The Greatest Slacker Ever!!!

Well, left to her own devices, my wife has chosen to ignore her blog, and all of the followers of it, for way too long now. I have sat back and waited, made comments, and even tried guilting her into updating it..... but all to no avail. So, although I am NOT the Farmer's Wife, I am the Farmer here at Little Bearfoot Farm. And as such, I am taking it upon myself to at least post this one blog in the month of December.... simply to say to all of you who have been waiting and wondering what has happened.....

Merry Christmas (already past), and a very Happy New Year!!!!! :-)


May you all find this blog site to be current and updated regularly during 2010.


Gordon

Happenings around LBF this Fall

Lucy- born this summer. She has a star on her forehead that looks like Florida.
Diego and Lucas-born this summer. Both handsome little boys.

New gravel around the driveway-very much needed. 7 truck loads didn't even cover it all!!

The kids and the little dogs taking a break from work, soaking up the sun.

Jasper and Cassie, respectively, taking a little snooze out of the wind.

Wind storm-November '09

Yesterday and last night we had a great wind storm. Of course, we weren't quite prepared for it yet and this is what we ended up with this morning.
It could have been worse; thank goodness it wasn't!!

My new oven/stove

It was not in our plan to buy a new range, but our oven has been out for close to a month. Before that, we just kept trying to fix it. It definitely needed to be replaced, but we waited until it completely died before we gave in. We went to Sears just to look at a cheap replacement, but the salesman had a better idea. He had a special order that ended up getting cancelled. So we took a look. We ended up getting an $1100.00 range for over 50% off. It is a kitchenaid, with glass top 4 burners, a warming burner, oven and convection oven. It is nice!! It doesn't completely go in our yucky kitchen, but it sure is beautiful!!

My Halloween-ers

We had a great Halloween this year. Almost every year, Gordon ends up working on Halloween and the kids and I go to Noah Night at Christ Fellowship Church in Nooksack. It is a big carnival inside the gym where the kids can run around and get candy at the different games and it is all safe, warm and inside. This year, Gordon was home and Uncle Brad was here to have a good time with us. We started off our evening by getting dressed up and going to The Nuthouse for dinner. Then we went across the street to a small neighborhood and went door-t0-door. It was a beautiful evening. Not too cold. A great night for a walk around a neighborhood. The kids had a blast running from house to house and we saw a lot of other trick-or-treaters. After that, our evening was topped off with a surprise visit from Grandma and Grandpa. They were in Seattle with my sister Chris, waiting to see if my brother-in-law Tim was going to have surgery that day. The surgery got postponed until this Tuesday, so they drove up to see all the grandkids. It was a great evening and the kids had a blast.

My beautiful, royal princess......

My all-star athlete, football player.....

What about me, Mom?

Well, as you can imagine, when Evan saw that Sierra had purple highlights, he got a little jealous. He has been asking me to color his mohawk for a long time and I just haven't done it. So, after church we went to the beauty supply store and bought the stuff to do his hair. I had to by bleach to take the natural color out of his hair first and then add the purple color. But before any of that could happen, Daddy had to first cut his hair and make it look right. He was very patient through the whole process and even exclaimed, "I can't believe I am holding still this long!"

Here are pictures of the bleached hair(which he wanted to leave like that), and then the final coloring. It is brighter in person than in the pictures. The pictures just happened to turn out a little dark.

GO, NOOKSACK!!!!

The new Sierra......

Sierra got a haircut today. She and I went to Stephana's work and spent the morning getting our hair done. Sierra was adamant that we could not cut her hair, only "trim" it. Stephana and Sierra worked out a compromise. If she held still and let Stephana cut 2 ish inches off to give her healthy hair, then Stephana would see if she had any purple highlights to put in her hair. She was soooooo excited, she held still and did a great job. So, now she has purple highlights. They look amazing and she is very happy with her hair. Great job, Stephana!!

2nd annual LBF chili cook-off

These are just a couple of videos from our chili cook-off. It was a great time and everyone had fun. Our first place winner this year was Brad Neitling. The boobie prize went to Jennifer Roosma. Next year we hope to have more than 10 chili's to try. It will be fun!!

Who's going to win?

It is that time of year again when we hold the Little Bearfoot Farm Annual Chili Cook Off. It is actually tomorrow night. Friends have been making chili recipes all week getting ready for the cook off. Last year was the first year and it was a huge success. This year, there is a 1st place plaque that the winner gets to display at their house for the year, and then bring it back to the next year's cook off. Every year we will add a name.

Who is it going to be this year? Can anyone top Tim's chili? I don't know. His is pretty impressive in my book!!

Let the contest begin.....

The lonely lantern...

I was so excited this spring when I got a little package in the mail. My lovely chinese lantern seeds!! Yeah!!!! I read that they are very invasive and will grow like crazy, so I contained them in a stump. The foliage was so pretty this summer and I was thrilled and excited for the Fall to come when I would get to see all the pretty orange flowers.

Well, not so much. At least not this year. I only got one lonely lantern out of the whole group. Isn't is pretty? I love the vibrant orange color.

Next year....lots more lanterns!!!

Hooray for Fall

Yes indeed....... today is October 1st, and it certainly looks and feels just like Fall outside. Here at Little Bearfoot Farm, Fall is our favorite time of year. The wonderful smell of people burning leaves and yard debris, smoke from peoples fireplaces, the crisp and clear fall air, and the changing colors of the leaves. There is so much more as well, like fall football and soccer games, home made soups and crockpot meals, hot cider, pumpkin pie, and family gathering to celebrate Thanksgiving. Oh, and how could we leave out...... Little Bearfoot Farm's annual chili cook-off and pumpkin carving contest!!!

Yes indeed.... Fall is here!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SIERRA!!

Today is Sierra's 6th birthday. I remember the day we got a call that we had a baby girl waiting for us to pick up. After a long pregnancy with a birthmom, we went to the hospital to endure hours of labor in the waiting room. Finally in the middle of the night, a baby boy was presented to us. We held him, took pictures of him, called him by the name we had picked out for him, and then left the hospital to get some sleep. The next morning, the birthmom changed her mind and decided to parent her child. It was heartbreaking, but we actually expected it by her actions and words throughout the pregnancy. We headed off to Portland to go hunting with family. The day before we left, we got a call that another birthmom had given birth to a healthy baby girl and she wanted us to parent her child. WE WERE THRILLED!!! We postponed our hunting trip to travel up and get our new daughter. She has been a joy in our lives ever since.

This is a picture of her when she was around 6 months old. This smile and light in her eyes shows you what an amazing, happy little girl she is. Sierra is talented, happy, loving, and goofy all at the same time.

This is her at her first dance recital.

We love you baby girl!!!!! Have a great birthday. You are a joy to us and bring light into our lives!!

Boundaries

Today was the first day of my new bible study, "Boundaries". It sounds like it is going to be an interesting and very informative class. We meet at CTK every Wednesday at 10am for the next 8 weeks. It is great to do something with adults from church. I miss going to Mom's Cafe, so this is a great thing for me. Maybe I will even learn how to set some boundaries in life. The title of the workbook is, Boundaries, when to say yes, when to say no, to take control of your life.

I'll keep you all posted as to how it goes!!

Findings around the farm

It was brought to my attention yesterday that I haven't been blogging. I know, I know. My excuse? LIFE!!!! Between getting back into the school mode for the kids, studying, and preparing for Fall, it has been busy around here. Not to mention that three days a week are dedicated football and soccer practices and games. In October, Sierra will be starting dance again!! Crazy right?

Anyways, during my study break today I went outside and walked around with the camera. I found a hugely pregnant spider. Isn't she cool?

I also found a dead, almost completely intact dragonfly. This is not the best picture, but I couldn't get my camera to focus on it very well. I intend to take it to the kids' school and give it to their science teacher.

Then I went to check on the goldfish in the cattle water trough. They started out as tiny, itty-bitty fish and have grown into nice 2-3 inch goldfish.

The last thing for me to share with you is a frog who thought they were camoflauged enough that I wouldn't see it. Wrong! I spied you and decided you were a pretty cool picture. Look at the nail head next to it. It is a good size frog.

Well, I will try to be better about blogging, but I'm not going to make any promises. It is a busy time of year and I am trying really hard to finish my studying so I can finally get a job.

HAPPY HARVEST EVERYONE!!!

Help! Aliens have invaded my garden!!!!

Ok, maybe not really. But I just had to get your attention. The other day Gordon and I went out and started digging up all our potatoes to put into storage for later use. I ended up with a lot of red potatoes. I love those! My california whites didn't produce as many potatoes. I finally figured out why when I got to the second to last plant. All the nutrients were going to this monster potato. The one on the left is a good size baking potato. The other one....who knows. Aliens, maybe?

Sierra- - -my big girl!!!

Today was Sierra's first day of Kindergarten. She has been sooo excited to get to her new class. We laid out an outfit last night for her to wear, brushed her hair so it wouldn't get all tangled in the middle of the night, and got to bed at 8:00pm. She woke up ready to go!! She was excited to have a lunch in her new lunch bag, and couldn't believe that she got to ride the bus! I met her at the school and took a few pictures. The first is talking to Daddy on the way to the bus shelter; next, in the bus shelter; getting on the bus; at school; in her classroom. Yeah!! My big girl is growing up! How fun.

egg cartons

I am writing this post to plead for egg cartons. We have run out of the hundreds that we bought and have decided to use other cartons. We made our own labels with a note in red saying to please return the cartons for re-use, but we have now run out. People didn't return them and we have gone through about 3-4 hundred cartons.

So, if you have any cartons available that you aren't using, please save them for us and give me a call to come and collect them. We will use all clean, non-ripped cartons.

Thanks so much-I hope you all have a great 3-day weekend!!!

BTW-Evan never made it into the paper. I guess the photographer chose not to use his picture.

The start of another journey....

Today, Evan started the 3rd grade. It is unbelievable how fast the time goes. I still remember his first day in Kindergarten. He was very excited this morning to get to school. He knows all of his classmates, except for a couple of new ones. He was excited to meet his teacher, Mrs. Som. I got a few pictures of him as we waited in his bus shelter, got on the bus, and also at the school. While I was taking the picture of him in front of the school, someone from the Bellingham Herald took his picture also. Evan will be in the paper tomorrow!!! How cool is that? He doesn't even know it yet. Maybe I won't tell him. I will just buy a paper and then show him. That would be fun!

Motocross ends for this season

This past Thursday, motocross ended for the season. Evan has done such an incredible job racing on his KTM. He has really improved and rides like him and the bike are one. It has been amazing and fun to watch him; and yes, a little scary. Evan ended his season with a third place trophy for the last race and overall points in third place. He received a huge trophy for his year end placement, plus a garbage can decopaged with motocross pictures, a huge sheet of decals for his bike, and a motocross puzzle.

I have spent this afternoon helping him put his puzzle together. This is what it ended up looking like. We got it all finished in a couple of hours. It was really fun working on it with him. Now he wants to take it apart and have Daddy help him put it together again.

Don't ask me why this picture posted sideways. I have no idea what happened!!!

Foiled again!!!

As most of you know, the BB girls have a tradition. When someone is out of town, we try to "get" them by doing something to their house while they are away. This is typically just happened between Holly and myself, but we are starting to "share the love" with others.

This tradition actually started between my husband and Holly. Gordon would go into Holly's bathroom every time we visited and rearrange a few things. Now it has grown to include husbands, wives, and the BB girls.

Well, we struck again!! This time it was Stephana's turn. She has quietly been making suggestions on tricks to play on others, so we thought she deserved a turn! Her family was out of town for a few days so we went to her house to have a little fun.

STEPHANA---YOU HAVE BEEN FOILED!!! WE HOPE YOU LIKE YOUR NEW DECORATIONS. LOVE YOU LOTS!! (GOTTCHA)

My 8 year old boy!!!

Today, my son is 8 years old. I can't believe how fast the years have gone. I will never forget the day that we got the call that Evan's birthmom, Carisa, was in labor. It was 3 days sooner than we expected. We were actually at a store buying Carisa a birthstone necklace to give to her as a reminder of Evan's birth. Not that she needed the reminder, but we thought it was a nice gesture.

Anyways, my beautiful, handsome, wonderful son was born on Thursday,August 23, 2001 at 1:17pm. This is one of my favorite pictures of him when he was a few months old. It is a little faded from hanging in a frame all these years, but it is still a great picture.

This is my great boy today!!! Isn't he cute?

If you see him today, wish him a great day!!!!

Busy times...

I really am sorry that I haven't posted anything in a few weeks. Between summer time, outside work, farm life, kids and studying, I have been neglecting this blog. I hope as the fall gets here and school starts, I will have more time to post. With that being said, here is my latest post.

Introducing Pasa****

Pasa is 8 years old and lives in a remote area along the border of India and Bhutan. His father is dead and little is known about his mother. He is part of the Dukpa people, living in a small village with access only by foot.

We want Pasa to grow up feeling loved and well cared for. That is why we have chosen to sponsor him through Kidstown, International. This way Pasa can move to the Bhatkuwa orphanage and get education, food, clothing, medical care and love. He will come to know Jesus and all of his needs will be met.

We are excited to send Pasa a letter and some pictures of our family, plus a few little gifts that the kids have picked out for him. I feel that this is a great way to show our children how to love someone they have never met, and it will also teach them to love as Jesus loves them.

If you are interested in sponsoring a child, let me know and I will give you the information you need to get started. There is a desperate need to help these children. We are, in a very small way, doing our part to help an innocent child who deserves a better life.

Tour de Cure 2009

Hi all,
Yes, it has been awhile. This past weekend we went to Oregon so that Gordon, Evan and Papa could ride the Tour de Cure 2009 ride for diabetes. We have a lot of people we know who have diabetes, and Evan thought it would be fun to do a ride with his dad and Papa; thus, "Three Generations" team was founded!

We have been preparing for a few weeks for this ride. I set up Evan's web page and sent out a ton of emails to get donations to help support this cause. Every rider pays a $25 riding fee, plus is required to get $150 in donations by the day of the ride. With the love and support of all of you, Evan personally raised $845.00. I believe you can still donate if you did not and would like to. You can go to http://http//main.diabetes.org/site/TR/TourdeCure/TDC460018030?px=4912448&pg=personal&fr_id=5623 to donate. You only have a few days left, so hurry if you want to make a donation!

Anyways, I also made up team support t-shirts for myself, Sierra, Uncle Brad, and Grammy. Nothing too fancy, but fun anyways. It was a hot, hot day. Sierra ended up sick, with a fever. She slept most of the day. You can see she is laying on the turf, waiting for the guys to get back from the ride.

Evan, daddy and papa rode in honor of the following people that we know with diabetes.

*Papa

*Grandpa

*Uncle Tim

*Allie Bird

*Hailey Konze

*Betty Frankina

If we missed anyone, we are sorry. We tried to think of our close friends and family.

All in all, it was a great day spent in honor of our loved ones. Thanks to all who supported this great ride!!