To those of you who hop on this here blog about once a week and expect one (or less!) new posts to read, I would like to apologize.
I know it's not like me to have a slew of new posts all in one day. It's just that summer isn't going to slow down any, and I'm trying to also start a church blog to follow our building project this summer.
Which means...catch up, and quick!!!!
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Summer Sundays!
This summer, we're trying a new format with church. Every Sunday evening, we've been having a potluck at 5 p.m., followed by adult Bible study/Kids' worship time at 6 p.m. in lieu of morning Sunday school, and then a campfire and volleyball after that. So far, it's been hugely successful, and we have 2 or 3 families participating regularly that don't normally. So, we pray for sweet fellowship, encouragement and challenge for each other, and for conversations that will lead others closer to Christ. And it's a lot of fun, too!
While Andrew's away...
...Jacob and Anna will spend a lot of time with the new easel!
These two spent hours on their art...Anna would paint while Jacob made his masterpieces on the chalkboard...featured here are Buzz Lightyear and his jack-o-lantern (which is curious to me, as we don't acknowledge Halloween)-it even has a tongue!
Then while Anna was napping, Jacob would have his turn at painting.
And they'll have slumber parties, too! They talked about Andrew a lot, and were so glad to see him when he came home from camp. But I think they had fun, too!
These two spent hours on their art...Anna would paint while Jacob made his masterpieces on the chalkboard...featured here are Buzz Lightyear and his jack-o-lantern (which is curious to me, as we don't acknowledge Halloween)-it even has a tongue!
Then while Anna was napping, Jacob would have his turn at painting.
And they'll have slumber parties, too! They talked about Andrew a lot, and were so glad to see him when he came home from camp. But I think they had fun, too!
Andrew Goes to Camp!
Though it was a very hard decision for us to make, we knew it would be great for Andrew to head to Bible Camp this summer! Solid Rock Bible Camp is only an hour away from us, and they have 3-night/2-day camp sessions for jr. campers. Add to that his good buddy Lane heading to camp the same week, and it was bound to happen!
Those boys started counting down the number of days till camp about a month out!
They both wanted to go to Wagon Train camp...instead of cabins, they're in covered wagons circled around a fire pit, and they got to work with the horses each day. The fun thing for them and Jacob and Anna, too, is that they deliver the campers to their campsite via horse-drawn carriage.
He did give his brother and sister a sweet hug good-bye (well, me too, I guess), and then was off into his cabin with scarcely a look back! It gave my heart some reassurance after I met his counselor...who is a sophomore at Messiah College! It was quite strange, thinking that 14 years ago, that was Mark and I...heading to a Bible Camp up north from our respective Christian colleges for the summer!
Andrew had a fabul
ous time...though he sure was happy to see us when we picked him up Saturday morning!
One of these days, we'll get some of his pictures scanned (he took a disposable camera with him) and he'll write a blog post about camp. The funniest thing to me was this statement he made after I asked him if he stayed warm enough in his PJ's and sleeping bag each night.
"I didn't wear my pajamas. I just slept in my clothes. Actually, I stayed in my clothes you dropped me off in on Wednesday until they made us change this morning."
He was one dirty boy!
Those boys started counting down the number of days till camp about a month out!
They both wanted to go to Wagon Train camp...instead of cabins, they're in covered wagons circled around a fire pit, and they got to work with the horses each day. The fun thing for them and Jacob and Anna, too, is that they deliver the campers to their campsite via horse-drawn carriage.
He did give his brother and sister a sweet hug good-bye (well, me too, I guess), and then was off into his cabin with scarcely a look back! It gave my heart some reassurance after I met his counselor...who is a sophomore at Messiah College! It was quite strange, thinking that 14 years ago, that was Mark and I...heading to a Bible Camp up north from our respective Christian colleges for the summer!
Andrew had a fabul
ous time...though he sure was happy to see us when we picked him up Saturday morning! One of these days, we'll get some of his pictures scanned (he took a disposable camera with him) and he'll write a blog post about camp. The funniest thing to me was this statement he made after I asked him if he stayed warm enough in his PJ's and sleeping bag each night.
"I didn't wear my pajamas. I just slept in my clothes. Actually, I stayed in my clothes you dropped me off in on Wednesday until they made us change this morning."
He was one dirty boy!
Summer on Faith Mountain Farm
Snap and Snickers are growing up fast...though Snickers is still small enough to play Houdini on a regular basis.
Turkey 1 and Turkey 2 (or turkeys #4 and #5, depending on the day and how my children have been behaving)...we inherited them, and they'll just hang out until we have butchering day. They are particularly fond of watermelon rind, and so have become quite spiritual in looking forward to Sundays when we have a potluck at our house...and invariably at least one watermelon gets brought to the festivities. They would become more spiritual yet, I'm sure, if they realized buthchering day is just around the corner...
Our new rooster! He's quite full of himself, and has fit in nicely. His cock-a-doodle-doo-er is a little rough, but it works. Thankfully, he's more of the mid-morning type. Once I have a pen free, I'll try to get one of our hens to go broody to hatch out a new laying flock.
And then our Cornish Rock cross chicks...which our now much larger and not nearly as cute. We intended to raise a batch of just 25, but our 4H leader ended up with more than she wanted, so out of sympathy we took another 25. We may raise another batch later this summer...my goal is to have at least one chicken per week in the freezer this year.
This girl may or may not be pregnant. We bred Sophie to a beautiful, 200 lb. Newfoundland/Pyrenees mix over Memorial Day weekend. At first I was pretty sure she was bred successfully...now we'll just wait and see. If she is, then we have a due date of Aug. 1st for puppies!
Jessie is growing like a weed, too. Last week we cleaned out the goat stall (and when I say "we," I mean "Mark"), and with the absence of so much bedding in the stall next door, she managed to dig her way out...thanks, Kelly, for capturing her before Sophie did!
Last summer I said that we were focusing on the animal-end of the farm, and that next year I would work on the gardening end. Well, I'm going to have to say the same thing again this year. I'm still battling my elbow injury from the accident in December, so any repetitive motion (like digging...and shoveling out goat stalls) is too much. I did buy several plants that were dying a slow and painful death in my basement, and I'm so grateful that the ladies on our latest work team actually got them in the ground! But more on that later...
Turkey 1 and Turkey 2 (or turkeys #4 and #5, depending on the day and how my children have been behaving)...we inherited them, and they'll just hang out until we have butchering day. They are particularly fond of watermelon rind, and so have become quite spiritual in looking forward to Sundays when we have a potluck at our house...and invariably at least one watermelon gets brought to the festivities. They would become more spiritual yet, I'm sure, if they realized buthchering day is just around the corner...
Our new rooster! He's quite full of himself, and has fit in nicely. His cock-a-doodle-doo-er is a little rough, but it works. Thankfully, he's more of the mid-morning type. Once I have a pen free, I'll try to get one of our hens to go broody to hatch out a new laying flock.
And then our Cornish Rock cross chicks...which our now much larger and not nearly as cute. We intended to raise a batch of just 25, but our 4H leader ended up with more than she wanted, so out of sympathy we took another 25. We may raise another batch later this summer...my goal is to have at least one chicken per week in the freezer this year.
This girl may or may not be pregnant. We bred Sophie to a beautiful, 200 lb. Newfoundland/Pyrenees mix over Memorial Day weekend. At first I was pretty sure she was bred successfully...now we'll just wait and see. If she is, then we have a due date of Aug. 1st for puppies!
Jessie is growing like a weed, too. Last week we cleaned out the goat stall (and when I say "we," I mean "Mark"), and with the absence of so much bedding in the stall next door, she managed to dig her way out...thanks, Kelly, for capturing her before Sophie did!
Last summer I said that we were focusing on the animal-end of the farm, and that next year I would work on the gardening end. Well, I'm going to have to say the same thing again this year. I'm still battling my elbow injury from the accident in December, so any repetitive motion (like digging...and shoveling out goat stalls) is too much. I did buy several plants that were dying a slow and painful death in my basement, and I'm so grateful that the ladies on our latest work team actually got them in the ground! But more on that later...
Random Summer-ness
Despite the size disparity, Anna manages Sophie quite well!
Sleepy swinger...if her brothers are outside when she wakes up from her nap, she wants out immediately-even if she's not quite awake yet!
Doesn't everyone use the door off their Rubbermaid shed for a sunning board?
Does anyone know what kind of bird this is? He and his rather gray, drab looking mate have been hanging out quite a bit...we quite enjoy watching them nibble on the dandelion fuzz!
Sleepy swinger...if her brothers are outside when she wakes up from her nap, she wants out immediately-even if she's not quite awake yet!
Doesn't everyone use the door off their Rubbermaid shed for a sunning board?
Does anyone know what kind of bird this is? He and his rather gray, drab looking mate have been hanging out quite a bit...we quite enjoy watching them nibble on the dandelion fuzz!
Look Who's 3!!!
I can still hardly believe that my baby girl is three years old. It helps that most of the time she's keeping this household in line. But, still.
We had a delightful party with friends and family, a delightful PINK party, as per her request! You know how you ask your kids what they want on their birthday cake, and they say something like "a rocketship" or "a firetruck?" Not Anna. What do you want for your cake, sweetheart? Pink! I must say, it made my life a lot easier. Add some pink balloons and pink streamers and you've got a happy little girl.
This girl loves her some new clothes! And thankfully she received quite a few new outfits, which were sorely needed.
It was such fun to watch her open her presents...she was so excited about each one! Happy Birthday, my dear one...I pray God will bless you with joy and safety* this coming year!
Lots more pics (and maybe some duplicates, as I got most of these from Tricia!) over at her blog!
*While she was two, she fell and chipped her tooth, fell and got a gash on her cheek that needed gluing (for stitches) on her cheek, received a shiner from getting in the trajectory line of something her brother threw, and fell off the toilet and broke her arm. Yes, we're praying for a SAFE year 3 for her!
We had a delightful party with friends and family, a delightful PINK party, as per her request! You know how you ask your kids what they want on their birthday cake, and they say something like "a rocketship" or "a firetruck?" Not Anna. What do you want for your cake, sweetheart? Pink! I must say, it made my life a lot easier. Add some pink balloons and pink streamers and you've got a happy little girl.
This girl loves her some new clothes! And thankfully she received quite a few new outfits, which were sorely needed.
It was such fun to watch her open her presents...she was so excited about each one! Happy Birthday, my dear one...I pray God will bless you with joy and safety* this coming year!
Lots more pics (and maybe some duplicates, as I got most of these from Tricia!) over at her blog!
*While she was two, she fell and chipped her tooth, fell and got a gash on her cheek that needed gluing (for stitches) on her cheek, received a shiner from getting in the trajectory line of something her brother threw, and fell off the toilet and broke her arm. Yes, we're praying for a SAFE year 3 for her!
Memorial Day Prospecting
My dad actually had off work on Memorial Day, so we had our annual day of prospecting together! Prospecting has been a long-time hobby of my dad's, and we all get out at least once a summer. When else do you have an excuse to play in the dirt and water?
Monday, June 28, 2010
A rare treat!
It is rarely hot enough up here to warrant running through the sprinkler. When it is hot enough, well, we're usually at home...where grass is not plentiful and we don't even own a sprinkler.
But a hot day while having a yard sale at Aunt T's house? Where there's a big lawn and a sprinkler to boot? Big fun had by my kiddos!
(She may be cute, but it's more accurate to say that she ran around the sprinkler. She never actually got wet until Rebecca carried her through, and she wasn't exactly having fun at that point)!
But a hot day while having a yard sale at Aunt T's house? Where there's a big lawn and a sprinkler to boot? Big fun had by my kiddos!
(She may be cute, but it's more accurate to say that she ran around the sprinkler. She never actually got wet until Rebecca carried her through, and she wasn't exactly having fun at that point)!
Happy Anniversary!
Today, Mark and I celebrate twelve wonderful years together! We were able to get out for a night by ourselves Friday night while Mark's parents were here to watch the kids. Tricia and Jerry graciously allowed us to use their house for our getaway, and we enjoyed actually sleeping in for once, and then had breakfast and ran errands before heading home. With as crowded as our lives are now, we've learned to make the short times sweet!
This is the card Rebecca made for us...too funny! Yes, it's an abundant life for sure!
This is the card Rebecca made for us...too funny! Yes, it's an abundant life for sure!
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Daddy and Anna...
...build a boat.
This may very well have been one of the most precious things I've ever seen.
A girl and her daddy, working together. *sigh*
This may very well have been one of the most precious things I've ever seen.
A girl and her daddy, working together. *sigh*
Bike Rodeo
In these parts, kids look forward every spring to the local Bike Rodeo. In years past, we've gone to the one in Seward. This year we were invited to the CL school for their rodeo, and we were grateful for the less-crowded venue!The kids go over bike safety rules, do a bike obstacle course, and get new helmets for just $5. My favorite part of this year's rodeo? Jacob sporting his Harley-Davidson leather coat. That boy cracks me up.
Train Ride
As Andrew already blogged about here, the boys and I were able to ride the train from Girdwood to home. In commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the local school, the trip was organized in remembrance of the days when our little town used to be a whistle stop along the line. The local parents group graciously paid for any kids who wanted to go, and my adult ticket was at a discount. Thank you, Lord, for an affordable and memorable experience for the boys!
Since we had to meet at the school at 5:45 a.m., I opted to NOT bring Anna along. I was grateful Rebecca was willing to come down the night before to spend the night to be with Anna that morning. (Of course, the one morning I'm gone, Anna actually slept till past 9 a.m. Go figure)!
The boys were beyond excited, though honestly-they might have been more excited about a ride on the school bus. Hmm.
We could not have asked for a more glorious day! I think riding the train in May would be the best time to ride...before it's swamped with tourists and your chances of a sunny day are greater and the snow makes for even more spectacular scenery. I know I'm only basing that on one experience, but it was a great one!
Usually you're only able to sit up in the cars with a view for short time frames, to allow everyone on board an opportunity. But if there's not many on board, you can sit up at the tables and see out the nice high windows the whole trip. Jacob LOVED the tunnels we went through (see the collage just above for a tunnel-induced grin). And the school kids with no parents along for the ride apparently had to stay together up in another car, so the boys spent a great deal of time ducking in and out on the back deck until they got too cold!
I know it's slightly ridiculous to cram a bunch a beautiful scenery shots into one collage, but I have a hard enough time getting to blogging without taking the time to load a bunch of pictures. So feel free to click on the collage to see it bigger...it was a beautiful ride! I did post below my favorite shot of the day (notwithstanding pictures of two adorable boys having the time of their lives)...
Since we had to meet at the school at 5:45 a.m., I opted to NOT bring Anna along. I was grateful Rebecca was willing to come down the night before to spend the night to be with Anna that morning. (Of course, the one morning I'm gone, Anna actually slept till past 9 a.m. Go figure)!
The boys were beyond excited, though honestly-they might have been more excited about a ride on the school bus. Hmm.
We could not have asked for a more glorious day! I think riding the train in May would be the best time to ride...before it's swamped with tourists and your chances of a sunny day are greater and the snow makes for even more spectacular scenery. I know I'm only basing that on one experience, but it was a great one!
Usually you're only able to sit up in the cars with a view for short time frames, to allow everyone on board an opportunity. But if there's not many on board, you can sit up at the tables and see out the nice high windows the whole trip. Jacob LOVED the tunnels we went through (see the collage just above for a tunnel-induced grin). And the school kids with no parents along for the ride apparently had to stay together up in another car, so the boys spent a great deal of time ducking in and out on the back deck until they got too cold!
I know it's slightly ridiculous to cram a bunch a beautiful scenery shots into one collage, but I have a hard enough time getting to blogging without taking the time to load a bunch of pictures. So feel free to click on the collage to see it bigger...it was a beautiful ride! I did post below my favorite shot of the day (notwithstanding pictures of two adorable boys having the time of their lives)...
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