Cousins

Here are more cousins. Bailee, Josh, Audrey and Andrew had a fun time decorating cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve. They are just getting reacquainted, as the girls have been living in Japan for the last couple of years. We are happy to have them back!

Grandpa & Cousins

When all else fails...swipe pictures from your Mother's blog!

I love this one of my Daddy with his grandkids. Gillan and Andrew are big buds and Gracie and Josh play together a lot. Those pairs tend to favor one another in looks as well. Perhaps it may only be coloring (hair, eyes, skin), but still...I think it's amazing.



Gillan had a good time driving the crew around on the Kubota. He's quite good at it too. They had grand adventures "being farmers" over the weekend.



You'll notice these pictures were taken earlier on in the eye cut ordeal! Hence the white tape!

Aunties

I did an absolutely HORRIBLE job of taking pictures of all the family over Christmas, but I did manage to get this cute one of two of Craig's "little" sisters. They are 14 and 12 years old. They look so grown up now. When we got married Shauni was just 2 and was supposed to be our flower girl. It was naptime and she cried and fell asleep! She looked adorable though... Kyli was 8 months old and a little bald cutie. Look at 'em now! Where does time go?

Karaoke!

Here it is, the long awaited moment! Joshua and Andrew have enjoyed the karaoke and so have we. The only problem is that some of their favorite CARS songs are too fast and even though Josh can read the words on the screen, he can't read that fast! So, they have been opting for the slower songs OR they will just listen to the songs while they play with their CARS!



They do sing the lines they know loud and clear though (with the biggest hick accent you ever have heard!) It's funny.

Christmas Drama

I'm a little unsure of where to begin with telling about our Christmas. Not that there is just tons to tell, but I'm going to tell things a little out of sequence because this picture gives you just an idea of what our most exciting moment was. Now keep in mind, that this picture was taken after a good two days of healing!



On Saturday night, Andrew refused to stay in his own bed. He and I struggled literally "ALL night long!" He kept perching on the edge of the bed next to me. I did NOT push him out, I just didn't leave him room for much comfort. In the wee hours of the morning, he fell. I felt bad and pulled him into the bed with me and we both got the best few minutes of sleep of the night. Then I got up and headed for the shower. Andrew got up not long after and Craig busted into the bathroom asking if I had seen his face! He had blood smeared all over and looked like he'd been boxing. I felt like we had! Apparently, when he fell, he had gashed his eyelid open on my nightstand. We debated on stitches, but decided on liquid bandage and butterfly strips. From the looks of it, it's going to heal up nicely. We just might need some scar medication for awhile.

Wouldn't you know this would happen at Christmas when tons of pictures would be taken!? I'm just thankful we didn't end up in the ER!

Life is a Highway!

HA! Look what I did! I figured out how to add music to my blog!!! Am I a genius or what? No not really... Anyway, this song seems especially appropriate since this blog is mostly about Josh and Andrew. This probably would have to be their all time favorite movie. I like it too and I think Rascal Flatts rocks! Hope you enjoy the song.

P.S. This song makes me SO excited for Christmas morning. I better not share the details now...since I have a reader in the house, but trust me, it's going to be SO MUCH FUN! {Hints: Andrew and karaoke} I will HAVE to figure out how to put videos on here because I know it will be great!

Whoops!

So, this morning I was getting ready for church, thinking that Josh was already up eating breakfast. (I thought I had heard he and Craig talking.)

I went in to check.

He wasn't there.

I asked Andrew where he was.

He says, "in bed."

"Oh no," the thought crosses my mind....

"Is he sick or is he just like his Mommy and doesn't want to get up?"

What actually happened is he got up and tried to eat breakfast, but it hurt his lose tooth too much to eat, so he went back to bed! So the tackling down to wiggle began and when I finally got a hold of it, I gave it a good yank and it came right out. I was so excited! It was fun! He wasn't happy though....

He didn't want me to pull it and it hurt. Okay...I can accept that. Then we go to the bathroom so that he can rinse his mouth and I can rinse his tooth. Stupid me did NOT close the drain and rinsed the tiny tooth right down the drain! How terrible is that?

He is crying hysterically and I think it's because I washed the tooth down the drain. NO he's actually still crying because he didn't want me to pull it out in the first place. After a shower and a good teethbrushing....it wasn't mentioned again!

Strike up the Band

Thursday we had a neat opportunity to visit a Middle School Band room and get familiar with all the different instruments. The boys loved it!

The Little Drummer Boy

Tuba Cheeks

An Andrew Funny...

Tonight we were watching the World Magician Awards (or something like that...who knew there was such a thing?)

Anyway, one of the stunts was a girl handcuffed inside of a burning bus. When she escaped she was on fire and she ran to be hosed down with the extingishers. I said, "she didn't Stop, Drop and Roll!"

Andrew began to tell me how, if he was on fire he would "Drop, Stop and Roll." He then said, "If your house is on fire, you just run out. If the whole world was on fire...(pause)...we'd all have to go to Heaven!"

CRACK ME UP! He's so smart!

What's wrong with this picture?

"You better get those problems done or you're not going to get to dig a ditch today!"

Strange quote eh? It actually came from my mouth today! Is that backwards or what? With normal kids it would go more like this...

"You better get those problems done or I'm going to make you dig a ditch today!"

But no, not in our house! Our kids actually LIKE to dig ditches and they had a perfectly good opportunity to do so today. My Dad needed to find a water line. It ended up being great ammo to prod Josh along with his school work. As he was digging, I realized I should have brought the camera for a picture to go along with this post.

One thing I learned about Joshua today...he has a good work ethic (when it is something he enjoys, like ditch digging). He worked so hard even when his brother quit and headed for the trampoline. He said, "Andrew gets to have all the fun." AS IF, I was holding him hostage and MAKING him dig! He just kept right on digging, stopping periodically for a break and then he'd say, "I better get back to work." I was SO proud.

Now, if only I could get him that enthusiastic about handwriting....

Wall Flowers

Last week we had a new first. Roller skating! I can remember as a kid hugging that wall for dear life. There was nothing more unnatural than being on wheels. Eventually, I became a decent skater, but never great. I debated on skating with the boys on their first time at the rink, but decided someone should be steady on their feet. I was comforted greatly by the fact that I was by far not the only parent on the rink with shoes on!

Christmas Cuties

I can't believe it is already December! Time really does slip away so quickly. It seems just as you get the decorations all packed away, it's time to get them down again.

The boys are very excited about Christmas this year. They really are at fun ages for the Season. Still little enough for the fun of Santa, yet old enough to begin grasping the true Reason for the Season. Somewhat anyway... Joshua told me the other day that "Christmas is not about wanting things, it's about giving your love." I'm not sure who told him that, but I like it. We're trying to explain things a step further by telling him that we give our love because God first loved us and gave us Jesus. Of course he still wants things, but I'm happy to see he is developing a heart for giving.

And tonight, we were having a conversation about God and Heaven, when Andrew explained things like this... "God takes your heart and puts it inside Him and then when you get to Heaven, He gives it back." Not bad theology for a 4 year old if you think about it... God protects our soul and nothing can snatch it away. He's holding onto it for us until we can be with Him forever! From the mouths of babes...

Homeschool Buds

Today Josh's friend, Mikey, is here with us. When Mikey comes here he always wants to "play" school, even though he is also homeschooled. I tried to get them to do some real workbook pages (although he didn't have any he HAD to do), but they wanted to be the teachers, so I left them to their play. Before leaving I snapped this cute picture of Josh getting a good laugh from something his buddy had said. I know Josh looks extremely white (and he is), but he's not that bright! I tried to lighten the picture, but it just wouldn't. I guess he was too close to the flash... Anyway, it is fun to see them play together. They have been friends since they were two years old. I think I will go for now and lurk around the corner to hear what funny thing they might say next!

Happy Thanksgiving

Well, we have officially...
1.) stuffed ourselves silly
2.) had plenty of interesting table conversation AND
3.) tons of laughs
4.) enjoyed our bounty of blessings
5.) thanked God for it all
All and all it has been a pretty great Thanksgiving. I hope each of you have enjoyed your day as well. I am so thankful for loving family and friends.


GOD BLESS YOU ALL!

HAPPY 4th BIRTHDAY ANDREW!

I can't believe our little Andrew is 4 years old today! Just the other day, I was telling him how I couldn't believe he only had a couple more days to be 3, and that he's supposed to be my tiny baby to hold. He looked at me with his WIDE eyes and said oh so sweetly, "but you know, even though I'll be 4, I'll still be little enough to hold!" Talk about melt my heart...

Joshua got to help pick out Andrew's birthday gifts and he managed to hold the secrets in for two whole days! He has been SO excited for Andrew to get his presents because he's a real shopper...he picks out what he likes!

I have another Andrew story...(I'm not sure I've ever shared on here that he is our comedian, but he IS!) Anyway, I asked him if Josh was letting him play with his new toys and he said, "we're not having ANY problems!" Maybe it was funnier in person, but trust me, it was funny. They are having a great time playing. I'm so thankful that they are truly the best of friends.

I just have to share one more funny Andrew story, since it is his day and all... He got a new Webkinz pet. If you don't know what that is, it is a stuffed animal that also has an internet game. Anyway, the tag was tied quite tightly around the stuffed dog's leg. Andrew wanted to have the tag cut off because, "it's killing his leg!" He's too funny.

Happy Birthday Sweet Boy! We love you!

Halloween

I don't want to neglect to post our Halloween night picture. We went simple with the costumes this year. I actually had costumes in my shopping cart and was all the way on the other side of the store when I thought...."I cannot justify spending this money!" We wheeled on over to the boys clothing section and the boys fell in love with these glow in the dark shirts. I asked them what they thought about getting them instead of the costumes [we had just spent a half hour picking out!]? You know what? They were totally okay with it! I love the simplicity of a child. There was no fussing and crying like I had invisioned! It was just a matter of walking back to the other end of the store to neatly hang the costumes back where they belonged. You know what else? They were every bit as excited to wear their cool new glow in the dark shirts as they would have been with the hot stuffy costumes we were going to get. Why do we try to make things so complicated sometimes.......?

All We Like Sheep

I'd like to add a little something about sheep... We had some company over last night and one of my friends was asking why God refers to us as sheep. My short answer is because they are STUPID!

As a child, it was my job in the evenings to gather and pen all of our sheep. It often took me hours to do (at least it seemed like it) and maybe it wouldn't have to all the time, but nevertheless...it took awhile because they wouldn't be all in the same place. One or two or maybe even a small group of them would be here or there and they'd get themselves hemmed up on the hillside where it was difficult to get around them and move them the right direction. And then in the meantime the rest of the group had again wandered away, so I'd have to go and get them again! So finally I'd close the gate and think I was finished and lo and behold I'd find more. Then there might be a lamb or two or even triplets left out alone that would need to be carried back. Sometimes it seemed to be a never ending battle.

Some years later we ended up with a dog who could reign them right on in with no trouble or if you honk a horn that will usually work. So I guess it was just me trying to do things the hard way. But I enjoyed my play along the way. I would talk and sing to myself and yes, even express my deep frustration at those stupid sheep. I'm sure glad God doesn't ever give up and decide to just leave us out in the cold on the hillside, like I was tempted so many times to do with my flock. And truth be known, I probably did leave them out there a few times!

Why do we act like sheep? Are we bound to act like them? Have we no hope of NOT acting like them? Sometimes I wonder... Why bother? I'm just a stupid sheep and I'll never be anything but... But I don't think God wants us to think that way. He probably wouldn't even use the word stupid. I'm sure He has a much deeper view of us that we can't even fathom.

Really, I don't know where I'm going with this...I'm sure I could continue on in my ponderings and perhaps I will, but life beckons me now. If I come up with more thoughts on the subject, I'll continue with the post. Now I've got to get to class....

Words and Babies

So here's the thing...I recently invited some new guests to this blog and now I fear they will arrive only to be disappointed! I mean let's face it, I'm a lousy blogger! Do I really give anyone (other than grandparents) any reason to keep coming back? So, I'm going to attempt.....notice I said ATTEMPT to be a little wordier. Is that a word? Now maybe not EVERY time, but at least some of the time. So here goes....oh goodness I'm scared, I've just written six sentences already and I'm afraid I'll run out of things to say before I even start!

Okay...let me start with a picture so I'll have something to go with....

Many of you may not know, that this is what is literally BEside our house! Yes, we have cattle all over the place, but our nearest neighbors are sheep. This is the time of year when the lambs are born and they have multiplied in the last couple of weeks by the DOZENS!! I'm not exaggerating. I tried to get a picture of a bunch of the little ones all together, but they scattered when I got the camera, so I only got a few of them together.

Yesterday I peeked out the window and watched as ALL the dozens of lambs were playing while their mommas ate. They would run as fast as they could from one side of the pen to the other and then back again, over and over. I called the boys to watch with me and we got so tickled at how cute they were.

Funny story....Andrew was born in November, so all those babies (well not those babies, but the ones we had at the time) were out there like they are now. At night, I could here the lambs crying through the baby monitor and I would wake up thinking it was my baby! It sounded so similar! Talk about not much sleep with a newborn.... Not only did I have my little one waking me, but a hundred others as well!

Well, I think I'm going to call it quits for now...I think I could get used to this though...we'll see. Let me know what you think by leaving a comment! :)

P.S. If you click on the pictures, you can view them full screen!

Breaking News

The tooth fairy is coming to our house on Halloween!! Yes, Josh lost his very first baby tooth this afternoon, totally unexpectedly! I had no idea it was even loose. He was eating some chicken when I noticed he was looking in the mirror. I saw blood and asked if he'd lost a tooth. He started crying and said no. He was about to get pretty hysterical with the blood, but I calmed him down, reached in and literally picked the tooth up. I can't believe it! My little boy is growing up. To me this is such a significant event. It's one of those bittersweet moments where you grieve the passing of one era into another, and at the same time, celebrate it!

Boxed In

So the boys have this big cardboard box they've been playing in. One evening, Josh came into the living room and I noticed that it was very quiet in the bedroom. When I asked if Andrew was asleep, Josh said NO! Craig and I gave each other a concerned look and he went in to check. He found Andrew like this.......

He checked to make sure he was breathing and then called me in to see how cute he looked. Josh was mistaken and he had indeed fallen asleep!

Precious Friends

I immediately fell in love with this shot as soon as I snapped it. It is a rare treasure to get one with such natural smiles. I love to see the contrast in their eye color. It amazes me! Isn't our God awesome?!

Will Post Again

Goodness! I see it has been a whole month since I've posted anything! Stay tuned and I'll try to get something up this week.

Thinking outside the box

So, the other day it was confirmed that my brain does not function like that of a little boy! As much as I try, it just will NOT do it. I'm talking about LEGOS! Isn't it the right side of the brain that is the creative side? I've decided, I don't even have a right brain! Let me show you what I mean......

Here's Josh's LEGO creation, a nice little aircraft of sorts. It even had a place for the little LEGO man to ride.

Now here's my LEGO creation......

Yep, that's right, the best I can come up with is 4 plain walls. Maybe a tower, but that would be branching out a bit. When it comes to building I can't seem to think "outside the box!" I thank God that he made boys (and a few girls) with this creative abilty. Otherwise, I'd have to send this note out on the Pony Express!

That boy can follow instructions!

While Joshua was busy with school this morning, Andrew had decided to pull out the K'Nex for some random fun. I walk in to discover that he has followed step by step instructions to create this little sea creature. Can you tell I'm proud?! It isn't that it was that hard to do....it's just that he took the initiative to do it on his own. I'm easily impressed I guess!

Playing hard!

The time has come..... I have joined the ranks of women who call themselves Soccer Moms. All I need now are a couple of those stickers to slap on the back of my Tahoe!

Saturday was a HOT funfilled day of first games. Andrew played first and tired out before the first quarter was over, but he sure played hard for those few minutes! By the last quarter the coach couldn't muster up enough kids to even finish the game! It was really quite funny, but his coach is wonderful and she takes it all in stride. It is definately all about just having a good time.

Josh played next and they did fairly well considering the opponents had been playing since they were...... Andrew's age! A full 3 years for some of them!! Josh is the only boy on his team, but he doesn't seem to mind. He hung in there and played a good part of each quarter. We're just hoping that next Saturday is cooler!

Playing Chess

Here are my three boys playing chess together. It is a rare and special occaision that they do this. This set was one that Craig brought home from Iraq and is made of marble. (Very pretty and breakable!) So Josh and Andrew don't get to play with it without his supervision. They do have a plastic set, but of course they prefer to play with the breakable one! I spent much of the time laughing at them as they played because Josh made the funniest faces as he was losing and Andrew was laughing so hard. By the way, Josh was a wonderful sportsman and not a sore loser at all! : ) Andrew on the other hand..... : )

Trying out a new feature...

I know this is not the best slideshow in the world, but I just had to try it out real quick. I could really have a lot of fun with this. My friend Stephanie posted a cute video of a little girl...don't know who she is, just one of those videos that's out there in cyberspace of a random person I guess...anyway, she was quoting scripture and it is adorable! Well, that got me thinking, and I'd love to be able to share with all of you how well Josh can quote the verses he just learned in school. Plus he is working on his third poem already. Andrew says a lot of the stuff right along with him. Hopefully, I can get this thing all figured out and share it with you soon! For now...I hope you enjoy this.

Hold on to your hats boys!

Andrew was so funny with his hat...he pulled on it until it was all out of shape just to try and keep it on. It's really kind of small for him anyway because it is one that has elastic inside to make it fitted. It ends up sliding off his head every few minutes. His head is about the same size as Josh's. I measured them the other day...they're just shaped different.

Ridin' Dixie

Postscript to post below

Joshua and I were just looking at our funny picture again and he said, "you look like the Ferocious Beast!" HA HA HA.......

I'm gonna knock you to the moon!

I cannot believe I'm actually posting this picture of myself, but I think it is hysterical! Josh and I were just being silly when this was taken, but I cracked up when I saw it. It looks so typical of us. To explain the title...my mom used to use that phrase all the time. Of course, I'd always laugh at her, but now I use it too! I told Josh I was going to use it as the title to this picture and he cracked up too. Our humor is similar.

Now the nice me....

Falls Creek

Mid July I had the privledge of going to Falls Creek youth camp and had a blast. This picture is of just a few of our Katie's. We had 7 in all from our group! From left to right: Caite H., Katie B., Katie O., and Katie S. It was Hawaiian night!

Daddy's Hands

Back in June, I gave what might be the most personal and thoughtful gift I have ever given. I recorded a CD for my Dad for Father's Day filled with many of his old favorites of mine. Below is the cover, which has a picture of his actual hands holding his Bible. He had no idea what I was taking the picture for and it was a great surprise.

Moose and Monkey Tracks

A couple of weeks ago, Craig took the boys on a hike. When they returned I heard about their grand adventure. Apparently, we have wild moose and monkies in the woods around our house. Who knew?

Reading, 'Riting and 'Rithmatic

Many of you already know that we have decided to try homeschooling this year. Several weeks ago, as I was preparing the "school room" Josh kept asking to do school. Although I had not planned to begin until mid July, I decided to run with his enthusiasm and go ahead and start in latter June. We completed two full weeks and then he got a break while I went to Falls Creek. We are starting back this week and so far so good. I won't lie, it isn't always easy, but I believe that it is the best thing for Josh at this point. (By the way, he's reading EVERY word of this over my shoulder!) So smart!

How could this happen?

As you can see, we now have a puppy. It was totally an unexpected thing. Craig has wanted a dog for a long time and I was always the one saying NO! Wouldn't it figure that I am the one who showed up with this little thing!

One evening a couple of weeks ago, the boys and I were checking on some cattle for my dad several miles away. Josh and Andrew had run over to play on some tractors and the stray pup followed them back. It was about to storm (big time) and the cattle were all moving in close. Without thinking, I scooped up the boys and the puppy and put them all in the truck. Now what? I thought.

The boys said we needed to find the owner and although I knew there was no owner, we drove around the section line looking for neighbors outside to ask. Of course it was pouring down rain and there was no one around, so not wanting to pitch the poor thing out in the rain with my two little witnesses watching closely, we took him home and he's been here ever since. So far, he's turned out to be a perfect pet. I believe he must be the most mild mannered puppy I have ever seen. (KNOCKING ON WOOD!)

Josh, Andrew and Craig adore him and the little squirt has grown on me too! Josh named him Ritchie. If anyone knows what kind he is, we'd love to know. We're not real up on dog breeds.

What are you gonna do with that fish Daddy?

These were taken early Spring when Craig came home with a few fresh caught fish. Andrew enjoyed watching him fillet them. He thought it was funny the way the fishes mouth moved!

More Mud

I just couldn't resist more mud pictures. These were taken some time back, but I recently uploaded them. Check out those muddy paw prints! Josh made those as he was stepping into the bathtub to get cleaned up.

Let's do the Twist!

Josh is officially a Kindergarten graduate! Rather than the traditional caps and gowns, they had a 50's theme complete with poodle skirts, rolled up jeans and lots of twisting! It was adorable and Josh LOVED it. We are so proud of him! In addition to a diploma, he received an award for the Most Imaginative Builder. Each child came up and told what they want to be when they grow up and of course Josh said, "When I grow up, I want to be a Farmer." And for the record....even though he may someday ask why I made him dress up so ridiculously and slick his hair back like that....HE LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT!

Celebrating Mothers

I know I'm late with these....but they took awhile to load. Well okay, not almost 2 weeks, but I just now was able to get them up.

Up top is Craig with his Mother and her Mother. In the middle is Me with Mine and, of course, down below is Me as Mother! Happy Belated Mother's Day!

Mud Splattered Sweetness

Check out those eyelashes!

Country Boys

Each day, I must make a choice. Will I be an uptight, grumpy Mother OR a joyful, grateful Mother? Today, I choose joy and gratefulness. Thank you God, for beautiful, healthy boys who feel well enough to play in the mud. Thank you for the happiness it brings them in the sunshine of the day. Thank you for the ability to clean up the mess after a long afternoon of fun. Thank you for the hugs and kisses everyday. Help me make the choice to love this blessed time more, like I should.