Country Mouse

Jared likes to say he married a country girl but when he says that I have to gently remind him that while I grew up in a rural area surrounded by country, I myself am not what you might term a country girl.  Small town girl, yes. Country girl, no. Growing up my family always lived in a neighborhood with a sidewalk and participated in no activities one might associate with country living: farm animals (we had house cats), hunting, gardening, horseback riding. I don't know, name anything that might be associated with the country and I most likely had never experienced it.  The closest I ever came to farm animals was an annual visit to the county fair.  Jared on the other hand grew up in a rural area and lived in the country surrounding it. He grew up in an old farmhouse on five acres and raised animals: rabbits, goats, pigs, chickens and who knows what else. He hunts, he gardens, he has bailed hay, driven a pick-up truck and likes Hank Williams Jr. In other words, he is a country boy and embraces it. So here we are, somewhere in the middle. Living on two acres, in a neighborhood, with bee hives, a dog and a small flock of chickens. Call it the best of both worlds, if you will.  It actually took me a few months to feel comfortable touching the chickens with my bare hands but I can honestly say I rather enjoy them now. Also, watching our kids take care of those chickens is pretty much the cutest thing ever. (Caroline squeals and chases them all around the yard and Spencer and Mitchell treat them like little babies.) So, while I still wouldn't consider myself a full fledged country girl, if Jared has anything to do with it, I'll be milking my own cow and cleaning out horse stalls sooner rather than later. :) What about you? What things do you associate with country living? Are you a city mouse or a country mouse?

Thirty Two

So this is what thirty two looks like.
Thirty two weeks prego and thirty two years old.
Happy Birthday to me (and happy birthday to baby in just a few short weeks!) 

Guess Who's Seven?

It's hard to believe my first born babe turned seven yesterday. Seven! I don't know why but that sounds a lot older than six for some reason.  Mitchell has always and still loves anything with wheels and an engine. He wants to be a race car/monster truck driver, an astronaut and a cowboy when he grows up. He is a kind and patient older brother to his siblings and like me (at least when I was a kid) is pretty reserved most of the time. There's nothing quite like becoming a mother for the very first time so today I'm feeling extra grateful we've had this cute dark haired little babe turned handsome little man running around our house for the past seven years.
Happy Birthday Mitchell, we love you!