Busy season just keeps getting busier...

My daily planner looks like someone upchucked letters and numbers all over it. BLECH!
Relearning the old routines with new stuff thrown in. It's enough to make a mom's head spin.
Somehow I still get through it. I have learned in the last few years to take small bites and chew slowly instead of stuffing the whole thing in at once. It's helping.

We finished up the summer with a quick camping trip to the beautiful Lake Vermillion. I must have been busy because I only took the one photo above. Someone told me to take it or I would have missed this memory. I thought for sure she would fall out and break her arm...

The girls finished up their tball season thanks to some really wonderful volunteer coaches. This little village of mine really rocks. It was really great, they had little skills clinics and the girls enjoyed it, they can't wait for next year.

The pool is open this week for the first week of school. It looks like the temps will be warm enough to enjoy a couple of dips in the water, too. I am thankful for the job and the fun memories for my kids in the water.

Gavin started junior football. He would sleep in his pads if he could. He asked me if he could wear his jersey to school on the first day :) His first game was Sunday. He did very well. He plays every Sunday  at 4:30for the next month or so. If you are in Sioux Falls, come out to the Sanford Youth Sports Complex and enjoy a game. This Sunday we are on Field #7. Above are a few highlights from Sunday's game. I amazingly caught this video even though I had no clue what was happening as you can tell from the audio :) P.s. he is #12

And we are keeping really busy on the farm. Dad has almost completed a pen for some kind of animal. He is keeping it all hush hush, no one knows when and what kind of animal will actually live there. But we are all helping to make this dream a reality.

removing the old fences

making new ones

is that a big hole daddy?

let's see

yep

it's almost ME big

it's most of ME big

taking a break from 'farming'

this is gonna be a big gate...

Yesterday was the first day of school for this fifth grader

and this third grader

and off they went...

Not giving up... just letting go

This summer has brought a bunch of change to our daily family routine. There is practically nothing that has remained the same, except the fact that we are the same family of six.

With change, there is a period of time for adjustments. Each one of us has our own length of time needed to adjust. Some of us were able to get comfortable with our "new" life rather quickly and some of us are still working on it.

In April my mother got married. In May Ryan started full time weekends, he works Friday, Saturday and Sunday every week. At the end of May we packed up our home of 15 years and moved out to the place where I grew up, my childhood home. We filled the garage and the shed with boxes. In June, I tried a new online position on for size and decided it wasn't for me. I tried to help with the annual community event in town. Ryan cut and raked the pasture. I forgot to water mom's flower garden. We squeezed out a weekend camping. I started working at the swimming pool. The kids swam at the pool. The kids all played summer ball. The boxes are still in the garage and the shed. We rescued large numbers of kittens. They are now domesticated because of my children. In July we all got sunburned almost weekly. I forgot to water mom's flowed beds and the tomatoes. We sold the hay bales. Ryan got the tractor running, except for the power steering. He pulled the old fencing out,without power steering. August snuck up on us. We watched a few Olympic events.We went to a family reunion. We ate some sweet corn. We registered our 4-H projects for achievement days.We got purple and blue ribbons. We watched friends show sheep. We dreamed of fences and raising our own animals. We ate a few tomatoes if we could get to them before the dogs. (They sure love perfectly ripe 'maters.) The boxes are still in the garage and the shed. I thought once or twice about unpacking them.We went to the Train concert, short but sweet. The kids got to see Jamie Grace at the fair with their aunt. I filled out job applications. I went for a hilly run with a friend. The kids helped dad make new fences. I glanced at my filled to the brim calendar for the rest of the month.

In the mornings I have my cup of coffee out on the deck. I watch the kids play with the kittens. I listen to my husband list off all the plans (dreams) he has for the land. I sip my coffee. I thank the Lord for the blessings I have. I do not deserve this. I have not earned this. I am not worthy of this. I am eternally grateful for this time with my family.

The boxes will get unpacked when I need them. We have already found the box of school supplies. The house will get organized when it happens. In the mean time, we eat, we sleep, we enjoy the time together, whether the pictures are hung on the wall or not. I watch the dogs sniff the green tomatoes in the garden and make a mental note to pick the tomatoes before they ripen if I want to eat them.

Yesterday dad came home from work and helped his son make a play book for football. They sat for over an hour drawing up plays and acting them out in the kitchen. They were really into it. I have been really tense about this whole little boy football thing, but for those few moments I was really happy that they could identify with each other and speak their own language and bond. It will be a totally different story when I am on the sidelines, teeth clenched, eyes closed, praying for no injuries.

I am overwhelmed. The house in town has not sold. I am not comfortable yet. I will not give up, but I will let go. I will try to find my pace in this new adventure. I am downshifting a bit, somethings are not as quick and easy as I anticipated. I will have to let some things go. We have a lot but not enough. We have too much but we still do not have what we need to make this land our own. We will make some mistakes, we will have some successes. What an awesome experience it will be! The dynamic of our home is drastically different. It is a welcome change. I pray that this is where the Lord wants us to be.