Not going GREEN anytime soon....

Adi's first experience with grass.....


Checking it out....


not so sure....pulling the feet up.....


hmmm....not enjoying it....


Yup...definitely not loving it.....


Okay....maybe hating it....


Definitely not any better from this perspective.....


So we'll try a blanket....still not really convinced though....


Oh - wait - there is a smile....


And a tongue.....and then she fell over and was once again - not very happy!

A visit to the dentist....

I took Ema to the dentist the other day....a little quicker than I had planned. Ema has had some pretty bad plaque build up that was really noticeable and concerning to me....considering Ana and Eli have nothing like this....and we brush all their teeth at the same time everyday. Our dentist doesn't typically like to see the kids until they are between 3 and 4 years old because any younger and they usually never cooperate and are just scared.
I called just hoping to have them "look" at her teeth and maybe give me some advice on what we could be doing differently. They actually had an opening that afternoon - 1:30...I agreed and later started to question if this was really the right decision....Ema being not quite even 2 yet, pretty timid as it is going to the Dr., and agreeing to take her in the middle of her nap time....I was already setting her up to fail.....but away we went.

THIS GIRL DID AMAZING!!!

Again, as we walked in...I just kept telling them...the didn't need to do anything...just look....but as they got started....Ema opened her mouth right up, she let them clean, scrap, brush, floss and even apply some vitamin stuff to her teeth, and then let the Dentist have a look.....The hygienist herself couldn't believe how well she did.....


Ema...showing off her new toothbrush and toothpaste...

Good Job - Ema we are so proud of how well you did.....Now Eli - that is a whole new ball game...the boy was crying before I even left the house.....so afraid that he would have to go too!

It's what's for dinner......

So if you have not already seen the link in my list of blogs....one blog I am a frequent browser of is my friend Mel's Kitchen Cafe (she is a friend from high school). I swear she just spends all her days cooking - well not really, but I have not had a bad recipe yet from her food blog....and this particular recipe has become a regular "staple" in our house - The BBQ Chicken Braid....don't be intimidated by the home made bread....it's so easy.....even I can do it. I must say though one of the key ingredients is her homemade BBQ sauce...I am pretty sure I will never buy BBQ sauce again.


The "braid" filled with the "goods" all ready to be "braided".....




Ready for the oven.....



My cooking helpers....



The finished product......

This actually makes enough to make 2 braids....so with the other one I filled it with pizza sauce and cheese for the kids....since I do have the PICKIEST EATERS KNOWN TO MAN!

Dinner on the Deck...

We finally had a nice evening with relatively little wind this past week....so we enjoyed dinner on the deck. Finally getting a chance to use our patio furniture that we got last summer.

Summer Braids....

After bath time the other night Ana asked if I would braid her hair into a bunch of little braids so that her hair would be "curly" in the morning.

Sweet Potato Oatmeal.....

We introduced Sweet Potatoes mixed with a little oatmeal the other night to Adi....she gobbled it right up....Loving it!




Never mind her super red eyes....she was a little tired too!


But boy oh boy, she was a mess....it was almost like I forgot how to feed a baby....we had baby food EVERYWHERE!


She had quite a "hefty" helping for it being her first trial run....After dinner we headed off to our small group...where she did just fine...no fussing from a tummy ache or anything. We got home a little after nine and I barely got her out of her car seat and she started projectile vomiting EVERYWHERE!....Three outfits later for her, Two for me, and One for Eric and one more little episode and she was completely fine....needless to say....I have not given her anymore baby food since.

She's a MESS...

A BIG OL'E MESSY MESS!!

One wants it....the other does not!

Any Guesses???

Memorial Day Weekend 2010....

Well the running joke in our house is, "Eric's 6 month vacation is over and it's back to work" (a.k.a. - projects around the house).
We had a project filled weekend......Saturday was a day of collecting all our project stuff and Sunday we got to work.

We bought 21 perennial plants for around our house.....as of today there are 8 left to plant.....that's a lot of holes! Don't ask me what we bought or have planted...I really know nothing about plants and really I just hope they look good in the end and survive the wrath of the deer and rabbits around here.





We also enjoyed a BBQ on Monday at our good friends' house.....this would be the kids getting a ride in the "4-wheeler"





And this pallet holds this weekend's project.....


We are going to be constructing this that we did previously at the "old" house now at the "new" house....to hopefully hold 100's of tulips for the spring and some colorful mums for the fall.....

Such a sweet face....

Ana's First Last Day....

Ana had her last day of her first year of pre-school on Tuesday. It was a VERY quick year!
Ana did such a good job, enjoyed going to school so much and still is amazes me every day with all that she learned.


Her last day....


Her first day....(Fall 2009)


Ana with her teacher Mrs. G - who is just wonderful!...We looked forward to another year up there again next year!

4 Generations.....

Last time we were home in Montana - we did a couple Generation pictures......


The kids, myself, Grandma and Papa John



The kids, myself, Papa and Oma.....

...The Results....

Eric had his Dr.'s appointment today......

The news was GOOD. The cancer is gone!!!

We have another appointment in three months in which Eric will have a CT scan again

to check if the cancer is still gone - we pray that it is!

5 months old....

She has discovered her toes......



Surprised by the flash.....


Such a happy girl!


And rolling and rolling and rolling......