Hot May Day

Yesterday was a HOT May day.  Temperatures here were in the 90's.  So, I put water in the water table for the girls to play in during the afternoon.  Of course, playing in the water table requires wearing a swimming suit, because they both always get soaked!

In the picture above they were both playing with those green rings... Sarah said, "Look Mom, I'm an angel."  And, Phoebe was licking water off of hers... repeatedly.  Lots of splashing, smiling and fun was had by both girls.

You may have noticed the bright orange construction/snow fence in our yard... Eric is trying to get some more grass to grow in our backyard, so we have to try to keep a dog and two girls off of the seeded area for awhile.  Keeping the dog off is proving to be quite the challenge.  Jessee is a sneaky pup. 

A Shared Day

Yesterday Eric and I had to share the day.  It was his Birthday AND it was Mother's Day.  Before we went to church we both opened our presents and read our cards.  Phoebe helped open all the presents.  Sarah was so excited to give Daddy and Mommy a present from her.

I helped Sarah make Eric a card.  She colored the outside, and had me write on the inside, "Happy Birthday Daddy! Sarah loves you today and Phoebe loves Daddy - because today's your birthday."   Eric helped Sarah make me a card also... On the inside he wrote for her, "Sarah loves Mommy for Mother's Day."  She also drew a picture on the inside of my card of our family.

After church Eric had to go to work for the afternoon and part of the evening.  When he got home, we went out to eat at a Chinese restaurant.  At the restaurant Sarah told me that "maybe we could talk like these cantease people, like the people at this restaurant."  On the drive home from the restaurant Eric told me that we would only have to share the day every seven years.  But, that's okay with me, I like to share.

And, what birthday would be complete without a cake?  So, before we headed to bed we sang "Happy Birthday" and ate cake... a yummy, chocolate, caramel, whipped topping, "better than sex" cake... although the cake is good I do not think it is THAT good.

Spring Barn Sale 2011

The Barn Sale was on Saturday.  It was a great day outside... in the 80's with a light wind.  I arrived to set-up my booth at about 7:30am.  My Uncle Dale was there already with his booth almost set-up, so he was able to help me unload and set-up my tables.  He helped me pick a great spot that kept me in the shade all day long!  It wasn't long before lots of others started to show up too... vendors and shoppers.  Here is a look at my booth set-up. 

Here is my Uncle Dale and Aunt Jan's booth.  I love the name they choose.  To fully understand this name, I have to tell you that they bought a small old church a few years ago in Hesston, KS and live in it!  It is a very neat old church building.

This is a picture of Lilo, one of my cousin's, Josh and Beki's dogs.  She stole their son, Jackson's, Cheetos and went to try and eat them before anyone noticed.  Jackson did not notice, but a lot of us did!  She ate all she could out of the bag until Josh noticed and went over to ask her, "What do you have?" (in sort of a you're in trouble voice...).  She then gave him the "I know I am in trouble" classic dog look.

Here are a few other pictures that I took of cute signs, booths, and handmade items for sale.

All in all it was a good day.  I need to give thanks to my parents for staying all day with my girls so that I could participate in the Barn Sale and a thanks to my Uncle Dale, Aunt Jan, and Aunt Wyonna for their help setting up and tearing down.  You all ROCK!

My Heart and Cup Overflows

The girls helped me water our flowers and seeds this afternoon.  They put on flip flops, and got out their watering cans, and they were ready! 

Sarah did a great job.  She needed her can refilled many times.  She walked from flower to flower pouring the water onto each plant.  Phoebe on the otherhand, didn't want to pour her water out... No matter how hard or how many times I tried to show her how to tip the can, she just wouldn't pour the water out.  She preferred to dip her fingers and hands in the can, then try to drink or lick the water off of her fingers and hand.  You would have thought I hadn't given the girl a drink all day....

What a beautiful day it is today! I am thankful for my girls who make me smile, laugh, and my heart overflow with love. 

"My cup overflows with blessings." Psalm 23:5

BIG - BUSY - Weekend Ahead!

That's right boys and girls, we are gearing up for a big busy weekend at our house...  There will be a soccer game and team pictures, a Barn Sale, work for someone, Mother's Day, and someone's 33rd birthday.  All of this cannot be done alone, and so I have called in the reinforcements... otherwise known as Popee and Nanee.

Sarah's team had a great practice this week and they are ready for their third game of the season this Saturday.  Something that I am loving about their practices is that about half-way through they take a break and discuss a Bible story or verse.  Each child is then given a trading card with a Bible verse on one side and a soccer skill to practice on the other side.  Last week's Bible verse was "I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life."  John 6:47.  (The league that Sarah is playing in is called Upward Sports.  They partner with local churches throughout the country and around the world, and have become the wold's largest Christian sports organization.)

I will be taking my little business, Darling Doo~Dads, and participating in the Hesston, KS Spring Barn Sale this Saturday.  See the flyer for directions if you are interested in coming.

On Sunday, we will celebrate Mother's Day and Eric's birthday!  BIG - BUSY- and FUN, that is what our weekend will be... I am ready, bring it on!

Corn on the Cob

I love to see my girls try new foods.  Just recently, Phoebe got to try corn on the cob for the first time.  She appeared to like it.  And, who really can say that they don't like corn on the cob?  It's colorful, sweet, and fun to eat!

(These two pictures above are of Phoebe -age 18 months - enjoying her corn on the cob.)

Some people, like my dad, like to put butter on it, let it melt, then dig into it.  My husband likes his corn on the cob plain.  I will eat it with our without butter.

(These two pictures above are of Sarah - age 18 months - enjoying some corn on the cob.)

Flossing my teeth after eating corn on the cob is a must though.  I cannot stand that feeling of something stuck in between my teeth and not being able to get it out.  So, if there is no floss nearby, I have been known to pass on the corn on the cob.  How about you?

(These two pictures above are of Sarah - about age 17 months - enjoying corn on the cob.)

Now that summer is fast approaching so are the yummy FRESH garden vegetables, including corn on the cob.  Fortunately for me, my dad has always had a huge garden every summer and we grew up eating all kinds of vegetables out of his garden.  He still plants his garden every year and shares lots of his vegetables with my family and his friends.  (I think his garden gets larger and more detailed every year!)

Sarah age 17 months

Sarah age 18 months

Sarah age 4

We will have a small garden spot in our yard this year.  Eric will plant cucumbers, peppers, and tomatoes for us.  Sarah will love to go out and check for "Bobs", (Bobs = tomatoes, Bob the tomato from Veggie Tales) everyday just as she has in past summers.  And, if she finds one, or some, she will want to pick it... We always have to remind her not to pick the green Bobs.

(Phoebe, smiling for the picture with her corn on the cob.)

I am excited to see what this summer holds for us... and what fresh vegetables we will be eating!

We repeat, we truly do like sheep!

Well, today was the day... the big performance at church.  Sarah, Eric, and all the other kids did awesome!

They all looked so cute in their costumes.  The boys wore football pads and jerseys with their sheep ears... to be like Rams.  The girls had handmade fleece shorts and vests to go with their sheep ears.  Thanks to Gail B. from our church for sewing the shorts and vests for each girl.  And, I sewed the ears for each of them.  Eric, dressed as a shepherd because he played the part of the great shepherd, Jesus.

I do not have a picture to show you all this, but one of my favorite parts was during a song called "Abundawonderful Life"... The four little girls all had pom poms and were like little lamb cheerleaders.  It was great!  They shook them.  They waved them.  They marched, and then they did it all again.

Lots of people helped to make this show possible at our church.  A whole team of people!  So, a shout out goes to Nancy and Ras R., Anna B., Josh H., Gail and Joe B., Charles H., Melissa V., Melissa and Nathan K.  Thanks to ALL who helped in some way or another.

We will be doing another show this Fall.  So, get ready for more singing, dancing, performing, and praising God!

Sheep, Sheep, Sheep... We Like Sheep!

Over the past three months the children at our church, Antioch Christian Church, have been practicing every Wednesday night and Sunday morning for their big performance of "We Like Sheep".  Their final practice will be this Saturday morning with the big show this Sunday morning, May1st, at 10:30am.

Sarah will be a little lamb in the performance, and Eric, (that's right, my husband, in his acting debut) will be the Shepherd.  Sarah's favorite song from the show is "Jesus is a Gentleman" and one of her favorite things that she gets to do in the show is the actions to the song "Celebrate".

This is a great group of kids, and will be a great show with great music, and a great message for all ages.