Down on the Farm

Recently we went on a field trip to a farm just northeast of Nashville. It was a beautiful drive & the kids and I enjoyed getting out of the city. The only drawback was the way it hit Sweet Pea's & my allergies. Oh boy! Even though we suffered some with sneezing & itchy nose and eyes we had a great time. The people at the farm were extremely kind. We learned a lot and had fun playing around on their beautiful grounds.

This lady taught us all about plants. How they grow, what they eat and why they are important to us.

Boo was selected to help out. She was Miss Chlorophyll. =0)

Next we went to pet some animals. Some were biters so we left those alone.

The boys loved feeding the goats.

Elvis talked to the turkey telling him how tasty he looked. Lol.

Milking the cows was a big hit!

Some learning opportunities

It was 90 degrees that day so many of the animals stayed in the shade.

We oohed & ahhed over the pretty patterns of these piggies.

The tractor ride was a nice break. I liked how we were caged in. Less worry about the kids!

The boys made sure to get seats right up front.

This thing was really cool. It inflated from an air pump in the ground. It made for a giant "bouncy house" type of thing. They called it the 'Corn Popper' and the kids certainly popped around like popping kernels!

Boo skips along. (in the green)

I love Elvis in this one!

Sweet Pea poses by the cotton plants.

This was our favorite place. The corn bin!

It was a nice, cool place to relax.

The kids loved the corn. They swam in it cracking me up.

Princess wanted NONE of it.

She cried, clung to Sweet Pea & tried to climb up her big sister to get away from it.

Sweet Pea tried but Princess was not giving in. I guess it was too strange.

At his request we buried Elvis.

Then of course Bugs wanted a turn.

Finally after 15 minutes or so of sitting in my lap in the corn bin Princess decided to give it a try. We laughed b/c after crying & being terrified she did a complete turn-around. Suddenly she was crawling all over the place!

The now brave Princess playing with the corn.

Fun!

As we were driving away I took this pic from the top of the hill. Gorgeous!

Oh, and several weeks later I am STILL finding corn in the house! LOL!

After

We made it! Boy, was it a long, tense day. The storms were wicked but we dodged the worst of it. Unfortunately some of our Tennessee neighbors were hit hard. The photos are heartbreaking. Even more heartbreaking is the news that lives were lost in Mississippi. I am both thanking God for sparing us and praying hard for those who are suffering losses.

Thank you to those who were praying for us. I appreciate it more than words can say.

Riding Out the Storms

We are under a Tornado Watch right now as I type. From all reports we could be in for a doozy of a storm. The weather people are almost certain that we will have a tornado form. We are taking this very seriously. I think all of our city is especially after last year we had one strike our town killing a woman & her 9 week old baby. The touchdown was only a few miles from our home. Very scary. Our weather radio went off a few seconds ago and boy it startled me! It is restating that we have a Tornado Watch.

We have been prepped since last night. Since we had been informed of this severe weather since Thursday we made certain to be ready. We have a flashlight, snacks, water, blankets, backpacks for each child filled with things to do (last year we were stuck in the bathroom for almost 2 hours), a first aid kit, pillows, special treasures, diapers, etc. all set in our safety room. The cell phone is charged & the radio has batteries in case we lose power. And we are praying!

Our bathroom aka 'Safety Spot' is prepped & ready.

Per suggestion of the weatherman Elvis got his bike helmet & put it on.

To pass the time we are all waiting out the watch in the living room. It is only a few feet away from our 'Safety Spot' & we all feel better being together.

The boys are playing board games together.

Dave & Princess are napping. (Yes, I'm jealous.)

Boo Bear is playing FarmVille.

And Sweet Pea is writing letters.

In the middle of all the chaos Princess' new carseat was delivered!

I'm very impressed as I only ordered it Thursday. Applause for you, Walmart!

In Our Own Backyard

Easter was very special this year. It brought back many memories of the year before when Princess joined us only a week before. It was also a time to thank God for his many blessings. Most of all it was a time to remember the great gift our Savior gave us by dying on the cross. Praise God, He is risen!

Since we were all dressed up & it was a gorgeous day we took time to take some pictures. Of course later there was a huge meal to be enjoyed & Easter eggs to hunt in our backyard. It was a wonderful day of fun & family.

First Dave posed with the kids.

Then it was my turn.

Our sweet blessings.

Dear God, I am deeply grateful for each one of our amazing children.

Princess photo shoot.

I adore her Easter dress!

Boo Bear's turn.

Easter baskets & toys

Poor Princess was exhausted.

I still can't believe she slept through all that. =)

We had a special treat of sauteed mushrooms! Yum!

And asparagus too! My favorite!

Sweet Pea made Deviled Eggs for the first time. They were delicious!

Our Feast!

Ham, marinated London Broil, asparagus, corn, bread, sauteed mushrooms & scalloped potatoes. So delicious!

Time to find the Easter Eggs!

I divided them up so each child has his/her own color. Bugs had blue, Elvis orange, Boo Bear green & Sweet Pea had pink. Then we took the yellow eggs and filled them all with the same candy. The speckled (or freckled as Elvis called them) eggs were filled with change. Those were all divided up evenly.

This was hilarious! I "hid" an egg in the kids' homemade birdhouse. Both girls found it and were racing to see who could get it first. I laughed & laughed!

Yummy chocolate!

I wonder what he's been up to? LOL!