Rodeo and Fair!

I don't know if you remember my post about the Madison Country Fair from last year, but it was a huge let down!  No rides, no games, no fair food, and the displays were pathetic.  Well this year, they did something right because they actually had rides, games, and food!  The displays, still kind of sad... but I'll give Idaho a break.  It's really hard to have good gardens here, so I can understand if the 1st place carrot is only 3 inches long and the winning pumpkin is still green.

We started out our night at the Rodeo where both kids wanted to try some Muttin' Bustin'.  We had been talking about it for awhile and the kids would get excited about it and then Brodie would say something like, maybe I'll just do it when I'm 5.  We kept telling him he didn't have to do it if he didn't want to.  Ryker on the other hand would not back down.  He wanted to ride a sheep and that was that.  I think Ryker's persistence helped Brodie's confidence with it as well.  We showed up at the rodeo and got in our chutes....

Ryker went first and as soon as the sheep took off, he fell off the back.  He was pretty shocked but the Rodeo Princess gave him his $1 and he was thrilled.  He then said he wanted to ride a horse.  Brodie went next and he held on pretty well for his first time!  He got his $1 and the Rodeo Queen walked him back to his dad.  He was so happy.  Now he keeps saying that he wants to build a fence and get some sheep so that he can ride them all the time.  He also developed a crush on the Queen.  It was a success!

After the rodeo, the kids wanted to go spend their money on the rides!  

First they went on the Ferris Wheel.

All the commotion put Mari right to sleep.

Climbing up to the super slide!

Down they go!

Monster Truck Ride!

The Dragon Airplane Ride!

It was a very fun evening!

Berries!

One good thing Idaho has is berries!  And lots of them!

Last week my neighbors were nice enough to invite me huckleberry picking.  This has definitely been on my bucket list for Idaho and it did not disappoint!  Huckleberries are like the best berry of all.  They smell absolutely wonderful and you can make so many tasty things with them!  I chose to make a huckleberry swirl cheese cake with huckleberry sauce.  Delicious!

It's not often that I take pictures of my food, but this had to be documented.

Right?  I know.  You wish you lived here.

We also have a beautiful raspberry patch in our back yard and it has had a high yield of berries!  So far I've picked about 15 cups.

I also made a raspberry cheesecake with raspberry sauce... yes apparently I am on a cheesecake kick, but I have also canned some raspberry juice concentrate and raspberry syrup, as well as frozen many berries for smoothies. 

Tonight we went back out into the mountains to pick more huckleberries and I came back with another bowl full.  I'm not sure what I'll make with them this time, but my kitchen smell heavenly with them just sitting on the counter!  I love how fragrant these berries are!

Can you spot Brodie in the bushes?

The whole family came this time, which was so much fun!  Bo isn't a very good picker... he's got the hunter gene, not the gatherer gene, but he is an excellent father and babysitter.  He and the boys shot the BB gun, ran up and down the dusty roads, and were just very well behaved.  And Mari slept the whole time.  Love that girl.

The strangest berry I've come across this week though are potato berries!!

Did you know potatoes can grow berries?  It blew my mind when I saw them.  I was playing around in my garden and spotted a cluster.  Upon further investigation, I found bunches of berries on all my potato plants!  Turns out potatoes growing berries is pretty rare and only happens in a few varieties.  A google search told me that only 1% of potatoes grown in the US produce berries.  So apparently, potatoes have seeds and you can grow potatoes from seed.  Crazy!

I harvested the berries (which are supposed to be very toxic) and they are now sitting on my counter waiting for the seed extracting process.  I'm planning on just throwing them in my food storage seed collection because the seed can last indefinitely.  Neat, huh?

And here is a random, has nothing to do with the post, other then it cracks me up, Mari sleeping pose:

Crazy girl!

My Babies

I love having three kids!  Being a mom is so much fun and each child brings a unique love to my life.

Mari is 6 months old!  It is hard to comprehend that she is actually 1/2 a year old already.  Why does this stage go by so dang fast?  She is such a fun baby.  I love how she always seems to have a smile on her face when she is exploring the world around her.  She is starting to get too big for her swing.  She refuses to sit in it normally.  It drives me crazy.

She still enjoys Brodie's attention, but I think she and Ryker are starting to bond a little more too.

Ryker is the cutest thing ever.  I love the 2, going on 3 stage, although it's hard to believe he'll be 3 in a short 2 months!  His vocabulary surprises me every day.  He is such a quick learner.  And he is a great helper too!  Here he is feeding Mari some rice cereal... he ate all her bananas.

He likes to hang with the big kids in the neighborhood, but still prefers the company of his mom.  I'm his #1 and I love that!  Today he asked to play Mario Kart Wii, which he's not very good at.  I let him while I went and picked some raspberries.  I came back in and heard the music from the same level he was playing when I left.  When I walked up the stairs I found him like this:  

And the game had been going for 20+ minutes.  All that driving can really tire a kid out.  I love him so much!

Brodie has finally hit his terrible twos.  Yes.  He's actually 4 1/2, but has been a sweetheart up until the last couple weeks.  I think it's from hanging out with the big kids in the neighborhood.  He is obsessed with them and is worried that he's always missing out on having fun.  I enjoy the few moments during the day when it is just he and I and I get glimpses of the "old" Brodie.  He's still great, it's just the first time that he's actually been a challenge and that's foreign to me.

Looks like just a normal raspberry patch?

I spot some feet!  And a head!

There's a Brodie Bear in my bushes!

I let him help me feed Mari tonight.  We pureed up some sweet potatoes and she loved them.  Half way through the feeding Brodie asked if he could taste it and I said yes.

Next thing I know, he had his own bowl of baby food and ate every bite!

Poor Mari is going to have to fight off her brothers for her food!

Life is wonderful!