It's been such a sweet summer. Here's a look back at the fun we've had, but there are new adventures on the horizon.
Valentine
It was obvious that our family wasn't going to be able to squeeze into our tiny fishing boat any longer. We upgraded to this cutie and decided to test her out in Valentine on Father's Day weekend. We were crazy enough to take all three kids with us, Macklin being only 10 weeks old at the time.
The fishing wasn't a dream, but the weather was. I had very low expectations, considering we had a tiny baby on board, but my only hope was to land one pike. Trevin and James both managed to pull a couple in, and I caught a decent bass, but no pike for me this time.
We love the Refuge Lakes near Valentine. It's beautiful and quiet. Not so quiet when someone brings a baby out there, though.
Mack was a trooper. He didn't love being outside or not having his crib, but we managed. We were so thankful for the sunshade on the boat to help keep him cool.
The first day on the lake we spent 8 hours on the water. AND WE ALL SURVIVED! I still can't believe we tried it with a baby, but certain things are getting easier the more kids we have. (I would have never tried something like that when Trevin was a baby. But, again, I was also a baby, so..)
The second day of our trip we spent the morning fishing and then headed over to the big lake nearby to let the kids do some tubing for the afternoon. They were so giddy. We've tubed with friends before (maybe once a summer,) but we had never been able to go out on our own and let them tube as long as their little hearts desired.
Myla was all about it and kept up with Trevin, no problem. We were also able to park the boat and let the kids swim. Their giggles were endless and their cheeks were pink. It was a great day.
We bought a lifejacket for Macklin before the trip. We didn't have him wear it while we were fishing because we were just trolling and that lake was very shallow. When we moved to the big lake and used the gas motor, we buckled him up and he didn't know what to think about it. It probably just felt like a swaddle, right?
We ate lunches on the boat both days. So thankful for the extra space for the cooler! Between the baby, overnight trip, fishing, and tubing, the last thing I wanted to think about was packing food. I broke down and bough a box of Uncrustable PB&Js and Lunchables. I'm not going to lie, it was so easy-peasy and low-maintenance. I would definitely consider doing that again, but James offered to pack lunches on our next lake day, which surprises me none. He ain't about that pre-packaged life. He'll live longer than me, no doubt.
This was our first time staying in a hotel as a family of five. It went really well; no horror stories there. But it helps when the baby is this cute.
The last day of our trip we hiked to Smith Falls.
We played in the water and I deeply regretted putting socks and tennis shoes on me and the kids.
It was a sweet first little getaway as a family of five. And probably James's favorite Father's Day ever.
4th of July
The next major event was 4th of July. We spent the day in Stockham with loads of family. Myla remembered her star braid from last year and requested it again. We were short on time, so I made a half one instead. It made her day. She's the cutest.
Trevin ran around with ornery cousins all day lighting off firecrackers, having a water fight, and being as goofy as ever.
We finished the day with the final Bash on the Blue at my sister's house. Good food, great company, and the best firework show you'll ever see.
All of a sudden, there's a lot of grandkids! Half of them mine... Whoa.
Love these little firecrackers.
Farming
The last time I updated, we were right in the middle of planting. Since then, we've finished planting, ran the cultivators and flamer over and over again, harvested wheat, rogued, and started irrigating. We've had almost just enough rain this summer to get us by, but in recent weeks, the pivots have been running more frequently.
Each summer, Trevin spends a little more time helping on the farm and tagging along with James. We love that it's a family affair. Although, with three kids now, hauling all of them out for meal drops or tractor rides seems to be happening less and less. James drops in and grabs food or kids more often than he used to and it's a big help.
Macklin's first tractor ride - Planting 2020
This summer has been the complete opposite of last summer in a lot of ways. In the past few years, we've upgraded most of our implements and are now running 12-row equipment, which has cut the number of tractor hours done immensely. We also quit doing hay a few years back, and I think I was just as happy as James to say goodbye to that time-sensitive, needy crop. James has had more relaxed summer days than ever before. It feels like an entirely new farm from what it was just four or five years ago. There has still been plenty of weeks that have been insanely busy with long days, but we're making more family summer memories than ever before and we're loving it.
We'll be wrapping up irrigation before long and the crops will start turning. Before we know it, it will be harvest!
We squeezed in a quick sweet corn day over the weekend. Trevin and Myla were big helpers and Mack was a big distraction. But a cute one.
Kittens
Springtime brought another batch of kittens. Third time's a charm, right? Stormy and Rosie joined our roster of pets and we're hoping they have a longer expiration date than the previous ones...
The kitties have already left that sweet clumsy, fluffy stage, and now they are busy wrestling and hunting all day. And trying to run away from Myla.
Summer days
We've spent our time enjoying the outdoors and our favorite people. That has included plenty of walks, fishing trips, bike rides, pool days, play dates, lake trips, parties, and family affairs.
Here's a photo dump of some of our summer highlights!
We lost our trampoline in a wind storm; thankfully, we were able to salvage the frame and mat. The net poles were trash, but I should be able to get them replaced fairly easily. Miraculously, we found all but one spring. They were scattered throughout the bean field and I still can't believe we found almost all of them.
Our gatherings with these farming families just got a lot more crazy with four new babies this year!
It was so nice to see our Arizona friends at the pool while they were back!
The babies finally got to meet, and the big kids picked up right where they left off.
It was Macklin's first time to the pool. He really liked the water!
Trevin worked really hard again this year to complete his Bible memory program at church. The Quest trip was supposed to be to Memorial Stadium, but Covid... So they visited Stuhr Museum, mini golfed, and got ice cream instead. He was just happy to spend the day with friends; they could have gone to the gas station and he would have been excited.
Summer means lots of days at Grandpa and Grandma's house with cousins!
My mom and aunt have been coordinating when they have grandkids over so that they can do all the fun things together. They're cute and amazing.
We were finally able to have a family service for my grandpa. We met at the cemetery and got to see his headstone and then spent the day together. It felt disconnected from the initial funeral, but I was glad we could have something in his honor. This is Grandma with some (not all!) of her great-grands.
The final hoorah of summer is always the Stockham BBQ. It's hard to believe we've reached this point in the year already. What a weird one it has been. The event went on, in spite of the pandemic, and we were able to serve up some killer meat and enjoy an evening of music and good company.
We got to celebrate our buddy, Stel, at the pool/park for his birthday. These baby sharks are the cutest things I ever did see.
The Ranch
James went back to the Sandhills with his dad and nephews a few weeks after we went as a family. Trevin got to tag along on this boys' trip. They spent a couple days fishing and then headed to a place from James's childhood, the ranch.
James has many great memories visiting these family friends and doing all things "ranch." Now, he's reliving his memories through Trevin doing the same things. T got to ride a horse, buzz around on his motorcycle, learned how to rope cattle and even GOT roped by Grandpa!
The boys came back giddy from their trip and are already busy planning another excursion to the middle of nowhere. I think I'll send Mack next time... That would go well, right?
Anniversary
James and I celebrated 9 years of marriage in July. It's amazing that that number gets higher every year. James was actually gone "ranchin" over our anniversary, but we snuck in a date a couple days late. It's hard to remember anything before we were us. He's been a part of my story for so long, there are very few parts of me that don't include him. I have no desire to have a story without him. So thankful to have him by my side in all things. We've had so many fun days over quarantine, just getting extra time together. I don't want everything to shut down again, but if it means more time with this guy, I wouldn't complain.
Also, today marks the last day of James's twenties. He turns THIRTY tomorrow!
Helms Visit
We welcomed James's cousins, aunt, and uncle to Nebraska in July. There's always so much fun to be had when they're here. They've been wanting to try this "tanking" thing for awhile now, so we made it a large family affair. And, you guessed it, we headed back to the Sandhills...
The boys in our car could hardly wait. It's a long drive to Valentine when you're this excited.
I left Macklin with my mom, and the three little girl cousins (Myla included) stayed back with James's mom and aunt. It helped make for a smooth day.
We opted to get two tanks for the adults and 12 tubes for the kids. The tubes were stacked, stretched out, and flipped. The kids swam, bounced, and giggled all afternoon.
We were able to pull off at Smith Falls for a half-point stop. That water sure felt cold compared to the warm river water.
It was a fun escape from the farm and a great chance to make some memories with family.
Back on the farm, we had big family meals and target practice to end each day.
There was always someone around to read a book.
Hopefully, we'll see them all again real soon!
Auden
Auden's birthday came on June 6th. We didn't have anything specific planned, but just to be together. We spent some time talking about the events of last year and how different everything was, just one year later. Some friends and family shared special gifts with us and reached out to show their love. The day felt heavy, but that was ok. Life had been so chaotic between Covid, Macklin, and funerals of loved ones; it was good to sit in the grief that day for Auden. To remember that short, sweet season of Auden's life, and to remember the pain of loss that felt incredibly excruciating for so many days. It still feels that way some days, but there are more days of smiles than of tears when we think of Auden.
I thought, for sure, that the kids would talk less of Auden after Macklin was born, but it's actually been the opposite. They talk about Auden so frequently, and it's amazing how much they think about that baby even though it was such a short window of time. Auden's tree continues to be the greatest reminder to us. It has put on a thick batch of beautiful leaves this season; I'm sure they'll be turning color before too long as another season comes to a close. Such is life. A year later and more perspective, growth, and gratitude. Happy birthday, precious Auden. We love you.
Mack
Oh this baby. I fall for him more and more every single day. Already, I'm looking back at these pictures and thinking how much he's changed. I am trying desperately to pause him and not to eat him or pinch his cheeks too much.
Also, prepare for a picture overload.
• At 8 weeks he weighed in at 14 pounds. He grew SO fast in the first two months. I seriously couldn't fathom how quickly he packed on the pounds. By three months, he weighed in a little over 15 pounds and now at 4 months, he's getting close to 16 pounds. He's certainly slowed down on the weight department, but it still stretching and spreading out.
• I've left Macklin a few times and he's taken a bottle like a pro. He's not picky when it comes to how his milk comes to him. He seems to be going through a growth spurt in the last week or two and he's starting to need more milk than I'm able to produce, so I've had to start supplementing. Hopefully we can even out before long, but if not, we'll be counting down the days until we can start introducing foods! He's already showing a lot of interest in everything on the table; I have no doubt he'll love getting some solids soon.
{2 Months}
•Mack really despised the outdoors for a while, but I think we've finally broke that spell. Now he gets excited to go out and has spent many days in the shade.
•He loves his crib, baths, and his mama. He's my biggest cuddler and I'm loving it.
He's our little Michelin Man.
• He started rolling a little after two months more frequently, and now, at four months, he's well practiced.
•He's started grabbing for toys and LOVES mirrors. He likes when people talk to him, but sometimes he gets a shy smile and snuggles into me. I don't think he could be more precious than he is right now.
•This guy is getting happier and sweeter by the minute. He had his first real giggle at 12 weeks and is giving me several giggles a day now. Can cooing at him all day be my full-time job? Because that's all I want to do.
And I also want to count his rolls every hour.
Some sweet friends gifted Macklin this awesome truck. There will be no mistaking whose it is.
He is such a bro and I can't handle it.
• Macklin found his thumb around 3 months. Since then, it's been quite the love affair. They are inseparable, his thumb and him. It's his go-to in any situation. Happy - thumb. Sad - thumb. Hungry - thumb. Tired - thumb. Bored - thumb. Needless to say, he's obsessed.
{3 Months}
•Mack loves to talk and is usually found on his playmat pulling on his animals and telling all sorts of stories.
•By far, the hardest thing about Macklin is his tummy. He has bubbles galore. There's always one more burp hidden deep down inside and it is quite the process trying to work it out. This has led to him being my spittiest baby yet. I think I've said, "He probably has a burp." about a million times. As soon as we get it out, he is the happiest baby on the planet and doesn't complain about much else at all.
• Macklin slept through the night for the first time at 11 weeks. My kids have all been decent sleepers, so I was happy that Mack followed suit. He started trying to go down for night before 7 PM. I would wake up him to nurse him between 10-11 PM, but it didn't seem to make a difference; he still woke up at the same time whether I nursed him again or not. He consistently has been sleeping from 6:30 PM until 5:00 AM, then he goes right back to sleep until about 7:00 AM. I will complain none. I have an evening every single night and I don't mind getting up once for a quick feed. It has made it really easy to leave him in the evenings because I feed him early and then he's down for the night. He's been left more than either of my other babies at this age, but he doesn't even realize it most of the time because he's off to bed so early. If I could have 7 more of him, I would. Not all at once, though...
•Typically, he eats, is awake for an hour, and then sleeps. The morning naps seem to be consistently close to an hour, and he likes a long afternoon nap of 2-3 hours.
{4 Months}
I've said it every month of his life, but this stage is my favorite.
(I can guarantee I'll say the same thing next month, too.)
Myla
And then there's this middle lady. She's sandwiched between the boys, but holds her own just fine.
•She's so excited to start preschool this year! She's finally willing to start back up because "the crona virus is over."
•Myla has finally accepted the fact that Macklin is a boy. She's not giving up her dream for a sister, though. She reminds me on a weekly basis that she still wants a sister.
•One of the biggest highlights for her this summer was spending a morning baking with Aunt Ashton at the bakery. You might remember that this was part of her birthday present, along with a Disney princess cookbook and a homemade Elsa apron. She picked out pink popcorn and apple dumplings to make with Ashton and she had so much fun getting to put stuff in the microwave. Yes, that was the part she thought was the coolest.
•She loved having a "slumber party" while the Helms family was here, since their daughter Ruth was able to sleep in Myla's room with her.
•Her favorite self-prescribed chore is doing the dishes. I'll happily let her do them all she wants.
•Myla passed her swim lessons this year and was easily more excited about lessons than the other student (her brother.) She loved going on the lily pads and down the slide. She became really brave this summer and went down the slide by herself in Sutton.
•On any given day, she can be found playing independently in her room or outside with the kittens. If you can witness her break into song and dance, it will shock you. A switch flips. She was secretly made for karaoke.
I love this darling girl of mine.
Trevin
Last, but not least, the clown of the house.
•Trevin was dreading swim lessons for months. Like actually months. I don't know why. I managed to get lessons on the calendar, even though it was a short pool season this year. He wasn't impressed. After the first day of lessons, he got in the car and said, "That wasn't so bad." And it wasn't. He did just fine. He was worried he wouldn't pass his level, but ended up completing two levels this year because he had improved so much. He's finally comfortable enough where I don't have to keep hawk eyes on him the entire time we're swimming. Proud of him and all of his hard work.
•Trevin had his first ever Day Camp at CRC this summer! I still can't believe he's old enough to be going to camp. I remember my first year and I'm so glad he made as many great memories as I did.
•He started taking guitar lessons this summer! I was so excited for him and he's enjoyed it. He's made quick improvements and I'll be requesting songs from him in no time. He's also proud of the fact that he hasn't lost a single guitar pick yet.
•A typical Trev quote from this week, "My life is either boring or bad or worse." Such a tragic life he lives.
•Since he has such a boring life, we've put him to work this summer. He joined the roguing crew and helped haul pipe. He's worked so many hours that he had a decent stash of cash at home, so we opened him a savings account at the bank last week. He's starting to do so many "big kid" things. Like making cookies by himself... How soon until I can make him the chef of the house?
•He's enjoying the summer lake days, fishing and tubing. He's done a fair bit of reading this summer, too. Obviously, Hank the Cowdog is still on repeat in his room.
•He loves making people laugh. He's always cracking jokes and is becoming quite clever with his humor. We adore him; it's been so fun having a big kid around.
School
I really don't know where to begin here. Life got so chaotic so fast. We were facing a hundred things that were affecting a hundred other things. I'm sure all of you have felt that at some point throughout this entire process of the pandemic. There was a ton that went into our decision. Many tears, countless prayers, a number of sleepless nights... We knew this year was an opportunity. We knew, no matter what we chose to do, it would be an adjustment. We counted the pros, the cons; listed the things that excited us and the things that scared us. We weighed it all. We felt the weight of it all. We played scenario after scenario in our minds. Everything left a pit in my stomach... everything except homeschooling.
Now, if you've known me for any length of time, you'll know that I never ever wanted to homeschool. James pushed hard for it when Trevin started school, but we landed at a small private Lutheran school and it was the perfect fit for us for a season. I've said it a million times, the only one that could change my mind on homeschooling was God. And then he gave me 2020, and all of a sudden, he changed my heart. The only schooling option I had peace about was homeschooling. That's when we knew it was the right choice for this school year.
Just to be clear - we aren't terrified of the virus. Also - we love Hampton Lutheran School. There were so many moving parts that all fell into the wrong place at the wrong time for us, and that's what led us to this decision. This has so much more to do with us and our family than it does the virus or the school.
One thing that helped us come to this decision is Trevin's personality. Trevin needs structure. He thrives in knowing what to expect. (He's handled situations of disappointment with maturity, but overall, he has a strong desire to know what's coming next.) We knew that no matter where we "sent" Trevin, it would end up in complete uncertainty given the circumstances. In contrast, we knew we could provide a stable education experience for him this school year. No school is able to offer that stability this year. (My mind will likely not be stable, being a first-year homeschool mom, you know. But the schooling routine would be.) So begins our homeschool journey.
I have curriculum ordered and parts of it are organized and ready to go. Myla is going to love being able to jump in with Trevin as we study all sorts of cool stuff. She's going to be hitting preschool while Trevin takes on third grade. What an experience it will be!
One huge blessing is this catch-all room in the basement. It is going to make the perfect schooling area. This picture was when I was deep in the middle of sorting and organizing. It's in much better shape now, but I'm sure it's only a matter of time before it makes it back to this state. I can have high hopes, but with a baby, a preschooler, and a pupil, it's probably inevitable.
We were pretty open with Trevin from the beginning. We didn't know what this school year would look like, and we wanted to get his perspective on the options. We all struggled with the imminent change, but there was excitement, too. Trevin had a lot of questions; we answered what we could. By the time we made our decision, Trevin was looking forward to the thought of homeschooling. Since then he's asked every couple days when we can start. We've got some fun things planned for this school year. It's going to be fun. And sometimes probably not, but that's ok.
We're taking on this next chapter with a whole lot of grace and patience and excitement. I don't know how everything is going to work, but I can say I'm incredibly grateful to get to spend the next year with these three.
I'm currently searching for braid tutorials and denim skirts.
I'm a homeschool mom now. Gotta play the part.
The Huenefelds homeschool, growing on the farm...
