Snowstorm!

When we woke up Tuesday morning, our front window had snow and ice blown onto it and frozen around like a frame. The storm we got had strong winds and cold temperatures! I think Tuesday's high was in the low 20's. Our boys were so excited to go play in the snow, that they went out before 8:00 to enjoy it! Our front porch got quite a bit of drifting on it, enough that the boys got out the sled and were able to make a small sledding ramp! We are so thankful for the snow we got! It has saved my boys from endless boredom (barely into their Christmas break) and gives us a chance for it to feel like a white winter. Jonas is in most of the pictures because he was the one who kept going back outside to play when the others were done.  Nathaniel came home for his lunch break and spent it building a snowman with the boys. The only carrotts we had were baby ones, so that is what the boys wanted to use! In the last picture, Logan is having his morning oatmeal and snow! He couldn't go outside that day because he had a fever and cough/nose gunk. He went out in the snow on Wednesday when it was lots warmer, but he didn't last long.  As soon as his gloves got snow on them, he was done.

Ward Christmas Party

Here we are waiting patiently for the big feast at our Ward Christmas Party.  Nathaniel caught Logan in a classic act of picking his nose! The boys were soooo hungry, or so they said, you can see who was happy despite that and who wasn't.  We had a delicious dinner that reminded us of Thanksgiving with stuffing, rolls, mashed potatoes, and fried or smoked turkey! No Santa Claus this year though, because the Bishop wanted a party more centered on the real meaning of Christmas. We got to watch a short video called Reflections of Christ that was very beautiful and moving. Afterwards, all the Relief Society sisters put together goody plates for each family to take home and give away. 

Christmastime!!

Yeah!! I have finally updated the blog to match the season! We did not have a computer there for a week, but now have it fixed.  Today we did gingerbread houses while Logan was down for a nap.  The boys have been waiting all week to do them and have the help of daddy. Can you see the frosting and candy smeared faces? The best part about doing gingerbread houses is munching on the goodies while doing them!  Well, we are having gorgeous weather today with sunshine, hardly any wind, and in the 50's.  Much of the day has been spent playing outside, riding bikes, and going to the park.  Monday we are supposed to get a winter storm, so we are taking advantage of this beautiful day!  Even though the boys said they were done with their gingerbread houses, it is now fifteen minutes later and they are 'improving' their houses by adding more.  If I let them, they will be at it for the rest of the day!

Thanksgiving!

We decided to stay at home and do our own family traditions for Thanksgiving this year.  It didn't include a turkey which Joshua was sad about, but was less stressfull.  After eating our feast, Joshua said that this wasn't a feast, it wasn't as big as the pilgrims and Indians had! I didn't take it personally because I was proud of all that I accomplished with the dinner.  We made 'hand' Turkey cookies that were fun to make.  Joshua and Jonas were ready to get back to school, that many days at home was boring for them.  Over all we are so thankful for all our many blessings and for family.

Pawnee Rock

We decided to go exploring for our Veteran's Day that the boys got school off and Nathaniel had work off.  Pawnee Rock is a small small blip of a town 7 miles away, but every time we passed it we saw a sign pointing to a Pawnee State Park, so we decided to check it out.  As we go along the country road, we passed a grassy area with some picnic tables and thought oh we should come back here after we find the state park.  Well, a couple miles later we realized from our map that that was the state park.  Pawnee Rock is a small hill of rocks with a pavillion on top and signs to tell the history of it along the Santa Fe Trail.  I guess we should have figured that it wouldn't be much of a park, although there is a winding staircase to the top of the pavillion so you can see the flatlands.  The boys liked it and want to go back exploring even though we explored everything they had there.

Expecting

The first person to contact us gets to help name the baby!  That's right, we are expecting our fifth!  Jesse will have a wonderful birthday present since our due date is around June 16th.

Halloween fun!

This year for halloween pictures it was hit and miss with mostly misses.  I don't know why the camera wasn't handy or something, but we did get the boys who dressed up in a picture.  Our fun began Friday with the ward chili cookoff/Bible Boolevard/trunk or treat.  Wow! Our tiny little church was packed!! Half the people there I have never seen! Anyway, we all had fun eating good food and going around to the different rooms where a story was told from the bible and a game was played to go along with it. (for example: story of Moses as a baby with the game toss balls into wicker baskets; Jonah and the Whale with the game of tossing rings onto bottles of water)  It was great! Logan never dressed up because the second I tied on his dragon cape he untied and threw it off!  It was nice to only have maybe ten trunks giving out treats because the boys didn't come home with pumpkins full of candy.  Our next fun Halloween activity was on Monday.  Joshua and Jonas got to wear their costumes to school and their classes got to go trick or treating to the downtown offices! They thought that was so awesome!  I took the boys out around the neighborhood to trick or treat since we had been told by many people that our area was the best area and where everyone came to trick or treat.  Logan was in the stroller and would hold his hand out at every house, even the ones we didn't go up to.  Jesse was done after five houses and wanted to go back home because he saw one treat he really wanted to eat (a gummy candy in the shape of a nose)! Joshua and Jonas weren't shy after the first house and wanted to go to every house, but they settled for buckets 3/4 full.  I guess we had our three older boys all dressed as super heroes, I have really good protection with all these boys!  The morning after Halloween we all had the halloween hangover, nobody wanted to wake up or get dressed or even eat.  Slow moving was the order of the day! Well, I guess I had better make sure and take pictures of all the boys instead of the first three, Logan seems to be nonexistent in all the photos!

Zoo

Last Saturday we decided to go check out the zoo in Great Bend.  It wasn't huge, but they had quite a few animals.  The cages and areas for the animals were smaller than Denver's so we could see the animals rather closer! We were the only ones there since we chose to go in the late morning when it was still fall feeling weather.  By that afternoon, it was in the upper seventies. After going to the zoo, we stopped by Goodwill to look for Halloween costumes. We found perfect ones for Joshua and Jonas, Mr. Incredible and Iron Man.  They have worn those costumes almost every day since we got them!  When we got home from our fun in Great Bend, we had to split the family so half could go to Joshua's soccer game and half could take Jonas to a birthday party.  By the end of that day we were bushed, well, at least us parents were!

Fall Fun!

 Last Saturday morning we finally got the rain that we needed.  It poured all day Saturday and Sunday.  Joshua's soccor game Saturday was cancelled, but we decided to still go to Nathaniel's work party.  Most of the things they were advertising sounded like they would be outside but fortunately it was all in the 4-H building and animal pavilion.  Logan had fun climbing the fences and hoola-hooping.  Joshua, Jonas, and Jesse loved painting their own pumpkin, roasting marshmellows over the bonfires, and playing on the bouncy house.  The rain let up for a short interval and we were able to enjoy a short hay ride.  We all had a ton of fun!

Joshua's Birthday

Aaarg! I typed up a whole bunch under this post and didn't save it before trying to post, now it's gone and I have to start over! Well, it was a very busy birthday day for us. It started out the night before Joshua's birthday with him sulking and saying "this is going to be the worst birthday ever!" He told me that night that he wanted ladybug cupcakes but we didn't have anything to make them with, so I told him I would make some fun cupcakes (he wasn't happy with that). Then, he was complaining about how he doesn't have as many presents as Jonas did and Joshua 'just knows they are all clothes!" By the end of his birthday Joshua said, "this was the best birthday ever!" I made paw print cupcakes out of Fruit Roll-Ups to take to his class (they loved them). After school we had one hour to eat dinner before Joshua had soccer practice. We left immediately after practice to go to Jonas' soccer game. By the time we got home it was after 7:00 and will still had to open presents and eat birthday cake! Joshua's big present was walkie-talkies. What a perfect gift for a house full of boys!! We let them stay up a bit later to play with them a little. A few of his gifts didn't arrive till a few days after his birthday, but Joshua was overjoyed at having a second and third birthday. He thinks all birthdays should last for a week!

Fun in New Home

It was so hard to keep the boys from playing with the empty boxes before we moved to Kansas, but now that we have moved and no longer need all the boxes, the boys get to use their imaginations! I think these boxes in the picture have been everything from airplanes to prisons! What better toy than an empty box? I posted a picture of the living room and dining room so you all could see the house. I love having a spacious front room that is not jammed with TV, movies, and toys! That's all in the second family room! No pictures of that yet because I am finding it hard to keep it clean enough to take a picture of.

New Home

Wow much has happened since I last posted! We went to Idaho for a Dooley reunion in July and then packed up and moved our stuff to Kansas, came back to Denver for to finish work, and then had a Burt reunion in Rexburg/Bear Lake. After that we had a very long drive from Bear Lake through Denver to pick up Nathaniel's car and finally arrived in Kansas to a house full of boxes and unarranged furniture! Yes I have been stressed the past few weeks! Luckily Nathaniel didn't start work until Sept. 6, so he was a major help in getting unpacked and picking up kids from school and entertaining the boys while mommy had a nap. Nathaniel's first few days of work have been long; he went to Wichita all day yesterday for a seminar! I still can't believe we are in Kansas, it's kinda exciting! The hot weather finally broke and we are enjoying mid 80's instead of the 100+ temperatures that we had the entire first week here in Larned. The ward here is a new experience for me. We have sacrament meeting in the chapel/cultural hall with only chairs set up (no benches) and there is very small attendance. Our first Sunday, we had many people including the bishop who told us we were an answer to prayers. The ward has been praying and fasting for awhile now to have new members attend or move in. I guess that is our answer to why we were meant to come to the middle of nowhere Kansas! We haven't received callings yet, but the bishop has warned us that callings are coming shortly. The primary is small with mostly little boys, so Joshua and Jonas are in the same class but seem to not mind. Relief Society has about eight of us(three of us just moved into the ward). But, no matter where you go or how big or small your ward is, the Spirit and the Gospel are the same! I am really enjoying small town living, not many busy streets, bike anywhere you want (we rode to the bank and library the other day). The exception would probably be the loud trains that blast through the town a couple of times a night! Ah well, I guess it sorta feels like Soda then!! :)

Returned with Honor

We sure are happy to have Grandma and Grandpa Burt home!! It took a little convincing before Jonas decided to run over to Grandpa and give him a big hug!

Cousins!

These are a few of the pictures of activities we did with our cousins who came to visit us! We had such a good time and it was great to see family!