A Fun Family Day

Today Mariah and Micheala's sisters came over to play for the day. We played dress-up, danced to Hannah Montana, played house, kitchen, jumped on the trampoline, watched a movie, colored some pictures, baked brownies.....it was a busy day, but a fun one. We haven't been able to have them over much because they live so far away, so today was a rare treat for the girls to be able to spend a whole day together. They had a lot of fun!

All Dressed Up!
Hugs all around!

Party time!

Jump, jump, jump!

The poor goats didn't stand a chance

Wyatt + Gate =

...and he's only 1! This is going to be an interesting year!

Back to the Farmstead

Earlier in the summer, we went with our playgroup to the Deanna Rose Farmstead. Saige and Micheala were still in summer school at the time, so it was a lot of fun this last week to be able to go back with all four kids and Grandma Jeralyn. We fed the chickens, petted the goats, fed the baby goats, played in an Indian Village, milked a cow (not a real one), and drove tractors. Here are some picts from our fun day.

Our "students" sitting in the old Deanna Rose schoolhouse.

Playing a beautiful cow bell symphony!

Baby goats are more pushy and aggressive than you think, especially when they see you with a bottle in your hand!

This cow didn't seem to mind having every child in the barn milk it!

Are we related??

The whole time our family was here, we tried to get a good side by side shot of Saige and her cousin Ben. With Saige's hair so short now, we've realized how much they look alike. But every time we would try to get a good shot, we'd get silly faces instead! Aren't they cute.

Fun at Worlds of Fun

This week we've had John's mom, brother, and nephew in town visiting. We have gotten to do a TON of fun stuff. Everyday has been a new adventure (I think we all could use a good nap now). Here are some pictures from our day at worlds of fun.


(Saige and Ben "monkeying" around).



The kids LOVED snoopy!

Ben getting his cowboy groove on!

Christmas in July??

Last night Saige and I made the trek to Nebraska Furniture Mart waaaaaayyy out in Kansas. Saige was so excited because she got to ride in the front seat of our minivan for the first time. (We had to take all of the seats out of the van to pick up our new bunk bed) She talked, and talked, and talked the whole way out....the whole time we were there.....and the whole ride home. Is this normal for a 6 year old girls??? How does she talk so much for sooo long??! Even though my ears were numb by the time we got home, we had a great time...just the girls.

We had all three girls sleep in Saige's room, then John and I stayed up way too late to put it all together. This morning it was like Christmas in July! They were so excited! Of course the ladder and the top bunk were the main attraction. Wyatt quickly figured out how to climb up the ladder, but has trouble coming down.

So, I thought I would take a poll. How long do you think it will be before Wyatt either falls, jumps, or otherwise descends from the top bunk to the floor? Not that I would make light of it, but I've learned to just anticipate it... my vote is 5 days.

My Spy Kids

Saige and Micheala watched "Spy Kids" today while the little kids were taking a nap. They both ran upstairs when it was done and proclaimed, "That was AWESOME!" Since they rarely say that about a movie, I had to wonder what the movie was about since I have not actually seen it myself. Well, the girls proceeded to give me a play by play re-enactment of the movie some of which I got on video. Micheala definitely has some kungfu moves!

Smithville's first annual 4th of July parade

Today we marched in the first annual 4th of July parade in Smithville. We all dressed in Red, White, and Blue. I bought the girls matching dresses (couldn't help myself) for family pictures that we had taken yesterday (I'll post those soon). We recited the pledge of allegiance, sang the national anthem, then marched around the square in Smithville. We decorated our wagon at the last minute, so it's not very ornate, but still looks quite patriotic I think. The girls waved their flags the whole time. Then we had popsicles in the courtyard, followed by awards. I'm not sure the girls really understood what we were doing, but they still had fun!

Wild, Wild, Wyatt

Many of you have seen me chasing after Wyatt at church, family events, parks, stores, playgroups, etc. etc. etc. Others of you have only heard me speak about how he is so "active", curious, and destructive. I always think, "I hope people don't think I'm complaining about him", because I really do find it quite amusing, although very exhausting. I have also wondered if people really believe me when I mention all of the precarious situations he gets himself into. So, I've attached a photo collage of many of the "situations" I find him in on a daily basis. Although he is somewhat destructive, messy, loud, and stubborn, I love having a boy who is so curious, inventive, adventurous, intelligent, creative, active, and imaginative. What can I say, he entertains me!