Where have I been???

In Tn, Ms, Il and driving through Ky, Ms and then back to Ks!


My mom purchased a large 4 wheeler which provided a lot of fun for my two children and my neice Briley. These pictures are of my mom's front yard and Jacob taking the children for rides. Some are blurry but all show excitement, for both driver AND rider!

Briley had a very hard time getting off but after the first couple of turns she stopped feeling sad as she learned that she was going to get several more turns. My children enjoyed her as much as she enjoyed them and they have lamented the loss of her constant company. They would love to live nearer to these relatives. Uncle Jacob was wonderful and fun especially for Tad.

This dog is my moms dog Lonesome whom she found starving in her back yard years ago. He is loyal and quiet and well behaved and Tad shed more than a few tears over leaving him. He is the type of dog I would be happy to own, yet our track record with dogs leaves much to be desired...

While at my mom's house, we came under tornado watch and warning and Nathalie was a bit frightened by this. The weather was still quite nice and we, having lived through one, felt safe on the back porch watching the clouds and Nathalie spent the time sharing her woes and fears with her friend Faith in Ga who was very comforting.

I have so much more to say and I know my husband has missed my blog posts, I havent posted for the entire 10 days I was gone. I spent much of it, too much of it, driving. I wanted to see all the people I saw but surely wish they all lived in one group! I didnt see everyone, not even close. Missed several families that I wanted to see but there were some hang ups and of course the time issue.

The last bit of my visit was in Il and I was there to see my new nephew and go to his baby shower. He is half swedish and the swedish tradition for baby showers is to hold it a few wks after the birth so that is why he is here and the shower hadnt been held. He is beautiful and perfect and I was pleased to see him.

More on my trip later, I have some great photos to share yet!

Fire Photos

Controlled burn just behind our home, we have a feild, then there are RR tracks, then this guys land which rises up to where this fire is. Pictures not great, none turned out well but there it is. I would have prefered this end before bedtime... but it is now 9 pm and still going strong.


Picture taken same time different setting and it took away the dark but is a bit fuzzy.


The moon...


I think this is common here, with the prairie it can be unsafe but being done in the cold after several snows have melted is the best time.

And thats all... I am off to bed in a few minutes with a large fire burning a mere few acres away...

More convo

"When I grow up, I want to be santa's helper." Nathalie says

"Nathalie we dont even believe in santa." Tad adds

"Well that isnt MY fault! I WOULD have!" Nathalie states, here I am feeling like a good mommy for NOT lying to my kids (just kidding, I dont mind santa believers)

"Well," says Tad, "I guess some people are crazy."

"ME????" Nathalie asks

"Well I wasnt exactly implying that. But um, you might be a bit loco..." Tad enters

Conversations

"I want to go the Florida Keys." says Tad

"Why?" I innocently ask

"So I can harpoon a whale."He begins to laugh, which has always been contagious from him so I laugh and through his laughter he says, "with a harpoon you can buy for me from the gift shop." Now this I found truly funny and laughed more, and so did he.

"Tad, you couldn't harpoon a whale." Says I

"Why, because you wont buy me a harpoon?" He asks.

"Well there is that, and you have no whaling boat and no crew."

"Oh. You think I am a weeny? You think I am not strong enough to take down a whale alone?" He asks, incredulous.

"Well," I answer, "there is that also." He isn't laughing now...

Earlier convos heard here:

"Mommy, I think the recession is affecting my life." Nathalie says

"How is that?" I ask

"Well the prices on webkinz are rising and things are getting harder to come by." She answers.

"That sounds like your recession is now a depression," Tad tells her," and that my sister, will not be helped by ANYONE'S stimulus packet." Nathalie and I are both quite aware of his feelings on the economy.

I laugh quite hard at this, my son is funny concerning the economy. He is very keen about it, wanting to know all he can. I explain and we read on it online and he is adamantly NOT a democrat! He even makes funny jokes concerning this, for an 8 yr old, they are funny. Matter of fact, for a sheltered 29 yr old they are funny!

2 day Daddy Jeans

So these pictures were really hard to get. Remember the dress in the last post, on Nathalie? Well those were easy pictures. She will definately get the Photogenic award in our house along with Frank because I dont have it and my son clearly didnt get that gene either...
However, these are some nice looking pants that took a lot of work and SOME procrastination. They are a bit too big which is odd as I used a pattern that was the same as a pr of camo pants that fit fine.


The zipper is better than any other zipper I have done. I started making real flies in pants when Nathalie was 3 and I have been getting progressivly better at them (IE in first pr, you could SEE the zipper while pants were on.. A definate no no!). These have a great looking zipper inside and out.
Why daddy jeans for a title? Frank bought a pair of jeans after the tornado, we both did because we had no clean pants and no way to get any unless we bought some. So we each bought a pr of jeans. His are loose fit, easy in the legs, and light blue colored. If you look closely, the fabric is lined. I wouldnt have known how much attention Tad had paid to these new jeans, except in the fabric store a few months ago he brought me this bolt of denim. He said,"Can you buy a yard of this and make a pr of daddy jeans for me? This is just like Daddy's new jeans." I felt it and it surely was, I was surprised. There was a lot of light blue denim, but the weight and lines of this denim is identical to Frank's jeans.
I usually try to find denim on sale, this denim wasnt at all on sale. It was 11.99 a yd, expensive for ANY fabric in my opinion. I bought it. And here they are-Daddy Jeans.

45 min shower dress

Well because you have to twirl, to make sure its a GOOD shower dress...


And since you feel all fuzzy about the head and shoulders just before falling WHILE twirling, the camera is nice enough to represent this feeling, or is it an emotion? Twirling is quite filling so it must be an emotion.


And then you fall down, and this picture does look better turned the other way but it isnt so there is that.


After ALL that work, the girl is still up for a bit of posing


And a bit more, note the poised toe covered in semi clean knee sock


And even a bit more, the rest of which I cannot blog as it would take all night. All in all, the dress passed the twirling, comfort AND cuteness test and even Tad had to compliment the sage color with her nice freckles.
Can everyone see her missing tooth? Tad pulled it for her just last week and she earned a dollar for this. This dress did take me 45 min, it is for my sisters baby shower-each child has no full outfit that is un-stained and un-holey so Tad must have new jeans as well which are cut out and being made tonight. She will of coures wear this dress all summer and the next two more than likely. Nathalie wears a summer dress, a 2nd yr summer tunic and a 3rd year shirt. She has a wonderful striped shirt that will be worn for the 3rd summer, it was her 4-5 summer dress... She will be 7 in july...

snow and easter

Oh no more snow!



They enjoy riding their bikes in the slush, this snow came in the predawn and was pretty thick and covered the grass but by noon was melting to mud...



More snow of course, Ks spring. We expect some more this sunday. Will I ever put in a garden???

Easter candy, we sent a bunny to daddy along with other candy... and tea. Happy easter!