Black Island Farms

Hello all of you (3) people who read this blog! I'm back after a very long hiatus!! I wanted to blog about Black Island Farms, because it is Erin's Sixth year visiting it. We love to have traditions, and this is a very fun one. In the beginning of Erin's life we had planned to take a picture of her in the corn box at BIF every year, and we would look back and see how she grew and how much fun we have had at the farm. We haven't always taken the greatest picture, but we have been there every year!  Here they are:

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

So I thought I would post some of the pictures throughout the years.

2009:

2010:

2012:

2013:

2014:

So many fun memories at this place!!!

Our Canoe

So, it has been almost six months since I posted, I'm not sure why, just didn't get around to it. But something happened today that I just had to tell all 3 of you who may still check. Here goes. Tyson got a canoe for Christmas/his birthday and we have been having a lot of fun in it. Every time I have been in a canoe I have loved it and had so much fun. I was really excited for Tyson to get one. ;)

Here he is loading it up on the family truckster, as I like to call it.  It is fun to drive around with a canoe on your car here, no one else does it.  You can see people staring as we pass.

Our first trip out was pretty short, Rylee enjoyed it quite a bit, but Erin is a little iffy on whether or not she likes it. 

Erin decided she wanted to feed the ducks and not get back in, so I went back out with Rylee.  It is so peaceful and calm out in a canoe, except at this pond the freeway is right there so it's a little noisy.  There are tons of birds (including big white ones) at these ponds.  There are even pelicans, which are really fun to watch. 

 

So I have taken my camera  out with us on the boat to get some fun pics, but I am Sooooo glad I didn't today!  (hint hint)

We went to a different pond than we had before, Adams Fishery I think it's called.  We also hadn't been since the weather warmed up, I think canoeing is a fall and spring sort of activity.  It was hot.  But we fixed that. (hint hint)

When we first got there Erin and Rylee went down by the water and found a yellow and black butterfly fluttering around and taking sips of water, it was really fun to watch it.  Rylee was holding out her hand to it. 

Then we got into the canoe and shoved off.  For some reason Tyson was sitting on the very end of the canoe instead of on an actual seat, but he said it was fine for him to sit there.

It wasn't. (hint hint)

 It was really hot, but there were some trees in the water, kinda like a forest, all shady and it looked like fun to go in, so we did.  We had to duck under some branches, and there were spider webs everywhere, but it was so much cooler and shadier.  So we paddled around a little in there,  and we got a little stuck.  I'm not sure what happened then.  

Rylee went a little to the side to dip a reed in the water and I kinda leaned to make sure she didn't fall in, but then Tyson did!  And I went after!  And then the whole thing capsized!  It was pretty freaky there for a bit cuz I couldn't get up to get Rylee, and I couldn't find her after I stood up, luckily it wasn't to deep.  I finally saw her foot and pulled her up upside down and she was sputtering and crying, and Erin was freaking out, and it was kinda scary!  Tyson had grabbed Erin, although she swims like a fish, and she was crying and freaking out more than Rylee.  There wasn't really a shore to go to since we were in the forest, and there was a bunch of water in the canoe, it wouldn't hold us.  Here we were standing waist deep in the water with a canoe full of water and two crying and freaking out girls.  At the same time, Tyson and I started laughing.  Erin and Rylee didn't think it was so funny, though.  They were just clinging to us and crying.  After we calmed them down a little,  I held the girls while Tyson tried to dump the boat out, but there was just too much water for him to lift it.  There was nowhere to set the girls down so I couldn't help him, so we dumped out our water bottle and tried to bail out the boat.  That was just not working.  we tried to find a shallow enough place to put the girls down but we couldn't, so I just had to hold them.  Finally we found a log that Tyson somehow braced the canoe against enough to tip it over and get enough water out that we could bail the rest out.  Then went out through the forest and ducked under branches, and Rylee was saying "oh no trees!  in a cute little singsong voice, she was back to having fun!  The whole way to shore she kept saying it over and over.  She's kind of a plucky little thing. 

When we got back to the car we stripped the girls and they had to ride home naked.  Luckily it wasn't that far.  Also luckily Tyson had left his iphone at his mom's so it wasn't in his pocket.  Also luckily my phone was in my pocket, cuz I hate that thing!  But once again I am soooo glad I didn't have my camera with me this time.

There are many things we learned from this adventure:

Sit on the actual seats.

Bring a bail bucket.

Bring a rope.

Don't bring cell phones and cameras and keys (oh my!)

Bring towels and extra clothes.

Don't wear our favorite shoes.

 

And that is the Great Canoe Adventure of June!

Christmas Time!

Christmas was a blast, as usual! We had so much fun opening presents and watching these two girls' faces as they saw the treasures inside! I love my girls!!

Santa brought the girls a chair with their name on it, and Erin is starting to recognize her name!  She is so smart!

They both loved sitting in their chairs and opening presents.  Rylee is so fun to watch opening presents.  She has to get all the paper off, then she screams with delight at what's inside, no matter what it is.  She loved all her presents.  She's such a sweetheart.

Erin said every time she opened a present, "it's a box!"  then I would have to say look inside the box!  She said "Oh".  I had put this Angus in a humidifier box cuz it fit the best.  I didn't think she would notice the box , but she opened it and said "oh, a water holder thing, I don't like that."  She was so dissappointed, it was hilarious.  Then I got her to look inside it and she was much happier!  I wish I had that on video.  So funny.

 

Erin's favorite present was her Merida bow and arrows.  She got into her dress and had to shoot some arrows immediately.  She was not too bad after Daddy showed her how to do it!  With some practise she might be as good as Merida!

After we opened our presents at home we headed to Gma's for some awesome breakfast and even more presents.  Gma and Gpa spoil us so much!  The girls got a bunch of leap frog stuff that I need to read the manuals for before they can play with them!  As ever, technology is outrunning me.

Gma's dog, Gilee, was raring to play but she is a little wild and crazy, so she had to be restrained.  Here is a rare moment of calm for both the dog and the girl...

Rylee loves hanging out with her family!

After Gma's we headed down to Grandma's house, for dinner and yet more presents!  We are so dang spoiled!!

Every year I feel overwhelmed by how much we recieve for Christmas.  We are so lucky to have all the loving family we have and we love all of you!  Merry Christmas!!