Life with the Green's

New and improved

2011-10-03T14:03:00.005-05:00

This summer we did a lot of work...and other people did a lot of work at our house. It began in the spring with the chicken coop rebuild. What started out as a fairly simple project ended up being more difficult and more involved than we hoped. But the end project turned out awesome. The chickens are very happy with their remodel.

The second project was the back patio. It needed a ton of work. When we built we put in a railroad tie wall because it was cheap and served the purpose. Unfortunately it stopped serving it's purpose a few years ago but we waited until this summer to have it redone. We had Phil Perkins, a local builder, do this project for us. I have to say our back yard is a beautiful place now! The blocks look beautiful and the steps are no longer a death trap. The landscaping was grueling, involving removing lots of sod, but fortunately we have some strong boys. By mid summer they were wishing school was in session so they could have a break from work.

Before

After

Then the final project was the addition of a front porch. For this work we hired our builder, Dan Heinz to do this job. The porch was something Ted envisioned, and I have to admit I didn't care one way or another. I liked our house without it and was worried I wouldn't like it with. Boy was I wrong. Our house looks so much for inviting with it, plus the porch adds some great outdoor space. We all use it, it is not uncommon to find even one of the kids out there reading or just relaxing. And of course the outdoor cat loves sitting on the rocking chair. With the new porch came a new sidewalk and landscaping. The old sidewalk was a terrible shape. The men who poured it showed up one day when Emily was just a few weeks old. I told them how we wanted it but they didn't listen and did it the fastest way they could. Yes it worked but it was really ugly! With the new sidewalk came new landscaping. This was probably my favorite part of the summer! I loved planting all the stuff. Found a great nursery in Chillicothe called the Picket Fence which had a great sale when I was ready to buy. Of course the landscaping involved the front of the house but then migrated around to the side and the back as well! I have never loved our house more. The flowers beds are beautiful, the porch is relaxing the back patio so peaceful. I am anxious for spring already to see everything back in bloom!

Emily's 11th birthday

2011-09-29T22:38:00.007-05:00

Eleven years ago today Emily entered our lives and filled our hearts with love and joy! I am beginning to feel old as each of the kids are growing so fast. The boys have both passed me in height and Emily isn't far behind me. Emily is such a fun girl to have amidst the boys! She is definitely a girlie girl (nails, accessories, hair, outfits, etc) ... but doesn't mind riding dirt bikes and playing the PS3 with the boys. She is an avid reader and is really enjoying piano lessons. We didn't celebrate a lot for her birthday today as Ted is in Canada on business but is back on Friday. Fortunately this is the only birthday out of 39 that he has missed. Once he almost missed one of Mason's as he didn't get home from a business trip until about 9pm on Mason's birthday . Pretty good record I think. Happy Birthday Emily! We are so thankful that God blessed us when he brought you into our home! We love you!

Trip to Indiana

2011-07-26T07:50:00.013-05:00

A few weeks back we took several days and went to Indiana and for the first time ever our trip wasn't primarily to visit family but to visit Indiana. We spent 3 great days around Turkey Run State Park...hiking, canoeing/kayaking, horseback riding and go-karting. We had wonderful weather, low humidity and the temperature was just around 80 degrees...perfect. The boys took kayak's out and Ted, Emily and I were in a canoe. What a peaceful day. We stop several times to play on sandbars where we swam, skipped stones and found Indians beads and rocks that we were sure had some purpose by an Indian. We went go-karting several times which was a blast! Horseback riding was on our agenda, after an hour in the saddle we wondered how we would hike...but eventually our legs returned to normal. Logan had the most hilarious horse. As soon as we head out of the coral his horse starts coughing like it it going to drop dead any moment. I asked the guide if his horse was okay, turns out he just has hay fever!! Go figure a horse that is allergic to hay! Ha! Then when he hoarse wasn't coughing it was farting. Logan had the gassiest horse I have ever been around. Let's just say Logan was matched perfectly with his horse! We spent a few hours at Billy Creek Village, an old time village set in the late 1800's. We wandered through the old stores, school house/church, farmstead, etc. We drove around Parke County listening to Ted reminisce about his youth. We saw many Amish farmers out working. We visited the Narrow's Bridge where Ted proposed to me almost 20 years ago! On our last day we spent on Ted's brother Bill and his wife Darla's boat. The kids loved being pulled by the tube!

Emily searching for skipping stones

Mason and Logan...splashing each other

Suspension Bridge at Turkey Run State Park

The Narrows Bridge (Red Covered Bridge-not used anymore)

The Narrows Bridge

Suspension Bridge over Sugar Creek, Turkey Run State Park
Climbing the ladders
Logan on top of Wedge RockMason Billy Creek Village
Amish working their fields (love the cell tower in background)
Mason, Logan and Emily with Aunt Darla Emily and tubing with her Uncle Bill
Mason and Logan trying to hold on tight

School's out and creativity is flowing!

2011-06-15T07:33:00.003-05:00

School has been out for a few weeks and the kids are beginning to get bored. Last week while I was running errands I left the kids and the cat home....alone....with a sewing machine, scissors and fabric! Emily had began the day with sewing some "outfits" for the cat. Alley cat did very well for her fittings. When I was gone everyone was involved in the making of the pant suit. Emily instructed the boys how to use the sewing machine. Logan took the careful measures of the tail length, inseam of four legs, neck size, etc. Mason cut the fabric and stitched the creation together. Alley is an amazing cat, she doesn't scratch or bite which is good because I am sure the kids would have been torn to shreds after this project! If anyone is interested in Pet Outfits by the Green kids just let me know, keep in mind the handle may be extra charge!

Logan is now a teenager!

2011-06-12T20:39:00.014-05:00

Logan (laying down) & Mason

Today we celebrate a milestone with Logan....he became a full fledged teenager. Now our house has two teenagers in it. Amazing. It seems like just yesterday we were waiting for Logan to arrive. I think he had pretty fun day. After church we took him to lunch where he begged us not to tell the waitress it was his birthday. We agreed not to humiliate him. He opened and enjoyed his presents! We made homemade vanilla ice cream and ate Red Velvet cake!

Sweet Mexico...

2011-04-23T08:26:00.012-05:00

Whenever we plan a trip we plan. We plan a lot, for weeks upon weeks, researching websites after websites for information about our journey to a place where we decided to go after more research. Not this year as we decided 6 days before departure to head to the Riveria Maya, Mexico for spring break. Although some scrambling was involved in getting clothes gathered and making sure the kids had stuff that fit them it was a lot less stressful going on vacation this way than planning for months in advance. We chose the Iberostar Lindo, a resort Ted and I stayed at for our 15th anniversary. When we visited several years ago we talked about how much fun the kids would have. We flew out of St. Louis direct on an Aero Mexico chartered flight at 7am and were at the resort by noon! The flight was smooth and getting through customs was a breeze. The trip to the resort was about 30 minutes and although we arrived early in the day our rooms were ready. We immediately changed into our suits and after a quick bite to eat the buffet we were poolside soaking up the glorious sun! The weather was absolutely fabulous, not a raindrop all week long. The sun was hot and intense and we often sought shade in the afternoon. Emily and Logan got a pretty good sunburn at the start so they were much more eager to wear their swim shirt and have sunblock reapplied. I finally have learned that a sunburn isn't worth the pain so I too loaded up! The resort was an all inclusive which was awesome with a family. It probably was more expensive but in the long run much less stressful than having to pay each time someone wanted a drink. Emily was a frequent guest at the pool bar getting herself a cocoloco or pina coloda -non alcoholic of course:-). And when she wasn't at the bar she was at the buffet getting she and her dad a soft serve ice cream cone! Logan's goal was to gain a lot of weight while gone so he definitely loaded his plated at meal time. We had fun playing in the ocean and riding the waves. The boys tested out scuba diving in the pool and really enjoyed that. Mason and Logan also spent a fair amount of time playing billiards, of course with a fruity drink in hand as it was located right near the lobby bar. The kids had white wrist bands which meant they were not allowed alcoholic beverages. The week was really relaxing and by the time Saturday rolled around we were ready to come back home. That is a good vacation when it is good to be home!

Air Traffic Control Tower

The kids have arrived

2011-04-02T08:15:00.007-05:00

The goats have delivered their kids. Our neighbor had a male boar goat which we bred the does to in the fall. The gestation for goats is around 5 months. Of course the arrival of the babies was a huge deal in our house...well just to me mostly! I checked on them every few hours during the day and occasionally would head out in my jammies at night. Mason was thrilled that they didn't deliver on his birthday! The first goat delivered right after church one Sunday. Emily had checked on them when we first got home and she was fine. Shortly after Logan comes running into the house and yelled that a leg was sticking out of one of the goats. Let me say the whole birthing process is just absolutely amazing. It just reassures me what an awesome Creator we have. The fact that when the baby is born and covered in the amniotic sack the mama instantly starts to lick it and clean the babe up and immediately the baby starts to look for a teat. Needless to say I loved every second of witnessing this miracle! The first doe had a boy and then a girl. Twins are very common, singles are rare and triplets actually happen frequently too. The second doe delivered on Tuesday. She too gave birth to a boy first and the cutest little girl ever! Every one is doing fabulous. The goats run all over and hop and jump. When I go in to the pen sometimes they will jump on me like a dog.

So here are the photos of the babies. Be aware that there are some graphic photos at the very end.

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BIRTHING PHOTOS BELOW

Pregnant doe

The babies come front feet and head first. The hooves are very soft so not to hurt the mama.

The head coming through. I helped her with her kids as she was really struggling and the front legs were twisted around a bit.

Happy 15th Mason

2011-03-10T13:04:00.005-06:00

Sweet dreams from a sweet boy

Why cook the corn?

Someday I wish he still did this...

Unfortunately he doesn't have a fondness for chickens anymore

Mason has discovered woodworking...thank goodness someone besides my dad likes to work with wood!

Fifteen years ago our life was turned upside down when an adorable little boy entered this world! It is hard to believe that Mason is turning 15 years old....getting so much closer to driving. Yikes, not ready for that one! Mason, I hope you have a great day celebrating turning 15. Mason's dinner request would make both of his grandpa's proud....BBQ ribs, cornbread, baked apples, baked beans and a German Chocolate cake to top it off! And if you are lucky the goats won't kid on your birthday:) Thanks for being such a great son. We love you very much and are very proud of the young man you are becoming! God surely blessed us on March 10, 1996!

Mason and his birthday present (compound bow)...watch out deer!

Alley Cat

2011-03-02T12:34:00.003-06:00

Just wanted to share a neat photo of Alley Cat. She was just chilling out in the basement. She loves to lay in the sunshine. I made on a black and white with a bit of edge blur and one was just the original. I did step down my exposure a couple of stops to get the lighting to be a bit better. Which is your favorite? She is one spoiled cat! I say her name, she it sounds like she is saying "hmm?" She probably thinks I am nuts for talking to her I know the kids do!

The snow fort

2011-02-24T07:29:00.008-06:00

With all the snow the kids had a fabulous time building forts in the piles of snow. This kids spent hours upon hours out digging and shoveling. I was amazed at how large it was when I went out. They probably had 15 feet of tunnels. Even the dogs liked wiggling through the snow fort.

We were able to build a snowman one day but the snow was so heavy we were unable to make our snow man standing up so Logan had the brilliant idea to make a sleeping snowman. The only problem was that the dogs kept eating the snowman's body parts! Emily decided to make a snow bed.

A field...flooded

The river is beyond the tree line, this field gets flooded frequently

A reflection of our house in the lake...aka the driveway!

So the snow has finally melted and the spring thaw has begun. The thaw led to lots of flooding and a very muddy yard! Of course the warmer temperatures have left and more snow is coming tonight. We are all very ready for spring. It has been a long winter!!

The Blizzard of 2011

2011-02-07T09:33:00.011-06:00

Last week we were hit hard with a massive snow storm. They talked about us getting a lot of snow but they often will forecast a big snow and we barely get anything. But this was not the case this time. The stores were a mess the day before the snow began. Wal-mart is never fun, but you throw in a snow storm and Wal-mart is miserable! We ended up with around 17" of snow. It was hard to measure the snow as it was so windy. Some areas have hardly any snow and others have 3 ft drifts! The kids had a great time playing in the snow and building forts and tunnels.

Logan moving some snow for a tunnel

6 days after the storm

The feeders have been really popular

Emily and Ted attended the Father-Daughter Dance this weekend. They enjoyed their time, however when they got home and were snuggling watching TV together Emily told Ted that watching TV together was funner than the dance.

Emily teasing Logan (he obviously didn't know she was doing this!)

Mason has been attempting to build a laser pointer out of parts from DVD burners. Finally he was able to get the parts out without damaging anything. After a trip to Radio Shack and taking apart an old computer tower (thanks to some friends!), an Altoid tin and a lot of soldering he made his very first laser pointer! Pretty cool and the cat loves chasing it. So far he hasn't caught anything on fire...thankfully!

The puppies have all left for their new homes. It is really quiet without them. Every time I step into the garage I expect to see someone waking up from a nap and ready to go play. Sydney (mama) is doing fine, she is still nursing her golden retriever kittens. That's right, she is letting the kittens nurse...so weird I know. The pups all went to loving homes and are doing well with their new families. All my work with taking them on frequent potty breaks was a success! The kids enjoyed having them and were an enormous help with them. We will look forward to having another litter in 1 1/2 years!

The goats appear to be pregnant and should kid sometime mid to late March. I just hope the weather has cleared and it isn't a muddy mess! Will look forward to seeing how many kids we have. Hopefully all will arrive safe and sound.

Emily feeling her tummy

An over achiever

2011-02-02T10:16:00.002-06:00

When gathering eggs last week it is apparent I have an overachiever in the coop. This egg measures 3 inches tall, most of my other eggs are around 2 eggs. I sure hope the hen didn't hurt herself! It has lots of wrinkles on the shell. She worked extra hard on that one. We haven't used it yet. I definitely think it will contain 2 yolks, but who knows maybe I will get another triple yolk egg!

The last three months

2011-01-06T10:23:00.011-06:00

I haven't been blogging much lately. I have stuff to say but just don't make the time to put it down. So here is summary of some things that happened the end of last year. I really want to make a habit of writing again. I enjoy keeping track of what we do, I love looking back at these written down memories! So my New Year's resolution (pretty late I know) is to blog more frequently!

A beautiful fall

Full egg production!

Mason baking bread for a Spanish class (the Day of Dead bread)
Logan getting some air

Logan in 7th grade ball (he is the one with the ball)

Skeet shooting -Logan

Skeet shooting-Mason

Millie-I took another photography class

Hunting season begins
Logan heading to his stand
Mason and his doe
Snow and sledding

The expectant mother ~SydneyThe puppies arrived on Dec 9, 3 boys and 3 girls
Christmas memories

Family visited to celebrate Christmas
Natalie
Cole
Burke~celebrating his 4th birthday
Greer
Logan and Emily vs Jason and Caleb

Introducing Alley Cat (aka Alexandria the Great)

2010-10-19T21:30:00.006-05:00

When Cleo disappeared the house was way too quiet. I felt like a trader by even thinking about a new kitty. But the quietness and the sadness of our hearts and home led us to adopt another cat. The new cat is named Alley Cat (or her formal name is Alexandria the Great...I guess the need to have a formal name comes from having registered Golden's). We call her Alley and she was adopted from an animal shelter called the ARK (which ironically is the vet clinic we went to in India!). She is around 7 months old an is already spayed, micro chipped and up to date on her vaccinations. When we first got her I didn't sleep at all that night, I kept thinking we shouldn't have got her, it was too soon, she wouldn't be a good cat etc...she wasn't Cleo. I even thought maybe we should take her back, but Logan asked how I could take her back to "that place?" I realized he was right, the animal shelter wasn't a happy home for a cat to live in. I then realized that she wasn't Cleo, not even a replacement. She was just another addition to our family. Those first few days Alley constantly rubbed up against our legs, we learned this is a way a cat marks their territory...she was claiming us. Alley had been a bottle baby so she is super affectionate. She loves being cuddled and purrs lots and can be entertained for hours with a shoe string. She has learned the house and while she doesn't sleep in Cleo's favorite spots, she is finding her own. Alley hasn't been outside since birth and we have no intention of letting her outside. She is strictly and inside cat. Ted doesn't appear to be having allergy issues with her which is awesome! She is super calm about having her nails trimmed and even likes her bath...yeah I know cat plus water should equal a disaster. But she doesn't mind it.

Cleo...come home kitty

2010-10-10T09:21:00.008-05:00

Cleo, the cat we adopted while in India has disappeared. She was mostly an indoor cat but loved going outside. She most of the time never ventured far, just a bit into the timber and would always come back. Cleo loved going out first thing in the morning for about an hour then back inside for breakfast and a nap and then later in the day to lay in the warm sun. She almost always stayed inside at night. There were a few instances when she did stay outside but she was always at the backdoor waiting for us in the morning. Well it has been over 2 weeks when we last saw our Cleo. I remember seeing her on the railing by the back door as was going to let her in when she hopped off and went into the yard. That was the last time we saw her. I don't know what happened to her but my heart is still sad that we may never see her again. Cleo joined our family at about 4-5 weeks old, she was so tiny when we got her. She came from our driver's neighbor. It was so funny when we got her because Millie was terrified of this tiny little kitty. But eventually Millie became Cleo's best friend. They played so hard together, have the time Cleo would chase Millie throughout the house. Cleo had quite the life, living in the US instead of the streets of India. When I get sad I try to think about how she had such a wonderful life however short it was compared to the life she would have had as a cat in India. She flew half way around the world and saw her first snow. She learned about catching birds and playing with our outdoor kitty. She eventually learned how to not only climb up trees but to climb down them as well (Ted rescued her once). She pretty much ruled the house, coming to you when she felt like it. Many time she almost got caught up in the sewing machine. When walking through the house I still look for her in her favorite spots only to find her not there. Why do we get so attached to our pets?? Oh Cleo, I would be so happy if you wandered up the back door again.Oh my sweet Cleo, how I miss you and your funny antics...come back Cleopatches!

The house has been too quiet with out Cleo, we haven't replaced her but added to our family again with another kitty. Stay tuned for a post about the new kitty.

Emily turns double digits

2010-09-29T22:01:00.007-05:00

No more is anyone single digits in our household. Makes us feel kind of old! Emily is celebrating her 10th birthday this beautiful fall day we were blessed with. She is growing up way too fast! I can't imagine not having a little girl in our house. According to the boys she adds much "drama" but I love having her around! I always have so much fun with the birthday blog. It is fun to look back and reminisce over the older photos. It seems like when your kids are first born that the time goes so slowly but looking back it just went fast and seems to be picking up speed! I don't like it, before we know it they will be graduated and onto college!
Emily had a fun day even though she had to go to school. Today was the 4th grade field trip to Wildlife Prairie Park where they had a great day to enjoy fishing and hearing a great talk on Illinois aquatic life. It was especially neat as the high school Biology class went along to help the kids fish so Mason was able to help Emily today. We celebrated dinner at Red Lobster where she enjoyed crab. Then home to open gifts and eat cake. She had a fun filled day!!
Emily we love you so much and am thankful that God brought you into our family. Happy Birthday Emily!

Family Reunion

2010-08-24T16:23:00.011-05:00

We recently held a family reunion at my oldest brother's house in Southern Illinois. It as a smaller gathering than normal but fun was still had! As usual there is lots of swimming and jumping off the high dive. This year we didn't get to do much fishing as we normally like to. I woke up early on Sunday morning fished for a bit while still in my jammies! Life doesn't get much better than that:) The best was I caught a nice bluegill but as I brought him on the dock he flipped of the hook. Each of the kids kids were able to catch a few fish as well! We also celebrated Scott's 50th birthday. It was a fun weekend and we hope for a larger gathering next year!

Emily

Logan flipping of the swing

Logan

Meghan walking on water- such talented nieces I have!

Ted and his favorite beverage:)

Anna- who says corn has to be cooked to eat it?

LillianFishing Time

Scott celebrating his 50th!

Rocky Mountains and Pikes Peak

2010-08-13T07:22:00.014-05:00

Upon leaving the Black Hills area we headed south to Estes Park, Co., at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. We absolutely loved this town! It was not huge but had everything you needed plus the scenery and climate was fantastic. There was absolutely no humidity hear! While there we rented a two bedroom condo which offered beautiful views of the mountains. It was nice to have the room to spread out and catch up on laundry as well. I was able to take some gorgeous photos of the kids. I knew that the pond and bridge would make a great background for a photo, so we headed down only to discover a herd of Elk were grazing on the side of the pond. One day of hiking was spent heading to Mills Lake. We originally just planned on hiking around 3 miles but when we heard about the lake at the end of the trail we kept going. It ended up being about a 6 1/2 mile hike round trip. The kids did fantastic though. We took lots of breaks to catch our breath and to drink lots of water. The view of Mill's Lake was gorgeous. At bedtime that night Emily asked after we said her prayers if we could just hike around 3 miles the next day. Too cute! Another day we mostly drove on the Old Fall River Road, a one way gravel road that is only opened from about June-October that climbs to about 11,000ft and has no guard rails. Along this road we got to see the Yellow Bellied Marmot. I was full of switchbacks and sheer drops offs to sometimes both sides. It was a beautiful but no relaxing drive! This road connected up to the main road at the Alpine Visitor Center. This is where the kids got to get out and see snow in July! We walked on tundra and marveled at the beautiful little flowers and gazed at the elk grazing in the tundra.

After leaving Estes Park we took a long drive through the Rocky's, crossed over the Continental Divide and arrived in Pikes Peak, Co. I think that Pikes Peak must be a neat town but to be honest I think anything you do at the end of a vacation just isn't that great as you are finally ready to get back home. I think this is what happened with Pikes Peak. While there we made the 18 mile drive up Pikes Peak, elevation around 14,000 ft. We spent only about 20 minutes up there as we started feeling a bit light headed. It offered some beautiful views of Colorado. Before heading home we drove through the Garden of the gods. I wish we had went earlier in the day before the heat set in as it was just beautiful. Maybe another day we will have the opportunity.Mills Lake

Mason figuring out where we are

Yellow Bellied Marmot

A beautiful view at our condo...Estes Park, CO

Tiny Tundra flowers

View from 11,000ft

Mountain Lakes dot the landscape
The kids got to play in the snow!

Our first closeup view of Elk up in the tundra

The road up Pikes Peak

Burr...Emily's snowball

Pikes Peak!!

The view from 14,000ft at Pikes Peak

The garden of the gods

Souix Falls, Badlands and the Black Hills

2010-07-21T16:09:00.013-05:00

Where the deer and the antelope play...

After seeing so many to other places in the world we decided when we moved home we really wanted to see more of our country. We indeed have a beautiful world to live in. There is so much to see both near and far. We decided this years vacation would be a trip west. Our first stop was in Brandon, SD to visit with some very dear friends of ours that retired in South Dakota during the same time we were moving to India. Ray and Juanita have been our surrogate parents to us so it was so wonderful to see their new home (although we wish it weren't so far away). They live very near Sioux Falls which we got to visit. I was really impressed with the "falls" in Sioux Falls and the feel of the downtown. The kids had a grand time climbing on the rocks and jumping over puddles. En route towas the Badlands near Wall, South Dakota. The Badlands National Park is really a beautiful park, it had so much more to offer than I ever dreamed it would. We were blessed with really great weather so it wasn't too hot while were there. We did some hiking, climbed up lots of rocks and saw buffalo, bighorn sheep, prairie dogs, mule deer, wild donkeys and antelope. Fortunately we saw no rattlesnakes...just the signs posted frequently for them! After staying in the Badlands we ventured onto the Black Hills National Forest. To us these weren't "hills" but mountains and ever so beautiful! We had fun driving the famous Needles Highway (part of the Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway). We hiked in Custer State Park, visited the famous Mt Rushmore, saw re-enactments of gun fight of Wild Bill Hickok and a Trial of Jack McCall, visited an old mine and drove through Sturgis (fortunately it was not bike week!). When hiking up to the little devils tower in Custer we got caught in a thunderstorm. We made it to the top just in time to see lightening off in the distance. We went down as fast as we could, got caught in a hail storm for about the last 200 ft. Fortunately the van does NOT look like a golf ball. The hail must have been soft enough when it hit the that it didn't dent it. I have decided I don't like hiking in storms!! So here are some photos, I will post more later!

Sioux Falls

Emily and the outlaws

Badlands

Bison

Mountain goat or bighorn sheep??

This bison found a scratching post!

Cute little prairie dogsThe watering holeMt. Rushmore The Needles HighwayCuster State ParkMountain top view of an approaching storm

Random matters

2010-06-27T23:03:00.015-05:00

I haven't blogged much lately. It's not that there haven't been things to write about it is just that I have kept pretty busy! Here is what has happened the past few months that I haven't found the time to write about!

The boys each ran track for the first time. The ran relays, 100M, 400M and 800M. They seemed to enjoy it and it was fun watching them run and cheer them on.

Logan

Mason

Toward the end of May the rain seemed to begin and is still occurring. We have had so much flooding. Our road towards the north by the river always floods with heavy rain but one day it flooded to the south! Most of the roads were flooded and as a result the kids who were stuck in town as the buses couldn't move anywhere . Ted managed to pick them up after work but it took him and the kids over an hour to find a way home! Fortunately the north section hadn't flooded yet or they would have been kept away from home!

The north section that normally floods

the south section that flooded

Enjoyed the beauty of spring!

Watched Mason be promoted to HIGH SCHOOL!

Emily had a field trip to a Horse Camp and now really wants a horse....or stay with Aunt Karen for a while!My parents visited all of us kids and stayed with us a few days. The boys are always thrilled to see how much taller they are than my mom. My Dad built several new bird houses and brought them with so we can have happy birds now!

My parents

Witnessed some incredible sunsets before thunderstorms...

Logan finally got his friend birthday party which included lots of boys! So thankful it didn't rain, they had a cookout over a fire and ran wild outside! What fun time they had!

The boys have camped a few times. Cleo the cat camped as well, I am sure this may be a first...a camping cat?? Of course the dogs guarded them all through the night and into the morning.Emily found her prince...

Happy Birthday Logan

2010-06-12T19:13:00.006-05:00

Twelve years ago we were blessed with Logan! I can't believe that he is twelve years old now. Without him our home would be so quiet:) Logan is always around making some noise or making us laugh. He is really growing up into such a responsible young man. We are so proud that he is our son. We love you lots Logan, Happy Birthday!!

18 years ago...

2010-05-23T08:00:00.000-05:00

Today is our 18th anniversary! It seems like we have been together always. What a grand adventure our life has been so far! I so look forward to the years ahead that we are blessed with. Happy Anniversary to my husband and very best friend. I am so thankful for the wonderful years, the awesome family, the incredible adventures that Ted and I have shared. I love you Ted!

Some "eggciting" news

2010-05-12T21:40:00.008-05:00

My surrogate hen

trying to get out....

We have new chicks! I planted some fertilized eggs in my chicken coop and a hen decided to hatch them out! Twenty one days after sitting on them she now is the proud mama hen on 5 chicks. She hatched out 8 but unfortunately three of them died, one had a birth defect and the other two I believe were attacked by the bigger hens. I had tried moving her and the chicks to another pen but she was so upset I put her back in her nesting box. It was bad decision on my part to not try harder to move her. I finally decided I had to do something so she is now in a dog kennel with her chicks and is content in her new home!
Watching her sit on these eggs that weren't even hers was so amazing. She sat on the eggs for 21 days! During this time she plucked feathers from her breasts to keep good skin to egg contact. I am assuming that this not only helped keep the eggs at the right temperature but also the humidity levels correct. In the 3 weeks I saw her off the nest maybe 3 times. On Sunday afternoon (Mother's day-how appropriate) a chick started to peck out of its shell. You could feel it moving and hear it peeping! It finally came out sometime in the night as when I went out Monday morning there were 3 new chicks and more trying to hatch out. When I offered her water and feed she was extremely noisy while eating and drinking but I think she was trying to get her chicks attention so they could learn how to eat and drink. Since the breed of these chicks are Red Sexlink (aka Red Stars) you can tell the males apart from the females by the colors (the boys are yellow and the girls are more red). I think the count is 2 males and 3 females. The mama hen is still sitting on 3 more eggs but I think don't think they are going to hatch...she is still hoping. I suspect she will loose interest in them in a few days, if not I will have to toss them out. She is very protective of her chicks and most the time the chicks are underneath her or tucked under her wings staying nice and warm. Normally I would have a heat lamp on baby chicks but not this time. I have been constantly amazed during this whole process and am absolutely amazed at how perfectly God created chickens! Absolutely awesome! What an incredible world we live in!

Spring Break~Mammoth Cave Kentucky

2010-04-27T07:20:00.002-05:00

For spring break we spent a few days down at Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky. I had never visited this park before but Ted had as a child. I have to admit I was pretty nervous about going in a cave hundreds of feet deep for a 2 mile walk. I really thought I would feel very claustrophobic, I guess I did from time to time but I just had to stop thinking about where we were! It was an incredible experience and I am so grateful we had the chance to experience it! It was a rather rainy day on day one but it didn't matter once we were in the cave, it stays a constant temperature and was dry. The first tour we took was a historic 2 mile, 2 hour tour. This tour offered a glimpse of salt petre artifacts (I believe this was used to make gunpowder). We walked over the bottomless pit, squeezed through Fat Man's Misery and squatted through Tall Man's Misery ( not me so much!). I tried hard to take photos but it was simply too dark most of the time as I didn't have much time to stop and and adjust my shutter speed. The next day we took the New Entrance tour which allowed us to go in the entrance found in the 1920's. This 2 hour tour was only 3/4 mile long with lots of steep stairs allowed us to view beautiful stalactites and stalagmites and the famous Frozen Niagara Falls formation. We also hiked above ground and saw wild turkey and lots of deer. In the park we even took a ferry across the Green River, it was really neat! One day after hiking we took a short drive down to Nashville Tennessee and visited the Grand Ole Opryland Conservatory and Music Row. We finished up the trip to Nashville by eating at the Wild Horse Saloon. We all enjoyed the meal and listened to the live music. Emily even took a turn learning how to do some line dancing! I have made a slideshow as there are lots of photos!

This slideshow design customized with Smilebox

A new decade

2010-04-07T09:42:00.006-05:00

I just recently celebrated (three times!) entering a new decade...gulp. I thought it would hit me hard but I have decided that it is only a number. What a great time I had, not only once but three times. A few friends had talked with Ted about planning a surprise party for me, but he was worried about keeping it from me. So they planned it and then he told me about it. Quite a few of us celebrated at Alexander's Steakhouse (yummy) for a great dinner with fine food and wonderful conversation. Then on my actual birthday I thought I was just meeting a couple of girls for lunch and a few more surprised me! How fun! Then for my birthday Ted baked me a delicious German chocolate cake and we grilled out. Ted and the kids gave me a Wii for my birthday, what a fun gift for someone turning 40! I guess I am embracing my youth:)

Happy 14th Birthday Mason

2010-03-10T19:42:00.004-06:00

Today Mason turned 14 years old (March 10). I can't believe that he is 14 years old. We are so proud to have him as our son and so thankful that God placed him in our care. He is really growing into quite a nice young man! It seems hard to believe how quickly the years have went by. It is as if just yesterday we were reading to him about Thomas the train or Wiggly Pig. Now he is into reading about technology and computers! He had a great day yesterday, even if he had to go to school. One of his birthday presents was a new skateboard which he was able to use after school since we had a beautiful day! Happy Birthday Mason!

Mason's Quilt

2010-02-26T08:01:00.005-06:00

Mason's Quilt is finally finished thanks to the Heavenly Quilters at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Princeville who did a beautiful job hand quilting it for us (to read about the history behind this quilt just click on Mason's Quilt). Mason is thrilled to have this quilt finally done and loves sleeping under it at night! I think it is probably my favorite quilt I have done! The quilting group quilted moons and stars through out the quilt. Very cool!

An eagle

2010-02-18T13:06:00.009-06:00

It appears that a Bald Eagle has moved into the neighborhood~wow! Ted said he saw one last week after a big snow storm had moved through. Yesterday on my way to photography class I saw it in a field eating something. I was thrilled that I had my camera and my zoom lens. I quickly pulled over to the side of the road and started shooting him (with my camera of course). I was amazed at how huge this giant bird was. I was able to see him carry the carcass of the animal with his powerful talons. He then got spooked and flew off into a nearby tree. I was thrilled to be able to get photos of him the bad news is that they aren't very good. Because I was fully zoomed out I really needed a tripod to stabilize the lens. Today I headed down the road with camera and tripod and he was in the tree! The minute I got out and started setting up my tripod he flew to another group of trees. I am hoping he'll be hanging around for a while so I can attempt to get some better photos.

Skiing for the day

2010-02-17T22:20:00.006-06:00

This past Monday the kids were out of school celebrating President's Day and we ventured with a group to Dubuque, Iowa for a day of skiing. We have all skied before but it has been about 3 years. Since there was a group going from this area it made the day a bit more enjoyable for the kids as they had friends to ski with. Logan had been begging to snowboard so we finally agreed he could try this. I must admit I did not sleep well the night prior to going as I was afraid that someone would get hurt. But thankfully we all came away without any broken bones, we did manage to come away with sore muscles! We all took lessons to get comfortable on skis/snowboard since it had been a while. The day was really nice, it actually started of sunny but then clouded over and started to gently snow. It was beautiful being on the slopes with it snowing. After the day on this little ski slope I have a deeper appreciation for the winter Olympics! I can't imagine skiing down a one mile ski slope! I think I will stick with our Midwest ski slopes!

LoganLogan, Tim, Colton and Mason

Emily

Emily (in pink coat)

Logan and Nick

Emily and Peyton

Mason

February Updates

2010-02-11T11:13:00.009-06:00

Just a few of our recent events that have happened so far this month...

We made a quick trip to Indiana so the boys could go rabbit hunting with their cousin Caleb. Ted, his brother Bill and another cousin Jason also went on the rabbit hunt. This was the boys first rabbit hunt and all the boys (both big and small) really had a great time despite the cold temperatures. Mason and Logan each shot one rabbit. They are still in my freezer waiting to be cooked. I have a feeling they may be there for a while!

Mason, Ted, Logan, Bill, Jason and Caleb

We have recently gotten quite a bit of snow which has been beautiful and fun to play in. I know a lot of people are really tired of winter but being gone for two winters makes this one more special. I will be happy for spring though as I look forward to spring flowers, trees budding, Robbins in the yard, birds singing and mushrooms popping up in the woods! We have had fun sledding, snowboarding (Logan) and four wheeling. I have also been enjoying taking photos! I am currently taking an adult community class in photography so needed to get some outdoor shots today. Cleo the cat insisted on following me all the way today.

Just click on the play button to see Logan snowboarding

Emily recently had a Father Daughter Dance with Girl Scouts and she was thrilled to have her dad take her! She was so excited about it. She got a new dress, painted her nails and wore her tiara! They had dinner and danced the night away. Emily has been taking tumbling the since August and has been doing some fantastic moves! She is quite a natural at it. She is going to take a break for a while and give piano lessons a try.

Some guys bring their wife flowers....

2010-01-12T09:13:00.007-06:00

Instead of bringing flowers to the door Ted brought me an icicle! The icicle was huge, almost as tall as Emily. Up until recently it has been really really cold here lately (-13F or -26C) at night and not getting much above 10F in the day. Of course when it warmed up to 25F it felt like a heat wave!

We got quite a bit of snow last week which has been fun to play in. The snow was too light and fluffy for snowballs but we managed to make a few small snowmen. The kids have had fun being pulled around with the four wheeler. Ted bought the four wheeler over the holidays and it is quite fun to play on. It came with a blade as well which helped removing the snow when we didn't want to get the tractor out.

I had tried to post this blog and we lost power due to an ice storm. Now thanks to a generator I can finish posting this! It is odd to have the power go out and no guard to start the generator. Hopefully power will be up soon!

I have compiled a slide show of our holiday season. Enjoy!

One in a billion

2009-12-13T21:24:00.005-06:00

Another chicken blog, sorry about that. Seems like it is all I write about! But this one is really cool! Often when hens begin to lay it is very common for two yolks to be in one shell. They are normally found in quite large eggs. Today I was fixing Logan an egg for breakfast. Of course he found the largest egg I had and I cracked it in the pan and was amazed. It had not one or two yolks but THREE! I of course grabbed the camera and called everyone to see this amazing egg. I must admit I was the only one truly thrilled. Mason thinks I am crazy by this point! Emily then chose the second largest egg only to be disappointed when it had only one yolk. I looked up triple yolk on the internet and found that the odds are one in a billion. But with all the eggs produced daily maybe that isn't such a huge thing after all. I found another really unusual thing that can happen that did happen a few weeks ago, a yolkless egg. Guess those would be handy when making angel food cakes!

Fresh eggs anyone??

2009-12-10T08:07:00.008-06:00

Well, the girls are laying. Some of my 15 hens started laying eggs several weeks ago. Call me silly but there is something so exciting about that first egg arriving! We had our grand nephews here for the weekend and I wanted them to be able to gather some eggs, just one problem. My hens weren't laying yet so I went out to "plant" some eggs and the hens had surprised me and laid 2 eggs! I am getting anywhere from 5-7 a day,some big and some very small!

Barred Rock
(this girl nearly died when our dog thought she was a chew toy-I know where the saying tough old bird comes from!)

Black Sexlink

Buff Orpington and Black Australorp

Rhoad Island Red and Barred Rock

PS. If anyone needs fresh eggs just call!

Babies and toddlers in the house

2009-11-18T12:25:00.007-06:00

Greer and her quilt

Greer

Natalie and her quilt

Cole and Burke

Natalie

Greer (love those pigtails!)

Emily and Greer

Feeding the birds

BurkeCole

This past weekend our two nieces Heather and Darcy traveled from Indiana with their kids, two almost 8 month old girls and two boys of of which one was 3 in August and the other turns 3 in December. It was great to see them but wow did I forget how busy a house is with little ones it it! Our kids really enjoyed playing with them and were a big help with them. Ted took the boys out in the morning and let them ride the tractors around. Cole's dad is a farmer but he just drives red tractors so Ted let him drive the green tractor! Hopefully he told his daddy about that! I had decided to have the boys get some eggs while they were here, just one problem, my girls weren't laying just yet. I was expecting it any day though. So I went out to "plant" a few eggs and there was the cutest brown egg ever! My chickens surprised me and laid their first egg! Photos will be coming soon for those of you wanting to see tiny pullet eggs! The boys also had fun jumping on the trampoline. We had a nice day on Saturday so it was nice to for them to be outside some. The girls headed to town in the afternoon to do some shopping and left the all the boys at home. We came home to one sound asleep on the couch and one sound asleep by the front door! It was quite funny. Guess that is what happens when guy's are left in charge.

Vistor's from Afar

2009-10-24T16:57:00.007-05:00

We recently had some good Scottish friends who we met while living in India visit us a few weekends ago. It was so awesome to see Helen and Fraser in our home in the US. It was a strange sensation though to be sitting around the table here rather then in Chennai and to not have the entire group here as well. They came along with their son David to visit see other son Liam who lives in Chicago run in the Chicago Marathon. While their visit was short we cherished every minute of it. The kids were thrilled to see them and were quite please to get Fraser up on the trampoline! Ted and the guys got out and did some skeet shooting even though the weather was freezing!

When people ask if we are happy to be back in the US my first response is that it is good to be back, however I still miss India! I think what I miss most are our friends in India. While we knew them for such a short time the bonds of friendship that were formed were strong. They became our family.

A few days after Helen and Fraser left my parents came for a visit. They drove up from Florida and visited all but one of my siblings. We had seen them in June at the family reunion but it was nice to have them at our house. Logan was delighted to see that he is almost as tall as his Grandma. Here are a few photos of the kids and my Mom. I am frustrated I didn't think to get some photos of my dad with the kids...

Birthday photos...

2009-10-21T12:03:00.005-05:00

Just a week after Emily's birthday Ted celebrated his birthday. He had the day off on his birthday. I found a recipe to make a Lemon Struesal cake that he remembers from childhood. He thought it tasted great! Due to a hectic schedule Emily just had her friend birthday party this past weekend. She had a hard time deciding what to do. She wanted to have a sleep over but I limited the number of kids so she decided to have a bowling party instead! The kids had a lot of fun and I didn't have to clean up the mess!

The Birthday Girl

2009-09-29T17:19:00.011-05:00

Today is Emily's 9th birthday. I don't know how it is possible that she could be 9 years old today. Where did time go and what happen to my little girl? She is growing up so fast. On one hand it seems like she should be about 3 years old still and coming down the steps with her pink puppy in hand but on the other hand she seems so mature for just turning 9! We are so proud to be her parents and love her very much! God has been so gracious to place her in our care. Emily, we love you very much! Happy Birthday!!

A summer storm

2009-09-27T21:45:00.004-05:00

This photo was taken late August. I just loved the powerful looking clouds as the storm rolled in over the fields. We were driving somewhere and I had Ted slow down so I could take the photo. What a beautiful world we live in!

Puppy Time

2009-09-26T17:57:00.009-05:00

Last week some good friends of our who also raise Golden Retrievers asked us to puppy sit for their ten 6 week old puppies and the mama. Of course we all excitedly agreed to this. It has been such a long time since we had pups around, I think it was the first part of 2007 when we had a our last litter. We had so much fun playing with them. Millie was a bit unsure of them but Sydney just adored them! The pups would walk under Sydney looking for a teat and she would stand so patiently for them to discover that there wasn't anything for them. Sydney played and played with them. She was a bit rough but gradually learned to play a bit gentler with them. I can't believe how big Sydney looks now! Our puppy has grown up! The kids had so much fun with the pups. We were blessed with really nice weather, it only rained the last day we had them. Our kitten Griffin was glad for Sydney to have different playmates. Most of the time Sydney is chasing Griffin around the yard and getting him all slobbery.
We are hoping to have a litter sometime last this year or early next. We found a really nice "husband" for Millie. I can't wait for Millie to have pups. It is a lot of work but so much fun! I think the kids will really enjoy the whole experience this time.

Emily and a pup (love this photo!)

Logan and a pup

Playtime (Sydney looks enormous!)

Millie's future husband Riley

Sydney covering Griffin in slobber~ yes on top the picnic table....

Almost Autumn

2009-09-20T15:57:00.004-05:00

Emily is quite excited that tomorrow is the first official day of autumn which means her birthday is in a few more days! I must say fall time is a beautiful time of the year...but so is winter, spring and summer! I love winter especially after a good snow when there are no tracks in the snow, everything is so clean and crisp. But I also like spring, seeing the plants come back to life. Summer is great especially on a nice warm day when you can sit outside and read a good book. Fall is an amazing time. After the heat of the summer (although not this summer) crisp cool days are so refreshing. Seeing the leaves change turn into brilliant shades is wonderful as well as watching the crops being harvested. We saw a corn field that had been harvested yesterday. I think living in India for the time we did makes us appreciate the beauty of our part of the world. I don't ever remember thinking how beautiful corn fields can be! I wanted to share some photos of our neighbor's pond that I took the other morning. It was so pretty, the morning fog with the reflection of changing leaves...autumn is approaching.

Andrew and Bethany's wedding

2009-09-17T21:51:00.002-05:00

In August Ted's youngest niece Bethany married a really nice guy named Andrew. Weddings are always a lot of fun. It was a great time to visit with family and friends, eat lots of yummy food and dance the night away. Bethany was a beautiful bride and we wish Andrew and Bethany a life of happiness! Congratulations!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Butterfly Farming

2009-09-11T07:43:00.004-05:00

Several weeks ago the kids and I collected 3 monarch caterpillars on the milkweed plant and put them in an aquarium to care for. Emily diligently gathered milkweed leaves every few days for the caterpillars to munch on. Then one by one they formed a chrysalis and remained that way for about 21 days until a beautiful butterfly emerged. The aquarium had been moved out into the garage as the whole thing rather disgusted Logan. But when the time was close for the second one to open up I brought it in sure that I would be able to witness this incredible moment when the caterpillar-chrysalis emerged as a butterfly. But nope, I left one day for about 25 minutes and when I came home there she was....fluttering about! The process was really amazing. We released her after one day, gave her wings a chance to dry up. We still have one more we are waiting on.

Back to School

2009-09-01T22:25:00.003-05:00

The kids are back to school and getting back into the routine of school in the US again. Things are going well for the kids. They are getting to know the other kids again and seem to be adjusting just fine. Every year I take photos of the kids the morning of school, up until a few years ago I was able to photo them getting on the bus they were too big for Mom to be taking photos of them getting on the school bus. Of course last year I took the photo of them getting into the van driven by Bhaskar! Now I take photos up by the house plenty of time before the bus comes. It is neat to see how the kids grow each year. I pray this year will be a good year for the kids and the teachers that are teaching them!

Emily 3rd grade, Logan 6th grade and Mason 8th grade

Iowa Road Trip

2009-08-27T20:28:00.008-05:00

We recently took a road trip to Iowa to visit my sister and her family, see my cousin and attend the Iowa State Fair. My sister Karen lives less than 4 hours away and that drive is nothing for our kids anymore. Living in India made our kids world class travelers for sure! We had a great time visiting. My cousin Lynne and her son Blayne from Minnesota also drove down. I haven't seen Lynne for years and had never met her son. It was a great time and the boys had fun meeting their cousin! We only wish Lynne's husband could have made the trek down.
The state fair was awesome. Some of the highlights were the butter cow (yes carved from butter a full size cow), an enormous size bull and boar, lots of animals, quilting display (I was the only one that liked this) and seeing Ricky Carmichael (some famous Nascar driver the boys know). Emily loved seeing the cowgirl contest where not only the cowgirls wore hair extensions but their horse did too! I have never seen so much primping going on in a horse barn. I was amazed when Karen informed me that the western show saddles cost around 5K!
While at Karen's we got to ride one of her many horses. Emily loved it! In fact she asked the whole way home if she could please have a horse. Matt (Karen's husband) has recently become a bee keeper so we to watch him check his hives and no one got stung! When we left Iowa we left Karen and Matt with a few less animals...a new bunny named Mr. Oswald and kitten named Griffin. Before leaving we headed to a nearby reservoir where the kids had fun playing in the water and burying Logan in the sand. It was really a great weekend!

Karen and Emily doing the cowgirl wave

Logan and Allyson

Matt and his bees

Mason, Blayne (their cousin from Minnesota) and Logan

Lynne, Karen and Jennifer

Griffin and Mr. Oswald road home together

Logan, Emily and Mr. Oswald

Logan being buried by Mason

Karen and I had fun meeting these guys...cardboard ones that is!

Ricky Carmichael

Life's been busy!

2009-08-23T23:33:00.009-05:00

Life has been really hectic these past few weeks. I have lots of things to share and photos to post so hopefully within the next few days I will get them posted. Here is what we have been up to:
Camping/hiking trip
Trip to Iowa to see my sister and attend the Iowa State Fair
Getting ready for school
School starting
Sea shipment arriving
Trip to Indiana to see our niece Bethany marry Andrew

So several weeks back we decided in the interest of time Ted and the boys would camp down at Jubilee State Park, Emily and I decided to sleep in the comforts of home. In conjunction with this we thought we would take advantage and hike the many miles of trails they have. We just didn't realize how poorly the trails were maintained. Lots of weeds and lack of signs. We set out on a trail suggested by park staff. We hiked for about an hour and the path kept getting worse and worse. But our logical thinking kept saying just keep going left and we're bound to head back to the campsite...wrong. We realized this when the path just pretty much ended, I think it was just a deer path. At this point I am grateful that there are no animals that will be eating us and no poisonous snakes to bite us! We realized we were totally lost when we heard a car off in the distance. We decided that we needed to head in the direction of the car instead of trying to retrace our steps back through the woods. We finally saw the road, climbing through 10 ft high weeds and climbing a barbed wire fence we reached the road! The road though just happened to be about 4 miles from the park entrance and then a few more miles to our campsite. I of course and wanting to stop and hitch hike. At this point I would have hitch a ride with a prison escapee (okay, maybe not). We kept walking and walking and walking. We reached the nearest highway. I constantly was telling Emily and Logan to get over because there was car coming. Ted being related to the Green's is about 1/4mile ahead with Mason, leaving me behind with Emily and Logan who are tired and thirsty. Yes, not only did we not have a cell phone or gps we had no water. We kept on walking with this guy stops and ask if we need help. I explained how we had gotten lost and asked how much farther the entrance to Jubilee Park was. He asked if we wanted a ride and I said I would love one but he had better ask my husband who was up ahead. Not dreaming Ted would accept a ride I couldn't have been more thrilled when Logan says that he was the hunter safety instructor for his class the previous week. Ted too recognized him and before you know it we were all hitching a ride back to the campsite. We felt pretty stupid but he hunts in the park and admitted himself to getting twisted around before. The next day after packing up the tent we toured Jubilee College and the kids played on the playground. We had beautiful weather! All in all it was a great time and one we can have lots of laughs about in the future. Of course the camera was around my neck the entire time so at least I had fun taking photos of our adventure!

A gorgeous day

Setting up camp

Playing with the fire...our kid's favorite thing to do!

The beginning our our "hike"

Logan picked me a bouquet of flowers

What we hiked through to get to the road

Mason has the right idea

Trying to figure out where we are

Logan and Emily resting

A herd of deer at dusk

Jubilee College

Playtime!

Logan and his new board

2009-08-07T21:52:00.005-05:00

Logan recently bought a new skateboard and he is having so much fun with it. He likes me to take photos of him to see how much "air" he is getting. He will go outside for hours and jump around on this thing. Mason plays around on a friend's extra board. Mason is still trying to decide if he wants to buy a skateboard or a new airsoft gun. Decisions decisions. I just hope no one breaks anything while playing around.

Being back in the US has meant a lot of work in my flowerbeds. I really like planting new flowers and seeing what comes back. Perennials are by far my favorite but annuals can add such a splash of color. Sydney has left most of the plants alone but she has done quite a bit of damage to one flower bed, but it will come out of it next year and hopefully she will get out of that puppy stage. Sydney is now four months old and is really growing! Millie loves to play with her. They are both great dogs!

Trip to the zoo

2009-08-07T21:36:00.004-05:00

Last Sunday afternoon we headed to the Peoria Zoo to explore their new Africa! exhibit. The weather was fabulous, sunny with a light breeze but not too hot. Evidently we were not the only ones who felt the zoo would be a good activity for the day as the line was really long to buy tickets. But we soon discovered if you bought a membership at the table outside you got instantly in...well guess what we are now zoo members! We had actually considered buying a membership anyway as we just need to go once more for it to pay for itself. The zoo wasn't as good as we expected it might be but it is definitely an approval. They did do a very nice job on the Africa! exhibit, they just need to add elephants. The giraffes were probably our favorite. After leaving the zoo we walked across to the Botanical Gardens. Then we ventured to a really large wooden playground, but just Logan and Emily played. It appears that our teenager Mason is no longer interested in such things. They are all growing up so fast! Of course there were lots of other people out enjoying the park. Kids were riding bikes, people having barbecues, people were walking their dogs and snakes...yes that is right. There was a man that walked down the sidewalk with an enormous snake around his neck!

Mason and Logan in the botanical gardens

Mason

The guy walking a snake

Ted and his tractor

2009-08-03T22:20:00.009-05:00

Ted has always loved tractors. He has an old John Deere B (I think 1947) that he likes to play on. He plows our garden, plows the snow and grades the road with it. Yes I did say road...we do pay taxes, a lot of them actually. We just happen to have a road commissioner that we have butted heads with many times and thus our section of the road is still gravel. Our neighbors really wish it wasn't but I actually don't mind the gravel. I figure it slows down the cars somewhat. So for now we just are content with our gravel section of the road and Ted can play on his tractor while the road commissioner does something other than fix our road!

Here are just a few other photos I have taken.

Ted's truck~ we can't wait for snow as it is a 4X4

Logan and Sydney

Millie and Sydney going for a swim

Just an old barn down the road

Mason at the 4H cat show...Cleo was terrible!

Our puppy ate what??

2009-08-01T09:02:00.005-05:00

For the past several days Sydney has not been feeling the best. She hasn't been wanting to eat very much and has been vomiting. Plus she just didn't look right. I decided that she needed to be seen by our vet so we took Sydney up to be examined at Wyoming Vet Services. While telling the vet her symptoms I mentioned that last weekend I saw her with small rock in her mouth and pulled it out. They decided they needed to do an x-ray and there was the most expensive piece of driveway rock ever! She has a small stone in her intestines just waiting to pass, at least we hope it will pass. So for the next several days Sydney is on some medications to keep her from vomiting further, an antibiotic tablet and some high fiber dog food. And of course we have the pleasure of waiting to see this expensive rock reappear. The joys of owning an animal.

A cat with allergies

2009-07-25T15:57:00.003-05:00

When we moved back from India, Ted was concerned about his allergies to cats, especially when they live in the house. Ted's allergies haven't been too bad so far with Cleo in the house. She is outside some during the day but at night she is generally inside. She recently decided she really liked sleeping on our bed but that really made Ted's allergies worse. So the bedroom was cleaned really good and all the bedding washed and now we keep the door shut our bedroom. The other night Cleo jumped up on Ted's lap, this is pretty rare as she tends to only do this to me. While laying there she started sneezing. Not just once but continually for several minutes. She would stop and rub her paw over her nose and then her ear. I joked with Ted that she must be allergic to him and he would have to move outside! Ted was actually pretty concerned that she might be getting sick and hoping that he didn't catch it. He already has had "cat scratch fever" once. The next morning I called the vet and was informed that cats do get hay fever occasionally. She seems to be feeling better now. But who would have guessed I would have a husband and a cat with allergies!

A little roadtrip

2009-07-20T22:46:00.005-05:00

This past week we took a quick trip to visit my sister Caroline and her family near Cincinnati Ohio and Kings Island Amusement Park. The kids have never been to an amusement park...yes Mason is now 13 years old, such bad parents we are. There probably is some unwritten law of parenting that we have surely broken. But now they have and they really had fun. The boys especially loved it. I don't think there was a big ride that they didn't ride. Emily and I chose to stay mostly in "kiddie land." The great thing about visiting Kings Island and my sister in one trip was the fact that we got to visit with them and my niece Sarah and nephew Seth have season passes so they went with us and were our tour guides. My niece talked me into going onto a roller coaster, one of the smaller ones. It was tolerable with my eyes closes. I am not a fan of roller coasters! I was content to ride the swings and scrambler. The second day we went to the water park despite some cooler temperatures. I was fun but could have been lots better had the weather been warmer. So much for global warming.

Emily cooling off in the mist

Bumper car time

Seth and Logan

Mason waiting while we rode the carousel...was he afraid??

View of the son of the beast ride which is not operating now...a very large wooden coaster

Ted and Mason waiting for the Drop Tower to start

The Peoria Airshow

2009-07-15T08:33:00.000-05:00

On Sunday afternoon we went to the Peoria Airshow. It was the first time for the kids to attend an airshow and they really seemed to enjoy it! They got to climb in lots of airplanes and walk around airplanes. We all had a nice time of just sitting out and enjoying the beautiful weather we were blessed with! The United States Air Force Thunderbird's were my favorite! I couldn't believe how close they flew to each other. Absolutely incredible!!

Bits and pieces

2009-07-14T22:47:00.009-05:00

Blogging from the US seems so different than blogging in Chennai. I guess because everything was so new in Chennai it was fun to share and tell the stories! But at last a few things going on around our place. We got 15 pullets...hopefully! We should be in the egg business in about 5 months if all goes well. I love having fresh eggs and miss my hens from India.

2 day old chicks

2 week old chicks

Blackberry season was here and we had fun picking berries! I made a few cobblers and froze the rest. No jam this year, but hopefully next year. The kids sure had fun picking and eating them.

Sydney and Emily playing

Who knows what she thinks is in there???

Emily ventured out the get the paper and had a mishap with a boot! Love this photo!

Millie and Sydney don't get to come in the house all the time but when they do come in the kids have so much fun playing with them!! Mason's favorite thing (and I think Logan enjoys it too) is to hold down Logan and call Sydney to come lick Logan. Lots of laughter is heard when this goes on.

Poor Millie, looks like it is dress up time...

It really is friendly play...but yikes look at the chompers!

It was a stormy Friday this past week but the sky cleared and Emily decided to try her hand with a kite. She tried flying while riding her bike and that didn't go too well. She decided to try it the right way. We just need a few less trees and a bit more wind!

Just some Canadian geese out for a swim

Sydney is always a huge help when it comes to hanging out the laundry! Mason brought her to the door this week for me!

Hard work being a puppy!

Our vegetable garden

2009-07-06T10:21:00.002-05:00

Every spring we plant a garden, generally around Good Friday the first seeds go in. This year since Ted was home he was able to get a start on the garden for us. The first couple of pepper plants got eaten by deer so Ted replaced them and left for India for his final trip. I joked with him that it was so nice of him to plant a garden for the deer. But surprisingly the plants were still alive when we returned. The corn that he put in didn't come in too well. It was really spotty. We attributed this to the seed that he used. We decided to stop by Kelly Seed in downtown Peoria for some corn seed that was coated with some special coating. So we went in and bought some seed. Of course while in there he eyed a garden seeder and since he didn't get anything for Father's day he thought that would be awesome to have as it would help him to plant the garden in straight rows. Of course now that he has this new seeder we had to buy some more seeds to plant. We laughed that gardening really isn't a money saver, it will take years to recoup the costs! But it is fun to see the stuff grow. Our garden is fairly weed free at the moment but just wait...the weeds will soon take over.

Rising Waters

2009-07-02T17:56:00.007-05:00

Ever since we returned back to the US we have had a lot of rain. It did stop raining however last week and the ground is finally getting dried out. The river was over the banks and flooded the field below our house. Ted probably needs to take the kayak out while the river is up.

One day we decided Sydney needed her first bath. The kids were so excited about it, why I don't know. We discovered she is as fat as she appears under all that fluff! Millie got a bath this week after she discovered the neighbors had horses...lets just say she come home all green and really smelly. I was not happy with her! Yuck!

Sydney and her pet toad

Family Time

2009-06-30T09:14:00.015-05:00

This weekend we gathered for the annual White reunion...a total of 35 of us were in attendance. All attended except my niece MaryBeth and her husband and daughter. My oldest brother Scott and his wife Jenny have been gracious enough to host this event ever since Mom and Dad sold the farm in Indiana. We have a blast at Scott's place. He built his house on land that contains an old strip mine lake. The water is deep, clear and very clean. It is a lake but seems different that most lakes. The kids look forward to this every year as they swim, fish, eat, swim, fish, eat, etc! This year my brother added a super high dive which Mason was brave enough to go off. Logan stuck to the regular high dive which is high enough! Logan mastered doing back flips off the swing. He is one determined guy but Scott coached him through it. It is a great time to catch up with my siblings and to see our parents. It has been a while to see my dad so this year was extra special as he ventured north of the Mason-Dixon line. The kids were excited to see my mom and if they were taller than her. Of course my mom is shorter than me so it doesn't take much. Sorry mom:) My brother Jerry from Wisconsin decided at the last minute to come so he showed up Saturday afternoon. It has been several years since we have seen them so it was great to catch up and see how his children have grown. My niece Erica and her husband Harold had a beautiful baby in May so we all got to meet Conrad and of course fight over who's turn it was to hold him. Ted keeps telling me we are not having a baby, but oh are they cute!

Jessica and Emily

My wonderful sisters...Karen and Caroline

My brother Scott with his grandson Conrad

Meghan and Allyson...two of my nieces

Emily helping her cousin Meghan with a worm

Logan doing his backflip

Fishing time

Just floating around

My brother who built the super high dive is yet to try it out...a little nervous I think

My mom with Conrad

Scott with his helicopter kit

Just a housewife...without pay

2009-06-29T23:52:00.003-05:00

Since we have been back we have realized how much the kids have grown and how capable they are around the house, especially the boys! Mason and Logan really helped working in the flower beds as we had to replace several bushes over the winter that died. They really were useful with the shovel. Mason even learned how to work the rototiller which is great! They have also taken over the lawn mowing. When we were in India we paid the neighbor boys to mow our lawn for us. Since the boys were mowing they asked about being paid an allowance. This is a difficult subject for us as we don't really feel an allowance is the route we want to go as we feel the kids are part of this household and together we make it run. Together we do the work and don't expect to get paid for it. Ted though remember he got paid a flat rate to mow the yard as child and it really helped him manage money and appreciate the end result of hard work. So we have decided to pay the kids per mowing. We have divided the yard into 2 sections and they each are responsible for keeping it mowed and are expected to do it nicely and no more than once a week as they are getting paid per mowing! We could see them mowing 3 times a week to earn some more cash! The boys were quite proud to earn their first dollars. Then Logan had to mention that now he made more money than me! After all I am just a housewife...without pay!

Back "home"

2009-06-21T13:53:00.000-05:00

We have been back from India for almost 2 weeks now. I am really having some strange emotions, ones I never dreamed I would have before we left for India! I truly went kicking and screaming. I was convinced I would absolutely be miserable in India and would either die from a cobra attack or some third world disease. But obviously none of what I predicted happened, thankfully. The time we had there went very quickly due to the fact that we really enjoyed it there. There were days when we would utter TII...This is India, and just move on with the frustrations of living in Chennai. Sure there were lots of downsides with living in Chennai but fortunately we made great friends that we could laugh off our frustrations! I am happy to be back but it is a weird feeling. We were gone for 18 months and things have changed. Our town looks different, now we have 2 gas stations and 2 ice cream shops. People change, kids grow and there are some new people in town. I feel like I was never gone some days but yet things are different than when I left. I love being able to walk outside in my pj's and not have a guard look at me. I love being able to drive myself to the grocery store. But on the flip side I certainly spend a lot more money in the store, have to park the van AND remember where I parked it, carry my groceries in and unload them. But at least I know when I go to the store I can by lettuce and I don't have to hold my nose while shopping for meat. I am a bit overwhelmed when I go to the grocery store. How many choices of cereal do we possibly need?? I love being able to buy fresh cows milk...yum...and cheese....yum!

The kids are adjusting well to being back. Mason especially has picked up with his friends right where he left off. Logan and Emily as well are enjoying visiting with their friends as well. They are all happy to be back! Logan was pleased to celebrate his 11th birthday in the US!

Making a wish

Emily attended Vacation Bible School this week and had a blast with her friends and learning new songs. They performed at our Princeville Heritage Days in between storms this weekend. The kids each had tickets to ride on the carnival rides.

Emily is on the far right with pigtails

The pets, Cleo the cat and Millie the dog, are adjusting to being in the USA. Cleo who we adopted in India is one lucky cat! They are both learning the layout of the property and can often be seen heading into the timber. Millie was very funny when we pulled into our house. We parked in the drive and let her out. She ran around a few times, pottied and then hopped back in as to say okay, let's go back! We just recently added to our family buy getting another golden retriever who is actually Millie's neice. Green's Spectacular Sydney joined our family last Sunday evening. She is an adorable pup, but then aren't all pups adorable? She is a fluffy little fur ball who has won the hearts of everyone but Cleo who is still petrified of her. If Sydney turns out to be half as good as Millie will be thrilled. But so far she seems like a great pup. I just forgot how much work pups were.

Sydney

Millie and Sydney playing tug o war

Isn't she cute??

We were able to pick Sydney up on the way back from visiting Ted's parents in Indiana last weekend. While there we were able to see two new nieces and take a ride on Bill's boat. It was a quick trip but always good to see family.

Natalie

Emily and Greer

Emily holding her cousin Cole's hand

Bill's driving skills were truly a "hair raising experience!"

Logan and Mason tubing