Benjamin's Alphabet ~ By Valerie

Here is a video of Benjamin saying his alphabet.

Listen closely when he says "W".  Enjoy!

I couldn't believe how clear he said "W"!  Pretty cute, huh? ☺

It's Show Time! ~ By Caroline

Victoria and I were just at a goat show recently! We usually go to a few shows a year to help other people wash, fit, and show their goats. But this time we brought our own! The biggest Boer goat breeders (Some of them win championships at National shows) were there so we didn't win anything special, but we still had a lot of fun!

Ruby got 5 place out of 14 goats in the 3-6 month class. She is the favorite of the farm and is very friendly and spoiled!

Diamonds got 7th out of 14 in the 3-6 month class. She is a twin sister of Ruby and is also very sweet! :) Spotted Boer goats are pretty rare and sought after, so we are very blessed to have 2 spotted does in our small herd!

Star was only 2 weeks into the 6-9 month class so didn't place so well. It seems like the judges don't like to place smaller goats in front of bigger goats. :)

 We also just bought a new doe yesterday! She is a yearling and is very pretty! Usually when we buy new goats they are not very friendly because they are usually from bigger herds and haven't had too much handling, but she was actually pretty sweet and is very gentle!

The total tally of goats in our herd is 6 does and soon-to-be 1 buck!

Country Boy Video Gaming ~ By Kyle

Hi! I would like to inform you of a great way to entertain yourself and your kids!

Now, if you know our family you know we have a strong distaste for video games and such (we believe that video games are a great way to numb your brain into a mush, exercise only your thumbs, and waste countless hours of time if you were wondering). So you are probably thinking "what on earth!" right now. But before you jump to any conclusions, let me explain,

because this is what one of my favorite video game consoles looks like...

That's right! The all-powerful weed killing spray! You see, in the summer months here in Washington weeds grow like this is their paradise on earth, so we are hard pressed to stay on top of them. That is where my siblings and I come in to this grand war that has been fought almost since the beginning of time (read Gen. 3:17-18). There is hardly a day when one of use hasn't sprayed, pulled, or otherwise cut-off and destroyed an army of weeds recently.

This is also a much more healthy way to entertain yourself. For example;

instead of your kids having a pale pallor from playing numerous hours of pointless games, they will have a ruddy complexion (maybe also a sunburned one for those who burn easy) from their time spent "gaming" outdoors. Instead of your kids having very strong thumbs, they will have very strong hands! Instead of your kids gushing about how they beat level 113 today they will be able to proudly say "I sprayed the whole drive-way today!" Instead of your kids triumphantly shouting that they just obliterated this-or-that on the TV screen they will exclaim, "that weed will be so dead in several days!" And finally instead of pleading to use your hard-earned money on the newest and greatest time waster your kids will ask you instead to please get some more weed killer the next time you are in town!

So the next time your kid emerges from the living room looking like a zombie hand him a hoe and a pack of weed killer and pat him on the back as you say, "Little Billy, the back forty needs to be weeded. Get at it!" Your kid will thank you afterwards (it may take several days for his back to not be so sore so be patient).



Horses Smimming in Riffe Lake! ~ By Victoria

Caroline and I have certainly found out what to do on these hot summer days! There's nothin' like going swimming on a horse's back!  It is a lot of fun and I think the horses enjoy it too. :o)  Our goal is to eventually swim from one side to the other where we used to fish for catfish by the spill-way.

-

                                     Does this remind you of True Grit? Come on Blackie! :o)

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie . . fresh from the garden!

Since we have an abundance of rhubarb and a few yummy strawberries (in the garden), I (Valerie) decided to make a pie with them.  (Timmy kept telling me how much he just LOVES strawberry rhubarb pie . . . hint, hint! ☺)  So I took some pictures along the way of the pie in the making. 

Rhubarb certainly is an interesting fruit.  As I was cutting it up it really reminded me of celery!  (I am not a big fan of celery, so that grossed me out a little!)  But, as long as you add enough sugar, rhubarb tastes a lot like a granny smith apple! :)

The finished product!

Now it's time to watch Timmy enjoy his favorite pie!  (And a couple other cute boys enjoy it too!)

Sharing time is a happy time! . . . .In this case, Timmy wasn't too excited! :)

A Lesson in God's Wonderful Plan of Nature - by Kyle

The prey chomping innocently on a slice of potato...

The predator with the wide eyes...

A small crowd taking a perverse delight in the killing. . .

Just look at his face! Timmy is enjoying this way too much....

Wham!

And that is the Bowes' way of entertaining themselves! What else could we possibly need?

God's creation is awesome!

Growth in the Garden!

Since our master gardener Lydia, started her new life with Richie (so exciting! :), our garden was looking bare for a while.  With the business of life the last several months, we didn't think much about the garden until right before Lydia's wedding.  Caroline and I (Valerie) decided we would give it a go and plant some things . . . . not really having any idea how to garden. ☻  So here are some before and now pictures of the garden's growth in the past couple weeks!

                                                 Before-Zucchini and Pumpkins                           

 

       Now

Before-Potatoes

 Now

 Before-Tomatoes

Now

 The first tomatoes!

Before- Cherry Tomatoes

 Now

Before- Corn

 Now

 Before- Green Beans

 Now

Carrots- Now 

Dill- Now

Verse for the Day

“But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers LOVED BY THE LORD, because from the  beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.  He called you to this through our gospel,  that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.  So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.  May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father , who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.”  2 Thess. 2:13-16

Incredible lightning storm!!

View from our balcony last night.

It was pretty amazing!