Good Weather & Family Fun

Today, we decided to spend some time working on our garden plots. We made a trip out to "Cedar Acres" plant nursery, and found some really good deals on new things that we could add around the house! This little shopping trip was supposed to only take half an hour or so, but we kept wandering around...they literally have ACRES of plants, trees, shrubs, landscaping supplies, etc. There was even a little mini-golf area that we played on for a little bit. When we got back home, we spent the rest of the day outside...enjoying the great weather and some productive family time together!

Here is Becca, looking over the edge of our deck and imagining where she wants her flowers to be planted:

Here is Christy, after working around one of the garden plots:

Homestyle Haircuts

I'm getting better at cutting Sam & Dan's hair! I've gone from a "boot-camp buzz" cut to a "been in the service for a few weeks" style. The boys are growing so fast, and they are wonderful big brothers! Sorry about the quality of the picture...my main digital camera has gone missing, so I had to use an alternate camera.

Twins' Birthday Party

We decided to have the twins' birthday party today, since we have church tomorrow, and Eric will have to sleep most of the day in preparation for working all Sunday night! It was a fun party, with some of the local neighborhood kids attending. The twins loved listening to the kids sing "Happy Birthday" to them, and then they received help in opening their presents. I think their favorite part, however, was tasting their first cupcakes! Here are some pictures of them before, during, and after the cupcakes. The video at the end is them playing with some of their birthday toys, and showing off their new skill...walking!

Sweet Blessings

A friend of mine from church lives next to a farm, and they give her their leftover berries every season. I guess she gets more than she can use, so she asked if I wanted some! Of course, I said "yes", and then ended up with 17 POUNDS of strawberries! What a blessing! They were in danger of quickly becoming overly ripe, so I had to come up with an immediate plan of action. After the kids had eaten their fill, I hulled, chopped, and prepared the rest to be freezer-packed. Hubby made some yummy smoothies, and we're planning on more of those in the future! I also baked two loaves of strawberry bread, and it is so scrumptious! I use Eagle Mills Ultragrain flour, to pack an additional nutritional punch. Healthy kids are happy kids! ;-)

Blooming Bouquet

God led me outside this morning, and I noticed that our trellis has a literal "bouquet" of flowers bursting upon it! It was so neat, that I had to take some pictures and share them. The kids all love flowers, and we are keeping an eye on the geraniums that we planted, the tiger lilies, and soon the sunflowers will be bobbing their sunny heads!