Easier Said Than Done

This is Jake's first year in 4-H and I needed to get a picture of him with his sheep for the cover of his project book. I scoped out the area for the perfect spot, which was definitely not in the barn or the pasture. Our wildflowers had recently started to bloom and would make a nice backdrop for the picture. Or so I thought. After 30 minutes of pulling, pushing, dragging, chasing and pleading we finally were able to get one decent shot. What is not captured in the pictures is how dirty and sweaty we were at the end of the photo shoot or all the pretty wildflowers that darn sheep ate. A seemingly sweet sheep can sure turn a small task into a major ordeal.

When we were done I thanked Jake for being such a good sport. His reply, "No mom, thank you. I'm definitely not taking that sheep to the fair. She's too uncooperative." "What?! You mean we have to do this again with another sheep?" I gasped. "Yep mom," he stated with a big grin.

Sheesh, this country living is hard work!

Happy Father's Day Andy!

What Makes a Dad
God took the strength of a mountain,
The majesty of a tree,
The warmth of a summer sun,
The calm of a quiet sea,
The generous soul of nature,
The comforting arm of night,
The wisdom of the ages,
The power of the eagle's flight,
The joy of a morning in spring,
The faith of a mustard seed,
The patience of eternity,
The depth of a family need,
Then God combined these qualities,
When there was nothing more to add,
He knew His masterpiece was complete,
And so, He called it ... Dad
Author Unknown

To our amazing daddy and all the wonderful daddies out there HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!

She just keeps getting cuter!

Yesterday, Jake exclaimed "Mom, I think Sophie's the cutest little girl in the world! Her eyes are so dark that when I look in them I can't see myself. I get lost." Yep, me too Jake. Me too!! Her beautiful brown eyes that will someday break hearts, have captured ours FOREVER.

Summertime Fun

We just returned from a fun-filled four days on the Oregon Coast. The kids had a delightful time building sand castles, playing in the freezing water, catching hermit crabs, and lounging in the hot tub. Most of all, they enjoyed just hanging out with their cousins. 9 kids + 8 adults = Summertime Fun!!!

Sugar, Spice, and Everything Rice

She may be small in stature, but this little gal can put away the food. If rice is involved she's all over it. Yep, this girlie LOVES her sticky rice.

Crazy for Cade

Cade is quite and shy. Definitely the reserved one in the family. He prefers being the spectator over the participant. He worships his older brothers and his daddy is his hero. He is all boy, from the toy guns he likes to play with to the worms & rollie pollies he likes to collect. He is sweet, funny, and his momma is crazy about him!

Smitten

I have temporarily emerged from the craziness that has been surrounding us the last month to report that we are alive and well in our little neck of the woods. Health has finally triumphed over ear infections, sinus infections, chicken pox and giardia. We are all germ free...FINALLY!

It amazes me that Sophia has only been home a little over a month. At times it seems like she has been with us forever. She is definitely the missing piece of our family puzzle. To say she is the "baby" of the family would be an understatement. She is the "STAR" of the family. When she smiles, we smile. When she laughs, we laugh. When she wants to be carried, the boys argue over whose turn it is. Yes, we are all smitten with our brown-eyed beauty.