Too Much Excitement!

If anyone wants to know what Dale looks like when he sleeps, just look at our kids when they do.

Of course, James takes after mommy and is a light sleeper. And yet he always seems to wake up a happy camper!

We attended a baptism for a good friend, Esther. She was the first (and only) person I have ever given a Book of Mormon to. Several years later, she still had it and was baptized. My dad was so nervous because he "hadn't ever baptized anyone". WAIT! Then who baptized me?!! He regained his confidence, "It's only been 15 years" since he baptized my younger brother. It's amazing what a simple gesture and a good example can do for someone. Such a happy day for all of us!

"Our State Fair is a Great State Fair! Don't Miss It (especially on FREE Day)!"

Only in Kansas will you see a 3000lbs+ statue of a man shoeing a horse made entirely out of butter. This is truly a "Must See" at our State Fair! It's the one thing I look forward to seeing every year. And every time I see it I tend to think of Baked Potatoes! Yummy!

One of the many things people do in the mid-west the best is grow produce, and then they take it to the fair and have it judged. My question is what do they do with it after they're done with it? You'd think they'd eat it right?!

I have never seen such a huge pumpkin, but I'm thinking that we could totally grow an even bigger one and beat everyone next year. You could make like 8 pumpkin pies with that!

If you bring your Scare Crows to the fair, who's watching your fields? If I only had a brain!

This display was even bigger then pictured! WOW!! Look at all that honey! How do they judge the best honey? Can I be a judge next year?

We mainly took these pictures for Mom Pratt (and for Clara). You can't miss the "Poultry" section of the fair. My mother loves to see all the livestock and other little animals. Although it was a smelly place, and quite loud (I might add--James didn't care for this area) Clara and Daddy had a great time making fun of all the silly "roosters".

Wouldn't this be a lovely face to wake up in the morning to?! Now you know what Dale has to go through every morning. Poor Guy!

Isn't he just a handsome little stinker! Wouldn't he look better fried? Speaking of which, we didn't not eat anything deep-fried at the fair. Although, among the "Deep-Fried" things, I did see that they had fried Pickles, Twinkies, Cheese Curds, Cheesecake, and Apricots.

This was Clara's favorite part of the Fair. She loved to see all the bunnies. There were really small ones to "bigger than my dog" ones. Clara felt it was her job to make sure they all had water. So, she preceded to check every dish. What a silly girl!

As we were leaving the building, daddy pulls Clara over to get one last picture of "Daddy's Favorite" (the Dutch?).

All in all, we arrived there at noon and we didn't get home until 6 pm. So, if you guys ever want to visit us in September, we'll take you all to Free Day at the Fair. We're already planning for next year. I wonder what crazy things they'll deep-fry next. If they run out of butter, I know where they can get it from and its not far.

Any Given Sunday!

Nothing special about this post except the pictures. Children are the cutest, especially when they are not trying to be. So, what is your verdict-Does James look like me or Dale? You know right now both of them look like their dad, but in all fairness, James got his "Chunks" from mommy!

5 Months!

My blue-eyed boy!

James is already 5 months.I can't believe it! He is eating (loves Sweet Potatoes!) and rolling over-not at the same time. He adds more joy to our lives everyday, with each new discovery. We sure love this "Super Chunk"! (Even Clara adores him!)

Kansas Wildlife Center

One of the best things about being homeschooled is that you get to go on fieldtrips whenever you want! Now that doesn't mean "All play and no school!" but it does mean you get to have some fun experiences.

How many of you can say that you have fed a beaver (named "Willow") , several hawks, a possum, skunk, owls, or even a bobcat? Because Grandpa "knows people", we were able to have an experience that we will probably never get! We visited the Kansas Wildlife Center in Riverside Park (a hidden treasure), and were able to meet "Willow" the beaver, who was orphaned and brought to this Center when she was a baby. Did you know that beavers are the largest rodent in North America and second in the world? They also don't have really good eye-sight either. And, they smack you if you don't have any food in your hand and you try to pet them. (Yes! I was smacked by a beaver.)

Clara had alot of fun feeding the beaver. She wasn't too sure about petting it though. We did and it was soft like a cat. The tail was pretty neat too, kinda like suede.

We look forward to visiting again soon!

First Day of School!

We started to Home school Clara this year for pre-school. We are using the "Abeka" curriculum, and have been loving it. Clara's schedule includes Phonics, writing, numbers, and even learning the Articles of Faith. (She knows the first and second by heart now.) With what the headlines are saying about the current (traitor) president going into schools and "talking" with the future generation, we feel that we have made the right decision in home schooling our children. And if anyone is worried about our children not getting the "social skills" they learn in school, obviously hasn't met our family (or for that matter, Clara-she is such a social butterfly!).

Look who's 4!

No Peeking!Can't believe it. As Dale says, "She's not a baby anymore. She's a little girl."

It's sad,but true. We celebrated Clara's 4th birthday with family and friends at Memee's house. Of course, you have to have a Princess Pinata too! We thought she would be heart-broken once it got beat up, but the minute we told her it was filled with candy, that didn't seem to matter! Everyone got in on the spoils, even James, who seemed to make out like a bandit!

Clara's favorite gift had to have been the Tinker Bell shoes! She was so excited, she even wore them to bed.

Trip to Arizona

Grandmas are the Best!

We went for a week and a half to Arizona in late June-early July,and had way too much fun. Every morning, Clara would get up early to collect the eggs with Grandma Bonnie. She absolutely loved feeding the chickens and had fun counting "all" the eggs she'd find. While we were there, we also got to see how "irrigation" worked. (That is something us midwesterners don't get to see everyday.) Toward the end of our trip, we didn't want to leave. Guess we'll just have to visit more often!