Work Day!

Yesterday Max brought home two peach trees and we planted them out front. Every one helped in their own little way...Max in a big way.

We took a lot more pictures next to the tree because we want to look at them in three years (hopefully we'll be here for that long, Lord willing) and see how the kids height and the tree height compares.








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Benaiah loves to push his dump truck around the property, transport things in it and fill it with dirt.










Benaiah getting into the homeschooling scene






Benaiah's dream come true on the big "tracur"

Thanks Crate and Barrell...

The kids love to watercolor paint the white Crate and Barrell boxes and really made a masterpiece. Gloria and JB started it and then Benaiah got into it and painted on it for hours.

I love the look of concentration on his face.

Singin' with a Cowboy

Out of many adults and children, Gloria was the only one to step out and sing. The cowboy at this campfire/hayride/dinner experience asked if anyone knew any songs they wanted him to sing and after some silence Gloria got up right in front of him and said "The Butterfly Song". He said he didn't know that one so Gloria sang it for him while he strummed the guitar. She stood there singing with him (trying to follow along with his song) being bold and brave and sweet all at the same time.

I don't know where she got her boldness because it definitely didn't come from me! It must've come from Max's side of the family. Perhaps we should get her into some sort of performing arts. Max said she seems energized by performing and being in front of people rather than timid. Gloria and timid do not go together. We would like to develop this gift in some way and use it for God's glory...any ideas?

But we also pray that she have a quiet and gentle spirit, which doesn't necessarily mean not talking, but more of a graceful trusting in God, which makes her spirit quiet and gentle. We are also working on being "a lady" with her, teaching her lady-like manners because sometimes she can be over-dramatic and rambunctious.

Hay Ride, Dinner, and Camp Fire Songs with TRS

Evie B

Little foot

Sittin' with her Daddy

After a bath. Sumo Evie.

When Gloria takes care of her little brother...

...he ends up in Mary Janes and a helmet

Little Round Head

Profile shot of Evelyn while sleeping

Wagon Train

This is what the kids do for recess.

Sorry about the wind noise...we're on the plains on a windy OK day.

The Mad Hatters

"Howdy! Come on in cowboys"

Having a serious conversation...

Can anyone say "Alice in Wonderland"?

"I'm gonna go shoot me a gopher!" Max has been having trouble with gophers making holes and dirt piles all over our front lawn. He took his gun out this morning and tried to pop one so Benaiah figured he'd do the same.

"What? So my gun is upside down and all I have on is a diaper and a sombrero, whatcha gonna do 'bout it?"

Evelyn - 1 month

In her swing with a footie onsie (size 6mos) that's a little too long in the legs, but fits every where else. Does that mean she has long arms and a long torso? Or maybe short legs?

Bath time - she seems to just tolerate them right now, but does not enjoy them yet.

Chubby cheeks

Looking at Mama

Startled by the flash

Brothers and sisters

breezeway transformation

Taken from inside the former "breezeway" after walls taken out and painted white - thanks to Gramma Shell!

Outside the breezeway when the walls were still up and the trim and posts were still blue.

Bedroom/bathroom renovation

before...

This is not our furniture. These pictures were taken during the househunting process.

Wierd, open bathroom.

during...after...

Curb Appeal - "Before" picture at bottom of post

Michele, Max's mom, stripped and sanded the door, hours of work, and painted the entryway and the trim of the house. Huge improvement.

A friendlier entry-way.

For some reason there is a garden patch in the middle of the sidewalk, so we planted pansies there.

I think this picture was taken back in April when before we bought the house. God allowed the blue trim in order to save the house for us. Can you believe someone painted over the beautiful cedar door?

Baby Evelyn!

JB holding her the day we got home from the hospital.

Gloria looking at her new sister in the hospital, the day Evelyn was born, 2:40 in the morning on Monday, August 31st. This is the same day just much later, around 12:30pm.

The kids and Gramma Shell checking out Evelyn Victoria Bremer.

Mommy holding new baby. I have been blessed with quick, relatively easy, no-complications labor. I think the hard part is bringing them home and getting adjusted as well as being sleep deprived. Painful in different ways. Evelyn is a wonderful baby, sweet disposition, still wakes up a lot at night (every 1-2 hours...ugh!), a beautiful baby girl. Max would tell you that every newborn is ugly, but on the scale of ugliness, Evelyn is a pretty cute one, at least I think so. In fact, I don't think she's ugly at all. Maybe a little scrunched with gooey stuff on them at first, but they get better with each passing day...