Fun on the Farm!

Recently Justin's boss and his wife went on a cruise for their anniversary.  While they were gone, Justin and I watched their four children for a few days.  Justin took care of the farm and I took care of the house and children! :)  We had a lot of fun the four days we were there, the creek behind their house was flowing for a few days with all the rains we've been getting.  We all ended up wet and muddy at least twice or more times a day! 

We made a bonfire and had hotdogs and s'mores on that little island one night.

 The tumbleweeds get blown into the wash on windy days.  Most of them get washed down stream when the rain comes but these tumbleweeds seem determined to stay!

The kids went swimming before we ate so the bonfire was a nice place to warm up after the sun went down!

Who doesn't love a s'more!!

One evening after the creek stopped flowing, Justin took a four wheeler and two children and I took one with two children, and we drove about three miles down the creek bed.  Through deep puddles, tumbleweed piles, and rocky beds we went and had a blast!!  We drove home on the dirt road with this beautiful sunset behind us...

...and the full moon coming up over the mountains in front of us!  

A perfect evening to another fun day.

Picking Prickly Pear Fruit

Remember back in July when Hope, Joy, and Moriah came out for a visit?  Moriah and her family used to live in Tucson and she told us how they used to go picking prickly pear fruit and make jam.  On the way home from hiking in Sabino, we found an area that was literally covered in ripe prickly pear cactus.  We used tongs to twist the fruit off the cactus, they're covered in small thorns that are very hard to see and get out of your clothes and hands!!  The dark purple ones are the ripest and make the best jam.

Can you see Moriah way out there filling her container? :)

We picked two containers, one for Moriah's family and one for Hope and Joy to take back with them. I picked a small bag full and attempted to make the jam.

I cut the amount of sugar down to less than half of what the recipe called for so there is more of a natural tart flavor of the fruit.  I also accidentally didn't boil the juice, sugar, and pectin long enough so the consistency is more of a syrup than jam.  That's okay though, we just enjoy it as a substitute for maple syrup on pancakes!

Enjoying Family Time

The day after Serenah was born, I flew to Pennsylvania for a couple weeks.  Joshua was actually at Still Waters Camp when Serenah was born... (Deja Vu; he was at Still Waters Camp when Benjamin was born too! :)  A week after Joshua got home, Lillia and Hope left for their week at Still Waters Camp.  The reason I was in PA for so long was to help my mom while the older girls were away at camp.  Joy and Elainah were big helpers too! :)

Lillia and I with our new little sister...

How cute is that face??

I love her chubby cheeks!

Checking out her Grandmommy :)

Sunday afternoon excursions with friends :)

Benjamin is such a cutie pie!  He turned three while I was there.

He loves to "fix" things... Here he has his pedal tractor up on the jack with the tire off because it was "flat" :D  He even had gloves on to keep his hands from getting "greasy"!!

The love he has for his little sister is so sweet, he always wants to give her kisses!!

A week after Serenah was born, little Kaitlyn Grace joined the Riehl family, (they live down the road from my parents.)  I had to get a picture with her since my middle name is Grace too! :)

Flying home I got the special treat of flying first class!  I think it's only the third time I've ever gotten to do that!  Getting a full breakfast and unlimited drinks made the four and a half hour flight go by faster!

It's so nice to be back home in Arizona, even though saying good bye to my sweet siblings and parents is always hard!  Monsoons have arrived and everything is so green!  I'll be out mowing our "hayfield" later today!! :)