Lifest 2013

 We were so blessed to be able to go to Lifest again this year.  We really do love it.  Hannah was so excited for the big bag of cotton candy.

 Tyler needed to be as close to the stage as he possible could for the evening shows.  We stayed up there for all of Toby Mac on Thursday, some of Newsboys on Friday and we did not even attempt it for Skillet on Saturday.  The funny thing is, Mom went up front for the first song of Skillet!  We couldn't find her & were joking about her being up front.  And she really was!  She said she needed the once in a lifetime experience. 

 Relaxing during one of the earlier shows with Kelsey.  It was a beautiful weekend.  Not too hot and no rain.

 Tyler loved this mustache.  Well, atleast the idea of it.  It itched him like crazy so it really didn't last too long.

 This was Chloe up front during Newsboys.  It really was super loud.  And the feeling of the bass in your chest literally hurt.  Even Tyler wanted to go to the chairs & sit.  Needless to say, so did Chloe.

 Ah, much better in the chairs.

 The girls loved the face painting.  Last year it was so hot that the paint literally ran down their faces from the sweat, but this year they stayed on nicely.  Until Chloe forgot about it & put a bottle of water on her forehead & smeared it around.  That did not go over so great.  They also got their balloon puppets.  We went early to be first in line.  Yeah, well.  I accidently popped Chloe's & ended up standing in line again, for 45 minutes this time to get a replacement.  Note for the future - balloons pop when they touch grass.

 Tyler has always wanted to see Skillet.  Me, they are not my favorite.  But he loved it.

The girls spent the time dancing with friends.

This year we rented a camper and it was awesome.  Definately the way to go!  It was also great to get to meet up with a friend from our EC days.  Oh I miss Carrie C!!  But it was great to meet up & we look forward to heading over there to see her & Matt again.  What a great weekend.  God is so good isn't He!

The Shack

 Our family has been amazingly blessed to become friends with some wonderful families that have an area called The Shack.  They are so kind and it is such a beautiful place to get together.  A couple of weekends ago we took my parents camper out to the camper lot there (I think there were 11 campers that weekend)

 We were nice & close to Teeney.  And if you know me, you might be thinking...Kari goes camping?  Since when?  Well, a few years ago I wouldn't have done it. But God has impressed on me the fun we need to have in life.  To enjoy His creation & to be social & being with friends.  But let's have full disclosure- I still go home to shower & the camper has air conditioning.  :)  And if you knew me in high school, you might be thinking...Kari is camping...with Teeney?  Yep, she has become an awesome friend of mine and I am grateful that we have gotten to know each other so well.

 There were a lot of kids out there throughout the weekend.  Swimming is always one of the favorite things to do.  It is very deep so the diving board & the swing are a hit.  This picture is of some of the boys.

 The boys fishing.  A common bait they use is bread :)

 There are so many four wheelers & stuff out there...for kids & adults.  Here O is taking Hannah for a spin.

 Frog catching is always fun.

 They also love the swing set.

Here they are, all tired out.  Or maybe they are rolling their eyes at that potato gun!!  Or waiting for the campfire, ghost in the graveyard & smores.  It truly is a wonderful place to be & we are so grateful for the blessing to get to go there so often.  God is so good isn't He!

Summer Sports

 Summer leaves Jon & I with lots of running to keep up with the sports - between the practices & the games there is something pretty much every night of the week.  And our kids are only in 1 sport each, I can't imagine if they were in more than one.  But we really do enjoy it.  Chloe started soccer this year.

 She scored a goal...in the right goal...not the other team's goal!  Yeah Chloe!  Well, not in this picture, but I didn't get a picture of the actual goal making.  There was lots of scoring in the wrong net, but of course we parents cheered anyway, it is only 4 year old soccer.

 Tyler does baseball.  They have been having him pitch a few innings & he has been doing pretty good.  Grandpa set up a contraption in the backyard so that he can practice pitching.  Here he is getting ready to pitch during a game.

 And he pitches with everything in him.  I was behind home plate, just off to the side, taking the pictures and I think I threw him off.  Because that ball, right there, hit the fence directly in front of me instead of going over the plate.  I personally think it was a warning to me from him to stop taking pictures, but he claims it wasn't.

 And Hannah also does soccer.  She is so good at it!  Here she is, with all kinds of opposing players around her.  Go Hannah!

She runs hard & is pretty aggressive at going after the ball.

We are so thankful to God that we have strong, healthy kids that are able to play sports.  We are blessed to be able to take them to & from their events.  God is so good isn't He!

Chloe Turns 5

 Our baby turned 5 last week.  We had multiple celebrations for her.  We had brownies with the T family.

 We outlined each other on the driveway with sidewalk chalk.  They actually did a lot of bodies along most of the driveway.  It looked like quite a crime scene.

 We got her a rock box.  The girl loves to collect rocks.  We find them everywhere, so a place for her to put them is a needed thing.  It's really just a tool box and I bought cool stickers to put on it.  She loved it.

 We can't forget that she shares a birthday with Kelsey.  Happy Sweet 16 Kelsey!

 Grandma Hayseed invited us all for lunch to celebrate.  She had a bunch of Chloe's favorite foods and a cake!  Even Grandpa & Sister came out to enjoy the picnic lunch.  It was such a great surprise.  Thank you Grandma!

After a birthday supper & more cupcakes what better way to end than with a silly string fight.  I love how in the background of the picture Hannah is getting Tyler.  Chloe is such a sweet pea.  Even though she is getting too big too fast she will always be our baby.  Jon & I are so blessed to have her and we thank God for her everyday.  She brings some spice and some excitement to our everyday lives.  She loves to ride her bike, use sidewalk chalk & comes up with the craziest sayings.  We love you Chloe.  Happy Birthday!

Spring Times

 Life has been super busy with all kinds of programs, field trips & events.  Hannah was a wonderful bunny in her spring play.  She said all of her lines perfectly & she hopped like crazy! We practiced those lines & songs so much I think I have the whole thing memorized!  I can't believe she is finishing up second grade already!

 The kids found this snake one night.  Tyler came in to tell me & I kind of said ok, they must have found a little grass snake.  5 minutes later I went outside & I was shocked to see one so big!  Now I just hope it goes away. 

 Chloe is almost done with pre-k and will officially be in kindergarten next year.  Now that might be even scarier than that snake!  I had to take a picture of her hair this night.  With the humidity her hair goes crazy curls just like her moms!

And this boy...he will be in MIDDLE SCHOOL next year!  I'm not sure I'm ready for this yet.  He is enjoying growing out his hair to have a "real" hairstyle.  I didn't get any pictures because I forgot the camera, but I went to watch his track & field yesterday & he did awesome - he got three ribbons.  Way to go Tyler! 

Our summer is set to be a busy one.  I can't wait to see what God has in store for us.  He is so good & we are so wonderfully blessed.

Mother's Day

 The girls and I were able to go to a Mother/Daughter Tea on the Friday before Mother's Day.  It was so much fun to be able to get all dressed up and do our hair.  And go somewhere just the 3 of us.  Tyler was kind of sad and made me promise to do a Mother/Son time just for him. So we have to find a time for that.

The food was wonderful and the speaker was great.  But the favorite part for both girls was the chocolate fountain.  Chloe of course put chocolate on her plate, and swirled her M&Ms around in the chocolate and ate them by the spoonfuls.  She was a mess, but she loved it!  It was a blessing to see so many people that I knew there - thank you Nicole for inviting us to enjoy the night.

I wish I had gotten a picture with Tyler, but I didn't.  But I am so incredibly blessed by the 3 wonderful kids God has blessed me & Jon with.  By His grace, may He use me as their mother to help to continue to point them along the path of true joy, which can only be found in Jesus.

Happy Birthday to Hannah!

 This weekend we celebrated Hannah's birthday (which is actually March 23).  Hannah & I spent Saturday, just me & her, doing some of her favorite things.  First up, a HUGE surprise for her - she got her ears pierced!  She was so excited, but it turned to fear pretty quickly.

 

 All done!  We are getting used to them, but she loves them.

 Then we went to Wausau to eat at Olive Garden - her favorite place to eat her favorite food - spaghetti.  And as a bonus - they gave us our entire meal for FREE!  The waitress took a little longer to get to our table so they surprised us with no charge!  WOW!  What a blessing!

 She drank a whole cappuccino - her favorite.

 We went through the car wash - it was horrible after going to Wausau & she loves the car wash.  And we didn't have Chloe with thank goodness.  That Chloe- she hates the car wash with great passion!

 We had a little party to remember Grandpa Art Saturday evening & we had some birthday cake.  This is half the kids - the other boys ran away, but Tyler felt compelled to stay.  She got to curl her hair & play with Taylor - one of her favorite things to do.  The family even had a present for Hannah - which they didn't have to do, but what a blessing!

 Then Taylor was a huge blessing and let Hannah have her American Girl doll!  What an amazing present, and she loves it!

Then the neighbors came over on Sunday & they all got to go on the tobaggan with the snowmobile.  We had a great weekend celebrating our little - or not so little - girl.  Hannah loves to serve other people and the evidence of God working in her heart is lovely to watch.  Happy 8th birthday Hannah Jo!  Daddy & I love you so very much & we thank God for blessing us with you!  Our prayer is that you continue to grow into a beautiful young lady, who seeks to follow Jesus more than anything else.