The twins are growing at an unbelievable rate. Despite being bigger by the minute, our truly gentle giants are still floppy, fluffy and genuinely only want to be loved. In a word, they’re amazing. Today’s rain really put their fluffy coats to the test. They’re both completely sloppy mud balls. Every inch of their fur is soaked and soggy. Their …
Side by Side Fun
We’ve been enjoying so many good times out on our side by side lately. Each weekend, we’ve been loading up the kids, packing some snacks, filling a cooler and heading down the dirt roads with my cousin Kristin, her husband Garrett and their boys. It’s been a riot. Most of the time we find a cool creek to park on …
Our Kitten Swap
Benny’s sweet babies are over 8 weeks old and the time has come for them to move on to new homes. We’ve been planning for Smudge and Abra to head home to Lake Dabinawa with our friend and contractor Scott and his wife Larissa. What we didn’t see coming were two new kittens joining the farm from my cousin Kristin. …
A Rock Box for Isai
Our little guy love digging. His recent obsessions with all things that dig is almost guaranteed to have been inspired by his cousins. Let’s be real, though – Grandpa really went above and beyond to enable this madness. Today, Isai’s Christmas gift made a warm-weather appearance in its new spot under the trees near the barn: his rock box. “What is …
Summertime Storms
In this pretty place, we are regularly surrounded by stunning sunrises and beautiful sunsets. We spend plenty of time enjoying the views at any time – but, honestly, there are very few moments more incredible than the summertime storms rolling across the property. The fresh air. The moody skies. The swirling clouds. Even the low rumble of distant thunder is magic. …
Farm Cousins Photoshoot
For months, Nana has been concepting a farm photoshoot for the grandbabies. With Elin here and quickly growing, it was obvious we needed to make this happen sooner than later. Chris and Taylor brought their boys. Aaron and I wrangled our littles. And, Nana and Joe hauled an entire truckload of pedal tractors and trailers to the farm. All for …
New Patio Furniture and New Puppies
We’re embracing all things outdoors lately. Bringing home new pups. Watching the grass grow (and maybe mowing it now and then). Enjoying time with friends. After a few fun visits and attempts at grilling, it became glaringly obvious that we need more intentional places to sit around here. Our back deck has been sparse since we moved in and usually …
Oops, Too Many Chickens
Turns out – when you spend the entire Spring gathering chicks, you’ll eventually end up with a truckload of chickens. A year ago, we built this epic chicken coop that would hold 12-14 chickens. This Spring, Farmer Crossley got a little confused about that number and somehow believed that it holds 24. It does not. And then bigger these birds …
Kili and Denali are Home on the Range
After all of the madness with the fox after our hens this Spring and the disappearance of our billy, Farmer Crossley decided it was time to introduce livestock guard dogs (LGD) to the farm. So, today, we’re welcoming Kilimanjaro (Kili) and Denali to their brand-new home. Today we drove to southeast Kansas to pick up our 8-week-old babes. They’re fluffy, …
Family Day on the Farm
Every once in a while we get an epic day where wonderful weather meets a perfect pop-in. Yesterday was one of those days. Our lake family was enjoying some time on Lake Dabinawa and cruised over on the side-by-sides to check out the new kittens, baby goats and growing chicks. We all quickly landed on the patio with some drinks …