Great Night

Tonight wasn't anything special. But at the same time, it totally was. We were just living life together. The boys were helping Ryan "recycle" cardboard - each boy taking their turn recycling. Bethany and I dealt with the rest of the recycles. She was such a big girl carrying big cardboard boxes creatively in her arms. After the 'ol wood truck was loaded up with recycles, Bethany was super excited to be able to ride in the Ford with her momma. She even learned how to roll down a window the old school way - manually. While I emptied the big bins, Bethany "shot" plastic bottles into the bin. She had a blast. I had a blast watching her. As we left the recycle lot and headed to take trash, she hung her head out the window like a puppy dog, and was as excited as one too, letting the wind blow in her face. A.dor.a.ble. We made a quick stop at mom's where she showed off her talented scooter-riding skills and then headed over to grab pizza before going back home.

We got home to the boys living life together too. Guess how. Yes, playing the wii. It was cute. Everybody had pizza and fruit before heading upstairs to practice awana sections and get ready for bed.

And then it all fell apart.

One child pee'd in the floor. Cause apparently peeing in bed wasn't bad enough this morning. When questioned about it, said child informed me that said child dropped their pants and pee'd. Just six feet from the toilet. Are you kidding me?!?!? When I told said child to go upstairs and pee, I didn't realize I had to clarify to urinate in the toilet. And cause it can't be that simple, another child had an accident in their undies. Second pair of pooped in undies for that child tonight. In 2 1/2 hours of being at home. And while pee child had been tucked in and Ryan was dealing with double-poop child, I went to tuck in the remaining child. Only I got a wif of poop on that child too. Seriously. This child had an issue earlier in the night too. So, I grabbed child out of bed and rushed child to the bathroom to go poop. And I was smart enough to clarify this time that it should be IN THE TOILET! Ryan looked like he was ready to bang his head into the wall so I kindly offerred to finish up with our three little lovelies.

What was their deal??? All I know is I'm glad they're in bed.

And while I sit quietly downstairs, we hear a child talking. Bethany was reading her Dora book. Apparently, her "night light" is a little too bright. I walked up the stairs, stood in her door way and watched her. When she finished with that book and grabbed the next one, I quietly interrupted her by calling her name. She, with much surprise, tossed her book to the side, closed her eyes and pretended to be sleeping. I about died of laughter. Managing to hold in my laughter, I called her name again. Still as a statue, she ignored me. I gently reminded her that it was bed time and not reading time. She asked "what if I can't sleep?" I replied telling her that she was welcome to sing to God if she couldn't sleep. As I came downstairs and sat down we could hear her over the noise of the TV. Unlike the previous half hour, this was music to my ears!!!

Oh how I love parenting!!!!

Hanging out in Central Iowa

This has been a great weekend to be with Ryan's family in Central Iowa. Not only are we here to speak at Ryan's home church about our Ethiopia trip, we're also celebrating Uncle Mike, Kevin and Grandpa's birthdays (even if they're not here).

We've had a great weekend so far. It's always great to hang out with Tera and the kids, Uncle Mike and Aunt Betty. We played outside in the yard, made a run to Strbks coffee, and bought Halloween outfits.

A certain little girl really wants to be a witch for Halloween:

We made home-made pizza, and ate too much food while we watched the Hawkeyes and Cyclones battle it out on the football field. The kids napped, played in the jacuzzi tub and got spiffied up for a night out on the town.

We all headed to Prairie City where Ryan's family was born and raised. Ate at the Cider House which is across the street from the old DX station that Ryan's great grandfather owned before selling it to Ryan's grandpa. This old place holds lots of memories for the B family. So, we snapped a few pictures of our time hanging out in a small town in rural Iowa.

Grandma and the guys cross Main St in serious discussion:
Who couldn't take this cuties picture. Yes, he's mine:
Cousins having fun hanging out in front of the old DX station:

A cute little boy and his Grandpa:

Another cute Cyclone fan:

Grandma and her boys at the old station:

And as the kids continued to run up and down the sidewalk playing tag and giggling, the sun continued to set over this small central Iowa town that the B's have considered home for over a century.

I'm just thankful that I get to see a little of it these days and bring my own B's back to this small town to celebrate with family.

Alright kiddos, it's time to head back to Uncle Mike and Aunt Betty's. We'll be back here again tomorrow to share with the Reformed Church about all that God is doing in Ethiopia through FOVC and then we'll celebrate with family once again before hitting the road to the place our little family calls home.

Thank you God for our family... those who are near and far!

ISU vs. Iowa

Raising money today for FOVC's Feed Hope Relief Project.  These two necklaces are themed ever so slightly for each of the teams playing this weekend.  They both utilize paper beads made in Ethiopia mixed in with some beads from Kenya.  Necklaces made by yours truly.
 
Will you buy one?  Can we sell it to the highest bidder, starting at $20 each?  What are you willing to pay? 

Getting a new kitten

When we went on our horseback riding adventure, the kids fell in love with the kittens. We agreed to let them have one. But because we were headed other places after we left the Glenn Farm, we couldn't take a kitten with us. Today, our generous friend, Allan, offerred to grab the grey tiger striped kitten that Ryan wanted and bring it to the clinic.

When the kids saw him pull up, they were EXCITED!!!

Farmer Allan brought 3 for the kids to choose from:

They test drove all 3:

Guess which one we came home with.

That's right, all 3:

Farmer Allan, that was a smart move on your part.

Thank you for bringing the kitten and 2 more to us.

Next up: naming the kittens...

Off to Preschool

It's been a long time waiting for this little girl but today she's headed off to pre-school. She'll have a great day with Mrs. W, Mrs. D and the her classmates! I love you precious girl!