The Klotzbach's

Busy, Busy, Busy!

2011-09-20T10:48:00.000-07:00

That describes us lately. I haven't forgotten about the blog this time, just haven't had time to post! There were some days I didn't even get on the computer at all. I spent the past 5 days working as aide in a kindergarten room for a little boy with serious behavioral issues. He has more than an alphabet of letters after his name. I was a little leary. I've always been interested in special education, but always said that I would not want to deal with behavioral issues. Well, God dropped this little boy in my lap and amazed me at what I could do through Him! I actually enjoyed my time with him. A county person has now been brought in to help him as they work through the process of getting him in the right type of classroom for him. Today is my first day off and I am thinking about him, and wondering how he is adjusting to his new aide. I am excited though to be going back Thursday afternoon to sub for his classroom teacher! Anyway, after working all day and then getting the kids to soccer games at night, the computer took a back seat.

Our Labor Day activity

2011-09-05T16:57:00.000-07:00

Yep, we really labored....but it will be well worth it every time we open a new jar of homemade applesauce. We made 81 quarts. And there's enough apples left to make some pies to freeze!

Car Show

2011-09-05T16:48:00.000-07:00

One of the local churches here has an Ox Roast/Car Show every Labor Day weekend. They started twenty some years ago with only 17 cars. About halfway through, I started noticing that there were vehicle numbers on each tag. The highest that I saw was 1630. There may have been more cars than that. It's amazing. The ox roast sandwiches are free. This was our second year going, and despite the threat of rain, we all enjoyed it!

The boys of course enjoy the show the most. Carter's favorites are the Corvettes. He saw several of these yellow and black ones that he had to check out.

The boys checking out a convertible Corvette.

Brycen's favorites are the Camaros. Mine too!

A display of models. Bryce is pointing at the "Bumblebee" Camaro.

Geauga County Fair

2011-09-03T16:18:00.000-07:00

The past few Labor Day weekends, we have tried to find time to head to the Geauga County Fair. This year, it was a super hot day, with temperatures in the 90s. We enjoyed checking out the animals and displays, but probably not as many as we would of had it been cooler. Every year I try to sell something that gives us the money to go to the fair. This year, it was the snow plow for our old tractor. We got $60 for it. When I totaled up how much we spent when we were done yesterday, it was exactly $60! Kaylie, Brycen and Kelem got fries, I got an elephant ear, and Craig and Carter got ice cream. They may have been the smartest of all of us!

Kelem and I had fun on the bumper cars. Kaylie was in charge of taking pictures.

We got to help tag a butterfly. They track them all the way to Mexico! Here Dad is recording the necessary information.

Grandma rode the ferris wheel with Brycen and Kelem. Kaylie and Carter didn't want to ride any rides, for some reason.

Releasing the butterfly. Everyone held out a finger and she put the butterfly on top and then it flew away.

Craig and Bryce in the bumper cars.

First day of school

2011-09-01T15:11:00.000-07:00

Kelem started kindergarten this year. She couldn't wait. I loved having a girl child that let me pick what she was going to wear!!

Brycen - 2nd grade

Kaylie is in 6th grade and the first year of middle school. Yikes!

Carter - 5th grade. His comment on the first day of school.

"I wish there wasn't a first day of school. I wish there was only a second day of school. Because if there was only a second day of school then there would be no first day of school. As a matter of fact, I really wish there was only a last day of school."

Kaylie goes to school with Craig - in the pitch black. They leave sometime between 5:30 and 6:00a.m. every morning. She eats breakfast once she gets there and does her devotions. She's always been an early bird, but this is a bit early even for her!

4th Annual Klotzbach Regatta

2011-09-01T15:01:00.000-07:00

One of our favorite activities every year. The weekend before school starts we divide up all of the cardboard boxes that Craig got his school shipments in. We make two teams, boys and girls, and we each get one roll of duct tape. We each design a boat and then race them at some friends' pond.

This year, we let Kelem ride for the girls. Kaylie's getting older and the pond had gone down so much, we were afraid she would hit the bottom. Kelem did a good job paddling for us.

Bryce paddled for the boys team for the same reasons. He did great and loved his first time as the actual racer!

The boys won this year. That gives the girls two wins and the boys two wins. We both made fairly good boats. They both held together and it was mostly about who paddled faster. Both boats made it across the pond and back.

The girls boat. We called ourselves "The Bone Chewers". We used an entire roll of duct tape on our boat!

The boys boat. Not nearly as much duct tape. Maybe that's why they went faster!

Kaylie's Birthday

2011-09-01T14:52:00.000-07:00

She's 12!! I can't believe it! Time flies so quickly! Her thing lately is that she wants to be a "sporty girl". So for her birthday, she wanted a sports theme. I never would have guessed it when she was younger!

I should have flipped this picture! We had the cousins here for her party, so we made two cakes. One soccer ball and one basketball.

The baby doctor Barbie she wanted. I'm so glad I have a 12 year old who still likes playing Barbies. So many her age seem to grow up too fast.

Our 12 year old!

Some of her "sporty girl" attire she got!

I can remember when her head barely reached over the table. It was all girly-girl back then. At this age, I am definitely ok with the sporty girl motif.

Cousin Camp

2011-08-28T11:31:00.000-07:00

The first week of August is affectionately labeled "Cousin Camp". Julie's kids come up and spend the week, and Grandma plans all kinds of fun things for the kids to do. Usually, they are up for Bible School, so we just have the afternoons to fill. This year, there wasn't any Bible School, so we had to come up with activities to fill all week. When we asked the kids what they wanted to do, every one of them answered, "Chuck E. Cheese!" So we did that. They spent a lot of time just hanging out and being together. Maddie, Braden and Kinslee "enjoyed" more than one of their cousins' soccer games. We had a late night (for us) campfire one night. We also took a trip to the zoo.

Maddie and Kaylie

Look at those handsome fellas!

OK, I had to put this picture in because it is the only one I had of Carter from the week! I'm sure he loves this picture, but if he would cooperate a little more when it came to picture taking time, he might like the results a little more!

Our pool was brand new (to us) at that point, so the kids managed to get quite a bit of swimming in.

Kinslee and Kelem. It used to take them all week to talk and play together. Now, they're best of friends as soon as they're together!

The Pool

2011-08-27T06:28:00.000-07:00

While we were away at camp, Dad and Dave worked hard in the hot sun to get our "new" pool in and ready to go. After a hot week at camp, it was such a treat to be able to get in!

Our "Toothless Wonder"

2011-08-27T06:25:00.000-07:00

After a couple of weeks of leaving his front tooth dangling, he finally pulled it out! I love the pictures with both front teeth missing! He's missing at least one more now, and looks like he has a lot of gaps in there!

Skyview Week 3

2011-08-27T06:18:00.000-07:00

One of the new additions to the camp this year and our kids loved it! It's a wrestling mat anchored down in the water. Here, Carter's getting thrown off by Craig.

The kids love the goats!

Kaylie and her friend Ashley were pioneer campers this week. They loved it! And best of all, Ashley was saved!

Inside their covered wagon cabin.

We finished the putt-putt course this week. After many hours of sweat (literally) and probably some almost tears from the kiddos, every last brick was reglued and moss and grass were removed.

2nd Week of Camp

2011-08-27T06:11:00.000-07:00

We decided that we were going to fix the putt-putt course for Skyview while we were there. Here's Kaylie applying glue so she can glue down a brick.

Carter was a camper this week. He had a pretty hot week again. He's getting ready for his activity at the rodeo.

After his shaving cream fight. They had to call this short due to a storm.

He actually let me take a picture of him in his bunk!

We took our own bb gun and used the shooting range a couple of times. Brycen loved this activity!

Carter's Birthday

2011-08-27T06:01:00.000-07:00

Carter turned 11 this year! I can't believe it! Time certainly flies. Lately has has wanted his birthday party to be on July 4th. He likes having his party and then going to the fireworks.

We always get some smokers and poppers to set off at his party. This is the first year we let him light them himself.

Our traditional "stand by the table so we can see how much you've grown since last year" picture. He's holding a pickle.

Carter's choice instead of a cake....rootbeer floats!

Carter has wanted a trumpet since he was like 4! He finally got one this year!

All 11 candles in a pickle!

Oscoda 2011

2011-08-27T05:48:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed a very relaxing week at Oscoda again this year. The weather was often chilly, and we didn't get as much beach time as we might have liked, but we definitely loved all of us just being together!

Brycen in the midst of the fog. The cooler weather didn't stop the kids from getting their water time!

Kelem and Kinslee spent most of their time on the edge of the water making "cookies" on kickboards.

We had one day with very rough water and a lot of waves. The kids loved playing in it. Kaylie and Maddie spent a ton of time trying to catch the perfect wave in.

All the cousins love being together, but Kaylie and Maddie have a special bond that I hope remains tight for a long time.

We went to Mackinaw Island this year. We rented bikes and rode around the island and also went through the fort. Here Bryce is dressed and ready for the next battle.

First Skyview Week

2011-07-11T06:52:00.000-07:00

Kaylie, Carter, Brycen and I on a trail ride.

We spent our first week at Skyview earlier this month. I didn't take too many pictures because I figured we had two more weeks there. Then I remembered that Kaylie and Carter will be campers the remaining two weeks we are there - one one week and one the next. We had a cooler week this week, which was good because we did not stay in the guest house with the air conditioning, and did not have any fans. We had good weather though, and good nature hikes with the kids. Kaylie ended up getting sick on Thursday, but thankfully, it was short lived.

Craig leading a nature hike.

Brycen got to take his first horse ride this year. You have to be 8 years old, so this ride has been anticipated for quite awhile. One of the wranglers did real good with him when we got started and showed him how to relax and ride.

Craig's photo session

2011-07-08T15:28:00.000-07:00

Craig wanted Carter to take a picture of him with some kids at Grace Village. Carter took several pictures and quite awhile trying to get just the right one. This is what happened as he was trying to get the best picture.

The first picture...notice the one child.

Now, two children.

Up to four kids!

Finally, 5!

Ethiopia trip

2011-07-08T15:15:00.000-07:00

Craig and Carter made their annual trip to Ethiopia for River of Hope the beginning of June. They were there for just a week this time. The travel was really rough and long. (Someone went through 3 barf bags!) They enjoy their time while they are there tho. The power was very intermittent this year, so we didn't get much information from them throughout the week. I figured no news is good news, right?! Craig did manage to call one day. The phone rang, and the display said "Ethiopia". It was neat to talk to him, even tho we got disconnected and couldn't talk for long.

They were able to take a hike down into the canyon. They had a guide who carried a gun in case they ran into any animals.

Carter's moves on the trampoline. Doesn't it look like he should have a skateboard under his feet?

This is what our money has helped one school do. They were able to get this addition to their school started, then they went to the govt and appealed for the rest of the money. They received the money and will be able to complete. This is part of our goal for them, to give them enough to get them started and then teach them how to become self-sufficient.

This is another classroom that they were able to remodel with our money. You may not think it looks remodeled, but previously, it was basically just a pile of sticks. They now have more permanent sticks in and a roof! That roof is important because it enables them to get some shade and to stay dry.

Carter loves all the puppy dogs they have at Grace Village. Before he went, he was worried that the dogs would like them (not really!). I don't think he had anything to worry about!

Bryce is thinking it is his turn to go next year!!

Memorial Day

2011-07-08T15:12:00.000-07:00

We always enjoy going up to the Memorial Day parade. It's not really a parade, because you are the parade! It's small, but we enjoy being a part of the community for this and honoring those who have served our country. Of course, the first picnic of the year that follows is very good too!

Carter's new career

2011-07-08T15:09:00.000-07:00

We're always trying to guess what the kids will be when they grow up. One day, Carter decided he was going to clean up this old flowerbed and make it his garden. He arranged all the rocks around it, planted some marigolds and some seeds. He did a really good job. I was impressed and told him he may have a future in landscaping!

Prepping the Pool Spot

2011-07-07T17:07:00.000-07:00

Some very generous friends of ours from church have given us their pool...we just need to tear it down and re-set it up. This spring, the weather did not cooperate with us and we were not able to get the pool as soon as we wanted. Here's Brycen digging out the area. We're putting it in the garden, so some of the digging was already done. As of today, the sand is down and spread and Dad and Dave will soon be moving the pool!

Relay for Life

2011-07-07T05:49:00.000-07:00

LaBrae had a Relay for Life team this year. Craig's student council group had a part in it and Craig and I did an Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony for the 6am coffee contest that got second place! This was our first experience with relay for life. Bascom had a plan to walk at 11:00am. Brycen really wanted to go walk, and event though we had a busy day, we managed to get him down for it.

Brycen and Carter in some of their free giveaways.

Brycen limbo-ing at one of the booths.

Brycen with his teacher, Mrs. Schofer.

Another game.

Brycen walking with the Bascom group.

Grand Prix

2011-07-07T05:40:00.000-07:00

Team Kid had a Grand Prix this year. This is always a highlight for our kids, and they start planning their cars well in advance! Everyone did great this year and all four kids placed in their divisions!

Kelem's group raced matchbox cars. She got second place in her division.

Brycen made a Camaro. He got first place in his division for speed and first place overall for speed.

Carter made a ferrari. He got first place in his division for speed.

Kaylie was going for Beetle. It was really hard to make that shape out of a rectangular block of wood! She got third place in her division for speed.

It's been awhile!

2011-05-23T08:27:00.000-07:00

Time just gets away from posting on this blog! We've been busy as usual. The school year is winding down. The kids have just 6 days after today. Their teachers have still been pushing and teaching - which is good, but I'm ready to be done! Kaylie and Carter have had video assignments and group assignments they've had to complete. I'm hoping this week will bring a lighter evening schedule! We held the River of Hope garage sale last week. Despite some rain, it went really well. I'm so thankful to mom and others who help me out so much those few days! We've also had the stomach flu visit our house. Kaylie and Bryce ended up with that. Kelem started with some respiratory thing yesterday and wasn't feeling good. Bryce is home from school today...allergies have his eyes swollen pretty good and I knew the school would just send him home. It's still been really rainy, although we did enjoy a really nice weekend. We took a long bike ride that had everyone moaning about their tushies by the time we were done! I went and bought my flowers today, although it's raining again and who knows when I will get to plant them. So that's a little update on what's been going on around here. Hopefully, I can remember to post more often!

African Elephant Crossing

2011-05-04T11:07:00.000-07:00

We surprised the kids last night and took them to see a preview of a new elephant exhibit at the zoo. Our elephants have been gone for about two years, so we were excited to see them back and see their new home. I should have taken pictures of their new area, but it would have been hard to get it all in anyway. It was huge, and really nice.

The kids are in front of an elephant made with Duct tape. Notice the jackets, hoods, etc. It was freezing! We are thankful it didn't pour rain tho!

Bryce is our elephant lover. He was entralled. I wish my camera took better inside pictures!

They gave us postcards with the elephants names and pictures on them. Bryce spent the whole time trying to figure out which elephant was which.

Carter touching an African house snake. Guess how the snake got it's name??!

A couple of the lady elephants.

The day only got better for Bryce when the "light refreshments" they offered was hot dogs and plain chips!

Again, my camera takes really bad pictures inside, but I wanted to capture Craig, Kaylie and Carter. The older two groaned when we made it through the whole exhibit and Bryce wanted to see it all again. I think he'd still be there if he was able!

This is how I found him this morning, within minutes of waking up. Cuddling his stuffed animal, his elephant postcard and elephant dvd we had to dig out last night, by his side!

Easter in Bay City

2011-04-29T14:06:00.000-07:00

We spent Easter in Bay City at Great Grandma's house. It was a nice weekend with family. We even got half of a game of Phase 10 in with Great Grandma. (It took two hours to play that much!) Here's some highlights.

Kaylie and Maddie spent many hours doing this!

The family Easter picture.

The four kiddos in their Easter duds!

Brycen got a new lego set.

Carter's favorite singer is Toby Mac. We got him a CD, and he was thrilled.

Kaylie got some adidas headbands. Her favorite hairstyle is a ponytail and a headband.

Kelem got a notebook and pencils.

Our favorite Bay City activity... a riverwalk....it was cold this year, but that didn't stop us!

Maddie and Kaylie cooked and served breakfast. Pancakes, eggs, omlets, bacon, sausage and cinnamon rolls...Yummy!

Kelem and Kinslee in their best friend T-shirts.

Grandma and Grandpa with all the grandkids...except Bella. :(

Brycen's 8th Birthday

2011-04-28T10:50:00.000-07:00

I can't believe Brycen is already 8. Every year I tell him that he is not allowed to turn a year older, and he keeps doing it anyway! This year, we celebrated at Great Grandma's house in Michigan so that Maddie, Braden and Kinslee could be there.

His theme was Marvel Superheroes. Not really sure why, it came out of the blue.

His ice cream cake with Wolverine stuck in the middle.

He wanted foot long hot dogs again. (Notice the face Kaylie is making in the background!)

He had his eye on these spikes when the kids played indoor soccer. Finally, I let him get some, but told him they were for his birthday. He did good at "forgetting".

Bryce decided this spring he was going to be an Indians fan. He actually picked them at a good time...they're doing pretty good this year so far. I think he picked them just so he could be opposite of Carter and Craig. They both like the Yankees. Keeps it fun anyway! He was super thrilled about the hat!

Kaylie's band concert

2011-04-21T10:20:00.000-07:00

Kaylie had her first band concert last night. They did real well! Better than I expected. Of course, you could still hear the usual 5th grade band squawks and squeaks! They did it a real neat way. They had a narrarator and he started out by saying that when they first started band, this is what they sounded like...then the whole band just blew like crazy on their instruments. Then he talked about how they learned to play a note...so the band played one note all together...then they moved up to several notes...etc. It was real cute! The first of many band concerts to come!

Indoor Soccer

2011-04-20T08:45:00.000-07:00

Kaylie and Carter just finished their first season of indoor soccer. They've never played before because it's just too expensive! But...their coach from fall called and said they needed a couple of more players. The kids agreed to use their Christmas money to play and do some chores to earn the rest. They enjoyed it and learned how different it is from outdoor. Carter ended up scoring 5 goals once he figured things out. Kaylie was SOOO close to scoring at the last game. She had like 3 shots on goal!! We wanted her to score so bad! She did great tho playing with almost all boys. I never thought I'd see her out there fighting for the ball like that! I just had to get their pictures in their team shirts. I told them it was probably the only time I'd see my kiddos in a black and gold panther shirt!!

It took several tries to get a halfway decent picture. Carter is not a fan of pictures. He insisted he was smiling normally in this one!

OK, they got mixed up, but this one was my keeper! They did not put their arms around each other willingly!!

Kelem's "5 again" birthday

2011-04-16T06:10:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we celebrated Kelem's birthday. We called this her "5 again" birthday. Her Ethiopian birth certificate is dated wrong. It has her being born in 2006. So now her age matches her paper age. Confusing, I know. She was excited and as most kids that age, woke up thinking she could immediately go to school!

We always do cupcakes for Kelem's birthday. She wanted a Barbie birthday. My plan was to stick the miniature Barbie doll into the cupcake and have the cupcake be her dress, but that didn't work. After breaking 4 cupcakes trying it, I put the doll next to a cupcake on a plate.

She got a scooter, so now she can keep up with the rest of the kids on our walks!

She loves playing Just Dance on the Wii. Mom got her Just Dance for kids. We were so busy this past week, we haven't played it at all since the night she got it!

Kaylie's Makeover

2011-04-09T09:24:00.000-07:00

Kaylie finally wanted her hair cut shorter. For a long time, she wanted it as long as she could get it. She agreed to 10 inches so that she could donate to Locks of Love, but also wanted to be able to get it in a ponytail. They ended up cutting 8 inches off. The hairdresser said she still is going to send it in though, as some organizations will take different amounts.

The "Before" Picture

Hopefully, someone will be able to use that pretty hair!!

The "After" Picture

Tracy took the time to flat iron it and everything. Kaylie has already assured me that we are NOT going to be doing that everyday. It looked real pretty though, so I told her we might just do it for special occasions and Sundays.

Craig's babies

2011-04-08T14:24:00.000-07:00

Every year, Craig's bio 2 class raises quail. They incubate the eggs, take care of the chicks and then release them when it's time. This year's babies were just born. They're sooo cute when they're so tiny! The kids love seeing them and usually end up trying to name them. The cuteness only lasts so long though. The birds grow fast and aren't that cute when they're older. He has a bird with a club foot this year. He says it gets along real well and runs all over the place ~ just like Kelem did! Carter holding a bird as its transferred from the incubator to the pen. This picture doesn't show that he dropped one of the birds as he transferred them and then was extremely upset that he might have hurt or even killed it. Carter is our animal loving child. The bird turned out to be ok though, and is still living!

A few of the babies geting used to their new pen. There's actually about 20 birds all together.

Winter Outside...Spring Inside

2011-04-01T14:56:00.000-07:00

We got some unexpected snow this past Wednesday. They were predicting under an inch, but we ended up with about 4 inches in about 4 hours time. Carter went around closing the curtains. He didn't want any part of any more snow!! Truthfully, neither do we! This one was really pretty though. Coated the trees really heavily. It was a pretty drive to school the next day. We are more than ready for spring though. Unfortunately, warm weather is not in the forecast. We're getting ready though! Craig planted all of our seeds the other day, and we already have some sprouts coming up! It's a nice sight to see and a promise that yes, spring is coming!

This is all of our vegetables. And cat grass and cat nip for Kaylie. I guess Craig did plant some marigolds, but I tried to stay clear of the flowers. Every year, I'm attracted by the pretty packages of flower seeds, but I don't have the time to care for them as they need. So my trays of flowers are always tiny little green stems about the time that the nurserys all have their flowers out. Then I'm attracted by those! So this year I decided to save money and just forget trying to grow them from seed!

We have enjoyed a slower week this week. The kids are all done with their sports with the exception of indoor soccer, which is just one game on Saturdays. We've had slower evenings and slower weekends, and it's nice!

Kids Fest 2011

2011-03-25T15:37:00.000-07:00

I'm finally tying up all the loose end of Kids Fest, and posting pictures was one of those things. We had a great day. It was so good to see our church family come together to support us in this event. Of course, it wasn't only our church family. Mom and Dad were a great help, Grandma Ferguson came and helped man the ticket table and Matt and Julie came to help! Julie took some real good pictures. So thankful that she did, because I didn't even bring my camera!

The boys, goofing off as usual. They did work quite a bit too!

Kaylie and Carter enjoying a yummy snack of cotton candy.

Kaylie and Maddie put Kelem and Kinslee in jail...almost first thing!

Kaylie and Maddie ready to go at the ticket table!

Brycen's Leprechaun Trap

2011-03-25T08:56:00.000-07:00

Every year the first graders at school make leprechaun traps. Bryce was so excited to get his turn! We looked for an idea online, and basically copied it. The leprechauns had to climb the rock wall and then there was a trap door on the top. I'm excited that I only have one more leprechaun trap to make!

Bryce brought the trap home from school yesterday, set it on the couch, and this is what we discovered...

You'll notice they have already eaten most of the path before they were caught. I guess even kitties like Lucky Charms!

3rd place chili!

2011-03-15T05:18:00.000-07:00

Carter has been wanting to "cook" lately. He's constantly asking if there is anything he can cook. Well, I always have dinner ready when they get home, and I don't want a ton of baked goods around the house to eat, so there's not always opportunities to "cook" for him. He and Craig signed up for the Chili Cook-off at church. Craig wanted to just make the chili super hot...Carter however, wanted to win! So I found a recipe online that had won several cook-offs. Turns out, they got third place out of 10, which Carter was thrilled about. Their prize was a button that says, "I'm a winner"

New Car

2011-03-11T05:45:00.001-08:00

Well, we were hoping both of our cars would make it until Craig was done with his doctorate, but...with one having 105,000 miles and the other 165,000 miles, we knew that was wishful thinking. A week or so ago, Craig told me we needed to start looking so that if we saw an opportunity we could grab it. So I started checking the internet and other various leads. Then one day he left for school and then came back a few minutes later saying the Lumina would not make it to school. So our search for a new car had to be accelerated. Rather quickly, we found this 2005 Impala with only 28,000 miles. We were thrilled. It's just old enough to bring the price down into our range and we were thrilled with the mileage. This is the lowest mileage car we've ever bought. After three trips to the dealer, it was ours. Glad I took the picture the other day because it is currently covered in snow!

Whew!

2011-03-04T16:28:00.000-08:00

What a week! We're so glad its Friday, and even though its 7:30, we're finally enjoying our pizza and movie. Craig had floor hockey after school all week, so I was on duty to pick up the kids. I had a dentisit appointment, Bryce had an eye appointment, I had to drop off sponsorship forms for Kids Fest and get some posters made. We had calling hours last night for Tom Watson. Then the funeral was today. I worked in the nursery. All went smoothly until the very end, when the child who was sick, and just laying around all morning (not mine, one of the family's) threw up all over another child, who then proceeded to just about throw up herself. Our car bit the dust, so we had to search for another. We're hoping to get that taken care of tomorrow. And to top it off, Craig got a notice for jury duty in the mail today. He was less than thrilled. Basketball games start early tomorrow with an 8:30 game and an 11:00 game. Also got a call that Kaylie and Carter have an indoor soccer game tomorrow at 1:30. That was totatally unexpected as their first practice was supposed to be next Monday. This is their first time playing indoor. Their coach from the fall called and asked if they wanted to play. They're using Christmas money to pay for most of it and then doing chores to earn the rest. At least I got the church cleaned today, so that doesn't have to be on tomorrow's list!

Kelem's lost teeth

2011-03-02T07:36:00.000-08:00

Kelem lost both of her bottom teeth on the same day! They had been lose forever, and she spent a lot of time working on them! She got one out and I could tell the other was extremely loose, so I told her she should work on that one now. Within 5 minutes, that one was out too. You can't see it in the picture, but her new teeth are actually already in. They're a lot further back than what they should be and are perpendicular to each other. Dr. Scott here we come...again!

The rains come down and the floods go up!

2011-02-28T10:01:00.000-08:00

This is how we started our day. Notice it still looks dark...it was! When Craig went to leave the house about 5:45 am, he found that the rain and melting snow caused water to rise and actually come in our house. Thankfully, we had just replaced our carpet with tile, so hopefully there will be no permanent damage. The kids were already awake, so we put them to work scooping water away from the door outside. I mopped it up inside. Thankfully, we got it under control after almost an hour of work. Hopefully Craig made it to work in time. He had to take another shower by the time he was done scooping water! The flood warning goes until tonight, but we've had no further problems. Not the way you want to start your day!

This winter won't give up!

2011-02-25T11:43:00.000-08:00

This has sure been a long winter. We had our fifth snow day today. It hardly seems like the kids have been at school this month between snow days and regular vacation days. Next month will seem really long I'm sure! We've enjoyed the day off though! Craig started the day by staying dressed up and telling the kids they had a 7 hour delay. Kaylie picked up on it right away. Took the boys a little while! Much to their dismay I put them to work cleaning the house this morning and they are currently outside shoveling snow. In between there, there was a lot of video game playing. They have a Kids Korner party at church tonight and then they are staying at mom and dads for the weekend! Craig and I are going to enjoy some kid-free time! It's been so crazy this winter with keeping up with their schedules, when mom volunteered to keep them, I jumped at the chance! We don't have any major plans, we are headed to an art museum tomorrow and out to eat. Other than that, we'll just enjoy the time together.

Our lives slow down

2011-02-16T12:22:00.000-08:00

Kaylie's basketball season is done. Well, she still has one more practice/party. It was supposed to be last night, but was cancelled and rescheduled. Kaylie really enjoyed playing basketball, and I really enjoyed going to her games, but we will be glad for the lighter schedule. The kids were actually in bed before 8 last night, with all homework done! Kaylie is building her resume with her many activities at school this year. She was/is in PrepBowl, Challenge 24, band, basketball, and student council. She's also a teachers aid in a third grade classroom. She loves every minute of it. I can tell we will have to help her manage her time in the future!

Last one to kindergarten!!

2011-02-09T08:58:00.000-08:00

I signed my last child up for kindergarten Monday evening! It was a great feeling! Kelem is more than ready to go...she'd go tomorrow if she could! I'm excited to see what God has for me next. I plan on trying subbing next year, just at the kids school. We'll see how that goes. I'm also taking classes to renew my teaching certificate. I need 12 credit hours and I only have 2 so far, so that will take another year or so. I don't know if I will ever teach full time again, but I will be ready for whatever God has for me.
I also wanted to show off Kelem's latest do. I found this style online and thought it looked easy enough for me to try. It came out pretty good, and seems to be holding well too. I did it Sat. evening, so this picture was taken on day 3 of the do. I don't know why the picture flipped sideways.

Superbowl Sunday

2011-02-06T17:16:00.000-08:00

We're enjoying watching the Superbowl. The boys, Carter esp., are big Steelers fans, so its been fun! We always get pizza and wings. After so many years of having Superbowl parties with the youth group, we really enjoy the time with just us! This is the end to a busy day of church and basketball. What a combo, right?! Kaylie's team played at 2:00 this afternoon. They lost by one point, but it was a fun game. The last quarter anyway!

Game day!

2011-02-05T14:22:00.000-08:00

We spend most of our Saturdays at basketball games, and today was no different. Kaylie's game was first this morning, and they won! She had a real good assist and at least one shot. She even got a foul called on her, which thrills us, because that means she's getting in there and being more aggressive! So, after Kaylie's game, we had one hour at home, and were then off to Bryce and Carter's games. They actually played at the same time today, which was nice. They even played opposite quarters, so we only had to watch one game at a time. Bryce did much better today. He knew more what was going on, and even made a basket! Carter did really well too. He got 8 points. He has a goal of 20 points for the season, and he's already halfway there, with just two games. I love how he makes these goals for himself in sports.

I give up!

2011-02-04T15:00:00.000-08:00

Ok, so the blog got so far behind, and originally, I wanted to get caught up...well, I give up! I'm starting fresh from here! We'll see if I can keep it going this time!

Oscoda Family Picture

2010-09-24T10:33:00.000-07:00

Oscoda 2010

2010-09-24T10:19:00.000-07:00

Mom and Dad treated everyone to a canoe ride down the Ausable. Here's Kelem and Craig in our canoe.

Bryce and Braden must have managed to grab the popular inner tube! They don't look too ready to give it up!

It was a riot watching mom and the girls in their canoe. Poor mom was probably pretty sore the next day!

The boys really enjoyed going fishing down at the pier. They stayed until after dark a couple of nights! They caught a bunch of little things, along with one or two small bass that we cooked up. I know this will be the most requested activity next year.

Bryce floating in the current down the Ausable.

"The girls" first birthday

2010-09-24T10:07:00.000-07:00

Kaylie wanted to get them both a leash and a harness, but I convinced her they would be much happier with gourmet cat food. I wish I could remember the names of what we got them, but I don't think I've ever eaten anything so fancy!

Blackie

Peachy

Oh, and no, we did not buy the bib specifically for that purpose!!

Memorial Day Weekend

2010-09-24T09:52:00.000-07:00

We went to Julie and Matt's for Memorial Day weekend. Mom and Dad also went and Steve and Katie met us there too. It was nice to see everyone! We enjoyed a trip to Cedarville, a quick hiking trip to the Indian Mound, and the longest Memorial Day parade in America....really!

We had a picture like this taken at BBC in December, so we had to give Cedarville equal time! It's never too early for college visits!

Kaylie and Maddie always enjoy their time together!

We saw this fish just after it was caught in Cedar Lake....with a bow and arrow! It was huge!

The group!

Last day of school

2010-09-17T14:42:00.000-07:00

Brycen's class had picnic at the playground on the last day of school. This is Bryce and his buddy, Lucas.

Mother's Day

2010-09-17T14:40:00.000-07:00

We gave permission for Carter to wear a T-shirt to church on Mother's Day. It says "My mom rocks"

Fairy Tale Festival

2010-09-17T09:43:00.000-07:00

The kindergarten classes at school had a Fairy Tale Festival. They were all supposed to dress up as a fairy tale character. Bryce chose Puss in Boots. I didn't even think about him looking like the cat in Shrek or I would have done something else, as the Shrek movies aren't my favorite. We had fun though. They had all different stations set up that you went around to. We took a couple of other kids with us whose parents could not come.

Measuing himself against the giant.

Planting a plant just like Jack in the Beanstalk.

Puss in Boots!

At the 3 bears house eating porridge.

More wedding pictures

2010-09-16T09:05:00.000-07:00

Brycen and Garrett

Kelem and Kinslee

Maddie and Kaylie
We saw a dress just like Maddie's at a garage sale and just had to get it. The girls enjoy matching and I knew it was one of the only ways I would get Kaylie in a dress!

The Wedding

2010-09-16T08:52:00.000-07:00

Kelem was the flower girl in the wedding of Grace Walker and Mike Bussinger. She loved every minute of it, and the wedding was the subject of much talk for quite awhile. It was a challenge to figure out how to do her hair. Then it was funny the different stages her hair took during the process!

This is what we started with, right out of the shower.

We blew her hair dry and tried to straighten it as much as possible that way. Pretty crazy!!

Then we straigtened it with flat iron. Her hair is surprisingly very thin when its straight. She always wants straight hair, but after seeing this, I don't think it looks right!

By the time I finally had her hair done, we were running so late I forgot to get a close up picture of the "do". It's just slicked back in a pony tail with some curls. Then we added flowers.

Brycen's 7th Birthday

2010-09-04T15:54:00.000-07:00

Bryce wanted a Deo birthday party. That's the name of his dalmation. He loves dalmations (deos).

Bryce got a gameboy ~ now he play just like Kaylie and Carter.

Happy Birthday Bryce!

Easter

2010-09-04T13:10:00.000-07:00

We were actually able to make our trip to Great Grandma's for Easter this year. Kaylie was sick, but we thought we took the right meds. Thankfully, she felt ok most of the time because when we got home they called and told us she had strep!

Carter hates getting his picture taken...this is the result.

Kelem turns 5

2010-09-04T11:35:00.000-07:00

Kelem's birthday was very close to Easter this year and our annual trip to Great Grandma's house, so we had her party up there.

She got a much anticipated Leapster game system. Notice she didn't have it for long!

The annual "see how much you've grown by standing by the table" picture.

She was hilarious because after every present, she would bow and say thank you. We said it was her Ethiopian nature showing through!

Since it was so close to Easter, we convinced her to have a bunny theme.

Miss Bluh

2010-08-27T15:21:00.000-07:00

Otherwise known as Blackie. She's our floppy kitty. It's not unusual to find her sleeping in various strange positions! She reminds me of Cody!

Carter and Sam

2010-08-27T15:17:00.000-07:00

Carter loves Sam, the Peterson's little boy! They happened to almost match, and I must have had my camera with me!

2010-08-27T15:07:00.000-07:00

I doing a test run on the blog. Matt fixed our computer and it is working much faster, so I'm hoping the blog will work too. Then I have some catching up to do!

The end of January, we met Julie's family at Splash Harbor in Mansfield for a couple of fun filled days swimming. Nothing feels better in the middle of the winter than the tropical atrium!!

Student of the Month

2010-05-22T08:09:00.000-07:00

Brycen was named Student of the Month in December! We're so proud of him and the good job that he is doing in kindergarten.

Kids Korner Snowmen

2010-05-02T10:52:00.000-07:00

Kaylie and Sarah wrapped Shailynn. She didn't want all of her face covered.

Ben and Logan wrapped Carter. He didn't care if his face was covered, and cover it they did! His face was red and he was sweating when he finally broke free!

You couldn't see even an inch of Carter!

The Kids Korner kids were very busy one night during a business meeting. Thankfully, Mrs. Houck came to get all of us moms so we could capture the fun!

Trying to Catch up!

2010-05-02T07:36:00.001-07:00

OK, its been ages since I posted anything. Once you get behind, its kinda like scrapbooking, its just piles up, and you don't even want to think about how behind you are! Kaylie is home from church sick today, so I am going to try to post some of the details of the last several months!

A Perfect Excuse

2010-01-31T09:11:00.000-08:00

Kaylie is home from church today with the stomach flu. She thought it was the perfect excuse to cuddle with her favorite kitty on the couch. Thankfully, she seems to feeling better and the flu seems to have been short lived.

College Visit

2010-01-28T09:22:00.000-08:00

Craig's brother works for BBC, so we couldn't resist taking the kids on a "college visit" while we were there. It was over Christmas vacation, so we were only able to get into the main building. It was also freezing cold and VERY windy - took us right back to our Cedarville days. The kids are still saying they're going to Cedarville. Of course, the athletic center does it for Carter and being in close proximity to Maddie does it for Kaylie!

Family Pictures

2010-01-24T10:43:00.000-08:00

Craig's mom with all of her grandkids.

Craig's mom with our family.

Craig's mom and his brother's family.

Craig's mom and his sister's family.

The whole gang!

Christmas pictures...finally!!

2010-01-22T16:41:00.000-08:00

I've been really slow putting things on here lately. For good reason. We had a great Christmas at PJ and Rubi's house in PA. We took some family pictures which I loaded on their computer for them. Unfortunately, they have their computer set so that it erases the pictures from the memory card as you load them on the computer. So all my pictures got erased. Thankfully, they still had them and were able to get me a CD of them, which arrived today. We celebrated Christmas here at home a few days early. Mom and Dad and Grandma F were here. We did our usual, with a memorial service for a friend thrown in the middle of it all. The kids were thrilled though. We got them a wii. We've enjoyed one at camp the past couple summers and decided it was kind of fun. As far as video games go, at least this one keeps you moving. Kaylie and I can get downright out of breath ice-skating on it! We really limit the time they can play it too. Basically, they are allowed to play once they are ready before school and then no more during the day. Friday nights, after our pizza and movie, we enjoy challenging each other. More pictures will follow.

Kids Korner Play

2009-12-15T09:42:00.000-08:00

The kids did great in their Kids Korner play. This was Bryce's first time to be in one at all. He spoke right up and said his lines clearly. Kaylie and Carter both had more lines than usual and they did great too. Carter is in the middle with the yellow T-shirt. Brycen is second from the right with the red bathrobe. Kaylie is right behind Bryce in the pink. The best part of this evening was, Kelem started asking questions about the play and Craig was able to lead her to Christ later that evening at home!

Getting the Christmas Tree

2009-12-15T09:34:00.000-08:00

We got our tree a little earlier this year. We were driving home from church the Sunday after Thanksgiving and it was 60 degrees. I jokingly said we said we should go get our Christmas tree...so we did! You can't beat looking for a Christmas tree in that kind of weather!

We had to take a picture of the crocs the kids wore- usually it's snow boots!

Annual Family Pictures

2009-12-15T09:28:00.000-08:00

Our Thanksgiving

2009-12-15T09:22:00.000-08:00

We had a great Thanksgiving! We were so excited to have everyone home! Matt and Julie and kiddos came from Springfield, Steve and Katie and Bella came from Georgia and Grandma was here from MI. And we were all actually healthy to enjoy it! Here's some pics from our weekend!

Walking off our Thanksgiving dinner! We look like quite a crew!

Kaylie and Maddie loved Bella!

Best Friends Forever! I love that the girls are so close!

Kaylie had been waiting for this moment for a long time!

The kid table

The Turkey Trot

2009-12-15T09:02:00.000-08:00

We love our tradition of doing the Turkey Trot every year on Thanksgiving morning. This year, the cousins had a great time being together! (minus Kinslee, who woke up sick) We had great weather. We came prepared for rain, but ended up taking our umbrellas back to the car. Considering we've done this in the middle of a snowstorm, our weather this year was great! Craig and Carter ran the 2 mile for the first time. They had fun, but Carter's legs were quite sore for the next couple of days!

OSU vs. MI

2009-11-24T14:42:00.000-08:00

We always have fun on the day of "the game"! Carter is a die-hard Ohio State fan. Bryce has followed his lead. I pick Michigan, along with mom and dad. It's fun to banter back and forth with Carter. We had pizza, wings and a lazy afternoon watching the game and playing games!

Kaylie's first basketball game

2009-11-15T14:52:00.000-08:00

Kaylie shocked all of us when she came home and said she wanted to play basketball. She's been practicing two days a week for several weeks now and yesterday was her first game. Watching fourth grade girls basketball is a bit like watching a peewee soccer game. She did good though. She got in there and actually had two shots. They didn't go in, but I was impressed with the effort! She was a bit intimidated when we first got there watching two other teams play. They play other schools in the area. When she was done though, she said she loved it! The pictures didn't turn out great. I will have to do some reading in the manual to see how to set the camera.

First River of Hope presentation

2009-11-15T14:47:00.000-08:00

We had the opportunity to present River of Hope for the first time last weekend at our church's missions conference. It was nice to be able to pull everything together and present what we have been working on for so long. It went very well and we had good feedback. Now on to the fundraising!

Student Council

2009-11-11T09:42:00.000-08:00

After much confusion, Kaylie and Carter both found out they are in student council. Carter had been chosen as one of two kids from his class. They then had to make a speech the whole third grade had to choose two kids. He did not get to be one of the two. There were many, many tears that day. Then come to find out, that vote was for something else and the two from each class were the student council reps. Then Kaylie's teacher had told them it was only the top vote getter in the class that was in. When she found out she was to have two from her class, Kaylie got the next highest number of votes. Needless to say, they were both thrilled when they found this out. They had their first meeting yesterday. They'll be doing things like decorating the christmas tree and helping with the food drive.

Halloween

2009-11-02T08:46:00.000-08:00

The kids enjoyed Halloween this year. Although I still think their favorite thing is Boo at the Zoo. They like getting the candy, but trick or treating is not their favorite thing. We only go to 10 or so houses. They had more fun dressing up the cats I think. Kaylie decided that the girls needed Halloween costumes, so her and grandma made some. Peach was a princess. She looked cute, and didn't mind her costume at all. She thought she was perfectly suited to be a princess. Peach is usually our skittish cat. For Boo at the Zoo, Kaylie had on black face paint and when Kaylie tried to hold her, Peach freaked out and hissed at her. Kaylie went without the face paint for trick or treating and Peach didn't seem to mind. Blackie was a pumpkin. She didn't want anything to do with her costume, which is funny, because she's usually the one that is more easy-going. We took them trick or treating to grandma and grandpas house and then they went back home for the rest of the night. Crazy, I know.

Brycen's Fall Festival

2009-10-30T14:06:00.000-07:00

I had fun planning and helping with Brycen's fall festival. Brycen is in the front row, second one from the left. He dressed as Bumblebee. He was Scooby Doo for Boo at the Zoo, but said that was too embarrassing for school. They have a parade first, which he wasn't too fond of. He wouldn't even look at Grandma, Grandpa and Kelem when we passed them. His favorite activity at the party was squirting the candle out (in a pumpkin) with a water bottle.

Kaylie...the next Michael Jordan?!

2009-10-30T14:03:00.000-07:00

This is a Kaylie's picture she drew the day after her first basketball practice. She surprised all of us by wanting to play 4th grade basketball this year. She's had two practices so far and loves it. We can't wait to see her first game in a couple weeks.

The "Free" Kittens

2009-10-30T13:53:00.000-07:00

These are "the girls". They are the most expensive free kittens ever! They both have been sick and have been on meds 4 weeks since we've had them. You can tell in this picture that peach (the grey one) is thin. She looks so much better now. She had lost all of her whiskers. They're back to normal now. They had worms, and also coccidia. The coccidia is what has taken so long to get rid of. I will take another stool sample in in two weeks, and see if they're finally rid of it. The girls live in the garage and outside. Someday we're going to put a pet door up so they can go in and out on their own, but for now, we take them. Everyone loves the girls, and they are sure not lacking in attention!

Pumpkin Carving

2009-10-24T16:16:00.000-07:00

We had a relaxing day getting things done around the house today and carving pumpkins. Kaylie and Carter did their own. Brycen did part of his. Then we roasted the seeds, something we'd never done before. Mmmm, Mmmmm good! Even Bryce liked them I think!

African Children's Choir

2009-10-15T14:28:00.000-07:00

We had the privelage of hearing the African Children's Choir last night at a nearby church. Craig and I had both heard them before at Cedarville, but the kids never had. We were making them miss Team Kid at church (which ended up being cancelled) and they were pretty skeptical. They loved it though! Brycen asked this morning if we could go again next year. Carter proclaimed it "cool". He really liked it. I think he feels like he has a connection since he has been to Africa. The kids were from Uganda and Kenya and all between the ages of 8 and 12. I could have taken any or all of them home! They danced and sang for about two hours. They must have fell in bed exhausted! Our kids did and all they did was sit and listen.

First Kindergarten Project

2009-10-09T13:34:00.000-07:00

Brycen's class has a family project once a month. This month we had to put a costume on our little cut-out man. He of course wanted Bumblebee! He was so proud to take it to school this morning!

Trip to New York

2009-10-05T17:19:00.000-07:00

We made a fast trip to New York this past weekend. Craig's mom had taken her roof off and needed help getting it back on. We left Friday right after school. PJ and his family were able to come too, so the guys worked on the roof all day Sat. They finished about 8:45 at night...in the dark! Both guys had papers due on Sunday, so the work had to get done. Carter and Brycen went with Craig and spent the day playing and goofing off. The girls and I had a lazy day at Becky's apartment. We didn't get as much time with family as we expected, as we did not have a vehicle to get anywhere, but we did get our relaxing day I was craving. We watched a ton of TV, and played our new favorite game - Life. We left first thing Sunday morning for home. It was a super fast trip, but good just the same.

Kaylie and Carter's soccer

2009-09-24T09:31:00.000-07:00

Carter loves the game. Unfortunately, they have so many kids on their team, that they only get to play two out of the four quarters. One as defense and one as offense. We're proud of him. He made a goal to get to 10 goals this season. He has two games left and 8 goals so far. Whether he makes it or not, he's had a great season.

Kaylie definetly deserves the most improved player award this year. She has come so far. She's had a great year. She's been a lot more aggressive than in the past. She's had several good shots on goal. Craig and I were almost jumping out of our seats at the last couple of games because we thought she was going to score!

The Dairy Queen has been our hang out this year. We go after the game if they score a goal. I hesitate to know how much money we've spent at the DQ this year. We limit everyone to just a cone, unless it's a LaBrae game. Then they get to pick whatever they want. Next year, we may have to come up with a cheaper alternative!

Soccer season

2009-09-16T10:50:00.000-07:00

Kelem and Bryce have finished up soccer. They both did really well. It was Kelem's first time playing. She scored about 3 goals this season. Brycen really enjoyed playing, but he only had 6 games. There were more scheduled, but we missed a couple at the beginning and then two were on Wed. nights, so he missed those. Kaylie and Carter have this week and next left. Kaylie has really picked up this year. She deserves the most improved player award! Carter has scored 7 goals so far. His goal is to make it to 10. There are only 5 games left, so we'll see if he gets there. I didn't take any pictures yet. Mom has been taking them, so I'll have to get some from her!

Labor Day weekend

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

We enjoyed a great Labor Day weekend! I have just been too busy to write about it. Craig is at a deacon's meeting and the kids are in bed...so now is as good of a time as any. Craig and the kids had Friday off as well as Monday. We went for a super long bike ride Friday morning. We rode about 9 miles, walked one to the DQ and then back. About 20 altogether. It took us about 4.5 hours. The kids did great. Even Kelem on her tiny little bike. Friday night Craig and I went away on a little birthday trip. I had surprised him the weekend before with a trip. We learned this summer that Shawshank Redemption was filmed near us. That is one of his favorite movies. We were able to go and tour the prison, and see several other of the sites where they filmed. The prison was pretty cool. We enjoyed the time away. The only bummer of a thing was that the pool in the hotel was broken. I was tempted to ask for a refund! If the kids would have been with us, we would of had to change hotels! The kids enjoyed the weekend with grandma and grandpa. They went to a state park and swam and had a picnic. Monday we went to the county fair. We all got our favorite treats - Carter: fried pickles, Kaylie and Kelem: fries, Brycen: ice cream, Craig: a steak sandwich, and me: a funnel cake. The kids all rode the ferris wheel and the bumper cars. I took some pictures all weekend, but I forgot the digital camera, and just used a disposable on our trip, and then just finished it up at the fair.

Kaylie's birthday

2009-08-28T09:15:00.000-07:00

Kaylie turned 10 this year! I can't believe it. She was excited to hit double digits. I just wish I could keep her at the age she is right now. This will probably rate as one of her best birthday's ever. Craig finally agreed that she could get a cat. So we surprised her with two tiny kittens, sisters, for her birthday. I don't think she had any clue they were coming. All the kids were excited, after a brief episode of "that's not fair" from Carter. We are enjoying "the girls" as we call them. They live in the garage right now. We are eventually going to put in a doggie door for them to go in and out. They're not real crazy about the outdoors right now.

My baby girl turns 10! We're finally past wanting a decorated cake. This was a strawberry angel food/cream cheese cake that Craig's mom taught us to make.

Meet Peaches and Blackie, the newest members of our family. We now have one dog, two cats, two fish and a lizard!

First day of school

2009-08-26T12:11:00.000-07:00

The kids all started school this week. They are enjoying it, although Carter would not admit it. My note in his lunchbox the first day read "only 179 more days to go". I was quick to tell him that I was not going to count down the entire school year. Kaylie and Carter started on Monday. Kaylie loves her language arts class. She will be doing blogging and podcasts and needed a flash drive. She will surpass me in her techincal knowledge! Brycen started today. I am waiting for him to get home to hear how his day went. I was able to help in the building this morning, so I saw him in his classroom getting started.

Carter - 3rd grade

Kaylie - 4th grade

Brycen - kindergarten

Brycen, in the first few minutes of his school career!

Second Annual Klotzbach Regatta

2009-08-23T11:31:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was our second annual cardboard boat race. We divide up into two teams, girls against boys, and build cardboard boats out of boxes and duct tape. The girls had a title to defend from last year, and the boys were seeking revenge. The boys made a terrific looking boat that left us girls feeling a little bit intimidated. In the end though, the girls pulled it out again and won confidently! After a little meltdown from Carter, we all enjoyed a picnic and some fishing.

Kaylie cruising along. She very quickly gave up on her paddle and just used her hands.

The boys with their creation.

The race has begun!

Carter, not so happy, but just relaxing in his boat. Kaylie just kept doing laps!

The girls boat. It wasn't that pretty, but it sure was water-tight!

It's been awhile

2009-08-21T16:04:00.000-07:00

I've been so busy lately, this blog has gotten neglected. I will attempt to catch up over the next few days. School starts on Monday, so my days will be more scheduled again. The kids are excited for school, although Carter calls it the "S" word. Kayile is going into 4th, Carter 3rd and Brycen kindergarten. We been to the school a couple of times and had the official "Meet the teacher" night last night. Kaylie switches classes this year for the first time. She has 4 different teachers. I think I will miss that bond you get with the one teacher. Carter has my favorite teacher, the same Kaylie had last year. He's in for a ton of work, but will learn a bunch. Brycen's teacher is one of Craig's former students. He is really excited for school. Kaylie and Carter start Monday and Brycen, Wednesday.

Learning to Drive

2009-08-06T05:41:00.000-07:00

Kaylie and Carter drove the tractor for the first time the other day. They were so excited. Craig made them drive in first gear, so they were going pretty slow. Craig was chopping up these huge roots from trees we cut down last fall. The kids pulled them back to the back with the tractor...made their day!

Our new pet

2009-08-05T07:20:00.000-07:00

Yep, its a lizard. Actually, its a blue-tailed skink. We found him about a week and a half ago running around our house! They are only found in Africa, Asia, or the Southeastern United States. We are figuring that he was either a stow away from Africa, or was in the mulch that we had just finished spreading the day before. Craig told the boys that if they could catch him, they could keep him. It only took a couple of hours, and Carter caught him. His name is Lizzie. Somehow I thought our next pet would be cute and cuddly!

Our final week at camp!

2009-08-02T10:58:00.000-07:00

We 're home! We had our final week at Skyview last week. It was a good week. Here are some highlights:
* Matt, Julie and kids spent Sunday night and Monday with us. Kaylie and Maddie are planning on going to junior camp together next year, so Maddie wanted to check it out. Of course, anytime the cousins get together, its good times!
* Mom and Dad came on Thursday. We enjoyed showing them around camp and spending the day with them.
* Craig did nature trails for all the junior campers. One afternoon it was in the pouring down rain, but he survived!
* The kids were able to swim every day but one! They love the trampoline, blob and superslide!
* Kelem's golf came improved! She went from getting 10 on every hole to a final score of under 100 and 2's and 3's on some holes. Golf is our activity after breakfast every morning.
* We learned how to play Ga-Ga ball. That was a huge hit!
* Craig had all day Friday with no nature walks!
* We ALL swam on Friday. This was the first time in the pond for Craig and I. We swam and all of us tried the superslide.
* We met a very nice couple that stayed in the guesthouse with us. They are missionaries to Portugal and adopted two kids from Africa. The mom and I had a good talk the one day. It's nice to talk with others who have gone through an adoption.
* They gave us a nice gift certificate to the camp store and we were all able to get new Skyview gear!

It was a good year. As of the beginning of this last week, there had been 74 salvation decisions this summer. We enjoyed our time there. The kids are already looking forward to going back. They spent all afternoon yesterday playing "camp".

1460 Hospital Lane

2009-07-18T06:10:00.000-07:00

Our house became a hospital yesterday for several hours! The kids had great fun fixing all kinds of problems on their baby dolls. They even delivered quads....I'm not sure how, but they had the babies all lined up on the couch wrapped up in blankets. I love watching them play like this together. It seems to make up for at least some of the arguing! I hated to interrupt them for lunch and clean up!

Week 2 at Camp

2009-07-17T07:34:00.000-07:00

We had a great second week at Skyview. The weather was absolutely beautiful. The kids really enjoyed swimming every afternoon. Brycen even got brave enough for the mini - blob! He says next time he may try the super slide. Craig did not have any classes to teach today, so we were able to come home last night. That was a huge blessing as our Sat. would have been VERY full otherwise. The kids were disappointed in leaving early, but we promised that next time we would stay the full week regardless.
We found this tiny bird in our front yard. Apparently fell out of his nest. We were happy when we saw the mother bird bringing him food! Now we just hope they don't decide to mow the grass in the next few days!

We enjoyed a hike and creek walk while Craig checked out a potential spot for his nature hikes next time.

Kaylie and Carter on the rock climbing wall. (What the picture doesn't show is that they are actually only a foot off the ground!)

Their first friend birthday party!

2009-07-11T18:14:00.000-07:00

Kaylie and Carter had a combined birthday party today. This was their first friend party (for their birthday's anyway). We had a detective theme and did lots of games and activities with that. I basically copied someone's party off of the internet. Kaylie had 3 friends here and Carter had 2. They each only invited 4, which kind of surprised me. Maybe they will be the kind that don't need a lot of friends. All the kids had a blast. I'd post pictures, but I'm leary about putting other kids pictures online without their parents permission.

Carter's Birthday

2009-07-06T10:11:00.001-07:00

We celebrated the 4th of July, and Carter's birthday on the same day this year, as was his request. Usually it's two parties two days in a row. I didn't even have to make a cake this year, as he wanted root beer floats! After the party, we went to a patriotic concert and enjoyed fireworks.

One class down!

2009-07-04T07:18:00.000-07:00

After spending a week solid on the computer and two straight days sequestered in the bedroom on the computer, Craig submitted his 36 page paper to finish off his first class! He's celebrating being able to be part of the world today! Happy 4th everyone!

Vacation Pictures

2009-07-03T18:11:00.001-07:00

Here's some pictures from our vacation. Enjoy. There are at few at the end that won't make sense because it my first time uploading to photo bucket and I messed up the album.