Back to School Already?

Wow! I can't believe the boys will be going back to school in a week, with one heading off to 2nd grade and the other starting out in kindergarten, what's a mom to do? Cry a little and smile I guess. They are growing sooo fast, a little too fast for me at times, but they sure do make me proud.

Well things have been very busy this summer around the house and the farm. We've managed to make it through a few bumps and bruises, Moses falling at school and needing stitches in May, and Mason getting his first set of stitches last week, wow, what am I in for. I guess that's the way life is with two boys, my only other option is making them live in a bubble, but I haven't found one big enough yet :)

Mason made us all very proud and graduated from preschool last week too, what a handsome boy & his proud brother!

The garden is also growing great, last night I picked a small batch of green beans and I am looking forward to canning 6 jars tonight, I can't wait. Next on my list is salsa, tomato sauce & corn, it's all coming along nicely, just taking it's time with our crazy weather we've been having. Oh and not to mention the red potatoes that are almost ready to be dug up, exciting! Pics will coming soon.

These are pics from our vacation to lake Sumtustis, can you see the man?

Mason pointed it out to me!

Time to pull the weeds!

So the garden is planted with the help of Esther & Trav and it's starting to come alive. If all goes well this year we will have potatoes, corn, brussell sprouts, broccoli, turnips, lettuce, rutabaga, green beans, peas, tomatoes, peppers, cabbage & pumpkins. I meant to take pictures yesterday of the new sprouts coming in while I was weeding away, but pics from last week will have to do. Next on my list, add deer fencing!

Who Knew That Life Could Be So Busy!

Who knew that life could be so busy. Between the family, house, animals, garden and work it seems that I've been stretched a little thin and neglected my blog for quite some time. I apologize, and I will try to make it up, if time allows :)


So lets fast forward from December to May, wow, I can't believe that it's almost the start of summer and school will be ending soon for Moses. Last week we attended Mo's spring concert and he, as well as his classmates, did a great job. Mason is very excited for his debut when he hits kindergarten next year. The boys have also started t-ball this year as well, and we had their first game last week. They were so proud in their new uniforms, all smiles and tons of fun. They both had great hits and ran like the wind.

So with spring comes a new addition to our family times four. Here is our four little does that we got about 6 weeks ago or so, they are still a little shy but fun to have around.

Our garden bigger and better than ever this year, which also means of course more work. Luckily for me Esther volunteered her time this season, helping with planting, and the upkeep. I went down yesterday to plant starts and the seeds are starting to sprout, so pictures of the garden will be up soon!

Last but not least, we had a great time camping this weekend with family and friends at the coast. We could not of asked for better weather. The boys loved the beach, playground, swimming, riding bikes, and playing with friends. Looks like more camping is in the Merciers future.

Mt. Hood Railroad- Polar Express

The boys and I, along with some friends visited the Mount Hood Railroad in Hood River last night for the Polar Express train ride. Overall the kids had fun, they liked it when Santa boarded the train and passed out bells and asked each child what they wish for that Christmas. The ride itself was pretty nauseating going back and forth on the tracks and swaying from side to side, that was to be expected though so we made sure we had empty stomachs on our hands.

The hot chocolate was cold by the time it got to be our turn, but that's OK, still tasted fine. Then the lights went off in our caboose right when they were handing us our cold hot chocolate. Four kids with a beverage in the dark, not the best of ideas. Was this planned I asked? No, not at all they said, OK, were still calm. Then about 10 minutes later someone came and fixed our power, yeah, we have lights.

One thing that we were really not prepared for was the frozen bathrooms we could not use and the overall freezing temperatures on the train and in the train station. I know it's winter and all, but loosing all feeling in my feet and shivering for three hours was not on my to do list. Thank goodness I dressed the boys in two coats each and brought their fuzzy blankets due to the cold outside. But I felt sooo bad for the kids that were not prepared, wearing their paper thin pj's.

So lesson learned, do not assume you will have heat in the frigid temperatures of winter, even though you thought you paid and arm & a leg for it ;).

Once again it's all about the kids, and overall they did have a good time!

Oh Christmas Tree

So the boys and I had an adventure this weekend chopping down our very own Christmas tree with a hand saw. We went to a little u-cut lot and chose the perfect tree, not a biggie, not too small. I put on the lights and the boys went to town on the rest (had to move some upwards, was a little bottom heavy!)

It's Been Awhile

Well, so sorry it has taken me quite some time to post again. It seems to pick up around our house quite a bit around the holiday and hunting season. Oh and let's not forget soccer, last night was the last game for the season, it was windy & rainy but the team had a blast. I will post a video soon if I can figure out how to, it's basically of Moses following the ball around the field, second half and no subs you get a little tired.

School is going great for the boys, although Mason would prefer to be in the big school with Moses, one more year will do him some good. Moses is reading like a wiz, every night he reads a book to us, can't believe it sometimes, he is also doing very well in math. Mason is really into Tribal Music and dance right now, last night he was showing me the eagle dance and the frog dance, and he is a great singer. I got that on video too, but on my older camcorder, still have to figure out how to get the 8mm tapes on my computer, lol.

Busy...Busy...Busy!

Oh what a busy time of year it's become for the Mercier family. It feels like we've been running in circles lately and I don't think it's going to get any better anytime soon. A few updates for you....Mason started preschool in the morning and a half day Chinook Kindergarten in the afternoon. This is his third year in preschool and let me tell you, he is ready to be a big boy already. He has grown into a very independant little man, he wants to be more and more like Tyson everyday. Four is a hard age around here, your stuck in preschool again as you watch your big brother go into the big school and your too young to play school sports such as soccer. But don't worry, t-ball is just around the corner.

We signed Moses up for soccer this year, I have a feeling this will be a great sport for him, he loves to run! Just hopefully in the right direction. We had our very first team meeting the other day and come to find out (just our luck) we have no soccer coach, so it is up to us parents to figure things out, like how to teach soccer. Not too thrilled since we payed just about fifty bucks for Mo to play (not including gear), but I'm sure some fond memories will come from this experience.

Over the holiday weekend the boys and I went camping with grandma & grandpa snook and we were rained out. I'm not talking about sprinkles either, it was full on monsoon style. Here is a few pics of the boys covered in wet sand and a picture of the water finding a way under our tent. We will have to try it again, just minus the tent and wet sand.

I also wanted to let you know that Moses is very close to loosing his first baby tooth. Both of his bottom teath are starting to wiggle. But rest assured there will be no mom and dad pulling his teeth out with plyers or threatening such, he knows that they will fall out when they are ready, oh the fond memories of my childhood.

Besides all of that, Tyson is getting ready for his big trip to Coloado, I'm sure he's already packed! I've been canning up a storm, so far I have canned jam, salsa, tomato sauce, grean beens with red potatoes/bacon & garlic. Next is apple pie in a jar after I rest up a bit, and I'm still trying to get this mess cleaned up.

The First Day of School!

Moses had his first day of 1st grade today, he was very excited and he has been looking forward to this basically all summer long. This man loves school! Mason was a little less excited, he wants so badly to be in kindergarten, I keep telling him just one more year, but a year can not go by fast enough for him. Here are a few pics of my proud boys & Sophia who is also is Moses' class. Soon Moses will be starting soccer, this will be his first year.

On another note ... our pole barn is complete, yeah Clint Read Construction. More room to store more stuff, just what we needed (trust me it is).

All of the animals are doing well too, Tyson fixed an old water pump so that the ducks have plenty of water to muck up and swim in. We also have two new additions to our flock of chickens, a rooster and hen aruacana who are about four months old. The other hens have their feathers in a bunch over it, but I'm sure all will settle down soon or they will just have to get over it. Haven't really decided on any names yet, but I will let you know as soon as the boys pick them out. I've also included a picture of Hulk (the baby) and Secret Agent (the surrogate mom), wow, Hulk has almost passed her mom up in size!

It's Raining (a little)

It's weird how you begin to miss the smell of rain during the summer in Oregon. Like we don't get enough of it the rest of the year, right. Well this morning, after my coffee of course, I went out to take care of the animals at 7am and it was sprinkling. The air smells so clean and refreshing, it also feels like fall is on it's way (one of my favorite seasons) and soon we will be lighting up the fireplace and watching the leafs change.

But with the summer (come on it's still August Mandy), comes a water shortage for our duck pond. During the last week the water has begun to evaporate so fast that the ducks have started to wonder by our house looking for more water, food, or a cool place to hang. Not wanting the ducks & goose hanging on my front steps, we are trying to get more water into the pond. With the help of a few good friends, we started pumping a little water in the pond last night and digged at an underground spring. I bet your thinking, I always miss out on the good stuff, I will let you know how it turns out. Who knows, maybe these few sprinkles will bring an inch or two of water for our pond.

So I know that I've been talking about the Great Blue Heron a lot lately, but you've got to love this birds wind span. Here is a pic of our Blue Heron that has found a new home at our fish pond.

On another note, the boys and fam are doing great. Moses & Mason have been sporting little mohawks for the last week. Just wanting to be like dad.



Bow season starts this coming weekend, I am very excited about that (& nervous), but I will miss the first day because I volunteered for the Hood to Coast on Saturday. Need to look at my calender and little more closely next time. I will keep you posted either way it turns out, have a great weekend!

Hard to see, but a deer track near my fish pond.

The Great Blue Herron

So this morning I was cleaning up my kitchen after a hard night of watching a movie with the fam, I glance towards the dining room window and flying right towards me is a Blue Heron ( our family calls it the incabod crane), then is veered to the right. I went outside quietly to get my camera out of my car, thinking that it may have landed in my new pond, but it wasn't there. Darn it! We've been working really hard restoring natural habitats and I so wanted to get our new visitor on film. I went about the morning taking care of my chores, letting out the chickens, then I headed down to the duck pond to let my ducks out of their fortress. I glanced in the pond, and their it was, a beautifully large blue heron. As soon as it got sight of me, it took off. I fumbled with my camera trying to get a shot, but failed. So here is a pic of what a heron around our area looks like.

You can see why I was soooo excited.

So I went about taking care of my morning chores and here is a few shots that I wanted to share.

The New Duck/Goose Mansion that I built.

A duck egg in their nest box.

Time to let Ready & Spinosaures out.

You know how much I love spiders!

On another note, out pole barn is coming along, thank you so much Clint Reed Construction! Soon the garage will be mine, I have big plans.