Making Gifts

The older children are already hard at work on their Christmas presents for each other.  Kainoa (8) is making a crib out of a cardboard box.  This will be for Kili (2) to use for her babies.  I love that this crib comes complete with windows and curtains!

Free Rides

We like the kids to spend a lot of time playing outside - and they do.  It is always amusing to see what they come up with as far as games and adventures. 

On this day - free wagon rides!

School Pictures

In September, our homeschool group had 'Picture Day' for our students.  Our friend (and co-leader of our group), Mariette, did the photography.  She chose a great spot and did a fabulous job!

Mariette blessed us with these beautiful pictures of all the kids.

Kawika (7 months)

Kanani (10 months)

Kili (2)

Kapena (3)

Koa (6)

Kainoa (8)

Kaleo (14)

 

Me and the babies

Jumpin' Jack

Koa (6) found a new friend.  Of course, Koa, Mr. Social, is never short on friends.  He discovered Jack in our backyard.  This caused quite a commotion.  Everyone was very excited!  They quickly built Jack a habitat in our wagon.

I'm not sure when the pirate arrived on the scene, but this was not a moment to be missed by anyone.  Kapena (3) affectionately called the lizard 'Jackie.'

By late afternoon, Jack had escaped.  Yes, there were tears. 

Little ones were encouraged with thoughts of another lizard finding adventure...

Pasture-raised Pigs

Last Sunday after church, we took the kiddos down to TLC Ranch.  They were having an open farm day, so we thought it would be fun to check out where we get our eggs from!  Ranch owners Jim Dunlop & Rebecca Thistlethwaite had just moved to this new farm.  The chickens are going to stay at the old farm, so we didn't see them.  We'll do that next time.  We did get to see their amazing pasture-raised pigs.  What is pasture-raised?

piggy back ride anyone?

From TLC's newsletter:

For non-ruminant species like chickens and pigs, you can't raise them purely on grass because they can't break down that much fiber and get the nutrition they need to grow (or produce eggs).  However, our chickens & pigs regularly consume between 30-50% of their diet in the form of grasses, weeds, roots, organic vegetables, and critters of the pasture.  Pigs can also eat acorns and other large seeds or nuts.  If we had endless access to oak woodlands, we might be able to raise our pigs entirely on high-protein acorns & vegetation without giving them a grain ration (that is a dream of ours, someday).  For the time being, both our chickens and pigs get an additional organic grain ration to round out their nutrition on pasture, therefore they are called "pasture-raised".  Our Dorper lambs and the Morris beef we sell, however, is 100% grassfed because, as ruminants, they can survive & thrive purely on the vegetation they consume.  100% grassfed means no grain at any time.  Unfortunately, some meat out there is labeled "grassfed" but the animals still were finished on grain. 

Pasture-raised also signifies access to green, growing vegetation, which requires a rotational grazing scenario in order for the pasture to keep growing and not turn into a dirt lot or pure mud.  If the rancher you buy meat from cannot show you pictures of their animals on pasture, then they are likely hiding the fact that their animals are in outdoor dirt lots or pens.  Also, if they don't move their animals frequently, diseases and parasites will build up in the soil and in their manure, which may require the use of more antibiotics or antiparasitals. 

their 4 month old - our 9 month old

Kapena (3) is facinated by these huge 'medium sized' mama sows

Jim, the pig whisperer

I know it sounds funny, but the pigs were quite beautiful.  They were docile, and fun to be around.  The kids had a great time!  We didn't get to see the chickens this time, but we did go home with lots of eggs, sausage, bacon, and soup bones.  Yum!

Non-Halloween 2009

In our attempt to provide a healthy (spiritually and physically) alternative to Halloween for our children, we have continued our adventure of new traditions. This year, we went a bit crazy and did a day trip to Yosemite National Park. We aimed to leave at 5am and actually got out of here by 6am which is pretty good!

We stopped at about 2 hours in to feed the baby and eat our breakfast burritos. Three hours into the trip, poor Kili (2), tossed her cookies. She had been inhaling zucchini bread, so ...let's just say it was a dark color - chocolate looking. And it was ALL over her - all over her face. She was sobbing, and I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing. I sooo wanted to grab my camera, but it was true love that moved me to hug her instead (okay...I only hugged her head...and sort of from the side.) After getting her cleaned up, we finally made it into the park....a four hour journey.

What a gorgeous day!!

Kawika (8m) gets an up close peek at a family of deer

Found a great parking spot on the valley floor. 
Kawika (8m) had the best view from dad's shoulders.







We walked around and explored a bit. There was so much to 
take in - the kids couldn't get over it!







Koa (6) and Kapena (3) could've run and climbed all day.

Koa (6) and dad throwing rocks into the river (I love Koa's 

form!)

We soon settled into our perfect spot on the beach - with no one else around.

We had lunch, (Keith napped), and the kids played in the sand and water.  They would've loved to pitch a tent and stayed there all week.  It was a blessing to do our normal family devotions and catechism in such a beautiful setting.


Kaleo (14) plays with Kawika.

Kawika (8m) surprised me by nearly jumping out of my arms to play in the sand!

Kainoa (8) led the charge in building projects.


 
Surrounded by the awesome mountains, rocks, and waterfalls, we basked in God's beautiful handiwork.

We ended the day with a light dinner at the Ahwahnee Hotel. 

The kids decided this day was way better than Halloween!

Make it Hallelujah Night!

As our kids have gotten older, we have had to make some decisions regarding Halloween. We don't celebrate it. But most around us do, and that could be confusing for some of our younger children.

 
We believe that:

1. participating in Halloween does not bring glory and honor to our Lord
2. we don't want our children eating all that candy
3. we can socialize with our neighbors 364 other days of the year (Christmas time is always good!)
4. our children don't need a special day to dress up - they do it all the time!

 
In the past we have gone to my parents' home for dinner. Our kids dressed up, and passed out candy when the doorbell rang. Last year my parents weren't going to be home due to my dad coaching a football game, so that was our first attempt to go full force with new family traditions.

So, for our 2008 Hallelujah Night, we decided to take the kids to the beach.
 

We played - they ran around... 

And then we had lunch at a great little restaurant on the beach.  

We then headed over to the harbor to tour the traveling historical replica of the Nina ship, which was docked there that week.

 

It is amazing how small that boat is!

So hard to imagine all those people... and all those supplies... in that small space...for so long...out at sea!

My favorite part of our new Hallelujah Night tradition was later that evening. Earlier in the week I had prayerfully looked for scripture verses that related to the names of each of our children. That night we prayed the Word of God over each child, as it related to their names.

The children agreed it was a great day!