joel, emily, corbin and elias

Our December

2011-12-31T18:37:00.002-06:00

Joel was installed as Rev. Joel Davis at Bethel LB in GF

On the 18th, Corbin and Elias (amazingly) went up for their first Christmas Program together here at Bethel!

We had several "christmas"es!

We celebrated Christmas with my family (and NINI got in on the picture too).

NiNi got a little girly dress for Christmas!

This December, Emily also got to have surgery!

So most all of our Christmas was spent in our home...people had to come to us this year.

As always we are grateful for the gifts and blessings we received!

Merry Christmas 2011

First Post since July!!!....We moved!

2011-11-29T16:38:00.001-06:00

Lets start in the middle of nowhere...Grandpa George retired from Faith and Silverton Churches. So we got together and had a big party for him and to go to church his very last Sunday there.

So much has happened since July! SO MUCH! So I am just going to catch up on photos and then tell you what all has changed for us.

On 11/11/11 we built a tree fort for the boys!

Corbin is bummed that we have to wait until spring to paint it, but otherwise he is very excited about it!

We spent some time with Emily's family. Uncle Simon made time to take the boys for rides on the three wheeler. He even let Corbin drive! (This I was not aware of until after the fact.)

We moved.

Elias got stitches after falling off the furniture. He got 4 little stitches that you would have thought were going to kill him. And Emily was in tears, just like Elias, from the traumatic event!

He got his stitches out on a Monday, and guess what he did right away Tuesday morning....busted it open again. But we just butterfly stripped it and called it good. And then he made sure to bust it open two more times. 5 weeks later it is finally closed shut.

Superman and Darth Vader

Visiting Grandpa during harvest.

Oh, and did I mention we moved?

Went to a pumpkin patch and went through our first ever corn maze!

We have tried to be joyful through all the craziness that has occurred in our lives this past year! I will be the first to say it is not always easy to praise God in all circumstances...but it is what we are called to do. So we are continually praying for attitude changes (at least I, Emily, have been).

The Lord made it very clear to us that our call in Rolette was up. We prayed long and hard about it and in July Joel resigned as pastor of Ebenezer LB Church in Rolette.

In August, Joel and I took the youth group to Youth Convention in Estes Park, CO. It was a great time! So much fun getting to know the youth!!! They are a great group! And we really miss them all!!!

The end of August, we moved to Joel's parents farm house near Larimore, ND. It took us several trips to get our stuff here, but we are finally feeling like we have a home.

Joel has been called to serve as youth pastor at Bethel LB in Grand Forks. Emily works at The Scoop (a restaurant like Dairy Queen...with pizza and subs too). We are both really enjoying our new positions! It has been ALL God that things have been working out the way they have been! Thank You, Lord!!!

We have really been enjoying country life! The boys love riding their bikes out to the mail box (1/4 mile)! NiNi (our dog) loves running all over the country side!!! We have been enjoying having more stability and a better schedule than we have ever had before!

The boys are loving Sunday School (but still talk about their old SS class and teacher). We have been making "Tuesdays trips" into Grand Forks for appointments and grocery shopping.

We honestly feel like we have been blessed with a fresh start. God has really blessed us!!!

So hopefully I will get into a routine of blogging on Tuesdays (being we don't have internet at home...and we come to GF on Tuesdays). Hopefully everyone hasn't giving up on this blog! :P

God is good all the time! All the time God is good!

AMEN

We must be crazy!!!

2011-07-24T15:02:00.003-05:00

First I let the boys paint my face...kept them occupied and I got to sit and relax and get a face massage!
Then I shared the fun!

Elias was laughing.
Corbin was NOT!

The boys eventually decided they wanted to do it too!
First Elias, then finally Corbin.
Corbin ended up wiping half of it off because it was too close to his eyes, ears, mouth, nose, chin, etc.

Next we roped Daddy into getting his face done!
He is the sun.
Mommy is a leopard.

We must be crazy!!!

...or are we the coolest parents in the world?!?

Our little fish

2011-07-21T13:08:00.002-05:00

Although he was not sure at first...
Corbin has really become a fish!

He loves practicing his flutter kicks with his board.

And going under water to get the rings!

But his favorite was swimming on his back WITHOUT any help!!!

He is one of the youngest and definately the smallest in his class of 8. He can't even touch the bottom of the pool, so he is doing pretty good considering.

1st trip to the Dentist

2011-07-13T17:47:00.002-05:00

Corbin did amazing! He took a few minutes to get up the courage to get on the chair, but once he was up there he was all game!

He got to pick out prizes and got a toothbrush, toothpaste and floride rinse! Plus gloves and a "cough cover" to play dentist when he got home!

Elias wasn't 100% sure. He did all but open his mouth for the Dentist.

Both boys LOVED the suction thingy!

And Elias was very willing to open wide to have all 20 teeth counted!

Corbin has 20 teeth too!

I still can't believe how good they were!

3 and (almost) 5 year pictures

2011-07-13T17:41:00.000-05:00

Elias is THREE!

2011-07-01T20:22:00.002-05:00

Elias got a pirate ship water table...so we went with a pirate theme...
a pirate cake

oh...and there was a tornado warning, so we went into the basement on the night before his birthday and watched movies...

Elias loved the sweets!

and he got to play mini golf!

The last THREE months!

2011-06-22T17:27:00.007-05:00

We're Going on a Treasure Hunt

2011-04-01T19:42:00.002-05:00

Today, we needed to go grocery shopping.

We tried to think of a way that the boys would come along and not get bored too fast. So, we turned our trip into an adventure to find a treasure. We went on a treasure hunt, with an 'X' at the end and everything!

We went all over the place and ended at Burger King and let the boys play at the playplace they have there and then have a cup of ice cream before we left for home. They loved it! It was the perfect way to get them excited to do something they usually hate....and even be on their best behavior while doing it!

What we do...

2011-03-29T21:02:00.002-05:00

Elias FINALLY learned how to hold up just two fingers instead of all five when telling us his age!

Me cuddling in the car with my little "girl" NiNi.

Cutting fire wood became a family event today. We all came out to watch Daddy cut up some wood for our wood stove.

Then we went on an adventure and toured the farm. We got to see the river for the first time. It is beautiful. Looking forward to getting a closer look when the snow melts.

Then we came in and warmed up next to the wood stove.

Nice and toasty warm!

Birthday at the Farm

2011-03-29T20:26:00.002-05:00

Blowing out the candles was fun when there is powder sugar sprinkled on top of brownies!

Reading stories all cuddled up with Grandma Cathy in her bed. Elias was fast asleep before the book was over. Elias and Grandpa Don going to put some mail in the mailbox.

Cheesy Kiddo!

Elias and Grandpa saying good bye.

Thanks for the great time! Love you much and miss you already!

Hugs and mushy kisses!

QSS Retreat at Inspiration Point

2011-03-29T19:59:00.002-05:00

Christine and I got to get away for the weekend while our kids were well taken care of!

I took the mitten making class! They are so easy to make! Thank you Alison!

Then I worked on a baby girl quilt. I finished it...after some ripping of seams!

We listened to music...VERY quietly. (Some lady there was very anti-music.)

And the weekend was filled with the reminder of how Great our God is!

Isaiah 40:31

Hope

It was a WONDERFUL weekend!

being creative

2011-03-22T16:58:00.002-05:00

On a cold morning in March, two little boys spending a few months in a farm house, decided to use their imaginations God gave them and do something creative and fun. The found out that if you collapse one side of the kid table it magically becomes a slide! And that is only the continuation of their imaginations....the adventures will forever continue!

Happy Birthday Dad!

2011-03-22T16:44:00.003-05:00

We made a cake on Monday morning for Joel's birthday. The boys closed the door to the kitchen and told daddy "we aren't baking anything in here". And then when he saw the cake later on Corbin told him it was a window. :)
We had Grandpa George, Grandma Janice, Betty and Leonard over to celebrate!

Took a few fun family pictures!

And then blew out the candles!

Happy Birthday Joel!!!

Mud and (no) Mail

2011-03-22T16:33:00.000-05:00

Who....

2011-03-18T10:31:00.002-05:00

...stole the cookie from the cookie jar?

Eli stole the cookie from the cookie jar.

Who me?

Yes you!

Couldn't be!

Then who?

Our "New" (temporary) Home

2011-03-16T22:31:00.004-05:00

We are still getting used to the place. Please pray that the boys start to sleep better. All the changes have really been messing with them. We look forward to relaxing and just spending time as a family and time with God. And we look forward to having visitors! :)

Our New Adventure

2011-03-13T18:54:00.002-05:00

Some of you know, some don't. So I am going to share a little about what has been going on in the Davis home over the past few months.

Emily has been dealing with a lot of anxiety and depression. After many med changes we feel like we may have found the right combination to help, but do to the severity of it, we have decided to take a leave of absence from the church for 10 weeks. We are hoping this time will be a time for us to rejuvenate and for Emily to recover.

We are moving to the farm Joel grew up at. It will be an adventure for us...living in the country at the "farm". We are very excited and feel so blessed to have a wonderful church family and community that is embracing us in prayer and allowing us this time to heal.

We ask for your prayers as Emily continues meeting with her doctors and counselor on a regular basis. Pray for healing for Emily and for a refreshing of our souls over the next 10 weeks.

Thank you so much!

DONE!!!!

2011-03-08T19:36:00.000-06:00

Finally, I got it quilted!!!

PLAYdough

2011-03-08T19:33:00.001-06:00

I made a new batch of playdough for the boys....but I didn't have any cream of tarter....so they only got to play with it once and then it went in the garbage!

Cookies

2011-03-08T19:26:00.002-06:00

Joel made cookies with the boys.
Let them frost and sprinkle them.

They licked them....

and licked some more!!!

Corbin the Magician!

2011-03-01T14:18:00.004-06:00

Corbin pulls a unicorn out of his hat and then makes

it disappear!

Stuck in the House!

2011-02-22T10:43:00.002-06:00

Most days we feel stuck in the house. So we entertain ourselves with learning. We go over the weather, count, work on letters and sounds, color and do puzzles.
We paint A LOT!!

And we play pretend!

sanity

2011-02-22T10:41:00.001-06:00

As a stay at home mom.....texting friends all day long is what keeps me sane!

Daddy's famous....

2011-02-22T10:40:00.000-06:00

Chocolate Chip Cookies!!!

bath tub fun

2011-02-22T10:38:00.002-06:00

They got their boots on and into the tub they went!

"junk food"

2011-01-30T23:50:00.001-06:00

Things I've Learned....

2011-01-28T21:08:00.002-06:00

*painting is messy...but it keeps the kids QUIET and in one place for a very long time

*while the kids are taking a bath...clean the bathroom

*coloring with kids can be very therapeutic

*kids love to tell you ALL about what they color...so don't guess (because there is a good chance you will be wrong)

*cheerios can be used for so much more than just eating...glue them to paper, string them and make a healthy alternative to a "candy" necklace, etc.....

---------------

AND

---------------

*texting friends helps keep THIS mom sane :)

Brownie "NiNi" (nee-nee)

2011-01-23T22:06:00.006-06:00

Emily isn't the only girl in the house anymore!!! Bring on the pink and purple!!!!

For some reason this picture won't turn, but this is our new puppy, NiNi!

She is so sweet! She is 7 months old, a shnoodle, and is very good with the boys!

rice

2011-01-19T19:33:00.002-06:00

although i realize every mom does this with their kids at some point...
so i am totally copying all you moms out there...

but my kids love it!!!

Projects

2011-01-19T19:25:00.002-06:00

making pillows (the flower designed one)
hanging new shelving

making a new curtain

painting Corbin's room

we painted the top yellow, middle blue, and then painted on the buses, cars, pickups, fire engine, and garbage truck. we left the bottom the dark blue.

2010 Christmas Program

2010-12-13T22:19:00.003-06:00

"CHRISTMAS" skit

"Santa's Christmas Tree" skit

"Frankenstein and Myrrh" skit

All the kids sang Christmas songs.

Corbin is the letter T.

(T is for tidings the shepherds heard that day.)

Day 13: decorate rooms

2010-12-13T22:09:00.002-06:00

Elias picked out some blue ribbon that he says is "red". (Everything is red.)

He put all of his homemade ornaments on it.

Corbin picked out red ribbon.

And he had to hang up some Winnie the Pooh lights and a star in his window.

Day 12: candy cane night

2010-12-13T22:01:00.002-06:00

We read the book 'J is for Jesus'.
It is the story of the candy cane. It was made by a candy maker that wanted to make a special candy to celebrate Jesus. So he makes it in the shape of a J. Makes it red in memory of the cross and the blood that Jesus shed for us. And the white is to symbolize that we are washed white as snow when we as for forgiveness. The J also turns into a Shepherd's staff when turned upside down.

We read the book and then enjoyed some candy canes ourselves!

Day 11: Santa day

2010-12-13T17:25:00.002-06:00

Corbin wrote several letters to Santa. He made sure to write his name several times on each letter to make sure Santa knew for sure it was Corbin that wanted those things.

The boys refused to get close to Santa, same as every year!

Day 10: special gifts for each other

2010-12-13T17:12:00.003-06:00

On the 10th, we were able to get special gifts for each other.
We let the boys go to the toy section and pick out gifts for each other. They picked out some nice gifts for each other...you will have to wait to see them. :)

Day 9: make homemade ornaments

2010-12-13T16:53:00.003-06:00

We made some salt dough.

Rolled it out, cut it, (over) baked it and let it cool.

Then we painted them!!!

They may have needed a bath after this project!

Target Practice

2010-12-11T01:12:00.002-06:00

The boys got cap guns to go with their cowboy costumes for halloween. They were having too much fun shooting at things that were a bit worrisome. So, we sat down and made a target for them to shoot at instead.
"Squeeze the trigger. Don't pull it. Ok, brudder (brother)?"

Day 7: paper Christmas tree

2010-12-11T01:00:00.002-06:00

Day 7 happened to also be a day that Joel and I got to go on a day long date...so we didn't go all out with the advent calendar.

I gave the kids green paper and let them create an abstract Christmas tree of their own!

Can you see a Christmas tree? Somehow they did!!

Day 6: make stockings

2010-12-11T00:34:00.004-06:00

Corbin's finished stocking!

He had such funny faces I had to post double.

Corbin is VERY into doing "crafts". Every day he uses glue, paper, pipe cleaners and pom-poms to create whatever his heart desires. So making stockings was right up his alley.

Eli thought is was pretty fun too. (But letting him use liquid glue was maybe a bad idea.)

Corbin had to write his own name.

Just a little glue....

(hint: if you do this, put cardboard inside before starting!)

Glue, glue and more glue!

And we hung the stockings with care!

(really we did. with all that glue you would think that the pom-poms would stick!!!!)

polite

2010-12-10T17:42:00.002-06:00

Elias: "Come in, Cobin? I come in, Cobin?"
Corbin: "What do you say Eli?"
Elias: "I come in Cobin?"
Corbin: "No, Eli. You have to say please can I come in."
Elias: "PLEASE, Cobin, I come in?"
Corbin: "Yes, you can. Thank you for asking."

Day Long Date!!!

2010-12-07T22:35:00.002-06:00

Joel and I were able to get away for a full 12 hours!
We shopped, ate and went to a concert.

We saw Alli Rogers, Downhere and Mark Schultz! It was a great concert!

It was a wonderful date!!!

Day 5: snow angels

2010-12-07T01:14:00.002-06:00

Elias was ready to get in the snow!

(such a difference from last year!!!)

Eli's snow angel

Corbin was very excited to do snow angels!

Being we knew it was on the calendar, we had been holding off.

Corbin's snow angel

silly saturday

2010-12-05T01:12:00.002-06:00

Corbin and Elias got some tattoos from a certain grandma....hahummm....and he has been thinking it is cool to make some of his 'own' tattoos!!! :) (no worries, I think it is cute. He has yet to use permanent marker!) Just had to show how good at writing his name he is!
As soon as we were done eating supper we decided that the gingerbread house was looking yummy....so we ate it!

Santa was taken out of his sleigh.

YUMMY!!!

Day 4: movie night

2010-12-05T00:59:00.002-06:00

The Advent Calendar is in use again today...
...but the card gave us something relaxing to do tonight! MOVIE NIGHT!!!

We filled our cups with juice and our bowls with popcorn, m&m's and twizzlers.

The boys picked out Phineas and Ferb Christmas Vacation.

Joel and I watched most of it...but the boys were very busy (like always) and only sat through about half of it. But it was nice to just sit!!!

For some reason both of the boys needed to be on 'my' couch instead of with Daddy. :) Gotta love the family time!!!

Day 3: make cardboard snowman

2010-12-03T21:29:00.006-06:00

Make cardboard snowman?! "How?" you may ask. Well, let me show you.
First you take a big piece of cardboard. We covered ours in white paper (paint seemed like too much work).

Next we took three different sized bowls from our kitchen and traced them onto the cardboard.

It's taking shape.
Then we let the boys decorate it will buttons, eyes, nose, mouth, hat and....
Corbin reminded me "He needs a scarf mom. To keep him warm."

We poked 'X' shaped holes around the outside of the snowman for the eyes, mouth, nose, and buttons.

Insert the lights through the back.

And here is our cardboard snowman!!!

"Yippee! It works!"

We are another day closer to MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Day 2: make gingerbread house

2010-12-03T01:51:00.004-06:00

Today it was Eli's turn to pick.
We get to make a gingerbread house!!!

Being I made the list of what we would do for the day, I planned ahead and bought a kit!

We got the frosting packet open and starting 'gluing' the pieces together.

The boys each got a reindeer to decorate.

Corbin's reindeer.

"Is this house looking a bit crooked to you?" -Corbin

Corbin put Santa in his sleigh.

Eli's continued to open and eat all the candy to put on the house.

Putting on the finishing touches.

And our sweet little gingerbread house and Santa in his sleigh.

Corbin insisted we needed 'guys' so we constructed some 'guys' out of candy bars, suckers and laffy taffy! Do you see our guys? There are 3 of them....one for each of us...and Eli gets to be Santa. Ho Ho Ho....Happy December 2nd!!!

Day 1: bake cookies

2010-12-01T16:14:00.004-06:00

Corbin and Elias were very excited to start the fun!
Corbin took out the card. Today we got to bake cookies!

Corbin had a very hard time waiting for Elias to wake up from nap! So as soon as Elias was awake, we were mixing up a batch of cookie dough!

Elias picked out a couple of cookie cutters while Corbin stirred.

Then they each got a spoonful of flour and a ball of dough.

And they each got to roll it out their own way.

(I should have shown them how to do it before I handed over the rolling pins!)

After cutting out the shapes they wanted, Corbin was scooping them onto the cookie sheet in no time!

And Elias just played with the dough and flour...and that is about all he did!

We ended up with 10 cookies! Yes, 10! Supposed to get 24.

They went straight from the table to the tub!!!

And the cookies were busy cooling off.

Time to FROST the cookies!

This was a VERY exciting moment for my boys!!!

My cookie...with the only frosting we had in the house (I was too lazy to make another mess by making frosting)!

This is how they ate the cookies....

...ONLY the frosting was touched!!!

And this is the very exhausted mom that will not do this alone again....without a plan!!!

Happy 1st of December!!!

Christmas Decorating 2010

2010-12-01T00:51:00.002-06:00

After supper tonight, we decorated our tree.
We let the boys have at it...and figured we can fix it later! :)

This is the 'finished' product!

Merry Christmas!

Corbin put the angel at the top of the tree.

This year we are doing something new. We are going to have an eventful Advent! Every day we have a card with a Christmas themed idea for us to do as a family (or for me to do with the kids). We will be baking, crafting, creating and relaxing!

TRF Thanksgiving 2010

2010-12-01T00:24:00.004-06:00

Josie played her violin for us!
Always time for wrestling!

Birthday cake and gifts!!!

Bingo.

Movies.

Turkey.

More wrestling.

Fort building.

As well as....pie, family, black friday shopping and lot of fun!!!

I've lost my mind...

2010-11-22T15:31:00.002-06:00

The boys love to create! So I let them go crazy today!!!
I have a rubbermaid container I filled half full with oatmeal and put sand toys in for rainy or snowy days. And today...I walked away for a few minutes and came back to a kitchen of oatmeal and sand toys instead of just a box.

But they were so quiet and played so well together for those few minutes that the five minutes of clean up was TOTALLY worth it!!!

(and now as I right this post, the boys are in the kitchen (by themselves) with paper, scissors, stickers and markers....I may have lost my mind!)

Painting Potatoes

2010-11-16T22:34:00.002-06:00

Being we had so much fun painting pumpkins...we thought we would continue the fun by "painting" potatoes with oil for lunch.

Painting Pumpkins

2010-11-13T12:11:00.001-06:00

First Snow in November 2010

2010-11-11T10:28:00.002-06:00

We missed the real "first snow" in October. The boys were VERY excited to see the snow outside last night at 7:30!

It was so fun to Elias react. This is the first time that he has been able to walk in the snow without falling over.

Both boys made sure to eat their fair share of fresh snow.

All in a days work!

2010-11-10T18:34:00.003-06:00

Today, we were busy! We made out thank you cards...and Corbin & Elias HAD to help! They added words, pictures and lots of stickers!
We worked on "school". Corbin has learned almost all his letters (both uppercase and lowercase) and a few numbers. He is VERY into adding smiley faces to everything!

Joel cut up all the onions this morning and the dehydrator has been going ever since.

I made a batch of salsa.

So, when we were eating supper, Corbin informed me that it was time to "Watch tv and eat lots of popcorn! Please, Mom!!!"

So we did the "popcorn dance"...

...and now the tv is on!

And we have lots to share, so if you are up for some popcorn and tv, COME ON OVER!

*Yes, I do realize Elias has his shirt inside out and backwards! And it is dirty. But that is the best part of staying home all day...we don't really care what we look like as long as we are having a good time!!!!!!!

A Cowboy Monkey and an Outlaw

2010-11-06T20:40:00.001-05:00

Nebraska 2010

2010-11-06T20:29:00.000-05:00

Colorado 2010

2010-11-06T19:46:00.005-05:00

Sweet Brooke E.

Japanese Steakhouse

The flames freaked out the boys!

Lots of new toys to play with!

Lots of fun playing the night away at Chuck E. Cheese

Pumpkin Patch

Lots of Leaves!!!

chalk

2010-11-06T19:41:00.002-05:00

All Aboard

2010-10-08T16:55:00.004-05:00

The Davis Express

The boys played with their train set for a full hour today!

They were bridges.

They were cranes.

And they had fun!!!

Homecoming Parade 2010

2010-10-03T21:57:00.002-05:00

The AFC Youth Group decorated the church van to ride in the parade.
(: Complete with "Smile, Jesus Loves You" balloons!!!! :)

Go Cougars!

Fun Run

2010-10-03T21:49:00.002-05:00

Making sure his bike was ready for the ride!
Eli made sure to warm up

And the race begins!!!

We walked/biked/strolled our first 5K as a family!

Neat way to teach kids to put coat on.

2010-09-24T13:24:00.003-05:00

I learned this trick to teach kids to put on their coats while I was waiting for Corbin at story hour. A daycare lady showed me how she gets all her kids coats on quick. Isn't it neat?

Story Hour

2010-09-17T13:35:00.002-05:00

Corbin started Story Hour on September 15. He loved it! He had gone twice last year and wasn't as sure about it, but this year he went right into the class room....not even a glance back at me! He sat down in a seat and joined the other 18 children!

This first class they learned about bears. They spend an entire hour doing activities themed with something (bears, fish, monkeys....). The "teachers" do an amazing job!!! I am so glad that such an amazing program is just a drive away!

Elias and BJ (the little boy I watch) just played with the younger kids in the waiting area while Corbin and the older kids had "school".

Lazy Labor Day

2010-09-06T09:44:00.002-05:00

I know that Labor Day has just begun...but we are going to be lazy today!

The boys and I (emily) are watching tv, eating cinnimon rolls, and playing....while Joel sleeps! How long do you think he will sleep until? noon? two? We shall see!

Hope you are all able to enjoy a lazy Labor Day also!

Labor Day Camping

2010-09-06T09:37:00.002-05:00

Joel took the boys camping on Friday and Saturday. He met up with his parents and M&J and their kiddos!

(Emily had to work...but would have loved to join in the fun!)

Roosevelt Park Zoo

2010-09-06T09:04:00.002-05:00

Presents and Pictures

2010-09-06T08:55:00.002-05:00

Elias and Corbin received ties for their birthdays!

Corbin knew that he was getting a grill for his birthday. He has known for about 2 months. So when the day finally arrived the last thing he wanted to do was wait a few more minutes!

A picture Corbin drew!

On our day off...

2010-08-16T12:42:00.001-05:00

...we took a trip to outerspace!

More...

2010-08-16T12:41:00.000-05:00

....PEAS!

"Tat-tah"

2010-08-16T12:36:00.001-05:00

beeping the horn

Take me out to the ball game!

2010-08-16T12:24:00.002-05:00

Take me out with the crowd!
Buy me some peanuts and cracker jacks!
(Or dippin' dots and cotton candy)

I don't care if I never get back

Let me root,

root,

root

for the Red Hawks!

If they don't win it's a shame.

(So luckily they won.)

For it's one, two, three strikes, you're out,

At the old ball game!

Do you see it?

2010-08-09T16:56:00.001-05:00

For Uncle Evan...

2010-08-08T15:45:00.001-05:00

This one is more for Gramma. :)

colorful cooking and canning

2010-08-08T14:48:00.002-05:00

We have been enjoying some very colorful meals! This is my (emily's) favorite!

Mix zucchini, carrots, potatoes, green beans, yellow beans, broccoli, and onions.

In a pan, put butter (for a 13x9 I used half a stick of butter) on bottom. Place veggies in pan. Then crumble raw hamburger on top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover and let bake at 350 degrees for about one hour.

I spent a couple days canning beans!

36 pints and 7 quarts

Betty

2010-07-30T12:53:00.004-05:00

Meet Betty Croaker!

This is what we know about her so far:

*she is a frog

*she likes to climb

*she don't have hair

*her belly is white

*she hops

*she has black eyes

*her throat goes in and out really fast

*she has 8 "fingers" and 10 "toes"

The boys were very excited to catch her while they were going after dragonflies, grasshoppers and crickets in the backyard! Corbin is very into learning all about her! I guess we have a pet!

Do you know what frogs eat?

Vacation 2010

2010-07-27T14:35:00.012-05:00

This is by far the biggest post I have ever done!

We took a two week vacation starting at the North Shore.

We camped at a resort for 5 days. It was full of fun things to do! We were at the beach almost every day. The boys build a 'waterfall'.

While we were going through some road construction, we happened upon this sign. Joel couldn't stop laughing. There was no center stripe...probably because we were on gravel?!

We went to Gooseberry Falls State Park. There was beautiful falls there!

Most likely this will be our Christmas picture!

We were able to walk across an area between some of the falls.

The boys showing off their muscles.

Funny faces.

I came home with lots of pictures that look like this!!!

Yes, we did get after him picking flowers in a State Park...after we took some pictures.

The only stressful part of our trip was trying to get good family pictures. While we were trying to set up the camera for yet another family picture, Corbin asked if he could take a picture. He snapped this picture as well as about 5 other really good shots!

The lighthouse at Split Rock Lighthouse State Park!

You have to climb down about 200 steps to get this picture...but it was well worth it!

Baptism River

We rented a pontoon one evening. It wasn't as relaxing as you would think...with two little boys that ran back and forth until Elias learned the hard way...but it was still pretty fun.

Corbin made us some pancakes one morning. He did a great job!

We even got the kids to wash the dishes!

We made beef stew from scratch over the fire! It was very tasty!

There is just something about cooking over a fire that is so relaxing! Camping food is always so good! We made pizza sandwiches and the boys loved making them...but weren't thrilled about eating them.

We spent a day in Duluth. We did lots of sight-seeing!

We walked onto the William A. Irvine.

Feeding the seagulls some french fries.

We went for an hour long bike ride. Both boys fell asleep. Both parents got a good workout!

We were told about a beach that had white sand! It was so amazing! Felt like we were at the ocean!

Elias loved getting all sandy...even took a taste.

Poor Corbin wasn't feeling good, so no good pictures of him on the beach.

We went on a family fun cruise. They served pizza and ice cream. They had some fun kids songs.

We did funny faces to pass the time while we waited to eat.

The sight from the top deck.

Elias dancing.

While we were getting on the boat, Joel mentioned that he hoped the boys wouldn't get sea-sick. I told him not to worry about it, the boys would be fine. And they were...but me...not so much!

The lift bridge that we went under.

Picture with the Captian.

The boys got to see him steering the boat WITH HIS FEET!

We ate at Gordy's. And when we got home, we saw them on tv!

We spent one night in Brainerd on the way back. They had an awesome waterpark!

On our way to Grandpa and Grandma's we stopped at Granny's Pantry and filled a bag with candy! Elias picked out a 2 foot long snake!

We had such a relaxing vacation!

Funnies

2010-07-12T22:47:00.003-05:00

Corbin has been saying some pretty funny things lately!

While fishing last weekend, we brought the fish into the boat with the net and the fish was flopping around. Corbin looked at the boy who caught it and said, "I don't think he likes you."

Corbin and Elias were playing in the church nursery.

Corbin: "Can you hear me?"

Elias: "Uh uh."

Corbin: "Elias, can you hear me?!"

Elias: "Uh uh."

Corbin: "CAN YOU HEAR ME, ELIAS?"

Elias: "UH UH!!!"

Corbin was telling about how much he wanted a baby toy that looked like a combine. He wanted it so he could mow the grass. When I told him that it was a combine, he gave me a funny look and told me "Mowers are for grass. Combines are for food like wheat and corn." Mom: "What else does Grandpa grow in his fields that he combines?" Corbin: "Seaweed!" Mom: "You mean soybeans? Seaweed grows in water." Corbin: "You're silly, Mom!"

Corbin has an oppisites book. He loves to read it almost every night before bed! I point to the word and he "reads" it to me (figuring it out by the picture beside it). Last night, he decided he wanted to spell every word. So I said all the letters and he would repeat them to me. "t-o-p. b-o-t-t-o-m. r-i-g-h-t. l-e-f-t." etc.... After doing that for a few pages, he looked at me and told me he was too tired to do any more. He needed me to point to them and read them because he was too tired to think anymore.

We went for a bike ride and Corbin was set that he needed to ride his bike beside mine instead of riding in the bike trailer with Elias. Whenever we would get to the curb, he would tell me that he didn't want to go down the "bumpies" because he didn't want to get "stuckies".

And then there is Elias. He says a few words. He tries repeating them for a while and then gives up and just says "elellella". He loves to sing though. He can keep a tune too! He can hum Jesus Loves Me, Wheels on the Bus, Shoo Fly Shoo, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and a few others.... He will burst into song at any given moment...usually when it is quiet (like at church during prayer). It is fun to see his personality!

.....Being a mom is fun! The boys have such creative imaginations and are constantly coming up with funny things to say and do! I wish my brain could remember them all!....

Summer Fun Has Just Begun

2010-07-12T17:15:00.002-05:00

I know it has been a while since I have blogged on a regular basis. This is proving to be a busy summer for us!

We had our Vacation Bible School the beginning of June. We had a good turn out and a very fun group of "ranch hands"! Our theme this year was Saddle Ridge Ranch...and we were even able to get a horse to come in and do horseback rides for one of the recreations times!!!

We had a couple of days to breath before heading to Convention. Joel was at Convention all of the days while the boys and I (Emily) spent some time with my family.

Elias turned 2 on the 26th of June!!! Poor kid hasn't had a party yet, but he did get an ice cream cake (pictured above) that he picked out!

Add several dental appointments, 2 weddings and a funeral...and a picnic here and there...

We spent a day with some friends, smoking brisket and pork for the youth fundraisers. We had a fun filled day smoking, hoeing weeds, grilling, and I got to milk a cow!!!

side note....I have learned how to make yogurt, butter, buttermilk and cheese from the fresh milk!!! And I am busy filling my freezer with rhubarb!!! Soon it will be canning season and I will be busy using my new canner!!! (can you sense my excitement???)

The youth had a concession stand at the Rugby fair...Mini Donuts, Beef Brisket, Fresh-cut Fries...worth every calorie!!! (My Dentist made sure to tell my that was her favorite stand!) The youth also sold concessions at the Derby in town. .......Oh and both were on the same weekend! Busy busy I tell you!!!

On the 4th, we spend the entire day outside! Elias enjoyed MANY marshmallows!!! Corbin had a friend over and we set up the pool!

Then we headed over to watch fireworks from a better spot then the middle of town! The boys wore their cute shirts from Gramma Janice! We made sure to eat lots of s'mores...and Eli just ate more marshmallows!

After the fireworks, a fire fighter came and asked us if we wanted a ride to the Fire Station...so we rode in the back of the fire truck across town...sirens and all!!!

The 8-10th we took the AFC youth group on a camping trip! We fished, swam, ate, played many different games, sang, and had campfires! Oh...and made sure to tell jokes...like the pink joke...and the word joke...just ask Joel...he will gladly tell you!!! :)

On the 11th, we had our church picnic in the park! Always a good time!

And now...we are on our two week vacation! We have decided that we are just going to enjoy the ride and do whatever sounds fun. We will see where we end up!

finally....

2010-06-30T11:45:00.002-05:00

Eli's curls were getting a bit too long

So Mommy snipped them off this morning.

And now he looks like a "big boy"!

The Boys are Back in Town!

2010-05-29T22:53:00.002-05:00

Corbin and Elias got to spend a full week away with both sets of grandparents while Emily recovered from surgery for her gall bladder. We missed the boys very much and we are SO glad to have them back home (but were thankful for the quiet while recovering).

Thank you so much to the grandparents (and uncles) for taking the boys! It was a huge blessing to us!

And thank you to all who send cards and food! The food was all wonderful!!!

Church Clothes

2010-05-10T15:28:00.001-05:00

popsicles

2010-05-10T15:15:00.003-05:00

Corbin made popsicles!
He used strawberries, frozen raspberries and yogurt.
Blended them to perfection.
Let them freeze.
And enjoyed...

....every.....

...last....

....bite!!!

"Hi"

2010-05-10T15:09:00.002-05:00

If you are looking for something to brighten your day, just give Eli a call and you will get to hear his little voice say "Hi"....

....unless he is sippin'.

Fun Family Day

2010-04-26T21:30:00.002-05:00

Today, we cleaned together.
We played together.

And we ate together.

We had a great day!

Very Belated Easter

2010-04-26T20:39:00.002-05:00

Easter weekend was crazy this year! Joel had a lot going on. Grandpa Don, Grandma Cathy and Evan came up to keep us company! We went to the egg hunt in the park on Saturday.

We made sure to get some good family pictures....

Corbin is still talking about Easter! It is fun to hear him starting to understand!

Happy Belated Easter!

Girls Weekend

2010-04-26T20:30:00.002-05:00

Last weekend I was able to get away hubby and kid free with three of my dear friends! I can not even start to explain how much I needed it! We did lots of shopping, chatting and eating! But the part that makes it most memorable for me was the laughter! We laughed until we cried! It was great! I am so thankful!! I am so blessed!

I only took two pictures...one is stuck on my phone...the other my friend would kill me if I posted. :)

Love you girls!!!

Perfect Weekend

2010-03-29T08:30:00.003-05:00

I can't find my card reader to post pictures...but wanted to write about our weekend.

On Saturday, we all went down to Rugby for the afternoon. I got groceries, checked out the library and then we went for a treat at the Coffee Cottage. It was so perfect! The kids were so good (which never happens in the afternoons with no nap)!! On the way home the boys fell asleep, so it felt like Joel and I were on a date. :) It was so relaxing! When we got home we made pizzas and then watched a movie. It was the perfect family day...and I have no pictures of it!

Sunday was gorgeous!!! It was so warm that we were out with no coats! We walked around town with another family. Corbin biked with his friends and Eli was in the wagon (for most of the trip...until he discovered all the puddles). It was another great day!

Other than the huge tantrum Corbin had during church, it was the perfect weekend! :)

Still Alive

2010-03-21T15:47:00.000-05:00

It's is spring!

We are still alive! I know it has been well over a month since I blogged. Life is crazy. What can I say?

2010-02-18T17:13:00.002-06:00

Sorry for the lack of posts. I can only upload one picture at a time. And I haven't been taking many pictures lately. Life has been crazy...to say the least!

Corbin Funnies...

2010-02-18T16:41:00.003-06:00

As we pulled up to the bank, Corbin asks, "Is this where the balloons live?"

Corbin screams, "See my cardboard mom?" as he rolls around on his Tonka truck like it's a skateboard.

On Tuesday nights, I (emily) am going to a Bible study. During nap time, I try to get my homework done and tell Corbin that I am going to work on my Bible study. So on Tuesday, when I told him I had to go to Bible study, he asked me "In your room?"

"When we are happy, we say 'CHEESE!'"

Pretending

2010-02-18T16:09:00.002-06:00

"Look, I caught a fish and it is THIS big!"

Corbin is very into playing pretend. He enjoys pretending there is a monster somewhere in the house and then we sneak up on it and get it. He enjoys pretending that he is building a house with blankets. He enjoys making a sidewalk out of all his books. And at the moment...He really enjoys making a fishing pole out of his stick horse and some yarn. And of course he has a boat, which is the chair in our living room. And he has to catch fish....or cars.

And Elias follows right behind him.

Ready to work!

2010-02-18T15:24:00.004-06:00

The boys lately have been ready to work! Elias is all about vacuuming up any mess that he sees or just vacuuming the floors because it is fun for him! He sneaks in our room (where it is plugged in) and grabs it! The Shark is holding up pretty good, considering it is a toy to the boys!

Corbin is really helpful when it comes to cleaning the kitchen, bathroom, and living room. Trying to get him to pick up toys is another story! Corbin has a "dusting sock" that he got during Sunday school a few months ago. The other day he asked if he could use it because "the tables are very dusty".

snow

2010-01-25T11:27:00.004-06:00

Sunday morning, we were waiting for Daddy to come pick us up for Sunday School. We decided to play in the snow. Corbin took the big pieces of snow and "planted" them like seeds. (We planted some flower seeds and Corbin is very amazed at the process.)

Eli was soaked by the time we got to church! :)

2010-01-25T11:21:00.002-06:00

J Term

2010-01-25T10:57:00.006-06:00

C & Sweet I

Corbin, Elias and big boy I

Elias NOT sharing the ball with Z
Poor Z kept signing please. It was so sweet. But Eli wasn't going to share...until forced. (this 'mine' stage is a blast)

All the boys playing ball.

The Mommies and their little prophets!
Z, I and Eli were all born within 4 days of each other!

All the boys! (love Eli's face!)

We had a great time (although much too short) at J Term!

Our Little Artist

2010-01-16T17:26:00.002-06:00

Corbin brought me this picture yesterday and told me it was a picture of "a girl". I think he did a really good job for being 3! Too bad he does so many nice drawings on the MagnaDoodle...so I have to take pictures.

More Christmas!

2010-01-13T10:35:00.004-06:00

From the moment we walked in the door the boys were at the table enjoying the goodies! He had a cookie or candy in hand almost the entire time!

Goofy picture of the Corbin and some of his cousins!

Sneaking another cookie!

Elias and H

And we made time to open all the gifts...but forgot to take more pictures!

We weren't there long, but we had a good time. Really wish the weather would have allowed us to be able to celebrate Christmas all together....couldn't do anything about it though.

Traditions

2010-01-13T10:00:00.004-06:00

One tradition we have with Emily's family is that we eat steaks for Christmas!
Joel is the official 'Grill Sergeant" and this year, Corbin got a "grill private" apron to match daddy!

He was a great help! And the steaks were amazing as always!!!

Another tradition is stockings. This year it was kind of low key...but we still had them.

Corbin sneaking off with his candy-packed stocking!

This isn't much of a tradition...just a funny picture. The boys were playing in their new toy boxes, turning them into forts.

We had a great Christmas! Due to the snow storm that blew through, we were able to spend a few extra days together!

Finally....Christmas Pictures!!!

2010-01-13T09:40:00.005-06:00

Elias tried on Gma Cathy's hat and mittens.

"Seriously, toilet paper for Christmas? I don't even use the stuff yet!" --Eli

Eli was wherever the presents were.

Helping Gpa Don.

Corbin explaining to us that he has "So many presents!"

Opening their first gift.