Radio Silence... Preparing the nest for Luca

It's been 9 months of radio silence, and finally tonight, I take the time to write to you again. I was silent for so long, and so much happened during that time, but I have a very good excuse ... certainly wont be this much time between now and my next post! A photo post to immortalize the memories of life on the homestead during my pregnancy with Luca Talin.

Taken during the last week of my pregnancy. Luca wasn't in any hurry to come out...

We had planned a home birth, just like with Léo, but Luca, 15 days late, and weighing almost 10lb, didn't want it that way


Léo meeting his little brother, finally, after 10 long months of waiting for him, and singing to him. Do you think he was happy?! ;)

The three boys taking a well deserved nap after some real hard work by mommy!

Although preparing for the arrival of a new baby can require a lot of time and focus, it also is a potential catalyst for getting things done that might otherwise get pushed back a few years if they don't get done before the arrival. And that is just what happened. The VenRosen Homestead has been ever changing since day one, morphing slowly into our dream of a permaculture paradise on Earth, but this year the leap brought us ever closer to the future, which no longer seems so far away...

During the very hard...

long...

and cold winter of 2013...

we transformed the attic...

Using mostly all eco materials... from cellulose insulation to re-purposed windows, trees, barn boards and REAL linoleum (also known as Marmoleum or Forbo) we created what might one day be the master suite, or a guest house, we are not sure yet :)

Alex did most of the work himself, but he did get some help from Canada ;)

we transformed it into a loft for our resident farmer...

Overlooking the farm and orchard

Don't get me wrong, we love winter, and there is nothing we love more about winter than a good day of cross country skiing and the relaxing sauna session that comes after! And so Alex made it happen!

First the skiing! Then the sauna building ;)

Starting with our 1st sauna inside

Alex transformed what used to be the "butler's pantry" into a skier's paradise, it's a small version of what we'll one day have outside

When spring arrived, so did our farmer and the result was total transformation and increased production of the land

Meet Jon ;) official resident farmer of the VenRosen homestead and holder of all farming knowledge!

Jon has more than quadrupled the size of our productive land in one season

And created a garden that exudes zen like properties whenever you enter it

Alex and Jon are not the only ones who are working hard!

Leo already knows how to hold his own on the farm ;)

And he manages to find time to do yoga in the grass, did I mention he's 2 yrs old now :)

We also now have the help of Adam and Tasha

They are WWOOFing with us for the summer


Helping us with the gardens, the harvest, and the kids

Don't worry, Jon only follows the best organic practices, and so his backpack sprayer is full of good ol' organic fertilizer, nothing but the best for our food! The result: the biggest leaf of Rhubarb I've ever seen!

We have also finally installed the gazebo that we found last year, and now have our kiwi vines growing on the southern face

And a year in the life of the VenRosen family wouldn't be complete without myriads of lovely guests ;)

On my due date we had the yearly visit of our good friends the Maine Earth Walkers, as they made their annual pilgrimage North to the state capital in solidarity for the protection of the Earth.

Leo loved their tent!

Then came the very special visit of Sabrina, Antonella and Saja, dear friends from Montreal, who arrived at the same time as Teo and Lili, motorcycle world travelers who found us on couchsurfer!

We had such a great time :) Thank you every one!