Day 72: Friends!

Some of our sweetest friends came to play! 

The three on the right belong to some good friends of ours; friends through college and now in Abilene!  Gabe was ecstatic to see them here when he woke up after his nap.

Jacob played with the 5 boys while I made spaghetti for us all.  It was an adventure.  I kept thinking, this could be use in a few years.  I mean, these are all very close together in age (the oldest two are twins!)  But it's possible the Lord could give me 5 boys!  Oh my!

Over dinner, Jacob told stories about his days living with their Dad in college.  Mostly about the wrestling matches they had.  I asked them who would win if they wrestled today.  They just didn't know.  =)

I love the pic above because Ell is looking around like, "Why does everyone have a sucker but me?"

The next morning, we had more fun with the same boys at the park.  Gabe had never ridden the tire swing before, so this was an awesome first ride:



Day 71: Ell's Messes

Ell loves to climb.  Combined with his curiously, this results in many a mess.  Here's the latest.  I just HOPE he didn't consume any of thise.  Sick.

Day 70: Look at my boy!

Day 69: Steam Engine

This amazing, antique steam engine stopped in Abilene last week.  It went by a block from our house and stopped downtown.  The loud whistle woke up my boys, so we packed up and went to check it out.  It was MASSIVE and LOUD!  Very cool.  I'll put a link to the articles in our local paper, too.

Day 68: 5K!

Well, the day had come.  I signed up for this race to keep me running.  Jacob had trained a little, too. 

The last 5K I ran took me 43 minutes.  My only goal at that point was to not stop running (shuffling).

This time, my goal was  to do it in under 35 minutes, and....I did!  34:37.  It was a much tougher course than I thought it would be.  In my inexperience, it didn't occur to me that it might have a lot of hills.  And it did. 

 So Pretty!

Afterward, I felt kinda sick, but it passed.  I felt awesome, and very proud.  I'm ready to get faster and run farther!  And I loved having my husband there to run with me.  He finished a good 7 minutes faster than I did.  He's awesome.

Day 67: Another park, and a marching band!

We went to play on a beautiful, cool, morning.  (What a difference from the 105 degrees we'd had back home!)  The Gainesville High School Marching Band was rehearsing!  What a treat, especially for Gabe, who loves instruments!  So, there were only about 12 students in the band, and I was pretty impressed with what they were doing, with so few players, and at the VERY beginning of the school year.  (I might just send the teacher an encouraging email.  It's not a fun job sometimes.)

Day 66: More time in MO

We spent two days in Missourri visiting my mom, after her big election.  It's hard to get these boys to sit still for a cute picture.

We went to visit Grandma Aline, but she wasn't home. 

The boys had a great time playing in her yard, though.

No trip to MO is complete without some Antler Pizza.  This is the car Gabe earned from staying dry to 10 days!  I think he's got this (daytime) potty training figured out.  FINALLY!

Day 65: Oh, Elliott!

There is no pic for this, as it would not be appropriate.  However, you should know what happened in our house last night.

Ell (18 months old) goes running into the bathroom saying "I want potty!  Potty!"  And tries to climb on.  I figured I had a couple minutes, so I helped him get on the potty.  At first, nothing happened, but I could tell he was trying to poop.  I thought "No way."  And then he got wiggly so I took him down.

He immediately started squirming to climb back up.  So I put him on again, and he peed a ton, and then pooped a little.  That little stinker! 

We are NOT potty training Ell yet.  I started Gabe way too early, and I have been potty training him for 2 YEARS!  Ell seems to always have his own ideas about how things will go, and this is no different.

In related news, Gabe is really doing well.  Just in the last two weeks, he has started telling us he has to go, even at the pool and in church.  I am SO glad.  Most naps, he wakes up dry, but not during the night.  I'm totally ok with that.

Day 64: Turner for Treasurer

Last March, the GOVERNER of Missourri appointed my mother the new Treasurer of Ozark County.  She had the job until the end of the year, and she would have to win the election to keep it any longer.

Mom and John worked and worked at campaigning.  We hadn't seen her since Easter, because she was using her free time to knock on doors, attend events, and put up signs.  So, the boys and I packed up the van and drove 8 hours to be there when she heard the elections results.  (There were no democrats running, so she knew after the primaries if she had a job or not.)

We gathered at the courthouse on the square to await the results.  A man came out with results every 20 minutes or so, as they counted each precinct. 

The boys were troopers, staying up late and finding ways to entertain themselves.

And...she...WON!  Congratulations, Mom!

Day 63: Welcome Baby Keltner!

What could be sweeter?  Our new nephew is here.  Thomas Ray Keltner.  We are in love!

Day 62: Talent Show at the Fair

This is something I have always wanted to do.  It was so fun, and I met some really amazing people.  I won 3rd place, some fabulous prizes, AND the audience choice award, which was $62 cash!  Very cool!

Day 61: First Major League Game!

Gabe and Daddy got to do the coolest thing:  Go to a Royals Game!  It was Gabe's first major league game.  (He seriously loves his Dad.)

Apparently, Gabe was pretty serious in the beginning.  There were fireworks.  Loud noises always freak him out a little.  BUT, his big cousin Samuel caught a ball for him during batting practice.

I told him that our Pastor is a big baseball fan, and he said "I should take this to church to show Mister Kerry."  Then he insisted on taking it to Grammies to play.

Fantastic Memories.

Day 60: The Animal Fair

Those chickens were loud, which led Ell to some of his nervous defense behaviors.

The "lean on mommy."

The "pretend to be asleep."

But the goats were a big hit.

Day 59: Another Lake Day

Jacob had some extended family in town so we packed fair week with fun.  Here are some pics.  Our boys ate SO much.

Day 58: The Rain Came Down and ...

the flood came up.

Apparently the low point of our "street" is in front of our house.

It wasn't very long, but we had a great downpour.  The boys were a bit nervous, but we went outside to "play the drums" with God.

These are some concerned faces.