The Farm...

One of the fun things we get to do every year is visit our cousins who live on a farm. Joshua is 15, Rachelle is 12, Heidi is turning 7 and Joya just turned 3. Their parents names are Uncle Roger and Aunt April (Jason's sister).

Living in the city doesn't always give us all the opportunities to experience life as living on a farm would. But because we have cousins who live on a farm, we get to enjoy farm life without all the chores!

My kids love doing farm chores and often wish they had "farm" chores instead of what we call "city" chores in down town Indianpolis. The reality is that chores are only fun for a while...but for now, milking the goats, feeding the chickens, dogs, cows and horses are a novelty experience.

One summer, Jacob got to help muck out the barn. Sometimes our vacation lands right during haying season. It all depends upon the weather but last year the kids and Jason help bring in the hay for the year.

The farm is one of the most beautiful places on Camano Island. You can see Mt. Baker to the left and the Cascade Range straight ahead. The farm is perched up on a hill and overlooks the bay. There is also a pond. Aunt April is also a water color artist. She has a studio which also serves as a one room school house during the year. From the farm, you can walk down to the beach. There is a dike that keeps the sea water from coming onto the farm land. The kids often swim around the point depending on the tide...it's more like slip and slide through the mud flats...but it is so fun!

We don't often get to celebrate holidays together but this year Uncle Jason got the bring the birthday cake to his niece Joya. Joya is a little bundle of happiness and lives up to her name. It's not often that Jason gets to be an uncle and he was definitly loving it...and so was Joya.

Jackie and Heidi are like two peas in a pod and nothing can separates them while they are together. Both of them love to draw and it will be interensting to see if they carry on the family tradition of art.

Rachelle has become quite a beautiful young lady over this last year. She is very thoughtful, gentle and responsible. She also has a deep love for horses and you can see that her horse loves to follow her

This year, the cousins put together a movie as Joshua has become quite the expert directer as well as producer. You will notice that Joshua is on crutches. While running to greet us he tripped and twisted his knee rather badly. His family had planned to meet up with us on our camping trip but the doctor has said that he needs to elevate his knee and not move it at all. So...they will not be able to join us and we are all quite disappointed!