Vacation

For our vacation this year we headed to the Cincinnati Zoo.  Overall the girls traveled ok especially when they are watching a video :o)  (they are not the best long distance travelers) 

Here are some pictures of our HOT zoo experience.

We rode the train twice and the last time Rodney wanted to ride in the very last car as the last seat faced backwards, but the girls won out.  They wanted to ride in the very first car :o)

Feeding the goats.

Poor thing!  Can you tell he's hot?!

See the baby zebra?  The sign said she was born 2 days after Allyson's birthday.

Janae loved the flamingos.  I think the main reason why is that a few days before I had bought her a new shirt and it has a flamingo on it :o)

Like the train, we rode the carousel twice.

Janae rode the bench both times :o) but she definitely enjoyed it.

Just some of the very pretty flowers near the entrance/exit area.

On the way home Rodney wanted to stop at the Air Force Museum in Dayton.  The place is huge and I bet we didn't see half of all that was available to see.  I didn't take a lot of pictures inside as the lighting was a bit too dark for them to turn out very well.

They had a fuselage of a fighter jet that basically only kids were allowed into due to the cramped area.

We Have A Bike Rider - somewhat

The other week something in Allyson finally clicked and she discovered that she can ride a bike without training wheels (something I was beginning to wonder would ever happen).  We haven't been practicing a lot lately as it has been way too hot, but here are a couple of pictures of her first two-wheel bike experience.

She started on Kaycie's bike, then Rodney took off the training wheels from Janae's bike and now the training wheels are off of Allyson's bike.  She's not quite as comfortable on her bike, but she's definitely doing it - somewhat.

Landscaping

For the past month or so we have been sowing our grass seed and watering and watering.  Today we actually bought mulch and reused our wood edging to make new flower beds along the south side of the house where the egress windows went.

Here is a reminder of what it looked like before.

Here is the almost completed project.

I'm thinking that we need something bigger planted here in the middle - maybe another hydrangea bush, but Rodney's not sure if that's a good idea.  He's afraid it would be a place for snakes to hide.  We'll see who wins ;o)   Anybody have any other ideas?

T-Ball Pictures

Today was Janae's last day of t-ball.  Here are some pictures from the last two games.

Playing 3rd base

Getting ready to bat.  Always ready even when the ball's not there :o)

Was impressed with my picture!  Almost as good as Uncle Branden's picture I had posted earlier :o)

Running the bases.

In the "ready defensive position".  One thing I can say about Janae - she definitely listened to what the coach taught her!

Lining up to receive their t-ball trophies.

Getting her trophy :o)

They Said What?! (continued)

quote (conversation) of the day. me - "you know if you blow your nose you could breathe better." Kaycie - "I already know how to breathe."

"i want my own phone mom." (Allyson) my response - "HA! not for a long time girlie girl!"

"look mommy! there's a little doggie!. he's walking a man." (Kaycie)

"only 5 more years until i'm a teenager!" (cringe)

"maybe macaroni & cheese cookies!" (Janae) - this week at preschool the kids made pancakes on Monday, pizza today and will get to make cookies on Friday. I was asking Janae if she knew what kind of cookies they were going to make. when she said no, we started naming off different types of cookies :o)

"I LOVE the dentist!!" - I was telling Janae this morning that on Tuesday her and Kaycie will be going to the dentist. She got all excited! Guess I picked the right pediatric dentist :o)

"it is nice and warm and chilly." (Janae)

the girls are playing Bible class in Allyson's room. Allyson said they are reading the Bible, praying, telling Bible stories, having a snack, etc. This is what I just overhead Allyson telling Janae and Kaycie - "did you know Jesus knows everything you are thinking? so i'm thinking about spaghetti sauce and Jesus knows that." :o)

having a radio is like having a tv in my room - except you don't watch it, you listen to it." (Allyson)

we got her a boombox radio/cd player for her birthday and she absolutely LOVES it! she is constantly in her room

listening to the radio :o)

quote of the day or actually quote of the month - said with a smile - "i'm going to sleep in my bed." (Janae) for those who've been following my posts about Janae's sleeping arrangements, this is a big deal :o)

Ball Player

Here is Janae's official T-Ball picture.  Quite the slugger, eh?

The kids on Janae's team were waiting in line to have their individual pictures taken, and Janae was probably the third or fourth one in line.  As I was watching this all take place, it seemed that most of the kids had to be helped quite a bit on how to pose (proper hold of the bat, how to stand, etc.).  But when it was Janae's turn, she marched right up to the spot, grabbed the bat and, well, you can see how it turned out.  The photographer told her that she must have done this before as she didn't have to do much to take the picture. :o)  

(Since this is a professional picture, please do not print a copy from this.  I have a few extra wallets if you really want one.)

And just for kicks, here is Allyson's T-ball picture from 2010.

Window Cleaning 101

Thursday afternoon I finally did something I had been wanting to do for a long, long time - clean the kitchen window.  We've lived in our house for 10 years now, and I know Rodney and I cleaned it one time.  I'm just not sure if we did it more than that.  So you know it had to be dirty! :o\

As I said earlier, I've been wanting to do this, but I just wasn't sure how I would be able to clean all sides of the storm and main windows, and I just never wanted to figure it out.  So it never got done.  Until Thursday.  I was finally in the mode of just doing it and getting it done, and I'm sooo glad I did!  It took a little bit of figuring out how to get all the sides clean, but I managed with very little problems.  At one point I wasn't sure if I could get the screen back in, thinking I'd have to wait until Rodney got home, but after a short time, I managed to get it back in place.

The view from the kitchen window is such a drastic change, I can't believe I waited so long to tackle cleaning it!  You kinda get use to the film and dirt, knowing it's there but not thinking it's THAT bad, so when it is finally gone, it's just so unbelievable how clear the view is!  You just want to stay in the kitchen and look out the window :o)

As I'm looking out my newly clean window, I'm reminded of how much our lives (spiritually, emotionally and physically) are like my dirty window.  One thought I had reminds me of what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 13:12 - "For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known."  We think we know what's going on and how things look, but we are really only looking through a "dirty window" or not seeing the full, clear picture.  That time won't come until we are with Jesus in Heaven.

And the second thought I had reminded me that this is also so true with our own lives.  We get so use to the dirt and grime (sin) that we don't realize how "dirty" we really are.  We think we are doing good and may have just a few corners with some dirt, but in reality the dust has just been slowly building up and before you know it, we are not just a tiny bit dirty but a whole lot dirty!  But thankfully the Holy Spirit shows us the truth, and if we ask for forgiveness and allow Him to do His work in us, then it's amazing how much better the view is in our life!  And like me with my just making the time to clean that window wonder why we waited so long to get that clean and wonderful view.

Who knew that cleaning a dirty kitchen window would be such a thought provoking experience :o)