Bear with me as I update...

Erin in Grandpa's "pool"

Maggie loves baby Lyndsay!
Isaac
We stopped at Simons in Millington to get gas on the way home and saw this in the yard next door! She was actually petting it when we left!

I said before that I'm learning the different ways to post pictures, etc. I am trying to move the pictures to the right into the original post for those pictures instead of the continuous line on the right that kept adding up. So, some of the pictures have been removed and put with the blog for that day in the archives. I can't do it all in one sitting so little by little it will change as I get the time. Anyway, we get to sleep in tomorrow and go on the field trip to the zoo (Birch Run Winderness park) with the kids/school! Erin is very excited! Here are some more pictures to enjoy of last weekend, etc.

What a week!

Hi there - think I gave up? Well, my husband was home last Friday with the stomach flu/virus. Finally around 3pm he was feeling up to being out of bed. We went out to Millington after I got home from work. Erin was so excited to finally be "making our beds" at the camper! I have to admit that I was, too. We went for a nice walk that night and scared up some deer in the back field. We were listening to the turkeys in the woods and could also hear fawns crying for their mamas. We had a campfire that night and went to bed very very tired! Erin fell off the bed some time during the night and slept on the floor for part of the night! During the night, I got the chills, etc. along with a belly ache and ended up in bed most of Saturday or laying on the couch in the camper. It was bad! My father in law came over at around 2:30pm and took Isaac and Erin (who were bouncing off the walls) for a ride in his truck around the property while I crashed with Lyndsay. He came back and offered for me to go to his house so he could help watch Isaac and Erin. I was back in bed and told him I didn't really feel like going anywhere! (Jeremy had run to the store that morning and got cereal for him and the kids and then took them into town with him a few hours later and came back with chicken strips and potatoes for lunch). So, he offered to take them to his house and I told him I would come and get them after the baby woke up! She and I woke up at 5:15pm! I went to pick the kids up and they were having a blast. Erin had taken a nap, they had both fallen into the water hole where his pool used to be (the wind knocked it down this winter) and had their clothes washed and dried. While I was there, Erin and Isaac went back outside and looking out to check on them found Erin in her sweatshirt, underwear and nothing else running back through the water again! So, we gave up, got the cameras out and took some pictures! We went home that night. Sunday was church and then back out to the property to have dinner (steaks on the grill!), then back to church again. Jeremy got some biolage planted out back and the corn is also planted as well. Back to work on Monday. All of the kids have been getting belly aches and bathroom blues all week! Hopefully they won't get it as bad! My sister got it as well over the weekend. Monday, she ended up having to put one of her old mares down - she got sick during the night and wasn't going to get better. Amber stayed home from school til 1pm to help her because she was watching my girls that day. Long day for her! Tuesday was yard work day and we stopped at the Greenhouse to buy garden plants and flowers! Tonight we did a bunch of running around - new garbage disposal to replace a leaking one, to Walmart for a few things the kids need for their field trip to the zoo Friday, and to Gander Mountain for a turkey call and more seed. I'm tired and am off to bed! I hope to post some pictures in the next day or two - got some neat ones! We have Fri-Mon off from work! Oh, I did go and get my hair fixed (don't remember if I said that already, sorry) and my nose is finally returning to normal looking - the people at work got a kick out of my story! By the way, nose hairs to come in handy for certain things, but I won't discuss that here!:) Have a great day tomorrow and I'll post more this weekend!

Chris

Thursday night...

I'm waiting to go to bed... We seemed to have caught a stomach virus or something - our babysitter was sick Wednesday so who knows? Jeremy really wasn't feeling well tonight and even came home before dark from the property! I plan on spending tomorrow night in Millington at the camper so I thought I'd post a little tonight. I had Monday off and we didn't have any power from 4:30am til 11:30am. Jeremy said I picked a bad day to take off - it was cold and rainy. But, I took a little siesta with Lyndsay at 9am til Erin woke up at 9:30am and took a nice swim in the hot tub with Erin in the afternoon while Lyndsay napped. A leisure day for me which doesn't happen very often. I went out and mowed the lawn (which I thoroughly enjoy doing) after that while Lyndsay napped again! So, I feel like I had a great day off for the most part! Tuesday night, I got hot dogs ready for supper at the camper and went to Millington with Jeremy. He took off to disc the field so our neighbor could plant corn. I was going to start the campfire so we could roast the hot dogs (easy right?). I went to light our handy dandy propane torch (Tim the tool man would be proud) and held it too close to the ground while waiting to get a match to stay lit. BOOM - backdraft right into my face and knocked me to the ground. I stood up, saw smoke coming from my head, thought I might be on fire and dropped and rolled! I got up, asked Isaac (eyeballs as big as saucers) if I was on fire anywhere - he nodded NO. My arms and nose were burning! Poured water over both and felt my hair - very scary! My hair was singed and stuck together - so much for my highlights and cut the week before. I found some antibiotic cream in the camper and applied that, then went to my father-inlaw's to wash my hair and see what the damage was. Lots of hair in the tub. Tonight I went and had my stylist fix it for me and it looks fine now - thank the Lord! I have no nose hairs left and most of the hair on my arms is gone. I singed some of my eyelashes off and have a blister on the end of my nose and my left nostril! I also have a burn on the inside of my left elbow. I'm glad I had my glasses on because my eyebrows and the rest of my lashes would probably be gone! It took Isaac and I an hour to find my glasses! Jeremy said he would light the campfires from now on:) I did go back and get it lit and roasted hot dogs for dinner! We didn't get home until late. Last night there was an accident on the highway on the way home so we didn't get home until 5:30pm. My sister watched the kids for us yesterday and when we got there to pick them up she had a delicious spaghetti dinner waiting for us! Thank you Heather! I'm way behind on laundry (and everything else), so tonight we caught up on that a little - I was gone for 2 hours with the haircut appt., meijer's and TSC stops. Thank goodness the kids are having a picnic at school tomorrow and don't need lunches and we ordered a rib dinner to split for lunch at work, so that made getting everything ready for tomorrow a little easier! Hopefully I'll post with more exciting news from this weekend at the farm and pictures as well! And, don't worry, I'll leave the campfires to Jeremy!

Have a great weekend,

Chris

Post #2 more pictures

Isaac and Chelsea at Bavarian Inn (not much eating going on!)
Erin all decked out!
Our table - we had all the kids sit at the other table behind us!
Mom and Bill
Lyndsay in her pretty princess dress - she was sooo cute! She was actually sitting up in this chair all by herself! Curt's teacher/our assistant Pastor and his wife gave this outfit to her after she was born! I had to have a sweater and bib on her all day so we didn't get to enjoy the outfit until picture time. I meant to have someone take a family picture of us today with the baby, but forgot:( Maybe next time!

Happy Mother's Day!

Chelsea opening gifts
Dad Bohn, Amber and Isaac
Grandpa playing the guitar
Watching Grandpa playing guitar
Carly, Curt and Alli today at Bavarian Inn

Happy Mother's Day! Well, it was a busy week as always - I probably can't even remember everything that happened, but will try my best. Monday my dad came over at around 6pm as we were sitting down to dinner. The kids all enjoyed his guitar playing as well as myself! Isaac and Erin's attention span are not quite long enough yet, but they did good! I especially love sitting around a campfire and singing songs to the guitar. No campfire yet, but it was still fun - my dad gets better and better every time we hear him play. I wish some of my parents' talents (and stepparent/inlaws talents as well) would rub off on me! Monday at work, my right leg was bothering me worse than it had on Sunday so I went to medical at work and then called my doctor who told me to stay home from work Tuesday and go in. So, I got to sleep in Tuesday (poor me!:) Doctor sent me to Covenant later in the day for a doppler ultrasound which came up negative - no clots thank goodness. So, back to work on Wednesday. Friday night we went to the property after going to Walmart and TSC in Clio, visited with the neighbors for a bit before coming home and getting to bed about 11pm! Worked Saturday while Amber stayed home with the 3 little ones. Came home, went to the Mother/Daughter banquet at church for the speaking part of it (missed the dinner), then took Amber to her Grandma's/Dad's house. I stopped at my cousins house to pay for fundraising stuff I ordered and got to visit with them for a few hours while the kids all played together. That was a lot of fun - I wish we could get together more often! Hopefully their house is still standing! This morning at church Amber, Brooke and I sang Cherish the Moments together. Nana, Grandpa Len, Aunt Jenni and her girls and Grandma Reid all came to church and then we went to the Bavarian Inn for dinner (22 people) along with my Mom, Bill, Heather (Carly and Maggie), Phil and Chelsea. That was loud, but good food. Just didn't get to visit with everyone as much as we would've liked to. We looked around in the shops a bit as well - the toy store downstairs is cool - they have a "nursery" full of babies! Maggie and Erin (mostly Maggie, though) got a kick out of those! Back to our house to have Chelsea open her birthday presents. Now it's 9pm and we're winding down, getting ready for bed.

A little funny for you - 2 nights ago, Isaac woke up to go potty at around midnight. I took him in there then shooed him back to bed so I could go. I walked by his room and noticed he wasn't in there and heard him giggling on the couch. I told him to go to bed! He got into bed and I could again hear him just giggling and belly laughing almost! Told him to be quiet before he woke the whole house and then he came into my room saying he was looking for something (GO TO BED). Finally, he quieted down and went to bed. Saturday morning I called him from work and asked him what was so funny at 12 at night. He said he was laughing at daddy snoring! Then I asked him what he was looking for when he got up and came in our room and he said the F--T cushion (whoopie cushion). I started laughing - he was going to try and compete with daddy's snoring apparently and thought it was pretty funny to boot! Boys, I tell ya! Have a great week and here are a few pictures to enjoy!

Sunday post #2

Isaac and friend Emily
Erin's favorite!
Isaac's favorite
My good friend Jennifer, her daughter Ethne and Erin

Sunday fun at the big day at church

Isaac waiting in line

Brooke with Erin
Curt
Brooke

Today was our big day at church - lots of good food and fun games to play. The weather was great, a little windy but beautiful! Enjoy the pictures again...

more pictures!

At the property today - love the field full of dandelions!

pictures for you!

Plowing fields at the property...

Smiling with momma

loving the chicks

The camper, tractor and fields...

forgot something...

I forgot to tell you that Tuesday, we drove down to work because some guy at work gave Jeremy a small lathe he didn't want anymore. Since we drove down, I called and got us into the dr. at 4pm. We left work at 2:30pm and stopped to pick up Isaac, Erin and Lyndsay before going. We also stopped in montrose for some tractor weights for the International so Jeremy could plow with all 4 tires on the ground! Erin didn't wear shoes to the babysitter so we had to carry her in everywhere. Doctor's office visit was rushed (she had to be somewhere and we were 10 minutes late). I did get her to give us both antibiotics and refer me to a vein specialist for my left leg. Jeremy went right to the property and I stopped at the grocery store and then the pharmacy in Bridgeport before going home. When I got home, I saw my Dad and Teresa were sitting in their car in the driveway! They just got home from Florida a few weeks ago and came to town. It was 5:30pm when I got home. We had a nice visit! Their little dog is so adorable and pretty! I was going to take pictures, but Amber took my cf card with her to Walmart:( The kids got lots of "hugs" from Nicki and hopefully tired him out! I was glad to see them home safe and sound! Teresa brought me an orchid which yes, is still alive after almost a week! The girls got some pretty watches as well! We visited until after 8pm and about 5 minutes after they left, Amber Brooke and Curt got home from their dad's. They were not happy to have missed out on seeing them!

Today, we went to the church at 10am for singing practice and then to my sister's to see my mom who came down yesterday. We goofed around outside and the kids played and watched the horses, etc. before we had to go and get other things done before going out to the property. We got lunch at McD's, went to Danielle's grave and worked up the dirt and re-did the edging before putting my fake daffodils back in! Then went to Millington and were happy to see the camper back in it's place! The thing looks brand new! Jeremy and I put the awning out and he ate his lunch before going back out to continue plowing. He said he left a patch on the outside of the fields so we could still go for walks, etc. So, we started out and found no, there wasn't a path around all of it, but enough to get around with only a little mud... After he discs it and plants it, it won't be so bad. We got to the back field and thought the rain was ahead of us, but it started to come down, not too hard at first. We finally made it back to the camper and did it ever start coming down hard then! Thank goodness for the new awning! We stayed until around 5:30pm before heading back home. I got a pizza for dinner on the way and stopped to get some groceries for the week as well. Now we are home, watching the chipmunk movie that I fell asleep during last night. I will go out and watch it when it gets to the part I fell asleep at! Anyway, here are some more pictures and I will post again soon - have a great Sunday!

Chris

Hi there!

Well, it is Friday evening, Daddy is holding Lyndsay, and everyone else is sitting nearby, watching a movie. Amber is at the Patch the Pirate play with some friends at First Baptist. Bear with me as I am learning more and more about different things I can do on this blog thanks to my oldest daughter. My dad will call and ask me a computer question and I'll refer him to one of the girls usually!



We were done at work at 3:30pm but had to wait for some of the other riders on our van who didn't get done til 4pm. I fell asleep on the way home and woke up at 5:09pm only to find we were still in Flint. Apparently with the rain, there were quite a few accidents on the way home and traffic comes to a standstill it seems at each one. So, we got off in Flint and skirted around to Pierson Rd. and got back on 75 to make it home by 6pm! Two hours to make a 1 hour trip! So, Jeremy and I picked up KFC and a few movies to bring home. It is raining and we'll take advantage of that to rest a little! He's going to bring the planter into the garage tomorrow if it's still raining and work on that. He hopes to plant 5 acres of corn at the property and get our neighbor to combine it for us when it's ready. All other land will be planted in hay hopefully! So, I'm sure he'll also be out there plowing this weekend. Wednesday, I had a hair appointment scheduled and I called to see if Kim could "repair" Erin's haircut and she said I could bring the boys as well instead of bringing them Thursday night as scheduled. So, I did. The only bad thing is I think while doing haircuts in between my color, the highlights got left in a little too long and I look a little "blond". Oh well, everyone says I look really young now! That's not a bad thing, right? Atleast the gray is gone:) Erin's hair looks much better and Kim pointed to her license on the wall and told Erin she had to have one of those or be a mom in order to cut hair from now on. Do you think she'll listen? Probably not! After haircuts, off to church and ladies' group practice. We are singing Sunday morning for the big day. Mother's day me and hopefully all of my kids are singing Cherish the Moments. If worse comes to worse, it'll just be me and the girls. We have some practicing to do yet. I didn't get home til 9:15pm that night, then rush rush to get everything ready for the next day!



The chicks have been doing great outside. We let a few out of the pen to run around and let the kids play with them as well. We have to be careful Erin and Isaac don't step on any and hurt them! The turkey's are a lot of fun. Today, we had to call after school and have Brooke go out to shut off the heat lamps and check on them. When we got home, she wanted to take a shower cuz one of the turkeys had jumped onto her head when she bent over. He must really like her! Most of the week we've been playing outside a little while after work before coming in to get ready for bed, etc.



Wednesday, Heather babysat Erin and Lyndsay for me. They had a great time! Erin was so excited about going over there - she was no problem going to bed Tuesday night! She and Maggie enjoy one another! All of my kids love Aunt Heather's house and Aunt Heather! It's hard to get them to leave once they are there! But, that's a good thing!



I got Isaac's costume for their play for Kindergarten Graduation. He is the pig and I had to order a costume on line. When it came in the mail, Brooke opened it to see if it would fit him and he said he wasn't going to wear something that was for girls! Pink was for sissies! Oh boy, what to do? I thought about trying to dye it a black or brown, but don't want to ruin the fabric I paid good money for and don't have time to order a new one, if needed. So, I told him he'd have to wear it after all there were pink boy pigs at the fair! I did tell his teacher she may want to consider having a girl play the pig part in future plays. Hopefully all will go well. His K5 graduation is Sunday, June 1st (also his 6th birthday) at 6pm. I can't wait - they've been practicing for a long time!

Well, I'm off to get the baby who is now fussing. I'll try and take some pictures this weekend and post again. Have a great weekend!

More Pictures!!

Videos n Pictures :0)

Hi all!

I hope you enjoy the pics.. Hopefully it will work! :O)

Much Love!

Ber

Adventures in Gatlinburg!!

Hello everyone!
I just wanted to post and tell you all how our JR/SR trip went! Oh my goodness, It was so much fun! We left for Bro. Josh's parents house in Toledo on Friday right after school.. We got there around six I think. We went there, and settled in, and then we went out to eat at the Spaghetti Warehouse. It was pretty good. After we ate we all piled back in the van, and went over to Nicki's house (Bro. Josh's sister) we played the Wii for a little while.. It was fun!
Us three girls, Samantha, Lakisha and I, stayed at the Newbolds house while the guys stayed at Nicki's and Rays. We left Toledo on Saturday morning around eight or so, and we traveled all day to Gatlinburg. On the way down Sam, Lakisha, Francisco and I played the card game ROOK almost all of the way down.. We played UNO for about an hour or so, but the rest of the time it was Rook.. (We're pretty much addicted to that game, lol) We finally arrived in Gatlinburg at six or so.. We got stuck in alot of traffic in Pigeon Forge due to a car show.. There were people sitting on the side of the road all day long watching old cars go by.. How crazy is that?!?!?! When we got to the condo we finished making dinner, and we played games the rest of the night. It was fun! A great way to start our week!
On Sunday we got up and went to church at Liberty Baptist Church where Pastor Settles is. We were able to hear Bro. Mark Bujey (sp?) preach.. It was great! After church we went out to eat and then back to the condo to change into something more casual for the rest of the afternoon. We went up to Ober Gatlinburg and went on the Alpine Sleds.. It was awesome.. Very scary at first though. In order to go out on the sled you had to go up the mountain even farther on ski lifts. I was scared to death at first because of the whole heigths issue, lol.. I wasn't the only one that was nervous, I think we all were.. Any way we got up there safely and it was a blast! Not as scary as we thought. :0) After that we went "home" and got changed, and went to church.. After church we went Putt-putting. It was cool..
On Monday we went to all of the Ripleys Believe it or Not things. First we went to the Museum.. There was a bunch of crazy stuff in there! It was very interesting. lol.. After the museum we went to the van and ate lunch, and then off to the 4-D moving theatre. After the theatre we walked the streets of Gatlinburg on the way to the Ripleys Aquarium! That was awesome!! the aquarium is one of my favorite parts of the trip! We saw so many different animals! We were able to touch some kind of thing related to the spider, and then also a Sting Ray! The Sting Rays are soft and squishy! lol it was so cool! You were able to go through tunnels underneath the water, and look at all of the sharks, and fish.. The Saw fish would lay across the tops of the tunnels, they are so big! lol It's crazy! You could look up and see there mouths. lol it was funny! After the aquarium we walked back up the streets of Gatlinburg and back to our car so we could meet Pastor and Mrs. Jurva out to eat. We went to the Apple Creek Orchard.. it was very good! Monday night was of course another night of Rook and Buzz Word.
On Tuesday we all got up and us girls made Biscuits and Gravy for breakfast, and then we left for Caves Cove! Wow! Was it gorgeous or what!! We were able to stand five feet away from three deer that were off to the side of the road.. It was pretty neat. We walked through a creek and took some great pics of the mountains. Once we were on our way home we saw a bear crossing the street.. It was awesome! lol I have never seen a bear alive before! lol
That night we went out to eat at the Dixie Stampede! Boy, was that ever awesome! lol I Loved it! They serve you dinner and then put on a show while you are eating! You have to eat with your hands. You don't have any silverware or anything.. Kinda disgusting, but cool all that the same time! :D They do a bunch of different races and stuff.. It is alot of fun! Oh, and if your side wins, the soldier men ride up and give a girl of there choice a flower! Mrs. Carrie got one! It was cool. lol :0) After Dixie Stampede we met up with Pastor and Mrs. Jurva in Gatlinburg and went putt-putting again.. It was cool! That game was also the game I won! :0) lol I was surprised because I am horrible at putt-putt! lol Once back at the condo we played Rook again.. lol It was crazy because we were all so tired, yet wired! None of us could stop laughing and we got to laughing so hard we were crying! lol It was great!! We didnt get to sleep past one that night, and we had to get up even earlier than any other day the next day, lol.
On Wednesday, we got up and went to the stables for horseback riding! :0) This was another one of my favorite parts of the trip! It was so much fun! We had a guide lead us, and we were in one straight line. Eric's horse Smiley gave him a hard time.. lol He kept wanting to eat the grass.. lol it was funny.. I felt bad for him.. After horseback riding we went to the Wonder Works Museum that was cool.. I really enjoyed it! If you ever go to Gatlinburg you have to go there! You will enjoy it! They have so many different things! I layed on a bed of nails.. That was pretty cool.. It didn't really hurt, it poked a little but thats it.. We went to church after dinner that night and then after church we went putt-putting again. It was fun.
On Thursday we went to Dollywood! :D That was great! I went on all of the water rides, and then one little roller coaster! They tried to get me to go on more, but I chickened out, lol... Oh well. Thursday night we went out to eat for the last time and then shopping in some outlets.. All in all it was a great week! I would do it again in a heartbeat! We got home on late Friday night. It is always great to be home! I missed everyone here.. I think I called Mom three or four times a day.. lol
I hope you all have a great week! I will post pictures of the trip soon!
Love ya! Ber

Our big day off post #2

Well, little miss thinks she knows everything is now soaking in the tub due to writing all over her arms and legs! So much for the rest part I'm supposed to be getting! Atleast she didn't cut her hair again!

Oh, and the turkey and 2 chicks I told you we were nursing the other day? Thunder got them! Erin let him in the garage 2 times in a row and he took care of business. The turkey chick passed on his own, though thank goodness!

Amber made it home safe and sound Friday night 10:30PM or so. She did go horsebackriding!

Ok, just thought I'd update again!

Our big day off!

Well, here it is Sunday, my only day off and I feel like crud! I have been fighting this chest cold thing for two weeks now and I feel worse today. My husband told me to stay home and take care of myself and get better. So, here I am about to lay on the couch and nap while baby naps! Work is work, nothing too exciting - long drive, long day, long drive home! I am looking forward to having this next weekend off.

Amber's grandma called yesterday and has been graciously checking into food and things for Amber's open house in July. So, the ball is rolling on that and looks good so far! It's hard to believe her graduation ceremony is at the end of May!

Brooke is a driving fool now! No, she does a good job and gets to drive quite a bit when we go places. She took care of things at home in the morning and after school while Amber was gone and did a great job!

Curt and Isaac and Erin have been spending lots of time outside this last week with the warm weather! Jeremy mowed the lawn and did stuff outside as well with the kids.

Friday night, while me and Lyndsay ran to TSC for sawdust and Meijer's for groceries, Jeremy and Erin and Isaac moved the chicks out to the shed - the smell was getting real bad in the garage! The kids were so excited to be able to hold the chicks. There were chicks on the trampoline (or jumpoline as Isaac and Erin call it), the playscape fort, the swing, etc. So, they were probably grateful to be put away for the night - especially since there were turkey hawks flying overhead! So, Saturday night, we cleaned out the pen in the garage and moved it out next to the shed for the chicks to have outside time in when the weather permits...

Thursday night I was sitting in the rocker with the baby and Erin was outside mowing the lawn with daddy. She came in to go potty and then came into the kitchen and said she needed to use my potty. No, you just went. So, she kind of just dissappeared and I assumed she'd gone back outside with daddy. I told Brooke to go and check on her. She wasn't outside so I told her to check my bathroom because I had just bought new makeup (to hide black circles:) and thought she might be into that. Brooke came running out saying "Mom, you're going to be so mad!" I thought, yes I will be $30.00 in makeup! So, I put baby in her swing and ran into my room to find strands of blond hair all over the floor! YES - HAIR! My first child ever to cut their own hair! Dummy me for leaving the scissors in her reach! So, she pulled her hair away from her face (on both sides) and cut about ear length straight back! Oh my, what to do? I called a lady down the road who cuts our hair at times, she wasn't home (8PM). So, I grabbed the scissors myself, put the little girl who thinks she knows everything into the tub and started layering... I would close my eyes and breathe in deep and pray once in a while as well. All in all, it doesn't look too bad - better than chopping it off ear length, I suppose. I go this week for a hair appointment myself (to hide the gray) so maybe Kim can do some more wonders with it. I should've taken before and after pictures, but was too busy having a heartattack to think about pictures. But, I will take a picture of the after mom's haircut and post it tonight maybe. So that was our big happening of the week.

Lyndsay's doing great - smiling and chuckling. Growing, eating and sleeping. We went into town to eat dinner last night and she was good, sat in her car seat smiling at me the whole time until the very end!

Okay, naptime for me and hopefully I won't end up going to MedExpress today! Also, keep praying for my legs (veins). My right leg has really been bothering me this week, but I'm giving it one more week to see if using muscles I haven't used for awhile is part of the pain or not. It is really hard getting the the doctor from our work. They are really strict on their attendance procedures and it is really hard getting time off. So, I tend to worry more about getting the time off to take my kids in when needed then myself. I only have 5 personal call in days a year and need to use them wisely. Jeremy went to Millington to pick up more chick feed and get a part off of the plow he needs to replace so he can start plowing up hay fields again.

Have a great Lord's day. Chris

Just sitting here, hugging a baby!

Well, had yesteday off for Aunt Judi's funeral and today off for a few doctor appointments - so the extra rest has been great! Yesterday was a rough day emotionally! Aunt Judi died the day before Danielle died and was buried 5 years to the day before Danielle was buried. Her funeral was a beautiful tribute to her life and a lot of the songs were reminders of songs that we had sung (It is well with my soul, etc)... So, a day of remembering for us as well! More emotional also because after losing Danielle, I can relate to how people feel more now than I ever have before... I can relate to how her kids feel about losing their mother and her husband losing his wife. She had a police escort (her husband is a detective with the Davison police dept. and retired from the Flint police dept. a few years ago) to the cemetery. She really touched a lot of people's lives as well as her family. Anyway, a tough day for sure but good to know she's in heaven with other loved ones as well as my Danielle!

Last night, Jeremy cleaned out the chicken pen (only about one more week and they will go outside, thank goodness - smell-wise!), and I finished painting Erin's bedroom door. Today, Curt and Lyndsay had a doctor appointment so I got to stay home again!!! Lyndsay weighs 10lb 9oz now and is doing great! Curt went from 74 to 80 pounds and is doing fine, also. He hates going to the doctor! He's excited that I created an email address for him so he can email Grandpa Bohn now himself! He can really get Lyndsay to smile and chuckle at him. She smiles so big, she throws her head back! Erin was trying to cuddle with him at the doctor's office this morning and he finally gave in, giving her some hugs and kisses much to my surprise and encouragement! It was cute!

So, back to work for me tomorrow and Friday and Saturday! So, that means I need to get off my blog and get some things done around the house that have been seriously neglected all week! I just had to cuddle with Lyndsay for a few minutes - the last few days, being at the funeral home Monday night and the funeral and dinner yesterday, she was passed around a bit due to being the new baby! She was a very good girl, too!

Okay, have a great weekend and I will post some more pictures Sunday hopefully!

Chris

Finally, the weekend, or day off...

Well, I made it! I feel like a mac truck hit me/ran over me, you name the spot/body part and it's sore! Good news is I lost 5 more pounds this week! We all survived (the house is questionable, but we survived!). Now, I get tomorrow off and then another 6 days of soreness! All is fine except the doggone colds - I think Lyndsay has one now, too!

Here are some more pictures - we had the first campfire of the year tonight out back here and it was fun watching the kids play outside together! Amber made it to Tennessee around 5:30pm tonight. I will post more later if I don't get it all on here tonight. The chicks are getting big as well - I think we've had around 9 die so far which is normal, I guess. Tonight we are nursing a small turkey and 2 more chicks to see if they make it through the night. We got the turkeys out a few nights ago and had them in the backyard with the kids - so cute! Erin sang to them and they clustered around her, climbing on her lap.

Please pray for Aunt Judi's family - she passed away Thursday night, almost exactly 5 years from the date Danielle died and about 11 months after being diagnosed. God healed her from her cancer, just not as we'd hoped, he wanted her in heaven! Praise God she's no longer in any pain. Her funeral is Tuesday and we will be attending.

Ok, I gotta go to bed - have a great Lord's day, I know I will! More than 5 hours of sleep tonight, here I come!

Chris

Oh Boy, am I ever tired!

Well, day 2 over. Not too bad, just a lot to remember and worry about forgetting (bottles, clothes, lunches, etc.). I can't let anything go undone! Yesterday, I was put on an easy job (spotting a machine that hadn't been working properly), but was told I would get my old job back by the committee man at the end of the shift, but the replacement was fighting it through the union, etc. So, this morning, the new boss put me on another job but finally moved me to my original job that I left to retrain (a few things about it had changed as well, content-wise). She wanted to see if I even wanted the job still before fighting for it. I decided after doing it for a half hour or so that I would like to keep my job. Finally by the end of the day, I pretty much figured out that I was going to be able to keep my old job (yay). I was glad to be on a no-brainer job yesterday cuz that broke me in easy. I am sore today! Sore is good, though - maybe I'll lose more weight! I have 47-50 seconds per car to do my job. The line doesn't stop and better not stop unless it's something very important! I now have Amber's bad chest cold/sore throat and hope it doesn't last too long!

Lyndsay and Erin are doing okay with the new way! Amber went to the doctor today to have her stitches removed and was told the mole checked out cancer-free PRAISE THE LORD! So, I don't have to worry about that! Brooke came home after school today to watch the others for me instead of going soulwinning. I'm staying home tonight from church due to my cold and feeling very run down - need to get into the swing of things slowly! Curt and Brooke just left for church and we're getting ready to eat!

Thank you for keeping us in your prayers and I will post again later this week when I have more time and hopefully more pictures to post! Lyndsay and dinner is calling me! Have a great rest of the week.

Chris

Well, RTW day is here:(

Yes, return to work day is here:( Today was a trial run for me because I had to go down to Orion to get my big return to work slip from medical (what a waste of a 2 hour drive, and precious time with kiddos). Last night, we took the truck in for some repairs, so this morning I woke up at 4:15am to feed the baby so I could take Jeremy into town to catch the car pool van. I came home, laid in bed for 20 minutes and decided to get up and get some things done. I organized and paid bills, checked email, exercised and showered by 7am. I made the kids one last pancake/french toast (for Curt) breakfast, got Erin and Lyndsay's bag packed for the morning with the babysitter and got out the door at 8:15am. Erin was so excited to be going to "Mr. Munson's" house! She was excited she had a lunch packed and a bag to carry. We got to the Munson's and she told Mrs. Munson she had to make her breakfast and got it out of the bag then proceeded to tell me to leave, she was going to shut the door and shut the door she did (try not to hit mom in the rear on her way out:)). It was cute and better than having her scream and cry about me leaving like she does when I leave her at home and go somewhere! I got to Orion at 9:30am, did my thing in medical and went to see Jeremy and talked to a few others on the way that were happy to see me (I guess) after my 7 month leave. I got home at 11:45am, and picked the girls up. Erin was ready to come home, atleast!

We've had 4 chicks die so far:( Hopefully the loss won't be too great but we ordered with that in mind. I went to TSC for a few things, picked the kids up from school and went to Walmart for groceries/milk and picked up Jeremy at the Clio car pool lot at 4:15pm. It is really nice outside, so Jeremy cleaned out the chick cage, put down new wood chips, and is working on the tractor. The boys are picking up sticks and putting them in the campfire out back. Curt informed me that Erin is doing more work than Isaac! The last 3 mornings, we've had deer out in the back field here. Saturday morning, they were running and "playing" - that was fun to watch! We planted clover out there where we had a garden one year and they like to come and munch along with the woodchucks!

We ate dinner and I've been working on getting everything ready for tomorrow morning. Lunches are pretty much done and bottles are made - just have to throw everything in their prospective coolers/lunch bags in the morning. The girls' bag is packed with their clothes and I dropped off a pack of diapers and wipes on my way home - that's better than having to pack enough everyday! So, we'll see how it goes in the morning. I'll wake up at 4am, feed the baby, put her back to bed and get dressed to go and put everything by the door so all the girls have to do is grab it all and go! Next week is going to be tricky with Amber gone, but hopefully we'll figure it out ride-wise in the morning! Thank goodness at times like these that we live close to the church/school! Just getting someone who has enough room for atleast 4 in their vehicle can be tricky, though!

We got a call on the truck today - everything seems to be loose or leaking to the tune of $1,900.00! OUCH! Axle seals, piston arms, transmission/cooling hoses, you name it, it's loose and getting fixed and tuned up as well! Hopefully it'll be another 90,000 miles before we have to do this again!

Okay, gotta go and finish getting things ready before baby wakes up! I'll hopefully take some more pictures and post them later this week. I have to work this Saturday and next, so it'll be a long 2-3 weeks! Remember to pray for me this week! God Bless!

Chris