Green Acres is the place for me...

Farm livin' is the life for me (I'm sure the little husband wishes his little wife would really believe that line but we'll just keep singing...) Land spreadin' out so far and wide. Keep Manhatten, just give me that countryside!

That's exactly what we got when a friend invited us to ride her pony. She even provided a picnic snack to help strengthen these kids for the long ride ahead...and the long walk

Tessa was not nervous one bit!

Eliza was nervous...a little bit

Summer was simply nervous.

(she tried to fake it with this smile)

Then to top it off, Grandma Christy (no she does not look like a Grandma but she is definately a professional b/c all of our kids listened to her) took them on an adventure walk.

Wouldn't this be the most amazing yard to let your kids run free in?

Summer & Tessa just wanted to feel like real cowgirls for a moment, looks to me like Tessa takes it a little more serious.

While I was taking this picture Amelia sang out...

Keep Manhattan, just give me this countryside!!!

okay, maybe she just thought it

Good bye, farm life

little Amelia

So this is where we have been spending 1 to 2 mornings a week ever since Amelia was diagnosed with ITP, a childhood blood disease that is treatable. It began with one ugly bruise on her stomach & then a week later she got tiny red dots all over her forearm. The little girl on the bottom right is a friend that we have seen almost every time we've had an appointment. We count our blessings b/c we are reminded weekly that it could have been so much worse. We have the sweetest nurses who do their best to make it less painful for our little one.Amelia is now used to getting plenty of kisses from her sisters whenever she holds up her finger that gets bandaged up for the day. You can't see her finger very well in this picture b/c she's covered in chalk but she's holding it out there and will only let me take it off right before bed.
thanks to all her little cousins for keeping Amelia in your prayers (especially you brad) her platlet count is up and she doesn't need medicine this week!
That's our good news update...stay tuned for more.

An apple a day...

James is one happy boy! He finally has an apple tree of his own.

We have planted fruit trees for every home we've bought, third time's a charmer!

In Las Vegas we planted lemon, lime & orange trees in one hole so they would grow intertwined, wonder what they look like now? In Boise we planted apple, peach & cherry trees. Now we get to enjoy the fruit without having to wait!A little scrubbing makes them more beautiful so we can...

go for the BIG bite!

Come get your Free Organic Apples!!!

Stinkin' Creative People...

really know how to host a Playgroup. Just look at these few pictures & you'll get the idea...

She planned a Willie Wonka & The Chocolate Factory themed playgroup & that doesn't mean, throw a bowl of candy in the middle of the room & play (no, that's my kind of planning)
Yes, house was decorated too, notice the big lollipops & candy necklaces hanging on little lollipops. (Lydia on the right is wondering why she doesn't get to wear glasses like all the other kids, it's just not fair!)

To top it off, her husband is a graphic artist so he just whipped these wrappers out

please read the fine print...

Just another typical, ordinary playgroup...unless Carrie is involved!

Would have been cute to have pictures of everyone there but after taking these shots everyone showed up and we all became wild and crazy with sugar in our blood!

(I am going off sugar for an hour tomorrow)

Grandpa Bruce Arrives!

Here are a few action shots to show just why the girls love their Grandpa's visits so much...

1. He doesn't mind that all four of them stare at him while he eats his dinner.
2. Mom always makes a yummy dessert for his arrival (Chocolate chocolate chip, chocolate frosted bundt cake, did I mention the chocolate?)

3. Grandpa has better ideas on what to do on a Saturday than boring old Mom & Dad who try to trick us into thinking that house projects are fun to do, fun to do (they think us kids don't know any better...yeah right!)

4. You can only catch the REAL big ones with Grandpa...well at least Summer thought is was huge! (Can you even see it in his hand?)

5. Grandpa can't say no to the wee little girl who asks..."grapa, swing pwease?"

6. And Grandpa always knows when to catch a few of these...

ZZZZ, ZZZ, ZZZZ

Some Lovin' in the Oven

We just wanted Amelia to feel a part of the School Gang

Amelia..."going to 'cool' mom. going to cool."

After such a long, long walk down the driveway for Amelia,

and after 2.5 hours of pre-school...Summer and Tessa were just famished,

and after a full day of first grade carrying a backpack half Eliza's size...

Some definite lovin' from the oven was needed!

I agree...not too pretty...yet

What do ya' think now? mmm, mmm, good.

Until you get a little distracted & overbake a batch.

Mom, if you were here I would have kept them in 10 minutes longer!

For those two sisters who are crazy enough to be off sugar, here is a sugar-free

picture just for you...

Ahh, sisterly love.

The Before pictures...

There is the wall we took out
Here is the bar we made into a pantry so that I wouldn't be tempted
to serve my children Martinis during the day (or myself)

The lovely eat-in kitchen with not one but two layers of wallpaper

The only thing we kept here is the fridge that

works great in the garage!

Here is the old pantry where our Fridge now sits.

I love Before and Afters, I believe I inherited that gene from my Mom. Who

by the way, convinced us to buy the house that just needed a 'little' updating!

I realize I'm not doing these posts in order so scroll down for the After pics.

Wrapping up Summertime...

Swimming almost every day...
It's always more fun with Dad in the water

Amelia turned 2 years old on August 30th!

Grandma filled a purse with lollipops & treats...

only the very best for breakfast!

To top it off she gets a little pampered by big sis Liza

A perfect weather day to walk home from church

and then school begins

The new kitchen

The beginning of our weekend project

It was truly Labor weekend for us & seeing this

picture reminds me why my back was so sore,

simply b/c we were slower at doing the project
(finished setting it at 2am, so worth it)

We still need to do the finishing touches like caulking and sealing but we love the glass backsplash (it looks more clear in person)

We love that it's done!

the end

I wanted the picture under the words, let's try again...

This layout is not reading my mind so my words will not match my pictures...