responsibility

Wyatt is a terrific boy!  He is also a person that feels awesome when he is given responsibilities.  That being said, helping out on the farm (without his siblings around) is one of his very favorite things. As he gets older, he is given more and more responsibilities and chores to do and LOVES it! 

2012 track&field

This afternoon the boys had their annual track&field day at school.  It was a beautiful and hot afternoon!  They both did great and had lots of fun...   both say the running races were their favorites!

Wyatt

The goofy girl

Landon

Mr. Awesome Day!  Since Landon's birthday is during Summer vacation, he took his birthday treats today to school..  Darin and I also went to school to eat lunch with him...  He had his track meet today..   And he has his first Tball practice tonight..  He is having an awesome day!  :)

Dance

She did it!  Audrey danced at her recital this year!  For those who don't remember last year's recital, Audrey wouldn't dance, but instead scooted around the stage on her bottom  :)

But this year, she did super!  She loves the spotlight and looked absolutely beautiful!

Between songs, I found a great place with natural light to take some pictures of Audrey in her pretty dresses.

Ballet costume and dance

Tap costume and dance

 Finale outfit and light show dance

her pretty flowers from her daddy and her Gramma Tamma and Grampa Richard

we're so proud and amazed at her love of the stage!  We pray her confidence just continues to grow!

enjoying

after a good workout, it's nice to enjoy a good smoothie on the deck....

with 2 of my 4 favorite people!  

(L doesn't have school because of K-roundup being held today)

fresh.

look what I made today.  it only took about 10 minutes.  

fresh.  homemade.  butter.

Fresh & Homemade Butter

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1/2 tsp sea salt

Combine cream and sea salt in a stand mixer.  Using the wire whip attachment, whip until butter and buttermilk separate, scraping bowl down every couple of minutes.  This process takes 7-10 minutes.

Strain the buttermilk out of the butter, pressing the butter to be sure all buttermilk is out.

Press butter into a pretty dish or a tightly covered container if you will not be using the butter right away.

Feel free to use or discard the buttermilk..  

note:  this is not like the buttermilk you purchase in the store, which has been pasteurized

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Very good on homemade Paleo Banana Bread.   enjoy.

lilacs.

Ever since I was itty bitty, lilacs have been my favorite flower.   Maybe it's from the hours spent playing in our enormous lilac bush where we had rooms and hallways worn throughout the inside of the bush.  Yes, it was that big!

I am finally being rewarded with a beautiful harvest of lilacs on the bush I planted three years ago.  I made a pact to myself to pick them and enjoy them this year.

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Do you notice in the bottom/right picture that sweet little  hutch?  I'll fill you all in on that special piece soon.

cowgirl

our cowgirl's favorite thing to do outside

football players? superheroes?

Wyatt and Audrey

How we celebrated...

Easter Sunday

We started our day off with the kids finding their Easter eggs, checking out their Easter baskets and attending a wonderful Easter service at our awesome church!  Then this is where the traditional Easter celebrating turned very untraditional for us...   

-we left directly from church and drove through McDonald's  :)  (how's that for Easter dinner?!?)

-headed north with kids playing games so they were oblivious to the fact that we weren't headed home

-once we hit the interstate, then the questions started coming

-"Where are we going"

-"Who's going to be there?"

This is where we ended up.....

if you see some familiar faces here, it's because we met Dad, Mom, Matt, Kayleen, Rylie Walker and Brooklyn at a hotel for a couple days of F.U.N.

the guys did a lot more gabbing than swimming  :)

FUN weekend!  after lots of swimming, we did lots of shopping!  :)

I hope everyone had a wonderful and blessed Easter as we celebrate Our Risen Lord!

He is Risen.  He is Risen, Indeed!  Hallelujah!

tractor troubles

planting the hayfield and the wheels (or front axle, or something..  obviously I'm not real sure exactly) fall off

They got it fixed..  the hay field was finished...   they moved on...  but I had to get pictures!   :)