Another Dani funny!

Oh, that Dani! She never ceases to make us laugh! She is a hoot. You may not find this nearly as funny as we did, but I HAD to post it for our posterity!

We were having a discussion about pirates after supper. Don't EVEN ask how THAT started! ;) But, we were telling Marlie that, yes, they do still exist but that we don't have to worry about them in our country because we have The Coast Guard, etc...

Dani interjects:

"They have treasure checks!"
Keven: "Yes, they DO have treasure checks... and what do they keep in their treasure checks?"
Dani whispers with wide eyes and hands cupped around her mouth: "Their SURPRISES!"

Sooooooo cute!

Give me YOUR eyes!

Just wanted to share with you my current favorite song. It's playing on the playlist on my sidebar. I LOVE this song! When I hear it, I do pray for the eyes of Jesus toward my family, friends and especially the world around me. I've been quite convicted lately that I don't relish the idea of heaven as my future home and my behavior often times reflects it. On the same token, I don't fully grasp or give enough credence to the real horror of hell that awaits the unsaved around me! What a terrible fate and why don't I have the eyes to see what they are faced with? Oh God, please open my eyes to the reality of the eternal!

Tyler Scissor Hands!

Okay, if anyone has a "Horrible Mother of the Year" award, just send it on over my way! Would you please take a look at what my son did to his clothing this morning?! Here's the story: I had opened up the dishwasher to let the steam out and cool things off so the big girls could unload it! At the time, Tyler was playing in his room and I went about my business for a few minutes! I come back to the kitchen a mere couple of minutes (or five) later and see this: the dishwasher door completely open/down, Tyler sitting ON the door, playing with my kitchen shears that had been washed in the last dishwashing cycle. He wasn't TRYING to cut anything, simply checking them out, in a motion reminiscent of say.... post hole digging! He put a huge hole in his shirt and two small holes in his shorts. One of my fave outfits I might add! It's a miracle the child didn't injure himself! God was protecting him that's for sure. Oh, and I wouldn't be a good mother if I didn't take pictures now would I? THAT I can do!

Ode to the little people

Okay, we have a strange son! He sings one song and only one song (so far)! If you are not familiar with this tune, it was made "famous" on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the original movie version. Enjoy! Bear with us on the first video. It's a little long because we were trying to get him to sing it. The second video is much shorter and cuter as I busted him while he was singing it unprompted!





P.S. We don't know how he go this song down so well. We don't go around singing it or anything. Correction, we DIDN'T. Now we do. Not only because it's so dang cute to see him sing it but because it is now stuck in our heads! ALL of us!

Oh, and if you're wondering why the house is so quiet and there is no sign of children of the female kind, they were all grounded to separate rooms from mid-afternoon until bedtime! A story for another post! See book I am currently reading (on sidebar)... purchased today! Yah, it was THAT bad!

Goooooo Eagles!

(now picturing the cheerleader hands....)

I know I am biased, but MAN, I sure do have me some cute kids!

Howdeeeee Pardner!

Here are the western pictures that I promised! Please say you'll tell me if I goofed royally THIS time! ;)

Thank you Tara and Ivan for the belts, bandanas and hats. You'll be happy to know that the girls didn't take them to school for fear of losing them or messing them up somehow! Hope Colton and Carson aren't too broken up by letting us borrow them. They will have them back safe and sound this afternoon!

Marlie thought she needed to do something more corgirlly with her hair so she decided to flip it out. Is that cowgirlly?


And Hannah, poor Hannah... she couldn't find her tennies this morning! Ever have things just grow feet and walk off in your house? Now we have a missing pair of tennies AND a missing pair of jeans!

My cute little western ladies!Tomorrow is Spirit Day! Hmm... is that right? Anyway, they have to show school spirit and wear school colors etc... Nothing really very original to showcase but fun still! More pics tomorrow!

What kind of people ARE you?

I am left wondering this morning, just what kind of people are you that read this? How come no one told me I did the girls' peace signs TOTALLY wrong... on their face and necklaces? Sheesh people! ha ha ha! What a goofball! Keven wasn't home yesterday when I was a design genius! Figures! I had penciled a picture of what I was thinking was a peace sign on my planner to show the girls before I drew them. He looks at it this morning and thinks it's a drawing of a pizza to remind myself to give the girls money for pizza at school tomorrow! We decided it was a yuppie version... like a pie graph peace sign. Oh golly! What a dork!

Anyway, I took western pics this morning. I'll post in a little while! MAYBE! If I feel like being kind to those of you who PRETEND to be my friends! tee hee!

JOKING, of course!

Spirit Week!

What a fun week at school. It's Spirit Week and homecoming is on Saturday! Yesterday was Pajama Day! That sure was easy! I didn't have time to take pictures and I'm sure you've seen then in their jammies either in pictures or in person so...

Today was Retro Day and the kids could dress up in any style of the 50s, 60s, 70s or 80s. We chose the 60s/70s as that was the easiest. We bought some shirts and tie-dyed them on Saturday. Then we got some hemp yarn and strung some wooden beads on them that we drew peace signs, "LOVE", etc... on. I picked their best hippyish pants and put a bandana on their heads. The look was finished with some face paint! Too cute!

Of course, Dani had to get in on the fun too! We even made a shirt for Tyler but our neighbor/carpooling kindergartener is borrowing it!


I'm off to get some thing done! Tomorrow is Western Day! Yee Haw!

Gettin' his groove on!

Oh my goodness, I have a smooooooooooooth one on my hands! ha ha ha! I got a new CD in the mail today. It's called Hymned Again by Bart Millnar, the lead singer of Mercy Me. Anyway, I popped it in for the first time tonight while I fixed dinner. This was one of the first two or three songs and apparently Tyler approved! Watch out ladies he's a smoooooooooooth operator!

The moment you've all been waiting for....

... the ENTIRE "Salsapalooza" song is on the net for your enjoyment! ha ha ha!

God's in the little things!

I know this comes as no surprise to most of you reading this, but sometimes it still amazes me how God really is in the little things. Shoot, He's in all things, but you know what I mean. There are really no coincidences! NONE!

I've been "witness" to the small things several times this week. My friend Valinda was used of God in a mighty way but it started out as persecution. Sure, maybe not stoning or beheading or crucifixion but "for reals" persecution. She's obviously doing something right. Her situation went from that to doing a Bible study of sorts with her persecutor. How awesome is that? Coincidence? I don't think so! You can read about her experience in more detail on her blog. You'll find the link on my sidebar!

Without naming any names, someone close to me has been struggling very much this past week. And I mean a struggle very uncharacteristic of her. She was referred to a specialist for her "problem". Her husband asked for prayers at work, not giving any detail. JUST the right person pulled him aside for more information and had another specialist to recommend. A Christian specialist! Again, no coincidence! She has since gone to see him and is feeling great about her situation. He is pointing her toward God and she is hopeful. Only God can do that! I can only imagine how He is going to use this trying time in her life. I bet it will be mind-boggling!

I don't know if you are like me, but I tend to see God in the big stuff. You know, the OBVIOUS stuff. His creation, salvations, during worship. I am quite guilty of forgetting that He's in the small stuff too, especially when it comes to my own life. My prayer is that I will become increasingly more aware of Him in all things. Not just the big things.

We ran into some old friends from our hometown today, in our "new" town. Haven't seen them in at least 2 or 3 years. We did some catching up and I gave them our email address. Was that a divine appointment as they say? I don't know but if it was I sure hope I don't miss it if it was!

Anyway, I am once again awed by my Creator and the fact that He cares about the littlest of things in each of our lives. For it is the same God who inspired these words...

48"However, the Most High does not live in houses made by men. As the prophet says:
49" 'Heaven is my throne,
and the earth is my footstool.
What kind of house will you build for me? says the Lord.
Or where will my resting place be?
50Has not my hand made all these things?' (quoting Isaiah 66:1 -2a) Acts 7:48-50

...and spoke these as He dwelled among us:

26bThere is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. 27What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. 28Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. 30And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Matthew 12:26-31

Amazing, isn't it?!

Grandparents Day

Today grandparents were invited to the girls' school in celebration of Grandparents Day. Betty drove here from Sterling yesterday to come and my Grandpa and Grandma Neva came too! Sounds like they had a great time!

First they had a short orientation type meeting where they got name tags, had coffee and donuts... Then it was off to a classroom for some fun with the kids. Then they had a program where each music class sang some songs. Betty said a senior girl shared her experience with the school and then a grandparent got up and spoke. They each shared their testimony! Then is was off to the classes again and then lunch. Mmmmm... HOT, SCHOOL lunch! I bet that was yummy! NOT! tee hee!

I sent my camera with Betty and she was able to take a few short videos of the program. Enjoy!

This first video is of the 3rd, 4th & 5th (I think) graders singing. If you look in the middle, in the second row, you might be able to see Marlie in a turquoise shirt.



This next video is of all of the elementary kids reciting Proverbs 4:20-21. This is the verse that the entire school had as their memory verse for the week. Hannah is up front, standing with the red shirt and jumper on. Couldn't tell ya where Marlie is! ;)



And finally, a video of the kindergartners, 1st & 2nd graders (I think) singing. I could try to explain where Hannah is in this one but all I can even see is her head!



Oh, as I watch these I get all teary-eyed! I am still just so thankful for the God-fearing and God-loving teachers that my kids can learn from and the environment that they are in. We have been truly blessed!

Annual Salsa Making Extravaganza!

Oh, we had a fun weekend! Let me start by explaining for those of you who aren't familiar with this annual event which this year was dubbed "Salsapalooza"! Keven's mom, her kids and grand kids (and often others) get together and can homemade salsa! It is SOOOOOO good! Usually this event takes place on Labor Day weekend which is awesome not only because of the LONG weekend for everyone but the ripeness factor of tomatoes. That is VERY important! And we do it at Vonnie's house (Keven's sister) in the middle of NOWHERE is SE Colorado. When I say the middle of nowhere I mean... if you were to point on the map of Colorado to the "middle of nowhere", Vonnie's house is in the middle of that. It's the perfect location! She has a mother-in-law type kitchen in her basement and tons or room for the little ones to run and play! PERFECTO! Betty (Keven's mom) and Vonnie (Keven's sister) traditionally do the hard work of going to a neighboring town and picking the tomatoes. And I mean TONS of tomatoes. Last year they made something like 170 pints (or was it quarts) of salsa, so we're talking no small feat!

So, I guess I'll start with the trip down to Vonnie's. It was a good trip. We got about 3 hours 20 minutes into the 3 1/2 hour drive when we had a flat tire! We were obviously in the middle of nothing! This was actually great because we let the kids out to walk around while Keven put on the spare tire. Just an idea of how desolate it is, one car drove by in the entire time that it took him to replace the tire. Oh, and Marlie was freaking out, afraid that we were NEVER going to make it to Vonnie's. Keven told her to start walking toward some trees to look for water and I told her it's a good thing we had our tent so we could live in the pasture! Oh that poor child! To top it off, Dani got bit by a deer fly or something while we were waiting and flipped out! God knew what He was doing with the tire holding off until we were close. This mama wouldn't have made it without hitting the roof I'm afraid! Then there was Hannah, not a bit worried and as cool as a cucumber!

My man being THE MAN!

Marlie in a huff! Oh, I am so glad I captured this!

No worries!

Not long after we got to Vonnie's, Keven caught a lizard that the girls has a blast with. Hannah played with it for hours, literally!

I am convinced that no matter how old brothers get the old adage always applies, boys will be boys! Keven and Dave are big UFC fans! So, when they get together, especially in the wide open spaces, UFC-type fighting is a must! Oh, those boys! Oh, and Dave thought he got a bruised rib, my hubby has scraped up arms, and they were both sore the next day! I guess it was worth it!


Some pictures of the kids later on in the night watching Junglebook. They all got along fabulously!

(L-R) Dani, Marlie, cousin Julia, Hannah - laughing their faces off!

(L-R) Dani, Julia, Marlie, Shane, Jasmine & Hannah

Needless to say, no salsa making took place on Saturday. But, Vonnie and Betty did pick a lot of maters!

So, Sunday morning most were up and ready to make salsa! I on the other hand slept until 7:30 which is almost unheard of for me! Thank you dark basement!

Dave and Betty hard at it!

Vonnie, Dani & Shane washing tomatoes!

Tyler and Dani helping

Some pictures of the kids having a blast on the swing!


And, the grand finale of Salsapalooza 2008......... THE THEME SONG!

Keven and his niece, Michelle, are two peas in a pod. You would think they were siblings! It's amazing. Well, they came up with the brilliant idea of composing a theme song for Salsapalooza! Michelle even brought out her trumpet from junior high and added this musical talent to their song. Think "Salsapalooza" Nacho Libre style.

Serious song writing taking place!

Dani trying out her trumpet playing talents!

Now for the lyrics:

In the late summer of El Nino time,
You drink cervesa with the salt and the lime.
But something is missing, oh, what could it be?
There is no flavor, no spices, no nutrients for me.

Salsapalooooooooooooooooooohooooooooooooooooooza!

In the middle of nowhere, the hot peppers grow.
They'll clean jew sinuses, blow fire from your hole.
El madre will work jew fingers to the bone.
Salsa making make us stronger, our haunches will be toned.

Salsapalooooooooooooooooooohooooooooooooooooooza!

The salsa is the bomb, your tongue shall call out its name.
It always makes you wiser, it can bring you fortune and fame.
Your nostrils will flare like a bull in a fight.
It cures the cancer, and E.D. and AIDS it will smite.

Tortilla! - Cilantro! - Poblano! - Frijoles! - Habanero! - Chihuahua! - Con Queso!

Salsapalooooooooooooooooooohooooooooooooooooooza!
Salsapalooooooooooooooooooohooooooooooooooooooza!

Now for the video! I am so bummed that I only got the first verse recorded but I ran out of memory on my camera! So, here's a taste of the silliness. Michelle's camera has the whole song so hopefully I can share soon!