Do They See Us Coming???

Part of the way we entertain ourselves for free on Stephen's business trips (and at home too!) is by going to fun stores. I always feel a little guilty about terrorizing the store clerks and not buying anything. Do they see me coming with my brood and groan?

but I do make the kids not touch breakables, put everything back and generally leave it nicer looking than when we got there. Does that make up for the noise we make and the havoc we wreak?....and if we go over the edge, I MIGHT buy something....like chapstick?

Bass Pro Outlet

Hermit Crabs

International Percussion Instuments

Taffy Pulling

Other Cool Stuff

So I did let them each pick one kind of candy...unfortunately for me, they each wanted to pick a different candy STORE. Lucy= jellybeans, Clyde= sour paint and paintbrush, Iris= ninimems (m&m's) and me= peanut butter fudge!and more, but I'll try not to torture you all with MORE pictures.

Memories

It's kinda weird how Stephen's business trips are scheduled. We'll go 6 months without one and then bam, there's like 4. We have just not been feeling our best lately and blogging was the last thing on my mind. So I didn't blog our last adventure.

Business trips are always interesting. Lots of times we'll find free things to do, which in the past has enabled us to encounter rattlesnakes, dislocate elbows and many other assorted misadventures.

The last trip we went on was to an area very near to an old home of ours. You may have heard me refer to the "spider house"....well, it's been four years since we've seen it. It stands as a big monument in our lives and I decided (since I don't presently have one) to take a picture...so here you go. The Spider House :) It was really weird to look at it and know it had been four years since we had seen it. Weeeird.

We went to a very wonderful, very reasonably priced kid's museum which we used to frequent 4 years ago when I felt like driving 45 min.....and here's my photo dump of it.

crafts



construction

auto mechanic school

the wetland

for part of school, the kids and I timed a snail (you know...how far can it go in a minute and things you always wanted to know like that :) The twig was it's starting line.

Taking Time to Paint

The other day, Nina (that's what my kids call my mom) took us to a 'paint your own pottery' place.

Iris chose a star imprinted plate (as a gift for her Auntie Sherry)

Clyde chose a hamster to add to the hamster he already has.

Lucy chose a princess Tiana jewelry box...you can open her up!
Finished products.

Once Upon A Time

Once upon a time...we lived in a dirty duplex. I didn't like it, so we moved into our house. I like it here very much. BUT I do not like dirty things. The carpets here were installed previous to the signing of the constitution. And though I should keep them in reverence of our great history, I am considering pulling them up.

For those of you who read my last post, you may say to me, "Friend, you do not have the funds to replace said carpets! Pray do not do such heedless actions!" And I do agree that you would be speaking naught, but the truth, but consider this alternative. We could rip up aforesaid carpets.....and NOT REPLACE THEM!

There. I've said it. What's wrong with plywood, pray tell? I mean...sure people might think we're weird. The kids might get splinters. But SHOULD people really care, and would my true friends think less of me? And splinters are most easily removed while children sleep.

Food for thought.

So. One day, when we invite you lovely readers over for Sunday lunch. And you spy my lovely plywood floors, perhaps you will be inspired by my new fad! That is, if I have the nerve to pull it off :)

Dear Lord,

Gracious Heavenly Father,

I have just received the ambulance bill.
We need a new roof.
I'm afraid our carpets are bothering Lu's....and my allergies.
We just took ANOTHER loan out to fix our car.
The other one is breaking down presently.

There are many other things...but I need not list them for You because You know them. Thank You that I am not afraid. You have always provided for us (during much worse times) and maybe I finally realize you always will? I have friends in worse situations than myself. I ask You, in Your merciful and overwhelmingly gracious love, to help us all through our financial (and other) mire.

Thank You so much for Job. He humbles me and makes me feel like the ungrateful pig that I am. Thank You for the overwhelming blessings You have heaped upon me. I am spoiled in the good health of my family, the home that I have, the friends and family that love me and all the rights we have in this country. Not to mention all the food. Thanks for the food. I like it very much. Thank You for the clean water and lack of digestive problems that comes from said clean water. Thank You for my air conditioner, appliances that make my life easier and for beautiful things. I REALLY love beautiful things. Thanks for music and that it is so easily accessible to me.

Thank You most of all for making eternal provision at your own great sacrifice for such a miserable soul who cannot even comprehend all the ways in which she should be thankful to You.

How on Earth can I possibly worry about this bill while you twirl the universe about on your fingers?

You are completely holy and completely unfathomable.

How can it be that i am Your child?

Easter Present

First we hunt eggs at church...I didn't really get to watch my older two, so here is Iris (w/Ava, of course)

Then we go to my aunt Sissy's for an egg hunt and hang out with family....

Then we go to my Dad's to hear him preach, hunt eggs at his church, then hunt eggs for the fourth time at his house!Yeah...we have a lot of eggs.

Easter Past

Some pictures from our Easters past...some aren't so great, since I don't have a scanner :)

Baby Lucy

Toddler Lucy

No pics of Lu and Baby Clyde...why???!!!!

Clyde's first hunt when he could actually hunt...sorta :) (He's so itty bitty pudgy cheeks!)

Baby Iris and family...not such a good copy, but you can sorta see it.

Two,Four and Six....I still think that is the ages they should be right now :(My babies just last year!