March, 2019

Laundry, their least favorite chore...my favorite chore to have handed off to them.

 March brings postseason basketball for Ben - which generally means more competitive games that we like to go watch. 

 We got a big griddle for our stove top and it makes it a breeze to make a huge breakfast!

 Ben had meetings for MKC in Las Vegas so off we went!

 And just like that, we were back to basketball season in Kansas!

 More seed planting

 Out to Doo Dah's with Rylee Jo

 Gotta check those seeds daily...

 Playing Monopoly with grandma

 It took us a month to make it happen, but we got Noah's birthday celebrated with some friends at the trampoline park and then they pigged out afterwards. 

 We got together to celebrate all three cousin birthdays.

 Reading in church - don't they look thrilled?! Ha!

 Spring means it's time to empty out the bins on the farm.

 The wheat started to green up

 and the seeds sprouted!

 Time to plant potatoes

 Then Ben's grandparents moved from Illinois to Goessel!

 And Levi and I got to watch Noah play basketball for an entire weekend...

 When family moves it means there will be a crowd to feed and we were happy to host!

 Breakfast of champions before more basketball.

 A fresh batch of chicks, so cute, soft and loud.

 Levi, Betsy and Allison - classmates and buddies for years

 Kids Praise at church provided special music

 Delicate little blooms signaling the end of winter, what a blessing!

February, 2019

February is the month I travel to Akron, PA for work meetings. The garden space in O'Hare was a magical little oasis for me during my layover going east.

 Hands down the best part of going to PA is seeing my friend Diana in Lancaster. She takes us to fun new restaurants and this Trinidadian place was delicious and beautiful.

 Good old MCC in Akron...

 More treats in Lancaster

 Funny thing - with no pictures to show for it - but I had my first experience of getting stuck in an airport overnight on my way back to Kansas. I was very thankful for the cot, blanket and toiletries handed out by the airport attendant.
I got some new artwork for our house -  designed and made by a local artist.

 Levi's last elementary school program, it's always fun to see the creative leadership the 5th grade class brings to the spring concert.

 Not a good photo, but he was excited to play his trombone with the band!

 Happy 13th birthday Noah!

 Soon after he came down with Influenza A - thankfully he recovered very quickly and most of these supplies were not actually needed.

 In February, good food nourishes the body and the soul - February is a rough month.

 Ben is so good at the details of planting seeds - I'm not - and I'm thankful for this balance between us.

 Noah competed on his classes Quiz Bowl team.

 I try to keep a bunch of plants alive inside the house all winter and sometimes they bloom and it's just about the best thing ever!

 Eggs....we always have lots of eggs, even in the dead of winter our chickens just keep on producing.

January, 2019

The month of January is ruled by our basketball schedule and the weather. 

 Work trip to Dallas, Texas for our annual planning meetings.

 Garden dreaming...

 Celebrating Levi's birthday with Anthony and Evan.

 There's nothing like having your older brother jump in to ruin a solid trombone duet...

 So thankful for these college friends and the random times we can find to stay connected.

 Levi played biddy ball - and the final Saturday was a fun game against the high school BB team!