bringing up boys...... and girls

PUPPIES FOR SALE!!!

2008-11-14T06:45:00.000-08:00

We have PureBred Border Collie Puppies for Sale!!! They just turned 8 weeks on the 12th of November!! They have had their 1st Puppy Shot. We are asking $100. Please feel free to pass this onto friends and relatives!!! There are 3 males and 1 female~ They are out of 2 VERY GOOD working parents!! Sid would be lost w/o his dogs!! He uses them all of the time when gathering up the cattle and they watch the gates while he feeds in the feedlot!!

Here is Louise's puppy~ Rosie ~ the only female

Has the coloring of Okie, the mamma

Not sure whose puppy this one is,but it's a male
coloring like Gus, the papa

Kalen and his puppy King

We spent a Sunday afternoon out on the lawn w/ the puppies~ they were timid at first~ but they warmed up quickly and were out exploring~ The kids had a blast playing with them!

Sid w/ the puppies

Louise taking Rosie back to the pen

Gus

Both Okie and Gus are really good with the kids~

I can't say enough about how good they are w/ working cattle too.

I didn't get a picture of Okie as we tried to keep her away from the

puppies b/c all they wanted to do was nurse!! They are on food though~

Halloween

2008-11-14T06:09:00.001-08:00

Okay~ I must admit~ Halloween is not one of my favorite holidays! I don't like to drag out the costumes or come up w/ ideas for costumes b/c I'm toooooo cheap to go and buy them!! I usually just find different things at rummages to hopefully make into something! The kids get a TON of candy that none of us really need~ especially MOM!! But I must say, I do love painting their faces and the kids enjoy it, so I suck it up and away we go!!

Central Lyon Fan

Hunter

Cottontail

Princess/Witch

Okay~ so Sid may not know it, but I have a little tradition of going out for pizza before we head out to go trick-or-treating!! The kids love it and it's just fun to do w/ the kids!! Usually Sid is in the field, so he doesn't get to share in on this experience.

The boys at Pizza Hut!

Jarrett was getting too HOT in his costume!!

Look at all the Candy!!

Best Friends

(most of the time!!)

Weekend w/ Uncle Lucas and Aunt Millisa

2008-11-14T05:42:00.000-08:00

Yes~ BEFORE Halloween~ Lucas and Millisa

came to visit us for a weekend

~ And when they come~

they always have plenty of activities to keep the kids

BUSY!!

painting gourds
oh so pretty!!

playing games

Look at those smiles!!

Morgan did her part in helping w/ making the cookies!!

Each kid got to take a turn at rolling!!

adding some frosting

and more frosting

Lucas guarding the Candy Corn Cookies!!!

Great Idea Millisa!!!

Then a little kite flying!!

And some pumpkin carving
Some drawing to see WHERE we will carve!!

Kalen's Creation

(w/ U.Lucas' help)

Nice Pumpkins Everyone!!

Though it was short, it was a great time w/ L&M!! We are so thrilled that they are expecting, so that we can do all of these things w/ their little one!! (PLUS, Aunt Tana is REALLY looking forward to teaching their little one ALL (and maybe more) of the wonderful 'tricks' U.Lucas taught his nephews and nieces!!!! :-)

From relaxing weekend to the Hospital!!

2008-10-22T13:41:00.000-07:00

We've been having a lot of 'junk' go through the house.

I have Bronchitis, Morgan is on an antibiotic, and

then Kalen started sounding 'tight' on Sunday.

I rushed him into the Clinic on Monday AM~

nurses were scrambling and the Dr. was concerned

but after a Neb. treatment and steroid shot

he settled down and we went home.

But Monday PM, his breathing was getting really

labored and his temp had spiked and it just wasn't going well.

I took him up to the hospital again and

they admitted him.

He spent the next 30hrs under the 'tent'!

Not the most willing patient~ but if he attempted to do

much of anything, he was wiped out, having trouble breathing,

and back under the tent (and usually sleeping)!

In the 'tent' w/ a cool mist
Sid brought the kids up to see Kalen on Tuesday night

(Mom was missing her kiddies!!!)

We hung out w/ Kalen in the room~
THANK YOU!!!

Kalen was given some very nice gifts while he was in the hospital!

AND THEN....

Wednesday AM, while we were waiting on discharge papers,

Kalen received a very special call.... from his classmates!!

They all said HI together, and then one-by-one

they said a special GetWell Message

and Kalen had to guess which classmate was talking!!!

It took him awhile to get the hang of it (plus scratchy phone reception)

but Oh, if you could have seen the smiles on his face!!!!!

He talked about it and SMILED for quite a long time

after the call!

THANK YOU, MRS. BOEKHOUT AND CLASS!!!!

Women of Faith Weekend

2008-10-22T13:25:00.000-07:00

So this past weekend my Mom came and picked me up and we headed to

St. Paul for the Women of Faith Conference!

We were going to have some extra time, but since we really

aren't shoppers, Mom suggested a

Pedicure and Manicure!!!

It was very relaxing and fun!

ahhhh... this was AWESOME!! It felt so GOOOOOD!

On to the nails...... Sid gives me 10days :-)

I'm hoping it lasts longer~

It was fun!! Mom and I

My cousin, Jodi, and I during one of the breaks!!

Aunt Cleo, Cousin Monica, Cousin Jodi, Aunt Connie, Mom and me

While at the Conference, we listened to some great speakers,

Patsy Clairmont, being my favorite!! She is sooo funny!!

And we got to listen to some AMAZING singing!!

Mandisa and Nicole C Mullen have such a love of God

and it shines through in their singing!!

And the WOF Worship Team

is still one of my favorites!!

This was a very special weekend w/ Mom and I can't wait to decide

what we are going to do next year for some

Mother/Daughter time!!

Oktoberfest

2008-10-12T15:19:00.000-07:00

Okay~ so if I could make a living doing something like this, I WOULD!!

Though I haven't spent a lot of time w/ it, I love trying

new looks!!

I took the kids to Lake Pahoja for Oktoberfest.

We didn't make it in time for the games, but we walked through the

campground and the kids gathered treats.

Instead of getting the costumes out and fighting them as we walked,

I decided to do some face painting,

since Gramma so kindly gave me the supplies and a book last year!!

Each of the kids picked out their own 'styles' and away we went!

Here we have a Sugar Mouse and a Alien Princess! And a Pumpkin and a Bat!
We picked up two of the cousins and did their faces too!!

Here we have a Butterfly!

After the kids were done gathering treats, we had a group photo~
They were so good!!

Hope you enjoyed!!!

Pumpkins Pumpkins Pumpkins

2008-10-10T13:20:00.000-07:00

I took the kids to the Pumpkin Patch last weekend.

We had a good time picking out just the right ones!!

Lucas & Millisa~

The kids asked immediately when they could

carve them and paint them!!

I said when U. Lucas & A. Millisa showed up!!

Are YOU ready for winter?

2008-10-10T13:17:00.000-07:00

I did some early shopping for the kids for winter

although it's been cool enough for the caps lately.

Here are my models:

Guess what we have at our house?

2008-10-10T13:12:00.000-07:00

Don't know if you can tell what Morgan is doing, but after watching the puppies outside,

Louise and Morgan were playing!!

Yes, Morgan is 'drinking milk'

like the puppies!!!

Hope to get pictures of the puppies on here soon~
anyone need a Christmas present?!?!

GO FIGHT WIN

2008-09-28T20:07:00.001-07:00

I told you I'd have something for Louise to wear that's

Purple & Gold

that was her Mom's!!!!!

Louise in her Cheerleading outfit.

She wore it to the football game last Friday night!

We painted her cheeks~ stars on one side and Go Lions! on the other!

Go Lions!!

This was right up her alley!!! She loves to be a Girly-Girl!!

And here is her Mom!!!

I wore the outfit when I was 4 1/2yrs.

I was a mascot for the

Harding County Ranchers

for the Boys Basketball Team!!!

Go Ranchers!!

Boys will be Boys (but I don't have to like it!!!)

2008-09-28T19:46:00.000-07:00

Okay~ so the boys are getting older and

'spreading their wings'

Their roles on the farm are changing, and I'm not

quite so sure I'm ready to see my boys grow up so quickly.

Sometimes I just have to walk away and PRAY that

they will be safe. I have to trust Sid ~ but sometimes that's difficult~

Especially for a 'Right' person ~ Yes, He is their Dad,

but don't Moms know best :+)

(okay ~ not all the time)

How high should I have let them go?!??!

I think Kalen would have gone all the way up the tree had

I not said, "NO" "YOU COULD FALL" "......"

While we were working on putting fence posts in the ground,

the boys were having fun climbing!!

Looks to me like they were having a blast though!!

Mom, can we take our shirts off?

2008-09-25T20:00:00.000-07:00

Sure, why not?!?

We've been trying to teach that the girls have to wear their shirts

while the boys can take theirs off,

BUT it was so muggy in the house

I said, 'what the heck'

Jumping on the trampoline before bedtime

Into the house and time for bed!!

SSSSSomebody losssst a tooff

2008-09-25T19:54:00.000-07:00

Kalen lost his tooth Tuesday night

Sid helped pull it out for him

And the Tooth Fairy even showed up!!

And before we left.....

2008-09-25T19:46:00.000-07:00

The lake was so peaceful and beautiful as we were leaving

for church!

I must add~ they do the line-up by themselves~

No coaching~ I just say "time for a picture"

and this is the way they get together!!

Will I ever get a picture with all eyes on the camera?

(smiles)

The girls!!

my love....

Time on the Pontoon

2008-09-25T19:24:00.000-07:00

Oh how nice a relaxing ride around the Lake can be when you are with

the ones you love!!

the men in my life!
Best Friends!!
Sid's Uncle PeeWee decided it was time for each of the kids

to take their turns at the wheel!

They didn't have any fun, though :+)

All smiles!!
and some more

and more smiles!!

I love those 4 kids!!

And afterwards, while the rest of us were sitting around the campfire....

The boys were having a blast 'getting dizzy'

AND MORE SMILES!!!!!!!

Weekend at Lost Island Lake

2008-09-25T19:08:00.000-07:00

We were able to get away for a day/overnight one last time before Harvest starts!

Here were are enjoying time at the lake in late September

****IN OUR BATHING SUITS****

Sand + water + buckets + a little help = Sandcastles
Yes... he does relax once in awhile!!

gotta love him!!!!
Louise

In the water we go....
how far we can 'spit' the water...
Look at the smile (and mine!)
LOTS AND LOTS OF BUILDING!!
music or not, we love to DANCE Will she hate me when she is older?
Oh well, I love those cheeks!!

Time for Applesauce!!

2008-09-25T19:01:00.000-07:00

Yes, it is that time again!!

We only did about 36qts,

but at least Sid and the kids

have applesauce for another year (or 1/2 a year!!)

Jarrett and Kalen are getting to be quite the helpers!!

Jarrett gets to use the knife and Kalen uses the

apple corer/slicer which helps speed up the time w/ cooking the apples!!

He's a pro!!

Okay, so Jarrett helps out too w/ the 'contraption'!!

And what have we been learning lately?

2008-09-25T18:45:00.000-07:00

Oh how nice that we now have another reader in the house!!!!

Louise needs books read to her for PreSchool

and Jarrett needs practice with reading.....

So.... Jarrett now gets to practice with Louise
(if they are NOT fighting!!)

Kalen is practicing too!!!
He did confess this week that he is not really liking school

**too much work**

Our artist!!
Jarrett did a great job when having to draw a picture of the

Star-Spangled Banner!!

And then we have Morgan~
if she doesn't get her nap while everyone is at school,

but doesn't want to go to bed!!

Tricks!!

2008-09-25T18:40:00.000-07:00

The boys have been having fun learning how to ride their bikes

WITHOUT HANDS!!

Jarrett
Kalen

And here we were just trying to get Louise to ride w/o training wheels!!

Not quite... yet...

August Birthdays

2008-09-25T18:31:00.000-07:00

So.... I'm catching up on blog-entrys... a lot of them!!!!

We got together with Sid's family for August Birthdays~

all but 3 in this picture!!

And The Ages Are:

2m, 6, 6, 6, 4, 7, 6

4, 3, 2, 1, 4, 4

Kalen and Morgan share the same birthday!!

Weekend with Grampa & Gramma

2008-08-24T13:38:00.000-07:00

It was good weekend spent w/ the grandparents. I bought a tag-along-bicycle at a rummage and so Grampa was so kind :-) to help us get it working on 'Sid's' bike! The kids sure thought it was fun, but Morgan will be the main one sitting behind riding so we all can ride together at the bike trail.
Enjoy the pictures!!
Jarrett and Granpa

Morgan, Grampa, Rudy, and Gramma following behind~

Morgan just SQUEALED when she first tried it, but she is getting more and more used to it!

Louise is all smiles w/ Grampa
Kalen and Grampa

Morgan thought she would 'help' Gramma put her earrings back on!?!

Thanks Grampa and Gramma for the birthday gift!!

Look at me!!

Thanks Gramma and Grampa!!!

Here's the usual picture before Grampa and Gramma leave!!!

We LOVE you!!!

MOPS Carnival

2008-08-24T13:33:00.000-07:00

MOPS had a kick-off to this year's coming year, and so we took Grampa & Gramma into the carnival for a few games and rides on the train. The kids had fun and gathered up some 'treasures', so they were happy!! Here are some pictures:

This doesn't look like cleaning

2008-08-24T13:17:00.000-07:00

I told the kids to clean their rooms the other day. The boys were going to help the girls with theirs. And while I was busy doing some things, I came out to find this in the middle of the living room!! Oh well.... I decided they looked like they were having fun, so I let them play and we picked up later!

GO LIONS!!

2008-08-19T17:23:00.001-07:00

Yes, once I got here to take the picture, I thought, "hmm... should have been in our purple and gold attire to show more school spirit"

but oh well, maybe next time!!

And yes, those were my school colors, so that's even more cool!!

I'm thinking I could find some old warm-up shirts for the girls to wear in

10 years ~?~?~Maybe!!

School Year 2008-2009

2008-08-19T16:48:00.000-07:00

Well, after a pretty uneventful weekend, we had Open House tonight for the kids as they will start school on Thursday. They were quite excited to go and take their supplies, but once in school they got quite shy :-)!! But that's okay~ I know they will have a good year, with new challenges ~ but they have GREAT teachers, so no worries there!!!

Jarrett, Kalen, & Louise

Here is Jarrett with his 1st Grade teacher ~ Mrs. Kennedy

Here is Kalen with his Kindergarten teacher ~ Mrs. Boekhout

Here is Louise with her 4yr old Preschool teacher ~ Mrs. Pytleski

LJK are all smiles after they all say their teachers and rooms!!

Just another day

2008-08-13T18:22:00.000-07:00

Louise had her 4yr old wellchild check-up so she can go to the school-funded 4yr old Preschool this year~ her only concern after she found out she wouldn't need shots was

"how hard will she hit me w/ that"

when she saw the reflex 'thing'

She passed w/ flying colors and is VERY excited about going to school w/ her PINK backpack!!!

Morgan got to hang out w/ Dad while Louise & Mom were gone~ She LOVES riding along in the tractor and skidloader!
Kalen found his sun glasses from last year somewhere outside!! He was THRILLED!
Hope you all had a great day!

Is the Potato here?

2008-08-13T16:38:00.000-07:00

So while Louise was playing on the computer, I was outside taking some pictures. And I told her she needed to go to the basement b/c of the weather (and Mom DOES NOT like Iowa storms!!) When I told her she could come upstairs, she said "Was it a potato?" No, there were no tornados, but there was some bad weather east of us!!

More Fun

2008-08-12T20:10:00.000-07:00

When the kids weren't in the water, they were playing hide-n-seek w/ the dishes Marlene borrowed them from the cabin ~ yes, we did find all the pieces!! These 4 played so well the whole day!!
Okay~ Look out in the water~ do you see 2 spots? Yes those are the boys ~ out over 150yds ~
And now you can see them a little better ~ standing ~ and the water is only up to their waist's!! The lake is down quite a bit and so I called it 'kid-friendly'!! No~ we didn't let them play out that far though~ I kept them in pretty close to the dock!!
The kids have a lot of fun w/ this 'frizbee' ~ but as you see here ~ w/ all of the trees we had some problems~ Yes, J has a bat in his hand!!!
Tyler wasn't able to go fishing, so he came over for the evening and played w/ the boys~ Kalen is waiting so very patiently in the background waiting for his turn!

Fun at Lake Poinsett

2008-08-12T19:55:00.001-07:00

We spent the weekend w/ friends up at Lake Poinsett and we all had a FABULOUS time!!! The kids (and Mom) were able to do some tubing and JKL & a friend hung out on the shore and in the water for about 4hrs in the afternoon.

Here are some pictures of all of the fun we had:

J&K tubing

Louise is all smiles on the boat
Okay~ so the life vests were a little big, but we had them tied on through the legs so they could at least enjoy a ride on the boat!
This is me! Yes, the first turn we started on I got a little cocky and biffed it!!! But I ended up going a bit longer and it was fun to get back to the boat and have 2 little boys looking down at me w/ big eyes saying

"MOM, YOU'RE GOOD!"

(Lucas & Caleb~ now don't be showing me up any time soon!! ;-)

Here the 'fish' were posing for the camera! There was a beautiful sand beach!

Fish? No those are our KIDS!

2008-08-03T17:27:00.001-07:00

So here is where the kids' personalities really shine!

They LOVE the water!

(which was no choice of theirs b/c their MOM takes them quite often!)

L is swimming for 'sinkies'

Yes, this is M~ who will be 3 the end of the month

I think she likes to scare me by seeing how long she can stay under water!!!!!!

NOT COOL! for a Mom! But she always comes up w/ the biggest SMILE!

J likes to swim in the deeper end diving for whatever I can throw for him!

K is all smiles ~ He goes back and forth from playing w/ L&M to over in the big end w/ JJKL&M hanging out during a safety check~
Well, off for now~ Hope you have enjoyed the pix! As I sign off for tonight, just want to tell Caleb we wish you safe travels for this week and we will be keeping the Wisness family in our prayers.

Meyer Reunion

2008-08-03T17:04:00.000-07:00

We spent the weekend w/ the Alvia & Emma Meyer famliy!

All 142 of us at a 'hide-a-away' church camp in the middle of Iowa!

We had a lot of fun just hanging out w/ relatives we hadn't seen for awhile,

but the kids truly enjoyed the extra-curricular activities they had on the grounds.

Here are just a couple of things they did (I apologize for the lack of cropping~ I haven't figured it out on this computer yet):

While the boys were jumping off the blob,

Sid took the girls and cousins on a canoe ride.

J is jumping off onto the blob!! Then he has to climb to the end so he can get 'launched'!

J & a cousin get 'launched'!

K jumping off ~ this is what he thought was the most scary!!

K goes flying on the blob!!!!

There was so much to do at the Church camp, we didn't even come close to doing it all~ but we had a great time w/ family ~ and the boys are thinking we need to go back for the blob!!

Kids Help Out

2008-08-03T16:57:00.000-07:00

We worked calves and poured the cows the other days so we can wean here this week. The kids were out 'helping' as much as they could. We had to weigh each calf, so that gave the boys something to do by opening and shutting the scale~

Here the boys are "skiing" like Uncle Caleb!!
L&M just hanging out

Ladies Night Out

2008-07-31T16:29:00.001-07:00

So a friend of mine celebrated a 'milestone' birthday a couple of weeks ago~

and where do you think 4 moms went???

A GoFish Concert!!!!!!!!

Yes, it was AWESOME and we had a blast and it was for a good cause.

The concert was a fundraiser for a little boy

with Aplastic Anemia. No ~ we didn't know him, but

we had fun supporting the family!

Anyone who hasn't heard of GoFish should check them out!

we sing, we laugh, we dance, we act silly....

and they learn about God at the same time!

Making Up For Lost Time

2008-07-30T14:42:00.000-07:00

Okay~ so since I am late at getting pictures out to everyone and I have some time today I thought I would just do a couple of different entries~ but this is it!! For today, anyways!

J&K after a night at the fair w/ their projects they made at the Children's Booth!

Cool Dudes!!

M wanted her picture taken too!!

So this will be my kid that brings home the sick and the lame~

Animals that is!! She just loves them!!

(sorry for the sideways-ness~ I'm still learning!)

Notice J~ the uncertain one~ He didn't like holding the kitten much~

too pokey~

HMMMMM ~ whose child must he be!!!

Camper

2008-07-30T14:30:00.000-07:00

Here are the pictures some of you have been waiting to see~ We really enjoy our new "toy" this summer!! We plan to use it this weekend while at a family reunion. The top bunk is where J&K sleep and the bottom bunk is where L&M sleep (heads on each end)~ the sofa and table each make up into beds too, but the kids like the sleeping arrangements so far!! Our bed is up in the front.

Maybe next year we'll have to plan a little better so we can meet up w/ some of you and camp together~ The kids love to go (and so does MOM)!!!

Fair Pictures

2008-07-30T14:12:00.000-07:00

Thought I would share some pictures of the kids during the Fair a few weeks ago. We spent a part of each day there, spending a lot of time in the different barns~ the goats and sheep were their favorites!

Here you are:

JK&L were in the Pedal Pull~ they tried their hearts out and we are so proud of how they did!

They also took in some rides~ Thanks Grandpa George!!

Getting Started

2008-07-29T08:17:00.000-07:00

Hi all~

Thought I would see if this would be something that would make staying in touch a little easier~ Hopefully I can get PICTURES on here a lot easier~ We'll see!!

Nothing too exciting going on here ~ so all for now~

smiles,
t