Annual meeting

Last weekend we had the opportunity of attending Central Plains Mennonite Conference's annual meeting in Des Moines, IA. This was the third year in a row we've gotten to go, and by now we're recognizing familiar faces and even looking forward to meeting up with folks again. Our kids also love the event (despite Jonathan's stance suggesting otherwise in the photo above); they too have friends that they look forward to seeing at conference once a year. This year they played with the kids of four different people I went to Bethel with (married to two people Ramont went to Goshen with) - and we got to hang out with their parents!

 It was held at a university (Grand View), with lots of nice new buildings and this walkway that provided hours of entertainment (and only a small(ish) amount of roughhousing with those peace-raised kids mentioned above).

 I enjoyed the conference very much - even sitting in the delegate sessions and listening to "business." Other highlights were the worship services, with speaker Leonard Dow (he was our MCC service program coordinator when I was in Washington D.C. 15 years ago), workshops (particularly one on the benefits of weekly communion by Christopher Montgomery), an hour-long a capela hymn sing after supper one evening, and the Sunday morning worship service with high-church Mennonite liturgy in a Jewish synagogue. That was probably the highest highlight of the weekend.

 People-watching is also always fun at these events (talking to them is not that bad, either).

I've agreed to serve on the Outreach and Service Committee for the conference, and all new committee members were blessed into their new work.

The children's activities were fantastic, as usual, thanks to really hard-working, dedicated volunteers. Attendance was up this year - more than 30 kids through 6th grade.

I obviously didn't take many pictures, and in fact have been taking almost none this entire summer. Let's just say Jonathan now has a remote control helicopter and a remote control monster gator and both are battery guzzlers.

Last day of kindergarten

Today was Jonathan's last day of kindergarten. Our very kind landlady/friend gifted this beautiful book (written by her daughter) to Jonathan to mark the occasion. We then gave another copy of it to his teacher, who read it to their class in the afternoon and pointed out how special it was that the author grew up in the very same house as Jonathan!

He was super excited for the year to begin in fall, and now quite excited for summer vacation to begin. It's been such a good year (I think!)...he learned to read (got the class award for most improved reading score, as a matter of fact), learned how to "cooperate" and "not make bad choices," made some good friends, and learned to like school.

He also learned how to ride the bus for an hour every morning without complaint.

Let me tell you, this one is relieved that she was sending her playmate off to strangers for the LAST time today. Come fall she'll be riding along in the morning three days a week for preschool!

When I took this photo today, Jonathan asked me to make it look like he was actually driving the haybine. After saying I couldn't do that, he was quiet a moment, then said: "do you think you could give it your best effort?"

Yeah, we don't talk like that at home :)

Yesterday was "Wolverine Day" for the elementary grades (Wolverines are the sports teams), with K-2nd grade in the blistering afternoon sun. It was actually quite fun to watch, since it was very well-organized, brisk, and, cute.

First was the softball throw. Jonathan is third from left of little boys in sports shorts. He threw it far enough for a bronze "medal."

Next was the long jump - also a bronze for him. He's the boy jumping on the right.

After that were two relay races. Jonathan's team won the gold in the first one! Final event was the "tug-o-war" - his team got the silver medal - which was most fun to watch but garnered the least enthusiasm from Jonathan, for some reason. Too barbaric?!

And this patient spectator took it all in, biding her time until she can show them all how to throw like a girl.

Gregory!

Last evening, without any kind of fanfare or drama, Gracie calmly birthed a beautiful little bull calf.

We're calling him Gregory. His mama was bred to a Red Angus, hence the beautiful reddish color. He actually looks more like Joanie in color, but compliments Gracie's light color well.

They're out enjoying the pasture, though he's a slippery little guy - sneaks under and through the electric fence, causing his mama (and Ramont) no small amount of grief.

[Can't make heads or tails out of it.]

All three cows are so very calm (largely due to Ramont's influence. Except when he doesn't get to bed until 1:45am, like last night). They kept wanting to jump in my lap while I was taking pictures.

Joanie is right in there, rather the engulfing aunt. Her turn is to come late summer.

We (and our waiting list of future customers) are eagerly waiting a return to free-flowing milk. And we're so thankful that every one of our calves has been born alive and healthy so far!

Mother's Day

Mother's Day is not much celebrated around our place. At least not in the typical worldly sense of gifts and breakfast in bed (?). Which is definitely for the better. Sunday was a pretty great day, though: a rare and gorgeous sunny day in the midst of days and weeks of rain. Sunday School and church in the morning were inspiring, I grilled hot dogs for lunch, we had long naps, the kids and Ramont rode bike 'round and 'round after drinking terere,
 

and then my folks, Uncle Charles, and grandparents (ages almost 88 and 93) came for faspa out on the lawn. It was quite lovely.

And then after tucking these two acrobats into bed, we had a church meeting in our home to round out the day. Not a bad way to spend Mother's Day.

April

 New blood came to our farm in April. Our milk cow, Gracie (light brown), was set to go on maternity leave for 1 1/2 months or so, and we panicked a bit at the thought of no milk for that long!

Ramont then found a rather perfect new cow for us. Joanie (dark brown with chocolate drippings) is 1/16th Angus and the rest Jersey, currently giving right about two gallons each day. It's not quite enough to meet our current demand and certainly not enough to make extras like cheese, but that should change once Gracie has her calf at the end of May. In any case, both are now back out in the pasture and things are looking quite good.

We also got 12 new chicks, which are no longer this tiny and cute (nor in the basement).

Flowers!

May baskets stealthily delivered all the way out in the country! (thanks Vern and Jane)

Jonathan asked me to take a picture of him running really fast. When I showed this to him he was genuinely disappointed: "what? I thought there would be smoke behind me."

The highlight of April was the visit of good, good friends all the way from California. Jessica and I were MCC- and housemates back in Washington D.C. after college and then again in seminary in Indiana. We've traveled to see each other in various lands inbetween then, and here we were in Minnesota. It was such a good week of relaxed visiting.

This picture is out of order, but I wanted to include it to show Anna's current interpretation of the human existence and body type.

Back to visiting, and to a great photo Matt took of our yard.

Next up: May.

Three months and a day later...March

Well, this blog has obviously been neglected. I'm going to try to bring it up-to-date without too much fanfare, month by month. So here is March.

Jonathan turned 6 on the 9th!

He had a party (of sorts) - three friends got off the bus with him after school and came to eat and play for a few hours. I'm not sure I've ever experienced such concentrated energy as that afternoon. So much fun they had, and so lively.

Anna's been quite social these months, too. Here she is with my friend Sonya's son.

And here with another friend, Sara's, son. For a while we got to babysit him for a few hours on Mondays, together with his sister - she is actually the main attraction for Anna, her "BFF" as she is keen to point out.

Our big little six year old.

There were a few warm days in March, reminding us that the world just might turn green again.

The highlight of the month was that Grandma Schrock (Ramont's mom) came to visit for a week! Her granddaughter, Noelle, was also along. Grandma taught Jonathan how to tie his shoes, made peanut butter pie befitting Ramont's very precise memory of it, and spent so much quality time with Jonathan and Anna (and us). Some games were also involved.

Next up: April.

What Anna does

One day this week I realized that Anna had been quiet for a looong time. I suppose some parents get a bit worried about finding toothpaste all over the floor when this happens, but I tend to get more worried that she's passed out or something. Anyway. I snapped a few pictures that day and the next to capture some of the ways she entertains herself when her entertainment center is away at school.

Playmobil is the big one. She'll gamely play Legos with Jonathan, but these seem to be a clear preference.

Music. Conducting "like mommy" or playing harmonica out of the purple book, which she proudly knows is Sing the Story.
 

 "Anna, you're a good puzzler" we say about 20 times a day. She really is.

More playmobil.

This week I came across a most excellent interview about how play - and boredom - is really good for kids. You really do want to read this!

And this morning Ramont took the kids to school for "Donuts with Dad." We also sent Valentine's cards and treats along with Jonathan for his classmates (so, so, so glad we're not too cool yet to make our own rather than support Disney and/or superheroes).

Happy Valentine's Day!