A Day On The Farm

Saturday Mark and Khara had the privilege of enjoying a day on the farm. My mom and I headed to Springfield to go shopping with Kelsey and Kaden while Mark and Khara stayed back to help my dad shear some of his sheep. Khara hates to shop and loves any chance she can get to be out in the barn with animals.

My parents live on a farm about 15 min. from us where my dad has over 300 sheep. He is trying to get them sheared before they start lambing in a couple of weeks. Mark wanted to help. (Seems a little "inhumane" since the temp. will be around 10 tonight but, if the mother is cold she will come into the barn to lamb instead of some where "out in the back forty".)



Khara stuffed some of the "shearer's moccasins"" with wool so that she could wear the same kind of "shoes" that Dad and Grandpa had on.


After the sheep are sheared the wool is put into these big 6ft. bags. I've never seen a child yet who didn't love to jump in them and stomp the wool. :-)


She had finally had enough and ended up falling asleep in the wool sack. Warm and toasty.
Kelsey and Kaden got to have their turn after we finally made it back from our shopping trip.

Mark, removing the 4" coat- at the end of January~brrrr.

Some are sheared, some are not, let's call it a day.

Back To Normal

Khara headed back to school today after being off for seven. (sniff, sniff) Kelsey had to start back on Monday. I loved having them home and can't wait 'til summer. I was able to get SO much done and didn't really know why. I had three instead of one???

By 8:30 this morning I quickly remembered. Where I am Kaden thinks he has to be (which is a little flattering for oh, maybe 30 seconds??) He tried dumping laundry, flushing pieces of toilet paper and who knows what else (ask Mark how to"pull"an entire toilet to remove toys), and turning off the computer while I was trying to check your blog. Gotta love little boys.

I did have a very profitable "snow vacation". I went through all three of their closets, got them reorganized and sorted. I love to "buy ahead" but you do have to stay on your toes or you'll miss things or "overstock". (Does Khara really need 8 "April Cornellki" jumper sets??) Anyway, it is a great feeling to open the closet doors and have nice, neat rows smiling back at you. :-)

Maybe it will snow again this year???

*Antiquities Pictures*

I am finally taking the time to post the "Antiquities" Pictures that we had taken at the end of November.

Our local M.O.P.S. (Mothers of Preschoolers) group did this as a fundraiser and it was a huge success!! The pics were a little pricey but your organization makes a lot of money off of it. Mark and I were happy with the results.

*(my preference for photography is still Herring Photography, for some reason my kids do really good with that photographer and I get tons of proofs :-)!!)*

Khara- 6, Kelsey- 4, Kaden- 18 months

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow--Again

Wow- What a week! School has been canceled all week. We have enjoyed it to the fullest. The ground is still well covered with ice and the forecast is calling for 3-6 more inches tonight. YIPPEEE!!! For fear (hope), we get snowed in again, I'm off to buy my milk and bread. :o)

Enjoying a Few More "Ice" Days

Last Friday and Saturday we were hit with a beautiful ice storm. As a result, we are enjoying a long break from school. School was dismissed early Friday and they have been out ever since. My admiration for home school moms has been growing by leaps and bounds. :-) Kelsey really has been enjoying having Khara around all the time. Kaden just tries to stay out of the way and watch.











"Dress-up" was the chosen activity for more than an hour. They put on "show", after "show".











After supper Mark tried his hand at baking (which he really enjoys but very seldom tries). I sat at the table(within question distance), finishing a project with the girls.

The results were delicious!!

(yes Englund family, he made Monster Cookies)

Kelsey Crashes

Don't you just love those times as a mother when your heart temporarily ceases to beat?? Seems like I have had a lot of those moments in the past couple of months.

I was lying down Thursday night very sick when I heard Kelsey let out a wail. Mark came racing through the bedroom door holding her and told me he thought that she had broken her nose. Kelsey running full speed ahead made head on contact with her wooden desk at the end of the hallway. We did not make another E.R. trip that night. Ice packs do wonders with children. Now, 2 days later she is much better (Thank the Lord), just has two black eyes and still a puffy face.

She thinks she looks like a Chinese girl. :-) Which by the way is what Khara wants to be for Halloween next year, maybe I need to keep these pics. handy...

At The Cabin...

Evan, Kelsey, Kristen, and Khara patiently wait to begin opening gifts.

Cousins Ryan and Khara- 8 months apart.

Kaden trying to decide how he feels about being hugged by a grinning girl. ;-) ( Cousin Kaitlynn)

Harmony and Amanda, (who seem to have grown up overnight), take a step back into their childhood with "Guess-Who" : )

This year for our Christmas in Michigan we were able to stay in a rented cabin. It was nice for all four families to be able to stay in the same place. The "cousins" loved having three different levels to run and explore on. Playing games was the activity of the weekend for the adults. Lots of fun!!

Hello- "2007"

KELSEY

KHARA

KADEN


I'm back!!! 2007 is here and came in with a roaring start.

We had a wonderful holiday season. All of my family made it "home" for Christmas. We had a great time!! On Thursday, we headed to Michigan to spend New Years weekend with Mark's family.

Now that Christmas is over, Mark is able to come home from work before 8 p.m., the girls are back in school, and I'm trying to get back into a normal routine. Life is good!!