Beiler Adventures

Wait UP!!

2011-10-29T08:54:00.000-07:00

I can't handle this growing up thing. It's just too hard to keep up with growing up. It's like I over slept last night and woke up to a hansome 2nd grader and a beautiful kindergardener.
The kids just love school, love their teachers and have made many fun friends. I just wish I was along to see it all going on. I must admit..........I miss them lots when they are gone. But like a whirlwind they return with loud and exploding energy and I don't know what all that "lonely" time was all about.

Monkey-ing Around!

2011-10-29T08:07:00.000-07:00

We all know there's more then kids at my house.....we've got at least one monkey too!

Trey was old enough this year to be in the church musical. And he was cast as a "MONKEY". (go figure!!) Lets just say he developed his character without much work.

This was his main position during the play but every few minutes the songs began.....Lets just say he gets his dancin' moves from his father!! Enough said!It was a great experience for him and he did an excellent job!!! His cousins were in it too!Take a guess as to which one is older!!! (someones younger and has a tall daddy)

Arizona

2011-03-26T07:09:00.000-07:00

After the Grand Canyon trip (post below) we finally settled into Arizona. We met up with my parents and my uncle David and Aunt Sandy for the last few days of our vacation. My uncle and aunt kept us very busy doing fun and exciting things.

My uncle is a pilot.........hence the name "Captain David" and he took the kids to see his jet. Bre was sick that morning but Trey was in his glory!! He loved it and it is literally all we hear about now days! My airplane this, my jet that....ahhh!! It's too much. Sandy, I now know what it must be like living with an airplane enthusiast.

This here is an in depth lesson on fueling up an airplane, how fast it can go and how many gallons of fuel the tanks can hold. No lie.........Trey was listening so intently and retold all the information to his 1st grade teacher and also his Music teacher.

David and Sandy took us to the Starr Pass for an overnight stay, some swimming and relaxing by the heated patio while viewing the desert sunset. Beautiful.

But there's no rest for the vacation savvy traveller. We headed out in the morning to the Shamrock Farm. My uncle flies for Shamrock so we went to their main "farming quarters"

Here we are with Roxy the Shamrock Cow!
And below is another faithful and supportive employee of the Shamrock family!

His photo made it to the Shamrock Hall of Fame and I'm sure the Shamrock family is so grateful for his professionalize portrait showcased in their milk parlor for all to see!

This somehow proves that all us Stoners are a little.......... off!

We took a tour of the farm in an open seated bus but unfortunately we came on the day that they has a huge dust storm. Our eyes were burning and gritty by the end of the tour but it was still tour worthy.

No Shamrock tour would be complete without Shamrock milk and a cone of Shamrock ice cream. If you're licking your lips just head out to Subway for some Shamrock milk they got it there!!

Grand Canyon

2011-03-26T06:58:00.000-07:00

After our visit to California (3 posts of that below) we drove over to Arizona to spend time with family that live there and Arlan and I took a short anniversary trip. Since my parent were in AZ at the same time we were they watched the kids and we took off to the Grand Canyon.

We drove up to Williams, AZ and got a train that took us right up to the Rim of the Grand Canyon.

We spent the night at El Tovar hotel which is just feet from the rim and over 100 years old. It's one of the original Harvey Hotels and is beautifully kept with so much wonderful history in it. Our balcony looked right out over the rim and sunsets and rises were amazing.
It was such a relaxing trip. It was wintertime for the Grand Canyon so the tourists were very minimal and we just walked everywhere. Miles of Canyon pathways.

So many beautiful photo ops. Wish I was a seasoned photographer.

Me and my wonderful Husband of 10 years

Same Day

2011-03-26T06:52:00.001-07:00

Thank goodness we had another activity planned this day. As you can tell from the post below the morning did not go well for Trey. To girlie of a morning for him. So we headed out to Griffith Park (right outside of LA) and visited a train park. His attitude perked up pretty quickly and bless Breanne's little heart, she never complained once about the activities we did that were more up Trey's alley. Such a trooper.

There were lots of trains to ride on.

And tracks to walk on

Vacation Part 2

2011-03-26T06:38:00.000-07:00

The next day we drove up to LA. Arlan was not happy about this part of the trip because he does not think that driving a minivan into the heart of LA is "relaxing". But we left bright and early on Sunday morning and apparently the whole city of LA sleeps until around 11am so we hit NO traffic....NONE!!! Unbelievable huh????

The American Girl Museum was our first stop.

If you've never been to an American Girl store....it's amazing!! Huge!!! Pink!!

Breanne actually loved it (she's not much of a doll girl but this store totally intrigued her) Trey on the other hand was in his misery. He kept nagging Breanne to hurry up and pick an outfit and kept saying how rediculous the place was.

We ate lunch at the cafe and as you can see Bre is just smiling from ear to ear and happy to have a seat next to her doll and Trey.....well that's the look we got all day.

Vacation Part 1

2011-03-08T17:34:00.000-08:00

Arlan and I and the kids took our first big vacation this last month. We decided to go to California for some fun and sun then hop on over to Arizona to visit family. It was a busy trip but oh so fun!!

First Stop: Legoland in Carlsbad, CA

This place was amazing. The whole park looked like it was made of legos. Trey was in heaven!

The kids went to "driving school" where they earned "drivers lisences"

Trey's course even had traffic lights and stop signs that they were expected to obey. Trey obeyed them all (except he did drive on the wrong side of the road most of the course)

At the end of the day Breanne was begging to climb the palm trees. Arlan and I literally spent about 30 minutes trying to talk her out of it because we knew she wouldn't make it to the top; and this activity cost "money"

We finally caved and wouldn't you know it.....she climbed straight to the top no hesitation whatsoever. Go figure!!! Sorry we didn't believe in you Breanne we'll never do that again!

Trey did it after Bre and he was much more comical about it but he too got to the top!!

And so ends our day at Legoland. On to bigger and better things!

It's Mario Time!!!

2011-03-08T17:30:00.000-08:00

TREY TURNED 7!!! Can you believe it? Yeah, neither can I!
We talked him out of a train party again this year. (does that make me a bad mom? I'm just running out of ideas for train cakes. Truely I am) So, second best is......Super Mario Bros.
We had a lot of fun with games; a coin hunt, hot potato with a Mario Bros. bomb and mushroom lottery.

It was a great time!! Here's to another wonderful year filled with joy!!

Party Time

2011-01-01T11:21:00.001-08:00

We had a holiday party to celebrate Christmas and New Years with our church youth group this past week. And we came filled with holiday spirit!!

It was an ugly Christmas sweater night....any guesses who won???

Then there was the ever popular human snowball making race.........

The ornament relay race................

Acting out the 12 Days of Christmas..........................

And no party is complete without a good old fashioned game of santa beard making.

And Trey closed out the evening by leading the group with a little caroling. (I'd call it Christmas caroling but the songs were ....of a different variety.

Other sweater runner ups!

Christmas Come and Gone

2011-01-01T11:12:00.000-08:00

Did Christmas fly by or was it just me? I want a do over!

The excitement is just building by the second as mom fiddles with the camera to get just the right lighting!

By the time the picture actually took and I viewed it on the play back screen, I blinked, and did you see it????? yep, it's over and the floor is covered in brightly colored red and gold wrapping paper. The kids got headphones for Christmas and a Wii. I'm shocked they wanted to try out the head phones first. Go figure!!

Gliding Around

2011-01-01T11:02:00.001-08:00

It's been cold around here, really, really cold. Which is bone chilling but wonderful for ice skating on our pond. The amish neighbor boys are out in droves, crowding the ice with vicious games of hockey and our kids are staring in awe, anxious to skate as good as them.

But it's not long before their little butts are cold and sore from all the falls so it's time to just horse around.

We always start with some structured practice techniques and end up..................practicing some dangerous stunts.

While the boys search for dead fish that were frozen under the thick layer of ice.

And just when you think the ice skating was contained to the pond....think again

out come the roller skates till it's time to go out to the pond again.

Slide on Down the Rainbow

2011-01-01T10:53:00.001-08:00

Well we now have a 5 year old on our hands! It was Bre's birthday a few weeks ago and she wanted a "rainbow" party. Believe it or not but the decorated cake was all Bre's idea, she knew exactly where she wanted the rainbow, clouds and rain drops. I thought it was extremelly creative!!

She even did a few of the clouds and the dots on the rainbow

If you look closely at that slice of cake you'll see what the inside looked like!!

RAINBOW TIE-DYE" (so easy to make and so pretty to look at....the taste....um...red #5 anyone?)

Then we decorated the tables with puffy clouds, an arched rainbow and a bowl of skittles.

She got so many nice gifts but the biggest one was an American Girl Doll.

What a fun evening we had and what a great celebration of the wonderful life we all were blessed with.... Breanne. We love you!

The Woods

2010-09-11T04:58:00.001-07:00

Every year we go to the mountains with my side of the family and it's always a load of fun. So much to do for the kids and so much relaxing to be done with the parents.

This year acorn picking was a huge hit!!! With the kids and the squirrels. The pile was so big the squirrels thought they hit the jack pot.

The Stoner Cousins

Another "Pass Time" activity was making parachutes and paper airplane to toss off the balcony railing while us adults got plummeted with the air crafts.

It was cool enough weather to be warmed by the fire.

And roasted wieners were on the menu

Can't forget this pumpkin!!

As you can tell we are out growing this cabin. Bre and Trey shared the top bunk which they didn't complain about but it won't be long before they are kicking each other in the face.

The Grandparents and Grandchildren

Just us!

School Days

2010-09-11T04:36:00.001-07:00

We'll the time has come! I now have two of....all of....my children in school now. Granted Bre is only in preschool but it's still time away from mommy two days a week.

Trey is now in 1st grade and loving it as much as kindergarten.

Since Bre doesn't go to preschool all day she is desperately lonely for someone to play with. So she literally follows me around ALL DAY and wants to help with everything. Which is great, but so boring in my eyes.
We've done a lot of baking, cooking and canning since school started.
But clean up is her favorite. She begs to wash the dishes and it usually means a sloppy, wet cleanup for me afterwards. But how do you say "no" to a request to do dishes???

Vacations Over!

2010-08-26T17:30:00.001-07:00

Reality hits pretty hard the day after vacation. It's back to the regular grind. No more sipping coffee slowly while the morning creeps by. No more laying in the sun under an umbrella with a good book in my hands, no more boardwalk fries, or ice cream or donuts!! Uhhh, I'm feeling bloated all of a sudden.. Anyhoooo.... Now we must....
Mow lawn.

Arlan taught Trey how to drive the mower this summer and what a scary spectator sport this has become. I cringe with every tight turn he makes. But he does it by golly, he does it and without a single scratch.Checking his rows like daddy taught him. Next step.......the corn fields.

Then there's the eggs. Lots and lots of eggs. The kids are getting better at actually "working" this year. But don't get me wrong...every once and a while I'll walk in on Trey taking the equipment apart with his handy dandy screwdriver and Bre walking on the conveyor belt like its my treadmill.

But the cracked eggs must be caught.

And flats must be stacked!

We also got a haircut this summer.. Look closely, can you see it?????

It's a Mohawk!! Inspired by his cousin Grey! Trey and Grey so much alike!!

Summer Days Have Come and Gone!

2010-08-26T17:08:00.001-07:00

We always end our summer vacation with a trip to the beach. And what a wonderful week it was! My parents came down for a few days and it was even more relaxing for Arlan and I since they keep the kids entertained from sun up till sun down!!Every day on the beach grandpa built a massive castle for the kids to help with and then wreck at the end of the day.The kids really got into riding the waves this year too.

When I was little my family went to Rehoboth and always spent an evening at the sports complex. So this year they took our kids. We picked a good night because we had the place all to ourselves.

But the pool.......the pool was the hot spot this year! Bre could not get enough of it. She swam, she jumped, she dove for toys, she repeatedly wanted Arlan to throw her in so she could do flips.

And the mini golfing. Sometimes I wonder why we pay to go considering our scores are in the low hundreds but it's all about "quality family time" right?

Summer....we love you. You will be missed!

Up, Up We Go!!

2010-07-22T13:14:00.000-07:00

The kids and I were invited to the mountains this weekend by my aunt and my great friend and cousin Kara. It was the most relaxing and refreshing time away so far this summer. The kids were in heaven!!

There was a small creek behind the cabin which we visited every morning and it brought hours our imaginative play for Trey, Bre and Maddie. I was completely amazed at how well they all played together, worked as a team and made each other laugh. Such treasured moments!

Bre was in her adventurous and exploratory mode. She would wonder up stream on her own until I'd yell for her to come back. She just "needed" to see where the stream lead.

We also headed out to the "big" creek every afternoon for some water fun!!

And the highlight of every day was aunt Kara's chauffeured four wheeler rides around the property. (I'm pretty sure by day three Kara was rolling her eyes at each request.)

Maddie loved to read to the kids. (even when one of them was easily distracted)

We watched movies!

Roasted Marshmallows

It was a fantastic time. Thanks so much Aunt Sheryl and Kara for letting us join you at the lodge. We loved every minute of laughing, chit chatting and exploring!!

Oh, this is Spikey. Spikey was adopted by Trey into our family at the cabin and came home with us. He was a fun and accommodating member. I say "was" because, well, lets just say Spikey got a little too much sun exposure while we were in McDonald's chowing down our supper and he was waiting in the car. You had a good life little guy!

When I Grow Up!!!

2010-07-22T13:09:00.000-07:00

I was informed last week that my little girl is going to be a cowgirl when she grows up. Ever since then her dress up attire has included this spiffy mixture of cowgirl necessities!!

Apparently bull riding will also be in her future. And who knew cowgirls wear shiny satin skirts while riding......bulls??!!??

To throw more confusion in the pot. During quiet time that day I found her fast asleep with her pirate patch on. I'm confused that's all!

Costa Rica

2010-07-22T12:52:00.000-07:00

As many of you already know we took a missions trip with our church youth group this summer to Pura Vida Missions in Costa Rica. Amazingly enough the base we were staying at was just down the street from the Cowboys With A Mission base.

This trip brought back so many memories of our Mission Adventure days. The program our group went through was exactly like the MA program we ran at CWAM.

We had a hard, challenging, life changing, fun, amazing, hot and sweaty time during this missions trip.

This was our sleeping quarters for several nights during the training phase of our outreach. I ran for the bottom bunk. There was no way I was climbing up to the third bunk when lights went out.

Our outreach was at Jaco Beach with a Mennonite church that was just establishing their congregation about 1/2 mile from the beach. It was 95 degrees and 100% humidity while we were there. By far the hottest and sweatiest outreach I've been on.

Jaco Beach is a surfing town. Can you tell??
Arlan had a lot of fun kicking around the soccer ball with one of the kids from the church.

At the church we did several work projects. Fixing the moldy ceiling was one job that required you to drip in sweat.....no, let me rephrase that......get completely drenched in sweat. It was a mess.
Fixed some of the holes in the floor with concrete.Every afternoon we had kids club or vacation Bible school for the community kids. Everyone was involved with this and it was a great time to interact with all the people around us.

It was great to see the youth grow deeper in their relationship with God and go to many uncomfortable lengths to serve those around us. We are very proud of them and all they did and gave up during this trip.

Where's the Beach Boys when you need them??

2010-06-18T04:00:00.000-07:00

The last day of school was this week and as Trey got off his bus for the last time I'm pretty sure I heard, off in the distance, the Beach Boys song "Surfin' USA" floating through the air. Summer is here!! Ahhh, the joy!!! So much to do and so little time.Of course the source of the most excitement around here are trips to the pond. Bre was ready months ago. She loves to swim!We finally said goodbye to Bre's favorite puppy, Rosie! It was a little hard but Rosie went to a sweet couple living in New York.

Of course summer always calls for those days of just "laying around". Wish that was penciled in my calendar somewhere. Couldn't find it yet.It's not all fun and games over the summer when you live on a farm. The kids are helping out with the chickens twice a week and I am taking on the task of painting all the house windows, sills, spouting and trim this summer. Some days I find my hand is permanently bent to the shape of me holding a paintbrush. The aching pain.

In between paint jobs we took time out to take a day trip with the kids. They just finished 12 weeks worth of Bible memory so Arlan and I rewarded them with a day trip and they picked the Baltimore Aquarium.

I was shocked at how much they loved this place. Sometimes we would just sit in front of a shark tank for 20 minutes watching them swim around in circles! The kids were in awe. Trey loved the sharks and I'm pretty sure he's contemplating how to get one as a pet. Bre on the other hand is in love with dolphins.The dolphin show was right up her alley!!

And me, well I just loved those crazy jellyfish!! All the beautiful colors.

I forgot to mention that it was smokin' hot that day and I'm pretty sure I sweated away a few pounds while walking around outside only to be gained again with one of those yummy ice cream pops! Yeah well , you take the good with the bad.

Whats a trip to Baltimore without a ride on the floating dragons? Boring that's what it is. It all would have been good if I hadn't decided to wear a short skirt that day. I tried to be as lady like as I could but it's hard when the hubby is yelling , 'put your back into it girlie!'. (ok those weren't his exact words but it translated to that in my brain)

Summer days!! Got to love them!!

Birthday Joy

2010-06-18T03:46:00.000-07:00

I celebrated a birthday a few weeks ago. Just a normal day....mop the floor....pick up toys....make numerous persons sandwiches to their personal liking. However, the weekend before was a hoot!!

Saturday evening my parents, Arlan and the kids took me up to Mt. Gretna for ice cream at the Jigger Shop!! If you've never been there you got to go!!

Nothing ends an evening like a fast spin on the merry go round with a cold, ice cream filled tummy. We had to limit the number of repetitions.

Then on Sunday afternoon we got two great babysitters (thanks Britt! You girls had the house clean as a whistle when we returned and happy and excited kids! They loved you guys) and took me to Longwood Gardens. We just walked, talked and relaxed. Fabulous!!

Cutest Little Things

2010-05-11T05:44:00.001-07:00

If this is just not the cutest little thing you've ever seen....there's somethin' wrong with ya!! The kids have really stepped up to the plate this year and have taken care of the puppies needs. Every evening the kids go to get the puppy food and this is how they are greeted. All eight puppy faces stare at the kids dipping into the puppy chow and when the can comes up full the whining starts. The kids love it!! They feel so needed!!

And every puppy needs some exercise so they take them all on a field trip to the backyard.
They've organized a "system". Trey transports them and Bre stands behind to make sure there's no "jumpers"
Right now the pups are eyeing up my plants and bushes and newly spread mulch!! They dive for it everytime!!
Down we go!!

They get tuckered out pretty quick with all these caretakers. But do ya know who they really love??!!!!

Arnie!! They flock to him like he's their daddy!

Meet the family!!

Rocco

Rondo

Rambo
Ralphie

Roxy

Rosie
Ramon

Rusty

Are you in love yet?? Awwww!! They all need a home as cozy as yours!!

Whatcha Doing??!!

2010-04-20T16:00:00.001-07:00

I'm still blogging! I promise you I'm trying. Life just slips through my fingers as I'm consumed with bookwork, house work, taking care of kids and family as well as all the volunteer projects.

If only I could be a kid again. No worries, except....is it going to be warm enough to wear shorts today???!!!! Oh the stress!

This is just a glimpse of my kids lives right now.

Breanne rides her scooter from sun up till sun down.

Trey rides his bike! I'd say he rides it till sun down but he just spent his well earned money on a light for the front of his bike so he can "ride in the dark".

Breanne has also got a playmate!! Kara, her kitty!

I know, I know, this is cruel right??? Don't have pity for that cat....she could scratch, or hiss or bite if she really wanted too but truth be told....she seeks this kind of attention out on a daily basis. Then there's the new puppies!! Eight to be exact. Six boys and two girls. The kids just LOVE them!!

You know you want one!!!

This ones not for sale. It's part of the family!!

Spring Again

2010-03-13T11:27:00.000-08:00

I know it's coming!! It has to be coming!! You know why I know? Because of the babies, yes, the babies. We have had the birth of several babies around here and that has to mean that spring is coming!!! It has to!!

We had several calves born last week. This week we had twin lambs born and a litter of puppies is on the way!! Bre has become quite the farm girl these last few weeks. She helped with the birth of the calves and loved feeding the lambs!! She's starting to beg to work with daddy!

It's times like this that I love, love, love living on the farm!! This is the way life should be. The kids, especially Bre, have been excited about all the new life around here (until Bre got head butted by the momma sheep this morning while petting her lamb. There were tears but she went back a few minutes later to check on the baby.)

Sweet Sleep

2010-03-05T12:50:00.000-08:00

I love old farmhouses. And I really love the deep window sills that are scattered in every room. They are great for plants, frames, nick nacks and in our house...........

sleepy heads!

Through the Lens of a Little Boy

2010-03-05T12:23:00.000-08:00

So it snowed!! It snowed a lot around these parts and it was inevitable that I would be asked to shovel at least one morning during our storm! I'll tell you what.....when momma's away (or shoveling in this instance) the mice (TREY) will play!!!

While I was shoveling my son was busy taking pictures in the house (over 50 to be exact...thank heavens for digital cameras and not the old 35mm stuff)

So, I sighed heavily in his direction then asked him why he took the photos. He proceeded to give me a narration of each and every photo. Here's a few of the favorites:

This was taken as evidence towards a crime that Bre commits on a regular basis and it literally drives Trey NUTS!!! He yells at her every time. She washes her hands and throws the towel on the floor instead of hanging it up!! So he was just collecting proof!

He said he took this to show how his socks actually matched his guitar pants. He loves socks!! He can't live without them. He will even try to wear them in the summer with flip flops!!

So the question is.....do they really match???? I'm not much of a pattern on pattern person but I'll let it slide this month!Of course this was taken to show the Mount Everest of snow we had! He thought it was a memory to put in the scrapbook. Smart boy!!This is me! He said it was funny to see me shovelling because I never lift much. Dude!!! I work out okay....sometimes...whatever!This was the kicker!! He said, "this is the box of whoopie pies aunt Lil dropped off while you were shovelling" Yum! I think to myself! What a great after shovelling snack!and this, he said....."is my face stuffed with whoopie pies!" WHAT???!!!!!!! I have no idea how many pies our aunt baked for us but it looked like at least 3 were missing!! (he couldn't remember how many he ate....that's not a good sign)

Party from Long Ago

2010-03-05T12:13:00.001-08:00

Yeah, I know!!! I'm completely and totally slacking on the posts lately! I can't help it...life has sped up and I'm hangin' on for dear life!!

Trey had a birthday like 300 days ago...okay, not that long ago but it seems like an age or two to me. And guess what the theme was??? Anyone?? Trains? oh, good guess but you'd be WRONG! It was legos....thank you Lord for a break from the train addiction!

I baked up some lego brick cakes

Threw in a few lego games like "Guess how many legos are in the jar" and Lego tower relay race

The boys, and girls for that matter, had a blast!

Trey shook each gift with the anticipation of getting a lego set!

It's amazing that my first born is now 6 years old and in school and growing more independent with each year. We love this little monkey so much!! He's got a head full of ideas and knowledge and an exercised mouth to verbalize them all. He is always, always smiling! He's got a happy smile, and excited smile, a naughty smile and an exhausted smile. He just loves life!! And we love him!

Be happy being six buddy!

Keep Scrollin'

2010-01-13T19:04:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I blogged so keep scrollin' and see what's happenin'

The Pond!

2010-01-13T18:52:00.001-08:00

It's been bitter cold and around here that's a fabulous thing. Why you ask? The POND!! It's frozen and nothing brings a warmer feeling than to glide around the ice at supersonic speed, the sound of hockey sticks scratching the surface and scent of hot cocoa brewing from the sidelines!!We invited the youth group over for a little broom hockey and the kids were so excited they could barely contain themselves. We I got out I saw Bre recruited Niki and Eric for several hundred loops around the rink.Trey was busy skating on his own. He finally got the hang of it and was zipping around (slowly) but confidently. We may just have a hockey player on our hands!!

Getting ready for a game. We play the amish way...brooms, sticks, skates, boots...whatever! It's all legal here!

Niki as goalie!

Holly and Lexi posin' pretty!

We built a campfire to warm up!

It was a good time although my toes are still tingling!

Locks of Love

2010-01-13T18:42:00.000-08:00

Well the day has finally come....after 3 years of patiently waiting for my hair to grow out the day finally arrived.When Bre found out I was cutting my hair she begged to get hers cut as well so I agreed since it was for a good cause.But then my sister in law started chomping away and my heart skipped a beat and panic set in. What was I thinking look at all those beautiful curls!! Oh, my baby's beautiful hair!!Some things you just got to get over. The deed is done....no turning back now! It will grow back right?
Still cute!This mug on the other hand needs some help!!! Was I in mid sentence? or what? Aw, don't even ask, it's pointless!14" from me and 10" from Bre!! I hope it makes a brighter day for a little girl!

New Year Round Up

2010-01-13T18:35:00.001-08:00

Well this year we volunteered...yep volunteered (next year you may have to pay me) to stay up all night for the youth group lock in!! I need coffee just thinking about it again!Can you guess what the theme of the party was? Our kids stayed till 11pm and they were thrilled to dress up (those pink boots didn't come off for about 1 week after the party)Arlan broke out his western rope and rekindled his love of the Wyoming branding season. In his mind he was in the round pen searching out that brown hide when in reality it was the rowdy kids he caught! Doesn't matter, they needed a little "wrestling".

Then we let the crew give their best try out on our ropin' dummies. Vicious bulls aren't they

And (boy the girls are going to love me for this one) what would a new years eve party be without a little karaoke? Not nearly as amusing I can tell you that much!

Live and Learn!

2009-12-30T07:14:00.000-08:00

You think I'd learn!! After several years of Christmas' with children I should just "get" it! But every year I go into denial.......but kids love the gifts that speak to their hearts the best!
This year Arlan and I were so excited to give the kids their outside play toys for Christmas...a shiny, pink motor scooter and a slammin', fast dirt bike.
Last year Trey snuck downstairs in the wee hours of the morning and discovered his Christmas gift with none of us around. I was so distraught, to say the least, so this year we had a better idea!

Fence them in!!

Can you guess who was up early and excited for Christmas to begin and who was rudely interrupted from a deep sleep.

They tore into their gifts with the speed of lightning!

And even ventured out into the cold to try out their new gifts

But the gift that they were completely in awe over and played with first and the longest was the gifts the they got each other. I took them to "Santa's workshop" several weeks ago and let them loose to pick out any gift they wanted to for the other sibling. They were so excited to give each other their gifts it was difficult to hold it a secret that long.

Both of these gifts were about a $1 but the gift came from the heart with a lot of thought about what the other would like and they LOVED these things!!

Breanne got Trey those capsules loaded with sponge figures! BUGS!
Trey got Breanne fake fingernails and decorating stickers!!
I heard them each telling the other 'thank you' more then once in the course of the day for the awesome gifts they received!!
Now don't get me wrong they loved their big gifts but I'm convinced the small thoughtful gifts spoke to their hearts about love for each other!

We had a wonderful Christmas together, relaxing and playing!! The best times ever!

Christmas Joy

2009-12-24T06:38:00.000-08:00

Christmas is here! Christmas is here!

It's a time of giving!

A time of Fun and Laughter!

A time for sweets and more sweets!

A time filled with Lights and Glitter!

A time for Family and Love!!

But the Greatest part of Christmas is the Story from long ago!

That holds True in our Hearts today!!!

May you have a Wonderful Christmas as we Celebrate the Birth of Jesus, Our Lord & Saviour!!

Love ~ The Beilers

Tink Time!!

2009-12-12T12:25:00.001-08:00

I am currently on Birthday overload!! We've got so many of them to celebrate in the month of December it would make your head spin. Breanne is the first one this year and it was all about Tinkerbell. (for a little girl who can't stand the thought of playing with dolls I was shocked when she decided on a Tink party...but we'll applaud her enthusiasm for traditional girlie things when they come)

I started with a Tink cake (I'm pretty sure I swore years ago that I'd never make one of those "Barbie" cake but low and behold here I am breaking my oath) and since the family's too big, one cake is never enough so I whipped up some "flighty" Tink cupcakes too! (notice the pixie dust...you need lots of pixie dust)Since all the cousins (even the WY ones) were attending I decided on some birthday games and this is what I came up with........a Tinkerbell Treasure Hunt with clues to the chest that was filled with pirate prizes for the boys and Tink prizes for the girls.

Here the kids are openning the chest and reading it's contents. We also did pin the star on the magical wand!!

Breanne got lots of fairy dress up clothes from her aunt Lillian so all the girls (even one big fairy at heart - Jesse ) dressed up for the occation.

It's amazing how quickly time flies. My baby is now 4!!! And she thinks she's ready to conquer the world these days!! I can't wait to see all that she does and whom she becomes!! She's a beauty for sure! Happy Birthday Bre!!

Thankful Day

2009-11-27T07:28:00.000-08:00

I had a double whammy this year! I volunteered to host two meals this Thanksgiving at our home. A larger than life "brunch" around 11am and a dinner at around 5pm. Thankful there wasn't much food prep on my end. Each family member is an expert at one course or another so they stepped in an prepared that for me.

The kids got real excited about decorating place cards this year. Trey wrote all the mens names and Bre did the womans. Then Trey took a stab at choosing where everyone should sit. I couldn't believe how good he did. He got husbands by their wives and Pop-pop and Grammy at the head of the table. He's good!Jason and Dar flew in for the holiday along with their kidos.There are all the Beiler grandkids.

Sorry, I didn't attempt to take a picture of the extended family dinner in the evening. It was too big and I would have needed a better camera and some hot shot lens to take that picture.

Is it Snowing Yet?

2009-11-07T10:18:00.000-08:00

These little piggies want to know if it's snowing yet?

And so do these!!!

Trey got his new ice skates in the mail last week and ever since then my dining room rug has transformed into an ice skating rink.

They've got good balance on the rug....but I'm sure the ice will be a different story. Trey did a little skating last year but this will be Bre's first attempt.

Look out amish neighbors....here we come!! (our little amish neighbors are superb on the ice and they're only 7 years old)

Little Late

2009-11-07T10:02:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm a little late on this one but it was fun nonetheless. I always loved carving pumpkins. We did it as kids and it was always something my dad was in charge of....being an artist and all, our pumpkins were always brilliant!! I have a lot to live up too.

Last year it was smiley face or scary face. This year it was a tiger or cheetah for Trey. I opted for the cartoon-ish, sorta tiger-ish face.

Breanne wanted a butterfly or Mittens the cat (from the movie Bolt) All my attempts at a Mittens type cartoonish sorta cat looked just like Treys tiger. Soooo to the Internet I went and to the printer I printed a blown up copy of one!Just by looking at this photo can you tell who my neat freak with a spoon and my I love gettin' dirty kids are?Every year the kids pick out the tiny cute pumpkins in the patch and as much as I try to talk them out of it they become too attached to the small ones and I cave every time! Unfortunately when Arlan saw the size of them he turned red in the forehead meaning.. How the heck am I going to carve those things, Dana!! So out came the power tools.

I was worth the hassle don't you think???? Well, I like them. Arlan doesn't want to talk about it till next October!

Go, Go, Go!!!!!

2009-10-17T07:39:00.000-07:00

It's fair time! And you know what that means.......Tractor Pullin'This was Bre's first year to enter and they were practicing hard in hopes to get the "blue" ribbon as they put it!Well, as you can see we got "green"....do you see the "I'll smile even though I'm disappointed" face here. She got over it by the time we hit the rides.
Trey was doing good but kept stopping at the finish line before his sled got over too. I think he had a misunderstanding when it came to the "rules" conversation.

Anyway, he got green too and we were on our way. Better luck next year.

Princess in Town

2009-10-17T07:32:00.001-07:00

Way back in September (yeah, I know I'm a little behind here) I took my mom and Breanne to the Opera House to see a production of Cinderella.

It was FANTASTIC!!!! I can't say enough about it. Breanne was glued to her seat and thought so much of the performance was cute and funny. (she now likes the step"sisters" as much as Cinderella because they were so funny!)
But we were hungry after the show (despite the free Twizzlers they handed out to the kids afterwards) and headed to the Creamery for yummy ice cream. That was our lunch....you got a problem with that?

Breanne sure didn't!! Although I'm sure my mom went home and consumed something healthy and bland tasting to even out her splurge......notice I said my "mom" did that....I didn't....you got a problem with that?

Sports...What's the Big Deal?

2009-10-16T17:00:00.000-07:00

Well, as some of you may know my son is more interested in identifying all the intricate parts of our tractors then playing any game of football or baseball out back. However, hold the tractors back, we found a sport that he finds completely fascinating! It's golf! (we haven't dusted off the ice skates yet for hockey on the pond so Arlan's not ready to rule that one out yet.)Look closely at the torn up grass and our crazy dog laying right in the line of fire.

I think Charcoal, our dog, finally got the the swift idea to move after seeing Trey's killer swing.

I've Become One of "Those" Mommies

2009-09-08T14:38:00.000-07:00

I just can't believe it....I can't.....I JUST can't!!! Trey has been in school for a week now and I just can't believe it.

Trey has entered Kindergarten!!! He loves it and I am trying to love it too. He begs to go on the bus even though I always volunteer to take the 7 minute drive for him. (When he's 13 and begging me to drive him I'll need to retrieve this from the vault)

The first day of school was for students and their parents so we went together and walked the classroom, met his teacher and tried out the playground. We wrapped up the orientation with a trip to the cafeteria and that's when it happened people....the walls started closing in....my chest got tight and heavy and the stinging in my eyes...oh the stinging...it just wouldn't go away. So I whipped out my folded "parent paper" and started fanning the tears away.

I'm such a goober....but there was nothing I could do about it .

So Trey spends his afternoons reassuring me that "big boys are meant to do this" and somehow and at some point I'll get it! Right?

You can barely see him but he's coming off the bus and ....that's right....that young guy is his teacher!! Trey says he's great...........he better be!! (but not better then me!)

Beach Baby

2009-08-22T17:02:00.000-07:00

We just got back from a wonderful family vacation at Bethany Beach. It was relaxing, it was busy, it was exciting and exhausting all wrapped into one! The kids really got into the beach this year and surprising to us Trey was the first one to get his feet wet and begging for a boogie board. He took wave after wave!

Of course Breanne, having the competitive spirit that she does, had to give it a whirl too. She did great as well

I love this photo because from where I sat this was the view I saw most afternoons! Bre gave orders while Trey dove in "head first" to get the job done!

They also had "wave" races to see if they could outrun the break!

My favorite part of the trip was evening at the abandoned beach with the cool sand between my toes watching the kids play. Trey loved his kite and I honestly thought the kite would lift him off the ground a few time! He so serious about the angle of his flight and keeping an astonishing height! Well done!

They also did a good job of spelling their names in the sand. (even if Bre insists on putting about 8 lines in her letter "E")

But we're home now and we say goodbye to summer as school is just days away. Till next year!

Country Ties

2009-07-15T05:36:00.000-07:00

One of my CWAM (Cowboys With A Mission) gal friends and former staffer wrote about a favorite blog of hers and as I checked it out I found myself being sucked in to reading it for hours. It brought back so many memories of my "cowgirl" days. (now I know all you Wyomians are shaking your heads saying....'you're NOT a cowgirl Dana' but to the easterners here they'd never know the difference. I did own and wear wranglers, ropers and a Stetson for a period of time. Brief as it may have been.) One of the posts about the "Hay Monster" took me back to the days of bucking hay with Jason and Vangie and the 1999 DTS. Unfortunately I fell off the top stack of the hay cart and got banged up pretty bad so I was demoted to driving the truck. I'll have to dig up old photos for a future post.

There is a big part of me (thank goodness because I have become a full time farmers wife) that really thrives and feels comfy and homey in the country and working hard! This blog by Ree and her life as a ranchers wife is such a hoot and beautifully done. You'll have to check it out!

http://thepioneerwoman.com/confessions/

Puppies for Sale

2009-07-09T18:52:00.000-07:00

The time has come. Puppies are officially for sale at our home and it's getting sadder and sadder as each day passes and more phone calls come in. We named the brood of cuteness!

Zoe & Zach Zena & Zepher

Zinny & Zoro

We also loaded them up for the vet this morning and they were not real pleased whith this field trip. This was the look of them when we slipped them in their "travel cage".

The kids were so concerned with the upset puppies that they sat with them in the waiting room and hugged them. Trey followed each puppy to the doctors table and petted their heads saying, "It's okay, you'll be okay!" Awww, so cute. It's nice seeing your children show compassion....now if we can just practice that during a "sibling fight!"

Notice Trey peeking over the table in the far right corner. He also asked the vet about 101 questions while we were there!!

Summer Days are Going By

2009-07-06T12:14:00.000-07:00

Well it's been a while since I've blogged due to leisurely watching our summer days go by. Every year that the kids grow older I enjoy my springs and summers even more. There's just something about this season of the year that screams childhood!! The best parts of my youthful memories take place during when the sun is hot, the gardens are bountiful and the evenings are lite up with fireflies.
So sit back and enjoy the air....it's summertime out there! And scroll through some new posts too.

Zoo Days

2009-07-06T12:04:00.000-07:00

My brother and his family went with us to the zoo this year for a quick visit!! The kids did great and were so excited at every exhibit we went too!! They kept walking around shouting at each other to come see the amazing animal "they found". It's a little hard to see but Trey loved the sea turtle swimming around behind him! He's had a fascinations with turtles and frogs lately so this exhibit heightened that a bit.

And we couldn't leave without getting our faces painted again. Trey chose a tiger and stayed in "tiger character" till we got to the car. Bre chose a beautiful butterfly!! It was a fun day for our family and the Stoner's. We look forward to more day trips with them.

Baseball Buddies

2009-07-06T11:53:00.000-07:00

Well, we signed Trey up for his first year of T-ball. The Rock Hounds!!!! I never know quite know what to say about those spring game days. Some games I wanted to laugh out loud and the next time I was digging a hole through the grass to hide in.

Let's just put it like this................Trey loved sitting on the bench waiting for his turn to grasp the bat and swing at every ball that came his way!! By the end of the season he was hitting several of the "coach pitched" balls and not relying on the T anymore. BUT......when it was time to head to the outfield it was a different story!! He got a little bored which means the "horsing around", "daisy picking", "bird watching" started. Some days he'd play with his hat for 10 - 15 minutes, the next time he talked the ears off of every player that made it to 2nd base. Then some days he'd just lay on the ground and look up at the sky; day dreaming I guess!!

He never complained he always said he liked to play T-ball. But, with all that said....we'll be signing up for soccer next year!!

Pretty as a Princess

2009-07-06T11:41:00.000-07:00

In June the Dutch Wonderland Princess came to our local library and Breanne was so excited to meet her. So we packed up all the "girlie" cousins and headed for a fairy tale evening!

All the girls wanted to dress up for the event so we dug out the dress up clothes and got pretty. Breanne has always been a little more on the "tomboy" side of things so sparkly slippers and a foofy dress was enough for her. No jewels or tiaras but still beautiful!!

Bre usually shys away from people she does not know so I was surprised when she walked up to the princess and gave a big hug.

The princess also had an arts and crafts activity to round up the evening. Bre was TOTALLY consumed with those pretty stickers!! The final masterpiece!!

Multiple Babies

2009-05-28T10:23:00.000-07:00

There are babies of all sorts at our home right now. On Friday morning I took the kids for a "surprise" at the amish neighbors. They were giving away some kittens so I let the kids each pick their own kitten. They were so excited to have a new, energetic playmate. They literally suffocated them with "attention" for 3 days straight!!Trey picked the white kitty with black spots (go figure....he LOVES the color black) and decided to name it Kicky. Don't ask, we have no idea where that name came from.Breanne picked the white kitty with orange spots and decided to name hers Kara. (Kara S. are you honored or what. Everything is Kara this....., Kara that..... right now. So cute!)

Then on Monday morning we noticed signs of Charcoal getting ready to give birth to her puppies. At lunch Arlan went to the barn to get a bale of hay and heard some soft whimpering and looked down to find a wet little pup under a clump of hay. So, Arlan went looking for Charcoal and sure enough she dug a hole in the hay at the back of the barn and by supper we had 7 little pups to adore.

So I guess we will have 6 more weeks of playful fun with these little girls and boys before they find a good home. Anyone out there want a little black Lab?

Sleeping Habits

2009-04-28T17:53:00.000-07:00

Trey has always had phases where he's been scared at night when he's trying to initially fall asleep. Sometimes we "know" it's a stalling mechanism other times I think he is a bit scared of what's in that shadowy closet. Well the last few weeks he came up with a solution (not endorsed by us but cute) I walked up stairs and noticed Trey's bed was empty and nighttime puppy was still on his pillow (very odd considering he NEEDS puppy to sleep, anywhere!)

So I checked on Bre and this is what I found!! He's just like his dad........they crowd you to the edge of the bed with no room to move!!
Bre doesn't seem to mind, however, she has kicked him out a time or two. The photo below would have been one of those times for me but I guess Bre thought he'd get the message by "crowding" him. Just for the record....he didn't. Men, they need us to just tell them the way it is....no beating around the bush.

The kids are going to love this picture when they are teenagers!!

Hocky Night

2009-03-31T12:06:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago Arlan took Trey to his first hockey game along with my nephew, Brady. Trey absolutely loved it!! Arlan told me later that when he went to get food Trey almost had a meltdown because he didn't want to leave his seat, fearful he'd miss something!

Trey couldn't stop talking about the game for about a week. He liked telling everyone about Cocoa the Bear....he said,'Cocoa was nice but not funny like Silo (from the Barnstormers)' he also liked telling everyone about the "fights"....he said, 'mom!! The skaters were fighting, like naughty, and then had to go sit on a time out, just like we do!'

I think he got the jist of the game don't you?!

Celebrity Siting

2009-03-18T18:09:00.000-07:00

We all have our little "claim to fame" don't we? Well, this week I uncovered a fabulous tidbit of information linking me to the rich and famous...(okay maybe not RICH, but semi-financially stable so to say) Anyway, I know what you're thinking....'I knew it! Dana's related to Jennifer Aniston, they look exactly alike!' (you were thinking that, right? right?) No, no, unfortunately not. But my uncle David (my dad's brother) turned famous on us!

Okay, maybe not famous but he got to pose for an advertisement.

Now, if you know my uncle (which most of you don't) let me give you a little bit of background. He LOVES guitars and is very serious about them...he has so very many (okay I don't know the actual number of guitars he owns because his favorite quote when you ask how many he has is.....'It's impolite to count!') So, we'll leave it at....he has more then ONE guitar. He's also an excellent player and has the band member vinyls to prove it.

So, I don't know much about the Benedetto brand but it must be the worlds best made guitar if my uncle is giving the company the honor of his picture!

My uncle also is a pilot and his job takes him all over the BEST parts of the U.S. and I think some of Canada with his flights so his guitar goes with him on every flight which gave the Benedetto company a great excuse to do a little "Where's Waldo" or "Where's the Travelling ANDY guitar". Sounds like David will have a "re-occurring" role with the Benedetto ads.

As I raise my glass of root beer I say, "Here's to you Captain David...the family guitar geek!"

One of Those Weeks

2009-02-19T18:14:00.001-08:00

The other week Trey did a few abnormal, yet funny things that makes me just nod my head and say, ' it's just one of those weeks son!'
Now, many parents have pictures of their children falling asleep at the supper table but, I kid you not, Trey never, ever does this. He often has "way" too much to talk about while we are filling our mouths with food. A song, a joke, a story, or the famous "why?" questions. You name it he can talk about it. So when he fell asleep before his taco was devoured we were in total shock and knew he was in rare form.
Then the next morning he ate breakfast and got his clothes on (he's been doing that for months on his own) and came over to me and said, 'Mom, something feels funny on my butt'. Yep, he put them on wrong. It looked so funny I had to take a photo!

It must not have felt that uncomfortable because he refused to turn them around for the next half hour. Crazy, my kids are crazy!!

Belated Birthdays

2009-02-19T17:41:00.000-08:00

Well, I almost forgot to post some Birthday photos. When December arrives I get so caught up with the 11 or so Birthdays that are happening that when it's all over my brain goes in to "crash mode". Anyway, I've rebooted my system and I'm ready to go.
Breanne was 3 years old this past December and she insisted on having a "princess" party (must to my dismay. As many of you know I'm not much of a "pink", "girlie", princess type of person but she begged so I caved)
I broke out my icing tips and purple and pink dyes and created this castle cake for the Birthday princess and her 7 cousin knights and 1 cousin dutchess.

She loved her princess slippers from Grandma Stoner and her favorite gift was a pink Care Bear. She asked Santa for that bear a few days before her birthday and was a little confused when it showed up for her Birthday with a card stating, From: Lydia

This was the year for Pinatas. Both kids were totally intrigued by this paper object that you could hit over and over again with a baseball bat. Who knew!!

The 6 weeks later Trey had his 5th Birthday party and he wanted a firetruck theme. (Thank goodness because I'm running out of train cake ideas)

His favorite gift was handmade H & O scale train cars that his Grandpa Stoner made for his new train table and tracks.

He also picked out his pinata. That shark has nothing to do with firetrucks but he insisted that this was the pinata for his party. And boy was that thing hard to break. My 10 year old nephew finally had to beat it several times on the floor just to crack a seam.

Time just doesn't slow down does it. Every year with Bre and Trey gets better and better. We love you both so much!!

Egg Helpers

2009-02-03T14:05:00.000-08:00

This new chicken house of ours has turned into more work then we ever anticipated and we had to hire a weekly worker to go through the house 5 hours a day and just pick up eggs off the floor. Bre told me the other day that she didn't like the hired man and when I asked her why she said, 'he takes my work!' In other words my kids think they are big enough to be the farm helpers (when really they are just playing around) but I took photos of them at the job site and they actually were doing the work like we expect our hired man to do it.

At night all the chickens are on the perches but during the day they are EVERYWHERE so the kids just run up and down the aisles chasing the clusters of chickens probably scaring the eggs out of them.

Trey likes to use the "egg picker upper" (I'm sure there's a "specific" name for that grabber but I'm still not farmer enough to know what it is) to pick the eggs off the floor.

Once he's got an egg in his mechanical fingers...........................

he hands it up to Breanne (here he dropped the egg. Another one bites the dust!)

And she pops them in the nest. They will literally do this for HOURS!!!!!
It's so fun watching my kids play and work together as a team. They really do love being together and are quickly becoming best friends.

Apron Itch

2009-01-29T18:31:00.000-08:00

I've got it again. The itch to make another apron. A girlfriend of mine asked me to make her little girl, Zoe, an apron and I was excited to take up the challenge.

This little number is what I came up with!! (still needs some fine tuning but I'll get there)

As you can tell, Breanne, just loves when I hunt her down for a modeling job.

Wonderful Day

2009-01-19T17:34:00.001-08:00

This weekend my sister in law invited us to her family's cabin and we all had a load of fun. It had snowed quite a bit before we got there and large snowflakes fell all day Sunday giving us plenty of winter wonderland.

The temps were extremely low but the kids insisted on bundling up and playing in the snow with their sleds anyway.

The boys looked like they were ready to rob a bank and Bre looked like a huge marshmallows! We also got the four wheelers out for a few laps around the cabin and to our surprise the kids couldn't get enough of it despite the cold wind in their face.

And we followed the Stumpf family tradition and ventured out to the Honey Creek Inn for a hardy breakfast! One of those good old, no bells or whistles, mom and pop restaurants! Thanks "James" and Lisa for a relaxing and cozy weekend!!

To our surprise it kept snowing here in Lancaster and our pond was finally fit to skate on so we took the kids out today for a few laps around the pond. The Coleman cousins were over as well and it was a fun family affair.

Bre wasn't sure about the ice skates so she opted for a sled ride instead.

Trey, however, was dying to try on Lydia's skates and did pretty well on them but commented that he needs "black" ones like his daddy.

Arlan of course was zipping around the pond, dreaming of a competitive game of ice hockey with Charcoal hot on his tail!! They both got a work out.

And every playtime out in the snow must end with a creamy mug of cocoa to warm our insides. Ahhh, the ho-hum days of snow.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-23T18:19:00.000-08:00

I kind of doubt that these mischievous elves will be sleeping much tomorrow night!!

May you all have a very

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Apron Extravaganza!

2008-12-06T18:17:00.000-08:00

Well, I did it! After months of endulging in my love affair with my "Singer" I ended up with this flirty little aprons!!! I decided to practice and tune up some of my sewing skills by whipping up some aprons for my fabulous girlfriends. It was so fun to shop for fabric and plan out a different apron for each girl. Four of the girls in the photo are pregnant but they still look stunning in their strings!!
This weekend I sent 8 more aprons to a Christmas open house event and 5 of them were sold in the first 2 hours. What an encouragement! But all in all I loved doing it and girls, I hope you make lots of dinners and desserts with them and think of me everytime you throw them in the washer.
Rachel and Kara we missed you that night but you weren't forgotten!

Tis the Season

2008-12-06T14:36:00.001-08:00

Christmas is right around the corner and that mean cozy fires (too bad we only have a corn stove in the basement),snow, Bing Crosby and traditional music, a good fatning Debbie Smucker "good cookie", and twinkling lights as you head down a dark hallway to bed. But of course more importantly the birth of our Lord and Saviour!!! I love it!

What a kick off for the season when we woke up to a sheet of white snow. The kids literally thought it was Christmas morning!

They woofed down their breakfast like I've never seen before (they are usually like molassas when they eat their breakfast) and headed out to shovel the driveway so dad was sure to get the car out when needed. (actually only had about 1/16" accumulation but whose counting)

I honestly think Breanne is barking orders at Treya and he is obviously not listening sooo...
She went for a shovel twice as big as his and tried to show him up! Go figure!

Then of course you can't have Christmas with out the decorating!! Breanne followed me around all morning and was such a big helper. Trey on the other hand thought that was a little too girlie and headed for the train set.

Have a very Merry Christmas everyone!!

An Abundant Thanksgiving

2008-12-06T14:22:00.001-08:00

When the combine comes out it's usually a sure sign that Thanksgiving is right around the corner and that mom will get a much needed break from the kids. However, this year I believe we will be combining till Christmas time. We doubled our crop acreage this year and it's taking much longer to harvest then anticipated.
But we did break for a Thanksgiving day program that Trey and his preschool class gave.

What a turkey!

And we took another break for Thanksgiving day with the Beiler family which Arlan and I host every year at our home. It's always a full house but lots of fascinating table talk.

Arlan's cousin Ranae came later with her little girl Katelyn and Trey just absolutely adores her. It's a complete shock to Arlan and I as we watch him talk to her in hushed baby gibber and beg to hold her and kiss her. He spent the entire time bringing toys to show her and tried to teach her what sounds each of them make. This was all a far cry from when Bre was a newborn and he wanted nothing to do with her.

The year has flown by and the Lord has been good to us all. What more could we be thankful for then an abundant life together!

2008-11-22T15:20:00.001-08:00

Many of you know my cousin and dear friend Kara since we've been close companions all of our lives. This past week she suffered a stroke while on a trip to Florida for vacation. My thoughts and prayers spill over for her and Clark as they endure another challenge in their lives together.

Kara is currently in Florida where she will most likely undergo rehab for her speech and movement of her arms and legs. She is several months pregnant but the doctors are certain the baby is fine and thriving. We are all praying for a healing in Kara's body and a fast recovery so she can return home to be with her daughter and in the comforts of friends and family.

For current information on her progress please check her blog at http://www.stoltzfushome.blogspot.com/

We love you Kara and Clark and our hearts are always with you and thinking of you.

Giving

2008-11-15T11:29:00.000-08:00

Every year our church has a Christmas package project for the congregation to participate in and this year I decided to get the kids involved. I think it's so important to try to teach my kids the importance and blessing of giving as a way of life (something I am always learning too). What better way then when they are wee little ones.

The purpose of this project is to give a bundle of necessary and fun gifts to a child who may get nothing at Christmas. So a shopping we went. I let the kids have total decision making with the bundle. Trey bought gifts for a 4yr old boy and Bre picked gifts for a 2yr old girl.

They each picked a toothbrush & paste, soap, a shirt and pant outfit and a fun toy. They also chose a washcloth and bath towel to wrap the gift into a big bundle.

At the check-out counterTrey asked if he had enough money in his piggy bank to buy this all. It was touching to realize he was going to empty his bank for these gifts for others. (especially since he's anxiously been saving for a special choo-choo train for months)

I was so shocked at how excited the kids were to do this project and we all had a lot of fun doing it but more then that I hope the children that recieve these bundles will enjoy openning and playing with them and know that someone has been thinking and praying for them (specifically two little kids from Ronks, PA)

Crocs!! Who Knew!

2008-10-23T12:07:00.000-07:00

My kids are like 90% of the kido population and they love their crocs. However, this fall has been tough on Bre's "light as a feather" shoes. A few weeks ago her light pink crocs got chewed up by our little puppy but no worries she had a back up, "bright pink" pair. Well the other night Arlan ran over them with the lawn mower (you see Bre is STILL running around barefoot because she hates to wear shoes and socks. Hence they were kicked off in the yard.)
So I went to good old Target the other day and bought these $5 knock off crocs and wouldn't you know it. ....she LOVES them!!! To death!!
In fact she won't take them off. (this is odd for a girl who NEVER, EVER wants to wear shoes) When Bre finally fell asleep for her nap today I peeked up and figured I'd find her still wearing those pink beauties and wouldn't you know it.....there they were!!

I'm still working on a way to get her to take them off for her evening bath. She argues that her crocs are dirty like her and need cleaned up....just like her.

It's Here!!

2008-10-21T10:00:00.000-07:00

It has offically started. The start of an enormous Birthday season for our family. Between Arlan and I's family we have over 12 Birthdays within a 2 month period (10 of those being December Birthdays) My nephew Cash was the first one and go figure......he turned one!!My sister in law had Cashie's party at the corn maze and since the Coleman's own the Cherry Crest Corn Maize we had the whole place just to ourselves. It was loads of fun.
The kids played on the bouncy pillow while the boys played a competative game of whiffleball.
The kids have so much fun together and they all love to use their imaginations as they ran from one end of the farm to the other.

Just a handful of the Coleman and Beiler kidos!

and of they watched constantly for the Strasburg Railroad train to pass by!!

Fall is Fun!

2008-10-13T13:04:00.001-07:00

Even though I know I will have a sore back and blistered hands I still love to rake leaves. It's one of the first signs that fall is here to stay. So, every year I tell Arlan to put his leaf blower away because the kids and I will tackle this project. However, the kids version of "helping" and my version of "Helping" are different. I raked the pile and they raked it back into the yard. And Charcoal, well Charcoal just tackled everyone into the leaves and stole my rakes.

I found the kids exhausted after all the leaves were picked up and taking a nap with Charcoal under the shade tree. Sooooo cute!

Then the next evening we carved our pumpkins. Notice the different "scooping" techniques that the kids chose to use.

Of course Breanne loves to get dirty so she uses her hands and Trey doesn't like "slimmy" messes so he uses the spoon. Shouldn't it be the other way around?

Arlan's pumpkin is the "traditional" one on the left. Trey wanted a doggie this year so his is in the middle and Bre wanted a kitty pumpkin but she insisted on picking the tiniest and toughest skinned pumpkin in the whole patch and we could only successfully cut out two little eyes for her cat and wouldn't attempt to cut off a finger getting the nose and whiskers done. Sorry sunshine maybe next year!

Fair Time

2008-10-04T07:28:00.001-07:00

The kids experienced the full effects of the fair this season. The food, the rides, the crowds and the competitions!! Trey entered in the pedal tractor pull contest. The sled behind the tractor has weights on it so whoever gets their tractor the farthest is the winner. 25 kids can enter each age group and Trey didn't get a placement but he was definately in the top 6. He was so excited about the event. He couldn't stop talking about it all day then when the announcer called his name he took off running to the start line. He's growing up and slowly letting go of those "apron strings".
Bre loved watching the event and informed us that she's doing it next year. I think she could have gotten a placement this year if she would have been old enough. She's been pedalling our tractor here at home months before Trey was.

A Camping We Will Go, A Camping We Will Go...

2008-09-28T16:10:00.001-07:00

Well, we decided at the last minute to take a end of the year camping trip with the kids this weekend and we all had a lot of fun despite the fact that it rained everyday. We didn't go far from home. Allentown has a little KOA site that's very kid friendly with lots of local attractions for the munchkins. Our kids loved dreary weather camping. It's the best type of camping because it's a lisence to get muddy, dirty and soaking wet.

They splashed each other in the puddles.

They went fishing (in those same puddles)

They went creek stomping.

And one evening the campsite offered a hayride for the kids.

About a 40 minute drive from our campsite was the Crayola Factory and this place was amazing. Me kids love arts and crafts and this was a factory devoted to all of that.

They had sidewalks to draw on.

Buildings to construct.

And lots and lots of crafts!

Then on the way home we hit the Roadside America Miniture Village. It's a huge train set with replicas of old buildings and landmarks right here in PA. Trey was in total amazement.

I love spending time with my family and it makes all the soggy weather worth it when you see them happy and smiling.

A Lasting Moment

2008-09-23T12:03:00.001-07:00

Lately I've been finding that Trey and Bre have formed a closer bond then they did when they were little. I remember months ago dealing with sibling rivalry and feeling like a refuree all day long. But recently I've been finding the two of them playing together (especially laying on the floor and coloring together while talking about trains or princesses), telling stories together and having adorable reunions of hugs and kisses when they've been seperated for several hours. I've even found that they will sneek into the other siblings bed at night if they are scared and need a secure place to rest. It brings tears to my eyes as a mom and I pray that the friendship they share now will only grow stronger and more caring as they reach those pre teen and teen years.

Clifford

2008-09-23T11:56:00.000-07:00

Today Clifford came!!! My kids really enjoy reading all the Clifford books and watching the morning cartoon show. They also LOVE the library. It's normal to find me walking to the car with 10-12 books once or twice a week with my kids. They love to read. So when Clifford the Big Red Dog came to the library it was the makings of a great day for Trey and Bre. They talked non-stop about it on the ride there.

Trey was a little cautious about getting too close to this dog because it just didn't seem quite "right" in his mind. He kept asking questions like, 'why can't you bark?', 'do you have teeth?', 'why aren't you talking like Clifford cartoon does?'

Bre on the other hand couldn't hug Clifford enough and when he left the building she just cried and wanted to know where his dog house is because we should move it onto the farm so he has a nice place to live.

A New Day

2008-09-11T13:11:00.001-07:00

Tuesday was Trey's first day of preschool and he was extremelly excited to get there although he still thought the school bus was coming to pick him up just like his big cousin Brady gets picked up. It took a lot of explaining when we loaded up the Subaru and headed to school but he finally caved and realized if he enjoys preschool then next year the bus will pick him up for big, big boy school at Paradise Elementary.

Anyway, Breanne is going to 2yr. old story hour (which we are calling little girl school) so she dug out her backpack to be just like her big brother.

Suprisingly, I wasn't very emotional when we got to school however, when the teacher reached out to take Trey's hand and led him to the toy area with oodles of children that Trey did not know I got a very dazed, deer in the headlights look and just stood there for a few minutes thinking, 'this is it....the beginnning of a new journey'
I'm praying it's a good and enjoyable one.

thinking of you

2008-09-03T11:36:00.000-07:00

I want to lift up Jared and Mindi Bruckhart today as they are experiencing sorrow in the death of Jared's father due to a motorcycle accident.
A few of us girls were with Mindi when she got the call and it hit me again how just one minute, one split second can change our lives forever. I pray that God's hand will close around the Bruckhart family and give them comfort during a time of pain and uneasiness.
We love you and our hearts go out to all of you!

There's a First Time for Everything!

2008-08-20T11:12:00.000-07:00

Arlan and I took the kids for their first trip to the beach on Sunday. What a ton of fun!!! Our kids loved it. We packed so much activity into our two day stay that by supper time each night I thought they were going to flop into their dinners with exhaustion. But they forced themselves to stay away in case they missed something.

Trey was busy with Mason, Ethan and Dillan. They ran from one end of the wave to the next yelling the entire time. Breanne no sooner got on the beach then made a little friend with another girl playing in the sand. (They tried their hardest to immitate the boys although not getting as "close" to the water)

We also made sandcastles and flew our kites!
The next day we took the kids on a boardwalk bike ride and Trey just talked my ear off the whole time, giving me a narration of all that was going on around us.

We also went mini-golfing thinking it may not be a hit but we were suprised at how precise Trey was with his hits. Breanne was just in it for fun and didn't quite understand that you hit the ball then DON'T TOUCH IT, and hit it again. She picked up everyones ball after they hit it, EVERY.... SINGLE.... TIME! (She's just so "orderly" like her mom. No mess.)

To end and evening on an exciting note we couldn't pass up the boardwalk and all those cute and fun rides.

Trey and Bre went on every ride together. The one time Trey didn't go with her Bre just cried and cried. It's so cute to see my kids getting along so well and becoming close friends.
It was a very fun weekend for our kids and for Arlan and I. It makes me so anxious for the next vacation we can take as a small family!!!

Just One of Those Weeks

2008-08-06T16:40:00.000-07:00

Did you ever have one of those weeks where nothing seems to go right? Well, we had one this past week.

Over the weekend our little puppy, Charcoal jumped out of the pick up truck while Arlan was driving and broke her leg. It wouldn't have been a big deal if it hadn't been her knee bone/growth plate so it was either surgery or have a three legged dog. Arlan opted for the surgery since she was so young.

Well now we feel even worse for getting the surgery. Look at the comfortable,high fashion recovery.

A cone for the head, a cast for the leg, no jumping, no running, can't get the bandages wet or soiled. Are you kidding me!!! This is insanity, what did we get ourselves into?

Two days later our little kitty's mommy got hit by a car in front of our house.

The worst part of that was that the mommy cat wasn't ours. We were house-sitting it for a few weeks till my sister-in-law returned. So, we had to make a difficult phone call to a little neice.

Then two days after that Trey feel of our dock at the pond. Head first into some shallow water lined with rocks. Luckily he had no serious head injuries just some deep cuts, scrapes and a bunch of bruises.

So.....maybe next week will be better!!!

Aprons

2008-08-02T12:26:00.000-07:00

I've been experimenting more with Apron making thanks to the fabulously creative book called "A is for Apron" and this is the outcome!

Sorry, the lighting was horrible. This apron was fun but difficult to sew but cute, and reversible too!!

I also had some leftover material from my last apron project and made a "Leave it to Beaver" apron so on those crazy days I could slip on this baby and it would take me back to a simpler time/era. (not that I ever remember those days, to young)

My kids love, love, love to do artsy projects. The messier the better and I always cringe when they ask to get those darn finger paints out so I decided to make them painting smocks. Breanne willingly modeled hers while Trey whipped his off at the first suggestion of a photograph.

However, even the prettiest models can turn fiesty on you when your inexperience takes too long to get the perfect shot!

Gotta Love It!!

Campin' Out

2008-07-28T11:50:00.000-07:00

This post comes a little late but over the 4th of July we packed up and joined our Sunday school class for a weekend camping trip. It's a hands down favorite vacation time for our kids. They love playing with their friends all day long and being in the woods! Now some of you might say we aren't really "camping" with our home away from home but it sure makes camping more comfortable and cleaner (big winning factor for me)

The kids literally rode their bikes from sun up till sun down.

Our camper sat right at the top of a hill and they loved speeding down it and pushing the bikes back up.

Breanne, however, needed to be "better" then the boys and carry her bike up instead of push to obviously prove she's a big girl.

If the kids weren't biking they were climbing trees.............

..............Or boating

Breanne thought she was too good for a life jacket so she had to sit on the dock all afternoon.

Every evening of camping needs to be wrapped up will a little burnt marshmellow on a stick!! My own personal, sticky favorite!

I'm In Love With A Singer

2008-07-16T11:08:00.000-07:00

A Singer sewing machine that is. This machine is soooo much fun. It's, by far, my favorite past time right now. (Next to watching my kids race around the driveway on their bikes. I love that too!! Takes me back.....)

Anyway, I've been sewing up a storm. Yesturday I made an apron from a tutorial on the internet and it turned out CUTE!! (at least from my point of view.) It was way easy!!

I went to my local amish fabric store and was amazed at the awesome, vintage and retro designs they had. Kudos to those cute old amish ladies. The lady that cut these for me said. Ohhh, pink fabrics...my favorite. That brought a smile to Bre's face (she LOVES pink)

Then I whipped up this little number!

A nice feature....no butt bow!! No butt accentuation. (Although I guess that picture kind puts mine out there doesn't it)

But my all time favorite part of the apron?????

It's REVERSIBLE!!! Do you love it or what!!!!

Cousins

2008-06-30T17:46:00.000-07:00

Well we did it, we finally got the "toddler" pictures done. God bless Renae for putting up with us! She took these talented and beautiful pictures; while being 6 months pregnant, wading in the water yet drenched in sweat from the scorching sun and waving bright colored stuffed animals in one hand to get the kids attention and holding a fancy, expensive camera in the other, praying it doesn't fall in the water. God...blesss...her!

This is the Beiler cousins. Darlene and Jason's little ones are even in the pictures. The little babies, Bo and Cash, didn't make it into these pics but we got some cute ones of them too. No worries.

I spent Tues and Wed night sewing those little matching dresses for the girls. Nothing fancy but I thought they turned out cute anyway.

ZOOOOOOOO

2008-06-22T17:24:00.000-07:00

This was the Beiler family fun day and we decided to go to the zoo. Trey and Bre were pumped for days with excitement. Trey wanted to see the lions and crocodiles and Bre of course wanted to see a monkey.

They were acting like monkeys, climbing and swinging from those fence posts.

The "BIG" cats were a hit with the boys.

The otters were a big hit with all the swimmers of the family. We even got to see them eat!

Arlan got the kids to ride a camel and they loved it. They also wanted to ride a hippo but...go figure... they didn't have actual "hippo" rides so we opted for the statue instead.

At the end of the day the kids wanted to get their faces painted with a picture of an animal on it. Trey picked a puppy (everything is puppy right now) and Bre just wanted a pink animal...bless her heart.....can you guess what the "guy" painter painted her?

This little piggy went to the zoo and the little puppy did too.

Heritage Days

2008-06-22T17:16:00.000-07:00

Every year, around the 4th of July, the Intercourse Community Park has a huge event/festival and fireworks. The kids just love it!

There's always great food (Stoltzfus Meats enormous sausage sandwich is the BEST!!! only if you wash it down with a cold, creamy Lapp Valley Milksake) and they always have a wagon ride for the kidos which was the first "ride" of choice!
In the early afternoon they have an antique tractor parade and then they display some of them at the park all evening. Trey was totally fascinated by these huge and old tractors. Him and his buddies were crawling all over them.
The evening closed with fabulous fireworks. (the best around, in my opinion) I would have taken photos but I had my hands full holding Bre on my lap and covering her ears with my hands. She didn't cry but she was definately scared. When it was all over.....it was all she could talk about. Kids...go figure!

New Hobby

2008-06-12T11:15:00.000-07:00

I have been on a sewing frenzy the last 4 days. I honestly don't know how to sew but Arlan's grandma has her machine at our house and all the instruction books. So, I decided to take up a new challenge and try it out. Here's what I made. First I bought a shirt at Goodwill and turned it into this cute blue dress.

Then I bought some fabric on clearance and made this cute little pillowcase dress (that's what the instructions called it)

My biggest challenge, although it doesn't look that complicated was a curtain/roman shade for my bathroom. I love it and I'm so proud of myself for taking on this project and having it turn out pretty good.

Memorable Memorial

2008-06-02T10:28:00.000-07:00

Well, the minute the sun came out and started sharing it's warm brightness my kids broke out the swimming goggles and started begging for a trip to the pond.

So on Memorial day we packed up the fishing rods (unfortunately the goggles stayed home) and headed out to our fun filled pond.The kids were practically running there and they threw their belongings down and headed for their favorite spots. Trey's is on the dock casting his fishing line over and over again.

Breanne's favorite spot is in the sand with her feet in the water. The frigid temp. didn't bother her one bit.

Trey thought it would be a good idea to take Charcoal on a boat ride since this was the puppies first taste of pond life.

Charcoal even liked the sand and enjoyed watching the kids play around.

As the sun was setting Trey and Arlan finally caught a fish and Charcoal couldn't get enough of it. She sniffed the living daylights out of it.

I just enjoyed walking around and checking out how beautiful the flowers and green grass are becoming.

SEE YOU AT THE POND!!!!

Friends

2008-06-02T10:21:00.001-07:00

Several weeks ago I was able to track down all my friends and fellow missions companions from my YES experience over 15 years ago. My entire team was together except Jon Bowman. (If you're out there in blogspot somewhere Jon, we missed you! )

My team leader is in the front (Audrey) then it's Kristen, Me, Jon and Matt. We were one crazy team. I loved those 8 months of my life so much and most of it was because of the wonderful relationship I had with these guys. They all kept me laughing till I wet myself.

Below is my team and their spouses. We didn't even try to get a photo with the kids because it was a load of them.

The Dreaded Week!

2008-05-28T12:08:00.000-07:00

Well....anyone have and idea what I'm doing this week (Oh, who am I kidding), this month!

I have so many cute photos to post but right now that's on hold while I teach my precious little girl how to "hold" it.

Good luck Dawn, you're next up!

New Member

2008-05-19T17:50:00.001-07:00

Well we officially have a new member in our family. She's and adorable, coal black lab with a personality that's sure to keep my kids hopping!
The kids still haven't decided on a name, and just between you and me, we aren't sure how to "persuade" them to pick a cute one. Bre wants to name her....Pink Care Bear. Trey wants to name her....you guessed it...Choo Choo Train.

We've had the puppy a total of 2 hours and she's already attached at the hip to Trey. She followed at Trey's heels, running all over the yard.

Then Trey decided to emty out his outdoor toy chest so the puppy could have a little house. How thoughtful ....and cute!

Family

2008-05-12T11:06:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day was one more day to remember the precious persons in my life that create my wonderful family. I love you guys!!

A stolen kiss!!

Bug Love

2008-04-24T06:04:00.000-07:00

Oooookay...so I'm all about my kids loving animals and I'm even adjusting to the thought of having lots of these dirty animals at my home like barn cats and chickens and goats (so on and so on) but bugs are DIFFERENT!! Why do kids gravitate to the gross slimy stuff like the caterpillar or grub or whatever it is below!!
Trey was fascinated by this "thing" while Bre, to my horror, was loving on it by giving it a little kiss (which I didn't realize she was doing till I examined this photo more closely)

But I must say this grubby "thing" kept my kids busy for over an hour this morning. Trey came up with the idea to play hide and go seek with the "thing". Trey would bury it somewhere and Bre would have to go look for it then they'd switch around.

It's been great being outside again even if it seems to be 24 hours a day with the kids. They love to help us all out and Breanne likes to help out her great grandma pick up weeds.

Here is the famous rock they sit on every time I go to the mulch pile to load up the wheelbarrow. This photo was taken around 7:30am yesterday morning. We can barely get through breakfast without one of them sneaking out the front door to play.

Easter Special

2008-03-25T10:29:00.001-07:00

Easter is always a special celebration for me as I remember Christ and all He's done for me but this was also a special Easter being that Trey and Bre are getting old enough to simply understand what all these special celebrations are really about and we are beginning our own traditions as a family.
It's fun being able to talk to our little ones about the relationship we can have with our Heavenly Father. (even if they look at you with that "what did she just say" face sometimes)
May you all continue to celebrate our Risen Saviour on Easter and throughout the weeks to come!!

Anniversary

2008-03-22T06:09:00.001-07:00

It's hard to believe that Arlan and I have been married 7 years this past St. Patty's day. The time has flown by and I love him more with each year. This past week we took a short vacation to Northern Virginia to relax and get away from our busy lives.

Arlan found this cute bed and breakfast back in the country bordering miles and miles of vineyards and beautiful old farmhouses. It was fabulous. We had a little cabin all to ourselves with a little fireplace and NO tv. (which we didn't realize till we got there) It's sad to say but at first we were like, 'what!!! no TV?' But they loaded the closet with games and books and we just settled in for a cozy time of fun.

This is our cabin below.

The Vauclause Inn had many different cottages and rooms but the main farmhouse was incredibly old and had the most fantastic old characteristics. Huge doorways, loads of fireplaces and hardwood floors.

All these features gave Arlan more and more ideas for our farmhouse. The projects just never end.

The Inn was a few miles from old town Winchester so we spent and afternoon just driving around and looking at all the old mansions and vineyards they were all so beautiful. This mansion below was by far a favorite of mine and is actually a farmhouse. I couldn't get a good photo of the beautiful barns in the back of the house but it was amazing. Maybe with a little tender loving care our farm will look like that. Or maybe not.

Artfuls

2008-03-14T10:24:00.001-07:00

I must say that it's awesome watching my kids be "creative". They definitely got some of their grandpa Stoner genes because they love doing any sort of art project. Especially Trey. He can sit for hours doing activities especially playdoo, painting or cutting paper and making puzzles. Breanne also enjoys the arts but I think her favorite part is the big mess she can make in the process of making a masterpiece.

As you can see her choice medium is fingers and toes; if she can get them up there.

I find my kids are also extremely creative with their pretend play too. They would gladly give up their toys for ordinary, everyday items like my dryer. Trey talked Breanne into crawling into the dryer to play a secret space capsule mission. They begged for me to turn it "on"!

But there is always a "dark" side to the artful mind and my kids just discovered one the other day.

Coloring on the walls. When I saw the mess I asked who did it (because when I rounded the corner I heard crayons scatter around the floor and two kids run to the other side of the room) I actually didn't need to even ask who did it because each artists gifted style shown through. Treys marks are in black because they were all choo-choo tracks. Breannes were in orange because they were all circles (which is all she draws right now)

So I pulled out my old time favorite creative "correction" and sat them both on a time out chair facing the canvas for the entire 30 minutes it took me to scrub that sucker clean.

What a price you pay for a shady piece of art!

Renovations Complete

2008-03-10T16:05:00.000-07:00

Many of you Wyomian and CWAM friends have asked about the work we did to our home since we moved two years ago. So I have a few of our current projects below. I will be sure to slip in more pictures of the other
rooms later on.

On the second floor of the farmhouse we have 4 bedrooms and they all looked like these two picture. 1970's paneling on the walls. Here and there a little 1960's wallpaper, bright colored carpet and tiny closets like the one on the right here. Look hard you'll see it.

So, we added a new closet to Trey's new room and put mud in all the panelled walls seams and the room became a completely new looking place.

AFTER:

This is now Trey's room and he really loves it. You can't see it in the picture but beside the rocking chair is a door that leads into Breanne's room and they have oodles of "secret" fun with that passageway.

The other bedrooms in the house started out like the above pictures and ended up looking like this..........

Breanne's room

In Bre's room we took the old 60's furniture that we were given by Arlan's parents and gave it a paint job and some new "old" looking, glass knobs. I thought they turned out pretty good.

This is Arlan and I's room. When we tore out the walls in our room we noticed an old barn beam in the ceiling and Arlan was determined to expose it for "preservation" of the old farmhouse. He loves those old beams as you'll notice in our new livingroom.

This winter we decided to redo the staircase leading down from the bedrooms into the livingroom. Getting the carpet off was quite a chore and getting years and years of carpet glue off the wood was even worse but the end result on the right was worth all the effort

The same time we did the staircase we did the livingroom. We took off oodles of wallpaper to discover a beautiful boogie colored plaster underneath, (which we painted over). And under the tannish colored panelling we found old barndoor beadboard. Which we restored a bit and gave a nice coat of paint.

AFTER:

Arlan also tore down the ceiling and found more of those barn beams and restored them as good as possible and the result came out looking fabulous I must say so myself.

I'm proud of all the work Arlan has done on our home and all the effort, long hours and love he put into making our house a home.

Naughty Corner

2008-03-01T05:38:00.001-08:00

We have this small little "hiding" spot in our new powder room and it seems that Bre just figured out that it is the perfect spot to do "naughty" things.

The other day I was calling and calling for her and just couldn't find her till I meandered into the bathroom only to find her curled up eating a whole tube of toddler toothpaste.
Unfortunately the naughtiness hasn't stopped there. I found her in that corner unrolling a whole roll of toilet paper and I've also found her digging in my small jar of lip gloss and smearing a tube of mascara on her "attempted" eye area.

She is definitely our sneaky one. You got to keep an eye on her at all times but that's not too hard considering she's so cute you can't stop soaking her up!!

Birthday #4

2008-02-16T10:21:00.001-08:00

Trey had his forth birthday party last weekend and guess what kind of "theme" party he wanted. Anyone.....have a guess? Hmmm, a train party but this year it had to be a black engine party.

I found the perfect cake mold and it looked rather easy until 2am in the morning when my fingers were cramped from adding all that icing to the 3-D train. He LOVED it nonetheless.

He got a big boy bike from us for a gift and he looks so grown up sitting there. Breanne actually stole it and sat on it for a long time afterwards. I think she wants to be "grown up" too.

My parents got Trey his first "REAL" HO scale, black steam engine train and tracks for his birthday. He was so excited he was speechless! He just sat there in total awe saying, 'this is all mine? Just Trey's?' It seems like his lifelong hobby has started at a young age.

New Home

2008-02-11T17:47:00.000-08:00

As many of you know we are currently in the middle of major renovation projects at our home. If you know me well, you know that I'm pulling my hair out about all the dirt and dust building up in my house as we speak. So, we moved the kids and I to my parents home and have been there over 3 weeks. (We originally thought this would take 4-7 days to complete. Oh were we wrong)

Parts of our farmhouse are over 100 years old so when we decide to renovate a room you never know what you are going to encounter or what suprises you will find. In our livingroom we took down the 1960's panel ceiling to discover a cracked an crumbling plaster ceiling which we had to take down only to discover beautiful wood beams throughout the room so we cleaned them up and it will eventually add character to the room. (this "project" added 5 days to our originally time crunch)

We also decided to replace the carpet in the livingroom and up the stairs since it was destroyed during the demo of our ceiling and our drywallers did a doosey on it as well. When we tore out the carpet on the steps we discovered finished steps that we decided to strip down, sand and stain. Little did we know that getting 40+ years of glue and varnish off those steps would take 100 years. (this "project" added, like I said, 100 years to the time crunch)

So as if all that wasn't enough for these "do it yourselfers" we decided to add hardwood flooring in the livingroom and refinish our kitchen floor since the clear coat topping was not hard enough when we originally did the floor. This was one of our dumbest decisions. (this "project" took two day but brought tears to both Arlan and I's eyes while we were sanding the floors at 3am in the morning.) The sanders weren't working for us and every time we ran it, it put more scratches in the floor that we couldn't get out. The only thing that semi-worked was sitting on the sander. Finally after about 12 hours of sitting on that darn sander we gave up, got out the little hand sander and spent the remaining 8 hours doing it on our hands and knees till it got smooth.

I must say I think we got in over our heads a bit this time but thanks to my dad and the Beiler clan we were able to get the project done and hopefully move back home by the end of the week.

Be sure to check in for the final results!!

Basketball

2008-01-28T10:41:00.000-08:00

My nephew Brady had a basketball game the other night and Arlan and I decided to take the kids to see the game. His team did a great job and made a good effort at winning. It's hard to believe that someday Trey and Breanne will be involved in a "team" sport. Now days there's not much "teamwork" involved in their play.

Trey was very excited about going to the game. I think he wanted to be one of the players because by halftime he was so antsy and when Arlan took him out in the hallway he just ran back and forth like the players on the court. And during the game I'd see him eyeing up the ball as if he's saying to himself, 'if it comes closer, I'm grabbin' it!!!

Here's that crazy stuff I talked about!

This is Trey's best bud and cousin Parker at the game!

Winter Wonderful!

2008-01-17T15:38:00.000-08:00

How wonderful for the snow to start falling this morning. Every evening Trey prays for supper and he always adds something at the end about "thank you for the snow". His prayer was finally answered.

Breanne insisted on NOT wearing gloves which of course, bit her in the butt when they went numb. She spent the rest of her time out there eating clumps of snow. As long as it wasn't yellow I didn't stop her!

The kids built their first real snowman this evening. Trey was definately in to it more than Bre. I think he's really proud of his little frosty the snowman.

Christmas Morn'

2008-01-05T06:22:00.000-08:00

Christmas morning was so relaxing for our family. We had no gatherings to attend so we spent the whole day playing with our new toys and eating all our favoite foods.

Trey and Breanne really got into opening gifts this year and tearing up all the wrapping paper. They even got gifts for each other. Faith church offers a "Santas Workshop" for children only to shop for siblings and parents without the parents or other siblings knowing what they purchased. It was a fun thing to get suprise gifts from them.

Bre got this rocking horse from my parents. It neighs and wags its tail and she just loves it. She's added it to her "pet" collection. I imagine it won't be long before she wants a real one.

Trey got this giant size dump truck for loading up hay bales and grain. He loves it and it gives him hours of fun as he plays farm.

Hospital Christmas

2007-12-24T07:25:00.001-08:00

It has been a rough week for us especially with Christmas just hours away. Trey got sick with the stomach virus last Thursday and unfortunately it got so bad that he got severly dehydrated and couldn't keep even the slightest drop of water down. By the second day of getting sick he started getting very weary, and unresponsive so the doctors admitted him to the hospital. Within 36 hours he was much better but it was heartbreaking seeing him in so much pain and discomfort.

We are happy to have him home just in time for Christmas and he is doing much better!

Everyone have a healthy and happy Christmas holiday!!

The Big 2!

2007-12-19T17:39:00.001-08:00

It's amazing how the time flies. My little girl just turned the big kid 2!

Breanne it completely and totally smitten with kittens right now so it was only proper that I go overboard with a Hello Kitty theme this year! She also knows one color and it is PINK! So all the food, ice cream and drinks were...........Pink! (Those of you who know me, know I am not a best friend to the color pink but you'll do anything for your kids.)

Breanne's aunt LaLa (Arlans baby sister) got her a toy, pet kitten with a carry cage and all; and she absolutely loves this thing. She's been toting it around everywhere. She even took it to the doctors office today and showed it off to everyone.

Anyway, Bre is growing up in so many ways. In her talk and in her actions. It's sad to see my baby not a baby anymore but I look forward, with much anticipation, to each day of this next year. She is precious to us in so many ways and miss her as a 1 year old but love her as a 2 year old.

Come On Ring Those Bells!

2007-12-08T18:35:00.000-08:00

Trey had his first experience performing in a Christmas program. He joined the hand bell choir and he did a really good job. When the director holds up a paper that's the same color as their bell they ring away. Trey knows all his colors really well so he got the hang of it really fast. The only challenge was getting him to stand there after each song. When the clapping started he thought he was done and put his bell down and took off each time. Oh well it makes a good memory anyway.