Just pictures...

Off to pick Raspberries at the U-Pick Farm!

Warming up after an early morning bike ride.

New park in Rosetown

Cute little cowgirl

Saskatchewan Roughriders doughnut from Ms. Karyn:).

Gotta love this little monkey:)

Caleb riding in Glidden(excuse the red eye). He acted like he was born on a horse!

Elyssia taking pictures...

28 weeks...

Elyssia's in L-O-V-E

Summer fun with friends...

Garrison's ride...

Facepaint at Glidden

Worn out!

LIke Mother, Like Daughter...

Today was my day with Elyssia. We don't get these often enough and today was a reminder to have it more frequently. She was very excited and chattered most of the way there. I was observing her and how she's growing up so fast lately. Her poor little legs are scarred up from so many bike and tree climbing adventures. Another top tooth is loose and ready to come out any day now:). So much about this little girl is changing and I'm thankful that the Lord gives us these moments as parents to enjoy them.

First stop was the Salvation Army. Their 50% off sale is this week and I wanted to have her try on some shirts to make sure they fit before I bought them. She had a lot of fun looking through them, saddened by my rejection of some and rejoicing that I said Yes to others:). She tried to pick some out for me too, sadly they were the wrong size. Flattering that she thinks they'd fit me, but nothing we can do about that. She was disappointed that I didn't buy anything I tried on. I tried explaining that it's not wise to buy things that don't fit. Someday she'll understand... We found some cute little skirts and shirts for Kiersten and even a couple pairs of pants for the boys. Elyssia didn't want to go home without something for them. She's very thoughtful that way.

Next stop, the LIBRARY. Here's where we enter my favorite territory as a little girl. Elyssia is no different. She walks in, eyes a couple books, picks one up, sits down, cracks open the cover and enters her own little world. I remember doing this as often as possible growing up and LOVE that she has the same passion for reading. Mind you, it does get in the way of school and chores sometimes, but all in all it's a blessing. We had 20 books to enter for each of the older two in the summer reading contest. The Librarian ran out of fishes to write the names on. We were taping some up and I looked around to see how the other kids were doing. Sadly there only seemed to be one other avid reader in the bunch. I know that the other kids are probably outside playing, but I have to say that our kids probably spend an average of 4-8 hours outside these days. There is still a lot of time in the afternoon and evenings for reading when it gets hot outside. So, it was kind of fun to see the Librarian's surprise at our list of books. She's very nice and we always enjoy visiting with her. Leaving is the hardest part. Elyssia's usually halfway through a book, with another one in mind. We did find a really cute one to borrow though. It's a book by Tim McGraw about spending the day with his daughter. She wonders what exciting adventures they will have and it ends up that just being with her Daddy is the biggest adventure of all. I know that Scott treasures the times with his girls(and boys) and I'm very thankful for that. Trips out to their "African Jungle" become pretty wild sometimes. The other day I heard lots of tiger noises. They've decided to add animals to the mix and then I see Scott's head pop up out of the brush with a big smile on his face. Have I mentioned how much I LOVE living out in the country. Where kids can be loud:). I don't enjoy the noise everyday, but it's nice that they have that freedom.

The last stop was for Elyssia to get some crayons and for me to pick up some things for the missionary gift basket. We ran inside as some raindrops started to fall and enjoyed the last part of our adventure. Oh, there was also a stop at the local bakery for a cookie and a loaf of bread. Yes, we could make it at home, but what's an outing without a little stop for snacks:). The other kids were jumping with excitement when Elyssia got home. They could hardly wait for her to tell them about her adventure. Wait til they find out that tomorrow we get to all have a big adventure together. I think it even includes pony rides for free:).

So, I'll try to remember to take lots of pictures in the next couple days and post the ones from yesterday too. I've got an especially cute one of the little Princess. Tonight Garrison said, "I love my little sister cause she gives me messy kisses." Caleb gets a big kick out of Kiersten too, even though she tends to follow him around more than he likes. He tells her, "Follow me little beebee." His pronunciation of baby. Heading off to dream about the day now...

The more the merrier...

Okay, so last night we went over to a friend's house to pick apples. We were done picking in less than 30 minutes and had 4 full bags! We had a lot of fun just visiting for the next couple hours. The kids found it very hard to say goodbye. Right before we drove over there we had a bit of an accident though. Scott was backing up and we heard something under the car. Yep! You probably guessed it was... Garrison's bike. There were some tears, but also the realization that it was his fault. When we got home Scott pulled the bent tire off and spent at least an hour before bed fixing the bike with parts off Elyssia's old one. He kept it around for spare parts and there's not too much left of it. Elyssia needed a new pedal awhile back, and now there's only one good tire and the handlebars:). Thankfully we didn't spend much for the bike in the first place. They were reminding our company tonight to watch out for their bikes, even though they were on the sidewalk, where they belong:))).
Today was pretty productive and a much needed nap was taken. After supper I was getting ready for one couple to arrive, when our friend Karyn called. She asked for directions to the house. We thought that she might have time to stop for tea on the way back from Saskatoon, but hadn't heard anything, so assumed that she hadn't had time. I was getting snacks ready for Russ and Sharon anyway, so I just added a bit more:). Karyn arrived with donuts. She even had two with the SK Roughriders logo on them:). I do have a couple pics, but I'll have to upload them tomorrow. She wouldn't let me take any of her, so I'll have to wait til we go to her tea house to get some:). The kids were so excited with all the company that we had to send them away a couple times, but they did pretty good. Kiersten started something that was kind of funny. As soon as Caleb would go to sit on my lap she'd run over and try to get up first. Then she'd do it if he headed for Scott. Way to frustrate your brother, little girl. She was pretty pleased with herself. I refused to pick her up after the 3rd time and she stuck out her little lip before heading over to sit on Mrs. Sharon's knee. The kids had to pull out their quilts to show Karyn and Elyssia made sure she saw where she was missing a tooth. Kids are funny that way. I don't remember whether I showed off like that when I was little. I remember looking forward to people coming over, but I don't think I was that outgoing. All in all, it was a great night and we enjoyed the extra company. Thankfully the house has stayed pretty clean, so sweeping and dishes were the main part of clean up. It's been great having the kids playing outside so much. Definitely saves on the messes.
Kiersten is still doing great with potty training. Last night was her 3rd dry night. She's had two accidents the past two days, but I have to admit that they're probably more my fault. I didn't ask her at Shirley's when we were picking apples and today I got a bit busy at one point and didn't ask her for over an hour. We might go without the diaper tomorrow night if this is another dry one. We'll see. There's still going to be quite a lot going on this next month or so and I'm not sure I want to do the complete switch to underwear when we're going on a trip to Edmonton next month. I don't want to confuse her by going back and forth. I'm very thankful for how quickly she seems to be catching on though.
Well, we've got some things planned tomorrow, including a trip to the library, so I'd better try to head to bed earlier tonight. Saturday is a full day with Glidden's festivities and the Michel's arriving. Praying for a good turnout Sunday. Looking forward to getting to know Collette's little ones too:).

*** One more prayer request before I go. One of my mother in law's students has been diagnosed with Leukemia. She's either grade 3 or 4, since that's the grades she's teaching. I'm sure that the family would appreciate all the prayers they can get for this little girl. Can't help thinking, "what if it was Elyssia?" Those of you with children, make sure to give them a little extra love as you think of those with sick little ones. We're not immune and someday it may be us needing the extra prayers. Take care and remember to count your blessings this weekend!

****Exhaustion Warning****

I was thinking about our day yesterday and recounting everything we did. I hadn't gotten halfway through the list and it was making me tired. Thankfully the Lord gives us the strength for each day and yesterday, when we were in the midst of it, didn't really seem all that tiring.

We started off like normal, but Kiersten was doing well with potty training, so the day kinda went like this:

* Kiersten Potty
* Breakfast
* Dishes
* Get dressed
* Do chores
* Kids made wooden boats
* Kiersten went potty about 3 times by 9! Great job:)
* Get pizza dough ingredients into the machine
* Start homeschool
* Take Kiersten potty
* Give Kiersten crayons
* Take crayons from Kiersten cause she's coloring on the walls(unfortunately something she enjoys quite a bit. Praise the Lord for Magic Eraser!!!
* Snack for kids
* Break up argument
* Help Elyssia with more school
* Potty break
* Make lunch
* Dishes
* Roll out pizza dough
* Shred cheese
* Shred massive zucchini from Shirley
* Take a nap. Sigh, big smile, love this part of the day!
* Get kids up
* Take Kiersten potty
* Assemble pizzas / Bake choc zucchini cake
* Snack time
* Outside play
* Tell the kids for the 10th time that it's not supper and no Daddy for 3 more hrs.
* Potty break
* Scott home!
* Pizzas in!
* New guy arrives(children get loud)
* Pizza quiets them. Contented sighs all around:).
* Dessert= Choc zucchini cake
* Bike ride(2 youngest pulled in wagon behind bike. Super dad is pulling:)
* Mom is inside cleaning up.
* Kids come in filthy
* Haircuts for all the "men".
* Bathtime
* Devotions
* Bedtime=Silence=Priceless and Thankfulness for the blessings of a full life

Remember I did warn you that it would be exhausting. Today was probably just as busy, but included an outing for me to have tea with a friend and then over to another friends house with all the kids to go apple picking.

Good memories mixed with a bit of sadness today. My friend Becky called this afternoon to confirm that her dad does have cancer. We're praying and won't be giving up hope anytime soon. It's just hard to watch those you care for go through this kind of thing. We pray that Bro. Dolan has many more years of making memories with his family. He's a great "Poppy" to all his grandchildren and has been one of the best music directors I've ever known. I have all kinds of good memories of Patch club, the year he was substitute coach for volleyball and all the years of adult choir. Cantatas, hay rides and Christmas Caroling. No matter what lies ahead, I thank the Lord for the blessing that he's been to our family and pray that our children get the opportunity to meet him someday. Elyssia and Garrison are too little to remember the trips to the island, but maybe the Lord will make a way for us to get back there someday soon.
It's getting late, so I'd better sign off for now. May God bless each of you with a peaceful sleep, trusting in the knowledge that He's still in control, even if things aren't going exactly the way you'd like them too. We're told to praise Him and Thank Him in the Good times and the Bad. So, Praising the Lord from whom all blessings flow. Til next time...

Jesus is calling...

Last night in devotions we were asking the kids what they wanted to pray for. It was Caleb's turn and he mentioned a person and said that they weren't saved. We knew that this specific person was and reminded him. When we did he burst into tears and said, then that means, I'm the only one that's not saved!". It was so unexpected and kinda breaks our hearts. When we ask him why he needs to be saved he doesn't really know yet. He just knows that most of the people he loves are and he wants to be too. I pray that Jesus keeps convicting him and that someday very soon he will acknowledge that he is a sinner(just like the rest of us) and that Jesus is the only one that can save him. It's amazing to see them at such a young age wanting to be saved when so many grown ups around them want to have nothing to do with it. We're so thankful for these little ones that the Lord has blessed us with. Sometimes we get frustrated with them, but the thankfulness outweighs those frustrations. In fact, I think that sometimes we probably frustrate them just as much:). Thankfully God has given us a love one for another and it just seems to grow day by day.

Another cause for rejoicing is Kiersten's quick potty training. She's gone like 8 times in the past couple days, which means diaper usage is just about coming to an end. For the next couple months anyway:). She likes it so much that it's hard to get her out of the bathroom, even after she's finished:). Kinda makes me laugh. I'll wait until she starts taking herself to declare her fully potty trained, but we're certainly thankful for the past couple days of progress.

It looks like we'll have at least a couple of visitors this week. One may be a pastor and his wife heading back from Regina. The second may be a friend that can meet for tea, which I'm really hoping works out and the third will be missionary friends this weekend. With the celebrations in Glidden this week is filling up.

Week 3 of homeschooling is off to a good start. Scott even started Elyssia's history and science, so we should be ahead of schedule this year. So, a good progress report all around today. I'd better go check the pizza dough. I've got meal plans set up for the rest of the month and hoping not to have to make another big grocery run. I know that this month isn't really much longer than the previous, but sometimes the weeks just seem longer and the food disappears faster.

Here is the church...

Here is the steeple... Open the doors, but where's all the people??? Yesterday was probably the quietest it has been at church in a long time. Okay, maybe the quietest ever! Not because of the kids either. This summer it has gotten a bit discouraging with so many deciding to be on some sort of vacation or trip almost every week. I'm honestly starting to feel that winter is my favorite because it means more people stay home. Is this what others are seeing around the world? I'm curious to know if it's becoming the norm. Growing up we were committed to being there when the doors were open, any extra activities were fit in during the week or not at all.

Anyway, Scott and I were talking and just trying to recount all the blessings, in spite of certain things. There really is a lot to be thankful for and I think it's better to focus on that. It's far more effective to spend the time praying for the Lord to work on hearts in this area and others instead of complaining anyway:). We've had so many blessings fellowshipping with all the missionaries that we've had this summer. We've made some wonderful new friends and have an even greater reunion to look forward to in Heaven. We have at least two more scheduled this year, both friends from Trail and we're really looking forward to that.

We jokingly say that we're ready to head to Mexico or the Philippines as missionaries. If God called us there, we really would go, but for those who are concerned by that statement, "no, we're not moving anytime soon." It's more about being willing to go wherever the Lord leads. None of the churches in Kindersley are full, so there are still many people to witness to. There's just a big contrast in how people respond to the Gospel in different countries. The people there(poor countries) are so hungry for the word of God and souls are being saved pretty much every day! How different it is from our culture that has too much materialistically and tends to fit God into their schedule if there's not a better offer. It's hard to see God get so little when He gave and gives so much to us. On the cross and each and every day. We wouldn't have the prosperity if He hadn't blessed us in the first place. We're so undeserving and in my book that is enough to move me to want to give Him everything that I can. We know that He brought us here for a reason, but we pray that we don't somehow miss out on that.

Keeping our hope in God and not in those around us is important if we're going to stay on track and not be derailed by discouragement. Another great blessing is knowing that we can have a part on those mission fields without being there physically. We can be there through prayer and finances. If God doesn't come back in the next couple years we'd really like to go over and help a missionary for a couple weeks. To have the kids help find ways to serve others and witness to them. Giving to those who can give nothing(or very little) in return. Giving, just for the joy of it:). No matter what comes, we just want to serve and praise the Lord.


Prayer Requests for this week:

Peace in Israel. More nations to pray for and support them. Repentance of those churches that have turned their backs on them and who are now boycotting their products. A very sad day...

Missionary that's just been sentenced to hang for being a Christian. They said they will only spare him if he converts to Islam. They've threatened to take his two young children and give them to Muslim families too. Strength for his wife especially during this time. He is standing firm for the Lord and encouraging others to do the same.

More opportunities to witness to people in Kindersley. Souls to be saved and lives to be changed for the glory of God.

My friend Tiffany Shanks: Deliver her baby this week so that she doesn't have to have a scheduled c-section on Sat. She requested prayer for this. We're praying for a quick delivery and no complications.

The results of the tests for Mike Dolan. Grace and peace in the days, no matter the outcome.

The Marquez family and others that are having a longer wait in the adoption process. The time to pass quickly, but also to be used wisely.

Those in Africa, Egypt and around the world that are going through extreme famine.

May we keep the Lord and His desires first in everything that we do as we go about our daily lives! Have a wonderful week and please find a way to be a blessing to others:).

Potty training of Kiersten. She decided last night that she was ready and she's gone twice so far:).

3rd Trimester

Not that long to go now, although one of my friends is due on Saturday and I have to admit I envy her being at that stage of the pregnancy:). I'm not sure if it's all the extra activity over the past month and a half or just being in this stage that seems to have stolen all my energy. It kinda started on Tuesday and today I just feel the lack of energy. Thankfully there are things to be done with and for the kids, so I'm not being totally lazy:).

We've had rain the past couple days and apparently there's more in the forecast. Not sure what that means for our weiner roast tomorrow night, but we'll figure something out.

There was a bit of excitement this morning with Sam. He was barking at the bushes and we were hearing strange sounds coming from that direction. The kids thought it was a coyote, but it turned out to be Taffy and Scratch a Mouse up in the tree growling at each other. We're not sure what's going on. Usually it's No No that comes by and picks on them, but Scott said that he hasn't seen him in several days and that Taffy was bedraggled and scratched up this morning. It's a good thing that Sam catches the mice around here because I have a feeling these cats aren't going to last too long.

We still have a tenant. His job in the oil patch didn't work out and he ended up being here a lot. Thankfully Scott has had a more flexible work schedule and has been around during the day. He's been building wheel chair ramps and things for the church. We've enjoyed seeing Scott more, but hoping the new guy finds a job or permanent place to live soon.

We've almost finished our second week of school! Elyssia is doing really well and seems to be enjoying the new curriculum. She took her first test today and got a 97%. She added an extra "s" on her memory verse. We have at least another 10 books for each of them to submit to the library book for the summer reading contest. Hard to believe it's almost the end of summer already. We've had a much better one than last week, at least getting a month's break from the mosquitoes and the kids having a lot more options to keep them outside. Soon it will be birthday season and I'll be kept busy making cakes, etc...

We finally tried a Cold Stone Creamery cake. Someone else bought it:). It was good,but I don't think it's worth paying as much as they charge. I made sure to take note of the way they set up the inside and I think that I can probably duplicate it for far less money. It was a nice treat though:).

I ordered books online from the library again. I can't think of any upcoming weeks where we're scheduled to be overwhelmingly busy like this summer, so hopefully I'll get a little reading time in there. Usually they all come in big stacks, so I didn't order any during our "busy season".

That was after the big computer crash. Scott actually thinks that the virus came through Skype. He was on one day and answered a call before realizing that he didn't know who it was. It was not someone on our friend list and some things came up before he was able to hang up the Skype call. He didn't think anything of it, but it was probably the beginning of a virus that someone spread that way. It's awful that some people have nothing better to do with their time. That we end up paying for their actions. We do have a lot to be thankful for though. Our info and files were all recovered and Scott has transferred it all to a memory stick now. There was all kinds of church info that would have been lost and gotten us in trouble come tax time. Praise the Lord things weren't completely lost. Just to us...

That about brings us up to date. We're looking forward to going to a friend's wedding next month, without the kids, and celebrating our anniversary on that day instead.

A Major prayer request: A good friend of ours has been diagnosed with tumors in his liver. I know that this is becoming more common, but it's hard to see friends and their loved ones go through it. As hard as it was to have Dad die as quickly as he did, I have to say that it was better than watching him suffer through cancer. I pray that this friend doesn't have a lot of suffering. That the Doctors will be able to do treatments and that it will all be removed, giving this man MANY more years with his family. Please add Mike Dolan to your personal and church prayers lists. He's faithfully served the Lord for several decades and we'd like to see him have the chance to do that for many more.

Seems like only yesterday...

I was walking down the aisle to say, "I do". It's actually been 8 years and I wouldn't trade them for anything. We've been a lot of places, seen a lot of things, had a lot of children:) and I don't regret any of it! Looking forward to spending the next 50 years or so with my favorite Farmboy:).

Family in Christ

Today we met the Friesen Family. Missionaries headed to the Mennonite people in Mexico. They both grew up in Mennonite homes, but left that life in search of the truth. There was no assurance of salvation in that community. So sad that they separate from the world and yet they're lost. They give up so much, but fall short of Heaven because they don't accept God's gift of salvation. They're not encouraged to read the Bible and home Bible studies are forbidden. How sad that those that seek to be separate from the world are the very same ones that keep their people from having a real personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. The Friesens are headed back to tell their family and others how to be saved. It's such a neat thing to spend time with our brothers and sisters in Christ. The first time we meet and it's like we've known each other forever! It's hard to say goodbye, but we know it won't be forever. We have eternity to spend together once the Lord says that we're finished down here. We also found out that we will get to see them again next month in Edmonton. Looking forward to getting to know them better, praying for them and hopefully supporting them financially. It's times like these that I wish we had a million dollars. To be able to give all of our missionary friends the money they need to get to the different countries the Lord has called them to and to help them to stay there and have the freedom to witness all week long. Sometimes prayer is all we have to give at this time, but the Lord is showing me that that is really one of the GREATEST tools that He has given us for helping people. The kids had a hard time saying goodbye to the Friesens too. It's hard for them to understand why people can't stay here forever. I have to admit that I feel that way sometimes. It's a blessing to know that we'll be in Heaven together.

The week ahead is looking a little more low key. I'm kind of thankful for that. We invited a family for supper Friday, but haven't heard back from them yet. If that doesn't work out we'll have a quieter weekend and then prepare for our friends to come on the 19th. They're heading to Holland as missionaries and we haven't seen them since they first got married. They have two little kids now and our kids are really looking forward to spending time with them.

It's gotten pretty late since I started writing this. I got into a conversation about Bible versions and topics and it lasted much longer than expected. Another school day tomorrow, so I'd better head to bed:).

tHaNkFuL...

This afternoon Scott took his "girls" on a date. They went to Cold Stone Creamery:). I stayed home and had some time with my "little men". Love those stinkers! Cabub's taken to kissing me on the arm or the cheek and declaring"I kissed you!" as though I didn't know who did it. As they ran off to play Legos I found myself with some extra time. I haven't blog surfed in quite some time. There is usually a long "to do" list waiting for me. Today it was pretty much done. The house and dishes were clean. Not much calling my name. I was planning to make some phone calls, but our phone was on the fritz again. Mom Skyped me and we talked for awhile, til she had to get off because of the thunderstorm on her end. I came across a blog that gave me yet another reason to be thankful. It was a blog written by a mother who lost her baby girl to SIDS this year. The little girl was 4 months old. It makes me want to go and hug each of our kids, but most of all to thank the Lord for His gifts. So many people out there are hurting and dealing with the loss of a child and here we are blessed with 4 and soon to be 5. I can't seem to even find sufficient words to express how thankful I am for these children. One of the girls I grew up lost a baby to SIDS and one lost one right after she gave birth. Another one lost her baby in the womb and many have gone through miscarriages. I know that God must have a reason for each of these and I honestly don't feel like I deserved to have all these healthy children more than any of my friends. Each story is another reminder to treasure each moment that we have with these little ones. They're far from perfect, but SO... AM... I...!

Another reason for this post is to ask for EXTRA Prayers on behalf of a friend who's adopting. The adoption courts in Ethiopia are closing tomorrow and they're waiting for their papers to be approved. Meaning they can bring baby "K" home. I was reading her update today and it's heartbreaking. The waiting, the separation, the love and desire for this little boy to be home with them. They got to be with him last week, but couldn't bring him back yet. Please pray that God would work a miracle here. We know that our God can do anything! I know that sometimes his answer is "no" or "wait", but He does want us to come to Him. To bear one another's burdens. Right now this is the only way to help, but also the BEST way to help. Please be in prayer for this family. That God's will would be done and that they'd have the grace to accept God's answer whatever it might be...

I'm not a very patient person and the 9 months of waiting during the pregnancy often seems quite long. God, however, knew what He was doing when He designed us this way. If it was any shorter we'd have kids a couple months apart and LOTS of kids in diapers:). Thanking God for this summer. This time to enjoy the other little ones and look forward to meeting this new little ... Looking forward to seeing Deb with her little boy one day soon:).

Where we've been...

This week we've been here and there. Picking raspberries and lilies with a friend. Weeding the garden, harvesting some of it and also starting school with the kids. Originally I'd planned to start in September, but with this baby due in November I thought we should start early. This will allow for time off to enjoy the new baby or to move more slowly through the work, if needed. So far Elyssia, Garrison and Caleb LOVE their work. Elyssia is in 2nd grade this year. Garrison is continuing the learning to read process and working on learning to write and draw. Caleb is working on letter identification/flash cards, coloring and following directions. I think the biggest challenge is getting them to work quietly. They did pretty good for about 20 minutes, but then the younger two were done coloring. Kiersten LOVES to color! She is getting pretty good at identifying her colors too:). She gets quite upset when it's time to put them away. Her other big thing is that apparently she doesn't like Scott or I to sing when we're not at church. She says, "NO SING!" or "Stop that!" We don't obey her and find it quite amusing. Not sure why she doesn't like it, but something is going on in that little head of hers. When Scott measured the kids yesterday we found that Garrison is only 1 inch shorter than Elyssia! He's quite happy about that. She doesn't seem to mind too much. They're all getting quite brown from the sun, more so than any other year.

Here are some pictures from the last two days:

As I'm writing this post I can see Kiersten and "Cabub", as she calls him, out the window. They're sitting in the grass and eating lunch, while 2 butterflies circle around them. Scott is mowing the lawn and it's an absolutely gorgeous day! There's so much raw beauty around us and it's fun to see it through the kids eyes. I wouldn't trade this for city life, even if someone paid me:). The only way I'd go is if God called us there.

So, it's off to enjoy another day that the Lord has made(and possibly a nap with the little ones;).

The LONG weekend...

Our company started arriving on Friday. They were all here by 8 and had a bit of time to visit before the kids went to bed. Saturday marked the start of the big building project. Friday Shirley surprised us by delivering a load of sand for the sandbox! I spent most of the time preparing food with Scott's mom and taking pictures. So, instead of writing a mini epic about the weekend, I'll just post the pics:).

We found that Kiersten can climb halfway up the climbing wall unassisted when wearing crocs. Yikes! The good news is that she can't seem to get any grip when she's wearing tennis shoes. Praise the Lord!:) The other 3 have no problem going up and down and are really enjoying their "treehouse". Scott put a bucket on a rope for them tonight. They can pull things up to play with and it makes their climb a bit safer. Caleb would climb with cars, etc, in his hands.

We had lots of good food this weekend, but were too busy to take pictures. 4 homemade pizzas that we thought were the best tasting so far. A ham dinner, homemade floats, fruit. I feel stuffed just thinking about it.

Sunday we had missionaries, but we can't post pics of them. They're headed to Turkey and the less info out there about them the better. We really enjoyed getting to know them and brought lunch to the church to eat with them before they headed out. They have 3 little kids that are close in age to ours and it was neat to observe them playing together. The new Sunday School curriculum arrived last week and the kids said they REALLY like it:). We had 2 other visitors. They were the parents of one of the men in our church. They actually help with cowboy church at rodeos. It would have been interesting to get to know them better, but there was only so much time.

After the company left it was time to get to Extra Foods for sale day. They actually helped me pack them in bags and out to the car today. Maybe it was the fact that I had two carts or the comment about being pregnant. Whatever it was, I was thankful for the help. It was another warm day, but not up to 100 like on Sunday. Oh, we also had a bizarre wind/rain storm on Friday night that made the power go out for about 30 minutes. The kids enjoyed the candles though.

That catches us up for now. Hoping for a slower week. The new guy should be headed out to the oil field tomorrow, so once the kids adjust to the lack of visitors, it should be a good week.