MCC Sale

Weeks ago, our family went to the Kansas MCC Sale. We love to go to the sale each year and fill our tummies with as much food as possible. 

 The boys love the big slide - how they do that after eating a huge meal is beyond me!

 Kettle popcorn makes for a great snack after verenike and new year's cookies.

The sale is always packed with people and we run into friends and family at just about every turn. Plus, it's all for a good cause that makes it a win, win, win!

House Progress

Here's what happened on our house this week:

The garage and storage room got a roof!

 I spotted Levi through the master bath window,

 Hi Levi!

 The remaining walls upstairs got framed

 and the roof got covered!

 The wind on Thursday was so strong they had to stop putting up sheeting on the roof and instead moved inside to do other things. But Friday there was little wind and they finished with sheeting and

 and started putting this blue plastic stuff on.

 I think it's awesome that our builder left a hammer in the house for our boys to play with in the evening.

 On windy Thursday, Jeremy started building our staircase. The adults still use the ladder to get upstairs, but the boys climb the skeleton staircase.

Time to be outside

Levi, our child who will pick up fully grown chickens, makes this face when holding a baby chick and feeling its little claws on his hands:

Yet, in his defense, just yesterday he held a chick and told me he was used to how their feet felt.  It's hard to believe that in just a few months our tiny little chicks will be clucking ladies. A coyote got another chicken yesterday, now we're down to 16 ladies. Good thing we've got 29 little chicks peeping around in the barn.

 With  nicer weather comes bike riding!

 Going fast is important. Certain shoes makes the boys faster, comparing who can run, ride bike or do pretty much anything faster is a big deal at our house. It's all about speed.

 His mouth does this thing when he's competing or trying to impress.

 Insects aren't my favorite, but it's felt encouraging to see them come out this week to enjoy the sunshine.

 There are just a few tulips around our current house. I love to see them each year, a reminder of the beautiful flowers my grandma used to plant and care for around her house.

 The steers are here for a few more weeks yet - clanking around in the head gates and kicking up dust - I get a kick out of watching them eat.

 Ben and I used to marvel (and giggle) at a kid in church that could lick his nostrils with his tongue. I think of that kid every time I see a cow do it. Ssssllllluuurrp!

House Progress

Last week, despite the wind, our house got it's top put on!

 We continue to have a good time venturing over to the house each evening and checking out the progress.

 Poor Harold is more ready than the rest of us to have a staircase built. He paces around the bottom of the ladder waiting for us to come back down.

 Scraps of wood seem to be a tasty chew treat for him, too.

 From the first time I saw this house plan, I was in the love with the fact that you could see from the front door to the back door - a straight shot right through the house.

 John Unruh came out and worked his dirt magic. He created a ditch-type thing for water from the field in our front yard to flow around our house, instead of right at it. He also brought in some dirt and gave the yard a nice grade (like an upside down bowl). It's kinda strange to see this thing come whipping around the corner of your house!

 The garage roof trusses went up after the main house trusses were braced. And yes, at some point, they'll put the top parts of those trusses on - we won't have a flat top garage roof. They also put the floor in for our storage space above the garage.

 And just yesterday, they started putting sheeting up on the roof!

 The construction site continues to be a playground for the boys - after the workers are gone for the day of course.

 My heart skips a beat, my chest tightens up and I simply have to walk away when they start climbing up high.

 It takes my breath away and all three of my guys laugh at me.

 "What mom? We're fine!" They're crazy it what they are, plum crazy.

 I love, love, love to look up at the trusses and see all the lines and the blue sky beyond.

 Soon enough, this roof will have sheeting too...which is wonderful (and practical, I know!)...but I'm going to enjoy these views while they last.

Weekend in Nebraska

Just after lunch on Friday we loaded up and drove north to Nebraska. I had to represent MCC at the Nebraska Relief Sale and it was the perfect opportunity to visit our friends Brad and Kara!

 We met up at the sale and after I got the MCC table set-up and found out what I was supposed to do, we got to enjoy the evening together. We filled our tummies with soup, bread and pie at dinner and then found New Year's Cookies and Apple Preschke (an apple filled pastry that brings back wonderful memories of my grandmother). The boys spent a ton of money in the kids area and had all sorts of treasures to show for it. Braden even sat down and worked on an MCC word search!

 Ben definitely did a better job of interacting with folks at the sale than I did. He got in a bunch of farm talk with friends of all ages.

 While this isn't the best photo of Levi, I still have to include it. He was set up to give away MCC pins, pens, magnets and brochures. He smiled at people when they walked by, but didn't get very many takers. Eventually, he got frustrated, gave up and ran off...poor guy.

 Little James is a charmer! He's four months old, and happy as can be (when not in super-loud buildings). He was so little and cute!

Saturday evening after the sale was all wrapped up we ventured over to the Janzen shop to check out the farm equipment. The boys were in heaven! Space to run, big green John Deere's all over the place, what wasn't to love?!

 Luke, who just turned three, did his best to keep up with the bigger boys. For the most part, the older boys were willing to make sure he was included in the fun.

 Everywhere I turned there was something green with wheels!

 Luke was proud that he knew how to drive the gator. He told me all about it. He melted my heart over and over again all weekend long.

 The farmers...doing what farmers do...talk about farming...

 These two six year olds gave me their most fierce race faces:

 And then the foot races started: Luke, Braden, Noah and Levi

 The big boys easily beat Luke by at least half a lap, but he didn't care! He jabbered to me the whole time, "I'm almost winning! I'm running so fast! I'm winning!" All while he had already lost the race. Just adorable.

Kara, we'll have to hold on to these photos for when these guys are older. :-) It was a wonderful, whirlwind of a weekend! We're looking forward to hosting the Janzen clan at our new house someday soon!