The Masquarade Ball - Part one of three

Photo Shoot - Check!

Well, our photo shoot is accomplished!!! We had so much fun, hte lady who did us is the sweetest young mom with five boys. She also homeschools and loves big families. The whole photo shoot she was sweet, kind, and very fun. We loved every moment. After she left my siblings had another photo shoot - compliments of E~R~I~N~

Now onto to dance practice!!


Jessica

Who can identify this?

The Photographer in our family did I don't know what to the camera and so you have THIS!

Warm Milk Down My Sleeve

Last week we went to a friend's house for dinner.

While we were there their oldest daughter invited myself and Rachel to go milk with her. We jumped at the chance. I have only gotten to milk once before and I loved it!!

We went out talking merrily and thinking all was right with the world!

Well, the cow did not want to be milked.

(Whatever happened to a swollen milk bag and her desperately wanting to be milked?)

She briskly stepped over the fence and "headed west"! After some pleading, hitting, and laughing the three of us got her into the pen. She walked back out.

More pleading, hitting, and laughing.

This time we took her down to the fort and tied her. We then proceeded to milk her. I got to milk a lot and while we milked we talked.

While we talked we strengthened a friendship that is to precious to lose.

I am not a pro at this and so I squirted milk down my sleeve.

Warm milk. Creamy Milk. Milk with no added hormones. Milk from a grass fed Momma cow. Milk that is sweet and fat. Milk that people used to live off of.

Now, a lot of you city slickers probably think milk is not something you want down your sleeve and it's not. If you are talking of the cold white 2% stuff we call milk.

I am not. I am speaking of the warm rich fatty milk. Milk that smells good and is warm on your skin when it goes down your sleeve. That stuff is GOOD!!

After the milking the cow wouldn't go into the pen, she stood on my foot, her baby attacked me, they got in a tussle (baby and momma) and I was attached to the lead rope, and the dog escaped. (What ever happened to the "romance of farm life)?

All in all, I came back to their warm house cold, smelling like a cow and an Anatolian Shepard, sticky with milk, and with a sore foot. But I had LOVED it!!!

I love animals and I love that kind of stuff!! I love being stood on by a cow!! (to a point) It was fun.

If you ever have the chance to walk a cow down a hill. Or to feed her clover from your hand. Or to really milk. Or to pet a baby calf. Or to play with a dog that is almost as tall as you. Jump at the chance!! Grab it and take it because it is a wonderful experience!

Jessica

Southern Heritage Ball

Third Sister is VERY happy

Oldest Sister

Second Sister

The wonderful violinists - who by the way I forgot to tell them that they sounded really good.
Great job. It sounded really pretty!

The Allamande position - I misspelled that, but you get the jist of it.

Daddy and Little Sister

The Ballroom

Two sweetie pies!

"No go there!" Needless to say, sometimes it got confusing!

Little Princess

Three of my lovely sisters.
Intent on learning this dance, if it's the last thing they do!

I never could get that dance.

Last night we were able to attend a Southern Heritage Ball hosted by a close friend. We had so much fun, laughing, dancing, and sharing friendships you find nowhere else...




Thank you for the fun time!

Friends and Family - dinner

What better way to have violin lessons than this? Our teacher is a good friend, our age, and the oldest of one of the sweetest families we know!!! A lesson and a meal, it was so much fun.
Not to mention we chased a rebellious cow, hiked to their creek and laughed more than we have in a while. AND! We finally watched Kong-Foo Panda! We are yet to see Wives and Daughters or Batman, but we ARE getting there guys!

The hike to the creek was an experience. I made the mistake of not wearing waterproof shoes. (fortunately I did wear hiking shoes) so Rachel had to escort me across!

Jess

BTW I believe they were having Bible Study in the photo! But I am not sure!

Everbody's Wheat Has Arrived!!!

Well today we got the call from our truck driver that he was in Chattanooga or something like that.
Anyway we called up a few of our friends and they came to help us unload well we were in the Piggly-Wiggly parking lot and we all gathered around and started unloading the truck we had a rough start but once we got things going real well it went pretty smooth and then once we got it all off the truck and into our 4 cars and 2 trailers we all started off to our house and then we started unloading the cars and trailers and then we all had cookies. The 3rd photo for the top is the best I could do to get all our wheat in the picture.
Thank you everyone who helped us out:
Mrs. L.
Mr. B.
Thank you for driving your kids here.
And everyone who helped unload:
Josh L.
Jacob
Stephen
Josh B.
Caleb
Daddy
Mommy
Jess
Rach
Erin
Emily
Ryan
Jamie
Sarah
And Michael.
We would still be unloading!!!

Photo Shoot at the ASDEF

LONG STORY ON THE NAME, BUT IT TOOK FOREVER TO GET ERIN AND MICHAEL TO BEHAVE. THEY LOVE TO BE IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA! AND IT WAS TERRIBLE!


P.S. ASDEF stands for - All Saints Day Evening Festival - Our Dad thought it up!

A movie of the hike!

Friends and Family - hiking

Just kidding!

After the hike up the cliff, I mean hill!, we stopped at the cross.
Daddy wished his burden would fall off, like in Pilgrims Progress, but unfortunately Baby Brother and the backpack stayed on!

Baby Brother loved their trains

Lots of Kitties

Second Sister and "Skunk-face"
They named him we didn't

I am NOT killing it! I am being very gentle!

Finished!

Oldest Brother at the chapel!

Taking a break - a much needed break!

Oldest Brother inspects the great and interesting rock

Everyone stand on the edge of the rock and make the mom's nervous

My sweet brother

The moms and two of their little ones!

We had so much fun with the B Family. There were 17 kids and it was so much fun.
A hike to the top of the mountain, look at the cross and the chapel, and then back down the cliff... I mean trail! It was a trifle steep!!! But we had so much fun.
Don't ask how far it was, because all I got out of them was that it was 20 up and 20 down. Yeah right!

You can't tell, but I am way above them!

Sweet Little Princess

Mommy and Mrs. B- two great moms

We were hiking, so it's a little blurry, but here's Little Sister.
It was a great trail!