~Boys and Trucks~

With Jordan just turning 16, there has been a lot of talk about a vehicle for him.   He wants a truck... cummins, diesel, and dually are the words I keep hearing.

The boys do well at searching the net for vehicles... so good that they have found several all over the USA!  In their searching they found Jared's dream truck.

It was a deal that Gregg just couldn't pass up.

I love how it looks!

Can't find a sturdier bumper!

It is a five speed and both Jordan and Jared can drive it.  They love how the engine sounds.  I am looking forward to it being street legal... I can't wait to drive it!  I think it will make a great photo prop too!

Imagine the parking lot we will have in a few years!

~Summer Archery League~

Jared signed up for Summer Archery League at the archery shop across the road from us.  He went once a week (normally with a sibling or two) to shoot.  There are special tips on the arrows that hit a special screen.  It tells you if your hit was good or bad.  

I went the last week to watch him and really enjoyed it.  He shot six shots and five rounds each week.

Everyone that participated was able to put their name in for door prizes.  Jared got 3rd place!!! He can use the money to buy some arrows (the shop let him borrow some for the Summer League since he didn't have enough)

He wants to do some hunting this fall and is looking forward to joining the Winter Archery League too!

~Hunting Adventure Continues~

Since Jared passed his hunting course he has been anxious to get out and hunt.  He is always able to find time to target shoot too. A friend of ours from church volunteered to take him out for a practice run with his dog for rabbit hunting.  Unfortunately, it rained that day.  The next day they could get together was this past Saturday.  Brent went deer hunting in the morning and said he could take Jared out to practice shoot in the afternoon.  Jared tried out three different guns.

Brent said he did a very good job!  Gregg was able to go along and watch.

Afterward, Gregg took Jared out shopping for some gear.  He got some boots, brush pants, a shirt, a hat and a vest!  Another friend of ours knew we were looking for hunting clothes and found a nice jacket with tags at a yard sale!!!  Whoohooo!  He looks like a real hunter!

~Silly Boys~

For a laugh...

~My Nathan~

What a happy Birthday Boy! Nathan has been counting down the days to his 5th birthday all month.

He gets so excited! I just have to laugh and get excited with him! I made him a special breakfast... those totally unhealthy sausages on a stick wrapped with a pancake:-) He loved them!

We did have to get school done but he got some toys out and played very well... until he realized dad said he could open his gifts. I was not going to start that... we wait til dad gets home. I had to keep him busy then!

He got to lick the icing off the beaters.

I inflated some balloons.

I let him play computer games... finally dad came home and he was ready!He was so excited to open a top... now he can play with all the boys!

And we found this fun set on clearance after Christmas...

He wanted chicken nuggets and potato salad for dinner. We just learned how they make chicken nuggets and that pretty much grossed me out... so I made them. Yum! Gregg made his famous chick fil a sauce to go with them! Double Yum!

He asked for chocolate cake with peanut butter icing...

Nathan is such a joy to have around. He is constantly talking... but he truly wants to have a conversation and he really does think a lot and he asks great questions. He has the best laugh too! He is our tallest boy at this age! I love to hear Nathan pray. Sometimes it is silly things but he also prays that he will be a godly man and that mom and dad will be faithful. He prays for Kiersten... that she would be a christian too. Nathan is sensitive to emotions and does get scared (something we really haven't dealt with before). He loves to sing and memorize verses with me.

Nathan takes things very seriously too. My parents gave him a card that said he was the best 5 year old in the world. The day after he got the card he said to me, "Mom, isn't that neat that Grammy thinks I'm the best five year old in the world!" I think it is too funny that he actually remembered what the card said and that he totally believed it!

What a privilege to be his mom.

Thank you, Lord, for Nathan. Thank you for giving him a soft heart and a joyful countenance. Use him mightily for your work!... and help me to not get in the way!

~Boys will be Boys~

My boys have a little more time on their hands now that racing is done for the year. Last month was a busy time of inventing for my guys.

They "accidentally" blew up a soda bottle with an air compressor. I gave them some rules after the first big bang... First, tell mom before you do this! Second, wear ear protection. Third, make sure there are no horses coming down the road!

They tried again two days later and had a harder time sealing the bottles. They persevered and had a bunch of fun.

The next week, we were cleaning the living room... cleaning carpets, dusting, washing all blankets and slip covers... and they decided the sleeper sofa would be fun. Four of the boys tried to get in under the bed but it would not close up all the way. Aaron is claustrophobic so he never tried. Jordan got the idea to climb under the couch, have the mattress pushed in a little, climb onto the mattress and ride up into the back of the sofa. Only two boys tried this... neither of them fit. They were very disappointed they did not think of this while they could still fit:-)

The last thing they tried was to removed the mattress and climbed in. Jordan was first. If you have ever worked a sleeper sofa you know you need to lift way up before pushing in. Well, Jared lifted way up and totally dropped Jordan into the couch. It closed! Now we had a big problem. Jared could not lift Jordan out of the couch. Jared and Aaron could not pull him out together. I was laughing so hard I was no help either! I finally pulled myself together long enough to get him out of the couch... he weighs almost as much as me so it was no easy task! It was truly funny. I tend to lean toward caution in these adventures and often tell them to stop fooling around. I'm glad I just watched and laughed this time!

Another day a squirrel got caught between the glass door and sliding screen door. The boys all rain for their BB and pellet guns. They "took care of it" for me. How kind... I would have let the poor little thing find the hole to get back out.

As often as they fight and pick on one another they certainly miss each other. Even if one boy is missing they all mope around. Jared had to get his school physical last month and they couldn't wait for him to get home.

Three of the boys got "new" bikes this week. I never realized how many bikes you have to grow out of! It is so much fun to watching them race around. They could literally race in a circle for hours... must be a boy thing. Eric is learning how to shift and Nathan has a break on his handle bar!

These photos were taken yesterday in our back yard. I never got their "school" pictures taken this year and was so happy to have a sunny warm day to do it. They are not our best photos (several boys don't know how to smile) but they are certainly my guys!

~Eric Lost His First Tooth~

Eric has been feeling like he is missing out. All the kids a year younger than him at church have all started loosing their baby teeth. At 5 1/2 he hasn't lost one! A few weeks ago he noticed one wiggle and was so excited. Tonight, while eating chicken, he lost it! He didn't know it came out until he bit down on it and spit it out! Haha!

Happy boy!

~Jordan is 13~

My how time flies!

Thirteen already!

And very tall! He has me by just about an inch.... and he is closing in on Dad quickly!

Jordan requested cheese steaks and Doritos for supper... I threw in potato salad to make sure he was full! He was glad to have the leftovers for lunch the next day!

He wanted our traditional chocolate cake with peanut butter icing... I wanted to do something a little special so I added a 3rd layer... a brownie layer right between the chocolates... yum! He approved!

It was fun to watch Aaron, Eric and Nathan find things to wrap up for Jordan. They didn't really care whose it was... if they thought he might like it they took it off some one's shelf and wrapped it up for him! Haha! He was so good at opening all his "new" toys.

Gregg and I got him a new racing shirt and we renewed his racing magazine subscription. The real gift is that he gets to drive our Micro Sprint. It looks like his quarter midget but it is bigger and it has a wing. He needs some extra safety equipment, a seat, and some other misc things need to be done so he can drive. We are hoping to be ready for a local race at the end of Sept. To him, it is a very cool gift.

I have spent the last few days trying to burn images into my brain... I know if I blink, he will be gone. What a joy it is to watched him mature. He is my right hand man!

He was born a leader... God, please help him learn to be a servant as well.

He is driven in his racing... God, help him to remain above reproach.

He is intelligent... God, knowledge is a powerful thing... help him to use it wisely.

He is a joy and delight... God, help me to foster Christ-like character in him, in spite of myself.

He was never mine, always Yours... a blessing, a gift.

Thank You for allowing me to be his mom.

Thank You for working in both of our lives.

I trust You with our future.

~My Feelings Exactly~

Work hard, play hard...Looks like somebody is enjoying summer vacation!

~On Two Wheels~

I got home from the grocery store last Tuesday to find Nathan riding his bike... without training wheels!

He had asked me on Saturday to take his training wheels off. I knew I wouldn't have time that day to help him so I told him we would do it later. If I would have known how easy it would be to teach him, I wouldn't have put it off!


Well, he asked Dad to do it on Tuesday... and Dad did! Nathan basically got on his bike and took off! He has a hard time starting but he is totally balanced and can turn and stop without a problem!

Yay!

~Ouch~

If you don't think you would like to see a stick stuck in a foot... you better not scroll down too far!

I was having a very organized and profitable Monday...until...

Jared came outside to find me weeding in the front garden. I had just a little section left for the day before getting the little ones down for a nap and finishing school with the older boys. I pulled some more weeds and looked back up toward Jared and saw pain in his face.

"Mom, there is a stick stuck in my foot!" Yikes! He is too big to carry so I helped him hop over to the golf cart and I started shouting orders. "Everybody, shoes on." "Jordan, put the dogs away." "Be ready to leave in 5 minutes." I drove Jared around back and helped him into the Sprinter. I got inside with the littles and realized it was past nap time. Ugh! I asked Jordan to see if our neighbor can come over and sit while the littles sleep. Jordan volunteers to stay home. Wow, I guess that will work. The Dr is only a short drive away. If I end up at the ER I'll call a friend to stop by.

Long story short, Jared is fine. The stick was in his foot a little more than a half inch! He did great! The doctor couldn't believe Eric, Aaron and I were able to watch so intently. She had to cut a good bit of skin away from the wound to allow it to drain properly. It is really going to hurt tomorrow! I was so thankful to find my two nappers were still asleep when I got home!

I have a lot to be thankful for today! But lets start with where I left off last week...

337. Relaxing on Mother's day with a good meal and a nice walk

338. A computer that is almost up and running... the hard drive was fine!!!

339. One last trip to the "bread store." I buy my bread once a month for $.60 a loaf at a farm down the road. This was their last month... their supplier is done supplying. God will stretch the grocery budget in another way I guess:0)

340. The toy closet staying closed for days and days (that means everyone is outside!)

341. A free gun for Aaron. Aaron was saving for a new BB gun. He found one online but didn't have the money for shipping. Gregg searched Craigslist and found a used one for him. The man selling the gun was pleased it was a boy buying it. When they met for the purchase, he decided to just give it to Aaron.

342. Taking Jared to the bike shop to pick out his new saddle. Didn't turn out as easy as expected but I enjoyed the one on one time. He ended up only needing a new post (cheaper than a saddle!) so I got him a mirror too!

343. Picking out flowers for my mom

344. Two little babies to play with in the nursery

345. Safe travels, good deals, and great friends at the Home School Convention

346. Great thoughts to think on from the speakers

347. Eric finished his novice training

348. Everyone finished their heat before the rain fell

349. The features were cancelled allowing us to get home early!

350. Shoo-fly whoopie pies... a gift from a friend

351. A responsible young man to leave at home with nappers in an emergency

352. Medication that numbs

353. A maturing boy that can joke through the pain

354. Antibiotics to kill the bad germs

355. Chicken patty sandwiches for supper when I didn't have time to cook

356. Kiersten got up extra early this morning... God knew she needed a long nap in the afternoon while I was unavailable.

357. Our amazing bodies... created to heal themselves!


OUCH!

~The Pocket Knife~

"Mom, do you see the pocket knife I drew?"

"Wow, Nathan, that looks great!"
"Mom, when you want to buy me a pocket knife, you look at this picture so you know which one I want."

~Eric's First Run~

Gregg designed and had to get a special part made to move the pedals on Eric's car far enough up so Eric could reach them. He and Jordan worked hard this morning getting the car together. Our yard is a big mud puddle because of all the rain we have been having, but they got the car over to the track and let Eric have his first run!

Getting some finals instructions from dad.

And the push off.

He did really well.

We hope to get him on the track a few more times before the real racing begins in two weeks. His brothers are anxious to get out on the track too!

Here is a little interview with our newest driver...

video won't load... I'll try later!

~My Littlest Man is 4~

Isn't he the cutest!!!!?!??! Nathan has been waiting sooo very long for his birthday to arrive! I hung a birthday banner up this morning and served him some hot cocoa with some special marshmallows for breakfast!
As soon as we got home from church he wanted to open his gifts.
He still loves anything to do with trains so we got him James.
He didn't really know what he wanted for his birthday lunch so we thought Crab Alfredo would be a good choice!
We also did something different and had Banana Splits for dessert. He was happy about that too!

We have been looking forward to his birthday for awhile and it will be sad to have it over with all ready. I'm sure we will enjoy our next countdown... what ever that may be!

Almost forgot, we measure our kids on their birthdays on our special board... he is 43 3/4 inches tall already! Aaron was 44" at five years! Eric was less than that at five! Nathan is a big boy with a big heart! Can't forget that contagious giggle!

~Trophies All Around~

Sunday afternoon was our racing club's banquet. We were so happy that it was mid afternoon and that it wouldn't interfere with our time at church. It was a long day, but a good one!The first person to greet us was our favorite driver! We are so sad that he has retired from quarter midget racing. He is 16 and is moving on to bigger cars that race Friday nights.
We found our table and saw these cool cubes with the boys photos in them. They spin around too! They had balloons tied to shock springs in the center of the table and some treat bags set at every one's place.
The whole event was extremely organized and fun for all! They called all the kids up and filled up their little candy bags at this table!
The food was delicious! Salad, roast beef (the BEST), chicken tenders, ham, green beans, corn, rolls...
and dessert! I had a piece of black forest cake... then went back up to help one of the boys. Would you believe they had chocolate cake with peanut butter icing. Shhh, don't tell the boys but I got a piece of that too!
There was a huge prize table. Each of the kids were called up 3 times to choose a prize. Each driver had to take a prize to put on the table, but there was a bunch of other items to choose from too. Nathan and Eric loved that part!
These trophies were for the points for the year.
These were given out to the winners of the "Winner's Classic" race at the end of the season.
Each driver received one of these gift bags as well. They had a hat and a blanket inside. (keep reading for pictures of the blankets!)
Kiersten did great. She is playing with cloth napkins in this photo! She was also given a pink cow stuffed animal as a gift. She made friends with a little girl that was there with her family. It was so cute to see her playing with someone else.
Jordan received a First place trophy for the Winner's Classic and Second place trophy for the season.
Jared received an 8th place trophy for the season. We knew he finished near the back... but he wasn't last:-) He will be using a different car next season so we will see if that helps.
Aaron received First place for both Winner's Classic and season points.
Jared's blanket
Jordan's blanket
Aaron's blanket

The boys are really excited for the 2011 season to start. I think we have about 15 weeks to get our cars ready.For now, all the trophies are on Gregg's desk... I would have never thought!