Gardening and Fishing

I have to get used to this new way of posting...I am used to putting the pictures I want to show up last first, so these are a little out of order.  First things first, I am happy my dad, sister and nephew are around for the next few weeks.  We went fishing with Michael this weekend, and the boys have been non stop!  The weather has been beautiful as well, and we are all getting a darker shade of sun.  

 Daniel caught two fish!  And one using his sister's pole.

 Princess Renea, the chicken we inherited from my sister's flock, is doing well down here.  She only escapes a few times a week, and the other little ladies are quickly growing to her size.

 For Mother's Day we did some gardening and the kids made some sweet cards and very thoughtful of the day.  We started planting our garden and got some squash, green beans, sunflowers, peppers.  We have a more to plant, these are just things we started from seed.  Kevin is excited about the canning we can do this year.  Trying just to be better than last year, and realize this is all still such a learning process.

Spring Daze

The last few weeks have been a different.  We finished off the spring co-op, and by the end of the 8 weeks, Noah was ready to be in the preschool class, and I am excited for Rachel and Daniel to be in the same class next year.  We only have a week or so left of official material to cover, although we have a busy summer planned.

Here is Rachel at her Dance recital.  

 My cousin's husband came over to get a huge rock out of our garden.  It was fun to watch, and we are almost ready to plant some things.

 More of Rachel's Recital.

A few weeks ago a fox got into my brother's chickens, leaving only one left.  We adopted the one and have it with our not so little anymore chicks.  We also had a porcupine in our yard and a snapping turtle that we had to get rid of.  So there are the adventures in country living.

A little over a week ago Kevin's cousin passed a way, allowing Kevin and Daniel to go to New Bedford and attend the services.  It was a good trip for Kevin to take, and little bit of a break with just two kids around.  Kevin is off to San Diego this week, and we are having some house work done, so by the time he returns from his trip he will have a slightly renovated home :-)

April Monthaversary

Over the next few months I want to highlight Kevin in the role of Dad. These are the two pictures that I think of first when Daniel as a baby with Kevin.

I remember that whole time as being such a life changing time, if it was just starting a family that would have been one thing, but with Kevin transitioning out of the military, me transitioning to a stay at home mom role, and us needing to move, it was a lot. And I remember Kevin being so strong during this time. He has been the diamond in the rough, shining brighter despite of the pressure being placed on it.

Because He Lives!

A few weekends ago Kevin was able to take Rachel to a father-daughter dance. They both loved it! I got to take the boys out to dinner, they chose Chinese Buffet, and we came home and watched the Muppets. Daniel sings the songs on the Muppet movie, and so fun to watch them enjoy some things I enjoyed as a kid.

The kids love to help me bake...especially cookies!
We jumped right in and bought a few chicks. It has been a lot of fun so far, the kids are really enjoying them and I am curious to how adventurous we will get with animals in the future.
We went to a fishing clinic last weekend, and this weekend surprised the kids with fishing poles. They are all very good casters already, and we look forward to some fishing adventures this summer.
Resurrection Sunday 2012!

Daniel performed with his Sunday School Class.

And so the last few weeks have been filled with fun stuff....piano lessons, dance lessons, trips to the store, new libraries, going to yard sales and the Co-op. We did our last week of review before we move on and finish Kindergarden. I feel like we have really been enjoying the kids lately, and at the same time I still struggle with the day to day. And then God shows up and gives me an encouraging word in the Bible, a conversation with my sister, dad, and friends on the phone, some moments before the kids wake up, some time with my brother, or a hug from a friend. And then I am alright. God meets my needs. And it reminds me of the song, "Because He lives, I can face tomorrow, Because He lives, all fear is gone, Because I know He holds the Future, and life is worth the living just because He lives." And that is what this Resurrection means to me personally today.

Daniel's 6th Birthday

In true fashion we had at least three birthday celebrations for Daniel. My Dad had surprised us the week before and flew in, so of course we had to celebrate with him, and then we went to New Hartford to celebrate with our Great Aunt Pauline, and then we had some guests over for Daniel's birthday and I tackled a pirate ship birthday cake for that.

Daniel is still into building things, he wants to build things when he grows up, loves legos, pirate things, cars, trains, and blocks. The weather has been unseasonable warm lately, we have been enjoying it.

The Months Go Quick

As I won this monthaversary, I was thinking of what to update this blog about this time. If I think a month went quickly, look at those two young kids in the picture above. After we got married, we went on our honeymoon, and finished the semester out. Kevin worked at Kroger until I graduated, and then we spend the next year in transition and apart for most of the year. But one thing that God gave me was a good man who was faithful and consistent. A man who has grown a lot, and continue to excel (he is good in the Office Program Excel too) in what ever he puts his hand to do. I am proud of him.

Now I need to get pictures up of our new 6 year old...after we recover from sickness this week.

Sweet Friends, Sweet Pea, and Sweet Weather!

We had a great time with our visitors from Lowell, MA! We used to live 7 minutes away, and now 5 plus hours takes some better planning, but it was great. I got to show off a little bit of stuff around here, and it was great to have the kids play so well together! So very thankful for their friendship!!!

We went the Museum of Play in Rochester, a little busy, but I would like to go again.


Now we have a dog named Sweet Pea. At first I wasn't sure if we could keep her, she initially made Daniel break out into hives, but he as settled down, and we are getting into the groove of having a dog. She is a pomeranian mix.
We have also been spending a lot of time outdoors! I'm hoping the winter is truly over now, we made it through another one, and not too worse for the wear.
The kids have begun to enjoy 4 wheeling over at Uncle Joe's.

The Spring Co-op has begun, and the first week was fun. I feel a little more in the groove with the kids, settled in here, and slightly more confidence in homeschooling. I needed to get these updates before Daniel's birthday is here, it is right around the corner!