We haven't made it to the state fair yet, but I realized I did take a picture of Joshua the day he made his cake...so here he/it is...

YUM!!

...and on to other news...we've been working HARD for the past 4 days.  We'd been dreaming and developing plans for a piece of our property for some time now wanting to add some fruit trees, blackberry vines and blueberry bushes.  We had gotten as far as 2 weeks ago cutting down a brushy area to start clearing for the blueberry bushes that we wanted to get.  That same day, I got an e-mail from a friend at church that said someone was selling out their "pick-your-own" blueberry farm that they had just started the year prior...YEAH!  They had 500 plants available, and we would have loved all of them, but since we haven't yet planted that "money tree" we had to settle for 45 bushes. 

So, on Saturday we began digging holes.  We had NO IDEA how hard our ground was going to prove to be...ROCK.HARD!!!  Friends of ours from church came to help and they were SUCH a blessing...We worked about 3 hours with them and accomplished 16 holes...2 feet in diameter and 12-14 inches deep.  They had to go and we set to work on the remaining 29 holes.  David then came up with an ingenious plan that really made the work go much more quickly...we just tilled the hole area until it was totally loose, scooped it out...stuck the tiller in the hole... tilled it to death...scooped it out...repeat...  What a life saver...our arms and backs were breaking!

A friend and I picked up the bushes on Sunday while David and a few more friends (did I mention we are blessed with incredible friends???) continued digging holes.  The kids and I have spent yesterday and today planting away and we're finally done!!  I can't wait to have our own blueberries!!  Praise the Lord!  I was just amazed at how God worked out so many details in a way we wouldn't have planned it had we done things in our way and our timing.  I love to see that God really does delight in showing us His love for us by putting His fingerprints all over things in our lives that seemingly are inconsequential...just because He can !

Sammy LOVED the holes...and he loved all the rocks we found!

After about 2 hours of tireless digging David inquired again as to "why" we had decided to get all of these blueberry bushes...after a few more minutes he mused, "I don't really NEED  blueberries!"  The boy worked HARD!  He's not always thrilled about work, but he'll always see a job through to the end which is such a blessing to me!  It's nice to be able to count on a job getting done when you send a child to do it.  Unfortunately, poor David ends up with LOTS of extra job because of that positive character trait...a trait that is still being worked on, prayed for, and lacking in certain other more hightly distractible and younger household members .

Row 1...

I did alot of work while Becca napped, but whenever she was outside with us she just sat in one place for an hour at a time and smiled at everyone and everything (of course in this picture she found her passy).

Next topic...

Sammy was the recipient of a wooden swing to the head courtesy of his 4-year-old big sister.  Apparently, they had a stand down...she wanted to swing and she had possession (9/10 of the law, I hear)...he wanted to swing and he had position...  She then used her "possession" to remove his "position".

...and finally, last topic...

Meet Mop-Top, or Mop-Head...a rare-breed rooster that has finally gotten old enough to find his cocka-doodle-doo (did you know that roosters have to learn to crow...the first few days that they begin they sound hilarious!!  Who knew?!?!)

Oh, did I say "has gotten old enough"...I meant "HAD gotten old enough"...

It seems that Mop-Top got his Top Mopped or chopped or...whatever...

Let me explain as briefly as I can.  I've twittered before about Max, our collie, preferring a distant neighbor to us...well, we finally put him on a runner so he would stay put.  Well, his "girlfriend", a 6-month old husky named Sheba, decided she couldn't live without Max and has now left her home and come to stay with Max.  No big deal...except...she likes to kill chickens.  One a day for about 4 days.  She only eats a little bit and then the rest of the dogs enjoy finishing off their treat...they, no doubt, are chearing her on.  Well, before she got taken back home yesterday, she got a hold of MopTop!  Not a huge loss, we don't really NEED another rooster...but I soooo wanted to have a picture of him...I just love his head-feathers!

I was resigned to not have my picture when Julia brought me MopTop's head this morning...looking so perfect...I had to get a picture.  Sammy couldn't figure out where the rest of him was...but he followed my instructions and threw the head to Max...who promptly devoured it, feathers and all...gross!  I hope Sheba stays home now!  The chickens are apparently, and rightfully so, terrified...I've only gotten about 8 eggs total in the last 4 days...from 40 chickens...or make that 36 chickens.  UGH!!!