We have a 4 year old as of TODAY!

Well, it happened, we have a 4 year old. Do you know what 4 year olds are good at. "Lifting stuff," according to Foxtrot. He is now super strong and can life things like "tables, rocking chairs, and babies." Each day comes with new excitement. 

This weekend we celebrated his new strength with a "Mountain" birthday. He wanted to camp out with all his buddies in the mountains, but I said "no." And instead, we had a mid-day camp out. And I think he enjoyed it.

 Check out this happy camper!

We made bug juice, complete with blueberry tea, bubbly water, and honey.

We had a Trail Mix bar and Cheetos.

The kids made HoBo bags and trooped around the farm.

And we set up lots of tents to play in.

We also set up balloons. No birthday is complete without balloons.

Although Foxtrot asked that instead of giving him gifts, his party guests donate to the Washington Trails association, his Pop Pops still got him a new big boy bike, complete with peddles. 

He was a natural!

He had a great party!

I'm sure Foxtrot wished for Legos and t.v. time.

And here he is. . . The new 4 year old! 

Always moving, jumping, thinking, asking, talking, and dancing!

And itching his bug bites! (Because he is "delicious.")

Our little family of 4 has a 4 year old!

A very goofy family of 4 has a very goofy 4 year old!

Never short on blueberries and jam

In this house, we always have blueberries. Foxtrot can't get enough. He eats them frozen, fresh, and freeze dried. The blueberries are everywhere. (This is most likely why he thought the goat poop was blueberries.) I went to the local farmer's market last week and picked up some delicious blueberries for him. And then I saw the peaches and I had been inspired by this lady earlier in the week, so I picked up a few pounds.

The two ingredients came together to make a delightful Blueberry Peach Jam. We eat jam on everything, from toast and tortillas to ice cream and bananas. Granimal turned me on to Pomona's Universal Pectin which worked very well. You want the recipe for the next time you have 3 cups of blueberries and 6 peaches laying around?

Blueberry Peach Jam


3 cups blueberries
6 medium peaches
1 generous teaspoon of cinnamon
3 teaspoons pectin
9 tablespoons lime juice
3 cups of honey
9 teaspoons of calcium water (comes in the package with Pomona)

1. Start by washing and rinsing your jars. Boil the jars for about 10 minutes to sterilize them. (Yada, Yada, Yada. You know the drill)

2. Put all your fruit, cinnamon, and lime juice in a large pot. Mash down the fruit until it mostly turns blue. Add the calcium water and stir well.

3. Measure out your honey, then add the pectin to the honey. Mix that up as best you can and set it aside.

4. Bring fruit to a rolling boil. Add the pectin-honey mixture. Sit vigorously. Return fruit to a boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat.

5. Fill your jars up with the deliciousness and set back in your big water pot. Boil for 10 minutes to seal the cans.

6. Let the jam sit for a week of so, if you can wait that long, then enjoy.

Yum Yum.

For Real, What has Foxtrot been up to?

Okay, like all new things that begin around the new year, my blog excitement is dwindling. Or maybe it has to do with all of the new projects I have put on my plate. Still I want to share with my readers, all 5 of you, what the little man has been up to. How about we go on a photo journey . . .

He visited with the Garden Girls.

Mama Foxtrot showed some of the crafts.

He broke his first tooth and wasn't feeling too well.

He got older.

Mama, Papa, and Foxtrot Foxtrot play in the sun.

Granimal showed him the sandbar.

Papa Foxtrot basks in Foxtrot Foxtrot's light.

He found the puddle.

He played on the sandbar, again, naked.

 And he had an easter egg hunt.

April has been shaping up pretty nicely.

I've even planted some veggies.

Spring Break on Vaca Negra Farm

 Papa Foxtrot and Granimal have spring break this week and so there is a lot of activity on the Vaca Negra Farm. The rain clouds have parted for a few days and that means the garden is getting planted. Foxtrot is a great garden buddy. This week he inherited some of Papa Foxtrot's old toy trucks and has been having a blast running them through the newly turned soil.

And after all the fun Foxtrot had in the garden the mail lady came with Foxtrot's new ride. Papa Foxtrot and I debated over the best type of carrier to go with and he and I decided that this Yepp Mini Front Bicycle Child Carrier would give him quite the ride.  We figured if the Dutch are doing it this way, then it must be safe. 

He wasn't all to crazy about the helmet or the seat. . . .

at first. Then he LOVED it.

He giggled the whole way around the yard and on our short bike trip to the river. I see more bike trips tomorrow.