Pictures

Here are some pictures of the fun we have been having so far this year. Just last week we bought these adorable little chicks. We are now up to 10 baby chicks to add to our already 5 hens and 1 rooster. We are on the hold list for 5 araucana chicks. Nico is hoping to go to the farmer's markets next year when the chicks should be at their peek production.



This was an interesting adventure on our trip to Montauk State Park, in southern Missouri. Our accelerator cable broke as we were getting off the highway. Mike with all his ingenuity rigged the cable up so he could get us to a part store. He was able to get it fixed enough to get us to the park where it then broke again when we went to leave - luckily my brother had his truck there and brought Mike into town to get more wire to repair it again. Lucky for us we made it back home.


Here are my mom, dad, and my crew of boys. It was a great trip because my mom and dad came and stayed in my brother's camper.
Vernon, my younger brother (but the oldest twin) is helping Nico get ready to fish. I think Vernon enjoyed showing Nico the ropes.

A hollow log we found that was fun to take pictures while looking through.

A snapshot of us on our little hike.

Nico won't eat the fish, but he will kiss them. He caught one each day. We cooked them up when we got home. They were delicious. We had fish fry one night at camp from the fish Vernon caught. He could only have 8 in his possession at one time, so we had to eat some so he could catch more.

This was the last morning. It was the only morning we got Nico up early to start fishing when the siren started. The fog over the river was beautiful. Mike and I sat on the bank with our coffee and watched them fish. Nico had one and it got away. Vernon caught two within a half hour. We are definitely looking forward to going again next year.




In February we went to Kansas City, Kansas to get a little 'warm weather' fix. While it wasn't warm outside, it was warm inside the indoor water park. Brian went with us on this trip.

I love this picture of Mike and Luca. I love Luca's pose. He is such a doll and Mike is a great Daddy!

Here we are. The love of my life.

Mommy and her littlest angel.

The kids sleep area was their own little sectioned off area. It had bunk beds on the other side. Luca slept in his first big boy bed without any problems. He didn't get out of bed at all.
They had story time each night. I dressed Luca in his jammies and we snuggled down to listen to the story.

Luca absolutely loved the water slide. He went non-stop.

Nico also had a great time on the slides. I love seeing my boys smile. Seeing these happy faces and hearing their laughter make me one, proud, happy mama!

Spring Break!

One of the many things I love about homeschooling is that we get to pick the week we take spring break. My brother asked early in the year for us to join him on a camping trip this month. It quickly became our spring break. It looks like the weather might even cooperate and be nice!

We are headed to Montauk State Park in southern Missouri. The park is known for its trout fishing. Nico is looking forward to fishing with his Uncle Vernon, Grandpa, and dad. I am excited my mom and dad are going as well. It was on the fence for mom as she came down with an infection in her gum but was able to get to the dentist to get some medicine. She will be heading out with us in our camper on Tuesday. Dad and Vernon went on Monday.

Brian was going to go with us, but I finally convinced him to call his dad last Thursday. They chatted for a while and he went over there this weekend. He decided he is going to go to Wisconsin with them as they are headed there for some family event on their side. I am glad he talked to his dad and hope that all stays on tract. I hope he stays away from the rotten kids he was hanging out with too. I think he is coming back to our house next week, but who knows. As he said in a letter to his, "DIVORCE STINKS!". We have been divorced since he was 2 yo but I guess you just don't get used to it. He is lucky he has two parents who love him and fight over him so much!

We did have a great week and a half while Brian was with us. The kids got along great, Brian did as he was told, and he completed his school work as instructed and did well. He applied for a few jobs, but hasn't gotten any phone calls yet. I am just glad he made the effort. I can't ask for more than that. We had a great time in Kansas City. It actually worked well in that we left the boys at the hotel since Brian was there while Mike and I went out to The Yard House, for an appetizer and beer sampling. (I found a new yummy beer called the Lindeman's Framboise. It is a delicious raspberry beer).

I will post pictures next week of both of our trips. We will also be getting new baby chicks. Nico has requested baby chicks that he can raise and hopes to sell the eggs. (This is to go with our 5 hens and 1 rooster we already have.)

Crazy Happenings

Wow, things have been busy at our house!

Brian, the 17 year old, has been keeping us on our toes. A few weeks ago he stayed out for 36 hours (without his medication) and would not answer his phone. You talk about a frazzled mama and papa! We were to the point where I was calling news stations to get his picture on the news when his dad found him at someone's house. Oh boy the relief. But, oh boy, the anger at him for not at least calling. His dad kept him with him for a week; taking him to work and keeping him close to him. The next week he gave him a little bit of lee-way, leaves him at home and he pulls it again! He takes off with these kids and doesn't tell anyone and doesn't come home! His dad called me, so I tried calling Brian and he did answer the phone when I called. I don't know what was going on in his mind (or what still is), but he refused to go back to his dad's house and would only let me pick him up. (At least he came home with me!) We talked to his dad, but Brian wouldn't give any explanations, just that he wasn't going to stay there with his dad. I felt so bad for his dad as I know how he was feeling because Brian did the same thing about a year ago. He said he hated my house and wanted to live with his dad, however, he didn't sever the ties like he did with his dad this time. Even though I am divorced from his dad, his dad is always there. I couldn't have made it through these years without the help from his dad. With all of Brian's medical issues, it takes two! So, now we are establishing our lives again with Brian in the house full time. I love having him home, but get so frustrated at having to remind him to do anything! (clean up after yourself, take a shower, brush your teeth, no eating in the LR, eat healthy, do some chores, take your medicine, complete your school work). On the school work front at least he is doing that. He is completing an online HS degree (which I don't particularly like, but at this point we will continue with it and get it done. I'll fill in as we go along). I love him to death and am hoping I can get him to see how precious his life is and how much he really has to offer to the world. He is filling out job applications and hoping to land at least a part time job and meet some good friends from the area. Living in the country makes it hard to meet people.

I have had to explain to Nico that he needs to keep doing what he has always done. Nico is a self motivator and will pick up and clean when he sees it needs to be done. He keeps his toys in order and works hard at his school work. He very rarely talks back. We have seen when Brian is with us that Nico will tend to act up (not listening, lagging behind, goofing off when he needs to focus, etc). After the first couple days, things settled in and our week went smoothly.

Please keep us in your prayers as we continue our journey. Brian has two more major surgeries coming up and cannot risk going out on his own yet. He has so much to learn and so much to do before he is even ready to take that leap. I pray he gains the sight to see this and strive to get where he needs to be with our help. I am with him every step of the way. I pray I have the patience to hold my tongue and not say some of the things I am feeling, but be able to communicate effectively with Brian and the boys. I will be using this blog as my venting stage, so please don't think poorly of me if my frustration shows through here.