Easter

Easter was so wonderful around here.  We spent quite a bit of time leading up to Easter talking about its real meaning.  We did a fun puzzle from the Friend Magazine and talked about the resurrection, watched an Animated New Testament Video called He is Risen, sang Easter songs, etc.  Kenneth had Good Friday off and we went to Hesston (the next town up and where Kenneth works) for their town Easter Egg Hunt.  The kids had a blast.  On Easter morning, I had a new water bottle for each of the kids with a scripture attached about Jesus giving us Living Water.  We ate bunnies for breakfast and hard-boiled eggs.  We didn't get new Easter dresses this year (I am hoping to buy some on clearance here in the next few days- I am cheap, I know!).  Church was wonderful.  There were some wonderful musical numbers and the speakers were great.  There was just a great spirit of rejoicing.  I am so thankful to know about the Savior and what He has done for us. 
We had Kenneth's cousin and his family over for an Easter feast that afternoon.  After the meal we had an egg hunt in the backyard for all the kids and then Kenneth did a scavenger hunt for them.  We had some other friends from church come over for dessert the the egg hunt as well.  We all had so much fun.  Here are some pictures:

Grant ready for the hunt.

I love these little cuties!

Arianna playing after on the playground after the hunt was over. 

Jeff, Kenneth and the kids on the merry-go-round.

The kids woke up to this.  I kept it simple and they were delighted.

Except that Arianna decided she would rather have a Stegasaurus than a bunny.

 

 

 

 

Egg hunt in our backyard.  You can see the garden Kenneth planted off to the left there.

 

 

Arianna is in to monochromatic dressing lately.  She cracks me up.

 

Emma the egg hunter

Happy Grant!

Enjoying their spoils.  My friend, Amanda, is holding Kate to the right.

 

Grant was so glad to have other males around.  He couldn't get enough of them!

Here he goes again.  Poor Zachary!

Finding the treasure at the end of the scavenger hunt.  Each family got a Spot It game.

Here's my new dining room table.  I really need to paint this room!  I can't decide on colors, though.

Didn't mean to keep you hanging for that long!

Sorry to those of you who have been left wondering for the last week what the 'excitement' around here is.  One of my friends called to find out what it was when I didn't post for a couple of days.  She guessed maybe it was that Kenneth finally stopped working his other job.  Sadly, no that is not the excitement (yes, he is STILL working part-time for his former job!).  If you ask him when he is going to wrap up his work for them, he will say, "Oh, maybe 2 or 3 more weeks" just like he has been since mid-January.  I've been having flashbacks to a few years ago when he was in school and working and I had a newborn and he was NEVER around.   It will be nice to have him around more soon.  Anyway, the excitement is. . .drumroll please. . .we bought chicks!!!  No, this is not an April Fool's Day joke and here are the pictures to prove it:

Here are the kids the day we brought the chicks home.

They have named them (from left to right) Noisy, Pecky and Blacky.  Oh, these poor chicks!  They have been put through the wringer with these three as their owners.  A couple days after we got them, the first thing Kenneth asked when he came home from work was whether the chicks were still alive or not.  They love them to near-death, it seems.  One day I walked in to find them swinging the chicks around in a small bucket- much like a roller-coaster for chicks.  Another day I came into the garage to find Emma riding around on her scooter with 2 chicks perched on the handlebars.  Oh dear.

So, here is their home:

Kenneth made it out of a wardrobe box.

Here are the kids reaching in to torture play with the chicks.

We started them off in an unfinished room in our basement since it was so cold the day we brought them home.

Here's what it was like outside the weekend we brought them home!  The kids had a blast on the trampoline in the snow!

 They were down there for a week and I thought I would go insane.  I mean, I am so happy that they have 'pets' and that they are having so much fun and all, but between worrying about the safety of the chicks, and the germs they may be spreading all over the house, keeping on top of making sure the kids wash their hands thoroughly after touching them, the wood shavings the kids were tracking everywhere and the chick poop we were constantly cleaning up (just in the unfinished room, mind you!  We had very strict rules about where the chicks could be!) I was starting to go mad!  Once it warmed up and we moved them into the garage, the kids haven't played with them as much.  I don't know if it's that the novelty wore off already or that it isn't as pleasant or convenient to play with them out there.  But, the chicks are growing well and we are excited to have our own eggs when they are grown up!

So, now Kenneth has a new project on this hands to build their chicken house to live in.  He has come up with a pretty cool design and is excited to build.  But, his to- do list is a mile long, so hopefully he will get to it before the chicks outgrow their wardrobe box!  He spent this past weekend installing a water softener.  That was interesting in and of itself.  He was supposed to complete the installation on Friday, but as most projects go, it took way longer than he hoped and way too many trips to the hardware store.  So, he ended up working on it all day Saturday, too, and didn't finish until almost 11 pm.  Of course, we were having family over for Easter Dinner and Saturday was my cooking and baking day.  So, I got to work in the kitchen all day without running water!  Boy, absence really does make the heart grow fonder!  I am so thankful for running water.  You should have seen my mound of dishes when the day was over!  I must say, though, it is very nice to finally have soft water.  I actually had a great hair day on Sunday because of it!

Here are some more pictures of the kids and the chicks and a video that you HAVE to watch.  It is hilarious!!!

Here is a close-up of one of these little ladies.

They love these chicks!

Grant insisted that I take a picture of Noisy's claws.

So, of course, Blacky wanted her claws photographed as well.

And Pecky couldn't be left out!

I kid you not, they spent HOURS playing with them everyday that first week!  And we still have 3 living chicks!

They discovered they could make the chicks flap their wings.  My favorite is to watch Grant concentrating so hard.

Pictures of Easter to come soon!  And my new dining room table.  Stay tuned!

I don't know if this is sad or funny. . .

We have some new excitement in our lives (which I will post about later. . .bet you're excited to know what it is!!)  Anyway, with this new excitement, I was subsequently helping Grant wash his hands at the kitchen sink.  He climbed up the stool and while I was washing his hands looked down at the sink and said, "It's empty!"  I said, "You don't usually see it empty do you.  Mommy did all the dishes this morning."  Grant then responded,  "Sometimes you can't do the dishes because you are milking Kate." 

That guy kills me.  Sad that my 3 year old was so startled at seeing an empty, clean kitchen sink.  I also love that he says I am 'miking'.  I feel so bovine. 

A good laugh

After church today, I went to get the kids from their Primary classrooms.  Grant was excited to see me and wanted to show me his picture from Primary.  Here is what he showed me:

I realized as the girls also showed me their papers and I read what it said that the children were supposed to draw themselves in the oval.  Grant then said, "I didn't know how to draw myself, so I drew a forklift instead".  Oh my goodness did that give me a good laugh!

Here is it up close:

Grant loves to draw anything with wheels.  Mostly tractors and trucks.  Today it was a fork lift apparently. 

In other news, Kate is 6 weeks old today.  Emma is such a good little mother to her.  She really is very helpful to me.  I had a friend tell me when Grant was still under 1 year old and all my children were still very young that it would never be that hard again.  With the next children, the older ones would be older and more able to help.  I am really finding this to be true.  Here is Emma with Kate:

On Friday, Emma walked into the kitchen like this.  My initial reaction was, "Emma, No!"  But, Kate really did look so cute in the doll stroller that I said, "Keep a close eye on her and don't let her fall out and I'll take your picture".  Then we had a talk about safety with the baby.  

In other news, we finally found a dining room table!  Hooray!  We've been looking on Craigslist ever since the offer was accepted on the house, but haven't found the right one until now.  I love it!  And we got a great deal on it, too.  So, now I just need to clean it and we're set to have people over for dinner.  (Painting over the bright orange paint in the dining room would be nice, but I'm not sure quite when that is going to happen.)  I bet Grant won't be delighted when the table goes up.  He has lovingly named that room 'the ball room' because it was the only room in the house where I'll let him play with balls, i.e. no furniture/decorations to hurt!  I'll have to share pictures when I get it set up. 

Bit, Bang and Biff

a.k.a. Emma, Arianna, and Grant. 

Poor kids!  They're still smiling, though!

Daddy took these 3 sledding on Friday evening and they had a blast!  Unfortunately, the last run of the night the 2 girls got pretty well banged up (Isn't it always 'the last run'!).  Even though they got hurt the night before, they were still up for going again Saturday morning.  Once again, the last run of the morning, Grant and Emma were going down the hill, lost control at the end and Emma unknowingly got on top of Grant, pressing his face into the crusty snow.  Not so pretty.  Luckily, they are small children and heal quickly.  Next time we will try to go when the snow is new and soft- not so hard and crusted over. 

The next day at church everyone could guess what we had done that weekend!

Here are some pictures of the sledding adventure on Saturday:

The whole gang sledding.

Daddy and Grant

Whizzing down the hill- look at that smile!

The view from the sledding hill.  Notice the grain elevator.

The other direction is another grain elevator and a water tower- there's one in every town!

Love that little man!

Little Kate and I just came along to take pictures and pull the kids to the car.

In other news, Kate is 1 month old as of Sunday!  Hard to believe!  She is beginning to sport the double chin look.  She is doing great.  I am not ready to leave the house with all 4 of them by myself.  We had a disastrous trip to the library last Friday which proved this to me.  Good thing it's a very small library, with few patrons, so my 3 year old screaming only disturbed a few people.  On the othe hand, in a town with only a few thousand people, remeaining unanimous is not possible.  As I left the library that day I seriously wanted to move I was so embarrassed.  It's better if we just all stay home for now.

Bathing Kate is a family affair- the kids love to 'help'!

Emma loves it when Kate sucks on her chin.

She's getting bigger!

I caught a little smile on camera!

Arianna loving baby!

Arianna's latest crazy smile. 

Grant is enamored with his new little sister, even though his disappointment at her not being a boy still creeps out regularly.  On several occasions in the last month he has asked me if there was another baby in my belly.  He really wants a brother!  He calls Kate the cutest (and most interesting names!)  He regularly coming over to her and says, "Good morning, Sunshine!".  Other times he calls her 'Pinkalicious' (which actually sounds like 'Pinkayicious' with his speech-it's quite adorable!).  If she's in purple it's Purplicious.  My favorite though is when she's hungry.  Then he calls her 'Hungry, hungry Herbavore'.  One day he even called her 'Dictionary Power'.  What a funny guy!

He loves to snuggle her

And gaze into her eyes. . .

We are a happy *snow* family!

Daddy and the girls made a snowman family to welcome our coming snow storm.  Notice baby Kate in front of Arianna.

We had a record snow fall around these parts last week of around 6-8 inches.  They say between today and tomorrow we are supposed to have an additional 6-12 inches or so.  Unheard of for Kansas we hear!  We have enjoyed watching the swirling blowing snow out our windows today.  I am so thankful for a warm home to be in.  Right now we are having a small break in the storm.  It's supposed to snow most of the night though.  I hope Kenneth has to stay home from work due to the roads.  That would be great. =)

Bar cookies are the way to go

I have been winging it alone this week.  My mom left us after being here for 2 1/2 weeks last Friday and Kenneth left Sunday morning for Germany for work.  I had very low expectations for myself this week.  I didn't try to unpack anything.  I didn't try to hang pictures or organizing the many things that need organizing.  My main goal was to feed the children and keep them alive (I also wanted to keep up on Emma's school work, but keeping the baby happy was first priority).  I have succeeded!  Hooray! 
Many things have helped us to be happy this week, but these bar cookies were a definite sanity-saver for me.  That and going to bed at 8:30 pm.  And this rice pudding.  Yum.  (Thanks, Mel!  You are a gem!)  There are a few reasons why bar cookies are the way to go.  First, they are easier to make.  Second, you don't have to feel guilty about how many you have eaten- you just keep cutting off little pieces- no problem!  What's a little piece?  No big deal.  Third. . . okay maybe just 2 reasons but they sure have made my week.  I don't know what the deal is, but I have wanted to eat everything bad for me this last little while.  It's horrible!  I don't usually allow myself to make such treats anymore because I don't need to eat them.  But, I guess I needed a little comfort food this week, so I let myself. 
The baby carrier has also been a life-saver.  I guess after being in the womb for so long, being in the baby carrier reminds the babies of being back in their watery home.  I wore Kate in the carrier today while I went out in the snow for over 2 hours. I swept 6 inches of snow off the trampoline and the glass-covered wells to the basement windows.  She was happy as a clam sleeping away the entire time in there.  I can even get on my hands and knees and sweep the floor under the table without her even batting an eye!  It's great.
I planned on not leaving the house this week and that was a very good thing especially with the snow yesterday and today.  I don't know if I could drive anywhere even if I wanted to.  They don't so much know how to clear the roads around here.  New York has that down pat and that is what we were used to.  Not so here. So, the car hasn't been driven since Saturday.  Playing out in the snow has helped with any cabin fever we may have developed.  Our neighbors must really think we are fruity Californians out clearing snow with bucket lids and a broom.  I can't seem to find that snow shovel we used to own when we lived in New York. 

Boy, this is hard work! Arianna taking a break.

Here is our backyard this morning.

Arianna is obsessed with eating the snow.  I even found her licking a puddle off the mud room floor hours after we had come inside.  Oh, child!

Such fun!

Anything is more fun if wheels are involved!

Also, before the snow came we had a nice walk on our neighborhood walking trail that passes by a small hobby farm that has five horses.  The kids love to say hello and feed them carrots. 
Speaking of Kansas- it is fabulous!  Well, the people are anyway.  Kansas itself if kind of just flat plains. We have had 5 neighbors bring us baked goods and gifts to welcome us to the neighborhood.  Another neighbor that I don't even know plowed my driveway yesterday and today.  We got a personal letter of welcome from the Mayor of North Newton (I guess you can do that when there are only 1,765 people who live here, 500 or so of whom attend the college located here).  We have felt very welcomed.  We live in the kind of neighborhood where the people who drive by you when you are out for a walk all wave.  I love it. 

Some more points of interest for the week:

Why do babies always look so different on different days and in different positions?  If I didn't know better, I wouldn't know this was even the same baby!

Little Kate

So sweet

Sleep is good.  Look at those little lips!

We are a little unconventional around here:

My five year old daughter sleeps with a 6-foot-long stuffed snake:

It is so funny to me when I go in to check on her at night and she is lovingly curled up with this thing!

The piano has turned into a parking lot:

Grant loves to find new places to play with his cars and his marbles, too.

Arianna is a horse pulling a carriage, which her brother is driving:

I have a future project on my hands changing the wall color in that dining room.  Some day I'll do that!

The kids decided it would be fun to play doctor with the 'living doll':

Oh, children!

 

 

 

Checking the knee reflex

Dr. Emma says she is healthy as a horse!

So, only one more day to go 'til Daddy comes home.  I think we'll make it.  Hopefully without making another pan of bar cookies!