Earlier this Month…

At the very beginning of the month, we had a family gathering (really a reunion) for my mom’s side of the family.  I’m not sure how many were there in total, but we all stayed at a hunting lodge not to far from my grandpa’s.  All my aunts, uncles, and cousins were able to make it.  It has been a long time since we have all been together.  Some of my relatives I haven’t seen in at least 5 years, maybe even more.  It was great to see everyone.

The girls were a little nervous to begin with but warmed up to my younger cousins quickly.

All of July has been very hot, so these little pools were one of the ways the kids kept cool.  Once in a while, even the adults could be found standing in the pool to cool off.

We spent plenty of time outside and even played some yard games.

It was too warm some of the days to spend too much time playing games, so some time was spent in town, at the pool and the river, or inside the nicely air conditioned lodge.

Some of my family is from a state where they are not allowed to shoot off fireworks.  What would a gathering around July 4th be without fireworks?  So, on the 3rd we attempted to shoot off some fireworks at my parents’ house (about 40 minutes away), but the wind came up too much, and due to the dry conditions, we ended the night early.  As we were heading back to the lodge at 11pm the car thermometer still showed 90 degrees. 

On the 4th everyone headed back home.  We came home and celebrated with some friends with a picnic at their ranch.

The next day we headed out again.

Swimming Lessons, VBS, and Potty Training

Wow! This summer is flying by and won’t be slowing down for a least a few more weeks.  Here is a quick update since the last post (whenever that was):

Two and a half weeks ago, we found out that swimming lessons for this summer were going to be the last two weeks of June instead of July.  Bria’s time slot was at 5 pm, which usually means it is warmer outside.  However, the second week of swimming lessons would end up conflicting with VBS.  After talking with the lifeguard, we were able to do some make-up lessons in the first week so she could get all of the recommended time in.  That one-on-one time with the instructor was extremely exhausting for Bria since she had to swim the whole time without any breaks.  Also, whenever either of the girls get in a pool, they start shivering almost immediately.  Between being cold and the extra swimming, Bria took naps two days in a row.

This year for Vacation Bible School, I was responsible for the decorations, assisting the kids with their crafts, and helping with the puppets.  Prior to VBS, we also passed out invitations around the community to the kids we have had in our kids program we run during the school year.  We were rewarded with over twice as many kids compared to the past two years.  The kids had a good time and clearly heard the gospel message several times throughout the week.  The theme was focused on learning about the Bible, so the kids had to learn as many books of the Bible as the number of their age for each day.  It amazed me how many books Bria and Bentley were each able to say.

Since the beginning of June, we have been working harder on potty training Bentley.  My mom got us started by getting a little potty that plays music when she goes.  We really started making progress when we reinforced her accomplishments by only giving her a reward when she went potty and her diaper was still dry.  We immediately saw more dry diapers, and she didn’t need to go as often.  She has now been completely dry for most days, and even a couple of nights (although they haven’t been consecutive).  Bentley still doesn’t tell us when she has to poo and won’t do that on the potty, and we have to ask her most of the time if she has to go potty.  We are definitely seeing more progress, about a year after we started.

We have also been spending some extra time at the pool because the girls love it, it wears them out, and I can work on my tan!

I hope to have another post in a couple of weeks from all the activities that are coming up.

Picking Strawberries

We don’t have any places where you can pick your fruits an vegetables, but we have a very generous community.  There is a lady from our area who has a huge garden and is always sharing her produce (we have several people who share their produce).  This last weekend, we were invited to help pick strawberries.  We thought the girls would enjoy it, so we headed out to the country to pick some.  The girls enjoyed it and so did we.

As you can see from the picture, the strawberry patch has bales around it which is to protect them from the harsh winds we have.  We were able to sit on the bales and pick.

We suggested to the girls that they try some of the strawberries while they were working.  Bria ate some right away, but Bentley said they were for eating at home and didn’t try any at first.  As we were picking, I looked over at Bentley and saw that she was eating a strawberry.  After eating one, she couldn’t stop.  The strawberries were smaller than what you would get at the store, but the flavor far exceeds what you buy.

When we got home, I made a strawberry pie and strawberry sorbet.  They are so good.  We are still enjoying some of the fresh strawberries.

Theological Questions from a 5-Year Old

The other day I was working at the computer and Bria comes up to me with a question.  Here is what the conversation sounded like (to the best of my recollection):

Bria: Mom, when we go to heaven will we see Jesus and God? Because sometimes when we talk about God we talk about Jesus and God, like when Jesus came to earth. But sometimes when we talk about God we talk about only God. So will we see them both in heaven or just one?

Me (blown-away and caught a bit off guard): I don't know for sure. We don't know what God will look like in heaven. When we go to pastor's house this afternoon you can ask him.

We went to pastor's and she forgot to ask the question. I continued to think about it.

The next day we were driving in the car and I had a clearer answer for her (although I can't guarantee it is right since I have not been to heaven yet).

Me (something to this effect): In the bible it tells us that Jesus will be sitting at the right hand of God (see Matthew 26:64; Mark 14:62, 16:19; Acts 7:55; Romans 8:34; Hebrews 12:2). To me that means we will see Jesus and God, but remember there are three parts of God--God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. God has three parts (we have discussed the Trinity with her before) and since we can see Jesus and God in heaven we may also see the Holy Spirit. Did you remember that God is made of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit?

Bria: I remember mom. One of the videos grandma has (What's in the Bible) shows a triangle with God at the top point and Jesus and the Holy Spirit at the other points.

Me: That is a good way to remember it. God is above Jesus and the Holy Spirit, but they are still equal. That is what the triangle is trying to show us.

Then she was distracted by something and the conversation was over.  I just couldn't believe what all she had been thinking about and understood.

Pictures from a friend

A couple of weeks ago we went to the birthday party of one of our friends’ two-year old.  They had one of their horses saddled, and said that every kid needs pony rides on their birthday.  I didn’t take my camera, so my friend shared her pictures with me.

Bentley riding by herself.  The horse is being led.

Bria on the horse with their friend whose birthday we were celebrating.

Bria helping lead the horse while Bentley rode with the birthday boy.

The girls thought it was the greatest party ever and didn’t want to leave because they wanted to keep riding the horse.

We were going to go back and ride the horse in just a few days when the calves were being worked, but it rained that day.  We did end up doing some of the calves the next afternoon, so both girls got to ride a different horse with David then.

My friend who took the pictures is a photographer and you can check out her website here: http://www.cristenjoyphotography.com/

The Rest of April

April has been a very busy month, and unfortunately May will be even busier.  While I have a quick moment, due to the rain, I better post some of our April activities.

So…what happened first?

Oh yeah!  We went to my parents' over Easter to celebrate my dad’s parents’ 90th birthdays and anniversary.  The girls did an Easter egg hunt at the youth center and at grandpa and grandma’s house.  All of my siblings were back at one time or another throughout the weekend.  Here are some of the pictures:

Aunt T pushing Bentley on the swing.

Easter puppets from Aunt T and Uncle C.

Since we’ve been home, the girls have put on several puppet shows for me.  They kneel behind the couch and hold their puppets up over the top.  Bria makes up the story as they go.

The next weekend, we worked on some yard projects such as tilling up a garden spot between the shop and our fence.  It is just the size I want, small.  The grass back there didn’t grow very well, but we are hoping that the manure we added will provide enough nutrients for the vegetables.

You can also see our new sandbox in the background.  David built that earlier in the day.  We still need to paint it and fill it with sand, so for now it is sitting in the shop.

Prom was last weekend.  David and I volunteered to chaperone the after-prom party (from midnight to 4 am).  That requires some help with the girls.  David’s parents were available, so they came and stayed with the girls allowing us to sleep-in the morning after.  Prom is on Friday here, so we had a couple of days to recover even though David’s parents left on Saturday after lunch.

The girls learned how to make towel animals (like they do on cruises) from grandma.  She had taken a class on the last cruise they were on and had a book with all the instructions.

Here are the elephant and gorilla (minus his sunglasses) that were left for us one evening while we were at bible study.

This weekend, David was supposed to help one of our friends work his calves, but the rain caused them to postpone it.  We took a trip to the “city” to get groceries and run some other errands.  My youngest sister is also coming this evening because she is having a jewelry party here.  We are looking forward to having her here the whole weekend.  The girls can’t stop asking when she will get here.

These activities are only the main events of the month.  There were plenty of other normal things going on throughout the weeks that kept us running.

We will see if I even have a chance to post any updates in the coming weeks.

Not an April Fool

Today it was 90 degrees (this about the third day it has been that warm this Spring), so David and one of our friends took the jet ski out.  The water is still cold, but the warm air made up for it.

On the 1st of April it really was warm enough to be out in the water.