"rrrrrrr .... ch!"

That's one of the best sounds in the world.  I hear "Rrrrrrrr .... ch!" a lot during the day. Whenever Colton is driving something or riding on something or running really fast ... when he stops, he says, "Rrrrrrrr ... ch!"  There's something about that sound that makes me smile.  I guess it's the sweetness of the sound coming from my two year-old.  Maybe it's the fun he's having playing the simplest of games.  Whatever it is ... I know I will look back someday when I'm old and he's grown, and I will remember the sweet sound of "Rrrrrrrr ... ch!"

Earlier this week, we had a huge storm roll through.  It was loud, and there was a lot of thunder and lightning. I went out to get the mail, and that's when I saw the storm rolling in.  I took a few pictures, because I thought it was so beautiful!

Look at those clouds!

Big and puffy!

Wall clouds ... glad we didn't get a tornado!

On Tuesday, we went to a MOMs Club event--story time at Barnes & Noble.  Colton enjoyed the songs and the stories, but he especially enjoyed the train table afterwards.  He is in NEED (he thinks) of a train table with "lots and lots of trains".  We'll see what Daddy & Grandpa can build him for his birthday.  I'm sure he will love it!

Spent the whole time afterwards playing with the trains.

Today, we had another super rainy afternoon.  We managed to make it to the water park for lunch and a little swim before the storms moved in.  Colton does enjoy going, and he would've really been sad, if we hadn't made it in time.

Colton is enjoying his lunch before our little swim time.

After we got back to the house, just in time ... the rain began to pour!  I decided that since we had a little time before the kids needed to go down for their naps, we could make some peanut butter play dough.  Colton was very excited, and he was ready to help!  

The rain coming down!  It was pouring.

Rain.

Through the window.

Here are all the ingredients you need to make it.  1 cup of peanut butter, 1/2 cup of honey, and 2 cups of confectioners sugar.  You mix that up until it's a good pliable consistency.  Voila! You have (edible) peanut butter play dough.

Colton was pretty excited!  He was ready to be a good helper.

He helped me to lick the peanut butter spatula clean.

Showing me how much fun he's having.

He helped pour the honey into the measuring cup.

He helped dump the honey into the mixing bowl.

He had to taste a little bit of it.

The honey and peanut butter ... mmmmm.

Dumping the confectioners sugar into the bowl.

He helped me mix it, too. 

All done!  It's great fun, and safe to eat (as long as your child can eat peanut butter).

Making worms!

Patting it down into flat pancakes.

He thought it was pretty delicious, too!

Fun times!

Making his name out of play dough.

You just have to seal it up tight in a tupperware, and you can use it again later!

Today, Khloe has semi-completed another milestone ... she has gotten her fourth tooth!  The day after Father's Day, she got her third tooth (top, right, center).  The tooth today is that tooth's companion (top, left, center).  Now, she has four teeth--all before Colton ever had one tooth!  He got his first tooth toward the end of his ninth month, and he had four teeth on his first birthday.  I wonder if by Khloe's first birthday, she will have more than that.  We'll see, but I wouldn't be surprised. I'm glad to see I was right for why she has been waking a little in the early evening before Billy and I go to bed.  I knew that tooth was about to break through.

She is enjoying bits of banana for the first time.  Loving chasing them around the tray!

Grabbing them up.

I just love those eyes!  She is so sweet.

Has to put everything in her mouth! 

Love that grin!

Made a little curl with her hair.  Yes, she is getting hair!

Giggles

I lover her smile and laugh.

Pulling up in the tub ... she has to do that everywhere!  Don't worry, I was right there making sure she wouldn't fall.

Wondering what's over the side of the tub.

All done!  Ready to get out of the tub. :)

When I look at the pictures of my kids or think about the fun times that we have during the week, I see how lucky I am.  I really feel happy that I can spend this time with my kids watching them grow and teaching them.  Colton has shown some excellent growth lately.  He has learned almost all of his letters.  I show him flash cards that we play with, and he can tell me the letter and what it stands for.  Speaking of ... I have a Colton-ism for you.  


I was with the kids and Gwendy and her kids at a cookie shop after story time on Tuesday.  Mason saw the delivery man in the store delivering juice.  He asked his Mommy, "Is that the delivery guy?"  She said, "Yes."  Later, he saw the UPS truck outside, and he asked, "Mommy, is that another delivery guy?"  And she answered, "Yes, but he delivers packages and letters."  Colton stopped eating for a second.  And then he turns to me and says, "Mommy, why would that man be delivering alphabets?" I looked at him confused ... thought for a moment, and then I burst out laughing! To Colton, letters=the alphabet!!! 


Happy Wednesday!

six years come and gone

Happy six-year anniversary!

Let me start by raving about my husband. I am one lucky wife!  Billy is a hardworking, caring, loving, giving, great listening, adventure seeking, advice giving, sense talking, money handling, care taking, God fearing husband, and the most fun, loving, teaching father a wife could ever wish for.  I am so happy to have spent the last 11-years knowing and loving Billy--six of which, we have been happily married.  

God definitely brought us together in college, as I knew who he was, but we didn't really know each other--and we didn't share any of the same core group of friends.  

One Sunday afternoon as I walked through the Chat to order some lunch, I spotted my dear friend, Lindy, sitting at the smoothie bar.  I ordered my lunch, and I sat down with her to see what she was up to.  She was just talking to Billy who was making her a smoothie.  She told me that Billy was going to be working at Broken Arrow Ranch that summer.  I said, "MY camp?" (Insert explanation here: See ... I went to that camp my whole life ... as a camper, pathfinder campouts ... my Dad helped to build cabins there ... church meetings, and of course, I worked there for 5 summers.  It felt like my personal camp. My family even worked there ... and my cousin met her husband there, too.  We have close ties to BAR.) So, I met Billy.  Told him I was working there, too.  And thought to myself ... "Hmmmm ... I should fix my friend, Lindy, up with that guy.  They would be a cute couple!"

Cut to summer 2001.  I was the Programming Director, and Billy worked at the waterfront. I hung out most of that summer with the friends I had made the previous two summers that I had worked there.  He hung out with some of the new crowd of staff members.  We were friendly, but I wouldn't say "friends".  About mid-summer, Billy drove up to Canada to go to his sister's (Brenda) high school graduation and to bring her back down to camp--as she would be working there for the second half of the summer.  After his return, we started hanging out after campfire playing card games in the lodge.  The more we hung out ... the more I realized that I didn't want this guy to go to Cambodia as a student missionary the coming school year!  By the end of the summer, I was very sad that he was leaving.  We had hung out quite a bit by then, and I really liked him.  

That next school year, I was busy as the Social VP for ASB, and Billy was busy teaching English and gaining new adventures in Cambodia.  We wrote letters ... emailed ... sometimes we talked on MSN Messenger ... once he even called me--on my 21st birthday.  God really brought us together when he came to visit the next summer at camp when he got home from Cambodia.  He drove all of the way from Arizona to Manhattan, KS ... and this, folks, was the beginning of a decade-long relationship that has had it's ups and downs, but God has guided the whole way through.   

I feel very lucky and blessed to have Billy as my husband and the father of my children.  I wouldn't have wanted it to happen any other way.

For our anniversary, it was my year to plan (according to Billy), so I booked a hotel room for Friday night (before our actual anniversary).  We packed up, took the kids, and drove out to the beach.  It was nice getting to stay until sunset!  The kids love the beach and so do we.  It made for a relaxing and fun evening.  We picked up Olive Garden for dinner ... it made it kind of special! Ha, ha!  Having kids with you in one hotel room isn't too special, but we love OG and our kids ... so it worked.

I captured this mid-standing up for Billy ... so it's an odd looking picture, but it was super cute before he stood up. In the waves with his kiddos!

Billy with Khloe

Giving little girl a kiss.

Gorgeous view.

Hanging out at the beach.

Building drip castles with Koki.

It wasn't long after this that she started eating sand.

Gorgeous sunset!

Off to chase the birds!

Running to find some to feed.

There they are!

Colton has stirred them up!

Sunset

Baby girl

Always gnawing on something!

Found the remote--her favorite!

Colton and Daddy playing jump and dive on the bed pillows!

Blurry, but this is me with Khloe hanging out.

Our anniversary meal!

On Sabbath, we went back to the beach.  We saw 7 rays!  They were swimming between the sand bar and the beach.  They looked as if they were trying to escape back to the ocean, but they couldn't figure out how to get over the sand bar.  We watched them for a while.  They just swam around us--harmless but fascinating creatures to watch.

On Monday (our actual anniversary), our friend, Brian, came over once the kids went to bed, and he stayed at our house while we went to a movie.  We saw 'Savages' by Oliver Stone.  It was fun being at a movie by ourselves!  That doesn't happen very often anymore.  I made us one of Billy's favorite meals, vegan chicken noodle soup with homemade biscuits and dutch apple pie.  It was delish!

Dutch Apple Pie ... made by me!

I got Billy some gummy treats ... his favorite, too.

I'm one lucky girl! Ha, ha!

We had a nice, low-key anniversary.  It was perfect!