Upcoming Cultural Event

After weeks of preparation and waiting, the Cultural Event is nearly here!  Our little Branch has worked so hard (youth and leaders) to get to this point!  I am proud of all the efforts of the amazing YM and YW involved.  They have been very dedicated in their attendance of necessary meetings/practices and in doing their "homework".  I KNOW they will be blessed for their efforts.  President Monson will be so proud!

I have seen such a difference in all the youth involved.  They started off thinking it would be fun to, but now they are beginning to see a greater purpose.  I am sure they did not foresee all the work that would be involved, but there has been no complaining.  They have simply done all that was expected and more.  I love our Youth!

I am very excited about the upcoming events of this week (Fireside for the Youth, Cultural Event, and Temple Dedication).  I am SO GRATEFUL that Dan will be able to attend all these great opportunities with our son and our Youth.  The Fireside on Friday should be amazing!  Either President Monson or one of the 12 are addressing the Youth.  I can only imagine what a powerful spirit will be present!

I must admit, however, that I am really sad that I will not be attending.  I was so excited to be a part of helping the kids.  Driving to events, learning and teaching the performances, general coordination... its been a ton of work for all! NO WHINING, AMIE!  This is for the kids!  Not you!

I will gladly give up a seat for someone else, don't get me wrong.  I just wished more seats were available.  Our little Branch only has 21 tickets.  There just isn't enough for everyone that wishes to go to attend.  At least we can watch the broadcast from our building.  I think watching with my family and our Branch will be nice.

On a happier note, our YW had the awesome opportunity to attend a special Temple Open House last night.  They were taken on a tour of the Bride's Room and the Sealing Room, with a special Fireside!  The girls were all aglow today!  We had a lesson in YW on the importance of Temple Marriage and the girls had time to make comments about their visit.  I loved seeing their excitement! I can see in their faces that they are committed to living their lives in such a way as to allow them to be married in the Temple one day! They felt the Spirit and they have a vision of what they want.  I love these girls!

I wish Aubree were just one year older, so she could have gone...

Barnyard Babies

Okay, so I LOVE living here!  It is so much fun to see all of my little barnyard babies growing up.  They are so adorable and entertaining.  And of course they are work.  But that's a given.  Any mother knows that.  I have 5.  I am no stranger to work.

Chickie babies:  I love my chickens and it's apparent that they love me, too.  Every time mommy goes into their run, they go crazy, running and crowding around my feet.  It is not uncommon to have them fly into my arms momentarily, then fly back down to my feet.  I can hardly take a step without someone squawking, because I accidentally squished their toe.  It is both funny and annoying.  Last night would have been quite humorous for someone to watch.  It took me a good 20 minutes or more to get them into their broader house for bedtime.  They would only go in their house if I went in and as soon as I'd try to leave, some would escape with me.  Stinkers!  To top it off, our cat was stalking the run and waiting to catch a tasty snack (like she could actually do more than scratch them -- she's the size of a large kitten!). Needless to say, it was not so funny to me.

Baby Bella:  jealousy, envy, spite... this describes her focus right now.  Those twins have stolen her spotlight and she will have none of that!  She has been kicking, head butting, and nipping the girls.  Not nice.  Thank heavens she only has a few flat teeth on the bottom!  For mommy, me, she mostly avoids me or nips at me .  But if one of the girls come near me to snuggle, she pushes her way to me to reclaim her throne!  I swear she reminds me of my Emma...

Cheese and Sprinkles:  Sweetie pie babies!  They are so fun to watch as they frolic and play.  They are little acrobats and climbers.  Cheese seems to be our most inquisitive, precocious, and mischievous of the two.  She is our natural leader.  She doesn't miss a thing and has to be in the middle of it all. No wonder Zoe chose her for her own, they have a lot in common!  Sprinkles is our laid back, affectionate girl.  A little reminiscent of Aubree...

Yesterday Cheese was showing off for us.  She would go running really fast and skid to a stop on the concrete porch.  She did it a number of times with a look of satisfaction.  On her next attempt, she lost her footing and fell over, skidding on her side to a stop in the grass.  We all laughed and she was pleased with the response.  She immediately arose and did a few acrobatic jump and flips that only a goat can do.  So cute!

Chicks N Such

Thought I'd put up some recent pics of the chicks and other animals.  They are getting so big!

The golden ones (Buff Orpingtons) are SO much bigger than the others...

This Barred Rock is watching the excitement.

These ladies are dining in tonight.

Princess Bella is growing so fast!

Our sweet Ruby has proven to be quite the flock guardian!  The other day some of the ladies escaped and we caught her with a chick in her mouth!  But on closer inspection, she was NOT biting down, she was carrying it to us!  The chick was fine and since then , Ruby warns us of impending danger.  She even reminds us to put them up in the evenings and check their food and water!

...And you've seen our new twins... Cheese and Sprinkles!

Zoe's Woes

Zoe ended up in the ER on Sunday evening. She had been playing with Grandma's wheelchair outside. It collapsed and she hit mouth first on the concrete! After lots of blood, screaming, and trembling, we arrived at the ER. Thank heavens we have a hospital 15 minutes away! I am also grateful for a son with son First Aid training through Boy Scouts!

At the ER, they helped clean her up a bit and took x-rays. She had basically hit the cement with her top front teeth. They were pushed backwards, which caused the gums to rip and pull up. You can see much of the roots to those teeth. She also succeeded in ripping up her lips pretty badly. Poor baby!

I am NOT putting her picture up. She is embarrassed by the massive swelling and scrapes all over her face. But just imagine very swollen lips, especially the top one, with scrapes and scabs... Sad sight! And you do NOT want to see the inside of her mouth!

I feel so bad for her! Today is her birthday and she cannot even eat cake! She is drinking her meals these days. Just when she was finally putting on a little extra weight (she is always very thin), she gets hurt! She hardly eats, because it is too hard and there is nothing that she really likes. Shakes, frosties, juice, and soda get old really fast!

The good news: today she was able to eat some macaroni and cheese for lunch. She was so excited to have real food. That was her birthday treat (and she enjoyed her birthday ice cream sundae, as well)! I love you Zozo Mouse!

Double Trouble

May I introduce our newest additions, Swiss Cheese (Cheese) and Sprinkles. They are twin doelings, female Alpine dairy goats, about 4 weeks in age. And they are doubly sweet! And double the work! LOL.

We bought them on Tuesday. Zoe was able to pick her favorite as her birthday present! She named hers Swiss Cheese, Cheese for short. Naturally we wanted to name the other one something that would go with Cheese. The kids picked Sprinkles. Its a line from the movie Rio...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ObyZxbavuw&feature=youtu.be

They are nearly inseparable. They are very affectionate and lots of fun. And of course they will be making lots of cheese and milk for us in the future. Yum!

Bella has been bitten by the green eyed monster lately. She is NOT pleased to be sharing the spotlight with the twins. She avoids them and has made it clear she is avoiding me, except at feeding time. She is especially annoyed that she has been put on a "diet" since their arrival. We have been apparently feeding her too much. She looks like a beast next to the little squirts. Poor Bella! ;)

Welcome to the family, Cheese...

And Sprinkles!

We love you!

Kansas City Temple Excitement

We had the priviledge to attend the Open House of the Kansas City Temple last Monday, April 16th. It was wonderful! Like any attempt to do something sacred, we had a rougher start to our morning. The little boys and I took our daddy to the airport in the morning, which meant leaving the house by 4:30am. Our tour was at 10:15a, so we had a bit of a wait. And unfortunately my mom and girls got lost and did not get there until 11:30ish. We were all a bit frazzled before going inside, but it was definitely worth it!

The kids were so reverent and in awe. It was such a special feeling to watch their faces and see their reactions to all they saw. They loved seeing the baptismal font, the instruction rooms, and the sealing room. But they were most impressed by the Celestial Room. They had been instructed before entering that they were to be completely silent, no talking aloud inside the room. Emma could not contain her surprise at seeing the room's light-filled beauty. With eyes wide and bright, she kept whispering "WOW!" over and over. She left the Temple with beautiful images of the many chandeliers on her mind. Aubree was so excited to be able to see the sealing room and look into the mirrors. She was disappointed, however, to not be able to see the bride's room. Someday...

Last Friday, May 20th, Dan and I had the priviledge to help with the Open House tours. Dan and I were both stationed outside, greating guests and helping to stear the crowds in the right direction. It was freezing cold, windy, and long. But it was SO worth it. It was very exciting to be able to be one of the first faces people would see as they near the beginning of the Open House tours and the last as they are heading back to their cars. What a wonderful day!

The Youth are still practicing and carefully preparing for the upcoming Cultural Event. Dan will be blessed to be able to be on the arena floor during the event. I am so proud of Dallin and the other Youth from our Branch. They have been so dedicated and enthusiastic throughout all the preparations. It has taken much time and hard work so far! What a blessing to have a Temple so close by!

This Week...

I guess its time to post something, right? This past weekend was Easter. We had a wonderful weekend with Dan coming home (WOOHOO!) and my Grandma coming for a visit. And, of course Easter!

My sweet husband had to leave to fly out Monday morning and is due back this afternoon. Poor man. He feels like a visitor in his own home! :( At least, we will be together for the weekends this week and next. His constant traveling should be coming to a slow down soon. I hate when he's gone!

My Grandma had let us know she would be coming soon. We were not expecting her last weekend. When she called she was already on her way for a 2 month stay. That's my Grandma! We are glad to see her. We missed her. (Just 2 months is a long stay...)

Our chickens are doing great. The chicks are getting so big and ugly right now. But they are getting their feathers in nicely and starting to look more attractive again. We have lost 2 total. "Funky Dude" passed on Monday due to the cold. Poor thing. That was the one with the afro. We loved that one! Bummer!

Ruby is fitting in exceptionally. My only complaint: she is obsessed with the chickens! She has been digging around the perimeter of the hen house and waiting for her chance to have a snack. She will not go in the chicken yard, though. She is just so obedient! Wish my kids would obey as well as she does!

Bella is doing great and loving life. She is growing every day and getting smarter constantly. She knows how to be extra cute and perform her tricks (spins, kicks, jumps) for the attention she seeks. My Grandma is totally in love with her!

My kids are happy. They love their new friends, school, and church. The people are so very nice. It has been an easy transition. They have been learning how to play outside and explore their property. They have been especially fond of climbing the front tree and playing in the creek. We have all been doing fine without TV/ Cable, Netflix, Redbox, etc. I am proud of our inattention to these things, but mom and Grandma want to get satellite. Oh well!

Gotta run! I am picking up my sweetheart from the airport! Yeah!

Happy 11th Birthday, Aubree!

Today is my sweet girl's birthday! She is having a sleepover tonight with her new best friend, Mya. Mya's birthday was the day before, so they are excited to be so close in age.

Here's Aubree at 8 days old, so precious...



And an oldish (last year), but cute picture of my Aubree



Happy Birthday to my first baby girl and "mommy's comfort"!

Our Newest Addition...

We added a member of the family this week. No, I did NOT have another baby (although we already have 5, what's one more anyway...). We acquired another dog. And she's the best dog I have ever had! Seriously! She will not even go outside to the bathroom without permission. Weird.

Her name is Ruby, and she truly is a gem! She is a 3 year old Collie. So sweet and beautiful. We love her! (Dan hasn't met her yet, though.)

This is not her, just what she looks like. (My camera stinks.)

My Birthday Boy

Today is my sweet husband's birthday! Happy 36th, my love!

Unfortunatley, he is not with us right now. He is currently in Texas and will be coming back home on Friday (today is Tuesday). He has been away from us for over 2 weeks and has missed Emma's birthday and will be missing Aubree's birthday on Thursday. It stinks to be seperated from him!

Thank heavens our seperation will be soon over! :)

Here's our engagement pic...



And a pic of our wedding day...



He's still such a hottie!