The Farm Diaries May 2022

It’s been almost a year since I’ve done one of these posts. I know a lot of you are here for recipes only and if that’s the case, just skip these posts. The truth is, I’m missing sharing some of these little moments of farm/family life on here. I started this blog over a decade ago and most of the posts were in fact personal essays of farm life. And as I grew and evolved I really only wanted to focus on recipes and keep the personal stories to a minimum. However, I love looking back at these “diary” posts to reflect and remember the different stages and often totally chaotic times of our life. So I’m going to try and start doing these more often again. Sharing not only what’s going on here at the farm, but also things that are striking my interest or sharing information that I find valuable from other’s. One of the big topics that’s been occupying my time and evening reading is childhood nutrition. I’ve found so many helpful resources and information that I’ll be sharing throughout these posts as that is something that is really relevant to me right now.

But before I jump into all of that let me back up a bit and share some exciting personal news. Taylor, Pepper and I will be welcoming a new member to our family in early July. Baby sister will be joining us this summer and we are so excited to turn this family of three into a family of four!!

As far as the farm is going we are gearing up for another season of serving a wide range of families weekly boxes of fresh produce and we’ll be attending the Hood River Farmers Market every Saturday starting THIS Saturday (May 7th) through Thanksgiving. I can’t believe another season is here. We have a rockstar field crew helping us out as I’ll be missing most of the season thanks to baby girl coming in two short months. I’ve been out there working a bit this spring and let me just say, farming while 7 months pregnant is no easy task. I was lucky enough to miss farming in the heart of the season while pregnant with Pepper (she is a March birthday) so between this growing belly, lower energy and then having a newborn for most of the farm season it was critical that we hired on a full-time crew. I still can’t believe that for 8 straight years Taylor and I farmed this property just the two of us!! I can’t imagine going back!

Aside from the growing field crew, it’s also been fun getting Pepper out into the fields with us and having her learn the ropes, get dirty and just learn where all of her food is coming from. It’s been the absolute joy of my life watching her grow up out here.

Some of you other mom’s out there will probably relate to this, but as we get closer and closer to welcoming the newest member of the family I find this time with Pepper to be absolutely bittersweet. I cannot believe how much I love this little human and how special our bond is. Knowing that in a few short months we will totally rock her world with a new family member is both thrilling and totally heartbreaking at the same time. I’m afraid I’ll lose her a bit. As my attention will not be solely on her I fear she’ll start to reject me a bit and find her comfort and safety from others. I know this is common and that I’m not alone, but it’s still hard.

Speaking of comfort and safety, I’m still nursing my 25 month old, and while I didn’t originally plan to go this long, it’s been one of the greatest joys of my life. I’m taking her lead and if she continues to want to nurse I’m here for it. I’ve spoken with my midwives and other moms about nursing a toddler and newborn and yes, as wild as I thought it sounded, I guess it’s quite common with this particular age gap (just over 2 years apart) and we will figure out our routine.

As the spring continues to bring us all the crazy weather I’m so grateful for my little family, freshly tilled dirt, lot’s of new plants and animals, and this fleeting time with my two favorite humans (and of course our dog Stoney and cat Wayne). I’m excited for this next chapter and look forward to sharing more of our adventures out here in the dirt, in our kitchen and everything in between.

I hope wherever this post finds you all that you’re happy, healthy and feeling hopeful for a bountiful spring and summer ahead. xoxo