Twin Brook Creamery

This afternoon we went up to visit a local dairy farm that is owned by friends from our church. My brother-in-law is going to be working for them and we needed to pick up some paperwork. I thought it'd be fun to go along and bring the kids to see some cows. I've always wanted to try their milk and today I finally did!

Here's a little video I found on youtube about their dairy: Twin Brook Creamery

They're a unique dairy in that they bottle their own milk from their own cows.

Jersey cows! Aren't they cute? Jerseys produce a milk that is higher in protein and butterfat than the standard B&W holstein. This makes for a better tasting milk in addition to it being more nutritious. Larry (the owner) told me that the skim milk will taste more like 1% because of the enriched flavor... and you know... he's right. He knows what he's talking about!

These are some happy cows. They are pastured in grass fields for as many months as weather allows. They raise their own calves so they have a "closed herd", greatly reducing the chance of disease. They're not given any hormones for artificial growth or milk production. So what you get is "the most natural milk a cow can produce".

Their milk is gently pasturized at low temperature to kill off harmul bacteria and is not homogenized, which alters the natural state of the milk. Because of this, the cream naturally floats to the top of the container. So you can buy whole, 2% or 1% and either skim the cream off and use it in your coffee, on your berries, or shake it up and drink it all. I think that's pretty neat!

During our visit Debbie (the other owner) gave us a pint of chocolate milk. What a treat! It was so good!

And my little Kaylee who NEVER drinks milk - even chocolate milk - couldn't get enough of it!

This gets me excited about the possibility that I can get her started drinking milk. With Uncle B working there, we can have him be our own personal milk man! Or else I can go to the Co-op to buy some of course, but I like the idea of home delivery. (They don't really have a home delivery service, I just mean on account of the above mentioned family member working there... just to clarify)

Behind Kaylee is the delivery truck Uncle B will be using...

So after getting all that sweet chocolate milk running through our veins, it was time to burn off some energy. Ever the thoughtful hosts, Larry brought out a tricycle for Kaylee to cruise around on.

And Debbie showed us the swing set in the back yard.

Disregard the chocolate milk and dirt-smudged face below, and notice the look and gestures of the next two pictures. Is it just me, or does Hudson look like he's in a play?

"But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun. Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon..."

To top it all off, they even had horsey rides!

Larry heard that I was really anxious to try the milk - and of course I could just go to the Co-op and get some (but that means getting a membership and ya-de-ya-de-ya), but he wouldn't have me go home empty handed. He sent us home with some fresh milk to try. What a generous man! This milk is so good. I highly reccommend it. Not only because it's local and owned by friends of mine, but because it's healthier too!

Now if only I knew someone who raised chickens...

What a Morning

I LOVE this state! I love living here. Here's another reason why:

This morning our kids were up again in the lovely hour of 5:00. Since we have house guests that I didn't want to disturb I decided to load my kids up in their pajamas and go for a drive. We stopped for a latte (for me) and a muffin (for the kids) then headed off. For some reason I was drawn to the border town of Blaine. It's only about a 15 minute drive, so we cranked up the Miss Patty Cake CD and watched the sunrise as we drove.

We headed down to the public fishing pier. It's a rustic looking pier that you can drive onto. From there you can see the Peace Arch at the border crossing, Mt Baker looming large to the east, the beautiful resort community of Semiahmoo across the water, and of course the water itself and the seagulls.

As we walked around the pier (of course we were the only ones there this morning) I was thrilled to see a bald eagle fly right over my head. Now bald eagles are not an uncommon sight up here in the PNW, but I've never seen them near the ocean (or more precisely - Puget Sound). They're usually fishing the rivers - just not often by the water.

Anyway he landed on a small outcropping of rock not 50 feet from the pier. I watched him for a long time and wished and wished I had grabbed a camera on the way out the door. But I resolved to burn the image in my head - the golden morning light glinting off the gentle waves and that regal head looking about. Hudson and Kaylee were not impressed.

Eventually a van pulled up and a man got out. He proceeded to start taking pictures of the eagle. I went and told him how glad I was that someone was able to capture the moment! He offered to email me a copy of his pictures and I cannot wait to get them! He also told me that the Lady Washington was in port. That was another amazing surprise! This famous replica has been in two movies that I know of - Star Trek Generations and Pirates of the Carribean (the HMS Interceptor). How could this treasure just be sitting there in plain sight with nobody around oohing and ahhhing?! So we stopped to see the boat on the way back through the marina. I did some reading when I got home and found out that they're giving some kind of sailing tour this week -first in Blaine then in Bellingham. Jeff has some time off and with the grandparents here, I'm thinking this is something we HAVE TO do!

What an amazing place to live!

If you click this picture and enlarge it, you can see me standing on the dock on the far right side near the telephone pole.

Please pray for Stellan.

A Precious Moment Lost

I really need a back up battery for our video camera. Today as I was getting the kids ready for their afternoon nap, they were being SO cute. Unfortunately our camera battery was depleted. So I watched as they lay next to each other giggling and snuggling. Kaylee was holding Hudson and he was trying to look inside her mouth (he fascinated with teeth and tongues and stuff). They were both laughing histerically. I willed my brain to burn that image into my head so I'd never forget. But of course I will forget... and I won't be able to share it... unless I can recreate that moment with a fresh battery in the camera!

A Day on the Farm

We are so lucky to have such a wonderful park like this to go to! Hovander Homestead Park has so much fun stuff to do and see, but the best part is that it is FREE! On a much clearer day, you would see Mt Baker behind this barn.

Kaylee arrived, prepared for any weather:

They have some pretty smarmy animals living here at the park:

The rocks on the ground are pretty interesting too.

These are such gentle goats. This little gal didn't mind Hudson grabbing her eyes and nose as I was trying to get a picture taken.

Still, goats creep me out. What's with their eyes? Thier pupils are horizontal!

Creepy... but cute.

They have a nice little playground there.

So we ate a picnic and then got all dirty in the gravelly playground. At least that is what I am leading you to believe by the order of pictures here. Come on, would I let my kids get terribly dirty and then shove food into their mouths? Not me!

I was happy to have brought the bucket and shovels. Soon a herd of small children flocked around us and we got to share the joy of shoveling rocks with them. It was almost comical how all the kids completely ignored the swings and slide as they dug and poured.

On the way out I walked my kids through the gardens around the homestead house. I've never had the chance to go through the house (which is decked out like a little museum with antique furnishings)

But the gardens were amazing. There are flower gardens, an apple orchard...

vegetable gardens (they're using the square foot gardening technique that I am also doing this summer!)

Believe it or not, they even have a weed garden! This is a "Weed Identification" garden. I've never seen anything like it before!

This park also has trails that lead to Tennant Lake and to a boardwalk that tours some wetlands. There is another house surrounded by a "fragrance garden" (very nice!) and also a few towers to climb up in and get a good view all around.

What a great place to visit!

A Purply Day

The other day I decided to do some crafts with the kids. I read about this idea for little ones: Use corn syrup and food coloring on their high chair tray. They can swirl it around and mix the colors. I just happened to put red and blue on there.
Hudson was loving it.
The best part is that it doesn't matter if it gets into their mouth. It's yummy sweet! The only bad part... clean up.Kaylee and I made some play dough. I let her choose which colors she wanted to add. Strangely enough, she also chose red and blue. She's getting to an age where she can start to see and understand that mixing colors sometimes makes a new color.

Here we're taking cheerios and stringing them onto spaghetti noodles.

But the best part for Kaylee is playing in the flour. She likes to scoop some up and then clap her hands together. What a mess!

A Week (or Two) in Minnesota

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I've been way out of town! We recently went to visit my family in MN. We had such an amazing time - I just have to tell you all about it.

First of all, Grandma came out to WA to help me fly home with the kids. I left about a week before Jeff was able to come. In those first few days we got adjusted to the new hours and the new routine of doing a whole lot of nothing! It was soooo nice!

Grandma went out and got a second swing so they wouldn't have to take turns. (just teasin G'ma!)

My neices were happy to help them on those swings.

The second day there I decided to walk my kids to the neighborhood park. On the way I did something to my lower leg and ended up having to hop around for a couple days. Thankfully, it healed up within a few days so I could participate in the many upcoming activities.

I should hurry up and say that we didn't bring our camera on this trip. The photos we have are from my Dad's camera.

My sister and I chatting and enjoying the cool weather - felt like home to me!

The kids had a pool set up for them with some really, really cold water. That never stops Kaylee though!

Breakfast on the deck

Here we're setting up for our fancy shmancy tea party with real tea cups and finger samiches.

We went to the local parade on the 4th of July. Thankfully it was overcast and even a little rainy. Us Northwesters don't handle the heat too well ya know!

Jeff arrived the next morning. It was so fun to see the kids' reaction when they realized he was there. They really missed each other.

On Monday we took the neices and Kaylee to the Mall of America where we visited the American Girl doll store and went on some rides. Jeff and I got to go on a roller coaster together and it was a great little mini-date. If you've been there before it's the one that goes straight up and then straight down and around and round. It was so fun to just let go...to laugh and scream with absolute abandon!

The next day we met up with my aunt and cousins at the zoo. It was great to see them, but such a hot day for running around outside! Our kids got real cranky in the afternoon so we took off early for a nap. Helps to live so close to the zoo! We went again the next day to see all we didn't get to see the day before. (also helps to have membership passes!)

Soon after this we went up to Duluth for a few nights. We stayed at a really fun water park resort. They had a nice little splash pool for the little kids with slides and spouts all over. Kaylee still talks about the big bucket that goes "ding-ding-ding-ding- SPLASH!" There was also a lazy river and two four-storey water slides! Ah, it was so much fun. The family also got a day trip up to Goosebury Falls and Split Rock lighthouse, but I stayed home with the napping kids. I just love the north shore in MN. It had been years since I'd been up there and it brought back a lot of memories. Now we have more special memories. I hope we go back again someday!