Earth Day

Annie and Mary...what cuties!!!!Our Well House. The concrete is so warm to sit on and sun bathe.

Mary, Karissa, Annie, Katie, Christian, and John-John

Cold well water in the sprinklers...NO PROBLEM!!!!

John was very bent out of shape over the cold water. He hated it and was pouting out over it.

I first must apologize for the lateness in posting. We are so very busy with trying to get finished with our school year. It is my hope to have lots of playtime this summer. Additionally, I have several plans for the kids. But, for now, let me fill you in on some pretty cute stuff;-).

Last week we celebrated Earth Day with the rest of the world (hopefully). We watched several really good programs on National Geographic Channel. It showed how God's awesome hand had brought Earth together (I filled in on that info as we watched) and our universe was created. Thankfully, it stuck to actual events in planet creation and did not lead the viewer to believe it was all by accident. I was able to fill in the truth of God's mighty work without any conflicts to my narrations. It was perfect!!! Just like our Lord had selected this particular program just for our school studies.

Next, the kids picked up all the trash from around our home that had blown in from the housing constructions in the area. We have had horribly high winds the last few weeks and so there was an entire trash can filled with debris from the three acres next to our land. Plus, plenty of tumble weeds to scrunch and place in the trash. It all looks so nice now. Thank you children!!!

Then the warmth of the day drew their minds to the nearing summer days. They wanted to swim...oh so sorry...it is yet too early and the temperatures are not quite warm enough. However, soon they will swim. We have begun to make preparations to open the swimming pool. It's such good exercise and therapy for them all and myself included.

Anyway....back to Earth Day....We have a sprinkler well out back and it's water is very cold as it comes from deep within our yard. I decided to turn on the sprinklers and let them play in the mineral rich water. The temperature was in the upper 80's and so they got on their swim suits. It was a very enjoyable day!!! I have posted a few pictures to share their fun with you.

One hilarious thing about John-John....He was all smiles going out into the backyard to play in the water sprinklers. I told him it was very cold water. He is a bit squeamish about cold things like ice cream or ice cubes. He said "I play Mommy" and took off running for the sprinklers. When the cold water hit him, he ran back to me, about as fast as he went out to play.

I had gone out to sit on the warm concrete top of our well-house and bask in some sunshine. Little John-John wrapped up his shivering body in the first towel he could grab. It was a pink one;-). Doesn't my baby look cute in pink??? TeeHee!!! I took his picture as I asked him if he liked the sprinkler water. Obviously, he was fairly bent, over it being so very cold. Awe...sorry little buddy:-(

Well...guess that's about it for now. I will post again soon as I want to tell you about our trip with Katie Aunna to Albuquerque. Till then...please keep praying for Lexi. Many blessings to you!!!

Rain Showers For Katie Aunna's First Easter

Katie in computer class during school this week. She is getting so good with the touch pad. What a smart kid;-).

Working away on her program and school work for computer lab.

Front to Back : Mary, Annie, Katie, and Karissa. They loved their dresses!!!

Front row....left to right: Katie Aunna, Mary, and John-John

Back row....left to right: Casey, Annie, Karissa, and Christian

The girls were so darling in their Easter dresses and the boys so handsome. I was a little bent with John-John as he would not stop making these goofy faces for the Easter pictures!!! He is such a sweet heart...but, sometimes his desire to push my buttons is just too irritating. So I took their pictures anyway and told John-John this would be the Easter pictures he would not like when he gets bigger. Then he threw his self down on the floor in a fit at the restaurant.

We very seldom eat out, but, Duane did a trade-out with this restaurant owner....you know the sign "Will Work For Food". Well Duane (Dr. Heat-pump) fixed his freezer and some other thing in exchange for a meal credit. Pretty cool deal. It was really a nice exchange!!! So nice to go out to dinner and have all the family together.

At Mass we took up two and one half pews at church. We always try to sit in the same pew every Sunday. Guess we have gotten comfortable there after sitting in the same one for so long;-). It was very, cool outside and raining, so we did not hide eggs. However, they all got their chocolate Easter bunny and Katie Aunna gobbled down her bunny in one sitting. She just loves candy and especially chocolate;-). Quite a little sweet tooth the Arctic Princess has. She really enjoyed her first Easter.

We went to Mass first and then out to dinner with our family of 16 (Duane and I, 9 kids, two grand daughters, one son-in-law, and our S-I-L's two nephews). Glad we could avoid the mess at our house and eat out instead;-). We wished for Lexi, but, I kept telling myself that next Easter I would be looking for matching dresses for five girls and two grandchildren.

Our paperwork slowly grinds along. Duane just keeps telling me eventually we will get the job done and before we know it Lexi will be home. I hope so....I am feeling a little discouraged as we really need funding to accomplish this. So, I keep praying for Lexi's story to touch those who can donate a little to help her come home.

Please, try and help us bring this little girl into a loving family and give her a gift she so desperately wants...a family of her own!!! Many blessings to you and may God touch your hearts to help Lexi. We still have a good ways to go to meet our goal. Thank you for reading our blog and I hope for many blessings and much love in your life!!!

Medical Update

Just wanted to write a note about my surgery. According to the doctor my gallbladder definitely needed to be removed. Although, I am in a some moderate pain, it's not as bad as I had expected. Plus, the best part is that I have not had any heartburn or stomach pain since it was removed last Tuesday. They made three small abdominal incisions and one umbilical incision. I am moving pretty slowly, but, at least I will feel well when we go to see Lexi.

The kids are not doing so well. There is some croupy type cough and high temperature circulating among them. I have three on breathing treatments and all of them on cold medication. Last night Christian really scared us as he was so lethargic and breathing very shallow. Also, he could not talk above a whisper. Once I gave him a couple of breathing treatments he began to improve.

We have designated this week for Spring Break and guess it was a good week to be out of school since they are all sick. Katie Aunna thinks we need an extra week off because they have been ill;-). Guess we will see. I would like to move the classroom to the living room that we do not use. Maybe, they would be energized by a new location for school. It is a bit crowded in the dinning room. This would give us better space and we could have a designated classroom.