1st garden started!

We have our first garden started and ready to go. No green thumbs here so we'll see what happens.


Caleb is ready to till.

Joel & Caleb getting started.

Caleb tilling.

We then moved all the dirt from the driveway out front to the backyard. Sorry no pictures it was spitting rain that day.

This weekend we planted some of the seeds and we'll plant some more in a couple weeks. Now the hard part - keeping those little seeds moist and waiting.

I found this website which was pretty neat in helping plan the garden space we've got. It lets you specify the size and then map out the vegetables you'd like and tells you how many to plant there. Pretty helpful.

Karis is TWO!

Karis is 2! Can you believe it?


She is a lot of fun to be around.

She loves to laugh and get you to laugh. Right now she's got a mischievous laugh that is just too cute.

Trying to get a picture of all the kids after church today. Almost.

It's my birthday...

Caleb's 8!

Happy Birthday Caleb! Wow, he's 8!!


We're going to celebrate Caleb's & Karis' birthday next week when Aunt Patty & Uncle Dan are here. He said he's okay waiting until then for his presents.

Yummy cookie cake!

Playing charades in the back yard.
(Eliana, Samantha, Karis, Caleb, Chloe & Joanna)
We had the cousins over while Scott & Rebekah signed some paper work for selling their house. They got a contract in 3 days. Now to find another house!

The little girls after bath time!
(Chloe & Karis)

Gettin out of the city week

This week we had a lot of fun visiting a couple of families who live outside the city and have some land. Wednesday we went north and the kids romped and played on 20 acres. They especially loved crossing the creek, the big stick fort, and playing with friends. Oh yeah, the huge brownies were a big hit too.

Saturday a friend helped us get a whole lot of dirt for our gardens we're going to try planting this year. We ended up going south to their property and roaming around while the dads unloaded some dirt for their garden, too. The kids enjoyed an old pool slide that was hooked onto a trailer bed as well as creating a fort out of old stuff left by the previous owner. We came home and moved our own big pile of dirt to our back yard. It took between 25 and 30 wheelbarrow loads - we're a bit stiff today!! All the kids did their share of "helping." Karis even put a few little shovels worth in too.

Tonight we were invited to dinner at some friends. We were treated to some yummy food, seeing some baby goats (one that was born today), patting some horses, romping around in the backyard, riding down a zipline, watching an airplane flying some aerobatics above the very nearby airstrip, and eating some flaming bananas with ice cream.

It was definitely a fun week. Caleb has announced that he doesn't like city life and wants some land. (I don't think he even knows what real city living is like.) For now, we're tired and we'll see if we all sleep through the alarms tomorrow morning!

Some morning pics

Too bad this isn't the first time Karis has gotten into the cereal.

Hi, mom! Look at this. It's so fun to make messes!

Oh, I guess I shouldn't have dumped it all on the floor.

I'm sorry, but aren't I cute?

Caleb & Joanna finishing up some school on the front porch. After being out in the sun, their eyes had to adjust when they came inside.

Eliana practicing "Hot Cross Buns"

Into everything

Karis came out the other day from my bathroom. She found my makeup and thought the mascara was lip gloss. She loves chapstick & lip gloss, but I'm thinking black isn't her color.
What will she find next to get into?

Boys, Star Wars & Legos

There's just something about Legos & Star Wars for boys. Caleb is no exception.

Dad gets caught

(Joel here) Well, it's official -- Dad is the tooth fairy! We've never really let our kids believe in the tooth fairy, but we do have some fun with the idea. The other day Caleb lost a tooth and put it under his pillow. Three or four days later, Caleb reminded me that his tooth was still under his pillow and he was waiting for the tooth fairy. So I told him the tooth fairy would pay a visit.

That night when I snuck in his room, I thought he would already be sound asleep. But when I stooped down with my flashlight and reached under his pillow, I was met with a large, impish, glow-in-the-dark grin from Caleb, who was watching my every move. D'oh! My attempts to explain to him that the tooth fairy was busy and had asked me to stand in were completely in vain.

Little monkey

Joanna was telling Karis that she was a little monkey and Karis started replying, "I'm a little monkey." So yep, we had to get it on video cause she sure is a monkey.

When Karis was watching this video she kept saying, "Funny Baby!"

Ice skating with friends

We went ice skating this afternoon with some friends. It was our friends' first time skating and they were all naturals. I think it was extra fun since they have the Olympics to inspire them.
(These pictures came from our friend's blog since I forgot my camera!)

Joanna enjoyed skating with her friends Hope & Sydney!

Caleb enjoyed having Lane to skate with.

Fun times!

New team member

Eliana joined the Mugglin Taekwondo Team this week. She's definitely the youngest member of the class, but she has been going and watching the past 6+ months with the others. So far she has enjoyed doing something with Dad and learning hapkido moves (you say it like hop key doh). Hapkido moves are close up self-defense tactics. So far she's learned some moves to get out of a wrist grab.

Michelangelo

We painted like Michelangelo with our homeschool group. All the kids really enjoyed lying down and painting under the table.
It took Michelangelo 4 years to complete the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. I guess your arm would get used to it.


Caleb

Eliana

Joanna

Valentine's week

Valentines was spread out over a week here at our house. The kids each received a present in the mail from Boomba & Grandpa which I let them open early. Our homeschool group had a Valentine's Party with crafts, games, food and a Valentine exchange. We watched Samantha & Chloe over the weekend so Scott & Rebekah could go on a mini-weekend trip away, and Joel & I got to go out to dinner the next weekend.

Here are a couple pictures from the party of the kids decorating their cupcakes.

Eliana

Caleb & Joanna

Karis kept on trying to get more candy and finally grabbed a cupcake.

Just one more

Caleb came up with another good joke last night.

What famous explorer likes weather more than anyone else?






Christopher Cumulonimbus!

Jokes by Caleb

Caleb loves to tell jokes. He's pretty good at making them up too. Here's a couple of geography jokes he made up while working on a puzzle today. (See answers below)

1. What country is always eating?

2. What country is all green?

3. What body of water do cats actually like?





Answers:
1. Hungary
2. Greenland
3. The Puurr- sian Gulf (Persian Gulf)

Awana Games

This past weekend Joanna and Caleb participated in the Awana Games.

Joanna did really well and won a couple of her races.

Joanna getting ready.

Yay! She knocked over the pin with the bean bag 1st!

Here's Caleb waiting to begin. He's standing up waving to Dad.

Caleb in the bean bag relay. The Sparks won on their circle. Go Sparkies!

A Tall Snowman!

Joel took a vacation day today to stay home and play in the snow with the kids. They built this really tall snowman this morning and then went sledding (on a real hill this time).

Joel and Caleb employed a little home-spun physics to get that 2nd snowball on top of the first one.

Toofy didn't stay outside very long -- she kept taking off her huge mittens.

Eliana wearing Joanna's snow gear. Makes her look big.

Eliana getting lifted up to put the nose in.

All done.

Check out his feet.

Karis enjoyed Caleb's leftover "hot" tea!

Sledding in Kansas

Ok so we do have some hills in Kansas, but not in our yard.

Here's a video of Joanna pulling Eliana. Eliana loves to have fun and I guess she likes to scream!

Snow Day!

We've got some more snow today, but these pictures were taken a week ago. The kids had a fun time in the fresh snow. They're out now building a huge snowman so I'll post some pictures of today later!

Karis loves the snow but not gloves. She had a blast until her hands got cold which didn't take very long.

Eliana trying to pull Karis on the sled. Karis is so bundled it's hard for her to sit up.

Joanna and Eliana pulling Caleb around.

1st place!

Joanna's car took 1st place in the best non-car design for the Awana Grand Prix tonight. She really likes her pencil car! They almost gave Joel a Father of the Year award for the stitches he got helping Joanna make the car.

Hooray Joanna!