Charity's Polaroids

Charity (Jonah's youngest sister who visited last week) FINALLY caved in and got an iPhone, and she uses it like a pro. She takes great photos with it and then uses her "polaroid" app to make them even better. I couldn't resist posting them on here, especially since an Elsie-caused computer power down ATE about 200 of my iPhone's photos tonight!! I don't even want to think about it anymore, so let's just delight together in Charity's photos of her trip up here. I'll try to provide as little commentary as possible so you can just enjoy the photos... and there are many...

Also, while I'm here waiting for the photos to upload, the survey results and our own HEARTS are leading closer to Poeme as the baby's name (French spelling and pronunciation of Poem). Type it in with "French-Julie" to hear it pronounced correctly. I might also have Elsie do a video, because she says it beautifully.

http://www.acapela-group.com/text-to-speech-interactive-demo.html

I'm thrilled to have so many people support me in this name because I've loved it since it came to me at about 18 weeks into the pregnancy. For those of you who are fence sitters on that name... too bad for you, but I do have two girl piglets and about 40 girl chickens who need names, so I'll give them the leftovers after we name our baby. :)

Actually, it was really fun doing the baby name survey. THANK YOU TO ALL WHO PARTICIPATED... AND THERE WERE A LOT OF YOU! I was amazed at all the responses we got.

I also learned that people who loved the name Poem/Poeme did NOT like Ruby and vice versa. They were the only two names that were linked. IN FACT, some of the Ruby-lovers/Poem-haters went so far as to vote numerous times from the same computer or computers in the same vicinity... but Survey Monkey alerted me to the fact and your attempts were foiled, you crazy Team Ruby people.

So to sum up, the top three names were Poem, Tess and Ruby, but for reasons I won't pontificate on, Ruby is 100% out and Tess is hard because that's my mom's nickname and it might all be too confusing. Plus, Tess Eyre sounds like Tessire, or Desire. So, maybe it'll be Poeme Terese and you Ruby lovers can call her Tess anyway.

My second favorite name was Geneva and Jonah's second favorite was Scout, but neither of us like each other's second favorite name so they're out too. Sorry. I know there are a lot of Scout lovers out there, but I just can't...

Okay, I think the photos are finally uploaded after an hour here.

Nope. I'll go check on the piglets and be right back.

Okay. Piglets are nursing, chickens are boarded up, cat is somewhere asleep, the kids and Jonah are snoring, and its 11 pm. Let's get this done:

Seattle Temple, where Jonah, Charity, and I got to go Saturday night without the kids.

THANKS VELAS!

Hot Cocoa!!!

We promptly lost all of our autumn leaves in the snow and windstorm. Here's the last known photo of the beauty we enjoyed all season.

A girl and her horse.

Six people stuck in a house and only one pair of Sorels.

Most of the chickens had to move to the cellar during the snowstorm. The coop couldn't handle the four foot snow drifts that accumulated later that night.

Clear skies after the storm!

Right before Ana whitewashed Cam's face and made him hate snow forever.

Mr. Turkey's last glorious day.

Two days after the storm... the wind blew most of the snow away.

The "wetlands"... no ducks now!

Cam mainly likes getting the biggest snow chunks he can and throwing them about two feet.

Going crabbing!

He's at home in the cold.

Empty pot. Too bad we don't eat seaweed!

View from the boat.

Yea! Finally some crab.

Cam dared to hold one!

It's because he had snow gloves on.

Yes. Somehow that boat holds Jonah afloat.

The farmers' market is still bounteous after all the snow.

And so was the food bank! Expired and moldy bread for the pigs.

Mr. Turkey's last photo.

Now the real work begins.

Trying to thaw the ground so Jonah can dig the roasting pit for the turkey.

Finally, the fire is inside a three foot hole.

Escaped chick from the cellar.

The old schoolhouse up the road.

Our town's version of plowing the roads.

Thanksgiving!!

The only coat I have that fits around my gigantic belly... but it sure is warm. Charity could fit one of my children in there with her.

Again, THANKS VELAS!

Thanksgiving crabbing.

Thanksgiving piglets!

Charity bundling up little Golda.

We finally get to eat!

Almost all of the food came from our land or local farmers.

Stitch Unlucky the Piglet

Cocoa and Charity.

Piglets, two days old.

The snow is starting to melt a bit, but there are still some good chunks!

Charity and Jonah testing out the shotgun and flying clay pigeons.

Charity hit her second one straight on!

Ana's plan for the Friday after Thanksgiving.

We didn't have a truck to pick up the Christmas tree, so we picked it up in the boat.

Happy Holidays!

Thanks for all the great photos and great memories Charity!