May Fun!

May has been very fast & furious for us. Kevin has been working a lot & the kids & I have been travelling to see friends & family. We travelled to see one of my great friends & then to K.C. to visit my family. We also squeezed mother's day celebration in between! Our May celebrations rounded out with Memorial Day weekend fun. Here are some photos of all our fun.

I was in need of some good friend time, so I went to Arkansas to visit my college roommate. She has moved & has had a baby since I'd last seen her - so it was fun to see her home & her 2 kids (the recent baby is actually 1 now - it HAD been a long time!) There really is nothing like good time with a good friend - who knows you really well! Thanks Nicole for blessing us in so many ways & for letting us come visit on short notice! We had a ball. My kids are still asking when they get to see Cash & Exie Claire again. :)
The top pick is 1yr old Cash & this photo is Isabelle reading to Exie Claire & John Michael. Isabelle loves to read to little ones & Exie Claire loves to be read to - so it was a perfect match! They would have read more if we'd let them stay up! TOO CUTE!!!

MOTHER'S DAY CELEBRATION

For mother's day, Isabelle requested that daddy pick out a beautiful flower at the nursery that I would love. He brought home this potted "fox glove" It was really pretty & Isabelle was very pleased with her surprise for me. She also wrote a very sweet note to accompany her gift. Kevin & his dad grilled us steaks & made a lovely dinner. John Michael was in charge of the salads - he was hilarious washing & tearing the lettuce. He enjoys being such a great helper!

Three generations . . .

MEMORIAL DAY CELEBRATION

For the weekend, Kevin & his 2 brothers took their dad to Arkansas for a guys weekend. It was a gift they'd given him for his 60th b-day. The boys had a great time, so great we have no photos to share because the camera was washed in the river on their canoe trip! :) The went golfing, bowling, hiking, & canoeing. . . FUN FUN FUN!! One of my sister-in-laws met in us Parsons for some fun of our own. Before Sarah & her son Jaden got here, Judy & I took the kids to a little known berry patch to pick strawberries. It was fun! We picked about 30lbs of strawberries. WOW is right!

We spent Saturday at Katy Days - the local celebration for Memorial Day weekend. It was so much fun. The kids got ot ride the train, get their faces painted, go to the petting zoo, & participate in the Pied Piper of Percussion Show - this last thing was great. As you can see from the photos above, it was a very interactive show - the kids learned about tambourines, maracas, & drums - they got to use each of the instruments as well. After each instrutment, a grand prize winner was chosen - Isabelle was chosen for the best maraca player & received a special princess maraca as her prize. She was pumped!!

WHEW . . .what a marathon of activities & the summer fun is just beginning. Check back for more updates. We'll be travelling to Haiti shortly & will have LOTS to share upon our return!

TURKEY #2

Since I write all the posts, I have the luxury of being able to brag about my husband. He has been working so hard & has been so pressed on every side over the last 4 months. Besides purchasing a new business, trying to learn it during its' busiest season of the year, he is also trying to keep our family together through very hard times. You can read March posts for info on the break-in, etc. I am so proud of his character through it all! He has been so faithful to God, to us, & to his work. I'm brimming over with joy & pride.

Well, yesterday it was our umpteenth day of rain, so the store closed early & he got to go to the place where his soul is revived - NATURE. The man can go on a hike in the woods or go for an afternoon hunt, & come back a different person. It is the place where he really connects to God. He needed the break & the chance for refreshment! He was excited to go for a turkey hunt & was only gone a short time, when the phone rang. After my quick "hello", he said "I got one! I'm comin' home." He was giddy, as were the kids. They couldn't wait for his return. It isn't quite as big as his first - but it was one none the less. He found a HUGE deer antler shed & little miss Izzy is one excited girl. She has asked for a bow for her birthday (not until October mind you) & is SO excited to go hunt with her daddy! She too is an outdoor girl & loves to be in God's creation. They are cut from the same mold!

Independence Nursery Open House

On Saturday the 25th, we had our first Open House at the Nursery all day. It was amazing. The weather was perfect - we seemed to find the least windy day & it wasn't raining! (That is an amazing fact, considering that it seems to have been 30-40mph wind or raining for the last 3 weeks.) The Lord certainly blessed us with the weather & the customers. We were swamped all day - a great blessing. We are so thankful that both our parents were able to come & help, too! THANK YOU!!! Here are some photos. Please come visit us when you are in the area!

Our snack table!
One of our greenhouses filled to the brim!

Kevin & one of our employees created these cool posts to hang our new signs . . .see the ones in the background?
We have lots of Radio Flyer wagons for people to fill & take to the register.

Happy Easter - The Hunt

Sunday at church we were surprised to find out during the sermon that the pastor was featuring C3 Missions. He showed the video that Isabelle was a part of. If you want to see it, check out her blog http://artsfororphans.blogspot.com We were so blessed to see the video & we were so encouraged as we are preparing to take Isabelle on June 4th to see the home she raised money to build. Check out her website for more details & updates.

After church we had an Easter Egg hunt - even though the weather turned cold & wet! The kids still had fun!

Happy Easter - Part 2

"Aunt Kelly sure takes a long time to get me on her blog!"
(don't you just love Olivia's eyes - she makes me laugh with her eye expressions)

Well, much has happened in my life since Easter . . so yes it has taken me 3 weeks to update with pictures & stories. (I'll have a few posts here) The weekend after Easter we went to K.C. to visit my family. The weather was gorgeous & we enjoyed a fun filled time together.

Isabelle loves to help Olivia learn new things . . . here she is trying to get her to blow the bubbles. Olivia loves to watch Isabelle do cartwheels . . . it is really cute to watch them!

I had some house stuff to take care of so my mom & sister took the kids to Deanna Rose - boy did they have a blast there. It is such a great place for kids.

My girl loves her chickens - these are baby chicks . . . she was thrilled!