Hello? Anyone there??

It's been a while. 4 months to be exact. We've been up to a lot and I'll just let the next bazillion pictures do the talking : )

Addi's school had a crazy hair day contest and Addi chose to wear her hair like this in hopes of winning a prize.

On the way to school, these girls (A and friend/carpool buddy, Jackie) decided they wanted to add crazy facial hair. SO, I drew beards and other things on their faces before sending them to their teachers. I'm pretty sure they both should have won the contest.

A long, long time ago I went to the big city with these beautiful friends for a night out where we only had to feed ourselves. We had a fantastic, child-free time, marred only by a dent in the bumper of one husband's fancy sports car. Besides that incident, it was utterly wonderful.

In October, we made a packed day-trip down to Waco to visit friends and spend time with my dad.

We met some friends on campus for lunch and then went for a quick tour of some of the new athletic facilities. The kids are major Baylor fans so they love running on anything green and gold. It was the thrill of a lifetime to roll and wrestle on the big BU in the center of the indoor practice facility field. (Addi is already rolling, smack dab in the center of the field; Jackson is the tiny thing a little to the left making his way there.) This place was huge!

After lunch, we visited a friend of Jeff's at a firestation. The kids mostly kept up grass rolling while we were there. I love this picture because it shows how A and J feel about their baby sister...she is well loved.

We went to the HOT Fair with my dad that afternoon and evening, and had a great time. The kids were all amazed at the lights, action, and animals. Plus, the really enjoyed the junk food and all other things that come with going to a fair.
They thought they wanted to participate in the stick horse rodeo, but didn't really enjoy it too much. They bailed pretty quick and wanted to watch pig races.

We rode several rides, with the ferris wheel being the kids' favorite.


Jeff did not enjoy the ferris wheel ride. He was terrified the kids would fall out if they moved at all so the poor guy spent the entire ride holding on to Jackson and trying not to let the kids smell his fear. He's not so much into crazy rides at fairs or amusement parks.

We all survived the ferris wheel and most of us were smiling from ear to ear as we got off.

Everyone loved the roller coaster ride. It was pretty mild.

I love Addi's face in the back ground. The 5 foot drop must have looked terrifying to her.

As I've mentioned, Jeff's not too fond of the crazy rides (because rides for three-year olds are real crazy...grin: ) so I took the kids on the boat swing. It actually was a tiny bit scary...for me. The kids had the hands up high and screamed with delight the entire time though. I kept my arms around my tiny children so they wouldn't fly out.

This is how we spend most Tuesday afternoons. Addi always has homework, Jackson works in his "journal" (ie, notebook of marker scribbles), and Laura practices her skills.

Our church marks halloween with a crazy hair theme night. Always fun.

Laura didn't do too much trick-or-treating. It was more of a social thing for her. This is her little friend, Anna Faith, from church.

Laura is getting more precious each day!

Addi has learned how to climb up (and mostly down, too) trees. Its a favorite pastime.

Jack's room got a make over complete with a smaller bed allowing more floor space for play, and an activity table.

He loves building tracks and other things on his new-to-us activity table.

Jeff's dad had a major surgery (during which his sweet mom taught me to play cribbage!!) and is making a great recovery! This is pre-op...the post-op pics aren't so fashionable.

After many frustrating hunting trips this season, we finally bagged some deer. I am hunting with a rifle for does and Jeff is hunting with his bow for anything, but preferably a buck. Until this hunt, I had seen nothing but yearlings and bucks, many mature "shooter" bucks. Jeff has seen only young bucks. But finally, these gals came out of hiding and the second one was goofy enough to stick around after I shot the first. Since we needed the meat, I went ahead and shot her, too.

The next day, I took this cute gal hunting with me...

...and we shot this doe together! Addi loved it, but loved helping me field dress it even more. She held the legs and identified each organ for me. Her daddy has taught her to play with the guts. I prefer to just get the job done and get out of there : )

Laura got even more precious. (This is one of the 3 pics I took over the holidays...don't really know why I don't have more).

Success at last! Jeff shot a buck with his bow (while I watched from a tripod)! He's only bow hunting these days so it's exciting to see him finally get a deer. He shot a couple of pigs on opening weekend, but no deer to date. That's changed now! He's a mature buck with a crappy rack that was mostly broken off. Not a trophy, but great to cull from the gene pool. AND, since we didn't have Kate with us, Jeff and I blood tracked this guy in the dark for over an hour before finding him. It was awesome to work together on something so tedious and exciting to know we can find things on our own without wonder dog.

Laura turned 1! Her birthday will get it's own post at some point.

I got to fight a fire with Jeff! It was only a little grass fire in the ditch, but it would have gotten out of hand had we not stopped it. It was nothing for Jeff, but thrilling for me to say the least. We put it out with a towel and a rake, and then the FD arrived and doused the area to prevent flare ups. It was a bad day for fires...several in Granbury, and we saw another less than a mile from the one we fought. Here's an off duty firefighter with his best weapon...a rake : )

We've had to find a new home for Kate this fall. God provided a place for her that far exceeded our hopes and we are so grateful. We took her up for one last hunt and dropped her at her new home earlier this month. She'll be hunted daily, played with regularly by grandkids, and we'll get to see her anytime we can get out that way. It's about 20 minutes from our lease so we should get a visit several times a year.

Addi loved playing with the birds. This quail was actually shot by yours truly. I somehow managed to knock down several birds that day (nothing like Jeff, but more than my usual zero). It was a great hunt.

The man and his dog. She was the best dog that either of us have ever owned and we miss her dearly.


Addi was a trooper during the hunt, but the miles of walking required for upland bird hunting wore her out by the end!

Addi brought home the organs of a few of the birds from our hunt. She and Jeff dissected and studied them one afternoon. I stayed out of the kitchen and Jackson observed from the other side of the table. I realize that Addi's snack is on the table at the time, but please rest assured that her hands were thoroughly cleaned before she ate.

On the left you see a pheasant heart and on the right, the teeny-tiny heart of a quail.

I made a couple of cakes...one for Laura's birthday, and this boot cake for a friend's shower.

We had lots of play dates and here is Laura on her first play date with her sweet little friend Melody.

After breakfast, we've been consistent with a new, quieter routine. Laura lays down for nap and the kids get a morning devotional. Then, everyone heads to their rooms for an hour or more of quiet room time. I usually do my BSF lesson and then get a head start on the chores while the kids play alone in their rooms.
Laura loves the peacefulness so she can get a good nap.

Jackson usually has a track on his table, but this particular morning, he got crazy with it and needed more space. Room time, for him, is a great time to practice his building skills.

Addi does room time in the playroom since Laura is usually sleeping in their room. She builds stuff, works puzzles, or does art.
That's the end! The last 4 months in pictures! See you soon. I do have a post of a funny day with the kids that ended in all out war and another post for Laura's first birthday.