First Day

John's first day at Jacob's Well.  What an amazing day for us!  The boys and I packed a gift bag for him full of snacks for his office and some of his favorite treats.  The boys made pictures to send along and we said, "Have fun at your new job, Dad"!  And...  he did.  John's day was great and our day was great.  There was a sense of joy about this new chapter for us - finally starting!  I was so happy knowing that he was being cared for, loved well, and supported at work...what a joy!  Let the adventure begin!

Vacation Week Two (March 25-April 3)

We enjoyed the second week of our vacation together at home.  We loved our "stay-cation"!  We got back to our normal routine with music class, sport tykes, preschool and playdates.  John was able to be a part of all of it and the boys just loved it!  We also worked on a few projects around home, took some family naps,  and had friends over for dinner.

I didn't take too many photos this week, but I got to take a few a music class since I wasn't there by myself with both boys!

The boys love it when Mrs. Anderson lets us use the drums!

We had lots of times like this: hanging out in pj's and reading books.  The boys developed this great new sense of independence and started to enjoy playing together more than ever.  Here they are reading books to each other.  I melted!

Another day, while I worked on something the boys watch some "Clifford" in the storage closet - just for fun!

To celebrate the end of the staycation - our friends all over for dinner!  It was the best!

Hooray for vacation - and stay-cation!  We've had the most amazing two weeks that have made us a new family.  We have learned who we are and who we want to be.  We can now begin our new journey with open hearts, ready for the adventure!

Govin's Farm

 For the start of our second week ok vacation...our "stay-cation", we headed to Menomonie for a visit to Govin's Farm to see the baby animals!  With over 300 lambs, many goats, piglets, calfs, puppies, chicks, and more, the kids were in awe!  It was fun to see Bennett's reaction since he was too little last year to enjoy it much.  It was much colder than our visit last year!  We had to bundle up and we were still chilly.

Logan remembered the farm as soon as we went into the lambing barn.  He was excited!  The kids just love the animals and its so fun to watch.

As usual, Bennett had no reservations.  The lambs/sheep bleat right into Bennett's face and he just screamed and laughed!

Bennett's latest injury (happened just this morning) was a big fat, cut lip.  Yikes!

Logan could have climbed and run on the hay bales all day!

Logan feeding the goats.  Like a pro, after our Children's Farm class last spring.

Holding the squealey piglet.

Baby chicks!  Always a hit.

So soft...

The giant dogs are so calm and sweet.

Logan cuddling a baby lamb.

Bennett didn't hold any animals but was great with a gentle touch.

"What are all the boys looking at???"

These adorable puppies!

Hayride and back to the car!  Brrrrr!

Vacation Week One (March 19-24)

After John's last day with YL, we ventured off for our first-ever vacation as a family.  We have not ever had a family vacation that did not include YL or our extended family.  So, we were just so excited!  Our dear friends, Dave and Shelly, have offered their beautiful cabin to us all year.  We never found chance to get away for a until now!  

We are so thankful to Dave and Shelly and their whole family for lending beautiful lake home in Minong, WI to us for a whole week!  It was a blessing to the four of us!  with the snow starting to melt, we weren't sure what to expect, but we had plenty of fun playing inside, enjoying the outdoors, and resting.  In addition to the end of Young Life for us, this week was spring break so Logan didn't have preschool and we didn't have any of our other normal weekly activities.  It was the perfect week to be away together!

We headed outside the first chance we got.  The snow was mostly turned to slush but the boys didn't mind one bit.

Afterall, puddles are soooo fun!

The boys were totally soaked but it was well worth it!

The boys got to walk on the lake with John - it was a little slushy on top, but it was still frozen.

I love this photo of Bennett with his sly little grin.  The boys loved the playset, even in the winter!

We found lots of fun toys to play with inside and out.  The cabin belongs to a family who have lots of kids around all year, so there was plenty to explore!  Logan loved this pedal tractor.

Inside, we did a lot of this (laying around and relaxing)...

and this (playing with the train table in the loft)...

and this (making puzzles).

And Bennett spent a lot of time with his new buddy, Buzz Lightyear.  On our first day, Bennett took a tumble outside and scraped his nose in a couple places and his upper lip.  Poor Benny!  It didn't slow him down one bit.

It began snowing on Tuesday and didn't stop...we couldn't believe it!  Afterall...this was "spring break"! Haha!  We didn't have any computers along and hadn't checked any news or weather reports, so we didn't know the storm was coming.  It was the perfect picture of Northern Wisconsin in the winter.

While John shoveled, the boys played on the deck and had the best time!  John snapped this photo while they were out.  I was inside enjoying a super hot bubble bath and a yummy latte (oh yes...the espresso machine of course came along to the cabin!).

Bennett is so funny.  He loves being out, but doesn't really want to be "in" the snow, just wants to walk in it, kick it, and stomp around.  And, mostly, he wants to do it on his own agenda: don't mess with the toddler in boots!  He has a mission...that only he knows.

There he goes...

John and Logan had a great time sledding down the driveway!  It was so beautiful!

The snow continued on through Wednesday night, dumping somewhere between 10 and 14 inches of snow!  We spent most of Wednesday inside because of the hard snow and wind.  We ran out of eggs and milk because we had planned on taking a mid-week trip to the store.  We were totally stuck with drifting snow around the car, in the driveway and on the private road.  John even called the township to see when the road would be plowed...we learned that they don't plow it!  Ah!  It was an adventure!

We had lots of laughs...

silly boys!

We played new games,

and played hide and seek!

Here is Logan in his cute little nook.  He has such a comfy, cozy, soft bed to sleep in.  Bennett slept in a crib in another room and John and I had our own room.  It was so nice to be able to spread out and for all of us to get good rest!

On Thursday, we woke up to the sun shining on all the fresh new snow!  The boys couldn't wait to go out!  We had such a great time and enjoyed the sun after a day of being inside.  In many places, the snow was drifted up past our knees, making it hard to trudge through.  Bennett and I came in early because I got tired of carrying him through all the snow.  John and Logan did some sledding.

We decided Thursday was a good day to leave...if we could get out!  John and Logan spotted the neighbors walking down the road as they headed in for lunch.  It turns out, they were on their way to their cabin for the weekend and got stuck on the private road.  John went out to the road to help dig their car out and then they called a plow to come clear the private road and our two driveways.  We were out!

While John was out getting the roads cleared, Logan fell asleep during his "quiet time".

Farewell (see you next week!)

Last night was our "farewell" gathering with Young Life.  It was more of a formality than a necessity.  We are lucky to be staying in Eau Claire, close to the leaders we've been serving with in YL and able to keep relationships strong.  We saw kids, leaders, and committee last night...and didn't shed too many tears.

We had a time to speak to the leaders about how much they have blessed our lives and our boys' lives.  Logan prays for the "young life leaders" every night when we ask, "who do you want to pray for tonight?".  It shows how much they have become a part of our family.  The greatest part is that we will see them all regularly.  They all attend church at Jacob's Well and the girls and I have a bible study together that meets weekly.  Beyond that, we have great friendships.  We are blessed.

  Our favorite people.

Though it seems like a "farewell" in many ways, please know you are always in our hearts and a part of our family!  Our thanks to you, for serving Christ and kids.  What an amazing gift to walk alongside you as you have grown and learned.  

See you next week! :)