State Park, Kite Fun??, and 50's Day

Scott has a big project at school coming up and has to do a 6-10 minute PowerPoint presentation on a state attraction.  We visited a popular park over break in order for him to gather information and to take LOTS of pictures!

 The sisters might not make the slide show, but they sure are cute!:)

Scott started his PowerPoint as soon as we got home and has much more enthusiasm about another school project than I do!  

 Beautiful day!

Perhaps it's just us, but I always hesitate to let the kids fly kites, because it ALWAYS ends in fights and frustration.  This day was no different, but here are a couple pictures of the "fun" while it lasted. 

Kate's class celebrated the 50th day of school with special activities and games.  It was cute to see all of the kids dressed up.

First Half of Fall Break

     Over fall break, we did the traditional pumpkin patch visit.  This time though, we did it without Jon since he was away on a hiking trip.  We missed him on the bumpy wagon ride.  We missed him during the tough selection process.  Most of all, however, we missed him when it was time to lug the heaviest pumpkin ever back to the van which was parked oh so far away.  Scott kindly pointed out a closer parking spot on our journey back, during which I pulled and strained every muscle in back, neck, and arms in an attempt to get this monster back to the trunk.  Live and learn, I guess...or just bring Jon next year. 

     Over break, we also ventured to see this precious little pumpkin and her mom and dad.  Anna is the sweetest, happiest, cutest little one around!   I've seen so many pictures and videos of her over this past year, but it was wonderful to see her again in person. 

 Lovable baby, lovable dog...if only they lived closer!

 Sophie impressed us all with her HIGH FIVE dog tricks. 

   After visiting, we did some farm touring.  Molly comes from a farming family, so we were able to see/pet/hold/feed chickens (over 100,000!), goats, kitties, rabbits, cows, piglets, and dogs.  Wow!!!   

Two cats and a dog have nothing on them!  We certainly enjoyed our visit!

School Stories and Such

*Kate had career day at school awhile back.  She wants to be a school nurse and work in whichever school her sister teaches at someday!

*Kate "listened" to Natalie's heart and said, "Try eating lots of fruits and vegetables cause I'm not hearing much thumping."

*A girl dropped her apple during lunch and it went rolling down the floor.  Kate thought this was so funny and shared it with us after school. She said, "I laughed for the whole rest of the lunch and my giggles were about to fly out even at quiet time!"

Warning:  The following story won't be funny to most, but it's something that I want to remember/record in my blog book, so I'm adding it in...
 
*On the second week of school, Kate said her art teacher asked if anyone had a joke to share.  Kate raised her hand and Mr. B called on her.  She said, "Knock, Knock."  Mr. B said, "Who's there?" Kate said, "Chickity."  Mr. B said, "Chickity who?"  Kate repeated, "Chickity" again.  

The girls made up this joke over the summer and when someone said, "Chickity who?" they would sing a goofy "chickity" song.  

So...Kate was telling us this story on the drive home.  The other two were morified that Kate would say such a silly "joke" at school.  Natalie said, "You didn't sing Mr. B our chickity song, did you?"  Kate assured her that she didn't.  Scott said, "I didn't think you'd be that type of student at school."

In defense, Kate said, "Well I raised my hand, but I didn't think he'd actually call on me!"

 *First Ever Field Trip- (highlight was the first ever bus ride...no seatbelts??!!!)

*As I've mentioned, Kate is an extremely picky eater and food smells even bother her.  So, the aroma-filled cafeteria is her least favorite part of the day.  She's developed a friendship with a preschooler, but according to Kate, the preschooler brings a sandwich with pickle on it EVERYDAY and this grosses Kate out.  She loses her appetite and usually brings home a pretty full lunchbox.  Today, she cracked me up when she came home and said that she told the other girl, "I am a little sensitive about your pickle.  So tomorrow, would you please sit on the other side of the table?"  The preschooler agreed, but Kate said that they had this same conversation the day before and the pickle lover still came and sat down next to her.  Oh to be a fly on the wall.  :) 

 *Me:  Bye!  Have a good day at school.
Kids:  Bye Mom, don't sell Scout while we're gone.  

*"The dog ate my homework!" could become a reality this year.  

*Some parents may hold off on letting their girls wear make-up in an attempt to keep boys away.  We may let our girls wear make-up early to keep the boys away. 

*The dog gets most of the attention these days, but the cats still make us laugh with their crazy sleeping positions!

Double Take

According to the vet, Scout still has some growing left to do, but we are amazed how big she's grown in just seven months of life.  It seems like in the blink of an eye, she's changed from a cuddly puppy to a giant lab.  I miss the soft puppy stage.  It went SOOOO fast!  Check out the "Then" and "Now" pictures. 

Move over, Kate!

Then, she couldn't make it up onto the porch...

Today, however....WATCH OUT!!!!

I feel like I could do a dog food commercial or something.  Before Beneful Premium Dog Food...After Beneful Premium Dog Food.    She's a growin' for sure!  And we're only 7 months in!

Some glad morning when this life is o'er...

On July 15th, Scott and Natalie were baptized!  Scott had been asking to do this for over a year, so the time had certainly come.  Kate also trusts in Jesus as her Savior and requested to be "bap-a-tized" too, but we discovered on vacation that the putting her head underwater part was going to be an issue!  She'll do it down the road.  Jon had the privilege of baptizing the kids, and it was certainly a special day.  

Here are their brief testimonies/reasons why they wanted to be baptized-

Scott wrote, "I accepted Christ as my Savior when I was four years old.  I know that I need Jesus and that I am a sinner.  I want to show everybody that I believe in Jesus by obeying Him with baptism."

Natalie wrote, "When I was four, I realized that I was a sinner and that I needed a Savior.  I want to be baptized because I want to show everyone that I love Jesus and want to follow Him."

We rejoice that Scott, Natalie, and Kate have decided to allow Jesus to be the Lord of their lives, and we pray that they will continue to follow Him closely all the days of their lives.