This girl can fish!

On Saturday afternoon, "E" took Kyla to a local pond to do some fishing. Little Miss LOVES to fish. What blows me away is how incredibly patient she is. The fishing doesn't have to be hoppin' for her to be quite happy. She will sit with a fishing pole in hand for hours... literally! Maybe if I caught something this big once in a while, I'd be more patient too!:)

family...

When God tell us to "think about such things" as in Philippians 4:8, and when I'm tempted to worry myself sick about something or another... I try to pray prayers of thanksgiving. (This is advice from my mom. Believe me, when I'm worrying, I'm not thinking of anything but the matter at hand... my mom is not only wise, she's selfless... and I'm trying to take her advice!)

One of the things I am MOST thankful for is my family. While I'm incredibly grateful for them, I'm also very blessed to have wonderful brothers and sisters in Christ. I love my dear, intermediate family who I'm so comfortable with... the ones I can laugh with, joke with, and be completely relaxed with. But God blesses us with brothers and sisters in Him, and what a blessing and encouragement that is as well! I'm so thankful to have brothers and sisters in the Lord that are very much a part of my "family".

There is a particular couple who "E" and I have been so blessed by. We consistently enjoy wonderful fellowship, fabulous food, and lots of laughs together. Our kids absolutely love them, and they have embraced our kids. The love and kindness that they have shown is overwhelming and something to be most thankful for. It's truly something that is pure and lovely, something I should not only dwell on more often, but spend more time thanking my Heavenly Father for!

I love this picture of Little Miss and the Little Farmer in the back of E's pickup... they are obviously so happy to be there!
I have to say that when the Little Farmer was born, I didn't know how the two would interact with nearly four years between them. My worries were in vain... these two absolutely love each other and watching them just being together is so much fun! These are the smiles we see so often when they are goofing around in their rooms, teasing each other in the car, and playing in the sandbox. Maybe one of these days I'll do a post on the high-pitched, eardrum-shattering screams from the little one when they're not getting along--- or maybe not! I think we'll just enjoy this for now.

Love

When Little Miss turned 3 years old, we bought her something we hoped would be a special gift she would enjoy for a long time... and has Carly ever been special to our little girl! Carly goes with us to church. She comes with us to the grocery store and to our friends' houses. I think she's been on nearly every camping trip we've been on since her arrival. As you can see below, Carly even gets her picture take while doing various activities.:)

Little Miss has had the same outfits for Carly for almost two years! I love that in spite of the fact that this doll now looks like she's low on oxygen and has stuck her hair into a light socket, she is this girl's favorite. She plays with her during her rest time, and gives me all kinds of updates throughout the day as to what Carly's doing, who her friends and cousins are, what makes her laugh, her likes/dislikes, etc... This doll is LOVED. (I can't help but think that Little Miss is going to be a wonderful and much more natural mother than her own is!) Our daughter doesn't notice or care that she's no longer the most beautiful doll. She's been given other dolls since Carly, but Carly remains her favorite. I love that about kids.

Little Miss and her little brother don't ever care what WE as parents look like, what we wear, or what our "status" is in life. They love us, and we love them. That kind love is a special part of being a family. Our Heavenly Father's love for us is incomparably more amazing. Our kids forgive us for our many shortfalls (and we forgive them as well), but our Heavenly Father forgives us all day every day for sinning against Him, both intentionally and unintentionally. Not only that, in spite of our lack of trust in Him, He promises us that "along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light beffore them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them." (Isaiah 42:16) Now THAT is unconditional love! We're called to obey Him perfectly, and we so often doubt. We try to take life into our own hands, forgetting that God always perfectly and faithfully keeps His beautiful promises. That offends the God who gave His own Son for our very souls! And yet, when we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful to forgive us. That is amazing given the fact that we are often so faithLESS! Psalm 103 says that "He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him." I was only going to quote verse 11, but how could I leave out verses 10 and 12-13?! His promises are so clear and stated so often. I am ashamed at the way I often don't trust as I should. Praise HIM for HIS faithfulness and for HIS goodness to us... we truly have an awesome Father whose love, I pray, I begin to fathom!

Boys 'n Dirt

So I'm relatively new to this idea of a very mobile and independent little boy, but am constantly amazed at the irrestible attraction he has to DIRT. And mud. And sand. Even dogfood. All of the previously mentioned items are good for (in his mind, anyway) his nutrition, wardrobe, and overall happiness. Today, my hard-working husband took the time to build a sand box for the Little Farmer and Little Miss. He told me that after he'd filled it with sand, our son lowered his lips directly down onto the sand just to give it a taste/texture test.

See? Red licorice mixed with all of the dirt that was on his hands makes for a tasty sweet/savory kind of treat. And if he sees me coming after him when he's into something he shouldn't be, he digs faster and more furiously, stuffing as much as he can into his mouth. (This is referring to the dogfood in particular...YUCK!)

"You talkin' about me, Momma?"

I was always kind of proud of Little Miss for being a girl who could still get down and get dirty outside. Our sweet little boy has taken filthy to a whole new level. He doesn't think that he's lovin' and livin' the great outdoors until he's plastered in it. Literally, sporting it from head to toe! I just love this little man!:)

Haney Meadows!

Last week, we made the trek to our very favorite place to go camping... Haney Meadows! I have been going there with my family since I was about 7 years old, and with my hubby for the past 8 or 9 years. It is so refreshing to get away from it all! Everything is so perfectly landscaped. Purple lupines spring up around huge, gray boulders. Bright yellow daisies and Indian Paintbrushes brush the sides of the hills. We ride our horses to what feels like the top of the world and gaze at the mountain ranges across this beautiful state. I couldn't help but think of the words of "How Great Thou Art".

O Lord my God

When I in awesome wonder

Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made

I see the stars
I hear the rolling thunder
Thy power throughout the universe displayed

Then sings my soul
My Savior God to Thee
How great Thou art, How great Thou art
Then sings my soul

My Savior God to Thee

How great Thou art

How GREAT Thou art!

Every time we're up there, my hubby and I say, "How could there NOT be a God who designed this all so perfectly?"

We are fortunate enough to have parents who will still go camping with us, and we had such a wonderful time with them! I'm so thankful that they love being a part of our kids' lives... and that our little ones are so close to them. They were so kind as to even watch Little Miss and the Little Farmer so that all of us could ride a bunch!

Little Miss celebrated her 5th

birthday, learned how to ride her bike (on a hill full of ruts)

without training wheels, and even rode her little horse, Boo, all by herself! And as always, she did a wonderful job helping us take care of her little brother.




The Little Farmer has NEVER been dirtier, or happier, for that matter! He was covered in dust from head to toe each and every day. He got up at 5 every morning, not wanting to miss a thing. That's male bonding time, ya know. Dad and Papa would light the fire, head down to the meadow looking for elk, cut up firewood, etc...

I'm blown away at how quickly a week can pass by... and am already looking forward to revisiting this beautiful place next summer, Lord willing. I savor memories we have made there over the years and am always thankful for the new ones!

The Best Thing About Where We Live...

The very best thing about living where we do is that we live about a block away from my dear friend, my SISTER! Teesee (Little Miss gave her that name when learning how to talk) is always within walking distance of a morning cup of coffee, a walk with the kids, or just a quick chat. I cannot imagine life without her in it, especially as we have our own families. She is a wonderful wife and mom, and I'm so thankful that she is such a special part of our kids' lives. Her Li'l M is just two weeks older than the Little Farmer. I love watching them interact and cannot believe how much her sweet girl resembles her... especially in personality!

Not only is Teesee one of the most generous people I have ever met, she is loyal. No, I mean she is LOYAL! She knows what I'm thinking, how to encourage and cheer me up, and when to tell me to just get over something. I never have to pretend or hold back around her... those kinds of friends are few and far between. She is a beautiful Christian, strong in her convictions, and always so caring. There is such a special bond between sisters, and I could not have hand-picked a better one. I am truly thankful to God for the blessing she is to us!