January 2011

Jonah's making a face like, "Why are you taking my picture with this pig?!" But he kind of misses Luau, so I'm sure he's now glad we have the photo.

So YEP! we sold ALL the pigs in January, even Luau. $300 for Luau and $70 per piglet, but two we traded for hay and horse tack and another two we traded with Farmer George across the river for two+ lambs as soon as the lambs are weaned.

It's weird to not have to drive to the restaurants that put out buckets of kitchen scraps for us, and to not have to feed the garbage disposal twice every day, and to not have to check on the piglets four times a day. WEIRD! We'd had pigs for 14 months, so it was quite a commitment.

I have MANY strong opinions about pigs, so if you don't want to hear about them, don't ask.

One of the most memorable parts of selling the pigs was trying to get Luau into the stock trailer of the people who bought her. She would NOT go. It had been snowing and raining for the three weeks prior so her pen was a 20 inch deep mud pool in most places. This nice lady who had bought her was trying to chase her into the trailer and face planted into the pen! Grosser than gross.

ALSO, before we sold the piglets, we had to castrate them. Pigs require a small surgery to be castrated, which Jonah learned how to do by watching a few YouTube Videos. I'd have to hold the scalpel for him. Again, GROSSER THAN GROSS! He thought it was kind of cool and I'm permanently scarred.

Right before Elsie's birthday, my high school friend Brooke came up to visit. While I felt bad for her having to come during the second coldest month we've had since we moved here, it was also good because it got Elsie and I out of the house and enjoying the uncrowded winter beaches.

We made the trek out to spectacular Rialto Beach on one day (see previous blog), but on this day we just headed down the road to a local beach. Elsie was in heaven.

We also went and saw all the local sites, like the railroad bridge.

Brooje also helped castrate the pigs by her own choice.

Brooke and the kids got along really well.... mainly because she is exceptional at accessing her "inner child". The kids thought she was totally just one of them.

Here she is teaching Elsie how to be an airplane.

We were really sad to see her go... especially Elsie who said, "Wah!" about it.

A couple days after Brooke left it was Elsie's birthday. I let Ana be totally in charge of Elsie's Halloween Birthday Party... and it turned out splendidly! Nice work Ana! The only thing I had to do was get the invitations printed and make the cake. I had bought Halloween decorations and party favors at Walmart after Halloween for 10cents a pack, so we were all set.

We had a family party that night too.

Birthday presents were easy this year since all she wanted was a peacock costume (which her friend Jorel got her), Doritos, Gogurts and Yogurt Pretzels. EASY!

A couple days after Elsie's birthday, Ana, Poem and I left for California. I was going to Jonah's family's annual "women's reunion" in Orange County and I decided to finally let Ana cash in on her "trip to Luvy's" that she'd been promised a year ago. (Luvy is the kids' name for my mom). I think there are a couple pics on the previous blog, but you can find full write ups on the reunion from my awesome sisters-in-law here (I didn't bring a camera so I'll let them do the memory preservation):

http://71toes.blogspot.com/2011/02/mfme.html

here:

http://looslifamily.blogspot.com/2011/01/weekend-in-heaven.html

and here:

http://drippingwithpassion.blogspot.com/2011/01/sister-friends.html

We had a fabulous time, but how can you not with such awesome sisters-in-law as I have... and don't even get me started on my mother-in-law who is about as perfect as a mother-in-law could be.

Anyway, great times.

Then the day after we got back was Cam's birthday. LUCKILY, he opted to go on a family trip instead of having a friend birthday party, so it was a fairly low-key birthday.

He got all PUMA clothes for his bday and some Nerf gun supplies. He loves Puma clothes because they make him run FAST!

I also had my last midwife appointment... what a great midwife!! Going to miss her.

Ana is so excited that we traded one of the piglets for English riding gear. She was getting tired of the Western stuff, though she still rides Western once and awhile "so the horse remembers how to do it".

Cam also got a Nerf battle ax for his bday. I gave him a mohawk hair cut for a few minutes before I shaved it all off... he decided to be a rockstar for those few minutes I guess.

For Cam's bday trip, we went down to Portland for a few days so Jonah could take care of some car stuff and we could go SWIMMING! Wahoo!

The Crowne Plaza in Portland has the nicest salt water pool. We loved it.

We also explored Portland, ate Voodoo doughtnuts and went to a giant bookstore. Cam and I finally saw Tron Legacy, which we both loved.

We also spent one very cold day at the sublime Portland Zoo. It is one great zoo. Love it every time we go, even when freezing.

You get to go INSIDE the Eagle enclosure. We have bald eagles all over the place here... especially in our yard, but I'm usually chasing them off not taking photos. This one was very photogenic.

And look at this gorgeous zebra. I'm telling you... it is a fantastic zoo.

Well, all caught up on blogging! Hooray.

TTFN.