Photo by Grace West:)
Friday, August 1, 2008
Fun
What's wrong with me? Three posts in one day-do I have anything better to do? Actually, the kids and I spent the last few hours making homemade bouncy balls..it was fun-for them. Haha-it was a sticky, gooey mess but they were so excited. I love this picture-look how sweet Luke's little face is. I love having a craft room for the kids. I love that the table is covered in paint splotches, stuck newspaper and glue. I love that I don't care what happens to the floor in there. And I love the posters I got at the homeschool convention(even though I don't homeschool!) That room is literally a dream come true for me. I have always wanted a kids' craft room. Every drawer is labeled with it's kid friendly contents "scissors, glue, craft paper, worksheets, etc..." They spend hours in there sometimes. Bring on the creativity! 
Photo by Grace West:)
Photo by Grace West:)
My boys
Last week the boys spent the night with Grandma Darlene for the FIRST TIME! This picture is of them right before they left...they had great time! Thanks Grandma, Darlene:)
This picture just makes me laugh...they are scooting around with poor stuffed animals tied to ropes, dragging the ground...haha...
This picture just makes me laugh...they are scooting around with poor stuffed animals tied to ropes, dragging the ground...haha...
Going to the Fair
The kids and I went to the fair with one of their Aunt Megans,cousin Jocelyn, and Grandma Connie. It was so fun! Our very favorite thing was the Llamas. I've always dreamed of owning alpacas (similar to llamas) but after seeing their personality compared to the llamas, we are now huge llama fans. The babies were so sweet and one of the llama mothers was really friendly in spite of the fact that we were obsessed with her baby.
This is Grace having a bonding moment with one of the awesome Llamas...they are so gentle and good with kids. We'd love to have a few. They are easy for kids to work with, lead on a leadrope, and don't bite. You can have them as pets, sell or donate their fur to cottage industries, and the babies sell for a nice profit. We just want them to raise:)
Grace and Anteneh with a Llama mamma-haha
Jocelyn with Tinkerbell-a really sweet llama
"Can I please have a baby goat, mom? Why not?"
I LOVE this picture. balloons from the Vanderburg County Sheriff, soft serve ice cream cones from the Future Dairy Farmers of America' booth, walking down to see the horses.
It was a great day at the fair! Grace is asking to do 'mini 4-H next year'...we might do it. It was so cool to see all the kids display their hand raised animals and collections in the exhibit hall. Grace would do really well at 4-H, I think!
This is Grace having a bonding moment with one of the awesome Llamas...they are so gentle and good with kids. We'd love to have a few. They are easy for kids to work with, lead on a leadrope, and don't bite. You can have them as pets, sell or donate their fur to cottage industries, and the babies sell for a nice profit. We just want them to raise:)
Grace and Anteneh with a Llama mamma-haha
Jocelyn with Tinkerbell-a really sweet llama
"Can I please have a baby goat, mom? Why not?"
I LOVE this picture. balloons from the Vanderburg County Sheriff, soft serve ice cream cones from the Future Dairy Farmers of America' booth, walking down to see the horses.It was a great day at the fair! Grace is asking to do 'mini 4-H next year'...we might do it. It was so cool to see all the kids display their hand raised animals and collections in the exhibit hall. Grace would do really well at 4-H, I think!
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Contact!
July 23rd was a WONDERFUL day! It was so great because we finally got a hold of Anteneh's biological mother in Ethiopia! A new Ethiopian friend of ours, Tigist, came over and called for us. It was wonderful to have her translate. Aberash has been longing to hear Anteneh's voice ever since the last time she heard it in February 2007. It has been a long road to talking to her on the phone. At first we had the wrong phone number. Then we had nobody to translate. Finally we found an Ethiopian friend and the correct phone number and got through but she was out of the city of Harar. So, we had to wait but then our Ethiopian friend moved away. But finally on July 23rd we connected...Praise the Lord. It was a special day. Anteneh told her that he was coloring and playing with his brother...and that he loved her. She said she was 'overjoyed'!!!! We were so happy...
Friday, July 11, 2008
On a happier note....
Somewhere on a blog one time I saw a contest to write a sort of essay about your childhood that was in the form of, well, I'll just have to show you...I thought it was the coolest thing...and it makes me get so excited to wonder what my kids' stories would be like...here is mine:
My childhood was....
gingerbread cookies on rainy days
having the neighborhood pool where everyone would gather
popcicles from the garage freezer
tents in the basement
recording myself singing
the goonies
sliding down the stairs in sleeping bags
the little wooden chair my dad made
laying upside down in the backseat with my best friend on the way to Purdue
my dog's stinky doghouse in the garage
skinny dipping at night in our pool
bleaching my jeans in the washing machine-on purpose cause it looked cool
layering my socks-hot pink and lime green
the smell of my dad's workbench-wood shavings, oil cans, used paintbrushes
sitting in the garage and watching the rain, talking about grandma in heaven bowling
throwing up in my dad's car and him trying to catch it
using the wrong dishsoap in the dishwasher and watching it foam with bubbles on the kitchen floor
hooking up the laundry baskets with belts and pulling my stuffed animals in the train
pound puppies dancing to jon bon jovi
the shed that smelled like the lawn mower
making make believe salads with the berries from the bushes around the house
the cute boy across the street that rode a motorcycle
gathering with the neighbors to watch the neighbor boy do breakdancing
swimming in the hotel pool with Julia
dinner at the westport inn
breakfast with dad when my sister would eat apple butter straight
wondering if the smurfs might someday walk into my house
taking a picture of my mom with my first camera when she stepped out of the shower and getting in lots of trouble for it
crosswords with my stepmom on the pullout couch
pretending to workout on the soloflex
walk like an egyptian
a crush on the boy from the wonderyears
fireflies
the cricket box my dad made me...we always fed them Doritos's and a little sponge w/ water in it
my new bedroom in the basement
coca cola classics from dad's frig-in a purdue koozie
buttons all over my jean jacket
creek fried potatoes at 'the rendezvous'
laying in the tanning bed with my mom and thinking it was normal
watching 'cheers' with my dad laying on the floor because I couldn't sleep
grandpa opening the trunk so we could each pick out a can of pringles and a gatorade for the purdue football game...
my first kiss-a boy with oreos in the corner of his mouth
my best friend bringing my training bra to the playground and showing it...chasing her and never catching her-no wonder-she is now a marathon runner
walking through the KFC drive through with her
my 4th grade teacher's bad breath
being made to wear the same outfit two days in a row-hating it
crossing the invisible line down the bed I shared with my sister-and loving how mad she got
the treehouse dad built-it was solid
flying down the hill on a piece of wood with four little wheels
dad stringing christmas lights on the big fir tree by the driveway
my friends fighting over who got to play with me each day
thinking the big house in the neighborhood was a mansion
dad trying to teach me to know the names of the different kinds of trees
sleeping in sponge curlers
cabbage patch dolls
digging the christmas decorations out-they seemed new every year but never were
I could go on and on...
My childhood was....
gingerbread cookies on rainy days
having the neighborhood pool where everyone would gather
popcicles from the garage freezer
tents in the basement
recording myself singing
the goonies
sliding down the stairs in sleeping bags
the little wooden chair my dad made
laying upside down in the backseat with my best friend on the way to Purdue
my dog's stinky doghouse in the garage
skinny dipping at night in our pool
bleaching my jeans in the washing machine-on purpose cause it looked cool
layering my socks-hot pink and lime green
the smell of my dad's workbench-wood shavings, oil cans, used paintbrushes
sitting in the garage and watching the rain, talking about grandma in heaven bowling
throwing up in my dad's car and him trying to catch it
using the wrong dishsoap in the dishwasher and watching it foam with bubbles on the kitchen floor
hooking up the laundry baskets with belts and pulling my stuffed animals in the train
pound puppies dancing to jon bon jovi
the shed that smelled like the lawn mower
making make believe salads with the berries from the bushes around the house
the cute boy across the street that rode a motorcycle
gathering with the neighbors to watch the neighbor boy do breakdancing
swimming in the hotel pool with Julia
dinner at the westport inn
breakfast with dad when my sister would eat apple butter straight
wondering if the smurfs might someday walk into my house
taking a picture of my mom with my first camera when she stepped out of the shower and getting in lots of trouble for it
crosswords with my stepmom on the pullout couch
pretending to workout on the soloflex
walk like an egyptian
a crush on the boy from the wonderyears
fireflies
the cricket box my dad made me...we always fed them Doritos's and a little sponge w/ water in it
my new bedroom in the basement
coca cola classics from dad's frig-in a purdue koozie
buttons all over my jean jacket
creek fried potatoes at 'the rendezvous'
laying in the tanning bed with my mom and thinking it was normal
watching 'cheers' with my dad laying on the floor because I couldn't sleep
grandpa opening the trunk so we could each pick out a can of pringles and a gatorade for the purdue football game...
my first kiss-a boy with oreos in the corner of his mouth
my best friend bringing my training bra to the playground and showing it...chasing her and never catching her-no wonder-she is now a marathon runner
walking through the KFC drive through with her
my 4th grade teacher's bad breath
being made to wear the same outfit two days in a row-hating it
crossing the invisible line down the bed I shared with my sister-and loving how mad she got
the treehouse dad built-it was solid
flying down the hill on a piece of wood with four little wheels
dad stringing christmas lights on the big fir tree by the driveway
my friends fighting over who got to play with me each day
thinking the big house in the neighborhood was a mansion
dad trying to teach me to know the names of the different kinds of trees
sleeping in sponge curlers
cabbage patch dolls
digging the christmas decorations out-they seemed new every year but never were
I could go on and on...
Pet Peeves
Am I a grouchy person that I have many pet peeves? I don't think it could be a good quality. Here's one of them: when my kitchen floor is needing to be swept to the point where if I walk barefoot on it I get junk stuck to the bottom of my feet. Hate that. Another one is people who think they are entitled to something that isn't theirs. Example: Kids who grab a toy from someone and selfishly say, "You HAVE to share with me"...grrr...that's why in our house, we don't force the kids to share. People reading this may have a lot to say about how this is dumb of us (please don't leave me any neg comments-thank you) but let me explain: I think it teaches our kids something great to encourage them to share yet not force them to. Because that's not how the world works. (well, in the case of income redistribution it does but that's irritating and I don't like it) ANYWAY...do we just walk into our neighbor's yard and take their lawn mower and say, "haha-you HAVE to share with me" and start mowing our own yards with it!? NO! So, we encourage our kids to share but don't take things from them and hand them to other kids. It blesses them 10 times more to let them make that decision themselves-and 99% of the time they share whatever it is. This works so well in our house to teach our kids to have a giving heart rather than causing them to resent being forced to give their stuff away. And I know our method is very effective with our kids b/c they are very generous...(just to brag a little, sorry)
Done with my soapbox now....here is my point. Flies. I hate how they land on your food and act like they have a right to be there! Like your food just has to be shared with them. Do I sound like a nutjob!? Haha-I mean, really-who likes flies? I'm thankful that God knows what he's doing and I'm sure flies exist for a special reason-probably having to do with the food chain...but I don't like them.
Let me tell you about my kids' hearts...a few days ago they were all VERY upset that a fly was drowning in the water of the flowers Daryn got me for my birthday...they were all 3 very upset and made Daryn get all the flowers out to save it, do mouth to mouth, and built him a little shoebox home. OK, I'm kidding-but they did make him save it. They have huge hearts...
Yesterday we were eating dinner and there was a fly buzzing around. So, Daryn got the fly swatter...the kids were all very upset when Daryn swatted it and threw it away. They demanded to know why he didn't let it free outside...oh, the innocent little minds and hearts of young children...
I guess I should pray that they keep this loving attitude toward all of God's creation....it would be better than ending up being so irritated by things that they write blogs about their pet peeves as an adult:) haha.
One more annoyance: when my dog eats the baby bird I so carefully saved. The kids don't know. I found the little bones and feathers in the backyard a few days ago. (sigh)
Ironically, I'm in a great mood as I write about my annoyances:) Despite the fact that I've got really bad poison ivy all over my arms and back AND I had an allergic reaction to biting into a peppercorn today and my face swelled up and I had to run to the drugstore to dope myself up on benedryl....and I almost gave myself a black eye when I dropped the Hershey's cocoa from the top shelf of the pantry...and I over roasted my poblano peppers this afternoon until they literally disappeared and I had to retake my defensive driving test 5 times before passing this afternoon (it was my first ticket and really dumb)...haha...it's all pretty funny and meaningless, really:) I'm glad at the end of the day I can laugh about it all
Done with my soapbox now....here is my point. Flies. I hate how they land on your food and act like they have a right to be there! Like your food just has to be shared with them. Do I sound like a nutjob!? Haha-I mean, really-who likes flies? I'm thankful that God knows what he's doing and I'm sure flies exist for a special reason-probably having to do with the food chain...but I don't like them.
Let me tell you about my kids' hearts...a few days ago they were all VERY upset that a fly was drowning in the water of the flowers Daryn got me for my birthday...they were all 3 very upset and made Daryn get all the flowers out to save it, do mouth to mouth, and built him a little shoebox home. OK, I'm kidding-but they did make him save it. They have huge hearts...
Yesterday we were eating dinner and there was a fly buzzing around. So, Daryn got the fly swatter...the kids were all very upset when Daryn swatted it and threw it away. They demanded to know why he didn't let it free outside...oh, the innocent little minds and hearts of young children...
I guess I should pray that they keep this loving attitude toward all of God's creation....it would be better than ending up being so irritated by things that they write blogs about their pet peeves as an adult:) haha.
One more annoyance: when my dog eats the baby bird I so carefully saved. The kids don't know. I found the little bones and feathers in the backyard a few days ago. (sigh)
Ironically, I'm in a great mood as I write about my annoyances:) Despite the fact that I've got really bad poison ivy all over my arms and back AND I had an allergic reaction to biting into a peppercorn today and my face swelled up and I had to run to the drugstore to dope myself up on benedryl....and I almost gave myself a black eye when I dropped the Hershey's cocoa from the top shelf of the pantry...and I over roasted my poblano peppers this afternoon until they literally disappeared and I had to retake my defensive driving test 5 times before passing this afternoon (it was my first ticket and really dumb)...haha...it's all pretty funny and meaningless, really:) I'm glad at the end of the day I can laugh about it all
Saturday, June 28, 2008
It's Summertime!
I just love this picture of the boys...Anteneh is flying through the air on the rope swing out at my Uncle Fred's river camp today...and my brother in law has Luke in the air like he's going to throw Luke on the rope, too...isn't this a great picture of summer?!
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