July has been over for seven days now and I really am still trying to figure out where it went. This summer has seemed so crazy for us. I have been busy with wheat claims all summer. We were very fortunate to have wonderful wheat in our area. However, farmers west of us had average to below average yields due to drought stress and freeze damage from the spring. I have been spending a lot of time in Phillipsburg and Osborne this year which leads to some very long days for me. Dan is usually pretty good to pick up the slack while I'm gone, and we have awesome help from Aunt Laura and cousin Heather.
We finished wheat harvested July 5. Here are some pictures from 2013 harvest.
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| We got a Subaru Outback in March. I love it. |
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| With Grandpa Ernie |
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| with Uncle John |
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| Proud to be a Hiesterman! :-) |
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| Happy 4th of July. Lorena spent her day in the wheat field with her family. |
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| Playing on the bale |
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| My fave |
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| Having fun with Daddy |
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| Moving to our last field |
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| with Cousin Jordan |
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| Charity's first wheat harvest |
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| Wonderful wheat! So blessed with a bountiful crop. |
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| Red combine hard at work |
We were in Kansas the first two weekends of July but had parties and a lake trip. We love going to the lake and got in one full day of boating and two nights of camping. Lorena even stayed with us one night in our camper. She's a trooper...we basically take her around wherever we go and she always seems to have a good time! We traveled to Illinois July 18-21 for a friend's wedding. Jennifer Wolf (better known as Wolfie) and Jaysen Delpiere were married July 20. It was a wonderful day for them and we all had a great time helping them celebrate.
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| Also got to see our cousins and ride the Gator |
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| Mom and Dad watched Lorena so we could stay out later at the wedding. |
Lorena has been a busy bee in July. She figured out how to crawl and pull up on furniture in July. Wow my floor is dusty. Oh well, we live on a farm and there's lots of dust. Please refer back to my post about dirt from several months ago.
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| Hanging out before I head off to work |
Lorena also outgrew her size 12 month clothes in July (she pretty much stayed in this size for about a month and a half). She is still on formula and has been eating so much recently. She loves sweet potatoes, meat, applesauce, peaches, and peas. I even made some homemade chicken baby food from some chicken breasts. She really seems to like that. We recently introduced some table foods like mashed potatoes, cut up bananas, pork ribs (thanks Uncle Kevin!), and ice cream in very small quantities. She also loves Gerber puffers! She is now wearing mostly 18 month clothes. Not sure how that happened either but she must have had a major growth spurt. Lorena now loves to stand up and can balance herself against a toy or crib. I can see her Dad's ornery streak in her already.
Lorena is doing great. We go back for a 1 year NICU checkup in September. I am so anxious for all the doctors and nurses to see her progress. She amazes us everyday. As always, we are very proud to be her parents. ~ Lydia
