Free Range on Fairview

This is Dylan's interpretation of how a cool band should sound... hopefully it doesn't take too long to load :) He hopes that it rocks your mind off. We have been working on music this week and tempo so I think he was trying to show a slower and a faster tempo. He loves all sorts of music and can't wait to learn how to really play instruments.

Well Dylan is over at the neighbor's house for the first time alone today. I mean he is playing with the little neighbor boy but I'm not over there... It is a weird feeling. First he was playing in the backyard with me while I was picking some tomatoes and green beans then the little boy, Ricky, came out to play in his backyard. Within a minute Dylan was asking to go over there to play "guns and cops" with him. I could hear them playing and secretly watch them which was pretty amusing but as it starts to get colder out they asked to go inside. I know he is growing up and making friends is really important I just feel like I don't know how to let him do it alone. Everything will work out fine I know, he will be home at 6 I told him which is in 25 minutes. It makes blanching and freezing tomatoes and green beans a whole lot easier without him around but boy it gives me heartburn. ~As a side note, he made it home safe and healthy and said that "I can come back a...

For the final day of the Farm theme lesson Dylan got to *almost* first hand milk a cow. I filled a latex glove with milk and poked two holes in the tips of the fingers and just like a cow's utter, Dylan got to see how to squeeze the milk out. It was pretty silly but he got a great kick out of it. He definitely loves trying to be a cowboy/farmer.

Today Dylan was playing with an alphabet talking game thing and I was vacuuming the rug in the dining room real quick when he sprang up and bolted to his room. As soon as the vacuum went off he came out and said "I need quiet to focus." and went back to work. He got another letter matched to the sound and congratulated himself, "Good job Dylan." Then as I write this he is playing the music version and after a song finished he proclaimed, "That song was so good it makes me want to cry." Who is this boy and what has he done with my child? We also played with some silly glasses today as well. One pair was actually Daddy's when he was in junior high.

This one I made up when I wanted to feed a crowd with something yummy and good for you too. Because I control the amounts, I usually add less chicken and more veggies depending on how much I have. Chicken Chili 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast cut into 1" chunks (I usually use less!) 1 large onion, chopped 1 carrot, chopped 1 rib celery, chopped 1 green bell pepper, chopped 1 cup chicken stock 1 can diced tomatoes with juice 1 can white beans, drained 1 can other beans (black, kidney etc.), drained & rinsed 1 small can of sliced olives, drained 1 can corn, drained 1 tsp. chili powder 1 tbs. cumin (you can substitute taco seasoning if you don't have the seasonings. Optional Garnish : Shredded cheese, sour cream, green onions, cilantro or limes. Instructions: Combine chicken, onion, carrot, celery and bell pepper in a large pot. Saute with olive oil until the chicken is cooked and the veggies are tender. Stir in chicken stock and work up the brown bits on the bottom of...

Well it's Thursday, which means it's almost Friday, which means the weekend is almost here! Today Shane made breakfast for us (Yummy thanks honey!) and then we had a late start on the day. After playing spies with Dylan we started the day off with a little kid yoga video rented from the library. I don't so much care if he can do it or not but the fact that he kept saying "I give up!" after each one. Luckily he got through the whole half hour and said, "wow, that was cool." Then onto bath time. He washed, I read to him, killed two birds with one stone. His newest favorite thing is to play computer games. After setting the oven timer for 20 minutes, he gets to go to http://pbskids.org/ and play some fun games. His new favorite show is Dinosaur Train so naturally that is also his favorite game to play on the computer. I am amazed at how quickly he can pick up even the technology. Later today we will be tackling the garden as it is starting to look quite ov...

Well we took our first field trip today to Olmstead Place State Park in Ellensburg, WA. It is a restored farm from the 1800s and was pretty cool. They give guided tours on Saturdays and Sundays and I think you probably get to see a little more but we had fun just wandering around at our own pace. Dylan got to touch old tractors and plows. He couldn't believe that John Deere has been around that long. We got to see an old cabin that was originally used as a fort and an old well pump. There was also a pig that they found on the grounds a few months ago and no one has claimed so they've adopted her. Dylan and I also found some old wheat that we saved to use for a farmer art project. Dylan had a blast and couldn't believe that there are farms "in our life" meaning in reality. We also saw a giant herd of sheep and some cows on the way out too. At story time at the library the teacher even read books about the farm and we picked up some more to read at home. Boy oh boy ...

I never thought the day would come when I hear Dylan say "It's on the tip of my tongue," "That's hilarious," and "My eyes are tired, I should take a nap." All in the same day. My little boy is sure growing into his preschool mind. Sad to see him grow up, but at least I know he is going to be a good little man. He was astounded today to find out that the Bible is actually God's book. He says he wants to write a book of his own someday. I can't wait!

Much to our horror and amazement, everything they say about the mating behavior of a praying mantis is true. We watched Lime-Spikey eat half of her mate while they were in the act. She is bright green and the males are sort of a sandy brown. We found another male on our front deck (I know crazy right?) and I put him into the flower planter as well just to see what happened. Well the newest crazy mantis tries to get in on the action while she's umm... "still involved" with the half eaten one. Poor Dylan tried to understand what was going on but luckily it was all over his head.

Well today was "officially" Dylan's first day of preschool home with me and so far it's gone pretty well. Right now he is resting as he says, why would a preschooler want to take a nap? We started the school year off with a farm theme. Ellensburg is a big agricultural town so it just fits. We did math games with feathers, drew lines from the farmer to the tractor, read farm animal books, had popcorn for a snack, colored a picture of his favorite activity over the summer and went on a bike ride all over the neighborhood. After nap we'll probably do some musical things and maybe watch a movie later. We also realized that the praying mantis that we found last week is still in the planter by our front door, so now we have a new little pet. Dylan named him Lime-Spikey, but his real name is Spike he says. Hopefully he's finding some bugs to eat in there! Tomorrow we will take a field trip to the U-pick corn patch down the road. More excitement to come.

When I go on vacation I think of taking a break from my job of household maintenance and cooking. Maybe read a book, lounge at the pool, or try something new. When Shane is on vacation he gets excited about changing spark plugs and watching hunting shows. Just goes to prove that two people can be so opposite yet make this little thing called marriage work. We are getting revved up for the Ellensburg Fair and Rodeo this weekend with some friends and family coming over. Pictures to soon follow.

Well since the grocery budget is a sore subject in this family I am trying to figure out how to make cheap cheap meals while not depriving us of vegetables. Last night I made what I call a Chili Casserole and surprisingly everyone gobbled it up. I guess you could also call it dinner in a can, but I don't feel too bad about it. I came up with this on my own so feel free to change it to suit your family's tastes. Here is the breakdown of ingredients and cost: Chili Casserole by Shannon 2 cans of Pork and Beans (.58 each) 1 can Diced Tomatoes (.57) 1 ear of corn (.25) 1 package of Crescent Rolls (1.50) 1/2 tsp. Chili Powder 1/2 tsp. of ground Cumin 1/4 tsp. Garlic Salt 1/4 tsp. Pepper Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large casserole dish empty 2 cans of Pork and Beans, draining the juices from one can. Drain half the liquid from the tomatoes and add to the dish. Add in chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Add corn (I used one ear of corn I had precooked, chopped and previously f...