Our Backyard is Becoming a Child's Paradise

Well, besides the endless time spent planting flowers, shrubs, tress, bushes, mulching, seeding, mowing, and watering, we are collecting quite the fun zone. The kids are even getting plants added to their areas.

What Happens When Momma Travels Too Much...

Daddy buys the kids a TRAMPOLINE!!!

New Job

So, as much as I don't want to admit it, I change jobs a lot. I just couldn't figure out what I wanted to be when I grew up. But, I have found it with the Soybean and Corn checkoff offices. Agrinews recently ran a really nice story. Thought I would share.

New Livestock Director Wants to Unite Farmers

Water Color

So, maybe I am crazy or maybe I just want my kids to be way more creative than I am. Either way Maddie and Brady love to paint. However, Brady really just likes having his water turn bluish green from the paint. The fun of being four and two.

Poop is good.

Recently, I met Koen Ally. He is a dairyman from Belgium. His family made this video to show how good poop is! Pretty good for ameteaurs.

Princess

So, Maddie is into fashion and everything that entails. Shoes, clothes, and accessories...




Now if I could just teach her markers are not a fashion statement.

Children's Museum

While I had time off in between the jobs, Matt and I took Brady and Maddie to the Children's Museum. It was a lot of fun for the kids. Here are few shots of our experience.

Dreams

Brady is now experiencing dreams. Or at least he is remembering them now. He told us the cutest story the other morning. It went something like this...

The other night, while I was sleeping, I was driving red tractors in my head. I was in my room sleeping you know and I saw me driving tractors.

Seriously, how cute is that.

Butchering

You know what I find a bit nostalgic? Butchering. This weekend Matt and his family will kill 5 hogs and butcher them. This is something that was a common occurrence 50 years ago when my parents were children, but really in 2009 do we still kill our own food and process it? Isn't that what Wal-Mart is for these days?

However, as the recession continues to worsen, I am thinking maybe we are on to something. My grandfather has told stories of his younger days, which include the Great Depression, and how hey never felt it's full effects. He mentioned that they raised their own food, wore hand-me-downs, and played with their siblings. Well, today as most people live in subdivisions rather than on farms, the luxury of growing your own food has become nearly impossible.

So, I will enjoy my pork chops and fresh sausage that will be stock piled in my freezer. I would take a pictorial documentary, but PETA or HSUS might use it against me in the future. After all, they would love for all of us to be Vegans just like their leaders!

Daddy Time=Fun Time

Being a working mom means that hubby has to pick up the slack. Men, however, were not given this sixth sense that mothers possess. The other night, I just wanted 30 minutes in my soaking tub filled with steaming hot water and that awesome Shea Cashmere bubble bath from bath and body. Matt gave the head nod and I sprinted for the opportunity. This is what happened.


Brady has also been able to enjoy the 10+ inches of snow that have accumulated over the last three days. Luckily, Daddy was able to rig the roof to cabbed tractor he repaired a while back into a sled. Brady loved it. Unfortunately, I was driving the truck pulling the sled, so I only got still shots. Madelyn decided riding in the warm truck was a better idea, so I couldn't even get her to sit on the sled.

Happy Birthday Brady

Well, Brady turned 4 today. I still can't believe he is this old. We celebrated over the weekend with my parents and Matt's family. Brady had a Lightening McQueen cake on Sunday and was able to take cupcakes to preschool today.




Of course, the presents were also plentiful. New farm set from G&G Schleef, new red tractor from Uncle Adam and Aunt Sarah, new OshKosh Clothes from Mimi and Jason (thank goodness...Brady is in 5T), and some fun cars window clings plus a semi cab from G&G Beyer.
To say the least, Brady has had a great birthday.

Twitter, Plurk, Flickr, StumbleUpon...oh my

Isn't it great that if you cannot occupy enough of your time on facebook, you can twitter, plurk, flikr, stumbleUpon and more. As I try to wrap my mind around all of this web 2.0 technology before web 3.0 slams us all in the face, I just find myself juggling my log-ins and passwords. If you would like to follow me on an other pages, check me out...not that it will be entertaining...

http://twitter.com/leahbeyer

http://www.plurk.com/leahbeyer

http://leahbeyer.stumbleupon.com/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/beyerdairy/ (nothing has been posted yet)

Cooking...with the kids

I am trying to do both Brady and Maddie justice by teaching them a thing or two in the kitchen. I am continually amazed by how little Matt knows in the kitchen. Just last night he was trying to make mac and cheese. He looks at me and asks, do I boil water first or just go ahead and put the macaroni in right away. Maybe he should spend more time with me when I am cooking with the kids. Here is a little peak at what happens when I leave the two children alone.

Happy Birthday...a month late on these...

Madelyn Renee is 2 on December 12. I have to be honest, it makes me a little sad to know the baby will soon no longer resemble a baby at all. And, just so I don't get any questions, I am not planning on any more babies. This is it. Enjoy them while they are young. Well, Miss Maddie loves cinderella and Minnie mouse, babies and ponies. Here are a few of her favorite items from various celebrations.

Happy New Years!

So, to my dismay, another year has rolled in again. It is hard to believe that I will turn 29 this year. 29. It is hard for me to imagine turning 29. So, to cope with 30 knocking on my door, I have decided this is going to be my year. To keep me accountable to myself, these are the things I am going to do to make this my year:
1. Lose 40 pounds. Seriously 40.
2. Run a half marathon. Just somewhere pound out 13.1 miles.
3. Open a brokerage account. I need to do it before I turn 30.
4. Enter a new recipe in a bake off. This may be difficult since I am trying to lose 40.
5. Spend more time individually with my children.
6. Read a book a month. Starting with the Purpose Driven Life.
7. Be more faithful and trusting to my God.

Will keep it at that.

She was raised on a farm...

So, there is six more days to go till election day. Senator Obama has bought a half an hour on tv tonight...I guess I will not complain about watching Sponge Bob Square Pants on NICK this evening. Anyway, even though I have enjoyed the discussion regarding the candidates with both democrats and republicans, I am over it.

The governors race in Indiana has been interesting as well. An incumbant governor who campaigned on change, made some pretty major changes (including getting Indiana on daylight savings time which people still are complaining about having in place) that he campaigned on. Whether you agree with the changes he has made or not, he told us all he was going to do it during his campaign. I can't say that I agree with him all the time, but you can't deny that he has put Indiana back in the game. Especially since our only game seems to be agriculture and automotive and we all know being in the automotive game is not a winning game unless you have offshore headquarters.

Anyway, today I was told about an ad about how great Daniel's opponent is. It is humorous at the least, especially if you have seen Mitch's ad that is very similar.

Live from New York...It's Saturday Night

So I don't even want to pretend I can stay awake on a Saturday night to watch SNL, but God bless NBC for letting me watch the segments on line. I know if you watch any tv, read any newspaper, or try to get on any news website you have about had it with the election. However, SNL really has done a great job of capatilizing on the election. I loved these clips even if I am voting for John McCain. You have to be able to laugh at yourself...

Oh, the pain of being thin

So, I have gotten on the diet bandwagon again. I am doing stairs on my lunch hour again. But oh the pain. I don't know which is worse; the calf muscles or stomach muscles. To help reduce the pain in my legs I have gorged myself on peanut butter m&ms. Seriously, now I have to do 400 more stairs.

Luckily for me I have supporters. Unfortunately for me, they are 24 years old, have not had a baby or two, and still see single digits when they put on their pants. But, they are stepping with me and eating 100 calorie soup for lunch, so bless them. Between sliding scales from weight watchers, websites like hungry-girl and I can make you thin, and looking in the mirror I will remain on this regimen. It will work, I just have to hide the m&ms and get the carrots out.

Any body with a recipe for french fries that have a weight watchers value of 1 or a chocolate cookie with no calories, please share.

Homecoming

I am going to the University of Illinois Homecoming this weekend. This will be the first game I will go to in which the CHIEF is not going to be participating in the halftime festivities. It is said that these traditions were degrading disrespectful to the Native Americans. I was always amazed, however, at the reverence and respect the drunkest of fans would give to the CHIEF. When the CHIEF would run out in between the Marching Illini, the stadium would become sober, almost somber. I never encountered a student, fan, alumni or even opposition act in a disrespectful manner. As the chief would dance and the body of fans singe the Alma Matter chills would go through my body. Anyway, thanks to YouTube, we will still be able to show our children the honor bestowed on our CHIEF.

How did we get in this mess?

So, I thought this was interesting. I googled some of the facts. There is always two sides to every story of course. And let's face it they both have blood on their hands.