Camburgers and Apple Pie

Today we celebrated Cam's birthday... well, the festivities began yesterday.  I had finished a tough exam at school, came home and took the kiddos for a walk in the sunshine.  I remembered I had stashed away a gift card for a cabin getaway in Winthrop that my folks had given us for Christmas, and eureka... what a better time than a birthday and post test anxiety.  So, we packed up and left the mountains.  We seem to really be living it up lately (just been lucky I guess), but we were just discussing how those days will quickly come to an end as our homestead grows, and there are more mouths to feed (animals not kids people)and chores that need to be done.  

 For the time being though, I think we are somewhat enchanted with our new location and enjoy exploring around us, and my mom really spoils us when it comes to things like this.  The cabin we stayed in was awesome!  Cam's always a little anti-Winthrop due what he would call the "patchouli factor" (ie... too many hipsters), but man he was ready to join the crowd when he saw the hot tub on the porch that looked out over the river.  What a place... and to think we didn't have to cross a pass to get there (well actually we did --the Loup, but it was definitely not a 4 hour drive)!  The kids loved it of course, and we were able to just walk downtown for dinner at Cam's favorite hunting hitching post "Three Finger Jacks."  I don't really care how hippy it is, I love the decor, and know that if I have a past life, it was spent in a time period such as Winthrop emulates... coming to town once a month with my horse, wagon, shotgun and hearing the cowboys boots hit the wooden plank sidewalks.  I love it.  Thanks mom!

I'd like to say, Cam and I stayed up staring into eachothers eyes while the hot tub jetted around us, but being a parent is 24/7, and poor little B came down with a nasty case of congestion that left me sleeping in the king master bedroom with B on my chest and Bear close by, while Cam was left with the smaller bed all by his lonesome.... HA talk about foiled romance!  We got a couple hours of couple time in though, which is always nice, and we always have a good time together, when the world is pushed aside for a fleeting moment before there's a half naked toddler at your sliding glass door!  You have to enjoy the moments when you can, my cousin told me recently that your time is the best thing you can give someone, and I'm really trying to make the few down moments we have count. 

 Kendyl woke seriously under the weather, so we had an early breakfast in Twisp, and hit the road.  The kids rarely (thank God), get sick.  It's like mother hen mode when they do though.... Vicks, fluids, humidifier, rest... there's part of me that sickly enjoys their poor little faces when all they want is to snuggle and SIT STILL with mom (knowing it's only a little cold of course).  After a good nap today, I think she's on the mend though, and I'm not sure what could slow that girl down two days in a row.

Anyone who knows Cam, knows that burgers were on the menu, and he has been requesting a pie for sometime now, so I set to work on that as well.  Bear helped me with the pie crust, and rolled some of the extras (which seemed to disappear magically).  Birthdays are such fun, and it's a good time to celebrate a person.  Cam never fails to amaze me in his ability to remain positive about whatever is going on with our life.  He's freakishly positive and stable, which is good because I may be a little more on the what I like to call "highly passionate" side.  We are good partners though, and I know everything is better with him by my side.  Burgers and pie were a success!  I forgot how good apple pie really is....

One exciting piece of homestead news is... we may be adding to our brood!!!!!  No Gram, not a baby.... a Pup!  I have been looking for sometime now (like years), for a female Ridgeback.  When researching the breed, it's very evident the gender differences in these dogs... It's like a lion pride... Females hunt, kill, defend... and the males step in when some muscle is needed to finish the job.  I of course, love this, and have dreamed of the dog that will basically be the kid's bodyguard, and my running companion.  Anyway, I actually started looking at importing one directly from South Africa, because we were told it's fairly similar cost wise, but ended up finding a somewhat local breeder.  So... we may be expanding!  Our first Eastern Washington baby!  

My countdown to the end of the quarter is on... so the next few weeks will be pretty intense.  Cam's rented out our neighbor's wood splitter, and is looking to possibly buy a welding machine to start a few jobs here and there as our schedule allows.  Like I said, there's a lot of unknowns, but I feel like we always make it happen one way or the other.  The weather has been gorgeous, but chilly here, and the threat of possibly a little more snow has been whispered about.  The locals seem to be worried about the lack of snow pack and how dry that will make things come summer, and the lack of water that is already showing.  It's a different feeling living in a place where nature actually affects your livelihood/potential safety.  While we dealt with flooding a bit back home, it never seemed to affect the community as a whole, but here it's fire danger, crops, animals, and homes depending on the tendencies of 'ol Mother Nature.