Army Strong

We enjoyed yet another gorgeous day today. We met our elderly ex-landlords in St. Robert today for lunch. St. Robert is a town neighboring the largest Army base in Missouri. Every time we go to St. Robert we have the honor of driving through the base. And, every time we tell the boys we'll stop and explore the many army vehicles they have displayed. Well, today was finally that day.

Corwin had Daddy read EVERY sign posted by EVERY army rig. He needed to know the crew capacity, range, equipment, engine, weight, length, height, etc. of every vehicle. Both boys were fascinated by these large vehicles. Corwin is convinced now that all he's interested in doing is being in the Army when he gets big and driving a tank. Oh, my.

They also had an old Coast Guard Boat...

...and a massive anchor...

Owen thoroughly enjoyed the "monster trucks." I suppose they do look like monster trucks. :)

Just Another Manic Tuesday!

Okay, these "spring" days have actually been more like long, cold, winter days. We have had the pleasure of a few nice warm days, but it seems like the cold just keeps trying to hang on. I realize that's what spring in Missouri is like, but that doesn't mean I have to accept it. Instead, I will complain about the chill and anxiously await the warm. Then, when it's crazy hot this summer, I'll do the same in anticipation for fall. :) It's a vicious cycle.

Anyway, I dragged the boys to the park this morning. Thankfully, I'm able to let the boys play at the park while I walk the perimeter. Exercise and Entertain. Killing two birds with one stone. Multitasking. Go me!

The boys love the park and always thoroughly enjoy themselves. Well, Corwin did, anyway. I am convinced that big brothers are just created to torment and torture their younger sibilings! I say this from personal experience, folks. I remember Shelby trapping me in the hallway and making me wrestle with him. Corwin is no different. He attempted to take Owen's life several times this morning.

On the merry-go-round, Corwin is "seemingly" clueless to Owen. Owen would be getting off the contraption, and that's when Corwin would decide to spin it at Mach speed. Or, Owen would be on the ground waiting to jump on, and Corwin would spin by with his legs flailing in the air and pummell Owen to the ground ... not once, but multiple times! Notice I said Corwin was "seemingly" clueless. Mmm hmm....

Or the teeter-totters. I now realize that these fun play-thingies ought to be outlawed because of bigger brothers. Corwin, obviously, was attempting to launch Owen into outer space by catapulting him into the stratosphere.

Thankfully, Owen walked away unharmed and thoroughly entertained. He would laugh histerically when being flung into the air. I'm waiting for the day that those laughs become blood and tears, though. I suppose that's life with boys. It's exhausting.

Knock! Knock! Who's There?

Owen and Corwin have been on a kick of telling jokes lately. Owen loves "Knock Knock" jokes, except they're not really jokes. There's no punch line. He "laughs" instead. I can't explain it to you; you'll just have to witness it for yourself....

He and Corwin will go on and on and on and on.... They will tell the 2-3 jokes they actually DO know, then spend the next 20 minutes making them up. It's torture, to be the truth. Torture. Anyway, here's a quick and short example of what we've been enduring lately:

Spring Break!

We just spent an ah-MAZING week in ah-MAZING weather in ah-MAZING Texas! Ah ... it was so good. It was wonderful to soak up the sunshine and 80-degree temperatures. It was great to sit at the campfire and look out over the lake. It was fun to watch my two kids and my brother's three to play in the sand and water for hours on end. It felt good to sink into a comfortable bed at night and wake up to the rooster's crow. Okay, maybe the rooster wasn't so wonderful, but the rest was great!

This was our view from the campfire. You can see that we had a great view of the kids and where they played. They were so busy and played so well together!

This is the view from the front of the house, through the wrap-around porch. Gorgeous!





The chairs at the top of the hill is the scene of the campfire where we congregated day and night, and roasted hot dogs and made s'mores. Ah...


There was also a pen of farm animals that the kids thoroughly enjoyed. (Remember I mentioned a rooster???) Chickens, ducks, and goats! The kids had a ball feeding them and watching them.

One day the lake house owner admitted the kids into the goat pen. They really liked that--getting up close and personal with the animals. They thought it was funny that the goats tried to eat their clothes and were butting heads with one another. Owen was telling this nanny goat something really important, can't you tell?

Those silly chickens and ducks just would not come to the kids and eat the non-existent feed out of their little hands. I just didn't understand that. (Read that last comment sarcastically, please.)

Again, Owen has important things to tell the animals. This "baby kitty" got an earful.

Then there was the fishing. Ethan went with Grandpa and Jason every day on a quest to empty Cedar Creek Lake of its fish population. I'm sorry to say, they didn't come close. The first day they reeled in several in about a 30-minute period, but overall it wasn't overly successful. But, we had enough to have a fish fry/grill Thursday night. So, not too shabby!

Owen caught a little green rubber fish over, and over, and over, and over again. He hasn't graduated to real fishing yet. Go figure; I just don't trust a 2-year-old with a hook.

And, boy, was I glad I threw in a bag full of trucks. That's what Owen spent the majority of his time doing -- moving the sand with his trucks. He'd eat breakfast and go out and run his trucks.

He'd eat lunch and go out and run his trucks.

I'd make him come in and take a nap around 2 p.m., and he'd cry for his trucks.

Then, he'd get up from nap and go run his trucks.

Then, he'd come eat supper, then go back and run his trucks. The boy needs a sandbox. He LOVED that sandy beach! Oh, and his trucks.

Then, there was the kayaking. They supplied us with 2 children's kayaks and several adult kayaks. I never knew that was so fun! Corwin, Ethan, and Emerie spent a lot of time kayaking the cove. It didn't take them long to perfect the act, either.

Here they are on the first day, preparing the fleet.

Here's Corwin fixing to captain his maiden kayak voyage. Very exciting!

It took just a couple minutes for him to become a pro!

Here he is one evening rowing, rowing, rowing. He loved that kayak! Oh, and look! There's Owen running his trucks! :)

And, occasionally they'd capsize. Well, OFTEN they would capsize. I thought they were crazy for swimming in the cold 70-degree water, but they didn't seem to mind.

Even Owen got in on the action. Daddy took him out one day, then I took him out another. He didn't like that I stayed in the cove. He wanted me to "go out to sea" and take him for a l-o-n-g ride. I was not prepared for that, nor were my upper arms, so we stayed close to home. He loved the ride, though.

Then, there was riding in Uncle Shelby's new boat. This, my boys enjoyed almost as much as the other activities. And we had amazing weather for simply taking a ride. Well, Uncle Shelby's driving was a little wild at times, but that's what made it even more fun. (And, that's why we wear life jackets.)

Good Times!

A Bend in the Road

Many of my readers (ha! I have "readers") know that our family has endured a rather ... abrupt change recently. Jason endured some really ugly stuff in his work and was forced to resign in the middle of the school year. It was not our plan, nor do I believe it was God's plan, but He has worked it to the good. His promises in scripture are true, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28) Jason has been called to coach, I believe, and God has worked a very ugly situation--that could have been very bad--into the good.

So, all that is to say that we have moved back to our house that we own and were renting out. It's nice to be "home". Jason and I have moved a lot in our 11 years of marriage. This makes the eighth move, to be exact. But, I have found that home is where your stuff is--where your family is. And, it's good to be home. It's always hard to say goodbye to friends, and it was even more so this time because Corwin has real friends now. But, we have our health and each other, so all is good! And the boys are resilient. They adjust very quickly.

I am thankful for God's role in our life. Without Him, this whole situation would have been very dismal and dark. And, don't get me wrong, it was for a time. But, "He brought me out of the miry clay! He set my feet on the rock to stay!" He is good!

Please be in prayer for us as Jason is on the hunt for a new job next school year. Pray that we go exactly where God wants us to be. Thank you.