May & June

So, it's been a while.  Farming life and the lack of internet at home have both gotten in the way of blogging, so there is a lot to catch up on...

May:

Brad spent the month of May harvesting blueberries.  We all love that time of year because our refrigerator is always full of fresh blueberries, and we eat them by the handfuls.  I am so happy to not have to pay for that habit because we would be broke!  

I took a couple of pictures while walking through the blueberry field one day:

Sanders and Gibson both have summer birthdays, so they got to celebrate their birthdays at the end of the school year.   I took the easy way out and had Publix make un-iced cupcakes, so all I had to do was put on some icing.  Our counter looked like a cupcake factory for a while!

I got a big surprise for Mother's Day this year -- my own iPad!  I think I said this before, but I got one for Brad for Christmas the year before last, and I really thought that I would probably be the one to use it more than he would (you know, one of those gifts you give someone that's really for yourself?!?!), but Brad loves the iPad and uses it constantly.  And if he isn't using it, then the kids are.  So I have been left out in the dust as far as the iPad is concerned...until now.

The girls had their dance recital Mother's Day weekend.  I didn't get any good pictures during the actual recital, but I got a couple before we left the house.  They had the cutest costumes ever this time.  The only problem with them is they dropped pink sequins all over the house every time the girls put them on.

What I don't love about May is that I always end up feeling like my head is spinning.  The kids are still in school and have a million end-of-the-year activities going on, Brad is never home, my work/commute schedule kicks into high gear, and life just seems to get out of control.  I am definitely a mommy who prays for the end of the school year,  if just to let some of the craziness die down.  

Once school does get out, I am thankful to get down to the coast and just take a deep breath.

This summer we moved into the same cottage that we stayed in last packing season.  It belongs to my great-aunt and -uncle, and it is in between my parents' house and another aunt and uncle.  We miss Brad while he is home busy with his harvest season, but it is so nice not to have to drive an hour-and-a-half to work every day, especially when those work days get really long.

Our family place on the coast is a little slice of heaven on earth...  

There is an old tabby wall in between the cottage and Aunt Sharon and Uncle Mac's house:  

Our home for the summer:
   

The kids love playing in the marsh in front of the house.  There are plenty of fiddler crabs for them to catch, or they can just get muddy!   Sanders, my little scientist, especially loves it.      

The view is not too shabby from any direction:

June:

And, of course, the reason that we are there in the first place, the tomato packing season... We started early this year, on my birthday, May 31.  It was my first ever packing house birthday, and I have to say I would rather not have a packing house birthday.  But, everyone at the packing house made me feel extra special -- there was a pile of gifts waiting for me when I got to work, and our cook made my favorite caramel cake.  So, I guess if I had to spend my entire birthday and most of the night at work, then my family definitely made it the best day possible.

This year held a lot of firsts for us as far as packing season.  It was our first year with our new sales team, our first year in our new office, our first year using two new types of software, and our first year changing the way we do a couple of things around the packing house.  For the most part, all of the changes were good.  There have definitely been some bumps and hiccups along the road, but I think (hope) that most of us would agree that (most of) the changes have been for the better.

However, at this point everyone is just pretty darn tired.  After working such long hours (until midnight or later a lot of nights), it is hard to think positively sometimes.  Right now we mostly live off of our caffeine of choice -- iced coffee and Coke Zero for me (and don't forget the cake!) -- and just try to make it from day to day without killing a family member.  Tempers can kind of run short.

But the last tomato rolled across the belt today, so we will be catching up on sleep soon enough.  I always think that is a bittersweet moment...

My children have been living the life as Brad and I have been slaving away.  Our babysitter, Mary Beth, keeps them very well entertained.  She helped them set up a lemonade stand one day, where they made $45!!  (If you don't count the $20 I spent on the lemonade...)

They have gone swimming at the pool and at the beach.  They go to the library once a week and check out plenty of books and Andy Griffith movies.  They have gone to the theater to see Brave.  They come to see me at the packing house every day for lunch and dinner, and it is a nice little break for me to spend some family time with my babies -- and it is a way for me to actually get to see the kids when they are awake.

This past week Mary Beth took the kids to art camp.  They made some really cute things, like Tyler's Coosaw (or "Cossaw") Farms banner, and they also did some artwork that really impressed me.  The girls really enjoyed art camp, but I am pretty sure that Gibson just got dragged along.

So that, in a nutshell, is our May & June.  I make no promises about my blogging future, but I hope to be around more.  At least more than once every two months...Happy Summer!