It has been entirely too long ...

It has been WAYYYY too long since I've posted on our blog. There have been many changes and I haven't spent much time on the computer. The first big change is that I went back to work full time in the beginning of August. I got a job in the human resources department at Pella Regional Health Center. I work Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. I really like the job, my co-workers and my hours. It was made easier by the fact that Bray-Lynne adjusted to the change very well. She goes to daycare full time and enjoys it. Brandyn and myself have adjusted too; I think I was really tired at first with the new schedule but we are in a good routine now. Brandyn has been amazing through all of this too. He is so tolerant of me and is a huge help with daily things like dishes, laundry and making the bed. It has been one of the best decisions for our family so far!

The next big change is that we are expecting baby #2!! It was somewhat unexpected; but we are thrilled! I am due on March 23rd (give or take) ... it hasn't really sunk in yet that we will have 2 children by early spring! Everything has gone pretty well so far; I was more sick this time than I was with Bray. Thankfully, I am over that now and am getting more energy back. We won't be finding out the gender just like how we did with Bray-Lynne. She doesn't really get what being a big sister means yet but she'll get there.

Bray is growing and getting smarter by the day. She has learned so many words! She is a busy, little girl and loves to play with her baby dolls, puzzles, read books and play outside. We got 2 new farm kitties and she thinks she is pretty neat when she can carry them around all by herself. We hope to take up the potty training and switch to a big girl bed by the time baby #2 arrives.

I hope to keep up with the blog more now that we are in a routine. I can also get my pictures loaded on the computer finally so that helps!

summer fun

Cubby needs a drink of water
Oh no
Don't you want to come join me in here, Cubby?
Staying hydrated
She is saying "mooooore" in this picture ... she wanted more of the drink I let her have.


It's definitely summer in Iowa! We have had a good amount of hot, humid days and it has been great. Today was the first day I got Bray-Lynne's baby pool out. I got a few pictures of her playing. We have our garden off to a good start ... each day we check for more growth. We've also been doing a lot of mowing, trimming, planting and mulching. I look forward to getting into town for ice cream one of these nights to cool off!

Learning new things

She likes the air from the ball popper toy to blow on her face & hair

Carrying and eating cereal
Oops! - the bottom picture is her saying "Oh no!"

Everyday Bray-Lynne learns new things. It's always an exciting time living in a house with a 1 1/2 year old! Recently we have been working on eating from a bowl and carrying the bowl around level so it won't spill. I also have a few pictures of her being a little character. She is very silly sometimes. Enjoy.

Turn, Turn, Turn

This is the devotional I got through email this week. It is really relevant to life right now it seems. This devotional has been something I can 'turn' to when asking questions to God about life. I can't take credit when it says "I" in the reading, but I apply the text as if it was. Turn, Turn, Turn
	For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1
	God is the source of all life (Num. 16:22). He makes everything perfect in its season. And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them (Rom. 8:28). When Solomon says in verse 1, “there is . . . a time,” I appreciate just how fleeting that time is. He doesn’t say, “there is time”; he tells us there is “a time.” Psalm 102:11 points out that life passes as swiftly as the evening shadows. When the Scripture refers to “everything,” I’m reminded there is nothing new under heaven. God has seen all that has happened, is happening, and will happen under heaven. Whatever our circumstances, they are not unique. It is also a comfort to think of our shameful, difficult, or unhealthy situations as lasting only a period of time or for a “season.” Solomon writes later in chapter 3 that God has planted eternity in the human heart. Eternity cannot be found in life’s cycles. The secret to peace with God is to determine, accept, and value God’s perfect timing. We have to keep turning back to him. To doubt God’s timing is to move ahead without his advice. All things apart from God are empty and pointless. Solomon affirms the value of knowledge, relationships, work, and pleasure, but only in their proper place. No joy or contentment is possible without God. We should strive to know and love God. He is the giver of wisdom, knowledge, and joy. Every moment and every season is another opportunity to turn, turn, turn back to him.

Our little farm girl

Bray-Lynne found some old sunglasses the other day and thinks they are pretty cool. It was finally nice enough for shorts & tee shirts yesterday so I got a few pictures of our little farm girl. She has other shoes that she can get dirty but her boots are her favorite. Many days she already has the other shoes on but brings us her boots to wear instead. Whether it's muddy or not she is in these boots.

Calistoga, Sonoma & Napa Valley

My dad & I eating crab at Scoma's our first night in San Franciso
Had some wine & appetizers at a restaurant on Fisherman's Wharf
Alcatraz
Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco - lots of cool places to eat here
Going downhill in the Trolley Car - downhill is quite different in San Francisco!
Brandyn & I riding in the Trolley Car
Our last night in Calistoga - we ate at a place called "Brannan's" - awesome food
Niebaum Coppola (formerly Rubicon Estates) vineyard - this is their winery/tasting room/gift shop
Enjoying the wine & the view at Robert Mondavi vineyards
We visited Domain * Chandon vineyards to taste champagne (I'm the champage gal in the family)
Hess Vineyards - we joined our first wine club here
A picture going up the mountain --- all you can see is vines growing with a few houses here & there
The first night in Calistoga - we ate at a place called Bosko's - Brandyn had the tastiest pasta
On our "private" tour by Pete Seghesio (read more below) -- original redwood barrels behind us
This is at Beringer Vineyards tasting room - we tried port here too
Beringer's land
Beringer's land with pretty 'weeds' growing between
Our first vineyard was Gundlach Bundschu or "Gun Bun" for short - pretty scenery here
Golden Gate Bridge
Ghirardelli Square in San Franciso


Brandyn and I were fortunate enough to get away for a few days at the end of March. We were able to get cheap tickets & rooms for a trip to San Francisco & Calistoga, California. This was and still is one of our dream vacations and we loved every minute of it. The first day we stayed in San Francisco. We got to go on an original trolley car which was neat. We went up and down the streets of San Francisco which can be a fun ride (depending on who you ask). We also visited Fisherman's Wharf. There are all sorts of restaurants there and Alcatraz is right across the way. We had appetizers and wine at one restaurant then ate dinner at a restaurant called Scoma's. My dad and I shared awesome crab that night. The next day we drove to Sonoma to begin our tour of vineyards. We toured several and hit many of our favorite places to drink wine from. The first place we visited was Gundlach Bundschu and that was one of my favorites. It was so pretty and the wine was good too :) Gun Bun is all estate grown grapes which is very rare for vineyards. Many vineyards buy grapes from other places but this was all their own. That day we also visited Arrowood, Beringer... and a few more. That night we ate at a place called Bosko's. Brandyn had some of the best pasta we've tasted. We enjoyed the hot tub, sauna and steam room that night. I forgot to mention that my parents were our "tour guides" through this whole trip. My dad is quite the wine connoisseur and my parents have been there a time or two before so it was great to have them along. The next day we toured the Napa Valley side (Saturday was the Sonoma side). We visited several vineyards that day as well. The most memorable visit was our visit to Seghesio vineyards. We were done with our tasting and my mom and I were waiting around for my dad & Brandyn to finish up. It just happened that Pete Seghesio (I would say he's the current owner -- not 100% sure) felt bad for the two of us. So, he introduced himself an asked if we wanted a tour of the barrels. We knew we'd be in trouble if we didn't tell the guys to come along. Pete showed us their barrels including 3 original redwood barrels they have. He also let us taste their homemade "salumi" (salami) which was so good. He showed us how they dehydrate it and everything. We felt pretty special when we left that day. All of us agreed that experience made the trip! That night we enjoyed some awesome food at a place called Brannan's. The presentation was very nice and the food was even better. After that my dad drug us to a place where he made Brandyn try foie gras; in other words - goose liver. YUCK! I guess it's a special treat for some people but I disagree. Leave it to my dad to make us try weird foods! We got to enjoy our hot tub again that night with some cheese and crackers and good conversation with family. It was a wonderful trip and I only hope that we can go back again soon. Oh, I forgot to mention that the famous rapper, Ludacris, was on our flight out of Des Moines to Denver. We thought that was a pretty cool way to start the trip. We didn't get a picture (too chicken to ask) but at least we can say we saw him up close.

A good day to blog

I finally have some time to spend on our blog now that the weather is rainy. We have been going 100 mph here on the farm. Rick was planting corn all week ... Bray-Lynne and I got to help put our first plot in last night ... and Brandyn was busy trying to get everything sprayed before it rained. Joan was out in the field cultivator and Bray-Lynne and I stayed home to watch the yard for customers. It has been quite a lifestyle change for me this year but I am so happy to be where we are at. I would not have it any other way. We have been running around like crazy but have a chance to slow down today and get some other things done....like this blog! I haven't gotten any pictures of us farming but Bray-Lynne was definitely born and farm girl. She loves the tractor and in fact, I think "tractor" is just about her favorite word. She also says "shoes, bye bye" all the time. She loves to be outside! I have a couple pictures of just day to day things. One day Bray dumped an entire box of cereal out on the carpet and another day she helped me sweep the floor.