Helping Papa

We helped Papa out alot this weekend.  On Saturday we spent most of the afternoon going through boxes and cleaning out the basement because of the flooding.  Papa then told the kids that if they wanted to earn some money they could help pickup sticks in the yard.  So of course they wanted to.  We showed up on Sunday and put them to work.  Towards the end we had to keep them moving but they did a pretty good job.  My dad has 8 trees in his yard so that is alot of sticks (which I hated doing as a kid).  They have been wanting this new Nintendo 3DS game, which I told them they could spend their xmas/bday money they have saved up but they also had to do something to earn it.  So this was the perfect weekend for them to get the new game.  I was cleaning up the kitchen last night and didn't hear a peep out of them on the couch :) 

Library Time

This Saturday we started visiting our village library again.  We picked out books to check out and then they each got one to read there.  They really enjoyed it so I told them we will make it a Saturday morning thing each week :)

 Hunter and Lexi reading their books

Aunt Tina doing a "wheres Waldo" type book with them.

updated family picture

Just an updated photo of my family!!

summer home away from home

My mom bought this trailer mainly for the kids because they want to go camping this summer and she wants them to have wonderful memoris of stuff like this growing up.  Plus she wants to camp every now and then with us and she hates bugs so tents were not an option.  The first day the weather got nice they wanted to go camping and fishing.  I said it still was too early but they are counting down the days!



View of the trailer









kitchen table/ flatscreen tv on the wall



queen bed/it lifts up for great storage













couch and part of the kitchen, looking into the bedroom



bathroom/also has a shower too:)



fridge/microwave/oven&stove/sink









      

4 bunk beds for the kids/plus a closet.



Welcom to the world Briar William Nelson

Our good friends Jon and Tammy had their first baby a couple weeks ago.  The kids have been waiting patiently for them to get home so we could go visit.  I told the kids its hard to belive they were ever that small.  My how time goes by fast!!  Even though they are 7 years apart Hunter is just excited to have another boy around. Growing up Dirk and Jon went fishing and hunting with their dads( all 4 together).  It's neat to see the next generation starting and in the years to come it will be Dirk and Jon hunting and fishing together with their sons.

Hunter had to hold him first.  He just loves babies!!  He giggled when he farted on him, LOL.  I said "yes Hunter babies fart too".

 Tammy and I laughed because Lexi looks small holding him.  She never seems to grow so Tammy told her that Briar will get bigger than her soon :)

Pinewood Derby 2013

The Daisies/Girl Scouts had a Pinewood Derby for the girls.  Lexi was so excited for this.  She really wasn't in it to win she just wanted to make a cute car and paint it.  Which meant Mommy had to get help since you start with a block of wood and 4 wheels, LOL.  I am not a carpenter.  The day of the derby Lexi wasn't feeling that great.  She had been sick the night before with a temp of 102.  She was told if she kept the fever away Saturday until the derby she could go, which she managed to do thank goodness because she had worked so hard on her car.  We had a skating party at 1pm then the derby at 5:30pm, which means no rest for the Peanut and she started to feel crappy as the derby was starting.  She did manage to make it through it but went right home to bed afterwards.  We got to the derby and weighed her car (they couldn't be over a certain weight)  and graphited the wheels (so they would roll better).  Then put it on the lineup.  Once it was on the lineup you couldn't touch it.  1st the girls all got 2 pennies and had to drop a penny into the cup sitting next to the car that they liked best for "best of show".  They were told that they could put one in their own and then one in another one:)  Then they did several races and it was super fun to watch all the different cars.  Lexi laughed because her car was last in the first heat :)  Some of these people really get into making the car race and not for cuteness, so we saw all different kinds.  At the end of the race they gave out trophies for 1st through 3rd place.  Then came the "best of show" award.  We look up and they have Lexi's in their hand.  She was sitting on my lap and turned to me and said "Mom I can't believe it because mine wasn't the cutest one up there".  I told her that all the other girls must have loved hers and she just smiled from ear to ear.  She went up to get her trophy and tears came to my eyes to see how proud she was of that.  Such a memorable day for both of us.

 just got the shape cut

 Lexi has it painted pink and ready to go

 Mommy had to help with the button painting :)  Although I came home after this was done and Lexi had decided to paint her name in red down the side of it.  We had to use pink to fix it, LOL.

 ready to race.  I loved the hotdog next to her :)

 Olivia, Emma, Ava, & Lexi waiting for the race to start.  All of their cars were cute!!

"Best of Show" trophy.  (after a long day you can tell she is starting to not feel well again:(  But she still smiled from ear to ear)

Let the good times roll

A couple weekends ago Addysen had her 6th birthday party at Skate Palace.  The kids were excited to go (and by kids I mean Dirk too).  Hunter had never been skating before but Lexi has been once with her Daisy Troop.  Both kids had their wheels pretty tight because otherwise Hunter and Lexi would fall non-stop :)  Both kids did good and even Dirk didn't fall, although I think Katie was rooting for it to happen so we could laugh :) Even though Lexi was a little under the weather they had a great time with their friends and family. 

HAPPY 6TH BIRTHDAY ADDYSEN GRACE :)

 Daddy and Hunter getting skates tightened.

 Peanut and Bubba ready to roll

 Caleb, Morgan, Addy, & Lexi getting ready for the hokey pokey

 Me and Peanut

 Hunter, Daddy, and Lexi ready to skate

 Hunter is almost as tall as me :)  He will pass me up in a couple of years.

lovin some of the roller rink nachos

Chicks

At Lexi's Daisy meeting this week they got to learn about chicks.  Dirk had a meeting so Hunter had to tag along and sit and do homework.   When we heard the chicks come out I let him go see them. 

                Lexi wanted to take the chick home with her.