Iowa Traditions

Last night we participated in two Iowa traditions: fried pork tenderloin sandwiches (I'm now a huge fan) & watching Iowa football in cold fall weather!

Another tradition... Zach's up duck hunting this morning.. We have frost on the ground & a hot pot of coffee on the farm, but he's out hoping to bring home duck for some stew!

Oh! We also have snow in the forecast for Tuesday! Ahh.. Iowa!

Off Track

Wow...I'm BACK! I have really let my blogging slip!
Let me see...
I got pregnant in July. I got very sick and basically felt up to doing nothing for months. It's no excuse to stop blogging, but it was honestly the last thing on my mind.
We find out the sex of the baby in November so I will keep everyone posted.
Other than the baby news, we've travelled to Texas once and are settling in here in Iowa for the upcoming holiday season and winter.

Potty Training Update, Jam and Pickles.. Weird.. I know

So here is my potty training update.. for those who did not know I was potty training Madison.

We did a hard 3 days at home Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.  Madi is really starting to get the hang of it, we've had accidents here and there, but for the most part she has been a trooper and has been enjoying running around in big girl undies.

Now on to Jam and Pickles!!!

I made my first batch of Jam Wednesday... Strawberry, Blackberry, & Blueberry mixed Jam... it is delicious!  So happy, happy, happy.

Zach and I have started to harvest various items out of our garden, a few zucchini, cucumbers, carrots, etc..

So yesterday we made pickles!  Cant wait to try them out!

Garden Update

So our garden seems to be coming along nicely.

We are getting squash (with pretty squash blossoms), tons of lettuce, radishes, and onions.

My flowers are starting to bloom, the pumpkin vines and corn stalks are getting huge.

I cant wait to start harvesting more and getting all those great nutrients!

In our garden here is what we are growing:

• Giant Pumpkins
• Sunflowers & Marigolds
• Carrots
• Radishes
• Green Onions
• Bell Peppers
• Sugar snap Peas
• Watermelon
• Tomatoes (Heirloom, Roma, and Big Beef)
• Basil
• Cantaloupe
• Butternut (winter) squash
• Summer Squash
• Cucumbers
• Pickles
• Romaine Lettuce
• Arugula Lettuce
• Swiss Chard (which the Rabbits have basically taken over as thiers)
• Corn

Princess Tea Party

Madi attended a "Princess" Tea Party yesterday at the Children's Museum.

They had fake tea and cookies, sang songs, played games, and took photos with the princesses.

Madi loved every minute!

Today.... More Potty Training... Boo :(........  OH!  I mean Yeah!!!!

Family Photos

Here are some cute family photos we had done!

An Iowa 4th

We had a great 4th of July here in Iowa.

Zachs parents and sister (plus her husband) stayed with us for the long holiday.  My mom and her husband also stayed down the road with my grandpa.
We all had a blast playing family baseball game, grilling, fishing, sitting on the patio talking, shooting shotguns, walking in the corn, having bonfires, and attending the small town firework show.

Madison is sooo worn out from the long weekend of fun and visitors.

We already miss everyone that was here and cant wait for another fun farm weekend!

PS... I will add more photos when I have time to upload them to the computer!