tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66908422252559312922024-03-13T00:32:07.373-06:00just*imagine*heaven: Life's Journey for a Large FamilyAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10242043652161677900noreply@blogger.comBlogger1248125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6690842225255931292.post-87246457983996323162017-05-18T14:40:00.001-06:002017-05-18T14:43:12.916-06:00Life Lately<br />
My dear friend, Lauren has been complaining that no one has been blogging lately, or rather her fiends haven’t been blogging. Life is happening at such an alarming rate that it leaves no time for blogging, at least in my home, but I have to agree that many of my friends haven’t been blogging lately, so hopefully I can resurrect this blog by trying to post things again. Hmm. . . where does one start?<br />
<img alt="IMG 7406" border="0" height="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcjnH4PCx66KNrECIwpkV50Y-2SHsoGZBkFG4bEJwg3tLO2Q6c08ep-77JBLyXsdezTU0s2g11k4MoqR4Uhjdd6qJjH5l4bwjr1ooZ6z_6yQi7RjDVwAh1bjjOq6g04PwmCldfKxm922U/?imgmax=1600" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_7406.jpg" width="450" /><br />
At the beginning of May, I attended an annual foster care banquet for foster parents. My Lutheran Stud wasn’t able to attend, so I brought my oldest daughter with me. We had a fabulous time dining, but not wining, on a great meal. We sat with the director of the county human services department. I tried to make a case for some wine or beer at the next banquet, but have come to find out that government money cannot be spent on alcohol. Whaaat??? Is there anyone out there who would like to donate funds or several bottles of wine at our next banquet? Haha!!! There were raffle drawings at the end of the evening and we both got lucky! Rebecca won a Fandango gift card and I won $100 gift card to King Soopers! Yay for us!<br />
<img alt="IMG 7426" border="0" height="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAsoGUrH2VR1lOxukrQeZfIU2BoL1_dGZiOT_pwjy_lWk91nITfNS_huhy1G4ahp4vFxhsidTBOAsDC7ozOwtDrKRYPWNZvOrWZFX8DrDzlF-1UUgL9GTJbrHtFdV1GS7f23_5GJKoNWw/?imgmax=1600" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_7426.jpg" width="600" />The very next day, this sweet little guy and I hopped on a plane to Chicago, but not before our fun little adventure with security. When I made it to the front of the security line I was told that my boarding pass did not match my driver’s license. (Now, for all of my close friends you will probably know why.) I was sent to check-in again and get a new boarding pass. I feel so special receiving this card so I could cut to the front of the line when I went through security again.<img alt="IMG 7420" border="0" height="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhejw226V9_mKOUbCdSYwW3wm11yJ3LXZ9Nwmdl3d1xSQZOEBT8CdEIoNwyUY54qbd1KCoMtV5VVejx-L6MduSpwDk5JMjhPoVPj6sZ1_jgPHgxjY3CpDApEtrSoc6Yl-gM7-Ca7xmzzu8/?imgmax=1600" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_7420.jpg" width="449" />I made it through the first part of security, meaning the part where they match your boarding pass to your ID, only to get through the metal detector area and get stopped again. Just so you know peanut butter is not allowed in your carry on. We, and our dear friends have fallen in love with <a href="https://www.nuttzo.com/products/">Nutzo</a>. While it’s a little pricey, it’s way better than plain peanut butter, so it’s more of a treat than an everyday thing. I purchase it at our local Costco and our friends don’t have it in Illinois, so I thought it’d be nice to bring them some. Apparently, peanut butters are a liquid? Who knows. I started telling the TSA guy all about it and even tried to convince him to take the Nutzo home, but he said he’d get fired, so instead, they threw it in the trash. AHHH!! It was a brand new unopened plastic jar. At this point, he was done discussing the Nutzo and had moved on to the baby bottles which I filled with water in case Baby J had to eat on the plane. Since I was annoyed that he took my Nutzo, I told him that the bottles were filled with Scotch, not water. He told me that my flight sounds like it will be quite a party and off we went. So, to be clear, nut butters are not allowed, but baby bottles with Scotch are allowed in your carry on. ;) We made it to the gate just in time to board the plane where Baby J got his own seat and slept almost the entire flight. Thank you to the <a href="https://www.southwest.com/" target="_blank">Southwest Airlines</a> flight attendants who were so kind and helpful when I needed to change Baby J’s diaper. It was quite smelly and they gladly helped me squish into that restroom and then took that nasty diaper afterward.<br />
<img alt="IMG 7528" border="0" height="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5unu2bIAW6vZ3oJajoroAL7ZfIl2Nr1he-6KDoPnUVCBDH_phmFmCIuzfjgxDB9r4cQ5jCuaK82yjIT8tMKlKgzY_4Y5CaFWyo0KCtm6bqL4CucIw6VpOfSc95rl0eIkKU1pcYRoyPCg/?imgmax=1600" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_7528.jpg" width="599" />We walked off the plane just as my friend Mandy was arriving to pick us up at the airport, so we made it just in time to catch the end of Bethany Lutheran Church’s Lay Theological Conference taught by my Lutheran Stud! He was teaching on the topic of Heaven and Hell. Do you wonder what heaven and hell will be like? Well, just ask my husband. He’s done a lot of research on the topic.<br />
<img alt="IMG 7525" border="0" height="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4hxyBftpT5UkXwOCy5VrMQIMt1epq55aW-uavbQ_gS_s4InzSJNoXl8eWUGR3yaqKc8iFaZhuU8gaMG3FEO-vQAO0NfQXLjqk8M5Cgvzo57rPgNCHzau4haHXXS4puRD6sVep83EVxDE/?imgmax=1600" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_7525.jpg" width="450" />After the conference, it was play time for the rest of the weekend. Our sweet little goddaughter was on the verge of turning one. She loved trying to play with Baby J and he found her to be equally entertaining. <img alt="IMG 7446" border="0" height="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMYWVAXKsvqYW5DVc-tncyu2t3xOkWgd2IPqCvCCE4WzKwQMflltEtejwxmFDR20NAcaZjcZoutyljMZL9vVyu0On8pP6-Ym1UhNZSASR1GhLInKAbMhwg_YJhlIOQY3q3EP_37DvwG4M/?imgmax=1600" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_7446.jpg" width="449" />Currently having baby boys in our home makes it difficult to walk by cute baby clothes and not have a baby girl to dress. Thankfully Annabelle doesn’t mind getting cute girlie things from her godparents.<br /><img alt="IMG 7479" border="0" height="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVTK50RSnN8ift4dDvwmhkVCcihlBy4BA-ncCwhAoBmPVsJXCSrVWyUKx5ZfoGC96e-BoaHjmthaKiV2JEy8zjlhiIayUzFnG261pjRlroxvZ4UdoppV1go5Y3zMB9u83AbqweRi9r0Rk/?imgmax=1600" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_7479.jpg" width="450" />Whenever Mandy and I get together we always find the best deals on our shopping sprees. Last time one of our favorite stores was going out of business, so the clothes were marked down at outrageously low prices. This time we were able to find a few good deals for ourselves and then hit up a big baby consignment sale and found some amazing deals for our little babies. <img alt="IMG 7487" border="0" height="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnXm9Yijbv3JiVt-rjhS0Ti83BYT2kD5pGAsjLloxvwRR-jZ9rsSyABYXEtIE65GIPePMbPRS_INJli6V0qdWAqTpOHRcD2OwrjW84-sREonsxn2yXsGngwHV_D7ptiSWcuB61SgUXwGE/?imgmax=1600" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_7487.jpg" width="600" />These guys did a great job on baby duty while we were shopping. Downtown Naperville is a cute little area filled with shops, restaurants, and some parks. Maybe they went to the park with the babies. Maybe they stopped by the store and picked up some to-go coffee cups. And, maybe there was beer for sale at the store too. Who knows?<img alt="IMG 7453" border="0" height="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSo7798DOfwDA8ZBGSM9mFSEmqKxP1C8JvMZaTWgZwdT4eL3RaRL1Bz1eW-kAXBNJ8_uGOpC3Blx2TMEpFpZ92rfnSoHSXBDoZlzv48D5tacZ3k1FPQKHXaKxoWm-aYpO9gKFMgr0YOZo/?imgmax=1600" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_7453.jpg" width="600" />While we were in town we also got the chance to see our friends that live not too far from Naperville. They were sweet enough to meet us for dinner and then we went out for ice cream too. It’s been a few years since we’ve seen the boys. They were such a hoot and loved entertaining Baby J. <img alt="IMG 7473" border="0" height="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPrGXMY7K0o8IopVkts37tfpVYmDuUv_JsVAFikCj-Cupi2Nc-5nvGKgya8AQm7OL0AR2gaabnSPG6q9RSyUAogYKVxMu4uEkJWKpArc5MrANtkG5_Mp6XA-lJWy-_YZ67fOrBhUpfikg/?imgmax=1600" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_7473.jpg" width="600" />Katie was just out to visit this past January, so it was fun to see her again when we were in town. Hans was unusually quiet and pleasant since he was supposed to be resting his voice. Ha!<img alt="IMG 7493" border="0" height="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo7Z5hYyHmy5mPC2sul7eNCunAI0WlnBI9s57NuSUxAI0lwp8DG5jXB6brUO2E21upBgq8972XAVhGuNagUNOHg3ZEaYC5lygNtRiJUD3nld549fF4UWm361b-JEE_0Uu5NVtlVFU72Kg/?imgmax=1600" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_7493.jpg" width="450" />Our visit had to eventually come to an end, so it was back to Denver after the weekend where we circled the airport 3 times before we were able to land. Storms had been rolling around the area. Can you spot the airport down there? Until next time. . .<br />
<span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #bd081c; background-image: url(data:image/svg+xml; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 14px 14px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: none; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: none; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: bold; left: 53px; line-height: 20px; opacity: 1; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; text-indent: 20px; top: 2448px; width: auto; z-index: 8675309;">Save</span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #bd081c; background-image: url(data:image/svg+xml; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 14px 14px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: none; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: none; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: bold; left: 53px; line-height: 20px; opacity: 1; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; text-indent: 20px; top: 2448px; width: auto; z-index: 8675309;">Save</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10242043652161677900noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6690842225255931292.post-46749530823146653082016-12-07T09:42:00.000-07:002016-12-07T09:42:42.991-07:00Basement Bathroom<img alt="IMG 4940" border="0" height="400" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-IracjFCtMhU/WCU95UGGnsI/AAAAAAAAky8/XFL4PnKrbOM/IMG_4940.jpg?imgmax=1600" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_4940.jpg" width="600" />“Remodelation” on a new bathroom in our basement has begun! We currently have 4 children living in our basement and 7 children sharing one bathroom in our home. Late at night it can feel like quite the trek to get to a bathroom in the middle of the night, so we thought it would be nice to add a bathroom to our basement, for the children’s sake, you know.<br />
<img alt="IMG 4942" border="0" height="400" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-qHQqHkKk5jU/WCU962fdYPI/AAAAAAAAkzA/3MArXbXyG2g/IMG_4942.jpg?imgmax=1600" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_4942.jpg" width="600" />We had several church members happily volunteer to help with demolition of all kinds of things in our basement. We needed the ground jack-hammered and walls taken down.<br />
<img alt="IMG 4947" border="0" height="400" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-lkAitlXE3Kk/WCU98Pr_qXI/AAAAAAAAkzE/72A9ED8IbZM/IMG_4947.jpg?imgmax=1600" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_4947.jpg" width="599" />We ladies made sure to stay hydrated, so we could take care of the children and have a little supper ready for the men when they finished all of their hard work.<br />
<img alt="IMG 4959" border="0" height="600" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-uiU2M5gXYl8/WCU99OK7sbI/AAAAAAAAkzI/YqwgNwdAqNU/IMG_4959.jpg?imgmax=1600" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_4959.jpg" width="400" />They dug into the concrete leaving a huge mess of dirt and concrete chunks which needed to be disposed of somewhere.<br />
<img alt="IMG 4966" border="0" height="400" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7Q3TvNjl_Jk/WCU9-YLibAI/AAAAAAAAkzM/EY81QhDheTc/IMG_4966.jpg?imgmax=1600" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_4966.jpg" width="600" />That somewhere ended up being in buckets which were then carried up the stairs and out to our dumpster. Thankfully everyone pitched in, so it made for less trips up the stairs, but man was it all super heavy.<img alt="IMG 4974" border="0" height="600" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_AEHfl4zRwk/WCU9_hXrEVI/AAAAAAAAkzQ/oMJuQs-ZDPE/IMG_4974.jpg?imgmax=1600" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_4974.jpg" width="400" />It’s beginning to look a lot like a sump pump hole!<br />
<img alt="IMG 4978" border="0" height="600" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7wnER52h8js/WCU-AuQjmaI/AAAAAAAAkzU/AatyrVa5YIA/IMG_4978.jpg?imgmax=1600" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_4978.jpg" width="400" />We could not be any happier with what was accomplished in one day. Demo went really well and we are on our way to a new bathroom.<br />
<img alt="IMG 4979" border="0" height="600" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-e7gpnS6-UZM/WCU-B--4p2I/AAAAAAAAkzY/r04kjQW_Atg/IMG_4979.jpg?imgmax=1600" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_4979.jpg" width="400" />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10242043652161677900noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6690842225255931292.post-15104839327733913282016-11-14T10:00:00.000-07:002016-12-01T20:54:42.343-07:004th of July<img alt="IMG 3923" border="0" height="600" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-WRZyK3j8cyU/WCNOcn_VyJI/AAAAAAAAkvs/WUUkgCSjjXw/IMG_3923.jpg?imgmax=1600" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_3923.jpg" width="400" />We spent the the 4th of July with friends who live quite close to a big fireworks show.<br />
<img alt="IMG 3930" border="0" height="400" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-WttVkFl2Tfc/WCNOd_DYOrI/AAAAAAAAkvw/P2KGkw9DL74/IMG_3930.jpg?imgmax=1600" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_3930.jpg" width="599" /><br />
We had a small little show of our own and then headed out for the big show.<br />
<img alt="IMG 3937" border="0" height="400" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-R369nY_iwSs/WCNOfHDvLXI/AAAAAAAAkv0/FDdEVWY5aI4/IMG_3937.jpg?imgmax=1600" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_3937.jpg" width="599" />It was like we were sitting directly underneath the fireworks. They were beautiful. Every year Jared always tells me to sit back and enjoy the fireworks, but I can’t help but take photos of them. They’re just so beautiful not to share and remember for later.<br />
<img alt="IMG 3951" border="0" height="399" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-nf8r8ITXW5M/WCNOhR39h7I/AAAAAAAAkv8/w4No_eq1qkc/IMG_3951.jpg?imgmax=1600" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_3951.jpg" width="598" /><br />
I also get to practice my photography skills a little. I use a tripod, so I don't get any camera shake when I press the shutter button. I actually do get to enjoy the show because I'm not actually holding a camera.<br />
<img alt="IMG 3956" border="0" height="400" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-GmhjLOQZSb8/WCNOjaoNPPI/AAAAAAAAkwE/8QHje4Mvdx0/IMG_3956.jpg?imgmax=1600" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_3956.jpg" width="599" /><br />
<br />
<img alt="IMG 3961" border="0" height="600" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-RcJSS_Q391M/WCNOlvh1HqI/AAAAAAAAkwI/oWuwkJ-S6EY/IMG_3961.jpg?imgmax=1600" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_3961.jpg" width="400" />I usually focus my camera and then I use a remote to press the shutter down, so I don't even touch the camera. I think it helps the photos come out cleat and with very little blur.<br />
<img alt="IMG 3962" border="0" height="600" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4A-C9D0Jzfc/WCNOnm0qaRI/AAAAAAAAkwM/lUy7-aneYik/IMG_3962.jpg?imgmax=1600" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_3962.jpg" width="400" /><br />
<img alt="IMG 3969" border="0" height="600" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-3p03iqObQJw/WCNOo5cdEnI/AAAAAAAAkwQ/nGi4mOZobLk/IMG_3969.jpg?imgmax=1600" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_3969.jpg" width="400" /><br />
<img alt="IMG 3970" border="0" height="600" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-yeN9FtGiutk/WCNOqqP11GI/AAAAAAAAkwU/V3TFTJNOwIc/IMG_3970.jpg?imgmax=1600" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_3970.jpg" width="400" />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10242043652161677900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6690842225255931292.post-62777732559461964732016-11-11T10:30:00.000-07:002016-11-11T10:30:25.777-07:00Windows<img alt="IMG 3919" border="0" height="400" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-21AEyZHPRtY/WBdlUB7edmI/AAAAAAAAkXo/p5m5L8pXvw0/IMG_3919.jpg?imgmax=1600" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_3919.jpg" width="600" />Moving into a home built in the 70’s we knew that we’d need to do a little updating. For instance, did you know that the tiny little basement windows are no longer up to code?<br />
<img alt="IMG 3223" border="0" height="450" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-bvMaLrtoHrs/WBdlcVQiHrI/AAAAAAAAkX4/qOxPVQe9epo/IMG_3223.JPG?imgmax=1600" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_3223.JPG" width="600" />With all of the plans we have for this house we knew that the first thing an inspector would look at would be these windows, so while I had big plans for a new bathroom in the basement egress windows were the priority.<img alt="IMG 4671" border="0" height="400" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-vfzHvTSmKV0/WBdlePuLztI/AAAAAAAAkX8/1EjIy01NyGw/IMG_4671.jpg?imgmax=1600" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_4671.jpg" width="600" />A big reason for having to change out the windows was because four of our children actually live in the basement. Can you imagine trying to crawl out that tiny little window? My children are small and thin, but still. Yikes!<br />
<img alt="IMG 3515" border="0" height="600" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-bBS_lcbV7cY/WBdlWrfyJiI/AAAAAAAAkXs/MlvN-d77ss4/IMG_3515.JPG?imgmax=1600" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_3515.JPG" width="600" />I can’t believe how much more light comes in when you cut out part of the wall.<br />
<img alt="IMG 6107" border="0" height="600" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-o-0KFJSRFtA/WBdlf9al6rI/AAAAAAAAkYA/Aey8U395Lso/IMG_6107.jpg?imgmax=1600" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_6107.jpg" width="400" />Windows are in and finished. We are just needing to do a little touching up around the windows, you know, like painting and cleaning up. I’m sure that will happen in due time. We’ve since moved on to bigger and better things.<br />
<img alt="IMG 6108" border="0" height="600" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-j74HKVSLg0w/WBdlh2RYSsI/AAAAAAAAkYE/xgFhtPr3PF4/IMG_6108.jpg?imgmax=1600" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_6108.jpg" width="399" />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10242043652161677900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6690842225255931292.post-41117012204291116382016-11-10T10:00:00.000-07:002016-11-10T20:23:52.684-07:00Garden in July<img alt="IMG 3985" border="0" height="400" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-g-1jNH1aoHw/WBdn2UXLlCI/AAAAAAAAkYc/mlRDnvLWOO4/IMG_3985.jpg?imgmax=1600" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_3985.jpg" width="600" />As the summer started heating up I’d go out to the garden looking and hoping to find some vegetables that were ready to eat. Things seemed to move a little slow for me, but when I spotted some zucchini I was about to just rip it off the vine just to say, “We have food!” I restrained myself, though, and once this little zucchini was finally ready there was much more to follow.<br />
<img alt="IMG 3995" border="0" height="400" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-QXplUNErlVs/WBdn4ZBQbJI/AAAAAAAAkYg/5sUnlM68OUk/IMG_3995.jpg?imgmax=1600" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_3995.jpg" width="600" />I was leery about our corn being knee high by the 4th of July, but it started growing like weeds. Soon we couldn’t even find our children in the corn!<br />
<img alt="IMG 3997" border="0" height="400" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-MJ9B0v9StA0/WBdn6-9-oLI/AAAAAAAAkYk/4xnzy8G6D48/IMG_3997.jpg?imgmax=1600" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_3997.jpg" width="600" /><br />
Peek-a-boo!<br />
<img alt="IMG 4003" border="0" height="400" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-RTPtXcP4OzQ/WBdn86-2e9I/AAAAAAAAkYs/eyWdxXxHDp4/IMG_4003.jpg?imgmax=1600" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_4003.jpg" width="599" />Our little chicks weren't so little anymore. They started roaming around and exploring much more as the weather warmed up.<br />
<br />
<img alt="IMG 4004" border="0" height="400" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-FnnWJzMNfsA/WBdoAnbVsBI/AAAAAAAAkY0/7lYCfaY6nH0/IMG_4004.jpg?imgmax=1600" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_4004.jpg" width="600" />That little white chicken soon became known as Elvis and he now has several girls in his flock.<img alt="IMG 4611" border="0" height="400" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7YJNPNXA4BY/WBdoErL8XBI/AAAAAAAAkY4/o8rPYm3hHfg/IMG_4611.jpg?imgmax=1600" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_4611.jpg" width="600" />Our green peppers were growing abundantly which has been quite nice since in years past they didn’t grow too well.<br />
<img alt="IMG 4612" border="0" height="400" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-iSLoLt164ME/WBdoJoTS5aI/AAAAAAAAkY8/oVWQcNoew7A/IMG_4612.jpg?imgmax=1600" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_4612.jpg" width="600" /> We even picked up a few purple peppers. Did you know there was such a thing? I had no idea. They taste just like green peppers, not too sweet.<br />
<img alt="IMG 4614" border="0" height="400" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-QyVfZigLRwo/WBdoONBPsMI/AAAAAAAAkZE/W6FiM2zLvjM/IMG_4614.jpg?imgmax=1600" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_4614.jpg" width="600" />Again, it took longer than I thought, but the tomatoes were finally starting to grow. For the longest time, we just had a ton of little flowers.<br />
<img alt="IMG 4615" border="0" height="600" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-fcHUGstk2EE/WBdoPyEfmUI/AAAAAAAAkZM/f_NuV0v5oNc/IMG_4615.jpg?imgmax=1600" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_4615.jpg" width="400" />We were getting so many jalapeños that they began weighing down the plants.<img alt="IMG 4623" border="0" height="600" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-A74SnZKo9p0/WBdoRG0txAI/AAAAAAAAkZQ/4dMHbT18Wd8/IMG_4623.jpg?imgmax=1600" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_4623.jpg" width="400" />This year we decided to try something new by growing green beans at the base of the corn so that they would climb the corn stalks.<br />
<img alt="IMG 4626" border="0" height="400" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8oSDrwSbVYs/WBdoS9HJznI/AAAAAAAAkZY/Q1QwWmZCLbE/IMG_4626.jpg?imgmax=1600" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_4626.jpg" width="600" />I’ve read that San Marzano tomatoes have the least amount of liquid in them making them a good choice for making tomato past and sauces. We decided to try quite a few of those plants, so I could can or freeze them.<br />
<img alt="IMG 4629" border="0" height="600" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-jXEBLgExW1s/WBdoU3vpqyI/AAAAAAAAkZc/oWMvUBVjTnY/IMG_4629.jpg?imgmax=1600" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_4629.jpg" width="400" />When I thought our kale wasn’t going to make it my sweet husband went and bought a few more starts. Somehow the kale that I didn’t think was going to make it pulled through and now we’ll be eating kale all winter. Oops!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10242043652161677900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6690842225255931292.post-14894507860033296652016-11-08T17:40:00.000-07:002016-11-08T17:40:25.877-07:00Hatched!<img alt="IMG 4438" border="0" height="400" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NbAgs24vncQ/V_8IZ467ndI/AAAAAAAAkHY/Vg7-XgPOJsg/IMG_4438.jpg?imgmax=1600" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_4438.jpg" width="600" />Earlier this summer we had a chicken that went broody. She wouldn’t leave the nesting box and every time we went to collect eggs from underneath her, she pecked us.<br />
<img alt="IMG 4590" border="0" height="600" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ybaRFjL7E7Y/V_8IbErxc2I/AAAAAAAAkHc/aMbdq2VanOw/IMG_4590.jpg?imgmax=1600" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_4590.jpg" width="400" />My children convinced me to let the chicken set on the eggs and hatch them. I agreed to it thinking nothing would happen. 21 days later, Rachel went out to collect eggs and heard a little squeaking. Lo and behold we have a baby chick!<br />
<img alt="IMG 4665" border="0" height="399" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-wEnennCfFY8/V_8IdlvJvEI/AAAAAAAAkHk/Bqa72PBTQe0/IMG_4665.jpg?imgmax=1600" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_4665.jpg" width="598" />The kids were so excited. We moved mom and baby to their own little area in the coop and momma was quite protective of that little chick. She shielded the chick whenever any of us came around or if another chicken tried to come close.<br />
<img alt="IMG 4591" border="0" height="600" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-w8ArpEkZSv8/V_8IcIJAtxI/AAAAAAAAkHg/UJdkn1QLGZ4/IMG_4591.jpg?imgmax=1600" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_4591.jpg" width="400" />All we’ve done to care for this little chick and momma is make sure they have enough food and water, and momma chicken does all the work.<br />
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<img alt="IMG 6137" border="0" height="600" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NtCR5ruDzMA/WAL_VjoVobI/AAAAAAAAkLE/8RayHTkNRF4/IMG_6137.jpg?imgmax=1600" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_6137.jpg" width="400" /><br />
We don’t have to worry that the chick is warm enough or getting enough food. It’s been much easier hatching a chick than I originally thought. We may have to do this again sometime.<br />
<img alt="IMG 6140" border="0" height="400" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-jsuDJSsmka0/WAL_XEELMiI/AAAAAAAAkLI/eVtR0lDq0s4/IMG_6140.jpg?imgmax=1600" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_6140.jpg" width="600" /><br />
These days this little chick is about 3 months old and growing like a weed. She still sticks by her momma even though there are many times that Momma tries to ditch her. It’s pretty fun to watch this pair around the yard. So, what do you think? Hen or too?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10242043652161677900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6690842225255931292.post-77914215408811027112016-10-12T22:02:00.001-06:002016-10-12T22:02:11.100-06:00Hot Air<div style="margin: 0px;">
<img alt="IMG 3463" border="0" height="600" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-m7apZJc7TpA/V-szOAzIojI/AAAAAAAAj4M/ChWtI3RjmRw/IMG_3463.jpg?imgmax=1600" style="cursor: move; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_3463.jpg" width="400" />Every year the town of <a href="http://www.hotairballoon.com/Erie-Town-Fair-and-Balloon-Festival/">Erie</a> hosts a hot air balloon festival. We’ve never attended it, but now I’m pretty sure that we don’t have to. We get our own little show right from our house.</div>
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<img alt="IMG 3480" border="0" height="400" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-wcawivkED9c/V-szM5aTkkI/AAAAAAAAj4I/XH5vDLNVSJY/IMG_3480.jpg?imgmax=1600" style="cursor: move; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_3480.jpg" width="600" />When the weather is nice we often have all the doors and windows in our house open.</div>
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<img alt="IMG 3483" border="0" height="600" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-87mx29SLKVw/V-szQWKmdKI/AAAAAAAAj4U/htyqtgBfUhU/IMG_3483.jpg?imgmax=1600" style="cursor: move; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_3483.jpg" width="400" />This particular morning I heard a strange noise outside, so I went to check it out only to find a balloon right over our house. I could hear the hot air blowing into the balloon. </div>
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<img alt="IMG 3491" border="0" height="400" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-czua_AmAX1A/V-szR9hNHhI/AAAAAAAAj4Y/qOdK55MsSqo/IMG_3491.jpg?imgmax=1600" style="cursor: move; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_3491.jpg" width="600" />I have never seen hot air balloons up close. I could see the people inside and the baskets are much bigger than I thought they were. I’m pretty scared of heights, so you probably won’t find me in a balloon too soon, but they were so fun to watch. </div>
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<img alt="IMG 3492" border="0" height="400" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-TQV4DAfQrwU/V-szTdhDalI/AAAAAAAAj4c/7zfHGL7_Brk/IMG_3492.jpg?imgmax=1600" style="cursor: move; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_3492.jpg" width="600" /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10242043652161677900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6690842225255931292.post-79861903827852318242016-10-07T07:51:00.001-06:002016-10-07T07:51:38.784-06:00Garden<img alt="IMG 4899" border="0" height="600" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-kE-XBepU1gI/V_b_3XSnnaI/AAAAAAAAkB0/rRZnWXG_BZM/IMG_4899.JPG?imgmax=1600" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_4899.JPG" width="600" />With the long winter we were eager to get going on our garden, so we got cold vegetables in as early as we could, but then 2 feet of snow hit. Ahh!! <img alt="IMG 3538" border="0" height="400" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-psMbQqGptLA/V_b_4gJH1pI/AAAAAAAAkB4/JwX2JbEJLuE/IMG_3538.jpg?imgmax=1600" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_3538.jpg" width="600" />The weather did end up warming up after awhile and we got the entire garden planted.<br />
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<img alt="IMG 3738" border="0" height="600" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-VT80T1VwqPk/V_b_6BbqY9I/AAAAAAAAkB8/uRzD69iEsa0/IMG_3738.jpg?imgmax=1600" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_3738.jpg" width="400" />Then the weeds started growing,<br />
<img alt="IMG 3735" border="0" height="400" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-I0WAdwqIMzs/V_b_7hc7J0I/AAAAAAAAkCA/ZK5VGxbrKS0/IMG_3735.jpg?imgmax=1600" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_3735.jpg" width="600" />and the hundreds of rabbit,s on our property, began enjoying our crops, so we built a fence one afternoon.<br />
<img alt="IMG 3854" border="0" height="400" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YURCvrgydCU/V_b_8-bGQhI/AAAAAAAAkCE/1SXcjq_tI78/IMG_3854.jpg?imgmax=1600" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_3854.jpg" width="600" />The weather decided to skip spring and go straight to summer. Our poor cold weather crops didn’t know how to handle it, so they went to seed pretty quickly.<br />
<img alt="IMG 3874" border="0" height="400" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-cjrpT5XU7vM/V_b__JIfP0I/AAAAAAAAkCM/_L6UG5J-zQk/IMG_3874.jpg?imgmax=1600" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_3874.jpg" width="599" />A hail storm hit in late spring and I thought I lost my onions, but instead they grew a little longer, and then it got too hot for them and they went to seed.<img alt="IMG 3860" border="0" height="400" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-yL1oDppCTsc/V_b_93hPt_I/AAAAAAAAkCI/kjzNTJUlsW0/IMG_3860.jpg?imgmax=1600" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_3860.jpg" width="600" />When I thought our beets were a lost cause I went out one day and they had bounced back and were super bushy.<br />
<img alt="IMG 3877" border="0" height="400" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-KcobbYbsR58/V_cAAWDEk4I/AAAAAAAAkCQ/xlv5jkTFsCk/IMG_3877.jpg?imgmax=1600" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_3877.jpg" width="600" />The corn was knee high before the 4th of July!<br />
<img alt="IMG 3895" border="0" height="400" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-zkKJe6LxYYY/V_cABXuLx0I/AAAAAAAAkCU/8vgd4BC9WeQ/IMG_3895.jpg?imgmax=1600" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_3895.jpg" width="599" />We built a little trellis for the cucumbers, but they felt like spreading their leaves rather than climbing, so we had to go along and train them to go up the fence manually.<br />
<img alt="IMG 3881" border="0" height="400" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-S2TO1Y6oUBU/V_cACkpxxVI/AAAAAAAAkCY/ddUjFxavIeU/IMG_3881.jpg?imgmax=1600" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_3881.jpg" width="600" />We planted 120 tomato plants hoping for a large crop so I could can vine-ripened tomatoes for the winter. There’s just something about the flavor of vine-ripened tomatoes from your own garden that a grocery store tomato can’t beat.<br />
<img alt="IMG 3897" border="0" height="400" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-29Bz9HYw-eo/V_cAD-cFB0I/AAAAAAAAkCc/6oN1k9gmD_U/IMG_3897.jpg?imgmax=1600" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_3897.jpg" width="600" />I forgot about how zucchini plants grow to an enormous size, so when my husband only planted four plants I was a little skeptical. I wasn’t sure there would be enough zucchini to feed our family.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10242043652161677900noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6690842225255931292.post-6100396968388468972016-09-27T20:54:00.000-06:002016-09-27T20:54:38.094-06:00Tea Party!<img alt="IMG 3409" border="0" height="400" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-2J69xE-kcmY/V-swkM6LYaI/AAAAAAAAj3k/yZLyIsUjVk4/IMG_3409.jpg?imgmax=1600" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_3409.jpg" width="600" /><br />
Amidst a somewhat busy spring sports schedule and a rainy, cold spring a few church ladies and I were able to get away, for a few hours, for tea at the <a href="http://www.brownpalace.com/dining/restaurants/afternoontea">Brown Palace</a>. I had only heard some wonderful stories about tea at this place and now I was finally getting to experience it for myself!<br />
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<img alt="IMG 3408" border="0" height="600" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pMzqQdA2yxU/V-swlY1DJlI/AAAAAAAAj3o/MUdYx_pQYGM/IMG_3408.jpg?imgmax=1600" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_3408.jpg" width="400" /><br />
We ordered 4 different teas, so that we could try a variety of different flavors. Then we were showered with a lovely tray of delicate tea sandwiches, scones with Devonshire cream, and dainty little pastries. They were so pretty and cute. I didn’t want to eat them, but I was assured that if we ran out of something we could get more. They just kept bringing us more little cucumber sandwiches, and scones, and oh those little desserts were to die for.<br />
<img alt="IMG 3428" border="0" height="400" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-k1oFk-1t_qU/V-swm1oBdaI/AAAAAAAAj3s/OIypyCNlx8A/IMG_3428.jpg?imgmax=1600" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_3428.jpg" width="600" />The company was lovely. We pretended we were living in the UK, and were part of Downton Abbey cast. We talked about the history, and the scandals that went on in show, and what it’s really like out there. Sitting there sipping tea and nibbling on a light lunch made us want to hop on a plane and visit. Wouldn’t that be fun?<br />
<img alt="IMG 3414" border="0" height="400" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-DceMcNFXFVw/V-swn_7I_LI/AAAAAAAAj3w/WoyCgWcOGt4/IMG_3414.jpg?imgmax=1600" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_3414.jpg" width="599" />The tea room of the Brown Palace is actually right in the foyer of the hotel. When you look up this is the ceiling. They’ve preserved much of the hotel which was built in 1892.<br />
<img alt="IMG 3417" border="0" height="400" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-U9Maj1XXGhs/V-swpRCmodI/AAAAAAAAj30/qKX23yTZXEc/IMG_3417.jpg?imgmax=1600" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_3417.jpg" width="599" /><br />
The architecture of the hotel is just beautiful. I loved the rails and the arches just add a nice touch.<br />
<img alt="IMG 3419" border="0" height="399" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-OsqtZK1xujY/V-swqUh-0pI/AAAAAAAAj34/54z99zs6y2M/IMG_3419.jpg?imgmax=1600" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_3419.jpg" width="598" />Tea is only open for a few hours each day and then there a bar right there too, which I am sure opens when tea time is over.<br />
<img alt="IMG 3415" border="0" height="600" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-rcgipMwmTJQ/V-swrmnL2KI/AAAAAAAAj38/3AT7FHLyogA/IMG_3415.jpg?imgmax=1600" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_3415.jpg" width="400" />The foyer is definitely the central area of the hotel and everything points back to it. If you’re in or visiting the Denver area you should check it out, if you like tea of course.<br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10242043652161677900noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6690842225255931292.post-574139307964372672016-09-04T22:16:00.000-06:002016-09-04T22:16:53.317-06:00Spring Sports<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/melius/9Xu351" title="IMG_3272"><img alt="IMG_3272" height="427" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8851/28568573776_db7c8d0209_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></a>Spring finally came. Even though it was still cold outside we couldn't be shut in any longer. We needed out. Rebecca decided that she wanted to try playing volleyball, so we signed her up for a rec league and she had a ton of fun. We all learned a lot, especially me since Iv'e never played before and don't know volleyball rules.
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/melius/R62jS4" title="IMG_3262"><img alt="IMG_3262" height="427" src="https://c3.staticflickr.com/9/8856/28316781890_bc8e1df238_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></a>I guess Rebecca had a lot to learn too. We're, even now, still trying to figure this volleyball thing out. It's been fun and even makes me want to play a little. I just wish I was a little taller. That net is pretty high for a short gal like me.
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="safari-extension://embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/melius/119W6Z" title="_MG_2703"><img alt="_MG_2703" height="427" src="https://c5.staticflickr.com/9/8840/28774138692_3ab78dd54d_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></a>Elizabeth, Anna, and two of our foster boys played machine-ptich baseball this spring. My dainty little Elizabeth pounded that ball at almost every at bat. It was so cute.
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Anna really wanted to play baseball this year. She never played t-ball or coach pitch, but we still just threw her in there with everyone else. She was such a hoot to watch. It didn't matter how well or how poorly she played. She always had a smile on her face.<br />
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/melius/GoNrnR" title="IMG_3434"><img alt="IMG_3434" height="427" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8797/28494251632_2d9e667449_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></a>David played player pitch for the first time this year. He wanted to play every position, but mostly played 2nd base. He really wanted to pitch, but has zero experience pitching. He made a good effort and has been practicing in the backyard ever since.
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="safari-extension://embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/melius/629MAZ" title="_MG_2881"><img alt="_MG_2881" height="427" src="https://c5.staticflickr.com/9/8414/28373369044_55162ccd2d_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></a>I had no idea he wanted to be a catcher, but he was pretty excited to try this position too.
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/melius/N9AYz2" title="_MG_2879"><img alt="_MG_2879" height="427" src="https://c7.staticflickr.com/9/8490/28373369334_f3166bf48a_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></a>If he practices enough I think he could make a great catcher!
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/melius/tyD1M5" title="_MG_2613"><img alt="_MG_2613" height="427" src="https://c7.staticflickr.com/9/8893/28887741822_6ee0986690_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></a>Thomas did quite a bit more pitching this year than last. He's really enjoying it.
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/melius/g3PH9y" title="_MG_2668"><img alt="_MG_2668" height="426" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/9/8064/28992941955_b11d3db068_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></a>He and his buddy Peter even plotted to get a kid out when he tried to steal second base. It was a hidden ball trick similar to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5wGxsxjmy0">this trick</a> that Todd Helton did a while back. Always be alert when you're playing ball. The umpire didn't even know what was going on when our boys did this trick.
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/melius/796168" title="IMG_3394"><img alt="IMG_3394" height="427" src="https://c8.staticflickr.com/8/7655/28992941575_4387299ab9_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></a>Who would have thought that two pastors could coach these boys to first place in their league? They certainly didn't practice and play year round like the other teams in their league, but they did work hard and they ended the season on top of the other teams. Go Blue Jays!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10242043652161677900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6690842225255931292.post-16593841302522855362016-08-05T10:00:00.000-06:002016-08-05T10:00:17.484-06:00The Heat is On!<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/melius/30a0de" title="IMG_3151"><img alt="IMG_3151" height="534" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7616/28601071185_06b28450a5_c.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="800" /></a>With even the slightest hint of spring and a little warmer weather coming we got outside as soon as we could. Being cooped up all winter is no fun!
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My parents came to town to help out with a little yard work, but there was more than a little. There's so much yard work to do around here that they are making a special trip this fall to help out with pruning and and cleaning.</div>
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I think my mom secretly wishes she was a chicken farmer. She had so much fun watching chickens and collecting eggs while she was in town. Maybe when she comes back she can clean the poop off their perches. Then we'll see if she still wants a chicken farm.
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/melius/9KJhDX" title="IMG_3198"><img alt="IMG_3198" height="534" src="https://c5.staticflickr.com/9/8562/27983917444_8d4c7bcbcc_c.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="800" /></a>As soon as the weather warmed up we cleared out a space in our wood pile area to get our planting started. We got the dirt tilled and even planted some seeds and onion starts. My lovely husband likes to take risks and this year I'm not sure if the risk was good or bad. The ground seemed to stay cold a little longer than we were hoping and I think some of our seeds didn't like that, so they didn't grow. We ended up re-planting a few things that never came up.</div>
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While my parents were in town we also celebrated my Lutheran Stud's birthday. He was pretty happy to get this tractor sprinkler.</div>
<img alt="IMG_3203" height="534" src="https://c5.staticflickr.com/9/8850/27983917004_5cbafe1a58_c.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="800" />We couldn't wait to get up and moving either, so planting the garden could not have come a more perfect time. Who would have thought that watching a sprinkler could be so entertaining?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10242043652161677900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6690842225255931292.post-14901196257213078392016-08-04T09:40:00.000-06:002016-08-04T09:40:45.288-06:00Welcome to Miami<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/melius/2972u9" title="IMG_3047"><img alt="IMG_3047" height="427" src="https://c5.staticflickr.com/9/8702/28172626740_52880f9576_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></a>
The day after David's birthday my Lutheran Stud and I hopped on a red-eye flight to Florida where were met up with some dear friends who used to live in Colorado. The flight was long and exhausting. Did I mention that we arrived at 6am on a Sunday morning only to find the airport almost completely deserted? Coffee. Why wasn't a coffee shop open when I needed it? Then we had to wait until 10am for a ride to pick us up to take us to church. During that time Starbucks did end up opening, but I was seriously still a zombie after not sleeping on the plane or in the airport.
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/melius/6V63q0" title="Miami"><img alt="Miami" height="640" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/9/8879/28400423465_d3c104c77f_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></a>Not to worry though, after church we found another Starbucks, but it was also lunch time. The fine gentleman at the restaurant we popped into gifted us margaritas and the margaritas kept coming. I didn't know how to handle that. Coffee or margarita? Or both?
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/melius/0MX40d" title="Miami"><img alt="Miami" height="480" src="https://c6.staticflickr.com/9/8717/28400422125_6f505aec55_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></a>After checking into our condo, finally, we decided to explore Miami just a bit and ended up at a lovely Turkish restaurant complete with belly dancing and a guy who offered us some free "mary jane" when he found out we were from Colorado.
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/melius/HpE5pk" title="IMG_0046"><img alt="IMG_0046" height="480" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/9/8838/27786376283_df07c88492_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></a>The view from our condo was beautiful! We could even spy on the people in the pool or the lack there of. We did end up meeting some interesting guys in the hot tub that were on a vacation from France. Once our husbands entered the conversation we knew things were not going to end anytime soon. Politics and religion were soon the topic of conversation. It didn't take long before Mandy and I got hungry so we took off leaving our husbands for another hour or so before they arrived back in our condo. We decided, since it was late, to just get a small meal of Mexican food from the restaurant we went to when we first arrived. We had a coupon for free guacamole so it totally made sense, right? Well, as it turns out when we sent our husbands to pick up dinner it seemed to take quite a long time before they returned. We were starting to fall asleep to Hart of Dixie. Somehow while our husbands were waiting to pick up our food they were given free shots of tequila while they waited and then they got to talking to the hostess and owner of the restaurant over more tequila shots. Our food finally arrived minus the guac. Mandy and I still aren't sure what happened there. I guess it was free tequila or free guac. Hmmm. . . .
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Beach time was all I really cared about after such a snowy, cold winter and spring that we had. One day we packed a cooler full of drinks and snacks and stayed at the beach pretty much all day. We even had time to get buried in the sand and take a nap. The sun in Florida is definitely easier to handle than Colorado's sun. It must be an altitude thing.</div>
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/melius/906H59" title="Miami"><img alt="Miami" height="480" src="https://c5.staticflickr.com/9/8726/28295614332_f154590da6_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></a>Our husbands did and a little snorkeling and picked up a bunch of sea shells for us. I brought a bunch home for the kids.
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<span style="text-align: center;">We walked down the beach and ran into and nude beach. Yikes! It wasn't too far off from Trump Towers.</span> <a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/melius/e2685F" title="Miami"> <img alt="Miami" height="480" src="https://c3.staticflickr.com/9/8854/27783382434_48899b1c8a_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></a>
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After a long day at the beach we were famished. We found this cute little restaurant in a little strip mall. The food did not disappoint. Here's dinner!</div>
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/melius/6Bz434" title="Miami"><img alt="Miami" height="640" src="https://c3.staticflickr.com/9/8745/27783371754_9be82110e0_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="480" /></a>We sat outside and walked along the dock while we waited for our meal. The dock was shared by some other restaurants nearby. It was just our luck when we walked by a little bar and outside were two ladies taking in a little hookah. They were quite friendly and offered up some of their hookah to us. Strawberries and champagne was their flavor and it was quite interesting. After that little pit stop it was time for dinner.
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Our waiter, Nick, was great! He's from Serbia and for some reason he really liked us. Just as were were about to leave he showed up with a couple desserts and orangecello shots on the house! How could we refuse? Then our friendly husbands began talking to people at the table next to us and we found out that one of the guys owns a cigar company in Nicaragua. Guess what happened next? Yes! They gave our husbands cigars.</div>
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For our last full day in Miami we headed to South beach to do a little exploring. We walked through some old hotels and saw some pretty cool architecture. </div>
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Our trip to Miami couldn't have come at a more perfect time. After being stuck inside or freezing cold outside doing chores we were ready for some warmer weather.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10242043652161677900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6690842225255931292.post-5502080729819735972016-07-28T19:47:00.000-06:002016-07-28T19:47:19.592-06:00Foster Care UpdatesAs many of you know we've been foster parents for a few years now. We had a sibling group of three children in our home for two and half years. On Good Friday they moved to, hopefully, their forever home. That forever home is the home of some dear church friends of ours. Please keep them all in your prayers while they learn what it's like to have such young children in their home again. The transition has been a little rough, but we're hopeful that everyone can pull through all the challenges that have come up.
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<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="safari-extension://embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>Since our home was empty again we took a little vacation and when we returned this little cutie arrived. She has transitioned quite well in our home and all of our children are just loving her. We've been having so much fun with this little girl and she has learned so much in just a few short months. We don't know how long we'll have her, but we'll definitely keep her as long as we can. :)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10242043652161677900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6690842225255931292.post-90212800446880439602016-07-26T10:27:00.001-06:002016-07-26T10:27:55.304-06:00David's Birthday<div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/melius/1411218004/in/album-72157602110020213/" title="David 2"><img alt="David 2" height="640" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1177/1411218004_24fc9ac484_z.jpg?zz=1" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="480" /></a>Believe it or not this adorable little bundle of cuteness turned 9 years old on April 1st, no joke!</div>
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With baseball just getting under way we were running crazy getting 5 kids to their activities. We didn't get to celebrate David's birthday until late that evening. I think he even got to run a few extra laps at baseball practice since it was his birthday. Forget dinner, how about some mint ice cream cupcakes instead?
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Our children worked really hard all winter to split and sell firewood. With all of their hard work they've saved quite a bit of money. They've really enjoyed living across the street from Target. Walking across the street to spend all of their hard earned money has been so much fun for them.
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/melius/880WxP" title="IMG_3039"><img alt="IMG_3039" height="640" src="https://c6.staticflickr.com/8/7284/27548071773_c643be09b7_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="427" /></a>When we requested a birthday list from David he put a hula hoop on it and boy has it been fun around here. We can't wait to see some more fun come from this kid this year. He's mastered that hula hoop along with the Rubik's cube, and knot tying has still kept him busy around here. We began doing scholastic testing on him a few years ago. This year he has ended up in the 99th percentile for his age. Getting him to do his schoolwork this year has really tested my patience when there are so many other things he'd rather be doing, like riding scooters or mastering other patterns on his Rubik's cube, playing Legos or cleaning the chicken coop, but I guess we really can't complain when his grades are so high. Happy birthday, David! Keep driving us crazy like you do. :) We love you!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10242043652161677900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6690842225255931292.post-80668430694163444052016-07-22T08:43:00.000-06:002016-07-22T08:43:01.807-06:00Easter<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/melius/R80GA9" title="IMG_2899"><img alt="IMG_2899" height="427" src="https://c3.staticflickr.com/8/7503/27543854314_2772dbab9d_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></a>Easter crept up on us so quickly that it ended up being a pretty low key day. The big storm that blew through just a few days before Easter made it difficult to get out of the house and by the time Easter arrived there was still quite a bit of snow on the ground. There was enough snow that the children weren't able to hunt for eggs outside.
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I did, however, manage to get my children to go outside and pose for a photo in the snow. How can you refuse your mother, right?</div>
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Then it was time to get back inside for church to begin.</div>
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<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="safari-extension://embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10242043652161677900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6690842225255931292.post-77655273743360711122016-07-20T21:09:00.000-06:002016-07-20T21:09:03.775-06:00Spring Storms<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/melius/555Kc4" title="IMG_2830"><img alt="IMG_2830" height="427" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7118/27291331352_a67429a01c_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></a><br />
Like I said in previous posts, winter seemed like it was never going to end. It did eventually end, but then the spring storms started. These storms weren't small either. Once one storm had passed through it wasn't but a few days later that another storm was already on its way.<br />
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I'd like to say that I was happy to stay cooped up indoors, but having chickens and wanting to burn firewood made staying in almost impossible.</div>
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/melius/q0S4G8" title="IMG_2836"><img alt="IMG_2836" height="427" src="https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7783/27291330732_3b22bf700f_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></a>It was quite the trek just trying to get to the chicken coop. Then trying to get into it was another obstacle in itself. We did make it in and found our chickens to be just fine and cozy inside.<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="safari-extension://embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/melius/D467Fu" title="2"><img alt="2" height="640" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7309/27918324016_1bfd595777_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="480" /></a>Their little run was covered from blowing snow, but the inside of their coop was dry and they were great. I'm sure they didn't like being stuck inside, but at least they were warm and their it's a good thing their feathers keep a lot heat for them.</div>
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We thought the snow was gone for awhile, so we bought some new baby chicks. They probably thought this spring/winter storm was nuts. That heat lamp was working overtime to keep these little guys warm.<br />
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Being stuck inside could make one stir crazy, so going outside with any amount of snow was starting to sound kind of fun.</div>
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It was pretty much impossible to keep the driveways all plowed, so it became fun and challenging to see if we could drive though all the snow. It only took my Lutheran Stud a few tries before he was able to plow through this mess.</div>
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Just so you know, our van is not 4-wheel drive and it liked to do a little fish-tailing on the ice. I also got stuck in my own driveway 3 times in one day. Luckily, I have some pretty awesome boys that were ready and able to dig me out.<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/melius/25X4W4" title="6"><img alt="6" height="480" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7426/27918320776_8d4bcf5f2e_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></a></div>
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The snow did eventually stop and it felt quite peaceful and calm when the snow stopped falling and wind stopped blowing.</div>
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The children no longer felt like they would blow over from the wind, so they were able to explore our field. They found snow drifts that were taller than they are. They trudged through the snow and fell down on purpose because the snow was soft and it didn't hurt to fall.</div>
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The chickens were also excited for the storms to come to an end. They couldn't wait to get outside. The amount of worms they found was unbelievable. Many of them also loved to eat the snow.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10242043652161677900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6690842225255931292.post-11822182354847632202016-07-12T21:33:00.000-06:002016-07-12T21:33:20.404-06:00Spring?<div style="text-align: center;">
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We got a short respite from the snow and a lot of it even melted. It was a good thing because my sweet little goddaughter came out from California for a little visit.</div>
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I also planted some garlic in the fall and noticed that it was starting to sprout. We needed to get some water on them so they could keep growing. Our sprinklers were blown out in the fall and we still hadn't started them back up yet, so there was no water getting to them, except from the snow that had been falling.
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Our chickens were even getting tired of being cooped up from the snow. They couldn't wait to get outside or see what I was cooking up in the kitchen. Do you know how creepy it feels to have chickens spying on you while you're washing dishes?
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/melius/K7F8u3" title="IMG_2682"><img alt="IMG_2682" height="427" src="https://c8.staticflickr.com/8/7467/28085810031_2eac66c567_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></a>I think the boys purposefully threw the frisbees on the roof so they could retrieve them. They've learned to climb the big pine tree in front of our house. It makes for an easy hop onto the roof.
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/melius/v78g15" title="IMG_2726"><img alt="IMG_2726" height="427" src="https://c6.staticflickr.com/8/7288/27548861013_4a1df6bcaa_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></a>Even all the mud in the field was drying out and we were able to get into the field to check out the wood pile.
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<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="safari-extension://embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10242043652161677900noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6690842225255931292.post-22426025615537827712016-07-11T15:42:00.000-06:002016-07-11T15:42:38.944-06:00Super Bowl in Seattle<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/melius/50711V" title="IMG_2191"><img alt="IMG_2191" height="427" src="https://c6.staticflickr.com/8/7328/27318308261_00775e82a1_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></a>
Winter was starting to feel like it was never going to end and I kept getting bombarded with emails from the airline companies. I started shopping for airline tickets to warmer areas of the country. Then I came across tickets to Seattle. I checked them out and found a deal that we just couldn't resist. Roundtrip tickets for $59!! What? The kids and I hopped on a plane to visit our family in Seattle. That night before we didn't even know if our flight would even go. We made it to the airport bright and early though at 5:30am. It was like a ghost town, probably people switched flights because of the massive storm that came through. It was early, so we needed to get coffee and donuts while we waited for our flight.
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/melius/Fv2w3x" title="2"><img alt="2" height="480" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7386/27389013864_624a10fc91_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></a>Our flight was actually relatively on time considering all of the de-iceing that needed to be done before we could take off. My children hadn't been on an airplane for so long that they couldn't even remember flying. My older children were just little babies and my little kids probably weren't even born the last time our entire family was on a plane. We left the big, cold storm in Colorado for the a wet and cloudy Seattle.
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Uncle Dustin turned 34, so we pulled out all of our cameras and had a party</div>
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complete with an ice cream cake!</div>
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Basketball skills were improved quite a bit while we were in Seattle. Even with the crummy weather it didn't stop the boys from going out and throwing the ball around.<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/melius/quyf4u" title="IMG_2253">
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We even had time to go to Lola's gymnastics meet, </div>
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and Kai's basketball tournament. Good times!</div>
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Super Bowl Sunday came quickly and I couldn't believe I was watching the Super Bowl in Seattle rather than in Colorado with my Bronco buddies. At least my lovely Seahawks friend knew who to root for. These lovely ladies and I have been friends since high school.
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Go Broncos!!</div>
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We returned to Denver just in time to miss the Broncos parade downtown, but don't worry my Lutheran Stud made it to the parade while we celebrated at the airport enjoying all the added blue and orange and Broncos jerseys all over. Departure boards even celebrated with extra exclamation points to Omaha!!!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10242043652161677900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6690842225255931292.post-4660405773007020682016-07-07T15:30:00.002-06:002016-07-07T15:30:39.529-06:00Snowy and Cold Football<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/melius/t462BM" title="4 - 14"><img alt="4 - 14" height="480" src="https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7501/27918071526_c68bb52020_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></a>It felt like winter arrived early and stayed late. It came fiercely and stuck around for days. The first snow of the season is always fun and exciting. The kids love to get outside as soon as they can and then I don't see them for hours.
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Once the snow melted we thought things were back to normal again, but no, another storm was already on the way again.</div>
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This snow and cold made this football season almost unbearable, except that every game we went to was exciting, fun, and it ended with the Broncos winning! We also got to our seats and were greeted with orange mustaches in our cupholders during the Bengals game. We were told that by wearing the mustaches we broke a world record for the most people wearing false mustaches or something weird like that.</div>
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/melius/B5f9aj" title="_MG_1862"><img alt="_MG_1862" height="427" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7404/27318316611_c6d1296174_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></a>Brock Osweiler was our quarterback for all of the games we attended this past regular season. He was a fun to watch and moved around a little bit better than Peyton Manning.
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/melius/74xiZ3" title="_MG_1921"><img alt="_MG_1921" height="427" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7418/27692921520_5ebdba5aae_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></a>Not only was it a cold football season for us, but all of the regular season games that we attended were night games and games that went into overtime. Ugh!! We beat the Bengals. Yay!
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/melius/5x619U" title="1 - 4"><img alt="1 - 4" height="480" src="https://c8.staticflickr.com/8/7457/27952315055_994a9cd0a8_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></a>Hot chocolate was a warm consolation when Michaela and I were on a mission to find some cupcakes. Hey, we found each other at the game though we were two sections away from each other, so I guess we were 1 for 2.
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/melius/C8i5S4" title="_MG_1780"><img alt="_MG_1780" height="427" src="https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7397/27355894806_bf8aa65d8f_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></a>Walking around during the game helped keep us warm and had us back in our seats in time to witness the game winning touchdown for the Broncos against the Patriots. It was such a satisfying win because of all the controversy surrounding the Patriots and all of their cheating.
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It was finally playoff time and tailgate time! Not only was it playoffs, but we got to go during the day. It felt a little warmer and the vodka helped with that too, I'm sure.
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/melius/4D903e" title="_MG_2002"><img alt="_MG_2002" height="427" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7099/27972516105_df0e940198_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></a>Playoff time meant Peyton Manning was back! Everyone was excited. There weren't many dirty, yellow towels as there normally is in the crowd during a game versus the Steelers.
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/melius/223n01" title="_MG_2013"><img alt="_MG_2013" height="427" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7352/27972515835_8e8a23ace2_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></a>I can't say that it was a pretty win or an easy win, but it was a win nonetheless.
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<img alt="_MG_2035" height="426" src="https://c6.staticflickr.com/8/7478/27972515565_daa12e58d8_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" />That win meant that the Broncos were moving on to the AFC Championship game!<br />
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The entire city of Denver was excited for this game. Not only was it a rematch from earlier in the season, but a win meant a trip to the Super Bowl. <a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/melius/x81uw9" title="_MG_2078"><img alt="_MG_2078" height="427" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7454/27972515145_ed3b505e84_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></a>The Broncos defense came out strong, especially against Tom Brady. They pretty much won the game for the Broncos. This was most definitely not a good game for Tom Brady or the Patriots. I think the Broncos sacked him four or six times.
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/melius/8kX028" title="_MG_2178"><img alt="_MG_2178" height="427" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7303/27972514425_ebf2459d98_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></a>But hey, it was a win for the Broncos and that meant SUPER BOWL bound!!
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Confetti was strewn all over the field. Some of it even made it to our seats. My Lutheran Stud couldn't resist and he picked up a piece of it and now carries it in his wallet. Can you say, "Crazy?" Just kidding, babe! Love you. ;)<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/melius/9m6QK9" title="s - 9"> <img alt="s - 9" height="480" src="https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7301/27673221660_baba5b5ed4_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></a>We stayed for the trophy celebration along with about 70,000 other people and it was insane and surreal. Super Bowl here we come, or rather here comes the Broncos!
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10242043652161677900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6690842225255931292.post-23218968555917338702016-07-05T10:14:00.002-06:002016-07-05T10:14:51.699-06:00Firewood, Anyone?<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/melius/9yb7p1" title="4 - 13"><img alt="4 - 13" height="480" src="https://c8.staticflickr.com/8/7359/27875177871_e6525c1eac_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></a>
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Having two fireplaces in our home brought some excitement as cooler weather began rolling in to town.<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/melius/1MnCk3" title="1"><img alt="1" height="480" src="https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7298/27918081236_ba9f7e4d3a_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></a>It sent my Lutheran Stud to Craigslist to search for firewood for us to burn in the winter. One ad in particular piqued his interest. A family had a large amount of Ash trees cut down on their property and needed to have them removed. It was a great deal for about 30 or so trees. <a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/melius/64tG17" title="4 - 2"><img alt="4 - 2" height="480" src="https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7428/27918078356_cfd5eb322c_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></a>Little did we know how much work it would be to remove all the trees from their property and moved to ours. It became quite the operation. Every free moment we had was spent moving huge logs.<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/melius/8HiS2g" title="4 - 8"><img alt="4 - 8" height="480" src="https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7452/27339821134_4ab26774d6_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></a>We had friends helping us out and it became a job for our children. At one time we had 3 pick-ups and trailers bringing loads to our house. I was mostly inside watching small children and cooking up a feast for everyone.
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/melius/rjgaK3" title="5 - 11"><img alt="5 - 11" height="640" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7302/27875176051_a029db8079_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="480" /></a>We even had people from our church volunteer to help us. I think this may have been the largest log in the entire operation.
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/melius/0EtdT4" title="5 - 12"><img alt="5 - 12" height="640" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7329/27918064056_0058a8577e_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="480" /></a>With some of the smaller pieces the children began moving things around and building forts. I'm sure the little bunnies may have enjoyed living in them while they could.
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While it felt like a never-ending project having so many helpers helped lighten the work load. <a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/melius/0VEUyT" title="5 - 2"><img alt="5 - 2" height="480" src="https://c3.staticflickr.com/8/7285/27918070346_d889428d3b_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></a>We had hoped to have all the wood moved over before any snow came. That didn't happen. There was snow here and there and everywhere. Sometimes it melted quickly and sometimes it stuck around. That is to say that when it was all said and done I think we had more wood than we knew what to do with it.
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<img alt="6 - 2" height="480" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7256/27918062176_987b6813bc_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" />Scratch that. We had big plans for all of that firewood. Our fall and winter was spent splitting wood, or rather our children, along with their friends, and their fathers split wood.
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/melius/1C65o3" title="6 - 1"><img alt="6 - 1" height="480" src="https://c3.staticflickr.com/8/7473/27918062706_4802428d15_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></a>We couldn't keep the stacks stuck! We posted an ad on Craigslist to sell firewood. These kids worked really hard all winter to split, sell, and stack firewood.
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/melius/a1Hhsh" title="6 - 6"><img alt="6 - 6" height="480" src="https://c3.staticflickr.com/8/7379/27673035770_32213c25ce_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" />I</a>t became quite the winter business. Sometimes we had three wood splitters running. <a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/melius/7ZRe33" title="6 - 5"><img alt="6 - 5" height="480" src="https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7574/27850809372_e6ac9bba4f_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></a>We were hoping to get ahead of the game and have a ton of firewood stacked and ready to roll.
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/melius/Y6182Y" title="5 - 6"><img alt="5 - 6" height="480" src="https://c8.staticflickr.com/8/7501/27338985503_85f78568a4_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></a>But, as you can see there's quite a bit of wood. While most of what you see in the background has been sold, but there is still a fair amount of wood sitting around. Guess what my children will be doing this summer? That's right. I think they'll be weeding my garden and splitting wood to sell this winter. If you are in the Denver area and are looking for firewood to burn this winter let us know. Our children will split, deliver, and stack your fire wood for you.
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10242043652161677900noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6690842225255931292.post-2673856035326777142016-07-02T07:49:00.000-06:002016-07-02T07:49:38.663-06:00Past Summer Travels<div style="font-family: -webkit-standard; margin: 0px;">
One would think that after moving into a new home you would want to get settled and learn how things work around your new place, but that's not us. We spent most of our last summer traveling. Here's a small peek into the rest of last summer's travels since this summer is already here. Yikes!</div>
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After returning home from South Dakota we had a few weeks to get some unpacking done. It's all kind a blur since we really weren't home long enough before we packed up our big van again and headed west. We went just about as far west as one could go, to Seattle. Our families still live in the state of Washington and it had been a few years since we were able to get back there. It was time to catch up with family and old friends and to see all the crazy, new changes around town. <a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/melius/7kt316" title="_MG_0874"><img alt="_MG_0874" height="427" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7198/27355906136_d2281ce60e_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></a>
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Oh, Seattle. Wait. Did I mention there was a small detour in plans when we arrived in Seattle? My lovely Lutheran Stud and I took off for Chicago almost as soon as we arrived in Seattle. That's right we dropped the kids off and headed to the airport. You see, we have dear friends that had recently moved to Naperville. My husband was asked to preach at the installation service. We couldn't resist, so we went. It was a quick trip, but we had a lot of fun catching up, and staying up late like we were teenagers again.
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No worries, though! We left our children in good hands and they had a blast hanging out with their cousins and eating ice cream everyday. When we returned we decided to do some touristy things since my children didn't actually grow up in Seattle. When I was young my parents would take us all over the place. It was pretty normal for us to hop on a ferry and explore some part of Washington state. My kids, however, had never been on a ferry boat. Can you believe it? I had to make that happen, so off we went. They thought it was a little strange that an entire car could fit on a boat and then be shuttled around the lake.</div>
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We landed in Bremerton where we played around until it was time to hop onto another ferry and return to Seattle. The kids has so much fun that we might have to try that again sometime.<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/melius/ek7FD3" title="_MG_0762"><img alt="_MG_0762" height="427" src="https://c3.staticflickr.com/8/7687/26781908834_4e0e0975d7_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></a>
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After Seattle we headed to Yakima to see more family. We spent a lot time with cousins we haven't seen in a long time. Things are a little slower paced on the east side of the Cascade mountains. We did a lot of visiting and relaxing, and the kids ran around and played.
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The last time we saw our three youngest cousins they were just tiny. They were pretty much babies. It was so fun to see the kids all playing so well together at all their different ages.<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/melius/3b78TG" title="_MG_0938"><img alt="_MG_0938" height="427" src="https://c3.staticflickr.com/8/7387/26781905194_25292c609b_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></a>
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The older girls were too cool to stick around, so they took off and got their nails done and did fun girly things. After some time in Yakima, we had to make the long trek back to Colorado because we had another trip coming in which we needed to get laundry done and then pack again. Oh my!<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/melius/fd5cG7" title="_MG_0915"><img alt="_MG_0915" height="427" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7382/26782581163_5a5aea2c87_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></a><br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/melius/K8f33x" title="_MG_1101"><img alt="_MG_1101" height="427" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7639/26781904784_a9285d3cc8_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></a>It's a rough life when you return from a fun week of visiting family only to be home for a week or two and leave for a few days to the mountains where you get to stay in a fancy condo and go swimming inside and outside in the same pool.
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="safari-extension://embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
<img alt="_MG_1124" height="427" src="https://c3.staticflickr.com/8/7674/27760910306_6776f1349a_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" />Dr. Peter Scaer, from Concordia Theological Seminary was the keynote speaker for the Rocky Mountain District Church Workers' conference. When he wasn't on a tangent he spoke on life issues and marriage. It was a great conference and we really enjoyed what he had to say. <a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/melius/3cp4iq" title="_MG_1102"><img alt="_MG_1117" height="427" src="https://c3.staticflickr.com/8/7434/27291349842_75e5164373_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></a>
During Dr. Scaer's free time in between sessions he could be found in the swimming pool. It was so nice of him to swim with my children so I didn't have to get in. I'm sort of like a cat when it comes to swimming.<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/melius/3cp4iq" title="_MG_1102">
<img alt="_MG_1102" height="427" src="https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7376/27291350502_6d896d1699_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></a>What could be more fun than swimming in a pool with mountain views? We had a blast in Breckenridge, but we were also ready to come home. After all, when does school get done with all of these vacations?
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/melius/1K88rK" title="_MG_1173"><img alt="_MG_1173" height="427" src="https://c3.staticflickr.com/8/7458/27291347922_eb1b28507c_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></a>Our children enjoyed quite the break from their schoolwork, so it was only fair that we get home so they could get something done. My Lutheran Stud and I, however, didn't have school work, so we decided to hop and on a plane to meet our new goddaughter, Hope. Isn't she a doll?
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We couldn't visit California without spending a little time at the beach, so my <a href="http://justimagineheaven.blogspot.com/2014/09/we-went-on-vacation-and-i-met-my-stalker.html" target="_blank">stalker</a> friend, Rachel and her husband Adam were kind enough to hang out with us for the day. The boys went spearfishing while Rachel and I got to hang out in the sand and catch up with each other.<br />
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Sometimes I dream about living in California because I love their beaches so much. A girl can dream or have friends that live there and visit often. Hmm. . .<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/melius/9y37u4" title="_MG_1171"><img alt="_MG_1171" height="427" src="https://c3.staticflickr.com/8/7624/27291348362_af66a95823_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></a>Living in Colorado really makes me miss the ocean and sunsets like this, but I really love the sun and the Colorado mountains too. I guess you can't have it all. All the traveling had to come to an end at some point and Newport Beach seemed like a great place to end our vacation. We loved the little hotel where we stayed. If you visit Newport be sure to look up the <a href="http://www.newportbeachwalkhotel.com/" target="_blank">Newport Beach Hotel</a>. Their hospitality was wonderful and you just walk outside and you're right on the beach!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10242043652161677900noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6690842225255931292.post-33409638986359176192015-11-16T16:12:00.000-07:002015-11-16T16:12:27.670-07:00I Didn't Want Chickens, I Just Wanted Their Eggs<div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/melius/22913262795/in/dateposted/" title="_MG_0447.jpg"><img alt="_MG_0447.jpg" height="427" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5773/22913262795_8e2e94bfe4_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></a>After a lovely time in South Dakota we returned home and it was time to get to work unpacking and learning all about our new surroundings. Did I mention that when we bought our house it also came with about 40-50 chickens? I still don't really know how many chickens we actually have.</div>
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/melius/22899835792/in/dateposted/" title="_MG_0427.jpg"><img alt="_MG_0427.jpg" height="427" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/766/22899835792_c4a9ff73c8_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></a>If you know me then you've probably heard that I've wanted chickens for a long time, but our previous home didn't have the space and our HOA didn't permit it. Well, I've finally got my chickens, but did I ever mention that I know nothing about chickens or really any pet or animal for that matter? What have I gotten myself into? I even mentioned to my husband that I really didn't want chickens, but I just wanted their eggs. He had a good laugh while I began researching chickens like crazy by checking books out at the library, and Google has been a great help too.
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/melius/22494962438/in/dateposted/" title="_MG_0432.jpg"><img alt="_MG_0432.jpg" height="427" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/736/22494962438_48379c8349_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></a>We not only have hens, but we have a few roosters too! What do you do with roosters? The previous owner, whom we still speak to often, told us to leave eggs in the nesting boxes and we'll have baby chicks in 21 days. What? We've contemplated getting rid of them. That was until a very large bird swooped down and tried to attack our chickens. The rooster, that the children name Saruman, fought the bird off. He has since been renamed Gandalf, for protecting his flock. We're keeping the roosters for now.
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/melius/22924417551/in/dateposted/" title="_MG_0465.jpg"><img alt="_MG_0465.jpg" height="427" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5738/22924417551_dec6f0af5f_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></a>The previous owner let the chickens out all over the property, so we've done the same thing with a little hesitation. How do we get them all back into the coop at night? We don't. We've learned that they just know where to go when it starts to get dark outside. We don't have to do anything. The roosters pretty much herd their hens back to the coop, which the children have recently named The Shire.
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/melius/22521139719/in/photostream/" title="_MG_0450.jpg"><img alt="_MG_0450.jpg" height="427" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/756/22521139719_48cb36da9f_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></a>We have a large open field in the back of our house with a massive wall that still needs to be finished. When we moved in the weeds were waist high and now we've been told that we need to get some goats to keep the weeds down. What? I don't even know what I'm doing with chickens. That little green mower works just fine in the field, don't you think? If anyone out there is looking to do a little labor putting up a stone wall let me know. We have all the materials and I'll feed you!</div>
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We were told that our recently inherited flock of chickens were pretty old. Not all of the chickens are even laying eggs anymore. The previous owner suggested that we grow our flock by, guess what? Yeah, these kids talked me into buying baby chicks when we returned home from South Dakota. AHH!!</div>
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I have to admit that they're pretty darn cute and they're growing on me, but I still feel like I have no idea what I'm doing. We'll see how many make it through the winter. Stick around for more to come on our little urban farm?</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10242043652161677900noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6690842225255931292.post-37520439044564984002015-11-09T16:07:00.000-07:002015-11-09T16:07:07.231-07:00Swanhorst Reunion<div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/melius/20963850255/in/album-72157655556594784/" title="Untitled"><img alt="Untitled" height="427" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/579/20963850255_396e838c18_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></a>Because one reunion just isn't enough we also attended the Swanhorst Family reunion the day after the Melius Family reunion. Yikes! The Swanhorst reunion was a little bigger. Three Meliuses married three Swanhorsts, so you still had a ton of Meliuses there, but also from Denver, we have more cousins that aren't Meliuses, but they're Swanhorsts. Can this be anymore confusing because I really don't even know what I'm writing.</div>
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Then we found the Wizard of Oz characters and followed the yellow brick road.<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/melius/20343186133/in/album-72157655556594784/" title="Untitled"><img alt="Untitled" height="427" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/680/20343186133_b7a760d20e_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></a>The scarecrow showed us the way to go where we found
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the cowardly lion,<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/melius/20776343118/in/album-72157655556594784/" title="Untitled"><img alt="Untitled" height="427" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5772/20776343118_dac416a5b8_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" />G</a>linda, the good witch,</div>
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and of course, we found Dorothy and Toto!
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/melius/20343342963/in/album-72157655556594784/" title="Untitled"><img alt="Untitled" height="427" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5679/20343342963_d6ca721c96_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></a>A long day in Aberdeen called for beer and wine to unwind after a long day. Thanks to David and Laura for hosting us. We had so much fun with you guys! To see some more awesomeness from our South Dakota trip check out <a href="https://goo.gl/photos/BscmW7GN1PC34agm7" target="_blank">this link</a>.<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="safari-extension://embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10242043652161677900noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6690842225255931292.post-29275209488176228682015-10-30T09:24:00.000-06:002015-10-30T09:24:17.807-06:00Melius Reunion<img alt="We're hitting the road! #SDorBust #10HoursInTheCar #ReunionWeekend #Rumchata" height="640" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/491/19194765828_362c9301ee_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;" width="640" /><br />
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My crew returned home from the Catechism retreat pretty much just to do laundry and pack again. We hit the road early Friday morning and drove all day to South Dakota. (<a href="http://www.playaway.com/" target="_blank">Playaways</a> are the best thing ever invented for road trips.)</div>
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We arrived just in time for pre-4th of July festivities at Kyle and Lisa's house.</div>
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There were plenty of cousins everywhere--1st cousins, 2nd cousins, you name it, and they were there. </div>
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Basketball, bike riding, and front porch performances kept us entertained that evening.</div>
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Fireworks were lit as the sun went down. </div>
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The next morning, the 4th of July, we were up early to participate in the local parade. </div>
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We missed out on decorating the float, but I think sitting on it was more fun, plus we'll take the credit for getting 1st place. ;)</div>
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Being a float in the middle of the parade allowed us to enjoy watching the end of the parade too! Super Mario and Luigi made an appearance and gave the kids candy.</div>
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Anna was checking out the candy scene and even got a flag and frisbee!</div>
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Temperatures were rising as the day went on. Can you tell?</div>
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Here's the famous family photo!</div>
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After the photo it was time to find some food, AC, and family with which to hang out and visit.</div>
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The children had fun cooling off on slip n' slides, pools, and </div>
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jumpy castles.</div>
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Here's an all boys table because who wants to sit with a bunch of girls, right?</div>
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Reminiscing over old photos always brings back some pretty hilarious memories. Uncle Conrad had 5 Meliuses in his class that weren't siblings. #SmallTownProblems. Grandpa Claire used get out of the shower and check his rain gauge wearing just a towel around his waist. Yes, there really is a photo of that.</div>
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You can't sit around too long when there's Corn Hole to play.</div>
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Here's a cousin photo! Who's missing? Here's to 2020. Be there or be square, but cousins we'll see you in 2017, right? Florida?</div>
<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D6690842225255931292%23editor%2Ftarget%3Dpost%3BpostID%3D2927520948817622868%3BonPublishedMenu%3Dposts%3BonClosedMenu%3Dposts%3BpostNum%3D0%3Bsrc%3Dlink&media=https%3A%2F%2Ffarm6.staticflickr.com%2F5710%2F20937517186_4174120998_z.jpg&xm=h&xv=sa1.37.01&xuid=d2gkUHvcd8KB&description=Untitled" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 33px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 8883px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D6690842225255931292%23editor%2Ftarget%3Dpost%3BpostID%3D2927520948817622868%3BonPublishedMenu%3Dposts%3BonClosedMenu%3Dposts%3BpostNum%3D0%3Bsrc%3Dlink&media=https%3A%2F%2Ffarm6.staticflickr.com%2F5710%2F20937517186_4174120998_z.jpg&xm=h&xv=sa1.37.01&xuid=d2gkUHvcd8KB&description=Untitled" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 33px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 8883px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10242043652161677900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6690842225255931292.post-77153652185127525452015-10-26T15:45:00.001-06:002015-10-26T15:46:25.270-06:00Confirmation<div style="text-align: center;">
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/melius/20943912132/in/album-72157657461376890/" title="Untitled"><img alt="Untitled" height="640" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/624/20943912132_e280cb3196_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="427" /></a>After two grueling years of studying the Bible and the Catechism, Rachel was confirmed at the end of June.
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/melius/20953698895/in/album-72157657461376890/" title="Untitled"><img alt="Untitled" height="427" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/649/20953698895_ee2b687f5e_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" />S</a>he and four other confirmands read the Bible and took part in the <a href="http://www.justimagineheaven.blogspot.com/search/label/Catechism%20Memory%20Program" target="_blank">Catechism memory program</a>. In order to be confirmed, depending on their age, they must complete the program to a certain level.<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/melius/20961137341/in/album-72157657461376890/" title="Untitled"><img alt="Untitled" height="427" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5805/20961137341_644d593e96_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></a>They listened intently to the sermon. If you'd like to hear it you can listen <a href="http://hwcdn.libsyn.com/p/d/d/3/dd34692b9097e7f9/Trinity_4_2015.mp3?c_id=9379281&expiration=1444083685&hwt=8328f1badd135f95eff5b93539dd237d" target="_blank">here</a>, too!
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/melius/20927468826/in/album-72157657461376890/" title="Untitled"><img alt="Untitled" height="427" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/722/20927468826_2d1018fcbd_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></a>Now it's confirmation time!
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/melius/20961165461/in/album-72157657461376890/" title="Untitled"><img alt="Untitled" height="427" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5803/20961165461_2c81f78950_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></a>After they were confirmed these confirmands received communion for the first time alongside their classmates.
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/melius/20766995089/in/album-72157657461376890/" title="Untitled"><img alt="Untitled" height="640" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5776/20766995089_513a27bbbc_z.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="427" /></a>I'm so proud of the kids. They worked hard and their minds were definitely like sponges.
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<i>Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4</i><br />
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Right after church they took off for the mountains and the annual Catechism Retreat! So much for moving and unpacking. There's no rest for the wicked. We moved, and three days later the older children were off to camp. They had a blast only to return for one day to do laundry. Then we left again. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10242043652161677900noreply@blogger.com0