the summer of 2015

I wish I could just skip this post altogether, but I can't.  I'll apologize in advance for the lengthiness.  But it needs to be recorded, and I'll start with the heavy.

April/May/June

The story of this summer has been a sad one.

Most of you know that we buried one of our best friends.  He was a childhood friend of Josh's.  He and Josh were hunting buddies.  He and Josh have hunting stories galore.  He married my cousin.  He was in our wedding.  We went to church together for the last 15 years.  Our kids have grown up together.  

He went into the hospital in early April and was diagnosed with cancer shortly thereafter.  He came home in hospice care in June and died a few weeks later.  

Throughout the ordeal, Josh and I looked at each other time and time again and said, "Is this really happening?  Is Rob really dying?"  It was surreal to write his obituary and to attend his viewing and funeral.  

What was beautiful to see through the depths of great sorrow was the way our church family stood with Rob and Jen throughout Rob's battle.  And not only them, they stood with us as well.  Josh and I spent countless hours with Rob and Jen during those months.  Friends and family were watching our kids and cooking meals for us so that we could spend as much time with Rob and Jen as possible.  It is something that would have never crossed my mind in the past.  It will be at the top of my list in the future to love and bless those in supporting roles.  It was humbling and a blessing to say the least.  

What a joy it was to know Rob and call him our friend.  He will be forever missed.

July

July brought some nicer weather and some much appreciated rest at the lake.  It also gave Josh some time to work on our house.  He has worked steadily since July and has accomplished much.

He passed a couple of necessary inspections and has a date in October marked on the calendar where things need to be "livable" per our government.  He doesn't want to pay to renew our permits, so he's working as hard as he can to get things to the "livable" point.  I, for one, am thankful for the deadline.  He works well with a goal in mind. :)

July also brought some sad news.  Our dog, Tucker (he'll be 12 in November), has a tumor in his mouth.  While we know that he won't live much longer, it doesn't seem to be bothering him.  He drools much more than before, and Josh has to doctor his food so that it is softer.  He continues to be playful and has been enjoying all of the extra, extra walks with the girls.  We even had a photo shoot with him yesterday which consisted of him lying on his back time and time again as I tried to take pictures of him with the girls.  He just wanted to play, and the girls were getting a big kick out of it. 

On a positive note, volleyball started in July!  This has been the highlight of the summer for the girls.  Claire tried out for the volleyball team in May, and she found out on her birthday that she made it.  Poor Meredith really wanted to try out, but she'll need to wait until next year. :)  She is on the 4-6 grade training team, and that is whetting her appetite for now.  

August

With the unexpected schedule through April, May, and June, I wasn't quite as ready for school in August as I would have liked to have been.  The last couple of years, I have ordered all of our curriculum right after the end of school.  I would put away the old, organize the new, and be ready to plan in August.  Not this year.  We started a week ago today, and I still didn't feel as prepared as I would have liked.

Claire and Meredith actually both started some of their subjects without me during the two weeks before I was ready to begin.  You know it's bad when the students are more ready to start than the teacher.  They kind of kicked my rear end into gear. :)  I feel like I keep them accountable most of the time, but maybe the tables are beginning to turn.  

Volleyball games started this month which have forced me to be o.r.g.a.n.i.z.e.d. and prepped for meals.  I saw a fabulous idea on facebook to help with lunch prep, and we've been using that for the days when we have volleyball games.  It has worked nicely, and I've decided to serve our big meal for lunch on early volleyball game days instead of dinner.  So far, so good.  We'll see what September brings.  

August has also brought an unexpected desire for me to eat healthier, exercise regularly, go to bed earlier, and get up earlier.  I'm not sure I'm succeeding on all accounts, but I've definitely made some positive changes.  Unfortunately, I love cookies a little too much.  I know we've discussed this before.  Thankfully, my good friend, Deanna, makes these awesome healthy cookies.  She assures me that I can eat a lot of them, and I take comfort in that.  I don't argue.  I just eat the cookies and trust her words.  Pass me another healthy cookie, friend...  

We also FINALLY got internet back in our house.  Our phone and internet have been out all summer.  I kid you not...all.summer.long...since like May.  It's been a little weird and kind of nice, and I've become an expert at doing everything (but blogging) on my phone.  Blessing and a curse, I tell you.  We still don't have our phone in working order.  Maybe someday.  

September

September is going to be a busy volleyball month.  (Can you tell I'm totally turning into a volleyball mom?  Sorry that you're going to have to hear about it for the next 15 years if all of my girls decide to play.)  

Our co-op also starts in September, and I agreed to be in charge this year.  Sometimes I question my sanity, but I just had to take the reins.  My friend, Cari, was formerly in charge, and her husband had cancer a few years ago.  And she was donating a kidney this summer.  And she has six kids.  I told myself, "Your husband does not have cancer, you're not donating a kidney, you don't have a baby, you're not pregnant, and your youngest child is four.  What is your excuse?!!"  I had none.  I knew I could handle it.  And Deanna promised to help.  Thankfully, she's been a super-awesome assistant, and she's done almost all of the grunt work.  She makes me look good!

I hope September is treating all of you well.  I'm sorry if I don't tell you enough that I'm thankful to have you as my friends.  And if you were all here, I'd give you a hug...so instead, a virtual hug, right here.  Maybe I'll get caught up on reading blogs, but let's be honest and realistic...I probably won't.  I'll just pick up bits and pieces where I can.  If anything major has happened, just tell me.  Happy September to you, my friends!

my little hunter

Claire polished her shooting skills this fall, and Josh felt she was ready to shoot her own deer if the opportunity arose.  They set out the other night for her first hunt where she would be participating instead of watching.  Unfortunately, they didn't see anything, but it was exciting nonetheless...and a good lesson in patience and perseverance.    

{groundhog down}

Oh yes.  That's my first kill.  Ever.

I know, you're impressed.

Our friend, Mr. Groundhog, had been residing under our barn for quite a while, digging holes and such.  Josh kept encouraging me to shoot him when I would see him strolling through our front yard, but seriously, I had zero confidence in my ability to make that weapon work correctly.  

We shoot handguns on our shooting range fairly often.  The one in my hand?  Not so much...or ever for that matter.  

We set up a live trap for our groundhog friend.  We put out lettuce, spinach, fruit, covered it all in vanilla, and even purchased {yes, purchased!} a cantaloupe for him. He didn't take the bait.  He ate all of the food leading right up to the live trap, but he would not enter.  Instead, we caught a couple of possums.  Let's all take a minute and take note that groundhogs are obviously smarter than possums.  

Thankfully, Josh conducted a little groundhog shooting 101 class with me a couple of weeks ago.  He even removed one of the window screens so we could shoot it from the family room.  We're classy in this house, I tell you.  

This is how it all went down {exact times may not be accurate}:

2:17 p.m.  I'm reading about the vikings for our history lesson.

2:22 p.m.  One of the girls spots our chubby little groundhog friend out in the driveway.

2:23 p.m.  I send the girls to our bedroom to watch from the window, and I grab the gun out of the safe.

2:25 p.m.  I open the unscreened family room window and locate chubbs in the scope.  

2:26 p.m.  I click the safety off and attempt to pull the trigger.  Problem: the gun is not ready.  Safety back on.  I must recall groundhog shooting 101 information.  

2:27 p.m.  Gun is ready.  Back on track.  Groundhog has moved closer to the woods.  

2:28 p.m.  I think the groundhog has ran back into the woods, so I close the window.  

2:29 p.m.  Ooooo!  There he is again...he didn't go into the woods!

2:30 p.m.  Watch him through my scope and click the safety back off.  

2:31 p.m.  Fire!!!  Success.  Groundhog down.

2:32 p.m.  Totally feel like a big deal.

2:33 p.m.  Gun away, children out of bedroom, resume with the vikings.

And that's pretty much it, my friends.

{amelia's first hunt}

Amelia finally got to go on her very first hunt.  Daddy woke her up bright and early and dressed her in some camo.

To say that she was excited would be an understatement...a huge understatement.

Of course, I had to take plenty of photos.

I'm in love with this one {ignore Josh's "grandpa" truck in the background}.  {I know, honey, that cap serves lots of great purposes...not one of them has anything to do with style...purely practical.}

About 15 minutes after they left, I heard a few shots.  I was hoping that meant success.  And 30 minutes later, they came back with their bounty.  

Again, she could not have been more excited.

 

Josh told the funniest story after their hunt.  He said that after he shot the first squirrel, Amelia covered her mouth as they walked to pick it up.  Being that this was the first animal that she had seen shot and killed, he wasn't sure if she was upset about the squirrel dying.  When he looked to see if she was crying, she was actually giggling and doing her best to contain her excitement! :)

mushroom.huntin'

The end of April/beginning of May is prime mushroom huntin' season! Josh wandered out into the woods and found a few really nice morels this past weekend. He was soooo excited! I'm sure this will be an annual tradition!

good.day

We have deer meat!

And it's not just any deer meat....it's buck deer meat!!! The "buck" part doesn't make the meat better, but it does make the hunt and the pictures better!

I'm so excited for Josh. He killed this big ol' buck last night (close to dark), but he couldn't find him. He called me right after he found him this morning, and I thought he was going to jump through the phone!

The girls were excited too!

first.hunt

Meredith got to go on her first hunt a few weeks ago!

She was getting her first makeup lesson from her daddy...

Looks good, Meredith!

Two little girls and two ducks!

One of Josh's best friends, has a little girl that's a few months older than Meredith. It was a double-date hunt! The best part was that she and her friend were talking about going hunting during Sunday school. Now, how often do you hear two 4-year old little girls chatting it up about their duck hunt? Priceless.

 

first.hunt

Josh took Claire hunting for the first time a few weeks ago. She was so excited! He had purchased a tent blind so that he could take her. Unfortunately, they didn't see any deer, but Claire informed me that they did see one bird and maybe a squirrel. I asked her later that day what she enjoyed most about their hunt. She said, "I just loved wearing that face paint!"

living.off.the.land

Here is Josh with his first deer killed at the house! He thinks that she's the 2nd largest doe he's gotten. I pulled our last package of venison burger out of the refrigerator last week. I said, "No pressure, honey, but we're completely out of burger." I was counting on him getting one over the weekend.

Claire was thrilled because Josh let her "track" the deer with him. She was so excited to follow the blood trail! She can't wait for him to take her out in their tent blind that he purchased so that he could take the girls with him. She's a proud daughter...and he's a proud papa.

And we have this new, fun toy as well. It was purchased to take the kids for rides and haul dead deer plow the snow-covered driveway in the winter.

Congrats on your first doe on your own property! Many more to come, I'm sure :)

open.season

Josh has the 7:00 shift today, so as he heard the geese fly over the house this morning, he decided to go out and shoot a few of them. mmmmm....gooooooose. Four down, lots to go. I can take this type of hunting outing any day. It was literally an hour from start to finish (cleaning and all!). Josh loves the country...I think I'm starting to like it a bit better as well :)