As we rejoice in the birth of our Savior, we reflect also on a year marked by several births in our family. We began in January welcoming Ashtyn Teagan on the 28th. If you haven’t seen her birth announcement on YouTube, you should definitely check it out. (Go to www.youtube.com and search for “Ashtyn Birth Announcement.”) Ryleigh was very excited to become a big sister; so excited that January 28th also marked the day she became potty-trained. “Babies wear diapers; big sisters wear panties,” she kept insisting. A very exciting day for Mommy and Daddy, indeed!
As the early spring months progressed, Butter Valley Harvest, Inc. was born into our family as Ryan and his dad established the partnership that would become our family’s hydroponic greenhouse produce business. This meant a quick progression of events that resulted in our townhouse in Burke being placed on the market and sold in a matter of days in early June. The rapid succession of events while we were both working part-time and juggling two little girls led to the decision to not pursue immediate home ownership in PA, and found us looking for a rental.
We found a converted carriage house in a small town about 10 minutes from the Ehst Homestead Farm. A converted carriage house has plenty of character, some of which has been a blessing (a designated office and designated playroom), and some of which has presented some challenges (a single step between every room on the main level), at least to small children.
July was a busy month – we moved the last weekend of June, closed on our townhouse in VA on July 1st, spent a week at the Delaware beach with the Bechtel family, and spent a few days the end of July in New Hampshire with the extended Derstine family for the bi-annual reunion. Ryleigh loved the beach this year and NH, but not the long drives. If you have ever spent all day in the car with a 3-year-old, you understand. The week at the beach is a treasured annual event for Amanda, her parents, her sister and brother-in-law, and brother and girlfriend. It is the only time during the year that we are all together for an extended period of time, and we all enjoy being together! We are very blessed by our family!
Ryleigh turned 3 in August and started in the 3-year-old class at Bally Community Preschool in September. She loves going to school two mornings a week, and Mommy enjoys some quiet time with Ashtyn. The preschool is located in the church where Ryan’s mom works, and only minutes from the farm, so it makes for convenient drop-offs and pick-ups. Ryleigh loves having other children to play with and practicing colors, letters, numbers, puzzles, Spanish, music, and other 3-year-old activities. At home, Ryleigh loves to bake and help Mommy clean (how long will this last?!). We enjoy baking bread and muffins together, preparing preschool snacks when it’s our turn, and “crafts.” She was also very excited to take part in her first Christmas concert at school.
Amanda is finding the adjustment going from teaching to being home with two little girls more of a challenge than anticipated, especially when paired with being in a new town and not knowing anyone. We all miss our dear friends back in VA! Amanda has found the moving of her Pampered Chef business an initial challenge but a tremendous blessing as of late. We are hopeful that the Pampered Chef will continue to provide income for our family and provide her with some “adult time.”
Ryan has kept busy with the construction and initial plantings that are Butter Valley Harvest to this point. In early August we held a groundbreaking and dedication ceremony at the farm and then began construction, marking the birth of the 3-bay greenhouse. If you visit our website at www.buttervalleyharvest.com, you can find our blog which gives a narrative and photos of the progress week by week. We planted the first seeds as a family in early November, and by the time we all celebrate Christmas, we will have celebrated the first harvest and hopefully, the first sales of our produce. We invite you to visit our webpage and find out what we’re all about (and watch for our grand opening!).
One of our other pursuits over this past year is that of becoming better stewards of God’s creation. We have always been pretty good about recycling and that sort of thing, but we’ve taken a few additional steps. We’ve mostly given up disposable diapers, but not feeling ready to dive into cloth diapers, we have Ashtyn wearing gDiapers, which we have grown to love. The inserts are compostable and flushable and spend only about 30 - 60 days breaking down rather than hundreds of years like disposable diapers. We heat the greenhouse geothermally, greatly reducing our dependence on propane and our carbon footprint. One of the benefits of hydroponic produce is that it uses only 20% of the water required by field crops. We enjoy taking care of our planet in small ways and the creativity sometimes needed to change our lifestyle.
Despite the many changes in our family, we cling to the one unchanging thing – our eternal security at the side of our risen Jesus. As you can imagine, this year has been a roller coaster of highs and lows. God made Himself very present in our lives as we made the decisions to move to PA, to sell the house, and all that went with establishing the business. We can still expect His miracles in the 21st century, and He is very much real and active in our lives.
A word about our pictures… If you haven’t met Ryleigh’s best friend “Hop” the kangaroo, that’s her.
And that’s Ashtyn showing off her chubby cuteness (and her orange gDiaper) on Amanda’s parents’ living room floor. 
Our family picture was taken in the greenhouse. The dark section in the lower left is the nursery where the lettuce and herbs spend their first couple weeks. The growth medium is then separated and transplanted into small square holes in the white “trays” you see everywhere else around us. So there we are, surrounded by our “babies.” 
We are incredibly grateful to all the family and friends who have supported and prayed for us over this past year. We are so blessed by prayers lifted from all corners of the earth. If you’re in the area, please visit the Ehst Homestead Farm and Butter Valley Harvest to sample some of our fresh produce. We wish you a very merry Christmas and a blessed 2009!
Love,
Ryan, Amanda, Ryleigh, & Ashtyn
Our family picture was taken in the greenhouse. The dark section in the lower left is the nursery where the lettuce and herbs spend their first couple weeks. The growth medium is then separated and transplanted into small square holes in the white “trays” you see everywhere else around us. So there we are, surrounded by our “babies.” We are incredibly grateful to all the family and friends who have supported and prayed for us over this past year. We are so blessed by prayers lifted from all corners of the earth. If you’re in the area, please visit the Ehst Homestead Farm and Butter Valley Harvest to sample some of our fresh produce. We wish you a very merry Christmas and a blessed 2009!Love,
Ryan, Amanda, Ryleigh, & Ashtyn
