Introducing Our Fourth!

We are blessed and excited to introduce our fourth child! As you can see, at 12 weeks gestation, the little one has been doing a lot of growing and developing! Due date is May 15, 2011!

Rental House

This fall's project has been to finish up the rental house and get it rented. With fire season so slow, we have put in 4 days a week on it for the last few months. I'll try to post more pictures, but here is one of the most dramatic things we've done.

This wall behind the woodstove needed a heat shield. My father in law is a masonry contractor, so he had some leftover things around that ended up working perfectly for this project.

Josh and I laid the tile in this sunroom, which had a rough concrete floor. Here Josh is finishing up the grout. We also used this same tile in the dining room. I learned a lot about leveling floors and laying tile!

Here is the woodstove all finished. Isn't it nice? The rock and slate were all leftovers and worked just perfectly for this small project. We just finished this up on Friday and it looks SO nice! Not to mention it will be durable and last for many years. Now we are tackling the kitchen, which needed a new counter and sink.
We have a rental agreement signed with a family of 5 and hope to have them moved in some time in the month of November. It will be so nice to work on my own house and projects here for a change!

Feather River Fish Hatchery

September marks the Salmon run up the Feather River as they migrate up the river to spawn. We took a great fieldtrip to Oroville to see this amazing sight. We spent 4 hours at the hatchery and the kids didn't want to leave!

This is the fish ladder, which allows the salmon to progress up over the dam and routes them into the hatchery.

This is the underwater view of the fish ladder. The kids were quite impressed with these huge fish! Average weight is 30 lbs. Nathan was wishing he could catch one! This gave the kids a really good view of the fish so they could see the differences between the males and females. (During spawning season the males develop a distinct hook on their mouth.)

This is a pool where the fish collect before they are processed. When we first arrived there were hundreds of fish swimming and thrashing around in this pool. You can see how disturbed the water is. We went on the first day they opened the fish ladder and there were tons of fish to watch!

From the above pool, the fish are put in this tank where they are sorted. On this particular day, they were not processing any fish because they weren't "ripe" for spawning. The fish were counted by sex and sorted into different holding ponds. Eventually, the eggs and sperm would be harvested from the fish (who die naturally after they spawn). We also toured the hatchery area where the eggs are incubated and then raised in large ponds. Later they are released back into the rivers to begin the life-cycle all over again. This was a fascinating fieldtrip and the kids are begging to go again next year!

Solar Cooking

One part of our study on stewardship this fall was learning about sources of energy. Here we tried making a solar hotdog cooker. Unfortunately, it was a very cool day and it took a LONG time to cook! It would be a perfect project for those 100 degree summer days! We had fun making it anyway.

Random Moments at Home

One of the joys of having children at home with me all the time is the random moments that make me smile! God has been working on me over the past year to step back regularly to just enjoy my children. To watch them play and work. To smile at their joy and zest for life, even when it means more mess or laundry. To treasure these moments because they won't be home forever. It is all too easy for me to get caught up in the to do lists, the messes around me, and the perpetual activity 3 little ones create! I'm trying to stop and enjoy the moment. And so, here are a few of those moments to share with you!

Nathan took this photo of Juliana enjoying one of her favorite activities--licking the beaters! I love the hard hat and pajamas!

Our children are enjoying the company of a sweet family we switch babysitting with. I marveled that this many children could contentedly and harmoniously play in such tight quarters! We always laugh that all the blond children start to look alike when our kids are together!

Modeling some hand-me-down flashy heels a friend gave me!

Despite the fact they were supposed to be doing chores, I decided to laugh over the toe decorating Peter and Juliana invented! It was funny to watch them try to walk without disturbing the scrunchies!

After storing all the canning for the year, I thought I would share my contented satisfaction in the fruit of my labor. This is not all of the canning--it doesn't all fit on the shelf! We will be eating well this winter. I just recently read about pressure canning your own "convenience" foods (like soups, flavored meats, chili, etc.) I'm considering trying some!

Fall

This week we harvested our pumpkin crop! Since we ran out of frozen pumpkin a while ago, the kids have been dying to cut up these pumpkins so we could have pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin seeds, etc.

Learning how to scoop out the seeds. So glad I did this outside and could just hose off the deck when we were finished!

Pumpkin all ready to steam. After it cooks, you can easily remove the peel and them puree in a blender or food processor! Yum!

Backpacking Trip

Over the Labor Day weekend, Josh and the boys went backpacking with family and friends. They had a wonderful time!

The group of packers with all their gear!

Camping on the sandbar!

Nathan, of course, had room in his pack for a small fishing kit!

Exploring an old mine of solid rock (thus safe to explore). It has a mine car you can push down the shaft on old rails. Not sure what Josh and Quinton are doing here!

(Note: for those who wondered, Juliana and I stayed home and enjoyed a weekend together doing "girl stuff". )