More firsts

We took Levi on his first hiking trip on 8/18 at Busiek State Park.  Jason used to mountain bike here when he was younger, so he knew his way around the trails.  Some of them may have changed...we took a wrong trail on our way back and ended up a little bit lost, carrying a 22 lb baby and eventually also a 42 lb 4 year old!  Jason has a very good sense of direction, so when he started saying "I'm not sure where we are", I got really worried.  I was having visions of being on the next episode of "I shouldn't be alive".  Our short hike turned into 2 hours, but we made it back to our car and learned a couple of lessons.  First, we will not be hiking again until Levi can walk really well.  Second, always take water.  So on the upside, we learned some lessons, enjoyed the nice weather, and got a GREAT workout!! 

 Josiah started his 2nd year of preschool on 8/28.  He loves school and is doing great.

 Also on 8/28, Yoda and Spiderman tackled Jason.  I think he has recovered.  :)

On 9/1 Jason and I dropped the kids off with his mom (THANK YOU DEBBY!!!) and took a little roadtrip down to Bentonville/Rogers, AR.  It a was beautiful and relaxing birthday gift for me!  First we went to the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.  It was a gorgeous facility, and we enjoyed checking out all the artwork. 

My favorite piece of art!  They had some nice hiking trails on the museum grounds so we hiked around some after checking out the museum. 

Then we went to War Eagle Mill.  It is one of the few remaining working mills of it's kind in the US.  Afterwards we went to War Eagle Cavern and did a tour.  Then we went out for some yummy seafood.  We were only away one night, but it was really fun.  Jason went running with me in the morning, and then we stopped and got some fresh nectarines on our way home.  Mmmmm....

9/3 - Josiah's first time shooting a gun!  It looks like a big gun, but it is only a BB gun.  Even so, he was beyond excited.  :)

 9/5 - my 35th birthday.  Yikes, that sounds old!  :)  Luckily I don't feel as old as I did last year.  That sleeping through the night thing really makes a difference!  Here are the boys being cute for my birthday!  Also on 9/5 Josiah started gymnastics!  He really likes it so far, and got a ribbon today for mastering his somersault.  :)

Levi took his official first steps on 9/8!  He is still not confident enough to walk around on his own, but he is getting there!

Disclaimer: All the pictures we show on the blog of Levi are when he is happy and smiling, but he is currently going through a phase of whining and fit throwing.  It is not fun, but I know part of it is teething, part is testing boundaries, and part is not being able to communicate effectively yet.  We are surviving, but some days I put him in bed early just because I cannot listen to him cry any longer!

Commentary: We picked one of the worst years to start a farm.  July was the hottest month on record, and this summer's drought was the worst in over 50 years.  For a while our cattle had almost no grass to eat.  Everything was dead and brown.  We contemplated selling them vs. having to buy hay ($50 a bale, once a week, plus the high cost of grain) if there was no grass for them to eat.  We were SO thankful for the rain the hurricane Isaac brought us!  It was amazing how quickly everything greened up after just a few inches of rain!  Hate what some of the people in Louisiana went through with Isaac, but thankful nonetheless.  I have family in Plaquemines Parish, but thankfully they are all okay and did not have any flooding.  So we still have the cattle, and we are praying that the rain continues!