Our Haycation: Part VI {Last couple days on the farm}

Boy!  It's only taken me forever to get through all of this!  We had a great last couple of days on the farm.  The cousins just love being together and had so much fun playing.  Aunt Rachel brought Uno, the card game, with her from home and it was really a favorite indoor activity for the kids.
Here are the last pictures:
Kate woke up pretty early one morning (who am I fooling!  She woke up early most every day!  This day we just got out) and we went for a walk outside with Grandma, Sam (the dog), and Roxanne (the cat) (the only ones who were awake).  I love misty mornings on the farm.

Watching what we lovingly call the 'cow parade' with Grandma.  The cows are headed to their pasture after morning milking at the barn.



Kate exploring with the animals

 

Love that misty road!



What are you looking at, Mom?

Kate and her furry friends

He loves me. . .

He loves me not. . .

The pond through the mist

 I love the flowers of Spring on the farm:


Daisy- look closely and you can see the dew

Poppy with a horse fly visitor

Gorgeous pink peony getting ready to burst forth!

Delicate little pansies

The heifers by the pond in front of the house.  Kate loves to see the cows.  She moos with excitement!

Emma reading to her siblings and cousins.

Kate loving corn on the cob!

Daddy and Grant tilling Grandma's garden plot.

Love that old chicken barn!

Here they come!

 

Grant loves being with Dad- especially on a tractor!

The kids did plenty of running and bike riding.

Grant helping Isaac ride the bike.  These 2 had fun together this year!

Arianna, Emma and Lydia riding down Larchar Rd. together.

Kate torturing the cat again.  She's got right ahold of that tail!

Love those heifers in front of the house and near the pond.  (There is a fence, don't worry)

Kate excited about something!  I lover her face in this one.  Kenneth in his farm clothes.  This is how he looked when I fell in love with him (dreamy look in my eye).

S'mores on our last night there.  Caleb built the fire- thanks, Caleb.

Grant enjoying his s'more.

Bitty enjoying her cookie- I left out the marshmallow, too messy for her!

The last cow parade we saw

Posing by the tractor one last time- thumbs up!

One last tractor ride (Kate, too!) before we hop in the car to start the drive back home.

The tractor is attached to the mower.

There they go!

We had a marvelous 'haycation'.  I am so thankful for Kenneth's family and they love they share with us.  I am thankful for their farm and that we can come visit.  'Til next year!!

Our Haycation: Part V {Emma's Baptism}

In our Church, when you turn eight years old, you may decide to be baptized.  Emma wanted to be baptized and Kenneth thought it would be very special for her to be baptized in the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania.  It was pretty special.  That place holds special significance; it was where the priesthood was restored to the earth through the Prophet Joseph Smith.  Kenneth, as a priesthood holder, was able to baptize Emma.  Kenneth's cousin, Phil, also has a daughter who recently turned eight years old, so we held the baptisms at the same time.  So it was really special for Emma to be baptized with her friend/ cousin. 
It was a beautiful day: not too hot, not too cold, and gorgeous.  The only thing that would have made it better is if Emma hadn't been sick!  Saturday evening on the way back to the farm from Aunt Diane's house, Emma threw up.  Then she threw up again at 5 am on the morning of her baptism.  We prayed that she would feel well enough to be baptized, and although she was not herself and her energy levels were low, by the time it was afternoon she was feeling a little better.  You can tell in the pictures that she is not feeling great.  After the baptism we had some cookies, carrots and blueberries and Emma said she was feeling well enough to have some (before this she had only had applesauce and saltines).  So, I let her eat some.  She lost it all in the car again on the way home.  I am thankful that she is old enough now to make it all in a bucket.  She never once threw up on the car or anywhere else.
Here are the pictures of her special day:


Such a calm, peaceful place

Emma with Daddy in their white clothing to symbolize purity and cleanliness.

Here is the spot where Emma will be baptized.

Phil, Kenneth's cousin, his daughter, Tessa, and our whole family.

Our family.

 

Getting ready.  Emma insisted on wearing a dress, and it was puffing up a bit (she had white shorts on underneath).

The group that was at the baptism (minus a few that didn't gather for the picture).  I was so glad that my brother and his family were able to come!

I love this picture of my sisters-in-law.  They are truly good friends of mine.  I feel so blessed to be a part of the Larchar family.

 

 

Another shot of Emma with Dad (I love how lush and green everything is)

 

I love these two!

Gathering in the parking area after the baptisms- we ate cookies, carrots and blueberries.

It was a wonderful day.  I hope Emma can remember the beauty of the place and the sacredness of the covenant she made with her Savior and forget about her sickness.

Our Haycation: Part IV {End of the happy week and I love New York!}

June 4-7 I love New York.  I think I mentioned that before.  If there is one place that is home to me, it is New York.  Which is kind-of strange since I grew up far from New York in sunny Florida.  But, I came into myself in New York, I met and married my sweetheart in New York, I had my first 2 babies in New York.  I love New York.  I feel so privileged to have wonderful in-laws who live on a beautiful farm and have a way of life that is REAL.  I love it and feel so thankful whenever I visit.  We enjoyed time on the farm- helping with the work, fishing, enjoying time with family, going to story time at the library, and going to the nature center.  We also had the privilege of going to the temple to be a art of the sealing of the Ward Family.  As I mentioned in the last post, Kenneth's sister and brother-in-law adopted 4 children and they were sealed in the temple on June 7th.  It was beautiful.  When a family is sealed, they are joined together for eternity.  The temple is such a sacred and beautiful place.  What made it more special, it was in the same room where Kenneth and I were sealed 10 years ago. 

Enjoy the pictures:







Discovered a goose nest, which we kept on eye on to see when the eggs hatched.  They hatched after we went home. 



But, Aunt Karen sent a picture for us to see:

Here they are!  Aren't they adorable!



Fishing with the cousins

Aunt Jenni holding Kate

Kenneth helping the kids fish- the pond is right out in front of the farm house.  Wonderful!

This was a separate Daddy-son fishing excursion, and Grant caught something!

Is he delighted or what?! (you can see the farm house in the background)

Grandpa showed Grant how to take care of a fish so you can eat it.  Scott supervised.

Emma with the calves.

Grant with the calves

Arianna with a calf.

 



 

The kids with the cows.

Another shot- love that sky!

Running through fields of wildflowers!  Gorgeous!

Taking an evening walk, or run?

Kate loves to be outside!



Climbing on the bales during the evening walk.

At the nature center (just 10 miles from the farm)- feeding the fish

Grant and Kate watching the fish

Lydia, Arianna and Emma climbing in a tree at the Roger's Nature Center

Walking down to the pond to fish

Kate loved chasing this cat!

Arianna learned to ride a bike on the farm- just like Emma did.

Kate, enjoying nature

Arianna enjoying nature, of the fuzzy variety

Arianna torturing nature.  Good thing 'nature' is a good sport.

Kate let Uncle Dennis hold her!  That's progress for her!  All the time we were there, she still cried when Grandpa looked at her.

Chalk drawings at the library for story time.  We love the Sherburne Library.

The kids had a blast making a 'house' under these trees.  They spent quite a bit of time there.  Sam, the dog, liked to join them, too.

View of the pond from the house

More tractor rides!

The Beautiful Ward Family on their sealing day at the Palmyra Temple