Lots of cool stuff...

Its been crazy around here and I've been really really bad at blogging so far this summer. We've been so busy but that really isn't an excuse. To Make up for it though, I'm going to pack a HUGE amount of pictures in this one post!

Well first of all, today we had little Meara baptised. She will be 6 months old next week (and thankfully the dress fit). She was such a cutie, she sat in Ty's arms at the front of the church and the entire time the pastor was speaking to the congregation she was smiling big, kicking her feet and looking around, as if to say 'I know you all came here today to see me so here I am...'. She was so sweet!

We've had an insane amount of storms passing though in the last week and a half or so. We had an incredible thunder and lightening storm one late afternoon last week and after it passed over us the atmosphere was yellow. It was so unusual looking but beautiful just the same. This is a shot Ty got of the grain elevator here in town.

We have another couple weeks of baseball left and as the days past the kids are getting better and better. We have been loving going to all the games and practices. This week our niece was here visiting from Arizona so the kids were over the moon that she got to come watch a game. The first games they had after she was got here was cancelled due to the weather but she and Tad were at Thursdays games. Here are some pictures from last Thursday's games and also the games from week previous.


Cute little baseball butt!

The dirt on the face was there BEFORE the after-game snacks!

Last week we also hosted a water balloon fight! haha Two of the kids' friends came over along with Avery (yes that's right we had 6 kids at the house) and had a water balloon fight and then a dip in the pool, followed by snowcones....sounds like a good day! They all had a great time I think and slept well that night too!

(Grand)Dad came to visit for Meara's baptism and Father's Day. He got here Friday evening so on Saturday we went to Exploration Place with him. That is the coolest place we've been to in a long time! The kids got to look at a whale exhibit as well as about a million other things and just about everything there they could touch and feel or pick up and play with. It was so much fun for all of us!

The kids in a 'Tornado' tube.

This is a table with running water and you had to arrange the baracades so that the ball would travel from one end to the other.

You could pull a ring up over your head and enclose yourself inside a bubble...

And finally, a day of beauty! We took the big girls to get their hair permed at the cosmotology school in Dodge City on Friday. Aren't they cute!

Ok, that's it for now. There's a lot of pictures there so I think I'm caught up......I think. Wishing everyone a very Happy Father's Day and prayers to Magan and her family (my sister-in-law)who lost her brother on Friday. So sorry for your loss.

Hopefully I will be blogging again sooner this time.

Baseball babies

Well we jumped in with both feet to this baseball stuff! We signed the kids up through the rec department before school ended this year. Emma was old enough to join the 'Designated Pitch' team and Austyn and Dagan are on a T-ball team together. Austyn and Dagan have had one game, Emma's second game was tonight and she got her first hit! She barely grazed the ball but it was enough to give it forward momentum and she made it to first base! She was so excited she could hardly stand it. Needless to say Ty and I were very proud!!! Austyn and Dagan both got hits at their first game and made it to base. They were a little confused as to what was going on as they had never played before and had only had two practices before that first game. When Dagan hit the first time he carried the bat with him to first base.....but hey he got to base. I really like the coaches, they are great with the kids and encourage them. A couple of the kiddos on the t-ball team are such wee things they can barely see from under their batting helmets! So cute! Here are a few pictures from their first games and Emma's second game tonight.

Emma playing catcher

Emma hitting the ball

Ready to run to 2nd

Meara and Daddy cheering her on.

Meara, Gram and Daren watching the games

Dagan running to 1st with the bat...

Austyn running after her first hit.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We've been back in the US now going on 5 months. Its hard to believe its already been that long. It feels like just a couple weeks ago that we were traipsing through the airport with all our stuff.....we'll most of our stuff anyway. We miss our friends over there (Thank goodness for internet, email and facebook!!!!!), especially when looking back at pictures but we love being close to family again (most of the time). It is so nice to be surrounded by people that love us and adore the kids and to have help and free babysitting, often at the drop of a hat. Then also to have somewhere we can go, just to relax and hang out for a weekend or longer that is just far enough way that we feel like we are getting away but still be close enough that we can go easily. That is a wonderful feeling all the way around. We've been living in this little, close-knit community and pretty much anytime we go somewhere, some one smiles and asks how we are doing, if we are settling in and that they know Ty or his parents, brother, aunt , grandma etc. Its a comfortable feeling, if that makes sense. We still aren't 100% as to what we are doing but more and more makes sense to stay in this town. God could still lead us down a new path but as we watch Him unfolding the cards it sure seems that way. It can sure be hard sometimes to let go and let Him lead, but we are trying. We are still living at our aunts house and its going pretty well, it has surprised me actually how well we all live together, the six of us, Auntie Carol, Ty's cousin Kert and Ty's grammie and of course the dog. That many people under one roof and getting along, thats a pretty good acomplishment! It will be very nice when we get our own place but sad in some ways too. Its great having the children surrounded by people that love to spend time with them. We'll see how this journey all plays out. Anyway, I heard this song today and I've been singing the chorus all evening.

I get going so fast that what matters gets blurred

And I can’t feel the grass, see the trees, hear the birds
The sky starts to rain and I cuss and complain like a fool
Yeah I forget how good I got it sometimes
How lucky I am just to be alive
Oh I pass through a prayer to the Man upstairs
Just to thank Him like I should
Let Him know I get it
God I got it good
Yes I do
Get it, got it, good

Ok, so I better run...I'll leave you for now, humming a little country tune.....