Car Wash Anyone???

Today I didn't have as much on the schedule and made the spontaneous decision to wash the van. The kids thought it looked like a lot of fun and asked to help. Anything that includes water they're usually quick to volunteer:). Here are the pictures:

When I previewed the post I noticed that they put the pic of the clean car first. That was the finished product and it was really dirty when we started. Not bad for a pregnant lady and 4 little kids, eh? I think there was at least a bucket's worth of water on the floor from the sink to the door too, so the floors got a bit of a bath as well.

Elyssia wants everyone to know that she lost her 3rd tooth today. This was the first one that Scott got to pull out. She tried to get me to pull it out yesterday, but it just wasn't ready. It came out just before Theo left, so Elyssia had to go show it to him:). We're down to one visitor, but he may have a lead on an apartment in town. There is a vehicle on it's way here for him as well, so hopefully we'll have things back to normal sometime next week.

The in-laws are coming today with plans to build the swingset structure for the kids. There's a lot of excitement around here! A lady in our church also volunteered to pick up a load of sand for the sandbox. This is going to be an epic weekend. Did I mention that we have missionaries too? Life's never boring around here:). Til next time...

Surprises never cease.

This morning Elyssia called me out to say that Garrison could ride without her helping him to get started. His training wheels are off and I have to admit that I was a little skeptical. He's gotten close, but being only 4 I wasn't sure that he was ready. Well, as the title says, "Surprises never cease". He rode a long way into the fields twice while I was watching and I'm thinking it will be every day now:). Our little boy has taken one giant leap towards confident manhood:). I know it sounds corny, but there is something about watching them master skills and the boost of confidence it brings.

Here are the pictures of the cinnamon buns. My mouth just waters looking at the pictures:) Good thing they're still in the freezer! I posted the recipe in a note on facebook.

Notice that there's one missing? Hmmm... I wonder where it could have gone? To a good cause I'm sure:))).


Here's what came out of the bedroom this morning after the men left for work:

She went outside to show the other kids. We laughed and laughed over how silly she looked. Definitely a good way to start the day!


Things are going quite well, although much too busy for Scott. There have been two men from the Legion that passed away in the last week. That has meant flower deliveries, visits and now a funeral on Saturday. He's been trying to get this driveway job completed and having two helpers needing supervision has proven to be challenging when trying to run errands in between. James is fitting in pretty good. He's an only child, so I think he's used to a very quiet setting. Our kids are breaking him in fast:). He's even going to see Elyssia lose her 3rd tooth. She's VERY excited about that! Actually, they've been quite good and I think things will be just fine.

One disappointment was that the apartment we thought would be perfect already seemed to have a waiting list. Greg didn't know that, but with the shortage of places around here, we really shouldn't be that surprised. We'll keep looking, but it might take awhile.

Amazingly enough the house is still quite clean. This is definitely a record, but I think it has a lot to do with removing the bookcase and toys from the living room. The kids have kept it mostly in their rooms and there's not the chance to scatter it when it's not on the wood floor. If only I'd thought of this last year:). It has definitely saved me a lot of work. The extra time has been needed for meal prep, baking and other chores. So, time's a-wasting. We're having a weiner roast tonight and I need to prepare a potato salad and try to enjoy some of the beautiful weather we're having too. Not too hot and definitely not cold. This is the day that the LORD hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in it!

Barely standing...

Actually I'm sitting down to type this post:). I can barely stand up right now. Who knew weeding could make a person this sore. Oh, maybe it's also the 4 trays of cinnamon buns, 2 pies, meatloaf supper, loads of laundry and playing with the kids. A combination I'm sure. Getting to eat some of the cinnamon buns was far more rewarding than weeding though;). I tried a new recipe today. This one rose perfectly and tasted better than any of the previous ones I've tried. I'll have to post the recipe with the picture I took sometime. Too tired tonight and waiting for Scott to get back with our other guest, James. The "men" are tired tonight too. They were using the jackhammer on a driveway all day and it definitely takes it's toll on a person.

Kiersten has a new favorite person: Theo. She calls his name and follows him around, whenever he's not carrying her:). I'll have to get some pictures. He went out with the older 3 to the "African Jungle" and played Lego, so he's at the top of their friend list. We're so blessed to have friends that love to play with kids:).

That's it for tonight. Not bad having too posts in one day, but I'm definitely ready to turn in for the night. Looking forward to some much needed rest...