Loading up for the Hunting Trip

Max and his friend Nathan, who he went hunting with last year, load up their gear into a trailer to get ready for their elk hunting trip. Max's Dad went with them for a couple of days to be there for the scouting time.

Ian (Stephanie and Nathan's eldest boy) converses with JB while watching their dads load up for the trip. We planned on going down to the creek to have the boys float in the inner tubes after the guys left on their trip.

"Wings Like Eagles" Reunion

"Wings Like Eagles" is the riding program for special needs children (psychological or physical needs) and non-special needs children that has been going on at the Bremer ranch one week every summer for over 20 years now. Max (as well as many others) used to be a counselor at the camp. Some of these counselors I know pretty well now from being here in Colorado so much. Their children play with JB and Gloria.

Duncan and Michele received some special words for running and hosting the program all of these years. God has used them to touch and change many lives through the program, teaching Jesus Christ as Lord.

Look at JB jumping onto the bench from the steps.

JB and his new wheelbarrow

As Duncan and Michele were working on the barn at the end of the driveway, JB was going the 1/4 mile up and down the driveway, delivering things to them with his wheelbarrow. I made him wear the hat since it was a sunny day. Along the way back to the barn he stopped to pick flowers.

The Peeps in Colorado

The peeps are so cute. They run around saying "peep, peep, peep!" and they try to stay with each other as much as possible so it's hard to lose individual ones. The kids are really enjoying being here in Colorado. The peeps are enjoying being in a nice big box in the chicken coop with minimal handling from children. :)

Watching the Peeps

We had a bunch of chicks because we got them in Kansas and planned on bringing them to Colorado so that they could live on the ranch and lay eggs. That is what we've done, the chicks are now in the chicken house here in Colorado. We had fun taking care of them in Kansas.

Gloria holding chick

Family Picture

Not professional, but it'll do.

I realized that we didn't have a family picture for 2007 (and I needed one for MOPS steering introduction slide show) so today we stood outside in front of our pampas grass and set the camera to take a picture for us. Thanks camera!

Benaiah just looks so cute in just a diaper with all those rolls...I mean, muscles.

Gloria's "angry eyes"

See post below, "Gloria-isms", to read about her "angry eyes." This was the first time I asked her to do her "angry eyes" for the camera and she wasn't smiling at the same time.

You may be wondering about the braids...she brings me about 5 or 6 hairbands and insists that I put them all in her hair. This was the only way I could think of to get them ALL in her hair without it looking too kooky. She looks pretty cute with multiple braids.

JBisms - edition 1

"This is much nastier than you would respect"
-referring to his destroyed cardboard fort

"How was it with Benaiah last night? Tell me all about it."
-referring to my time in the hospital giving birth.

Daddy on the phone: "Col ____ is going to eat me alive"
JB: "Mommy, let's pray that Daddy doesn't get eaten by his boss."

JB: "Daddy is strong. He's the only redneck at work."
-referring to "The World's Strongest Redneck" on Country Fried Home Videos

Discussing which book to read:
Mommy: "I changed my mind, let's read the blue book instead"
JB:" You're only allowed to have one mind Mommy!"

Gloria and JB playing with "pet" locust on the coffee table:
"Gloria, we don't know if she's a baby, or a mommy, or a daddy, or a Christian!"

Gloria-isms Edition 1

With a little scrape on her thumb:
"Mommy my thumb is bwoken. It has a hole in it. I need a new one."

"All of the bad guys are in the desert"
She says this because when Daddy is deployed we say that he is "in the desert". When the kids ask why he is there I tell them "he's fighting the bad guys". Therefore, all of the bad guys are in the desert to her.

Gloria is crying:
Daddy: Show me where it hurts.
Gloria: It's only my feewings, Daddy.

Mommy not understanding what Gloria is saying:
"The foower!"
"The what?"
"The foower!!" with accusing eyes.
"Wow, your eyes are piercing!" -not thinking she knows what I mean.
"That's because I'm angry!"
...I still don't know what she was saying initially...poor girl

Daddy: "Let's go watch TV Gloria"
Gloria: "The mote is downstairs"
Daddy: "What?"
G: "The mote is downstairs!"
Eventually Daddy figured out that she was telling him that the remote was in the basement.

Gloria's dream [doll] house

The unveiling of her birthday present.

Gloria knew what to do with each piece of furniture or doll she unwrapped. Before giving her a doll house, she would play pretend with locusts she found outside. I'm sure we'll be finding locusts and other critters in her doll house, sleeping in the beds. After playing with it with her bro for just about an hour, there is now a giant duck in the attic and a miniature horse in the bedroom.

We got the doll house with more furniture and dolls, but we are giving them to her little by little. For today, her 3rd birthday, she got the bedroom set (including bunk beds) and the little girl and little boy doll.

Sad

A rare facial expression on Benaiah, our normally happy boy. I got him up from his nap and didn't feed him right away because we were in the middle of Gloria's birthday party.

Be Careful...

...how close you get to Daddy's feet!

Can you find the baby in this picture?

I guess I was too "Sassy" (notice the placement of the tag) so my mom decided to dump a bunch of toys on me. Not really, my brother and sister decided I looked bored just sitting in my swing, so they brought me all of my little toys to keep me company.

Look! I got one! Now I can speak my mind...

Cuteness #2

This is the first time I've seen him suck his thumb and actually keep it in his mouth without it involuntarily fleeing. He's so cute.