Happy 1st Birthday, Peter!

Happy 1st Birthday, Peter!

We love you so much and are so thankful for the gift you are to all of us.

We all enjoyed celebrating your life with you on this first birthday!

You decided that brownie is better than cake.

You still like the candle the best, though.

You were excited about the red box that your brother Jacob lovingly wrapped with Christmas paper and electrical tape!

You still had no interest in opening it, though. 

However, after your siblings generously helped you out by opening your present and trying it out thoroughly for you, you did finally grasp that it was for you!

One is fun!

We can't wait to see what this year holds for you, our baby bear.

We love you, Peter!

Flashback Friday.

Flashback to an earlier time in our family life, same month.

June 2010

My husband and his younger brother chair-surfing.

A favorite beach-time activity that has resulted in lots of fun and quite a few wrecked, or lost, chairs!

Want to play along? Leave a comment with a link and I'll come see your flashback!

{PHFR}

Pretty.

Elizabeth's 5th birthday party.

Pretty in pink!

Happy.

Nathan finally saved enough money for a dirt bike.

Boy, is he happy.

It is amazing to me because I look at this bike on its own and I think, "It's huge! There is no way he can ride that!"  Then, I see him on it and it fits him perfectly.

Which then makes me think, "Oh my goodness, he's so big! I can't believe it!"

It is amazing how your children just sprout before your very eyes.

Funny. 

We celebrated Peter's 1st birthday this weekend as well.

He isn't one quiet yet.

Not for a few more days.

The funny is that he had more interest in his sister's presents than even looking at  his own.

He didn't open one, didn't even try! 

He also didn't want anything to do with his cake.

He just wanted the candle off the top.

And he just threw the piece of cake we gave him.

In all honestly, we didn't get around to cake until 8 or so.

Much too late for a nearly-one-year-old to be agreeable about it all.

Real.

When Ken came home from California last week and pulled in the driveway at 1 AM, this is what he found.

I wondered why the dogs were going crazy.

Little did I know that Mae had her very own 'coon treed on the porch.

The unfortunate part is that he got away again.

All in all, he (or his siblings) have managed to get 5 of our 6 new chicks.

This homesteading stuff is tough.

We finally caught the guy (mainly because we finally set a trap) and he looks young to me.

Which makes me think there is probably a litter lurking in the woods still.

At least we haven't lost any more chickens since we caught this one!

Marshmallow.

A bunny is a quiet pet,

A bunny is the best thing yet,

A bunny never makes a sound,

A bunny's nice to have around.

A bunny, though, is never heard,

He simply never says a word.

A bunny's a delightful habit,

No home's complete without a rabbit.

 From "Marshmallow" by Clare Turlay Newberry

*Which, if you haven't read "Marshmallow" it really is an adorable book.

And, hence, the name for our new bunny!

Flashback Friday.

Flashback to an earlier time in our family life, same month.

May 25, 2007

Five years ago today, we brought this pink bundle home from the hospital.

And with her, she brought pink and purple and headbands and dresses.

Our lives are all the better for it!

Want to play along? Leave a comment with a link and I'll come see your flashback!

{PHFR}

Pretty.

I love the colors!

Happy.

It seems so simple.

I love living in the country.

I love those red barns in the top photo and how the sun glints off of the metal roofs.

I admire them every time I drive by.

I love that you can see for miles and miles and the rays of sun through the clouds.

I love how being in the country inspires me to appreciate God's beauty and that He made all of this.

Funny.

These two aren't authorized for anything, let me tell ya!

A boy-made contraption that made their father proud.

The entire purpose is to be able to suspend oneself over a pit of muddy water in order to drain the pit with a five gallon bucket.

And then jump in the muddy pit with your boots on, of course.

So that it can rain and you can do it all over again.

 Real.

Waiting for the solar eclipse that happened last Sunday.

Ken and the boys made pinhole viewers and everything.

We didn't see anything.

Right before the sun dipped behind the trees, it clouded over.

Maybe next time!

Fun at the zoo.

We had a great day at the zoo yesterday.  It was much more crowded than I expected it would be considering it was a chilly morning with a threat of rain.  I guess everyone else was thinking the same thing.  We were blessed to get to spend the day with our close friends and I managed to get a few pictures before I dropped my camera and broke it!

A quick pic while we were waiting for our friends to arrive.

We also saw a very cute barn owl and the elephants while waiting.

Did you know that elephants are matriarchal and the bulls get kicked out of the herd?

I didn't know that.

And, one of the elephants that is at our zoo came from Denmark.  When she came, she had to have a translator come with her so that she could learn English commands.

Amazing.

Goofy giraffe.

I like giraffes.  :) 

Nick's favorite parts of the day were the train and the carousel.

Other than that, all he cared about was ice cream.

Which he didn't get and was very, very unhappy about.

The birthday girl in front of a polar bear. 

There were a few mishaps.

A few almost-mommy-meltdowns when we were all hungry and there were no tables to order food and eat at.

The broken camera.

A lost sippy cup.

Almost losing one of the twelve kids in front of the Macaques.

All minor things that didn't hinder us from having a lot of fun with our friends!