4-20-08 Week in Review

This week was beautiful! The weather was fantastic so we spent a good deal of time outside playing and taking pictures. The girls are so good about letting me chase after them with my camera. It's always a lot of fun for me. I actually got a hairstyle into Ella's hair. (I really want to get to the point that she'll let me do this on a regular basis so she doesn't end up looking like Tom Petty!) A third of the pics I took have her trying to pull her pig tails out but I put them in tight enough that they lasted all day and even through a nap! Our neighbor saw me outside with the girls and came by to visit. She took Ella for a walk while I hung out with Sylvie in the yard and introduced her to all the edible possibilities she has yet to try.


The boys got to spend two more days with their dad before he heads back to Iraq until Jan of 2009. I hate that they don't get to spend more time with him but they had a blast while they could. He took them to go play laser tag and they loved it. He brought them back Thursday (they missed a couple of days of school) just in time for Corben's baseball practice then he stayed to watch before heading out. He'll be back in Iraq by next week.

Wednesday the Chimney Swifts moved in. What is a chimney swift you ask? It's a very noisey, annoying, and protected bird that likes to make it's home in the chimneys of silly people who don't have caps on their chimneys. (We're not some of those silly people, ours blew off in a storm and we haven't been able to get a tall enough ladder to get it back on.). Anyway, they move in and make nests and you're not supposed to burn them out because they're protected. Problem is...THEY ARE SO NOISY!!! They chirp and screech all day and all night (especially night). It used to scare Ella. It sounds like we live in a jungle or something. Oh well....

Ryan left Thursday night for an all weekend fishing trip at the beach. Friday my sisters-in-law and I went out for a night of bowling (I bowled a 40 - yes, I was trying.) and then dinner. My ankle is still bothering me so I may have to go get it checked out, I'm sure it was affecting my bowling :P. Saturday was a long and busy day. My Aunt Kathy lives in Carrboro and invited us to go on a Farm Tour for the day. It was from 1-6pm and there were over 30 farms all over the area that opened their doors to visitors. We went to 5 of them.

First we went to the Chapel Hill Creamery.








They had lots and lots of cows and we got to see some calves. They showed us how they milked the cows and how they made the cheese and then there was a tasting table. Corben got a little crazy with the taste testing. He was a little grumpy at me that I hadn't brought cash to buy him some more to take home. It was YUMMY!! Guess we'll have to go to the farmers market soon!

Next we went to Perry-Winkle Farm and Duck Run Farm.
There was a pony, tons of flowers and vegetables, chickens (who found Corben quite captivating), a rooster (who did not like that the hens all liked Corben so much and spent most of his time puffing up his chest and squawking for the hens to get back inside), and quite a few ducks that they use for eggs. There was also this really cool clean up station called a "useyerfoot" (www.useyerfoot.com). Corben liked it as much as the animals and even got his hands dirty on purpose to use it over and over. (I finally made him leave with muddy hands.)

Our next stop was a mix of two very famous farms known as Braeburn Farm and Cane Creek Farm. They had New Zealand cattle, pigs & piglets, goats, donkeys, chickens, vegetables, dogs, horses, and some of the most beautiful land you've ever seen! They had fresh meat for sale - again, no cash on me...poor Ryan. It was out in Snow Camp, NC. I highly recommend a drive through that area, it's BEAUTIFUL!!

Our last stop of the day was at Celebrity Dairy out in Silk Hope (that's out West 64). They had cheese and preserves for sale (we picked up some Strawberry preserves) and a ton of animals. They had goats and llamas, chickens and a very proud peacock. Corben had a blast. Some of the newest goats would try to nurse on your knuckle.

It was a long day, but it was a wonderful time. Thanks, Aunt Kathy!! We love you!!

Next, the kids and I headed to Family Dinner (our monthly Schnegel gathering) to celebrate Erin's b-day, eat desert, and play games. It's always tons of fun. Finally we headed home and after some begging from the boys I let them stay up and watch Star Wars.

So now it's Sunday afternoon, we're watching my brother Adam's kids for the evening and Ryan just got home from his fishing trip. He caught a mahi-mahi! YUM! Well, that's it for today! Have a great one!