Our New Pool

This is our new pool! The other one was just a bit too small for three kids. And with this one, Mommy can get in and enjoy too. I actually took some pics of me in the pool with the kids, but they didn't turn out so you only get the one!

The kids have really enjoyed this larger pool. And it slopes slightly so one end is a little deeper than the other, which works good for Jonny!

Nate's Finger...

Okay...so I don't know if anyone really wants to see this but for our own blogging purposes, I posted some pics of Nathan's finger this morning. It is actually looking alot better. It isn't as red though it is pretty swollen still.

Life's Craziness...

Okay so in the last few days my brother-in-law had a HUGE racing wreck where he rolled his racecar like 2 times - but walked away with only a hurt foot....Nathan had his bacterial infection....and last night we heard of a man in our church having a harvest accident where he was driving a loaded grain truck and ran into another grain truck. He is okay but had to go to Salina and was pretty bad for a while (we hear he is doing good today).

I am SO thankful for the multitude of blessings and protection God is giving those around us! Hold on...it can be a bumpy ride sometimes!

Nathan's Brush with Danger...

Isn't it amazing how you can have one child that just always seems to be in danger, sick, or trouble?

 

Nathan is our child.  Though Jonny is definitely inquisitive and our little explorer, he as of yet has little issues with actual danger.  Nathan on the other hand could write a book on the subject - okay maybe not a book...but at least a good chapter!!

 

Do you remember the infected belly button sometime last year?  Well today we had another infection, but this one could have been much worse.  He woke up from his nap crying about his finger hurting.  When I looked at it, it was swollen to about double the size of the other, fire red and it had a good sized puss pocket.  In examining it for some type of sticker or foreign object that would have caused such a thing, the puss pocket burst and it oozed and oozed but did not bleed.  Not seeing anything, I gave him some Tylenol, a band aide and sent him off to play.  A short time later, he was back crying that his arm hurt. Upon examining, he said it was his armpit and it hurt to move his arm.  It was then that I noticed he was hot and I took his temp...100.4. 

 

I called the doctor and the nurse said to bring him right in.  Fortunately, Grandma Schlatter was planning on coming this way with the cousins (Ben and Erik) so she was able to get here quick and watch the other two while we headed in.  We were the last ones in the clinic but Dr. Conant said it was a good thing I came in because the infection was spreading fast and was in his lymph nodes under his arm.  He said they were really swollen and that the bacterial infection (either staph or strep though he did not know which) could have continued to spread rapidly throughout his body and settled into any major organ causing serious complications.  Praise God I didn't wait like I was planning on doing!

 

The crazy thing is, I know it was not there or at least not bad before he took his nap.  I had sent him in to wash his hands just before naps because they were sticky from a treat I had given them.  I also didn't notice it when I tucked him in...and it is his thumb sucking hand so it would have been visible!  So basically this infection went from his finger to his armpit lymph nodes in like 4 hours!

 

So now he is on an antibiotic twice a day for 10 days and we are supposed to wash his hand in soapy water for 10 minutes three times a day.  Dr. Conant also said the infection was contagious so we all need to be extra diligent and wash well - especially after dealing with the wound.  Joy...Joy!  Be we are just so thankful he will be okay...that he is on the antibiotics and that all looks well. 

Wheat Harvest June 23 - July 1

Wheat harvest 2009...They started cutting while the kids and I were in Nebraska visiting my mom and sister. The day we got back, we headed straight for the field...this was the first picture of the season:

Here is Daddy in the combine:

Loading the truck:

They were having some difficulties with the fuel filters...here are the kids watching them work:

The kids HAD to help:

Here was supper...I love how they sat biggest to smallest with Grandpa overlooking them...it was not planned that way, just the way it happened:

The kids' first ride...we couldn't all fit in at the same time like in previous years so just Abi and Nate when along this time...I stayed with Jonny:

Everyone on the Combine:

Towards the end of harvest, Jonny and I got to ride. He absolutely loved sitting on Daddy's lap and 'driving' the combine...

We had a great harvest with little difficulties. Marion's brother Mark came up to drive grain cart and help out. The kids loved playing with their cousins. On the next to last day we had what Marion called the 'old fashioned' harvest meal. I'll do another post with those pics.

Nathan's Battle Wound...

Okay...so I don't have the whole story but what I do know is that Abi and Nate were upstairs and they were playing. They have been fighting alot lately too (the joys of being reunited!). Anyway, Nathan was apparently going to throw a book at Abi's doll or something like that and Abi pushed Nathan to get him to stop. They were both on the bed. Nathan fell!

I was down stairs working on screen presentations for church when Nathan come crying down the stairs. It wasn't a blood curtling cry...just a cry. As he rounds the corner into the kitchen I look up to see...his head literally covered in blood at the top, blood running down the side of his face, all over his shirt and leaving a dripping trail all over the floor!

I grab a towel and start putting pressure on the center of the blood stained hair...telling him to sit down, but he won't...he says, "I have to pee, I have to pee!". So with me still putting pressure on his head, we make our way into the bathroom for him to pee! When that is done, he is much calmer and sits on the chair for me to continue putting pressure on his head trying to get it to stop bleeding. After several minutes, it stops enough that he can hold the towel and I can clean up the blood everywhere.

Here is the thing...I listened to both stories, had each of the kids show me seperately where he fell, and there is NOTHING he could have hit his head on except the wall! I can't figure it out! When I examined the wound...it is about 1/4 inch long and the center is deep. There might be a tiny angle like a square but only slight...definitely not 90 degrees.

Anyway...because it was in his hair line and still bleeding slightly after I got everything cleaned up, I had to figure out how to bandage his head...so this is what we did:

He was very happy about the whole thing. Once he went pee he calmed down and sat very still. I did let him take a nap on the couch but roused him every 30 minutes or so to make sure he'd come too. Crazy boy!

Jonny's Self Bathing...

The other night I was getting ready to give the kids a bath and was running the water in the tub while calling for Jonathan to come take his bath. He wasn't coming so I went out to find him. While I was looking for him, he came out of the living room and headed down the hall to the bathroom. I saw him and followed. When I entered the bathroom this is what I saw:

Sure enough...he crawled into the tub fully dressed down to the shoes...and he was having a grand time! I quickly sent Abi for the camera so I could get pics! Then we undressed and finished the bath the right way!

Okay...

So I haven't done the best at posting every day this week..but I have gotten alot posted!

The guys are here today putting in the new window upstairs. They are about done! Now I just need to get up there and paint the room! It really looks nice and I'll have to try to get some pictures for you!

Tomorrow we will be heading off to get Abigail from Salina. She was getting a little lonesome today and had to call after VBS for some reassurance! I am so proud of her for making it this long!

Nathan has done remarkably well as well, however today he was walking around asking "What do I do now?" "What do I do now?" He was obviously bored! I told him to go play with his tractors, but he wasn't interested in them! You know it is bad when he is not interested in his tractors! He said, "I've already done that alot today, Mommy!" Currently, he is outside playing in the water! I just might have to blow up the pool this afternoon for him to play in!

I don't really know what is going on with Jonny...he has been sleeping alot and been very cranky! Marion says he has slimmed down alot and he may be going through a growth spurt. If he is awake, he literally is at my heels crying! If I hold him, he lays his head down like he wants to go to sleep! If I lay him down...he sleeps...all DAY! Just can't quite put my finger on what could be the problem other than a growth spurt or teething! I'll have to keep watching him and let you know!

Well, it is time to call Nate in to dry off! Talk to you later!

Back Logged AGAIN!

Okay...so as you have noticed, I haven't blogged since April 22 or something outlandish like that! I just can't believe that it is already June 15! (Happy Birthday Marianne!)

Where has the time gone? Will all the days continue to be this fast paced? Will it ever slow down again? These are the questions I've been asking for awhile now! We have the craziest summer ahead of us that I can remember....so....please be patient. I'll try to keep you posted on what is going on...but if you don't hear from me...SHOUT OUT! Remind me that you are here and would like a post...cuz if you don't...I might forget about you! And I wouldn't want that!

So...this is what I'll do. I'll TRY to post at least once a day for this week to catch up. I've got VBS stuff to show you, and a few other things as well. I'll have to search back through the calendar to find out what all I have forgotten in May and thus far in June!

I'll back log the posts...so you may have to scroll down our ask for older posts...but all the posts will be in May or June so you don't have to go back farther than that! So...here we go with our first post for the week!

Identity Theft

YEP....we had our first experience with a Physhing scam...someone got ahold of our account information at Amazon.com and used the stored credit card number to purchase a gaming download. Fortunately, it wasn't a large amount. I was told it was probably a test to see if the transaction would be caught and if not, then they would have had a hayday with our account over the weekend.

We are so very thankful that I caught this and was able to still get ahold of our bank to freeze the transaction and close my debit card account. I learned a couple very valuable lessons from this:

1) NEVER save your credit card information in an account...NEVER! Even though it is a convenience offered, if anyone gets into your account they can use your credit card - even if they don't have the full number!

2) It is good to have e-mail notifications from your bank regarding transactions on your account. I was going to have them discontinue this because I thought it was pointless...but this was what caught my attention and saved us from further theft.

3) Change passwords frequently. I know it is a pain...but really it is necessary - especially on financial accounts. They don't know as of yet who did this or how they did it, but my password was a simple word I guess and they figured it out. I was told they have the technology to crack passwords easily these days. NEVER use a common dictionary word, mix in numbers with your passwords and if they will let you...a character or something...%$@ ..some will let you do that now.

Well....this is a long enough post for today...Talk to you later.

Making Strawberry Jam!

With the strawberries that we harvested this year, I was determined to make Strawberry jam and jelly! Abigail was very excited to help me and so we set out to do it. Here are the pics of Abi helping me!

As I cleaned and cored, she would drain and mash them:

Several times we had to put the strawberries in the microwave so they would mash better. She was a very big girl and did this all by herself.

She even used the pot holders so her hands didn't get hot! (it was actually just warm...but we were cautious!)

It was a very fun time and I really appreciated her help! She stuck with me for a long time! We made around a gallon of jams and jellies! She told me that she loved being my helper and would stay that way forever. She said she always wanted to help me even when she was a teenager! I told her I'd remind her of that then!

My little girl is growing up fast ... where have the years gone!

From Rags to Riches...

Okay...I just couldn't refuse the title...you'll understand why when you see the pictures.

One day when we were outside working, Abi came out of the house looking like this:

She had done this all by herself. She had found a sweatshirt of Daddy's, and put on his hat and gloves then proudly came out to show us her fashion. If she would have had on her work boots, it would have finished the picture nicely! :0)

Then, several days later, she was hiding in the bushes from Nathan. These are the pictures I got then:

We think we are going to use this last picture or a form of it for her 5 year picture. She's close enough to five right?

Our Little Excavator

Nathan LOVES the dirt. Did you know that?

From early on in his life he has had a fascination with dirt...from my plants to the garden...anything dirt is Nathan's domain. Last winter we helped solve his dirt issues by getting him a tub with a locking lid and potty soil. I can't tell you how many hours he spent playing with that tub on the porch! During the summer it is not an issue because he has the whole garden and sand box to play in. He will spend HOURS outside just playing in dirt!

Anyway, the other day he decided it was time to do some excavating. He efficiently moved several 'truck' loads of dirt from the garden to our back step. This is what he and the back step looked like:

Yes, he even had the caution cones out. We have a shovel shift thing that also has a pressing ball that makes the dotted road impression. He had roads, traffic cones, all kinds of things.

As you can see from the picture...the dirt made its way onto the porch as well, and stayed on the back step for several days. It wasn't until we got a good rain that we had to sweep/shovel it off. It got kinda slippery when wet!

Jonathan's Tatoos

I know...you are thinking he is just too young, but in today's society, you have to let the young live! Who are we to curb a child's creative desires?

Okay...so not really...did I have you going there? Probably not...so here's the story:

One day after VBS week, the kids were playing with their stamps that they got. Abi got a purple cross one. I was in the bathroom and heard Abi and Nate really arguing over something and Jonathan screaming. When I got out, I hunted them down to find out what was going on. As I rounded the corner, what did I find...Jonathan had purple cross tatoos all over him. The pictures aren't the best, but I think you can still see them:

I only too pictures of the one side...mostly because this side had the tatoo on the arm like it possibly could have been...anyway...his other arm, some of his face and legs were covered with purple crosses.

When I rounded up the other kids to inquire, I was told that Abi had been mad at Nathan for taking her stamp and she tried to stop him from tatooing Jonathan. Nathan in return fought back and proceeded to hold Jonny down and stamp him repeatedly!

Oh the joys of brotherhood! (however, at the rate Jonny is growing, it won't be long before he will fully whip Nathan and get his revenge! Then again, we will have to see if Nathan will match Jonathan's pure size with smarts...Nathan is a cunning little one!)