In case you've forgotten what my children look like...here are some new pictures I snapped this morning. SO they are as up-to-date as they possibly can be!

The kids have been as busy as they can be!!

 "Busy" is defined as playing, reading, running around like crazies, and of course whining, crying and fighting!

 There is no denying in this house that we are going a bit crazy, so we cannot wait until it warms up enough to run some of this energy off outside!!

My goal this spring is to get out and spend more time with my three local mommy friends who also have kids the boys can play with. I am such a home-body, but hope to make a bigger effort to change our scenery at least once a week!

Bentley is working on some eye teeth, so it's been a challenge keeping him comfortable while they come in. One's poking through today, bleeding a little :(

 He's also done nursing. For the last 2 months he's only been nursing morning and night, and the past week or so he's been more interested in touching my face and giggling rather then actual nursing. So I tried not nursing one night, worried that he'd eventually get lonesome for me, but he did just fine! It's emotional for me, him not needing me for breastfeeding anymore, but I know that I gave him my best for 15 months! And I loved all 15 months of it! He's a "big boy" now, I guess.

"Big boy" is saying a few new words!!

shawa (auntie sarah)

peeesss (please)

door

haa (hot)

As for the "even bigger boy" - he's showing us how creative, kind, yet bull-headed he can be! He loves to play with cowboy hats, my boots and his rocking horse. Just this morning he was giving his horse a "wash down" (thomas the tank engine term for a bath) with a wipe. His horse also has a band-aid on his ear...cause he got hurt. Somehow. On his ear. Poor horse.

He was playing meeting the other day and wanted FOOD to play meeting with...for the emblems, ya know.

His imagination is going wild. So is his little human nature too! I am beginning to just roll my eyes when i hear screams from the next room, or when he throws a tantrum when we say "no". But I must say, he still makes me smile and very happy, dispite his naughtiness. Don't think that he's the only naughty one in this house either...it takes two to tango...!

By the way, WHERE IS SPRING? I know it's not even March yet, but still....!

Makeover!

While Duana & Janette were on their 35th Anniversary vacation to AZ, we broke into their house, and gave their bedroom a MAKEOVER! Not that it was terribly out-of-date, but there had been mention of an "update", and we wanted to give it a fresher look!

Most of the credit goes to Ellen & Carmen for doing most of the planning, and us and  Kenny & Lichen nodded and agreed excitedly, envisioning what the outcome would be!! Then in one weekend, us and Hugh & Carmen got to work with paint and our decorating skills and......viola!

Take a look.....

                                                                          BEFORE:

AFTER:



When they got home, they WERE surprised! However, first very confused for a while. We thought the first place they would go after a week long vacation was their bedroom...but the bathroom and facebook came first! I left one of the extra new towels on the bathroom counter...which they thought was odd...but maybe someone from meeting there on Sunday left it?? Next was Facbook, where they found a comment of "today is the day", which really confused them too....

Until FINALLY they opened the door to their bedroom, and found it completely different!

First thing Dad noticed? The new nightstand and new alarm clock...LOL.

Grandma Erna

On January 30th, my Grandma Krisher passed away, quietly on that Sunday morning. On Monday, we packed up the van and started out journey to Wisconsin, to say goodbye and be with family when we needed family the most. Her funeral was Wednesday and burial Thursday, and even though the road there was so long, we were sooo thankful we could say goodbye to my Grandma, who meant the world to us. During the service, it was mentioned several times of her humbleness, modesty, and commitment to Grandpa, and the truth. She was SUCH a wonderful example that I aspire to be like. Of course it was hard to see her not alive and smiling, but it was so comforting and peaceful to be surrounded by family and friends who's lives she had touched in so many ways!!

We are also so thankful that we got to see her just a few weeks ago when we took our first trip out to Wisconsin. It's going to be hard to forget the look on Coy's face when he saw Grandma, sleeping in her chair, with her teeth hanging out! I bet he never knew that teeth could even come out like that :) Here is a picture of our little family with her, just 2 1/2 weeks before she passed. :)

Since Grandpa & Grandma moved up to a trailer on our place from Medford when I was 7years old, we saw them a lot, and have so many special memories...since they played such a big part in our childhood.

*She alwas, always, always grew tomato plants on the front porch, and an aloe plant on the kitchen counter, which I liked to snap open and squeeze the aloe out of.

 *Through the years, they cut out Marmeduke comics and made their own comic book, which got a lot of use from the grandkids!

*They LOVED our dog Chelsea. Grandpa was not where, Chelsea was not. When the dog got in trouble at our house, she'd make a bee-line across the yard and over the barn hill to their place, where she was always welcomed with pats and treats.

* Grandma and Grandpa sat by eachother at every meal. And I don't mean just next to eachother, or across from eachother..I mean their CHAIRS touched. I loved that :)

* I'd like to go visit them up at the trailer, and when I'd been there long enough, I'd know it was time to go home, but not exactly wanting to say "good bye". But thats ok, because I liked sitting in the quiet of their house with them, munching on stale popcorn.

*We usually got a deer count from Grandpa. He'd sit at the kitchen table and count the deer out in the field...and report it. These things you just HAVE to know, I guess ;)

Sigh...and many many more memories!