Birthday Happenings

We had Lindsey's birthday party yesterday.

I was really hoping and praying that the weather would cooperate so the kids could play outside and the adults could enjoy the deck.

Nope!!! No such luck!

Wind and rain all day.

Oh well, we still had a nice day with family and friends, celebrating our Little Sunshine... Lindsey!

She got a Dora The Explorer Trike from Mommy & Daddy. Oh, she was soooo excited! This girl loves Dora!

She also got a bunch of books and dresses... 2 things she loves.

So, Lindsey is now offically 2 years old. OH MY!

Another Blog Change!?

I guess I get bored easily.
I like changing up the layout and design of my blog.
I hope you all don't mind.

My May Day Baby

On Friday, it will have been 2 years since we welcomed Lindsey into our family! May 1st is the big day!!

I can't believe she is 2 years old... but then on the other hand, it seems like she's always been with us!

She was a "Surprise" baby. We had no intentions of having any more kids after Kaycie... but God had other plans for our family. And boy, am I glad He did!

Lindsey has been such a blessing.

The older kids have spoiled her rotten! She is definitely the Princess in our house.

She has the funniest little personality... such a character! Lindsey makes us laugh every day.





Sometimes when I look at her, it takes my breath away.. she is so beautiful! Which might become a problem when she is about 14! ha ha



She is such a country girl! Loves to wear her rubber boots and help Mommy outside with the animals. But she also loves to wear her dresses. She's the perfect combo of tomboy and girly-girl.

God knew we needed her.
He knew her even before the world was formed.
He knew her when he knit her together in my womb.
He knew her name, her personality, what she will become.
How wonderful that He chose to bless our family with this Little One... this Sweet Girl... this May Day Baby!!

"Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,
The fruit of the womb is a reward.
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
So are the children of one's youth.
Happy is the man who has his
quiver full of them..."
Psalm 127:3-5

Family Time... Much Needed!!

Yesterday we decided to stay home and do nothing! It was so nice and relaxing.

With baseball or soccer every night, we have not had any time to be at home and enjoy our family. It's been Ken going one way with a kid and me going the other way with another kid!

I think this may be the first time EVER that I have chosen to "skip" church.

But our kids needed this day, and we needed this day.

We stayed in our jammies all morning (I think Ryan kept his on all day).

We played card games, watched the NFL draft, pulled weeds outside, rode bikes, took a walk and played croquet in the yard.

It was GREAT!!

The Little Caddy.

Doesn't that look like Tiger Woods' form? ha ha

Beautiful face there, Kaycie!

Now that's what I call concentration!!

Even McKenzie got in on the fun.

I have been so blessed with a healthy, wonderful family. Days like this remind us of how much we enjoy each other and how much fun just being a family can be.

Thank you God!

A Walk In the Woods

A couple of weeks ago, during a beautiful day, the kids and I went for a hike at a nearby park.

It's a historic landmark with trails that meander around the grounds and through the woods.

The kids love to be in charge of the camera, and I enjoy letting them search out photo opportunities. Sometimes I'm amazed at the shots they capture.

These are all pictures that they took.

Maybe I have some young photographers on my hands!

I'm always amazed at God's Creation...

the beauty that He has provided for us to enjoy...

I love to be in the woods and just close my eyes...

... smell the dirt, the trees, the grass, the moss...

... hear the birds, the stream, the wind...

There is beauty all around us!

Kaycie took a close-up picture of herself. She wanted me to delete it... No Way! I think it is so pretty!

Stitches

This has been a rough April for Lindsey! First was pneumonia a couple of weeks ago and now 8 stitches in the chin!!

Poor Baby, she's not going trust ANY Doctors or Nurses. Every time she sees one lately, she gets poked with a needle!!

It happened yesterday morning. I got out of the shower and she decided to climb into the shower stall. Her little feet came flying out from behind her (slippery, wet shower) and her chin came full-force down onto the door frame of the shower stall.

We spent 2 hours in the Urgent Care Clinic and she ended up with 8 stitches!! (2 on the inside, 6 on the outside).

Afterwards, she and I went to McDonald's and shared a vanilla shake. She deserved a treat after that rough morning.

I'm Babysitting

I guess it's actually goatsitting.

The people who lived here before us are now returning to the area and had nowhere to keep the goats while they look for a house.

So here they are. The goats are back where they used to live.

Poor Daisy. It's been 4 against 1. But after a couple days, they are finally beginning to get along!

Hazel, Clara, Licorice, and Dottie.

Here is Daisy (our little goat) and Hazel. They were the first ones to make friends. The others stood off to watch.

We may get to keep Hazel. The owners said that they might not have room for all of them and Daisy could use a friend.

We did have Daisy's sister (Cricket) but a year ago we had a cougar incident... no more Cricket.

The kids are having a great time with the extra animals. It's like goat rodeo here every afternoon!

The Planning Stage

I've just started Kyle's quilt. But I'm not sure how I want the end result to look like.
I don't have a pattern, I just cut 6" blocks out. Then decided to do some 4-patch blocks with the smaller print fabrics.

Let me know which layout you like best...

Option #1:
Alternating blocks in a horizontal row but keeping similar blocks in the vertical rows.






Option #2:
Alternating all blocks vertically and horizontally.

Option #3:

Similar blocks going horizontal.

I am planning on using a solid army-green fabric for sashing between rows.

I have no clue where to go from here, being the new quilter that I am.

Oh well, it's all a learning process, right?

Steelhead Fry

No I don't mean fry, as in cook in oil. I mean baby fish.

Kaycie's 4-H group had raised some steelhead from eggs and they are now little fry and ready to face the big, bad world of a creek.

So we all gathered at a local park along a creek. A man from the Dept. of Fish & Wildlife came and spoke. He told the kids all about the life cycle of salmon.

I don't know if you can see Fred (that's what she named her fry) in the cup.


So long Fred. Enjoy your new home.

Fred will live in this creek for about 2 years and then make his way to the ocean where he'll live for another 2 - 3 years.
Then he will come right back to this very spot where Kaycie released him, for spawning season.

It's quite an amazing cycle that God has designed into these fish. For them to be able to return to the exact stream of their birth is a miracle!
Even after spending a few years in the ocean, they know exactly where to go when it's time.
Amazing creatures!

Easter Fun

We had a great Easter. We spent it with my parents and siblings in the town that I grew up in. (My hubby also grew up there, so we got to spend some time with his family too.)

Easter egg decorating was a riot!! Lindsey was so funny!

I'll just say that the word "gentle" is not in her vocabulary yet. Those poor eggs will never be the same!

In fact, I believe she "slam-dunked" a few of them.

Here she is with my Mom:

This is my little sister, Becca, and Ryan:

So proud of her pretty eggs!:

Goofy kids:

It was my niece's very first Easter. Here is Amaris with her Daddy & Mommy:

Sunday morning Easter church service was wonderful. The pastor's sermon was called, "The Eternal Bail-out Plan".

Very fitting. Jesus has already provided our "bail-out" in the form of His death and resurrection!

Easter dinner was sooooo good! I love a good, old-fashioned ham and mashed potatoes. yum!

The kids participated in the community egg hunt at a local park. It was cold and windy, but fun.

I hope you all had a blessed Easter just as we did.