Our Aweful Beautiful Life

Tonight we were driving south to Trent & Lisa Stinsons for the weekend.  Always observant, Emmalyn notices a combine/grain cart working out her window. Most 4 year olds would notice and pipe up, "Look! A combine!".....but not our little farm monkey Emmalyn.  Ever bright, Emmalyn announced, very matter of factly, "oh, are they running? Look Colton, they are running!" Apparently, she knows the proper use of the verb run, in relation to a fall day! 

Keaton was so tired after a fun photo-shoot, he slept on my chest all through supper! Our boys! Kids for sale! Selfie-Queen My walking partner! 1st Buzzcut (Not Mom's idea!) Loves to play tractors!

To balance the imbalance 3 kids brings to Mom & Dad's life, we find ways to make a BIG DEAL out of things, to allow us an adult night out. Take, for example, Jason's 34th birthday. Is 34 a magic number? No. Is having your birthday on a Friday the perfect excuse to gather an overnight stay at Grandma's for the kiddos, load up a bunch of friends, and wind up in the middle of a woods in your camper with no car?!?! HECK YES! We spent Friday evening celebrating Daddy's actual birthday with the kiddos. We made him his favorite meal, Breakfast Skillets, and opened gifts, then crashed to hunting on TV. All of his favorites. I even baked him a total flop of a cake, which we still stuck candles in and sang to! It was....perfect! (I hope he thought so too!) Then on Saturday....we dropped the kids and headed for a fun night out! (Not without starting our night off with a bang. We thought we'd be REALLY good, and get to church Saturday night. I SWORE it started at 4:30. ...

Miss Shelton sent me a few pictures she's collected so far this year of Colton's journey through 1st grade. He's pretty lucky to have some fun friends in his class...including a few boys who are as head over heels about jeans, boots & plaid shirts as he is! These are from school picture day! Farm Buddies - Aiden & Colton Quadruple Trouble: Colton, Aiden Owens, Cole Reel & Teagan Longfellow Spelling practice on the playground! Colton also got to host his Grandma's recently for Grandparents Day. Unfortunately, it's always at a super busy time for Grandpa's, but he enjoyed having Grandma Mandy & Grandma Jacki visit him! They started out in his classroom, until a little girl threw up, then moved the party down to the cafeteria until their performance. Colton & Grandma Mandy Colton & Grandma Jacki Colton & Wyatt....middle/center, and obviously doing their own thing! 1st & 2nd Graders Colton, Addi...

1st Grade & Pre-K (4yo) Parent Teacher Conferences have come and gone, and we could not be any prouder of these two kiddos! I hope their passion for learning continues. It's always such a joy when you can visit with each of their teachers and talk about what they are doing well, and only have a few things that they need improvement on. Here are some highlights from each: Emmalyn - 4yo Pre-K - Miss Amber, Frontier Elementary Preschool  - She plays well with others, including those outside her carpool circle of friends.  - She knew all but 3-4 lower case letters and all but 2 upper case letters  - She counted out loud to 24 for Miss Amber, and she didn't skip 16, which she's been doing a lot lately at home when she counts out loud for me.  - She loves zoophonics (we do too, such a great teaching tool!!)  - She was originally writing her name/letters of her name in the shape of a box, but has since learned to straighten it out. She does a great job writi...

I don't think you'll find any of us any happier than you do after a visit to the farm during the fall months. (Okay, that might be a lie...Jason's pretty content in the woods in his treestand....) Every last one of us enjoys getting out and helping bring in the harvest. The kids love riding in the combine, and to town with Uncle Trent in the semi. They get to sit on Dad or Uncle Matt's lap and help run the grain cart. They genuinely love picnics in the road ditch. Me? I love the combine rides & semi rides as much as the kids, though, Uncle Jack, I promise to not take as many suckers as Emmalyn does! This past Wednesday, we spent the evening at the farm...all of us, even Aunt Marsha! What a wonderful night full of farming, family & food! I always feel so beyond blessed at the end of an evening like this! Now we're anxious for the day that Grandpa & Uncle Trent move up to the Johnson Farm. That grain typica...

If there's one child who's going to put grey hairs on my head (as if that weren't already a prominent gene I've been handed), I think it will be you, Sweet Keat. Sweet baby who still runs up to me, arms in the air, and when I pick you up, you instantly lay your head on my shoulder. You know those snuggles melt me. That's good, because your screams make me cringe, and your hitting makes me cuss, and they haven't created a baby proofing item that you can't figure out how to break through. You keep me on my toes, and tonight, you went from grouch, to giggler, to comedian. Tonight, you gave me a few grey hairs...but at least I can laugh. If whoever taught me "this too shall pass" was lying....they better lock their doors. That saying is the only hope I can find some days...

 When Uncle T comes to town, it's nothing but squeals of glee! He has gadgets, and actually says yes when they ask to play them! He usually laughs when they do something ornery...even when mom is giving "the look". He buys from their fundraisers, takes them on semi rides, let's them climb all over him like a jungle gym, and even plays along as they learned how to give their very first sloppy, wet, open mouthed kisses.  Most of all, he loves all three of them more than he will ever admit. He's a lot like my own Uncle Dave...tough exterior, heart a big as God makes them. Thanks, Uncle T, for being so good to our kiddos. We are beyond blessed to have you in their lives!