Happy 10th Anniversary to Us!

Wow . . . where does the time go? There are many sentimental things to say at this point, but I'll spare you too much. Kevin & I have walked through many things, and the Lord has been so faithful all along the way. We are truly best friends & more in love than ever! Okay, I'll stop! :) We enjoyed a weekend to ourselves here at home to celebrate. Kevin has 2 passions: me & hunting so we combined the 2 & he took me hunting all weekend. It was really fun. We saw 11 deer - no bucks, bummer! I was SURE it was my weekend to get a deer, oh well. As he & my dad say, "can't catch a fish if your line isn't in the water." So we at least made our attempts to be out in the wilderness to see them. They just didn't want to see us!

We ate dinner out, left the house a mess, didn't answer the phone, & made a trip to Cabela's. I needed long underwear - it got COLD here this weekend. While there, they announced they were having a deer processing seminar - so guess where we ended up? It was very interesting & very helpful as we eat venison most of the year. Now we just have to get a deer!

Kevin brought me these flowers Friday afternoon as a fun surprise. Aren't they beautiful?

Here we are headed to LaCygne, KS (20 minutes south of our house) to hunt. We were hoping to not put these pics on the blog, but instead the pics of our deer. No luck - so you get to see us!

My Gym

John Michael goes to My Gym every Tuesday for an hour. They have structured playtime with about 8 kids in his class. He LOVES it! It helps me run off some of his endless energy! Peek a boo! I see you! JM loves to hide in these balls.

Mommy Daughter Date

Yesterday, Isabelle asked if she could use her birthday money from her Great Grandma Clare to go on a date with me. She wanted to go to the local Cider Mill to go through the corn maze & eat cider doughnuts. We arrived & spent 2 1/2 hours running through the corn, digging in the corn bins, bouncing on hay bails & eating cider doughnuts. It truly was a blast! Thanks Isabelle for a fun afternoon . . .

Here's Isabelle buried in the corn - she loved this!

Isabelle was our fearless leader through the 10 acre corn maze!

So much to be thankful for . . .

Last night as I put the kids to bed, our usual bedtime prayers turned into "thankful" prayers. The kids went on & on & on about all the things they were thankful for: each other, family, house, cozy beds, friends at school, safe bus rides, food (wonder who that was?), Jesus, God, heaven, my teacher, BSF, our chickens, the seasons, and many more - I can't remember them all. We had so much fun, it was so refreshing to focus on all the things we have to be thankful for! Today God gave us even more to be thankful for. Kevin had an incident at work today that left us at the ER wondering his lower legs were fractured. As we waited for x-rays results, we pondered the amazing goodness of God in protecting Kevin today. The results were negative, Kevin is bruised & very sore, but he will be fine. Sure there is a story about "what" happened, but the REAL story is that God guarded & protected Kevin today from severe injuries & we are SO thankful. From last night through today, God has reminded us that there is such JOY in our thankfulness. Join us in thanking God for His protection in our lives, but will you also lift "THANKFUL" prayers of your own. You will find your heart filled with JOY!

Happy 7th Birthday Isabelle!

Isabelle's 7th birthday celebration . . . complete with a cute horse cake - made special for her by her Nana. She wanted the piece with the eye - a peanut butter cup . . . who wouldn't want that! Our friends, the Labeth's hosted Isabelle's b-day, complete with a pony ride on Smokey.

. . . . Myah, August, Natalie, Olivia, & Bella . . . .
Everyone got a special ride on the mechanical bull. . .the kids thought this was awesome, something most of them had never seen or done before.
We laughed & laughed during the sack races - this was so funny, lots of smiles everywhere.
Isabelle taught her friends how to rope.
Here's the gang . . . Isabelle asked that instead of presents for herself, that the girls bring gifts to help her fill her suitcase for our trip to Haiti. The girls brought her great things that the orphans in Haiti need desperately. We were so humbled & grateful for the generous outpouring of support. Her suitcase is FULL!! Thank you to all her friends. The orphans will be blessed because of YOU!

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Isabelle was allowed to bring 2 chickens to school on Friday for her birthday. She wanted us to bring "Butterfly" & "Night". She held "Butterfly" & let her friends have a chance to pet her. This was truly a special day for her to share with her class one of her favorite things in her life.

Nothin' Runs Like A Deere

John Michael meets John Deere!
Here's our little roper. . . he LOVES to be on a tractor! Thanks to our friend Roger, John Michael learned to drive the John Deere, Rope, & drive the Deere some more!

The Birthday Countdown Has Begun

Isabelle turns 7 in one week. We started her birthday celebration today with Kevin's parent. Isabelle planned the whole day. The day started with a BIG breakfast: waffles, eggs, fruit, juice, & bacon! We were full! For our activity, Isabelle picked "Arts for Kids"at our local Arboretum. We had so much fun . . . face painting, hay ride, hedge apple throw, puppet show, & LOTS of crafts. By 2 we were hungry, so we headed to her favorite restaurant, Sante Fe South for chips & salsa & macaroni & cheese - YES it is a mexican restaurant, but she LOVES to eat macaroni & cheese there! After lunch/dinner, she quickly rushed us home for cake & presents
Family photo on the Hayride
Isabelle requested a chicken on her hand. . . . this sweet lady LOVES to paint. She was so excited to paint Isabelle's chicken.

John Michael wanted a white dinosaur! He sat completely still . . . rare for him!
Grandma & I decided to share in Isabelle's fun & get our hands painted.

John Michael could have stayed at this all day . . . throwing hedge apples to pop balloons
Making Pine Cone Turkeys
Making Nature Placemats
Happy Birthday Celebration with Grandma & Grandpa

Finally opening presents . . . she had waited all day!
New dress from Grandma & Grandpa! So cute!

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