it is Alfalfa honey from Coachella. A lady from school gets it per gallon from a guy. Last year I gave all my beautiful honey away in decorated jelly jars for Christmas favors. So this time, I got two gallons just to be safe! I love local honey. It is great for allergies and it is healing during the sicko months of winter colds... And I appreciate bees so much after I have learned how efficient and hard working they are... Save the bees!</p>
<br/><img src='http://lh5.ggpht.com/-ZZPIf-eQAzI/UCQvEGDMV7I/AAAAAAAABNI/qqHGaXU4JLU/IMAG1399.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh4.ggpht.com/-oJCur2yaYcE/UCQvM37AxTI/AAAAAAAABNQ/_OkM5TKMAdA/IMAG1398.png' /></div>The Ayershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00446048294979345202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7282268793704858362.post-12208539000630234462012-08-09T14:34:00.001-07:002012-08-09T14:34:46.972-07:00Homesteader<div><p>Well I had no idea how homemakey I had become until I caught myslef literally in the middle of this in planned picture moment.<br>
I was making almond milk while my homemade bread cooled on the counter while drinking a fresh veggie juice... All while wearing my lime green overalls, barefoot in the kitchen of my double wide! Hahaha.</p>
<br/><img src='http://lh6.ggpht.com/-YhpTt2mzUY8/UCQs774u_OI/AAAAAAAABNA/AGv3sX3He4g/IMAG1329.png' /></div>The Ayershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00446048294979345202noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7282268793704858362.post-38187947255395189532012-08-09T14:13:00.001-07:002012-08-09T14:13:41.563-07:00Family campout<div><p>So we went on a little very last minute family campout this summer. We hiked our gear in about a mile, set our tent up in the middle of a huge open field. Then we went exploring, ate dinner over our little gas stove. Hank got to come with us! And we were the only ones camping there so it was cool being all out in the open totally alone. The boys did so good carrying all their stuff to and from the campsite...<br>
And, Nathan just tops everything off with pure fun and enjoyment. He makes things easy, chill, and happy. Thank you Daddy!</p>
<br/><img src='http://lh6.ggpht.com/-GnCmXxoNOzg/UCQn1EsNedI/AAAAAAAABLw/aQMjMh4QXOE/IMAG1158.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh5.ggpht.com/-WfJnkCXOBz0/UCQn2fdP0bI/AAAAAAAABL4/apgIBMTr6qE/IMAG1165.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh5.ggpht.com/-caiXLBBNv98/UCQn3dzLUTI/AAAAAAAABMA/3iBLhRXrZkE/IMAG1151.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh4.ggpht.com/-rK5YKbRo4Oc/UCQn5OPrjkI/AAAAAAAABMI/mwK3fqP7l2Q/IMAG1159.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh5.ggpht.com/-_3eyttS8FTk/UCQn7hHi9WI/AAAAAAAABMQ/5_-fo1gfCXU/IMAG1162.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh3.ggpht.com/-iMYIRbKH6mQ/UCQn-kMga0I/AAAAAAAABMY/Oz58PB1wo4Y/IMAG1155.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh3.ggpht.com/--E9CKV8t32A/UCQoAyvHGFI/AAAAAAAABMg/cUUahVJ_iv8/IMAG1154.png' /></div>The Ayershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00446048294979345202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7282268793704858362.post-20459329115116946862012-08-09T14:06:00.001-07:002012-08-09T14:06:00.069-07:00The beach<div><p>So when Chad and Allyson were here, they took a couple days to stay at Carlsbad beach. Chad asked me if I was always at the beach since I only live about an hour away. I said, in total shock, "No. I'm not at the beach all summer." So I've made a point to take the kids to the beach a lot this summer. It's actually been cool because I've had the luxury and confidence to take the kids by myself instead of feeling like I have to go with Nathan. The boys are older too, it makes it easier...</p>
<br/><img src='http://lh3.ggpht.com/-vmp1OOuLaNc/UCQmDpUUmOI/AAAAAAAABLA/xsTaiDayang/IMAG1047.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh3.ggpht.com/-R_HUGXRxUjg/UCQmFEkaV6I/AAAAAAAABLI/lpjoly_YVdI/IMAG1052.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh4.ggpht.com/-264Q-Q6O4Sw/UCQmG8e8VlI/AAAAAAAABLQ/je2CyVWWb3c/IMAG1210.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh4.ggpht.com/-MsdRnlH9V7M/UCQmIG07FQI/AAAAAAAABLY/dx8Ujz9Xo0U/IMAG1051.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh6.ggpht.com/-pI2zf_EOQSY/UCQmJ7K6kOI/AAAAAAAABLg/gV-QNa-4c5E/IMAG1211.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh6.ggpht.com/-29oM8D4OnT0/UCQmNTvM9nI/AAAAAAAABLo/ewYLpZgnnQs/IMAG1058.png' /></div>The Ayershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00446048294979345202noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7282268793704858362.post-34913765130173903322012-08-09T13:58:00.001-07:002012-08-09T13:58:15.919-07:00Chad and Allyson<div><p>This summer, my brother and his wife came to visit. They ha e two boys, each a little older than my boys. We all had a great time. Their oldest, Walker, is very artistic. He was actually more into his own things, while my boys played with Noah. This was definately a case of city meets country. Thanks for making us a part of your summer, Chad and Allyson!<br>
Take note that Noah and Charley look like twins! Also, Charley LOVES Chad. It was soo cute, Charley would always cuddle up to him.</p>
<br/><img src='http://lh6.ggpht.com/-_FJyVAUOxKI/UCQkPhLbsiI/AAAAAAAABKI/jo_ky6l6U2o/IMAG1023.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh6.ggpht.com/-AL5EiCW6wZk/UCQkQ8WCNpI/AAAAAAAABKQ/qCbCsgPaPg8/IMAG1017.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh6.ggpht.com/-zzZbvVRfOTE/UCQkTN1BKlI/AAAAAAAABKY/3er4En2p5mg/IMAG1033.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh3.ggpht.com/-TENA04oH2Ko/UCQkVMC-bjI/AAAAAAAABKg/F4yfE-Bq94U/IMAG1020.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh5.ggpht.com/-6XsPwlBwfbI/UCQkW_f5N7I/AAAAAAAABKo/Va8Lp2Gn8oY/IMAG1032.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh4.ggpht.com/-fVtP0PWHoMo/UCQkYC8L5cI/AAAAAAAABKw/xikP0pcdjB4/IMAG1019.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh4.ggpht.com/-7XyCHU1uzi4/UCQkZndNg1I/AAAAAAAABK4/hNLPaIGdGpA/IMAG1031.png' /></div>The Ayershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00446048294979345202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7282268793704858362.post-60017856948896526012012-08-09T13:00:00.001-07:002012-08-09T13:00:31.119-07:00Anza Baseball<div><p>So out here, baseball is a big deal. They have all different leagues and teams. They have an opening snf closing ceremonies. Coaches, team managers, uniforms, concession stands, trophies, nice fields...the works. And it is really like that because its the only sport out here. So, Colt has been in tball, then this past year he was actually on the baseball team. They did pitching machines, a huge difference from the last year of tball. So here are some pics. I'm so Proud of Colt, he is doing so good, and he's exactly where he needs to be!<br>
P.s. the pic with the kids at the horse is literally right there next to the baseball fields... Horses watching the game! And all the little kids go feed the horses their snacks during practice. </p>
<br/><img src='http://lh4.ggpht.com/-FAuBhfy30Jo/UCQWziXdibI/AAAAAAAABJM/KZlgpJD9yJg/IMAG0886.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh5.ggpht.com/-NihbpNod7Cs/UCQW0ZZnruI/AAAAAAAABJU/Xxf2OsL9Vj4/IMAG0863.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh3.ggpht.com/-iXEPGVSRELo/UCQW1Ah2wnI/AAAAAAAABJc/v-2i-hXNkWs/IMAG0866.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh4.ggpht.com/-HLLaDYRUjO4/UCQW1ydAAQI/AAAAAAAABJk/aMQ-XDAbKRA/IMAG0887.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh5.ggpht.com/-zNck9u-PHL0/UCQW2oLiSUI/AAAAAAAABJs/q_Su9hsWkQ8/IMAG0875.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh5.ggpht.com/-bSlRFpvENbQ/UCQW3cDzNII/AAAAAAAABJ0/OL0gVeA7luc/IMAG0864.png' /></div>The Ayershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00446048294979345202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7282268793704858362.post-63621092626140064622012-08-09T12:52:00.001-07:002012-08-09T12:52:38.864-07:00Random pictures<div><p>I am just going to post pics on here in no particular order. This Blogger app is literally so basic. I can only type something, then add pics at the end of that. </p>
<br/><img src='http://lh4.ggpht.com/-hsFNQQt7uqw/UCQUkudlVyI/AAAAAAAABIk/3ZzvEIWxtGM/IMAG0772.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh6.ggpht.com/-am_IM1AvmDM/UCQUouKzLuI/AAAAAAAABIs/TcU06evcHI4/IMAG0862.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh4.ggpht.com/-P3WkQo2PKsY/UCQUrJQHFRI/AAAAAAAABI0/_J9cOJnj3z4/IMAG0849.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh4.ggpht.com/-YLmsbwzl5As/UCQU_KM_McI/AAAAAAAABI8/lJpQAHzFPeM/IMAG0841.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh3.ggpht.com/-ITd5ykecL6c/UCQVBffJbEI/AAAAAAAABJE/qHXu3ONZTy8/IMAG0848.png' /></div>The Ayershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00446048294979345202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7282268793704858362.post-33394872597482872742012-08-08T13:13:00.001-07:002012-08-08T23:55:30.149-07:00Our new diggs<div><p>Yeay. We are moving to such a cute nicer home. Well, we've been in Anza for a couple of years now and we like it. We have been living in a double wide on ten acres of weeds, basically. No garage, no porch, no nothing to make it cute or homey. And we've been fine with that. We have a great ability to just adapt to things and we have been more interested in the experience here than what things look like. It's been in the last few months that we've maybe wanted something more. So we found a super cute home on 5 acres, which for what we want, is plenty of space. It's a bigger house, ON A FOUNDATION (that means no creaky floors :-)) with a two car garage and a barn. It also has a beautiful back porch with a nice overhang that overlooks the valley. AND there is irrigation around the property where they actually have flowers and trees and grapes! It also has an awesome 3 stall barn, and an arena for riding Diamond.<br>
So here's the deal in Anza, everybody comes here for different reasons (we won't get into the druggie reasons). Some families love the open space for quad and motorcycle racing. Some families are horse lovers, and some of the horse lovers run horse rescues. Some people don't have animals or quads, for example, our neighbor with the big beautiful brick house. He grows acres of grapes and makes his own wine. The process is amazing. So, we came here and just dug in. Within the first year of being here, we accumulated more than 30 chickens, including incubating eggs and raising baby chicks. We brought home what would be the biggest pains in our butts, two goats, on our laps in the car. We raised cattle and butchered them for beef. One of which was butchered by an Iranian right on our property who was praying to Allah with every cut. He hauled away his four quarters of young beef in a mini van. We raised a hog for meat...colt and charley loved watching the butcher come out for that one. The boys understand that God put animals on this earth for our own health. But we need to be respectful with how we raise and butcher them too. We helped our mama pig farrow a litter of piglets on the coldest night of the year in the middle of a blizzard. Note to self: Do NOT have piglets in the winter again. We also cultivated the land for a very successful 20x25 ft garden. Where I learned to pickle, can, Blanche, freeze and properly store and EAT the fruits of our labors. We tilled and planted 2 acres of hay.  And for all of our animals, we built their fencing and shelters. Most of which was done in the blistering cold with storms approaching. Heaven forbid we actually take a nice day to do our outdoor chores. <br>
So here's out conclusion: We love having land and animals, but we want to have a fresh start and do it the right way. We have this amazing ability to let things just roll off our back, and not be bothered by things. We are for sure not materialistic, we would rather have the experience of something than have nice stuff. So anyway, here, with just digging right into everything, we've realized that we do things in a jankey way. Our motto for this place really should have been, " That'll do" or "That's good for now".  We also started to realize how poorly and how not right things were done around here.<br>
So anyway, we found a new place which has given us a total morale boost. We want to do things in a better, right way. And we are looking at this next move as a fresh new start. So here's to being just a little better in everything we do...</p>
<br/><img src='http://lh4.ggpht.com/-iuZXKUxY6Sk/UCNeow8dJhI/AAAAAAAABEQ/kcEMyXzpxNg/IMAG1408.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh4.ggpht.com/-6Ce41xBfvkM/UCNeqcQDQjI/AAAAAAAABEY/k4UxoOy9mIg/IMAG1406.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh3.ggpht.com/-JnsZJzQTE_A/UCNerVGGTLI/AAAAAAAABEg/Z7-NdI6-0Ak/IMAG1395.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh4.ggpht.com/-z5PGplJJChE/UCNes8S9aLI/AAAAAAAABEo/7J3_GkGxQQ8/IMAG1411.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh3.ggpht.com/-ArqUO8gseMY/UCNeuPMnNhI/AAAAAAAABEw/T53xAlYLs-4/IMAG1410.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh6.ggpht.com/-qMw5fF7xuho/UCNevWQVkaI/AAAAAAAABE4/wC5bcrY9stk/IMAG1404.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh5.ggpht.com/-lvwJyJAcjcQ/UCNewUrsu9I/AAAAAAAABFA/D4b_4yMLMHc/IMAG1403.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh3.ggpht.com/-hCvq7XbqS9g/UCNexxa8d3I/AAAAAAAABFI/mUyzyiHxdWo/IMAG1405.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh6.ggpht.com/-un5StazxDDQ/UCNe3-abefI/AAAAAAAABFQ/vU59Xp_-BK8/IMAG1414.png' /></div>The Ayershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00446048294979345202noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7282268793704858362.post-15416646876228956322012-05-06T16:25:00.001-07:002012-05-06T17:41:40.362-07:00Diamond<div><p>We got a horse named Diamond. No we weren't in the market for a horse. They are high maintenance and expensive. But this lady, Rhonda, from church who totally knows horses thought that Diamond would be perfect for our family. And she really needed a new home for her. It was someone else's anyway and she wasn't able to care for her anymore. So we told Rhonda that we were very cautious about just getting a horse, we know nothing about them. Also, so far we've raised our animals for meat, and for our own good. Horses are more recreational. Anyway, Rhonda told us that if its not working out, then we can give Diamond back.<br>
So we thought this would be a perfect time for us to see if maybe a horse is a good fit for us. So far its been just ok. I mean, Diamond is totally broke (that's horse language for totally trained and rideable). She is sweet, calm around the kids, has never shown aggression. I mean, she's exactly what anyone would want in a horse. We haven't fallen in live with her. We have barely riden her. We had to go out and learn and get all the riding stuff first. Great deals on Craigslist. Nathan has gotten used to riding her, but me and the boys haven't. I feel like since she's good with Nathan, it needs to be him leading the way when it comes to us getting on her. Anyway, here are pics</p>
<br/><img src='http://lh4.ggpht.com/-IgFgAa04sp4/T6caLpvueuI/AAAAAAAABDk/vJvuLUVlvoU/IMAG0798.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh6.ggpht.com/-UOzvH3IqmDc/T6caMzcTunI/AAAAAAAABDs/MrVPQxdp2DE/IMAG0796.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh4.ggpht.com/-_I9o8dt7Ls0/T6caOEKIWPI/AAAAAAAABD0/dj8se6lPco8/IMAG0795.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh4.ggpht.com/-xGUX7W7HZtI/T6caPo6CrTI/AAAAAAAABD8/hYqSR3BvEWw/IMAG0600.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh3.ggpht.com/-eyHCnsWPUfE/T6caQiiZalI/AAAAAAAABEE/148tJiIrFjs/IMAG0556.png' /></div>The Ayershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00446048294979345202noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7282268793704858362.post-47901152857699180172012-04-14T13:55:00.001-07:002012-04-14T13:55:12.295-07:00Baby piglets<div><p>I cannot believe I haven't Blogged about baby piglets yet. Well, it was probably better to wait anyhow.  When they were born, there was a lot of drama and emotion and things that just didn't go right. We were sad to lose half of mama pigs litter, but its all learning. We will do things much differently next time. Also, she had her piglets on the coldest night of the year, in the middle of a blizzard and a couple piglets died because of that. Others died because mama squished them. There was also a ton of straw in there and when we went out to check on them, mama was rooting around the straw, burying the piglets, they were suffocating under the deep layers of straw. It was our first time and her first time, in horrible cold stormy conditions. Ugh. But we have 5 sweet little guys and they have been such a joy for us!</p>
<br/><img src='http://lh4.ggpht.com/-vVc6lz7yCx0/T4nkII6O5EI/AAAAAAAABC8/hBqtEucqS7w/IMAG0730.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh6.ggpht.com/-xGA9KSpKzTY/T4nkJCk4b-I/AAAAAAAABDE/i9derL1C-fA/IMAG0679.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh6.ggpht.com/-PdRGt-rvy7c/T4nkJr_uTpI/AAAAAAAABDM/PHbsayQsKn4/IMAG0731.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh3.ggpht.com/-y7N3DIorkwQ/T4nkKnqzSpI/AAAAAAAABDU/BAn1PGhNAL0/IMAG0737.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh6.ggpht.com/-H8kjrz8zJaA/T4nkLh_yM1I/AAAAAAAABDc/fMXyhPlgSRA/IMAG0735.png' /></div>The Ayershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00446048294979345202noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7282268793704858362.post-50500432462714950682012-03-17T15:48:00.001-07:002012-03-17T16:38:17.332-07:00Pig slaughter<div><p>So we had our feeder pig slaughtered a couple weeks ago. It was very cool seeing the process. Bernadino is the guy in town that comes out to do the service. And he is just a down home country dude that's been doing this all his life. He was very respectful and clean about what he was doing. He was super friendly and he even threw Hank a pig hoof! Haha. Also, the neighbor kids were over watching the whole thing. It was so stinkin country, I loved it.</p>
<br/><img src='http://lh5.ggpht.com/-JgNiQ7pn0F0/T2UgWe0aqyI/AAAAAAAABCU/xR1a12TVKlE/IMAG0179.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh4.ggpht.com/-PWZY4Cia76A/T2UgXCEm_8I/AAAAAAAABCc/P8rQKmyBM7Y/IMAG0190.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh3.ggpht.com/-VdZ1RSEV-cM/T2UgYLJJnQI/AAAAAAAABCk/0yPvrpIa1ms/IMAG0184.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh5.ggpht.com/-uSvtv-0RTMA/T2UUulmtkqI/AAAAAAAABB8/-r1Bry-SDF0/IMAG0178.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh3.ggpht.com/-CGU242pz85w/T2UgY7Ea3jI/AAAAAAAABCs/9pDaT_mTwxs/IMAG0180.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh4.ggpht.com/-YCqfgMBAmis/T2UgZjNgWWI/AAAAAAAABC0/hDls1F5uSxc/IMAG0178.png' /></div>The Ayershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00446048294979345202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7282268793704858362.post-79019254733642919612012-03-05T19:32:00.001-08:002012-03-05T19:32:52.597-08:00Snow day<div><p>Last week we had a great snow day. It was so fun watching the storm roll in the night before. After quite a mild winter, it was great for the boys to finally be able to play in the snow!</p>
<br/><img src='http://lh4.ggpht.com/-8NloU6Wp224/T1WFT7tnoTI/AAAAAAAABA8/Uq7WLr8gn9Q/IMAG0603.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh6.ggpht.com/-t64rSlrjl1o/T1WFVWCLgGI/AAAAAAAABBE/EoE3xkhgIUs/IMAG0604.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh4.ggpht.com/-POvmFfPsdkA/T1WFWSZVV4I/AAAAAAAABBM/14HjlAc1gbY/IMAG0615.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh6.ggpht.com/-xhlKgu_LCTw/T1WFYDEEkJI/AAAAAAAABBU/ZevjqTYRifQ/IMAG0607.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh5.ggpht.com/-I9kb0GqD0iY/T1WFYpRlGyI/AAAAAAAABBc/KU3X1A2C4-M/IMAG0610.png' /></div>The Ayershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00446048294979345202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7282268793704858362.post-70684059631393465892012-02-26T15:47:00.001-08:002012-02-26T15:47:52.193-08:00Indio Fair<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Last week we had a great time at the Indio fair. Colt's only requests were to get cotton candy and to ride the ferris wheel... Well we got to work right away! Here are some highlights of the day.<br/>
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<a href='https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-zIQdZvLO7_U/T0rBCaV8hgI/AAAAAAAAA_c/wOPIuqiDKNo/1330299116202.jpeg' onblur='try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}'><img border='0' src='https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-zIQdZvLO7_U/T0rBCaV8hgI/AAAAAAAAA_c/wOPIuqiDKNo/s288/1330299116202.jpeg' style='display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 173px; height: 288px;'/></a><br/>
Cotton candy... CHECK!<br/>
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<a href='https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-yGcv7Jq4dHc/T0rBvhvVRbI/AAAAAAAAA_k/SnhBVCcqB0w/1330299159831.jpeg' onblur='try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}'><img border='0' src='https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-yGcv7Jq4dHc/T0rBvhvVRbI/AAAAAAAAA_k/SnhBVCcqB0w/s288/1330299159831.jpeg' style='display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 173px; height: 288px;'/></a><br/>
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This was funny because we left our real horse on the farm, to pay to ride on plastic horses. Hahaha.<br/>
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<a href='https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-hqg2cW6c3_k/T0rB_FWWrHI/AAAAAAAAA_s/qydlk-v2tlU/1330299342729.jpeg' onblur='try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}'><img border='0' src='https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-hqg2cW6c3_k/T0rB_FWWrHI/AAAAAAAAA_s/qydlk-v2tlU/s288/1330299342729.jpeg' style='display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 288px; height: 173px;'/></a><br/>
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<a href='https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-r8Ex31XURM8/T0rDEvwbcHI/AAAAAAAAA_0/3f_p0oC8my0/1330299404203.jpeg' onblur='try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}'><img border='0' src='https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-r8Ex31XURM8/T0rDEvwbcHI/AAAAAAAAA_0/3f_p0oC8my0/s288/1330299404203.jpeg' style='display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 288px; height: 173px;'/></a><br/>
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<a href='https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-_F9_GE_T3xE/T0rDyCDyihI/AAAAAAAAA_8/WozQZUMwFHk/1330299681748.jpeg' onblur='try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}'><img border='0' src='https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-_F9_GE_T3xE/T0rDyCDyihI/AAAAAAAAA_8/WozQZUMwFHk/s288/1330299681748.jpeg' style='display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 288px; height: 173px;'/></a><br/>
The boys rode lots of rides!<br/>
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<a href='https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Bk5skAjrK3g/T0rD3awwyDI/AAAAAAAABAE/dPewfQFcFWY/1330299864174.jpeg' onblur='try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}'><img border='0' src='https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Bk5skAjrK3g/T0rD3awwyDI/AAAAAAAABAE/dPewfQFcFWY/s288/1330299864174.jpeg' style='display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 288px; height: 173px;'/></a><br/>
Watched a Creepy puppet show. Ooo, I hate creepy puppets! Bleeeehhh!<br/>
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<a href='https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-FCVNxkwXb2c/T0rD7lYPDlI/AAAAAAAABAM/ang3MO3L1PA/1330299885126.jpeg' onblur='try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}'><img border='0' src='https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-FCVNxkwXb2c/T0rD7lYPDlI/AAAAAAAABAM/ang3MO3L1PA/s288/1330299885126.jpeg' style='display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 173px; height: 288px;'/></a><br/>
Colt was so brave climbing the rock wall!<br/>
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<a href='https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-kMYh-4X5J1I/T0rD-1KgOlI/AAAAAAAABAU/6JigkCR8QqU/1330299901125.jpeg' onblur='try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}'><img border='0' src='https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-kMYh-4X5J1I/T0rD-1KgOlI/AAAAAAAABAU/6JigkCR8QqU/s288/1330299901125.jpeg' style='display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 173px; height: 288px;'/></a><br/>
This was the first year we didn't bring a stroller, so by the end the boys got shoulder rides. I know, they are spoiled.<br/>
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<a href='https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-CAMBKEqiMIk/T0rENpJqBcI/AAAAAAAABAc/pHY6i9e5bRY/1330299915585.jpeg' onblur='try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}'><img border='0' src='https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-CAMBKEqiMIk/T0rENpJqBcI/AAAAAAAABAc/pHY6i9e5bRY/s288/1330299915585.jpeg' style='display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 173px; height: 288px;'/></a><br/>
We certainly didn't spend much time looking at farm animals, for obvious reasons.<br/>
But! I could NOT BELIEVE HOW CUTE THESE BABY PIGGIES WERE! And, our mama pig is pregnant right now so I cannot wait to see her cute little babies! I cannot believe how cute and little and pink and fresh these piglets were. And our grown pigs are so fat and stinky and dirty. Hahaha<br/>
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<a href='https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-pi0TBDrV8LM/T0rERZJlQuI/AAAAAAAABAk/GlqWAVLyZSs/1330299974338.jpeg' onblur='try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}'><img border='0' src='https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-pi0TBDrV8LM/T0rERZJlQuI/AAAAAAAABAk/GlqWAVLyZSs/s288/1330299974338.jpeg' style='display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 288px; height: 173px;'/></a><br/>
Ostrich races were classic!<br/>
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<a href='https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-3vkHWY8uDSg/T0rEUl1ydgI/AAAAAAAABAs/voQsn0Dv8ks/1330299989309.jpeg' onblur='try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}'><img border='0' src='https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-3vkHWY8uDSg/T0rEUl1ydgI/AAAAAAAABAs/voQsn0Dv8ks/s288/1330299989309.jpeg' style='display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 288px; height: 173px;'/></a><br/>
Ok. Do you see anything wrong with this sign!?! Ugh! I'm pretty sure they had paramedics standing by that booth!<br/>
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<a href='https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-M1cZvFd8ObM/T0rEpYVLMbI/AAAAAAAABA0/hxhuL8CghSQ/1330300001548.jpeg' onblur='try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}'><img border='0' src='https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-M1cZvFd8ObM/T0rEpYVLMbI/AAAAAAAABA0/hxhuL8CghSQ/s288/1330300001548.jpeg' style='display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 288px; height: 173px;'/></a><br/>
And this was the drive home... By the way, we did ride the ferris wheel too! Just didn't get a pic. Great day at the fair!</div>The Ayershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00446048294979345202noreply@blogger.com0