Not exactly Buddha

Compared to his sister he is a heavy weight but Eli isn't too far off the growth charts. He started out so big but is more like an average five month old now. He has been showing a strong interest in our food and what we eat. He also nurses ALOT so we decided to try him on some rice cereal. Two days and no reactions except delight. We will take it as a good sign to keep going. Eli loves Maetia so much and when he can't get a hold of her hair or her face, he is content to stare and smile at her. We had a weekend with the VanHattem family and Eli got to spend some quality time with his cousin Erik (born only two days apart!) which he loved. It is so neat to watch babies recognize other babies. It is like they are so happy they see someone their size.
He is sitting up on his own with help but will fall over slowly. We put him in the bumbo chair to hold him in a sitting position so he can play with Maetia but stay safe. He is getting very strong and can jump very high in the jolly jumper. It is a little nerve racking. We also predict he will go to the Olympics as a swimmer because when you get him in the water, he moves like he was born in water, oh wait he was! He does this crazy kick with his legs and flaps his arms. It is all we can do to keep his face out of the water. Luckily for us and his training we have a pool close by so we can keep him focused. We planted a tree for Eli and put his placenta under it as we did for Maetia. As you can see in the photo, it was a magical family event. Maetia was crying about the grass on her toes, Eli was tired and hungry, Michael was hot and tired and I was too dirty to be in the photo. Either way, we planted a special tree for him on our land.
We have been taking many walks with our new stroller (Thank you so much John, Anne, Grandma and Grandpa!!) and also biking with our double kiddie trailer. Both kids love to be outdoors and we are taking advantage of the long summer days.

birds and the bees

We haven't really adopted a parenting method for our kids yet but we have a strategy that has come naturally to both of us and we go with it. When time allows, we explain things that she asks about in full detail to Maetia and make it a bit simpler for her but not too much. We will give her the facts and hope that she learns to love exploring and asking questions. This has caused a few laughs so far but we have to keep serious faces because she is so sincere.
We told her about birds and bees; literally and figuratively. I told her about owls and how much I like them and we made the hoot hoot sound. I told her that we couldn't see them because they are nocturnal and are awake at night. Now whenever we hear the mourning dove outside our window (she thinks it is an owl) she tells me that it is an owl, it's mommy's favourite bird, and did I know they are nocturnal?
We also told her about the difference between boys and girls. She noticed during her first bath with Eli so we just told her matter of factly. Tonight in the tub she told me that she isn't allowed to touch Eli's peanut and that she has a gaayiina and that she will have babies in her tummy when she gets big. Then she asked me to take off my breasts and come in the tub too. Too cute
She has started to use her imagination alot lately. She used to make us pretend food in her toy kitchen and drink pretend tea but recently she has started talking about her little creature. She points to it and holds it in her hand and she tells us "awww, it is so cute". We agree because we aren't sure what else to say!

Michael's handiwork

Here are some photos from a recent house raising. Michael has had 2 raisings so far this summer and will have 1 or 2 more before the weather changes. If you want to check out more pictures from the company he works for or find out what 'Timber Framing' is check out the website http://www.arlingtontimberframes.com

Million Dollar Family

This is the comment I get alot. I just got it again yesterday. They ask, "What did you have, a boy or girl?". I answer, "A boy". And they smile "Oh isn't that wonderful, a million dollar family, one of each, now you can stop". Yes, they are wonderful but what if I had had a girl, would she not have been as wonderful? Would my family not yet be complete? I love my boy and my girl. They are absolutely the most wonderful beings in my life but I would have felt the same about another girl, or two boys. I have to bite my tongue every time because I want to yell this at them, so instead I smile, "Yes, a million dollar family".
It doesn't matter, I am blessed and rich in more ways than just gender.
Here are a few million dollar smiles.

CSA

Yesterday I finished my second week of deliveries for our CSA. I started the first week with very little to put in the boxes but by this week I had snow peas, sugar snap peas, beet greens, swiss chard, kale, basil, green onions and strawberries. Pretty yummy stuff I think and it seems my customers like it too. I took the advice of some friends and bloggers and made my customers sign a contract with the farm. They have agreed to support me throughout the season no matter the outcome and realize that farming is very unpredictable and can only be manipulated so much to our own uses. I am very grateful for all the help I have had so far with getting the garden going but we did decide to hire a babysitter for 2 mornings a week so that I could do my deliveries. This gives me time to plant, weed and harvest the garden as well as deliver the veggies to drop off sites. Maetia comes with me for one evening delivery and the rest of the work I am doing after 8pm when the kids are both in bed. I am really happy that I am still able to stay home with them most of the time and that I am not missing out on their lives too much. It is almost as hard to leave a two year old as it is to leave a four month old when you love them so much. At the same time, it is good for my sanity to have some 'thinking' time and stimulate my brain in other ways besides, change, feed, sleep babies, babies babies!
This season I am realizing how much faster I am at harvesting, washing and packing up the truck. I have figured out steps in the process to cut out to make it faster and more efficient. I am also only delivering to drop off sites. Last year I delivered to everyone's home and spent alot of time (and gas) travelling. I have also decided not to do the farmer's market so my weekends are always free and I don't have any wasted product at the end of the day. Each week and each year I will learn more and more and I am glad that I have decided to stick with this for at least 3 years to give it a fair shot and see if CSA's are a viable way to farm in the Annapolis Valley.