The Greatest Show on Earth!

The bummer about being a photographer, is that there are so few pictures of YOU having fun. Aunt Linda took all of these beautiful pictures and Uncle Kevin was here to. Thank you both for so much fun!


Aunt Hester, Uncle Brian, Blake and Ethan had loads of fun!

John, Tina and Randy had fun while it lasted. John was ready to move on to the next exciting thing and they had to leave midway.




Our favorite part was the French clown that road the world's smallest bike through a circle of fire!!!

His bike fell apart and he put it together WHILE he was riding it!

Meow!

She enjoyed every minute of the show.

A cold front came in while we were in the circus so Avi was kind enough to let me borrow his jacket.


Uncle Kevin and Aunt Linda were so kind and generous to get this great Elephant (Stompy) for Zee.

Home Sweet Home...

Avi's first words after driving for 5 hours, "Be it ever so humble... there is no place like home." I agree. It's been a great fun filled 8 days, and I am glad I took the time off away from the stress of work. If anything it's made me appreciate home that much more. Messy and small though it may be, I'm the queen of this here cottage and love it's every nook and cranny. I'll blog more about our vacation on another day, because I promised Zee I would blog about his amazing accomplishment! He had tons of school work to take with us because I took him out of school for 5 days for vacation. BOY OH BOY did he have a lot. He had to write to 1,000 and he had 10 pages of math, 5 pages of English Grammar, 5 books to read, and spelling to do. It was sheer torture for him and he cried many times. But he finished every bit of the work by 5:00pm tonight. He will feel the accomplishment of going to school with all of his work done. And his father and I are very proud of him! Way to go Zee!

I love chickens!

There is nothing quite like holding a chicken. A real live bird in your hands. My parents have 26 of the most beautiful birds. Smelly yes, but they are birds.
This is Buddy climbing Mount Dad. These baby goats are the most amazing creatures. They are soft and warm and full of love. I'm so glad I'm not allergic to them. I have had the privilege of helping at feeding time. They are bottle fed and its so much fun. Not so much for my Mom who has to wake up in the middle of the night for feedings, but it's been fun to help a little.
The ducks are loads of fun. They love water and are so fuzzy. This breed of bird is flightless. They are huge mess makers and great fun to watch.

We have to pack up and head home tomorrow. It's been fun on the farm and it's been a great 8 days away from the stress of work. I have more pictures, but I'll have to post them later as it's almost dinner time. (Yeah meatloaf sandwiches!)

The Exodus Reinactment

Hooray! It's Passover!


Moshe and Sophie


Hester and Tzipporah (Not Moshe's Wife)


Egyptian rock quary



Israelite village of Goshen


The foods during the times of Egyptians


Bread dough ready for leavening...



The plague of Darkness (we forgot to take pictures of the other plagues...)


Preparing for the Angel of Death

Azariah


Blake


Sara

Tzipporah and Bubbe


Thinking about the sad people who lost their firstborn...



Egyptian booty






Let's pack our bags, Pharaoh said go!




The Red Sea is split!


Hey, look a fish! (Moshe's leading the way)


Freedom!



Hester with her tambourine!


Azariah happy to be out of Egypt!


Our first meal of freedom!



Tzipi and Sara are very hungry!


Zee, Nee, Hester, Laurie, Sophie, and Ethan

Sunday: Indian Night!

Our meals are so predictable with limited time and limited funds. However, Indian food is inexpensive but labor intensive. So I decided that on Sundays I would explore deeper into the world of Indian food. Avi and I love Indian food so much, and the kids the seem pretty content to try the new foods each week.


Last Sunday, March 29th... Samosas, Curry/Honey Chicken, Rice, Potatoes and Peas, Olives, Cucumbers, Orange Segments, Cheese, Sour Cream. The chicken was so delicious and so easy to make! (Comment if you want the recipe.)


This Sunday's feast (April 5th), Chicken Tikka Masala, Vegetable Jalfrezi, Rice, Cucumber, Dhal, Naan... The Jalfrezi was spicy but so good... it had cauliflower, peas, carrots, and onions and loads of spices. My favorite thing by far was the naan. I put melted butter on each warm piece and with the heat of the chicken and veggies, it was pleasant. Its traditional to eat yogurt with the meal, but we prefer sour cream.

Flower bed

It was a lot of work, but it was worth it. There was a lot of overgrowth from this weird flowering vine. There were some bulbs in middle of the bed, and it was just ugly. I couldn't take it any more. So after three solid hours of work I planted, gladiolus, lavender, Texas blue bonnets, and butterfly mix. I hope to post another blog showing the progression. I have a bulb shooting through already!

Wet kitty feet and boy feet.


Cute little quasi wheel barrow the kids turned into a "swimming pool".


Tzipi's feet.




Before

After