Abigail's Big Bike

Sure enough, she is one a big girl's bike with training wheels. The bike was given to us by my sister who got it from my dad! We had to put new tires on it and goop them up for stickers but it works great! She has learned about the break and how when she goes backwards with the petals it stops her. She is using the training wheels alot but she enjoys riding it and has had quite the fun with it today. Here are a few pictures of her riding teh bike!

What a Big Boy!

Yep, Nathan is now officially a BIG boy! We took down his crib and moved him to a big boy bed and he is doing GREAT! He is such an active sleeper that he did fall out of bed once last night but other then that he is doing great!

It has been MUCH easier with Nathan than what it was with Abigail...some of that has to be the fact that Nathan is nearly 6 month older then Abigail was when she changed over. I put Nathan to bed and he just stays right there and even if he talks or plays, he stays on the bed. It has been nice not to have a fight on my hands.

Another stage gone...they grow up too fast!

Our First Strawberry Picking

Abigail helped me pick our first Starwberries of the season. There were several that were green but they ripened well on the counter though we weren't sure they would. Since then we pick about every other day and they are getting bigger and better as we go. We still have quite a few out there to be picked and I look forward to making Strawberry JAM!














You can see from the picture below that Marion and Abigail have thoroughly enjoyed having the fresh strawberries. Their first snack was ice cream with fresh strawberries:

WOW...GOOD REMINDER!

This is another one of those things I just couldn’t hold on to.  I know I get a lot of things that ask me to pass them on if I am not ashamed of God and to be honest, I rarely do because I feel like my everyday life should reflect God and I shouldn’t have to prove that through forwarding an e-mail. 

 

This video didn’t challenge me to prove my faith, it moved me in my faith…it made me realize that in my everyday I take so much for granted…including people. It made me realize that I am NOT supporting those that are sacrificing their “everydays” for me…even if it is in the most discrete yet powerful way possible…praying for them!  Below is a short video clip off of youtube, about the people that are out there fighting for our freedom.  Seriously, how does this challenge YOU!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ervaMPt4Ha0

It's Finally Finished

Well, we finally got the merry-go-round finished. The kids really enjoy it. They were out there helping us put the finishing touches on it and then they went for a spin. So, if anyone comes our way, we now have a wonderful merry-go-round for the kids to play on. I hope you enjoy the pictures.

Boy do I have a lot to get caught up on...

Okay...I have added a bunch more posts and photos so make sure you go back and look through things. Everything should be in the May date range as I don't think there is anything earlier then that...I'll let you know if that changes...mostly I think I have pics to update you on...

Beth Moore Conference

YEAH! I am so excited that I got to go to Omaha with my sister and her friends (a group of 20 or so women)...they kept running in to more of them that came seperately...it was crazy to be in Omaha and having Roxanne running into all these people she knows...

Anyway, I headed out Friday morning and met up with Roxanne and her friend Diane to travel the rest of the way. We got there a bit early for Roxanne to get things lined up with the hotel and then to do a little shopping. I didn't do much shopping but I did get a hat for Nathan with a string underneath and a manicure! What fun!

Then we headed off to the Olive Garden for an early supper and then to the Qwest Center for the conference. We were able to get seats on the floor and it was AWESOME! Beth was going to go over the passage of Phillipians 4:6-13. The first session was on combating anxiety and worry. The second session was on combatting the thought life and she gave actual HOWs to do that in the third session. It was very powerful and very good. Marion has been telling me for a long time that I needed to be more positive in my thinking and I know others have said that about the negativity as well, but to be honest I just didn't know HOW...now I have actual steps to help me.

After the first session Friday night we all went to the Cheesecake factory and then after the conference on Saturday we went for lunch at Famous Dave's. We had lots of good eating!

If you want more details on all that I learned, I'd love to share it with you, you can e-mail me or call me anytime.

The kids were well taken care of with Daddy and Grandma. I think they had a great time.

Nate's Photo Shoot

Okay, so I am really behind in getting Nathan's 18 month pictures done...for one, he isn't very cooperative in looking and smiling...at least not for me. So here are three that I have gotten. He is definately an outside kind of kid...I am still going to try to get a few more before we actually order them and send them out, but this is what has worked out for us...

Friends...

Well, there is hope that these two will be friends and not always fighting each other...here a couple of pictures of them together...

INTERVIEW W/GOD

Below is a link to a presentation that is just awe inspiring...I hope you
will take the time to stop and really watch and take in this awesome
presentation:

http://www.theinterviewwithgod.com

After clicking the link you'll have to choose the button "view
presentation".

Photo Tour

Marion has been talking for a long time that we should take a Photo Tour around the area. He thought especially since it is getting more green and stuff that this would be a good time. So one afternoon, off we went...Here are a few of the good ones we got...Some of you may recognize some of the areas.

Photo Tour Continued

Like Father - Like Son

Okay so we had this great party on Cinco de Mayo and like I said, Marion took us out to see the cows and even did his awesome cattle call for us...he was a little embarissed!

Anyway, so the next day I was in town getting some groceries and running errands and Nathan as sitting in the cart and saw a cow...he said "cow" "boo" and then he muttered something and made this whooping sound...

To be honest I didn't get it...he just kept saying this muttered thing and then doing this whooping thing...finally I asked him...what are you doing...his response...

"Cows...come...(muttered sound) Whoop!" Then I got it...he was calling the cows just like Daddy!

Daddy was very proud when he heard that!

Cinco de Mayo (EVE)

Yep, we had a Cinco de Mayo EVE party...the weekend was busy so we decided to go ahead with the Cinco de Mayo theme even though it was the 4th! Anyway, we had 21 adults and kids over for a fun fill night of mexican food, a hay rack ride with the old 300 and even a pinata...then it got really exciting with the storms.

We missed out on most of the severe weather but we did have some scary looking clouds and lots of wind...the good thing was that it all hit after we broke the pinata so everyone got to stay around and enjoy the fun.

We had some of the usual friends but then we had two new families join us as well. I think one of them will easily fit in and join our social circles...they are the Hall family and they are the pastors of the Grace Baptist Church in Smith Center. They have three children - Kara who just turned 3 (abi's first b-party), Lydia who will be two in August, and Andy who is just 5 or 6 months old...so they are very close to our children's ages.

Marion was very excited to get the old 300 out and pull us around the pasture on the hay wagon. We went out to see the cows and he even did his cattle call to get them to come see us! That was pretty impressive. Anyway, we noticed one cow and her calf were staying aloft and so Marion drove over to see them and there was a new baby calf...it was pretty neat.

Overall it was a great evening and I have had several of the ones that couldn't come say they can't wait till we have another one since they know they missed out. Marion isn't so sure he is ready for planning another event...I think I'll have to give him a month or two...:-)

Bicycle Ride

Marion was cleaning out the shop for our big Cinco de Mayo party and he found the bicycle cart we got from my sister...so he hooked it up and took the kids for a spin...they loved it! You can't really see Nathan in the pictures, but he is in there too....

Our Cow Girl!

Abigail is getting to be such an attentive little girl.  She often went with us to check for calves and would hear us talking about which cows we thought were getting closer to calving so that one day when we were riding around all of a sudden Abigail started saying “That cow has a bag.”  She also helped us watch for calves without tags and so she’d say, “That calf has a blue tag, that calf has a white tag.” while we drove around the pasture. 

 

Well, Daddy thought this would be a great opportunity to start talking to her about the fact that there are “daddy cows” called Bulls, “mommy cows” called cows, and “baby cows” called calves.  She actually is pretty good at identifying the difference between them all though we don’t know how she can tell the difference between the bulls and cows for sure…we definitely didn’t get into WHY they were different.

 

Anyway, so one day we were in the pasture and we actually saw a calf being born…it was one of those things where we drove past her and then circled around some other cows as she stood up and out came the calf.  Abigail saw the whole thing…

 

Well today Daddy mentioned that we hadn’t had anymore calves lately and was saying he sure wish they’d come out of their mommies when Abigail piped up and said “Baby calves come out of the mommy cow’s tails.”  She is definitely perceptive!  Marion then went on to ask her where Nathan came from and she said “Mommy’s tummy” and she knows she came from their too!