January

So we forgot to open the boys' stockings at Christmas time... we opened for New Years instead. They thought they were sooo COOOOOL!

Toy cars, a couple snacks, sunglasses, sshhh - underwear, and i really don't remember what else! But they enjoyed it!
Just because they look cute intheir little matching outfits from Grandma!

Ready to go out in the snow!!!

Doesn't he just look like a little Eskimo! Its my favorite coat yet!!!


Climbing the snow mountains left by the plow!
We took a little walk around the yard... There was a lot of snow and so Anthony would get tired sometimes... or stubborn... not sure which and he would just sit down and refuse to move... But as i would walk away... Alex would be trying to coax his brother to get up and come with us...



Mommy's birthday... he wanted to try on my hat, and i muct say he looks quite cute... almost like a girl...
Waiting in the car while daddy scrapes it off... after having to park outside over night...

At the airzoo! It was FREE and so much fun... they had rides you could pay to go on or little free ones for the kids... we did the free ones!








It was definitely a good way to spend my 34th birthday!!! I can't believe i am already that old... not that it is old, but that it is sure older than i feel like... haha!


A VERY comfortable looking position to sleep in... NOT!

Oh dear!! Finger-painting... It is WAY too messy for my liking... but they enjoy it!
Anthony... just one little finger dipped in... Eventually i put his whole hand in it...

Alex is left handed all the way! We think it is neat!
Anthony eats best with his left hand but sometimes he uses his right for stuff to... we are still trying to figure him out!


Isn't it a disaster!? We did do our hand prints all together on a page... looks so cute...

At church listening to the children's story... this was the day that Anthony kept poking the little boy next to him, who is Alex's age... and when my friend Mona told him to stop... he SPIT at her!!!! I about died!!!! I marched right up grabbed his hand and out we went... oh my!!! We had words!!! and then he had to apologize to Mona... so embarrassing!!

He is learning about Heaven in his class... He loves to wear his crown and walk through "his Mansion-Fair." So cute... He is even starting to sing a little... no actually words but noise coming out in the right tune anyways!!! Yay!! Anthony!

While spending the day with some friends, we had popcorn in the evening before watching Food, Inc. and we walked back in the room to find their two dogs sitting expectantly directly in front of the boys on the floor! It was so funny!


I can't believe it! We had Cabbage that stayed good in the refrigerator until January!! I knew it could last a long time, but i guess it is still hard to believe! We made coleslaw with our yellow carrots we grew too!! The boys loved and gobbled it up like crazy!

We can hardly wait to grow the garden again! Jerry said we need even more red cabbage this year! This was from some seed we brought home from Kazakhstan!

Our House...

So our house is actually "on the market" because we were thinking that if it will sell then we would be willing to sell it... We hate debt in our family... and because of the last couple of really bad-for-our-business years we have had we have some... so we felt it would be harder for God to sell it if it isn't listed... It will have to be a God thing because the odds of us selling this place with the shop and the acres and the improvements that we have in it are pretty slim right now in our area! We obviously live in a very rural area... we have neighbors but we can not see any of them from our house, LOVE that!! We are slowly transforming our property into a "Homestead," you know, where you try to make your property as self sustaining as you can... We have the house, shop, gardens, wooded lot, there is a stream but it only flows maybe 10 months a year, there is several acres of "field" (it is rented to a local farmer right now) and we are currently working on the orchard. Today... March 21... we have been putting the posts in for the orchard... Our trees will come in a few short weeks, so we want to be ready, so the deer can't eat them all up!

I thought i would share a few photos... most of these were taken in December... Thus... the Christmas deco...


This is the view from the road, of our long driveway and the shop... we love that you can't see the house from the road!

The shop! This is where we store all the equipment for the businesses.



At the top of the hill coming down the drive toward the house.
The house...


The view from the house toward the Shop and drive.
The Foyer and Dining room.

Dining room toward the kitchen and hallway.


The Living room... wood fireplace. We love this room! We spend a lot of time in here together!



We have these cool boxes built into the wall in the living room, and dining room...


This is currently our guest room... but as soon as Kimi is coming the boys will be moving in here and Kimi will get the "nursery". I think it is a good boy color!
The Kids' bathroom shared with any guests.

Going into the hallway that leads to the master room, the garage and basement.

The Master Bedroom. There is a deck outside the doors... It is a lovely room!

Master bath... there is a walk in closet, and a little room for the toilet.

The sign...
Some of the gardens at the house... the deer have been nuzzling around in the snow looking for things to eat... they did find some kale and swiss chard left for them!


The basement... Books, tv and toys!



Workout space...
My lovely laundry room... that desperately needs some paintings... or something!

The Bathroom in the basement... These rooms were not intended to look so purple... btw... more blue... but that is not what we ended up with! its ok... its pretty anyways.
My Scrapbook room!! i LOVE this room!!! The boys even have a desk where they keep stuff and they can color or "scrap" with me too... Although this usually doesn't work out too well... They need to bug me too much...


We have this air-hockey table... that takes up entirely too much room!!! I think i might list it on Craigslist. As well as the couch below...
:)