Memorial Day

We had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. We stayed home alot and had family time. We also visited with friends and family. We worked in the garden, and fired up the grill a few times. We ate our first watermelon too!

It's hay season, and Eli acts as if he is watching a movie with all the tractors going by! My dad says the heat of summer is wrapped up in a haybale.

The Ausbrooks Boys

We went to two cemeteries on Monday. One is close to the farm, and we like to go to the service there even though we have no family there. The local VFW conducts a short flag raising ceremony, with taps and a gun salute to fallen soldiers. Sam and Cora were very interested, and Sam didn't ask to take any bones home:)




We went to the cemetery where my grandfather is buried. He was a WW2 veteran, and definitely part of the reason they are named the "Greatest Generation". He has been gone to heaven for 8 years now, and I still miss him every time we go to their house. He taught me how to garden, and we are passing it on. Pop was also quite a jokester, and he would have loved Sam. Some day, he will!





Also, at this cemetery is where we first saw the name Cora, and chose to name our daughter that. If Sam had been a girl, he would have been Cora first. And in case anyone wants to know, if Cora had been a boy her name would have been Isaac Gregory. Since we're on the subject, Eli's girl name would have been Eden.



Our mission this week: prepare for Vacation Bible School!

Hot summer days

Summer has come! It is hot, humid, and hay is ready. We swam in the farm pond yesterday, and it was neat to see how Sam and Cora have grown since last swimming season. They are braver...except Sam kept asking about snapping turtles. I just told him, yes they are in here and always have been.

Here is what happens when Eli gets a bucket of water. He sticks his head right down in it, regardless of depth. He loves water in his face. It is TOO FUNNY!

Cora and Eli and I walked in the hay field after some was cut. It smells so good! They liked going in the long hay, its taller than them. I remember doing that too, and it seemed like a jungle.

Two turkeys evaded the trucks Sunday night, so Sam and Uncle David butchered them. I cleaned up the meat last night, and Sam wanted me to cook it right then. Its in the freezer though, and will be very tasty! The birds weighed over 40 pounds, and the legs are huge!

What's happening on the farm

Here are some highlights from the past week, without pictures because I can't seem to remember the camera. Just trust me, the kids are still cute!

• Cousins Hayli and Michael were here for the weekend. Michael is right between Sam and Cora, so they all play great. We had fun splashing in the pond and roasting smore's over the campfire.


• Cora's eye has healed so well, praise the Lord. All the stitches have come out. The doctor said we need to keep it out of the sun...don't think that's realistic. But we are remembering sunscreen and hats.


• The kids have been busy catching lightning bugs and toads. Josh and Sam went frog gigging once, but no luck.


• We had 3 inches of rain in 45 minutes Friday night, and our county road was under water. My grandma, who has lived here for over 50 years, has never seen it that bad. Thankfully it all went down quickly. Many people got water in their basements, but no bad damage done. Our poor chickens got a wet house, but we've cleaned it up for them.


• Daisy spent the night at the vet, getting "fixed". The kids cried because we left her there. I think she may have been the stinkiest dog ever left at the vets office. Doc told us she would be slow for a few days, but he underestimated her puppy power. A few hours later, she went over the my moms and drug one of her shoes home. That's the 4th shoe to come across the neighborhood.


• Uncle David got a new tractor, and it has a passenger seat! I think it should be called an Eli seat. If we put his car seat in there, he'd probably ride all day. David loaded out two turkey barns last night (this has never happened before). They worked from 8pm until 5 in the morning! Once he wakes up, he will be mowing hay around our house, and I will take Eli on a ride.


• Ethiopia had elections over the weekend, and it sounds like it was chaotic. We're praying it all settles down. Reading about it reminded me to be thankful for our right to vote.


• 13 years ago today Josh and I started dating! That should have been my first bullet point, huh? I was a sophomore in high school, he was a junior. Wow, how time flies. We were at a cookout, and amidst hot dogs, 4 wheeler rides, and hide and seek, God started the story of our family.

Have a blessed week!

A new baby

I've neglected to post our family's exciting news...we are going to be an aunt and uncle again. My brother Mark and his wife Carina are expecting their second baby in December. We found out on Mother's Day, shortly after Cora's big fall. Their daughter Annika turns two in September, and she will be a wonderful big sister. My kids adore Annika, and we can't wait to meet the new cousin.

Why Dad is cooler than Mom

Eli has been running a fever all day. He seems to feel fine, eats a ton like usual, but his eyes look droopy. When he woke up from his nap, he was hot again. I was preparing to give him Motrin and a healthy snack, maybe an apple. Before I could say anything, Daddy says, "Here Eli, want some smarties?" He perked right up at that offer.

What mother would give their sick child smarties? Dads get to be so much cooler than moms.

Now we have brushed Eli's teeth extra good, and we're praying he is all better tomorrow.

3 Little Monkeys

Cora is doing very well with her bummed up eye. Thanks to everyone for praying. We had a follow-up with the eye surgeon, who said all looks great. Thankfully there was absolutely no damage to her actual eye/vision. And we were very pleased to learn that not only our health insurance will cover it, but also mom and dad's home owners will help too!

I do think Cora gave grandpa quite a scare though. We were over there this evening, and all the kids were playing like monkeys on the swing set and grandpa was a nervous wreck! He says they are all accidents waiting to happen. What I'd like to know is how Sam is the only one now who hasn't had stitches!

Sam is covered in poison ivy. He and Cora like to play in a grove of pine trees beside our house, but each summer there seems to be more poison ivy in there. Last week he was playing in there without a shirt on and actually came out swinging a long vine of poison ivy. Sure enough, he is now covered on his chest and arms. It doesn't seem to bother him too much though. Today he wanted to play in there so he put on long sleeves and pants, until he got too hot:)

Eli and Daisy have become pretty good buddies. One day I jokingly told him to ride Daisy, and he climbed right on. She just laid there and he thought it was hilarious. Now he does it every time he catches her laying down.

High and Tight

While in Virginia with Nana and Papaw, Sam visited Quantico Marine Corp Base. On base, he got a "high and tight" hair cut, just like a marine. He is so proud, and its so cute!

Trips like this are a huge advantage of home schooling. He got to see and experience so many things, like black bears when they were hiking in Shenandoah National Park, homeless people, war memorials, funeral procession in Arlington, plus time with family.

Part of the reason for the trip was to show Jo and Neeltje around DC. Jo was a high school foreign exchange student in 1995/1996. He stayed with Josh's family, and he has been a part of the family ever since. We all love him very much, and thankfully, he likes to come here (about 6 visits now) and someday we will visit him in Holland. We all fell in love with Neeltje too, Jo's girlfriend. Sam really liked her, and wanted to go back with her:)

Here's Jo and Cora at Spring Mill State Park.

Cora is recovering well from her surgery. We were at the hospital for about 5 hours. She has stitches in her eyebrow, and then a bunch around her eye in a "C" shape. She did well with the anesthesia (though I was more nervous than I thought I'd be when they took her away). Once she finally woke up, she had a popsicle and we were on our way. Yesterday evening she complained of a lot of pain. This morning it looks very swollen and bruised, and she was very alarmed when she saw it in the mirror. We will go see the doctor tomorrow to have it checked out, and then the stitches are the dissolvable kind. Time will tell about scarring...