The Green Family Story: Chapter 5

 Generation 1: Living off the Land

You've always dreamed of running your own farm...living in the country, enjoying the fresh air, avoiding the rat race.
Goals:
1. Complete Freelance Botanist and Angling Ace (founder), and Big Happy Family (spouse) 
2. Reach the top of the Gardening career
3. Max the gardening, fishing, and flower arranging skills (founder) and the handiness and parenting skill (spouse)
4. Get married...but no woohoo before marriage P
5. Have at least three children, and at least one boy and one girl P
6. Grow a garden with all types of plants (except the Outdoor Adventure plants)

7. Catch every type of fish (except the Sulani fish)
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Life with a new baby turned out not to be too bad, despite limited funds. After all, we had a warm, dry and safe house, and with Minkz staying home to care for our daughter, I could go back to work pretty quickly. 



I would have loved to stay home with Clover too, but we couldn't really afford it, and besides - my work was actually really interesting, and getting more interesting all the time now that I'd been promoted past the entry-level stages. I did the flower arrangements for the wedding of a local celebrity not long after Clover's birth, and it went so well my work even ended up in the papers.  It's hard having a young baby and a job, and I couldn't do it without Minkz, but I do feel fulfilled and challenged by having both a career and a family.



That's not to say that Minkz isn't incredibly busy too. The farm is absolutely thriving, and it's also a lot of work, especially in spring. We grow all of the flowers for my own arrangements, as well as a lot of food - both for ourselves and to sell.



By the time Minkz comes in in the evening, he's often exhausted and covered in dirt - but happy. Christian comes over most days to help care for Clover, bringing Brayden with her of course.



Evenings are just for the two of us, though (in between feeding and playing with Clover, of course). We always make sure to eat dinner together and catch up on our days.



One thing the profits from the farm allowed us to do was purchase and set up some stations for Minkz to do some woodworking, and for me to do my flower arrangements. It's another income stream, and a way for Minkz to refine his skills. He's also slowly making planter boxes to transfer all our plants into, which helps protect them from rabbits and other pests.



Overall, it's almost exactly the idyllic family life I pictured way back when I first bought the land, and dreamed of a cute farmhouse, children, a caring husband, and family and friends around us always. We still don't have much money and we live a simple life mostly, but I am more than content.



Everyone says that your babies will grow up faster than you can blink, and sure enough it feels like no time at all that Clover has gone from a tiny newborn to a cheerful, independent little girl, running around the place and getting under our feet. She just adores her gran, who still comes over most days to help Minkz care for her.



Minkz is always the one to read her a story before bed, though. It's his favourite time of the day.



You won't be surprised - Minkz certainly wasn't when I told him - to hear that I fell pregnant again pretty quickly. We want lots of kids, so we were both pretty thrilled.



We were also working hard on the house as my job and the profits from the farm allowed. This beautiful blue stove was a special purchase - the first time I've ever been able to afford one. 



Minkz learned to cook a bit as a teenager, living with his Mum, and in fact she still teaches him new recipes from time to time, but I have a lot of practice to do!



During one of Christian's regular visits I let her know that I was pregnant again, and she would soon have a second grandchild.



Naturally she was delighted. After raising Minkz alone, as a single mother, and with him her only child until she adopted Brayden, I think she's beyond thrilled to see him surrounded by a big, loving family of his own.



Despite appearances, I do manage to get off the farm now and then, for reasons other than just to go to work. Morgan still often invites me, or me and Minkz, around to visit. Her parents died within a few days of each other recently, so her and her sister Siobhan inherited the house.



It's also a joy to be able to share the news of my second pregnancy with her. Morgan has started dating a nice man called Ronny recently, and while they don't seem to be in a rush, maybe she'll settle down and start a family herself in the not-too-distant future. 



After all, she loves my daughter Clover, and they get along wonderfully.



My pregnancy with Clover had been a breeze, but the second one was a little more challenging. I had some morning sickness and often felt nauseous.



Minkz takes the pressure off me when I'm not feeling well by keeping Clover entertained. She's not too difficult to please - she dotes on her Dad. They share the same bright green eyes.



He also uncomplainingly takes on a lot of the less glamorous jobs. Potty training isn't very exciting but it must be done! Thankfully Clover is very cooperative and soon has the potty mastered. 



Nothing makes me feel better more than some time out in the garden, even if my back is already sore from carrying baby! Minkz' planter boxes are helping our produce to thrive even more than it was already.



Minkz and I also enjoy spending time together working on our crafts. I use my own flowers to practice arrangements, and often manage to sell them to the same restaurants that take our fruit and veges, as centre pieces for the tables.



I haven't forgotten my goal to collect as many different kinds of fish as I can, either. There's not a lot of time for fishing between work and the farm, and looking after Clover, but I manage to sneak down to the local docks from time to time.



It's always nice to finish an afternoon's fishing with a hot bowl of seafood chowder, made and sold right on the dock with that day's catch.



A few months later, Morgan is over and we're enjoying BLTs and chatting one thundery afternoon. The house is still coming along bit by bit; Minkz and I renovate as we can, particularly after a good harvest, and have added paneling and wallpaper in much of the house. It's starting to feel very cosy and homey, the comfortable farm cottage I always wanted.



I guess I've been in a nesting mood, and for good reason - the first pangs of labour are unmistakeable. Minkz and I are going to be welcoming our second child along soon! Minkz rushes around in a panic for a while, but Morgan stays calm - I don't think I've ever mentioned it, but she's a trained midwife and works at the local hospital. I wanted a home birth for this baby but Minkz was still nervous about it; having Morgan at home to help was our compromise.



She talked me calmly through the contractions, which I mostly endured in a warm bath.



Then, she helped with the final delivery right there in our lounge.



Minkz and I were delighted to welcome our second daughter to the world, Fern Green! It was a much more relaxing experience than the hospital, and I decide then and there that any future babies I have will also be home births.



Morgan stayed for a couple of days, making sure all was well with Fern (we took her to see the doctors after we'd all slept and refreshed ourselves - she was healthy and happy) and that Minkz and I were settled into a routine.



Getting back into the swing of things with a new baby in the house was no trouble at all though. Clover was so excited to have a baby sister, and never showed any jealousy or sadness about her sibling arriving to share her parent's attention.



And Fern was another easy baby, for the most part.



Which was lucky, because there was always plenty of work to stay busy on the farm. We'd started raising our own bees, which helped keep our garden healthy and also gave us honey to sell and eat.



Minkz doted on Fern as much as he did on Clover, of course. I knew right when we first met he would make a great Dad one day, and he really has. He spends hours with our girls, cooing over and snuggling with Fern, and teaching Clover her alphabet and reading her stories.



Despite how busy life has become, Minkz and I still like to have plenty of private time together, too!



Although admittedly, the kids really do keep us busy. Time flies by, and soon Fern is out of her crib and into the big girl's room with Clover.



Fern inherited her Dad's lovely red hair, although in most ways she's very like Clover. They both have bright green eyes, and they're both very independent and confident girls.



Fern's a bit more of a tomboy than Clover though, who loves pink and princesses and all things girly.



Fern prefers to be outdoors as much as possible, playing in the mud after it rains or picking flowers from the garden. She spends most days out on the farm with Minkz, while Clover tends to snuggle with grandma Christian inside reading books, or playing with toys.



Though we do manage to convince her to come inside for potty training, at least!



As the girls get older, Minkz and I have more time for ourselves, which we really appreciate. Almost every evening we're snuggled up in the bedroom together not long after sunset, with plenty of time to...enjoy each other's company, shall we say.



I also continue to grow my flower arranging skills, and progress at work around that skill. Over the years I manage to go from simply planting and tending the flowers, to creating simple works of art from them for weddings, funerals, offices, parties, gifts, and more.



It seems like just yesterday that Clover was a tiny toddler, learning how to walk and talk. But as life rolls on with her and Fern, and Minkz and I, the years pass and just like that, we have a little girl ready for her first day at school.



Our strong-willed Clover loves school the moment she sets foot in the classroom. She's so clever, picking up her maths and reading homework right away. She also decides she's a vegetarian - and who are we to question her convictions? Luckily Minkz is a good cook by now!



Clover also turns out to be quite a social butterfly. She often comes down to the docks with me when I go fishing, and meets and gets into conversations with all sorts of characters. I keep a close eye on her, but people in this town and friendly and kind.



As she gets older we let her go to the docks on her own to buy fresh fish if we've run out. She's soon fast friends with all the vendors.



She also stays good friends with her little sister. Fern looks up to Clover a lot, and they seem to have their own secret sister language. I never had any siblings, so it's a delight to me to see my girls loving each other's company.



Clover also soon makes friends with Brayden, Christian's adopted son, on one of our regular visits to see her gran. Minkz and I take the girl's around at least once a week to see her. Brayden is getting so big too, and has started school just like Clover.



On one such visit, Christian is again thrilled to discover I'm pregnant for the third time.



We enjoy veggie burgers together (although Clover and Brayden wolfed theirs down at super speed so they could get back to playing) as we chat about our growing family.



Just like with the last two, I spend most of my pregnancy out in the garden, where the fresh air and calmness soothes my nausea and makes me forget about the aches and pains that come with growing a brand new human.



And also like last time, once the time comes and my labour starts, I stay at home. This time it's just me and Minkz, but I feel relaxed, confident, and in control during the birth. After hours of Minkz giving me massages and bringing me cups of tea, and more relaxing in the bath, everything goes perfectly smoothly.



We are beyond excited to welcome our third child and first son into the world! Welcome baby Basil, who like his sisters, is named after things we love from the natural world. It feels like maybe my family could be complete...though who knows, maybe one more baby would be nice!