First Day of School 2012

Well, people I don't even know have started asking me what happened to my blog, so I think it's probably time that I posted, eh?  Here's the honest truth though: I can really only fit one extra thing into my life at any given time, and right now, that extra thing is pregnancy.  Being pregnant is not an easy time for me, no matter how wanted and loved this sweet baby has been (read: whine whine whine).  So I will do my best to show up a little more regularly here, but no promises, okay?  I am safely at home putting all my energy into the babies I already have, and the one who is to come.  (Oh, and my husband.  Him too).

We had a good and HOT summer, and I'll talk more about that later maybe, but here are some first day of (home)school pictures....approximately five weeks late.  (I'm still having a picture-editing issue with Blogger where the pictures are either too dark or too light, so bear with me).

Olivia is working in 2nd grade this year:

Amelia is in Kindergarten:

Charlotte is three and officially beginning Preschool (and so pleased with herself about it!):

And Henry is, well...:

And the obligatory everyone together picture:

Yeah, that's a keeper.  Ha.  No idea why Charlotte is pouting, but let's just say...it's not unusual!

We have a back-to-school tradition of having a picnic with Daddy.  This year we decided to head down to Turkey Creek, and Grandpa came too!  (Grandma had a meeting that night).

I am truly glad to have them at home everyday, despite the fact that I am a little frazzled sometimes....they really are growing up too quickly for their Mama.  (And yes, I say that every year!)

History

We got to do something really cool the other night.  You see, the farm has always kept the very first new tractor that Grandpa Leland bought in 1959.  Being that it was that old (and a little obsolete in today's high-volume farming), it hasn't been used in quite some time, but the farm has held onto it for nostalgic reasons.  Farmer Brian (my father-in-law) has always wanted to have it overhauled, so as a surprise, the employees at the farm had the engine rebuilt and the exterior restored this summer.  Apparently this took no small amount of distraction and fibbing, but they finally surprised him with the new/old tractor at our pre-harvest dinner the other night.

A story in pictures (of course).

Farmer Brian hears a curious noise (I hadn't yet realized that Hubs had messed with my camera settings here, better pictures to come):

And spots a vaguely familiar piece of equipment:

1959 Massey Ferguson TO-35:

There was a lot of this:

And this too:

But mostly this:

Four generation of Wenzel men with the 1959 Kentland Farms tractor (my son, of course, is the one who had no interest in picture-taking!):

And the little girls of Kentland Farms (we somehow lucked out and had six girls between three families in just a few short years.  None of their little faces say mischief at all, no?):

Farmer Scott and Henry (who is crying over leaving the tractor seat, not poor Scott):

Beer, and lots more of this went on:

And then Grandpa Leland got to eat dinner with a whole line-up of little ladies:

It was a good night.  They have been enormously blessed with friends, family, and farming since 1959.  Not everyday is a good one, and I know there have been hard years, but when I look at their faces, I know farming is a gift they are giving our children, and we are deeply grateful.

Unscheduled Break

Hi Friends, thank you to everyone who checked in and asked where on earth I've been.  Sorry about that.  I have been concentrating on things here at home, namely, growing Baby #5!  For me, that means a few months of focusing on not throwing up every.minute.of.the.day.  Unfortunately, that leaves very little energy for anything else, like blogging.  Or cleaning.  Or friends.  Let's be honest.....I have been laying on the couch.  But I am getting toward the time when I should be feeling a lot better, so hopefully I'll be back soon.  But not to talk about cooking.  Gag.