Family at the Farm

In January, my brother Scotty texted us and said “Can we come to the farm next week?!”…and of course the answer was YES! He lives in Colorado with his wife Jenny…and we don’t get to see them all that often. They have two adorable twin girls and another one on the way…and we had so much fun! My parents came up from Iowa too, and we made it a family affair.

The girls LOVED the barn and feeding the chickens! They especially liked our little bantams, Louise and Cocoa.

We got just enough snow when they were here to do some sledding behind the four wheeler…weeeeeee!

Matt uses his skidsteer to make the girls a sledding hill. They love it!

Jenny is our sister-in-love…but you can’t even tell she’s not an Otis girl. LOL! Fits right in. Love these ladies.

We have a fantastic children’s museum and it was so fun to take the twins there! They loved shopping for all the things.

Lots of giggles and dancing and laughing and playing. Oh the toddler days!! It’s been quite a while since we’ve had so much activity…so fun to get to know their little personalities better.

Here’s the photo album…loved every moment. Come visit again fam!

Give Thanks

We made it to Franklin, TN and had a lovely time with family! Reconnecting and laughing and letting the cousins play and run free! They had a blast. We ended up having some illness spread throughout the fam, so several left early and the days weren’t quite as we had planned. But even so, it was wonderful to see everyone! I am the oldest of 5 siblings…and everyone is starting to have all the babies! Nana is so pleased, because for 10 years, I was the only one doing that! LOL! Lots of kids. Lots of crazy. Lots of love.

And back home we go! This is the longest we’ve been gone from the farm as a family, so it was super fun to come home to a huge basketful of eggs and wide open spaces! The RV has been winterized and tucked into the machine shed for the cold months ahead. Hope your Thanksgiving week was full of goodness too!

Bella Turns Ten

One decade ago, we welcomed Miss Isabella Grace into our lives. She was born into her Daddy's hands in a home waterbirth...weighing in at 9 lbs. 12 oz!  We had no idea what we were doing, but we had a stack of cloth diapers, a bunch of slings, and a boppy. Our main objective every day was to stare at her as much as possible, studying every detail of her little face.

Fast forward...and now we have THIS! A vibrant and shining young woman who is full of life and dreams. She spent almost 4 years of her young life traveling the country...and had more experiences under her belt by age 7 than most do when they are 50!

One particular memory that stands out was in Malibu, California. I couldn't find her for a moment. After determining that she hadn't launched herself off the cliff into the ocean,  I located her...sitting with the neighbors next door. None of them spoke much English...they were from Germany and France. But Bella didn't care. She had taken up a seat around their fire and was animatedly "talking" with them. Eating their cheese and crackers. 

She has always been that way...engaging everyone she meets!

Each flame here represents a year of growth...unique, happy, amazing years. 

Lucy's eyes tell the story here. She wants to be just like her big sister...and wants to be with her constantly, as evidenced by much kicking of doors. ;-) Bella graciously takes her under her wing, and they have many adventures together.

Bella's current passions are many...interior design, fashion design, Harry Potter, Minecraft, singing, dancing, and parkour. She stays up late, sleeps in late, and is growing growing growing. Pretty soon, we'll be sharing clothes and shoes!

Nana and Papa have been at every single birthday party for the last 10 years...and this year was no exception. It was such fun to have them (and my brother Scotty!) in our new home for the celebration...eating meals on scaffolding and giggling at doggie antics. 

Many hours were spent on lawn chairs in front of the fire. Laughing and talking about life's joys and challenges. 

And this. Power rangers and card games. So many card games. Kings in the Corner and Slapjack are favorites. 

Nana and Papa have gone back to Iowa now...and we are back to house projects and welcoming the spring to the mountains!

Happy TENTH year of life Bella Boo!