Birthday Boy

Our little baby is now three years old!

He wanted to have a Bob the Builder theme for his birthday, so we made a brick wall cake decorated with paper plate cut-outs and his Roley toy (disinfected and rinsed well!). It was a Sunshine Lemon Cake (recipe from the lemon extract bottle) and had lemon buttercream frosting. The kids really liked making brick frosting, and the lines helped us cut the cake into reasonable pieces. :)

We enjoyed having grandparents from both Iowa and South Dakota as well as Auntie Emmy from North Dakota visiting for the weekend.

A Cow and A Cat

The children do like animals. Michael has become very attached to his Baby Cow, a gift from a church member. This picture shows a day when Baby Cow wasn't feeling well. Michael took good care of her and was very quiet so she could sleep.

Sarah likes both cats, but Silas is her favorite. He is soft and fluffy, and tolerates being picked up and hugged pretty well. He also doesn't have claws. His only defense is escape...

Cooking Extravaganza

Yesterday was a good day for the family's tummies! My friend Gretchen and I spent the afternoon mixing up casseroles and other meals to put in the freezer for busy days. We actually finished 16 meals, 8 for each family! Sometime in the next few weeks, we will feast on Chicken Bruschetta Casserole, Easy Pasta Bake, Pizza Pasta Casserole, Huntington Chicken, Chicken Stuffing Casserole, Goulash, Chili Mac, and Can Casserole. Gretchen's kitchen and dining room were covered with pots, bowls, empty cans, and Ziploc bags, but I think it was worth it. Tuesday night will be the first test, with Chicken Bruschetta Casserole on the menu...

On a sadder note, we think of and pray for the Krug family as they prepare for Alan's sister's visitation today and funeral tomorrow. :(

Feeding the Sheep

The children just enjoyed a weekend with Grandma and Grandpa R. Here they are, carrying hay to the sheep with a pitchfork and relaxing on the haystack in the cozy barn.

Haircut for Treyton

David has a new haircut!

Now, we always have trouble deciding what to do with his hair, but this was for a different reason.

One of David's classmates had unexpected emergency brain surgery on Saturday and will probably be beginning cancer treatment this week. The class is making a fleece quilt for him, and after school yesterday David told us that everyone needs to pray for Treyton every night until he comes back to school.

When I picked him up from kindergarten today, one of his classmates was wearing a bunny fur hat over his shaved head. David came out of the room soon after and announced that he, too, wanted to shave his head. His wonderful teacher did tell the boys in the class that they MUST have their parents' help if they want to look like Treyton. Thank you, Mrs. Norling!

Tonight, we decided to use the clippers to give David his haircut in honor of Treyton. I think he looks pretty neat!

Color Mixing Scientist

David got a color mixing science kit for Christmas, and has had a lot of fun working on it. He started making all sorts of colors from just the three primary colors, then saved his creations with water-absorbing crystals. It was a lot of fun! He even demonstrated one of his experiments at school when he was Star of the Week.

We were very pleased that all of the materials and experiments worked as they were supposed to. That doesn't always happen with science kits!

The Life of a Princess

Princess Sarah is the proud caretaker of a little dolly named Bluebell. She stays quite busy keeping Bluebell happy with stroller walks and stories at bedtime. When Bluebell is not feeling well, she must take a nap. Sarah then brings her warm toast. That is the best treatment for most illnesses.