Kids (and dog)

Big Bad Bully

Big Bad Bully, my children's nemesis left for bull heaven....eternity....Elysian Fields....hmm...we'll have to work on that one.  

Big Bad Bully, aka Pablo, liked to stand at the pasture fence above the house bellowing and pawing the dirt as he plotted the family's demise.

Pablo finally did his job and Allie (our expensive shared purchase with Scenic Vista that turned out to be a big bummer) is pregnant with a heifer calf (Hurray!) so Adam Luce came to take Pablo to

Hamburger Heaven.  

(Ahh!  There we go!) 

A Little Dickens

It was the best of times...

It was the worst of times....

Ugh!  Go AWAY!

The Pond

The kids like to play at the pond.

They participated in a catch and release program for tadpoles.  

They caught twenty-five almost frogs.  

They tried and tried to catch a salamander but the salamanders were faster than the frogs.

Davis and Kaitlyn were less excited about catching.  They preferred riding bikes and playing in the dirt.

Davis rehomed two tadpoles in our watering hole.  He dammed up the trickle in front of the house.  I wonder how long that will last.  

Fun stuff.

Art Class

The big kids had the privilege of taking oil painting classes with Edna Bender.   Fortunately it fell over the same time that Kaitlyn was at nursery school.

This was a not-to-be-missed opportunity.

You know, doing art with someone who not only can paint, but actually thinks Picasso's work shouldn't be sold at garage sales for 25 cents.

They're all sad that today was their last day.  So am I.

Wouldn't you be inspired to paint in a studio that leads you up through an entrance like this?

To further the inspirational experience, Edna has more paintings she has done on the walls of her studio.

This is my favorite.  I love how this girl is cherishing her sister.

What an opportunity!

The Bulk Tank is In

 It's a beautiful day here.

A good day to get the bulk tank off the trailer and partly into the milk house.

The kids wanted to go over to "watch".  Instead, they are like ants, climbing everywhere.

I guess the view is better up high.

I don't think OSHA would approve of their methods.

 But they got the job done.

Now they just need to level the tank.  Ever tried to level a 4000 gallon, 3 ton tank?

One step closer which is a good thing because field work is starting.

More Parlor Pics

On the Home Front

 Micah and Caleb came one morning over Easter weekend.  Micah and Davis had a wonderful time playing with vehicles, on the trampoline, and in the sandbox

Megan loves Caleb.  At Christmas time she loved that SHE made him laugh and I think she secretly thinks of him as "hers" when he's around.  She played with him ALL morning long.  When Kaitlyn got tired and wandered off, Megan pushed him on the swing, played in the sandbox, bounced him on the trampoline, played little people...and I didn't get a single picture of the two of them!  What a shame!

Micah and Davis are only 1.5 years apart and I see them enjoying each other more all the time.   I had to laugh when Davis came to me on the sly and asked if I thought Micah would "safe" if they played with legos. It tickled my funny bone, but I'm pleased at his thoughtfulness.

Davis is loving his new cowboy jammies.

Davis and Kaitlyn are growing as buddies more all the time.  I see them starting to pair off against the "big kids" now and then.  Last year we had constant boys vs. girls when we took a vote on something.  I foresee a shift coming.  Will Emily tip the balance for the girls or the littles?

 I made homemade playdough.  (Aren't you proud of me, Machelle?)  I don't like the sticky feel of it, but the kids seem to love having the quantity.

We have three more weeks of school.  I think we all might survive the experience.  Soccer has started and between the three older kids we have practice Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.  Ouch! for the gas tank.  I need to finish a comforter for the girls' bed, three jumpers for this summer, an animal cushion (like everyone else's) for Kaitlyn, and one doll dress for Kaitlyn.  I need to get better organized and finish some projects.

We are on day 74 of our LOA wait.  Life feels like the prayer of :

Please, Lord, give me patience and GIVE IT TO ME RIGHT NOW!!!