It's That Time Again!

Tonight Isaac and Sarah will compete in the County Wide 4-H Public Speaking contest. They are not as nervous as last year but still nervous. It has been amazing to watch them prepare their speeches this year and see how far they have come in preparing their speeches. We are so proud of them...win or loose they will be winners in our eyes.

I so need to get back to blogging. Our internet service out here in the country is not the fastest. That makes it take way too long to post one blog post and very frustrating. :( I do have so much I want to share and memories that we can look back on in years to come.

Till next time....May God receive all the glory He is due!

Reserve Grand Champions

My last post was (too long ago) about Isaac and Sarah raising baby chickens. They are a part of the 4-H chick chain which is where they raise their baby chicks until the end of September and then they enter them into the Chicken Show. Last weekend we took six of their chickens to the Chicken Show and they were judged. Isaac and Sarah's chickens received blue ribbons and the second place prize which is Reserve Grand Champion. We are so proud of these two! 

They have learned so much and have enjoyed doing this. Now we are down to 17 hens. When we received our chickens in April we also received one chicken that we didn't know what it was (an exotic chicken). They were to raise this chicken and find out what kind it was. Now we know that we received one Americana Rooster. He is a very pretty rooster. Don't you think so?

Chick Chain

In April, Isaac and Sarah joined the 4-H Chick Chain. We received 25 day old baby chicks and will raise them til they are 20 weeks. Then they will take six of the chickens and show them at the Fair. The other 19 chickens are ours to keep. Lots of fresh eggs!! 

Since we would be having chickens that meant we had to build a chicken coop and run.

After lots of searching the Internet we decided to use one of the stalls in our barn for the coop and attach the run onto the side of the barn.

With some scrap lumber Bryan and the boys began working on the project. These are pictures of them working on the run. 

Who needs a ladder when you have dad? The boys were a huge help and able to learn while helping.

Here they are hanging the door to the run.

The finished door has a latch at the top and one at the bottom.

Here is a picture of the finished run. It is a pretty good size but with 25 chickens it needed to be.

Here is the stall in the barn that we will use for the coop.

The inside of the coop with the wiring up. This is also a picture of the brooder that they were in for a while after we moved them to the barn. When we first got the baby chicks we had a smaller brooder and kept it in the basement. Got pretty stinky so at about 6 weeks they got moved to the barn in this bigger brooder. Now they are big enough to be in the coop and run. Isaac lets them out during the day so they can free range. It has been really good for the kids to learn and become more responsible.

Back Deck

When we decided to put French doors on the back of the house we knew we would have to build a place to walk out and down. I gave my suggestions as the kids and I were leaving for one of our many trips to AL. When we came home after our four day trip this is what my hubby and our contractor decided on. I was speechless! This was more than I ever expected.

Bryan did most of the work himself...with help from our boys and our contractor/friend.

Here are Timothy and Elijah helping lay the floor of the deck.

Below is a picture of the pattern we decided on for laying the floor of the back deck. Bryan came up with this and I wholeheartedly agreed.

Isn't that beautiful?

Here is a picture of the final product. We have already enjoyed the deck and look forward to having family and friends over for lots of fellowship on the back deck. 

Mother's Day 2015

I LOVE being a mother! I am very thankful that God changed my heart when I was 19 years old and now I am following His will and not my own plans. His ways are definitely much better than ours!!

My parents came up and was able to spend Mother's Day with us. I am very thankful that I get to spend Mother's Day with my mom. I am blessed to have her as a mother!

Here is me and mom. Now below are Mother's Day pictures from 2011. I love looking back and comparng pictures. :)

Here is me and my 5 blessings in 2011. They have changed so much!

Here is me and my mom in 2011. Memories are great! I pray that God will help me to be a Godly mother and be the mother that my children need. I want to lead my children to know God greater, know Him in a personal way, hear His voice, and follow Him all the days of their lives. 

Porch Swings

Before the house burned We had a white porch swing. That swing was very special to me because a dear friend gave it to me. You can read that post here. For a house warming gift my parents purchased these swings for us. These are Amish swing and glider and we love them!

All the kids enjoy sitting out on the front porch enjoying our swings. Thank you mom and dad!

I will always miss the first swing but thakful that I have pictures and memories. Now these swings will have memories and stories that we can share with others. Our prayer is that God would use these swings for His glory. For sitting down and reading His Word, laughing, sharing His Word with others, or for quiet moments soaking in His beauty. 

Timothy Turns 6!

Our Timothy turned 6 in April. He was very excited about his birthday! Thought I would share a few pictures of him.

Here is a picture of him doing school with his taboggin on. Cutie!

Bryan's dad and mom (Pop and Gigi) came up for his birthday and brought him this wagon. He loves it. Him, Elijah, and Joanna have the best times with this wagon. Thank you Pop and Gigi for such a fun birthday present. :)

He also lost his first tooth at the end of April. He has lost another one since this picture.

We had cupcakes with sprinkles for his birthday. He wanted white cake with vanilla frosting and sprinkles...so that is what he got.

This is after a soccer game. We went to eat lunch at Dairy Queen and he got a kids meal with an ice cream cone. That is his favorite!

This little man is a huge blessing and joy to us! We are very thankful that God saw fit to loan him to us for a time. Our prayer is that he will grow into a godly man that loves and serves our Lord with all his heart, mind, soul, and strength.