On Monday we too a fieldtrip to the Sauer-Beckmann Living History Farm.   It was just Karen, my sister, and her kids, my mother-in-law, and myself and the kids who went, but it was sooo interesting.   It is between Johnson City and Stonewall.   They run the farm just like they would have in the late 1800's.   We watched the cow being milked, and curdled milk and cottage cheese being made.   We saw where they stored the canned jars of vegies, the smokehouse, garden.  They also keep chickens, turkeys, sheep and cows.

I think the adults enjoyed it more than the kids, but Tristan was taking notes, as he says that someday he is going to live off the land.  

 Here''s a link to the album:    

I finally got all four boys together for a few brother photo shots, although I can't say they cooperated fully.  "You want me to do WHAT?"

"Maybe no one will see me pick my nose"

2 out of 4:

3 out of 4:

Finally, everyone is looking, and no nose-pickers, but oh so serious!

Oh well, looks like someone has had his limit!

And one of my nephew and nieces:

... and this is the only photo that came out ok with the birthday suit photos.    He definitely knows he's cute:

Does he look like his mommy just a little bit?

and then I met Jewel.   I'm torn.  Those sad eyes, those droopy ears.  Those cute little black and brown spots.   What a cutie:

Here's another video I took yesterday of Sawyer with Scampy:

We celebrated my great-aunt's 101st birthday on Sunday.   Here she is before blowing out her candles (which she did.... by herself).:

If you are a relative, and want a copy of this photo, you can go here to download or buy it.  I put a larger version on my smugmug site, although if you want the full 3.2mb size, email me.

Here's one of my blog readers, my cousin Denise, with Sawyer:

My grandmother holding Sawyer Kane.  Someone is getting a little sleepy:

going... going ... gone:

This was our view today from our property.   For more photos of the Texas Hill Country, I'm posting on a new blogger blog:   Texas Hill Country Beauty.

I tried taking three photos and blending them in photoshop for a panaramic view.  I can see where I blended, but just didn't have time to perfect it.   For a larger view of this photo visit here.

We had a picnic in the back of the ranch by the stock tank yesterday after church. It was a really nice day. Here's a few pics to share. 

Tristan wading in the water:

 Morgan striking a pose:

Lukey discovering his artistic side:

the small boy discovering all with his mouth:

 and hands:

Thanks again to Alyssa for the photoshop action.  I'm in love with it... and she may soon be sorry for sharing it! :)

A recent post on a message board about breastfeeding babies at church made me wonder something. Am I the only one who can not nurse in public ANYWHERE?   Now I have no problem nursing in public, I can be very discreet and modest, and I do nurse in public and don't worry about it.  

However, nursing in the pews is not an option for me because my baby is not the most discreet thing in the world.

A few weeks ago I had to get a new tire, so I took the van in to the tire place, and it was just Sawyer and I, so we went into the waiting area to wait. I was the only one in the small room, and Sawyer started fussing (it was time for him to eat) so I threw a blanket over us and he started nursing.

A few seconds later 3 people come in, an older man and a twenty-something couple. We're all in this small room, they look at me and sit down. Its pretty quiet in there... except for the LOUD smacking and moaning and groaning and pure exuberant joy that is coming out from under my blanket, with little baby feet sticking out.

The 20-something couple both have their cell phones, they look at each other and start text messaging each other (I imagine about us).

About an eternity later, probably 5 minutes, I take the little suckling piggy off the breast, and out from under the blanket. With a little milk mustache he smiles and lets out a big BELCH.

About this time the guy goes to the snack machine and gets some chips out. The older man has left by this time. Sawyer is staring at this young man and smiling. The girl says to her boyfriend, "I think he wants some of your chips."

The guy looks straight at Sawyer and says, "Sorry Dude, you already ate."

So that is why I don't nurse in the pews at church.

I really haven't had tons of time to post photos or blog lately, but I did visit Alyssa at Crazy Busy and downloaded her photoshop action for adding borders in a jiffy.   If you've never visited her site, take some time to look at her photos - she is an excellent photographer.

As you can see in the previous post, I changed out the photos and put in the new photos of Sawyer with borders.   I'll have to try it with some of my other photos too.   A new camera is on my wish list of things I would love to have, but that probably won't happen for awhile.

While the rest of the country is buried in snow, we had a gorgeous 70 degree sunny day here.   Nathan and the boys drove around the ranch, and he let Tristan drive the mule (Kawasaki mule that my parent's have as seenhere).   Speaking of mules, the boys also rode Grandpa's mule and horse the other day.  Here's a photo of my neice on the 4-legged mule:

Sawyer with his Grandpa:

I have broadband internet!

Our house in Texas is a distance from the closest area that can receive dsl, and there is no cable options out here either.

But we now have broadband - cellular internet, or mobile wireless broadband internet if you will.   This is a great deal if you can't get broadband internet because of your rural location but live close to a cell tower.

Its 49.99 a month with no contract

Mellenicom.com

If you decide to sign up, use my email for a referral (cartwrn@ilovejesus.net) and I think I get a referral bonus, or bucks off my bill.

We also bought a booster antennae accelerator to go with it from 3gstore

Its not as fast as dsl or cable would be (if it were an option for us), but we're getting 700 kbps speed... compared to 40 something with dial-up that was driving me mad.   So hopefully I'll blog more often now.   And this is in an area the sales guy thought wouldn't get any coverage.  

From their website they advertise: 

Alaskan notions of a Texas girl has officially been changed to Notions of a Texas Ranch Girl.   We really enjoyed our Alaskan adventure in Juneau for over two years, but it is really nice to be back with family, back in our ranch house and seeing blue skies and the sun again!   Of course, we will probably be huddling around the air conditioner and think we are dying come summertime, but maybe we will be acclimated by then.

For now my boys think its fine summer weather (the weather in Texas right now is pretty much like a beautiful summer day in Juneau), and are always putting on shorts and flip-flops, when everyone around us are enjoying wearing sweaters and coats!

We have moved back into our house that we have owned for four years.   Its on our family ranch in the Texas hill country.   I do have one neighbor that I can see from my house, but since its my sister, its not so bad!  :)   Just yesterday I needed to borrow some eggs, so I called her house, no answer....   I went outside while I was still on the phone, and saw that her van was still there, so I recorded on her answering machine, "pick up Karen... I can see you are still there, I need to borrow three eggs, and Morgan is almost to your door to pick them up."   About that time her husband picked up the phone, and Morgan came home with 3 farm fresh eggs.    You can do that type of thing with sisters!

My other neighbors that I can't see, but live on the ranch are my brother Kolin and wife, brother Kevin and family, sister Krissie and family and my parents.    My great-grandparents bought this 600+ acre ranch in the 40's (I think for $20 an acre) and it has been in the family since.   There is a creek that runs through it and several stock tanks (when its not too dry).   Part of the ranch is also owned by my grandmother, and my great-aunt and cousins that live in Louisiana.   My dad is retired civil service, and he now ranches full-time.   He has a few cows, goats and sheep.   My new blog photo is one I took the other day right outside my house.    My dad also has a mule and pony, and my neice has a horse that are in the photo.    We can hunt white-tail and/or axis deer here on the ranch as well.

So it is quite the ideal place for four little boys to grow up, right around cousins and adventures for the making.

We had a nice Christmas yesterday.    The boys got bows and arrows that they were very excited about:

They also got bikes, so there is no stopping them now!   Morgan went to visit uncle Kolin on his bike right away.   We later went to my cousin's house for Christmas dinner, where I got to visit with family I haven't seen in 2-4 years.   They had a trampoline there which the boys thoroughly enjoyed:

And a photo of my two neices having fun on the trampoline:

Little Sawyer is four months already.. how time flies.  Here he is in a field outside our house: