The 'List' Gets a Little Smaller

This week a couple of our goals were accomplished. We took Doc up to Hyrum so he can be close to Brynn. He went up to Carson's family's farm and will have some new friends to play with. Brynn had 'neglected' to tell Carson's dad, Mont, that Doc was a paint. He has this cute little paint donkey named Pepe, so he told Brynn he would make a team out of them. Doc spent the first night in the arena, but then Mont turned him out the next morning. Brynn has spent quite a bit of time with him this week getting him used to his new digs.

Wouldn't you know it, the very next day, our new barn was installed. We've been planning on getting one for a long time and once we were finally ready to get one, off Doc goes.

The young men that installed sure worked fast. I was shocked at how fast it went it up! I was going to stay home so there would be someone here, but since we have somehow magically moved to Seattle (at least the weather thinks that's where we live now), Ken was able to stay home instead. First thing we did...move the hay in. For the very first time in all the years we have had horses, our hay is finally covered!!!!!

Saturday we cleaned up the area on the west side of the barn so that we could park the horse trailer on the side. Next job, moving all the wood that has been getting piled up, plus the parts for the pole barn all need to be moved. Who knows, maybe the pole barn will be up by the end of the year? Ken and Doug will be getting ready for cement next. That will be such a nice project to have completed and checked off 'the list'. Ken was hoping to get the alfalfa sprayed for weeds on Saturday, but, surprise! Rain once again. Maybe this week it'll be dry enough and he can be home long enough to get it taken care of.

Lately we have been making lists of small and big projects that we hope to accomplish in the near future - it's a great feeling to be able to go back and check off the things we have accomplished. It seems like we have been able to accomplish quite a few things this year - 2 ditches filled in, the front yard looks pretty good, the trees are starting to grow, Brooke's room, upstairs bathroom cleaned up, the scrapbook room reorganized, many of the closets cleaned out, quite a few trips to DI, the downstairs bedroom framed and electrical work started, another fence line added, new alfalfa field in, much of the old wood scrap pile burned, and the shed moved back to the farm storage yard (and cleaned out too!). I am so tickled with what we have been able to do, especially with the major events that have been happening in our lives in the last 2 months.

I Feel So Blessed

Today as most of the family was here for dinner, I felt so blessed to have all of our kids pretty close by. And even more important, they all get along so well. Sometimes we are a little irreverent and we are always a little loud, but I absolutely LOVE having them all around.

One of my favorite country songs is the song by Lonestar:

My blessings are in front of me,
it's not about the land...
Yeah, the view I love the most
is my front porch lookin' in.

I keep thinking I need to have that cut out in vinyl letters to put over my front door, because it totally describes how I feel about our little family.

Little Miss Ella has Drew and grandpa completely in love with her. There's something pretty cute about big men and little bitty babies! She is starting to smile and make those cute cooing noises - and she's working on the fake cry. Very important skill!

We had our weekly update from Brooke on the newlywed chronicles. Ah, all those fun things about getting to know each other, learning to live in the same space, budgeting habits, cleaning issues......so much fun! I told her she needed her own reality show - only because it would be pretty interesting to watch all those adjustments happening.