Fun w/a few cousins!

On Monday, while Mr. J. was working on his homework we heard a faint "buzz" in the distance. Mr. J. quickly perked up from his papers, and then shortly thereafter I heard the pitter-patter of Darling D. running down the hallway. It is a familiar sound to them, and it is a sound that they look forward to very much. It was Uncle J. on his four-wheeler, along with Cousin C. and Cousin Owie. Uncle J. and Auntie C. live across the field from us and visit often. Miss M., Mr. J. and Darling D LOVE it when they visit b/c it is sure to end in a ride on the ATV (sometimes I'm sure Uncle J. feels so used...heehee) and a lot of fun play time with cousins.

The boys "shoed up" and jetted out the door within seconds to find them. After a lot of running around in the yard, they ended up jumping on the trampoline. Auntie Teecee and Cousin M. were also over and joined in on the fun.

Diggin' a hole to ?????

Yesterday, while I was pounding away on my treadmill I heard my boys yelling, "mommy, come see, come see." Their joy was obvious, so I quickly jumped off my "run to nowhere" and ran out to see what was the matter. Now, if you know my boys, they are "all boy." There favorite things to do are play in the mud, play in the dirt, play in the sand, play in the corn field, play in the gravel (you get the picture.)
About a month ago, Mr. J. found a mole hole in the back yard and decided he needed to "excavate" the area and find that dog-gone mole that was making such a mess in their play area. He has been "diggin' like crazy since." So, much to his delight, daddy decided to join in on the "construction project" yesterday, and here is what I found..... Yes, that is Darling D. up to his waste in the hole.

Saturday fun!

Today was a great day! Miss M., Mr. J., and Darling D. let mommy sleep in, which is a rarity. After a long day of puttering around the house, laundry, and yard work, mommy decided to take the munchkins out for dinner b/c Daddy is busy harvesting the corn. It is getting so much easier to take them out now that Darling D. is getting a bit older. A year ago, I would have not even attempted such an outing on my own.

After we filled our tummies, we brought daddy some "take out" in the field. We arrived back at home and decided it would be a great idea to give Chloe, our golden retriever a bath. She is not really an "inside" dog, but Miss M. decided it would be lovely to cuddle by the fireplace with her. Mommy is a big softy for both Miss M. and Chloe, so I thought it would be fun to show a picture of the two of them together. I tried to get a picture of all the munchkins and Chloe together, but Chloe wasn't very cooperative. I did get an adorable picture of them w/o her, though.

Check out our new page!!

Thank you, thank you, thank you to the G-Family for the blog makeover. Mrs. G., I no longer feel inadequate-heehee! We love it! Thank you Sweet Berry Designs for all of your work in designing it. It is SO CUTE!!!

I can't believe that the week is already over. It flew by! We basically had full days everyday. Last night, mommy and daddy had "date night" while Miss M., Mr. J., and Darling D had fun with their uncles. Our adoption agency had their annual banquet/fundraiser, and it was a huge success! The staff and board members are all amazing people, and we feel so blessed to know them. A big thank you to Mr. and Mrs. VM for coming, as well as Auntie C., Auntie Gooch, Uncle B, cousin Logie-pie, and Grandma O. It was fun to see you all there!

Mr. J. and Miss M. had an open house tonight, and mommy and Darling D. got to tour their classroom. We had the the cutest little tour guides that mommy has ever seen (that would be Miss M. and Mr. J for those of you not keeping up!) Mr. J. and Miss M. are really enjoying their new school, and for that mommy and daddy are very thankful! Afterward, we finished off the night with an ice cream social. Is there any better way to finish off the week than with ice cream? I think not!

An interview with the munchkins (thanks Auntie C for the idea)

Recently, we read our Auntie C's blog, and she had some very enlightening information from my cutie-pie niece on politics, religion, hobbies, and food. I think cutie-pie may have a future in investigative journalism:) Anyhoo, Auntie S. copied Auntie C., and the results are as follows:

Mommy- So, who are you rooting for in November, McCain, or Obama?
Miss M-Duh! McCain. (Her daddy would be so proud!) Mr. J: I pick that guy, too. Darling D: Huh?
Mommy- So what makes you think he's the candidate of choice?
Miss M- Cause my mommy says so. Mr. J- I pick that, too. Darling D- Huh?....(what, you're a VK! You have to be a conservative!)
Mommy-What’s your favorite thing to do?
Miss M- Play with my horse. Mr. J- Dirt man! (he's a man of few words....more of an "action" sort of guy. Darling D. - Huh? (mommy thinks we may be establishing a pattern w/Darling D, are we not?)
Mommy- Chicken, or beef?
Miss M-Beef. Mr. J-both, can I have a snack? Darling D-Huh?
Mommy-Vanilla, or chocolate?
Miss M-Chocolate. Mr. J-both, can I have a snack? Darling D-Chocolate. Mommy loves that he has learned about the important things in life!
Mommy-Fruit, or vegetable?
Miss M-Fruit, except for tomato. Mr. J-both, can I have a snack? (oh dear, mommy has started something!). Darling D-Foooot (aka. fruit)

Ok....mommy thinks that I have gathered enough information about the little munchkins for the evening. I guess I better go get that snack!

It's corn pickin' time!

Sigh....it is that time of the year. Dare I say it? Ok, if I must. It is officially the start of corn silage season. Today, Darling D. got to ride with Daddy in the chopper while Mommy went to a fun lunch meeting. I ended up being gone a lot longer than I anticipated, so it ended up being around 5 hours of fun for Darling D. and Daddy. Normally, Darling D. loves riding with Daddy, but 5 hours is a LONG TIME FOR A TODDLER TO SIT IN AN ENCLOSED FOUR FOOT SQUARE AREA WITH NO WHERE TO RUN! For those of you who have had the pleasure of meeting Darling D. you are well aware of the shear enormity of energy the boy has....never sits still! Needless to say, I think Mommy's arrival was a welcome site to both of them.

Now, much to Mommy's delight, all three of the peanuts are quietly playing upstairs in their bedrooms. It is much too quite. I better go and see what they have gotten into........

And now....

13 months!

For the past week, or so I have been working on a slide show for our adoption agencies annual fundraiser. Basically, it is a bunch of slides of Darling D. and his handsome Cousin M. over the past 13 months. It is so amazing to see how they have changed! They have both plumped up quite a bit, and the blank stares that we were greeted with months ago are all but a memory. Their eyes now sparkle, they giggle constantly, and have basically become such a part of the family that we often forget that they are not our birth-children. It seems like we have had them from the beginning. They are both amazing little men, and we are so thankful to have them!

So, in honor of the little munchkins overdo 1 year anniversary, I thought I'd post a few "then and now" pictures.

Introducing the latest munchkin!

I'm sure that most of you know that we are anxiously awaiting the arrival of baby#4. Ok...technically, she is not a baby. She is a toddler, but she will always be MY baby. Miss A is a beautiful 2 year old girl who mommy and daddy can't wait to scoop up, take home and love forever. She has a big sister who can't stop talking about her, and two big brothers that are constantly asking when Miss A will come home. Mommy wonders the same thing sometimes!

Please keep Miss A in your prayers as we wait to go and get her. She is SO underweight. She basically weighs about the same as a 6-9 month old baby. She is reportedly making progress in her therapies, and we pray that she will continue to improve.

Is she not the cutest little munchkin that you have ever seen???? Mommy thinks so!

I did it!

Ok, so I am the BIGGEST procrastinator on the planet (and I admit it!) After two years of saying that I would create a blog, I finally did it. A big thank you to my inspiration.....Karen (you are a blogging machine!), Kathi (your journey to Brooklyn blog made me feel inadequate...heehee), and Catherine (I love looking at the most adorable neighbors I've ever seen.)

....so, here goes...I hope you all enjoy our never boring, always busy, farming family fun.

Just testing for fun!

Just testing for fun!