Winter has arrived!

This is a view of what we are experiencing already. This is actually what we awoke to last Monday. It snowed a wet, heavy snow all Sunday night. The power was off for most of the night (good thing we have our wood stove!!) and part of Monday. Anyways, our poor little trees were so weighted down. Here's a view of a plum tree...

and the aspens we planted a couple years ago, so they're pretty small still. The front one was touching the ground...

"snow on lens"

The apple trees were groaning, "Help. Get this snow off our branches. We've never felt so weighted in our entire life." (true, they've never had apples enough to weight them like this.)
And our good boy, Jonathan, out knocking the snow off the trees. He was having a blast.
We only had a couple of small twigs break. In town, we really saw some damage. There are several trees split down the middle like a lightening strike. Lots of branches down, enough to make a pile down by the county building about 50ft long, I don't know how deep and about 15 ft. high. Our trees are pretty young, so still pretty bendable. Mike and Lillian (my in-laws) had quite a few branches down. Luckily, nothing hit the house and caused any damage. Lillian told me, "I have been telling Mike to trim these trees. And he hasn't. So God said, "I'll take care of that for you." And He did!" I thought that was funny!

Life? Who me?

So we really do have a life. It's just gotten so full, I don't have time, or make time to sit and blog. I promise I'll get some new pics posted soon. The kids had fun birthdays, we've gone to Glacier Nat'l Park, and Jonathan has started Pre-K. So there is a lot to catch up on. But, today, I must get these tomatoes put up. Off to the kitchen...

Camping

July 17, 2009
Yup! Back up to our favorite spot to camp...Circle Park!

Michael built a great campfire and we tried to teach the kids fire behavior:

• never run around a campfire
• Daddy stokes the fire
• no blankies by the fire
• cuddle with Mommy by the fire!
  

The next morning, we climbed our favorite rock in Circle Park. This is Annisia's second "bouldering" experience. She did great!

My kids are hams!
Don't worry, Aunty Janice, (because I know you will!!). They really aren't on the edge of the world. The rock is only a few feet tall here.

And down she comes!

Then Jonathan got to lead us back to the camper. He does very well. Gets a little sidetracked by things like cool tree branches and rocks and stumps and things, but does very well!!

Check out this jump by Jonathan!

This just in...

Well, this afternoon, a hailstorm came through. Ugh! So! I'll take a minute from updating you on the past month, to updating you on my currently pathetic garden and trees...

Here's what it looked like in action...



This area of the deck is where 3 roofs come together. All that water runs off the 3 roofs, down into the drain field under the deck and comes out right by a plum tree which has grown tons since we added on in 2004. (The walls you can see, the one with the window and the one to it's left, are all part of the addition. The logs you see on the right side are from what used to be our west facing end of the house.)

You can see here where the 3 roofs come together, and the plummeted plum tree.

Out to the new garden, (which I just spent about 2 hours weeding on Saturday.) The poor corn was already having a dickens of a time growing. These 4 rows have about 3 packs of seeds distributed through them. First, they were getting drowned, then grasshoppers, then this hail! Poor things...

My peppers...bell, heart-shaped, and anaheim...hmmm...will they survive?

Here's a close up of the largest of the pepper plants...

An acorn squash plant...

close up of some corn...

But our upside down tomatoes seem to have escaped any thrashing! Yay! They are dragging along though. The initial seeds for these were started in the sunroom in February! C'mon...grow!

Here's another shot of the pile of hail on the picnic table!

I begin to have an appreciation for the pain farmers have when hail comes through. A smidgen of appreciation, maybe I should say. For if my corn doesn't amount to anything, I can still buy some corn on the cob at the store. I know that's not the case for farmers who have sections of land invested in field corn. A hail storm like this one could wipe them out. It was hard to believe the amount of hail and the fury of the storm. It just pounded down! Anyways, no one was hurt, maybe the garden will grow something, and our well can have a rest from running the sprinkler system for a day or so!

A pond at the ranch...

Michael's parents have a pond in their pasture again this year. This is not an every year occurrence, mind you. But when the girls were little, Michael's Kayla, and nieces Brady, Mandi, and Jami, they often played in the pond. They even rode the horses into the pond. Since we've been married, 9 years now!, I have only seen this size pond twice, I believe. And this year is the first I have seen the pond last for a entire month. What is the difference? I don't really know. We have had a wet spring and summer. Maybe when Lillian has the time to spend a little time on the computer relaxing and looking at the blog, she'll have an answer...;-)

So, one Sunday evening, we went out to the ranch and rode around in the pedal boat. It was fun...lots of mosquitos on the shore, but fun.

Papa told us to watch for a crocodile, so Jonathan was crocodile hunting most of the time!

"...fun, fun, fun, 'til Daddy took the T'Bird away..."

Michael came and picked us up for lunch in the Thunderbird again. We went up to the job site again where the guys were sanding the closet doors. Uncle Bret had his 'do'rag' on his shaved head and Annisia wanted to wear it. Daddy posed her beside the T'Bird. Isn't she just a hoot?!

'Tis the season of bike rides...

We are enjoying the summer and the bike rides we get. I spend some of my week in group cycling classes, so Michael does some morning bike rides alone. (Between you and me and the fence post (which we don't really have any of...hmmm, an expression that doesn't really work for me...), I think he really enjoys that!) This was one morning in July. He rode off around 6:30am. Jonathan met me in the living room just after 7am and asked where Daddy was. I told him Daddy had gone on a bike ride but should be coming in soon. So we looked out in the garage, but he wasn't home yet. Then we looked down the road and here he came! Jonathan was SO excited, he squealed and hopped around. Then he asked, "Can I go on a bike ride with you, Daddy?" So he got his shoes and helmet on and off they went, down to the stop sign and back, 1 mile. Jonathan thought that was SO cool.

Annisia wanted in on the action too! Daddy indulged her!

Heavenly Father, we're so thankful...

So, we had a good convention at Cody. Jonathan even paid attention a little. We heard a story about a little girl who came to her mommy and said, "Mommy, I need a spanking." Her mom had told her that if she did this certain something, she'd get a spanking. Well, she did that something and her mommy didn't see it, but she came to her and told her. She knew if her mommy found out about it later, and she would, she'd get into even worse trouble, so she told her. The lesson, as Michael, Leilani, and I remember it, is "it's good to be honest. If we bring our faults to God, he's more likely to help us than to punish us. Remorse, Repentance and Forgiveness." Anyways, Jonathan said later in the camper, "Daddy, why did the little girl tell her mommy she needed a spanking?" He was listening!

Monday, on the way into my chiro app't, Jonathan said, "Mommy, I love Aunty Leilani more than Daddy and my Snuggly." Me, "Oh?! Really?" Then he said, I love Daddy more than Aunty Leilani."

Then yesterday, I told the kids we were possibly going to have company, a play date. Both kids asked, "who?", but I told them, "it's a surprise." Jonathan said, "Is it Aunty Leilani and Scott?" I said no, and he said, "Is it Aunty Leilani?" I think he's enamored!!

Yesterday, Jonathan made Annisia and I lunch! He had a saucepan out and he was cooking. (The kid uses a lot of tools, I tell you!) He made us French sugar soup. hmmm... So he got out 2 of our soup bowls from the clean dishwasher, and a smaller bowl for Annisia. He used the gravy spoon to dish up some water, er, ahem, I mean "soup"! He came and found me and told me we were going to pray. (This is something we sometimes need to tell him when he is lagging getting to the table..."Jonathan, we're going to pray." He doesn't like missing prayer before the meal.) So I hurried to the table. He prayed...

"Heavenly Father, we are so thankful for this food (French sugar soup...ie. water in bowls!). We're so thankful for...(Annisia pipes up, 'the workers!')...the workers, and we're so thankful for...(I whispered, 'Jesus')...Jesus. Father, we just worship (!)...this food. In Jesus' name. Amen." I love my children. What a sweet prayer.

A friend sent this video to me...this is not my kid! However, they do sound like this at times!!

http://www.snotr.com/embed/2630

Argh! Walk the plank!

Jonathan and Annisia were playing pirates after having a peach for a snack. (yes, that information is important.) I heard Jonathan say, "Argh! Walk the plank!" and Annisia answered, "I'm not 'Argh', I'm a mama kitty!" I laughed so hard! So I got the camera and got a video...enjoy!



Annisia says, "I'm a mama kitty cat. I have babies in my tummy. I ate my pits." (Hence, my above remark about the peach.) Doesn't she look fierce?!

Welcome Baby Carter!

Michael's niece, Brady, had her baby this week! Little Carter is adorable...and so loved. The kids think their new baby cousin is pretty neat. Here's a few pics.

This first one is a baby clothes bouquet I made out of onesies and bibs. There are two links there, but neither one is the one I used. My mom sent me a page from Women's World a long time ago and I used that. I removed artificial flowers from their stems and put the rolled up onesies and bibs on the stems. It actually wasn't as easy at it ought to have been as the onesies were heavy and would fall off the stem. Argh! But it turned out cute.

But Baby Carter and his mommy, Brady, are cuter! The kids were very fascinated with Carter.

Mommy's joy...

Mommy's love...

This pic sort of shows Carter's bright eyes...he's adorable!

Some more singing!

Annisia doesn't need a hymn book to sing hymns! She just grabs any old magazine! She has a huge capacity of memory...it's amazing to me how many songs she knows.



Jonathan loves to sing! He was singing the chorus of "God's Word is So Pure" over and over..."Tis better than thousands of silver and gold, Oh most precious than rubies can be (really written as 'More precious than rubies can be'), To sit at the feet of my Master divine, And hear when He speaketh to me." Into his microphone, all the while looking at the index of his dinosaur book! heehee!

Look what the kids are up to!

Here's miss Annisia in her sweetest little gingham blouse and shorts and CURLS! (OK, so I have to wet her hair, twist it in a tight spiral, twist it tightly in a bun and wait overnight, but we get curls occasionally!) I think I bragged to too many people this day, and she got too many compliments on her sweet curls. She turned to me at one point and said, "Mommy, I don't want curls any more." ; -(

Jonathan is enjoying dressing himself... He had this shirt on, the plaid button up one with a pair of khaki pants for meeting. After lunch, he changed into a pair of sweatpants and a fleece sweatshirt as it had cooled down quite a bit. Well, he played outside for awhile, and got soaking wet, washing the go-go car. So! Into the house he went to change clothes again. He now has a Denver Broncos tshirt on under the initial button up shirt with these red pants that fold up into capris. He's a firefighter every time he puts these red pants on. So he's a Denver Broncos firefighter...a very important job, thank you! Michael had the hammock out for a nap, and the kids like to play in it. Then Jonathan got the 'great' idea to walk on the log railing of our deck. He climbed up the post, we held his hand (M once and I once), and he was set to go. Funny thing is, I was more worried about him getting a sliver in his foot then him falling!

Then the kids enjoyed some time playing on the loader tractor. Annisia was on her relatively new kick of being a dog, Macy, (whyever, I don't get!) and Jonathan was giving her a ride. He'd say, "Macy, you hang on now. We're going to go fast!" and they'd speed down the driveway. When they came back and up the little slope we have, he'd say, "Macy, this is too hard. You're too heavy." I don't know why Annisia has her little bottom lip out, but...

Annisia sings "Take Me Out to the Ballgame"

Really, my kids do other things than sing...but they are so stinkin' cute when they sing these songs. I can't help it...I have to video them! Do you think I need therapy?!

Annisia sang this song for my parents when they were visiting a month ago. I think they told my sis about it, so last night when she and I were talking, I put Annisia on the speaker phone and told her to say something to Aunty Janice. So she did, and then Janice asked her to sing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game". My kids are born performers..



This was a little later, actually. She sang it again for Daddy so I could get a video.

Happy Birthday,Mandi!

So, we do a lot of singing around here...

Last Tuesday, we were playing outside. The kids were playing in the sandbox and had filled one of the sand castle pieces with sand, put a few dried grasses in it and sang me "Happy Birthday!" (despite the fact my b'day was several months ago! That's OK, it's sweet every time they sing it to me!) Then, they sang it to their cousin Mandi! Little did they know, but it really was her birthday! So I ran to the house for the camera and asked them so sing it again so I could video it. Happily, they obliged. Here's the song for Mandi!

Sweet & Coy Annisia!

We got a boxful of "new" clothes from a little friend, Kiera. Annisia got so excited when she saw this pretty little dress and bonnet! She had to wear it, right now! So I grabbed the camera and asked her to pose for a picture. (I know, encouraging her vanity and all!!)
But check out this pose! (heehee)

"And here's the pretty hat, Mommy!"

And here's the coy look...

Jonathan rides a two wheeler!

Jonathan saw his good friend Dawson ride his bike without training wheels a couple of weeks ago. He was SO impressed! On Sunday evening, May 17th, he said, "Mommy, I am 4 years old and big enough to ride a two wheeler. May I please have my training wheels off?" So Daddy obliged, gave him a few pointers, rode a bike with him a little, and voila! off he went!

The Good Samaritan, a cool car, and the park!

At MOPS, Jonathan and his classroom learned about the Good Samaritan. So we reviewed it at home, I read the story to them, we talked about it, and the day went on. Over a week later, the kids were playing. All of the couch cushions were off the couch. Annisia was laying on the couch and Jonathan was putting a string on her foot. I asked what they were doing. Jonathan said, "I am the Good Samaritan, and I am fixing her hurt foot."

One day, Michael came home in the 1958 Thunderbird Papa gave to the three boys. He said it needed to be driven a little! So he took us to lunch in it. At first I was kind of freaked out because it has no seat belts...at all! But then I chilled and just had fun. The kids thought it was so cool to not have to buckle in. We went to a sandwich restaurant drive thru. When we got to the pick-up window, Annisia stuck her head out and said, "Hi! We're in the T-bird!"

We headed up to the job site, and, while we were going down Main, we saw a couple of police vehicles headed our way, so we snuck off on a side street! Why tempt fate?!

Another day at the park...ahhh! This time Ralna and baby Brody joined us. What fun!

Brody, almost asleep at the swing!

Mommy, take a picture of me!

And here's our Bella. She's a good girl too. She doesn't really like to get her picture taken, so she looks away. We figure she's about 12 years old.