Catch up Time!

I will try to pack the last week into one post, so there will be left out info! Maybe that's okay. :-)

Last Thurs. we enjoyed a visit from Shanda and the kiddos. Five girls and two boys, all 5 years and under, equaled lots of HIGH energy. Most of it was positive energy, though, and everyone had a blast! We put on a little 'tea party', consisting of personal pizzas, fruit kabobs and corn. Shanda and the girls contributed scrumptious frosted cupcakes.

Peaches, peaches and more peaches!!! I forgot how many peaches come in one bushel! We've been chowing down, but obviously couldn't keep up. Rhya's body couldn't handle more than one peach per day, if you know what I mean. :-)
I just finished freezing the loot. I diced some and pureed some. I mixed in some lemon juice and Stevia powder and am crossing my fingers that it will be a success. I will be a little nervous when it comes time to crack open the first bag.

Labor Day weekend brought tons of 'stay around home' fun and activities! Actually, Friday night brought a stiff neck/ headache/ puking episode for me, so Nate went to preps alone while I spent the day trying to exert myself as little as possible. :-(

After a restful Sat night we enjoyed  union meeting at Forsland's complete with a potluck lunch. Then we headed home and prepared ourselves for a biking challenge proposed by my hubby. He thought it would be awesome if we hitched up both bike trailers and biked out to the farm. He was slightly surprised when I readily agreed, but we have this knack of challenging each other on. :-)

Nate's trailer held Rhya, Sakari, and some bedding, and my vintage (aka pile of junk) trailer carried the camping supplies and food. Rhya napped for over half the trip. My trailer held together until the very last hill, when a bolt took a hike and the trailer started jerking all over the place which caused the chain to fall off of my bike. I admitted defeat and walked up the last hill. :-)
Here we are about ready to embark (Sakari hopped in the trunk once we reached the highway. Yes, she fits!):

I don't have any pictures for the rest of Labor Day weekend but I know Kristina took some. Mom, Dad, Mike, Kristina, and Travis all camped out in the awesome campsite over the weekend.

Sunday supper produced fire roasted kabobs, corn on the cob, and roasted veggies. Later on in the evening we changed Rhya into her bedtime snowsuit and she promptly fell asleep on Nate's shoulder while we sat around the campfire.

Mike turned 27 on Monday! We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast of caramel rolls, eggs, and bacon, and then packed up for a canoe/kayak down the Kinni. It was a gorgeous, fulfilling trip as usual, despite the soggy Jimmy Johns sandwiches that met a little too much water in the bottom of Kristina's kayak. She had a half tip episode that resulted in sandwiches that needed to be wrung out. YUCK!!!!!!!! Oh well, at least she didn't tip all the way! :-) We all managed to stay afloat.

Once we got back to the farm, Kristina and I checked out the trails via horseback for a couple of hours. We were forging our own trails at times, which is half the fun anyway, especially on spunky Tauntsie. There is something energizing about riding a horse when you can feel every single muscle of their body as tense as a rocket...but there is something rewarding about helping them conquer their fears/excitement. I am so glad that Mom and Dad are willing to keep the horses around despite their lack of use this summer. The stresses of life dissipate when horses and I meet. :-) Excuse the extremeness, but it is seriously my favorite past time. I am looking forward to testing out the buddy saddle concept with Rhya next year...just maybe not on Tauntsie. :-)

This week has been busy with daycare kids all week, but thankfully everything has gone smooth!