Graduation

Two years went by fast, although, there were moments when I thought I might not make it!  Thirty of us began this journey as strangers, but  ended as a tightly knit group of friends.  The adventures we endured ranged from leadership transition, international travel, frustration and agricultural endeavors.

What's next for our class?  Well, a group of class ladies will run a 5K together this weekend.  Another group of class members are planning an annual service event for us to participate in.  A committee is also busy planning an auction event for the next class's leadership learning endeavors. 

Graduation is not the end, but only a transition to the next adventure.  I am not sure that I fully know what that next adventure will yet be, but that is much like our journey in life.  So, congratulations Class XI - we have accomplished much!

Kitchen Makeover

"K" has discovered that he can open drawers, cabinets and the refrigerator.  Daily he is transporting items from these respective locations to the living room coffee table.  We are not entirely sure of the purpose, but he does get to help relocate everything back to its home at the end of the day!  Here he is helping Mr. Fixit reorganize the plastic storage container drawer, which, was obviously not organized the correct way the day prior.  :)

Recycling

Earth Day is here, and even though the weather has not matched the date on the calendar, Mr. Fixit has caught the cleaning bug!  He has been sorting through his shed of resources and recently took a load of aluminum and two loads of iron to be recycled.  It seems that each day brings a new cleaning adventure!

Honestly, that shed really is a treasure trove.  I have often jokingly referred to it as a subdivision of Wal-Mart.  One never knows what can be discovered!  The upstairs storage area has not yet been touched - so stay tuned!

Need some rope, chain, screws, nuts, bolts, or a left handed baseball mitt??  Well, never fear -- it is here!  Bikes, trikes, brooms, deflated soccer and basketballs -- yup, we have some of those.  A shovel you say?  Why, I counted eight just the other day.  Lawnmower pieces and parts, siding in metal or wood, sand, rock and broken toys (that can be fixed, of course) for our boys.

Yes, indeed, there are many projects-in-process and projects-to-be, in Mr. Fixit's great shed.  Some days  I wonder what other ideas might be roaming around inside his creative head!  As you can see, "K" is beginning to collect and sort "project resources" too!

Pond-o-graphy

We have been in need of rain for quite some time, and wow, did we get it last night!  Actually, the whole rain experience began long before last night.  It started raining, during the night, on Tuesday night.  Honestly, we pretty much had rain on and off throughout the day on Wednesday.  It was a soggy daycare drop off and a very sloshy daycare pick-up!!  Has anyone noticed that when buckets of rain are falling from the sky, that the two-year-old seems to switch to a slow-motion walking gear?  I realize that it has a been awhile since water has fallen, but really??

Upon arriving home, Mr. Fixit proudly reported that all three of our ponds now contained water.  Status prior to the rain: 1 nearly empty pond and two very empty ponds.  So, this was an excellent prognosis.  After the children had been fed, and there was still some daylight, I snapped a photo of all three ponds.  Two of the ponds are now overflowing and the third pond is nearly full.  Mr. Fixit could hardly contain his excitement!  Why?  Well, turns out that Mr. Fixit's brother called to inquire about the grass and water situation at the "ranch."  Looks like we will obtain 10 bred heifers for the summer grass season.  ETA: three weeks.  Yet to do - check the fence, and reinforce the spot where the neighbor's bull made an uninvited entrance last summer.  Mr. Bull won't really be interested in these girls, but it will still be good to have a strong fence!

First 5K

Spring means warm weather (generally), rain showers, growing plants (maybe) and more time outdoors (hopefully)!  Several weeks ago, I participated in my first 5K, post Baby "L."  All in all, it has almost been a year since I last ran.  I can't believe that must time has passed!

The race I ran was a 3.1 mile paint run, benefiting Ronald McDonald House.  The Saturday morning race sounded like a super good reason to get out run again.  I have so missed it!!  So, I ran with minimal preparation.  I figured, it was only 3 miles, so not anything to get too concerned about.

The race course turned out to be more of a trail run than I anticipated, so it took me a bit longer to finish.  My time was 28:61.  Not too bad for a first race, but I definitely need to do some work to get back to my 8 minute mile goal!  My after race picture, courtesy of Mr. Fixit :)

Five Boy Babies - Baby #5

The final baby featured is Baby "TM," and he is also a lively six month old!  Check out those eyes and that beautiful head of hair.  I am so envious of babies with hair, because, both of our guys have been bald!  "TM" was off to visit some cousins, and was getting packed up for the drive.  He is a good eater, and loves hanging out with his Mom!

Five Boy Babies - Baby #4

This is the first six month old guy! Introducing, Baby "C," and this guy is the first baby in his family.  So, he has to learn the ropes himself.  "C" is not yet crawling, but is sitting like a pro.  He also is beginning to eat solid foods, and loves trying new things.  "C" does not want to miss a thing, so he is not into napping when there is lots to see and do.  Looking forward to checking out those first crawling moves!

Five Boy Babies - Baby #3

The boy babies span two generations, so while Baby #3 -- "L" -- is the only grandchild of the group, he will still get to enjoy lots of fun playing with his second cousins at family events.  Baby "L" is the middle guy, at 8 months.  He recently mastered crawling and aspires to walk soon.  "L" loves wrestling with his Big Bro, and baby oatmeal.  He was also the only baby that slept through his first Easter hunt!

Five Boy Babies - Baby #2

Meet Baby "T!"  He is also 11 months old, and sports blonde curly locks.  He is a super happy guy, and does not know a stranger.  His Big Bro was happy to lend a hand in "T's" first Easter hunt.  "T's" Momma is an awesome photographer, and I hope to learn some of her photographic skills.  "T" loves playing with the cousins and is an all-around fun babe!

Five Boy Babies - Baby #1

Mr. Fixit's family experienced some growth this year - by 5!  The five newbies are all boys, and range from 11 months to 6 months.  I am thinking some mischief will definitely be happening when these little guys get a bit older!  I was not able to get all the little guys together in one photo, so I snapped a shot of each.  I will feature all five in the next five posts.  This is Baby "E," and he is the oldest 11 month old!  He loves cereal and hanging out with his Big Bro!  My apologies for the less than outstanding photos.  I quickly snapped a shot of each kiddo, and they were super sleepy after the outdoor Easter hunt!

My First Easter

While Mr. Fixit's family has a most magnificent Easter hunt, the littlest of the family do not really quite know what to make of the annual event!  "L" was the only baby who slept through the hunt, so Mr. Fixit and "K" simply gathered his goodies for him.  I decided to snap a photo of "L" with his very own Easter book!!!

"L" loves the book, complete with a terrific message and awesome illustrations.  We have read it multiple times, as it is now a book that "K" selects from the book box each day.  "L's" Godparents gifted him the book, and I must say, it is the perfect gift for this special day in honor of Christ's rising.  We also received a music CD with bible songs!  I have added them to "L's" ipod lullaby repertoire.  Happy Easter everyone!

Once Upon an Easter

The day was quite beautiful, and a whirlwind too!  We decided to forgo the whole dying of eggs, and Easter bunny baskets.  You see, we have a fabulous family Easter hunt for the little peeps, so Mr. Fixit and I felt this was plenty enough goodies for the 2 year old and the 8 month old.  Here is the rest of the story:

We began the day with church at 7:30 a.m.  After all, what else could one do after Baby "L" stayed awake most of the night and "K" decided that a 5:00 a.m. wake up call was in order?  My aunt and uncle were visiting from the night before, so they joined us.  Then I gathered some breakfast items, and began the process of packing for Grandma's.  Meanwhile, Mr. Fixit and my uncle were hitching a trailer and loading cattle.

I then started gathering the arsenal of supplies required to take two small children to Grandma's for the day.  Things like snacks, toys, diapers, extra clothes, portable crib, diaper bag, bibs, spoons, milk and on and on.  I packed all items in the car, so we could dart out, after Mr. Fixit was finished.  We were on the road!

About halfway there, I realized that I forgot the Easter hunt items.  You see, each family brings items for all the children, age 10 and under, for the hunt.  Ours were sitting on the cabinet by my purse, which I neglected to bring as well.  *Sigh*  So, we stopped at the local ShopKo and I promptly purchased 18 child toothbrushes.  By the way, I bought the entire inventory of child toothbrushes!

Next we headed to our rented location for our family meal.  As I washed my hands, my wedding ring slipped off, into the drain.  Yup, "All gone!" as "K" proudly proclaims these days.  Thankfully, Mr. Fixit was available, and promptly retrieved my ring.  I decided it might be safer in my pocket, for the remainder of the day!

The hunt ensued, of which, "L" slept for 2 1/2 hours in the arms of Aunt "B."  He was tired, after all, since he was up most of the night.  We enjoyed some dessert and snacks at Grandma's, then headed home.  No nap for "K," and the only other casualties I endured was dropping my plate at lunch and a crashing highchair tray. 

That night, upon unpacking the car, I discovered that I left my jacket behind at Grandma's.  The remedy I would like to prescribe for myself is sleep.  Too bad that it could be a few more years removed, according to experienced parents!