Ft. Wayne Children's Zoo- 2017

 The children have wanted to go to the zoo for years.  The last time we were there was when I was pregnant with Josiah.  Yeah, it's been a long time ago.  We decided to make the children earn the trip, so they've been working all summer to earn beans.  They had to earn so many to get into the zoo, get ride tickets, and then their supper at the end of the day.  They all earned enough for all the fun that the whole day held.

We arrived at the zoo at 9:00am and got busy taking in the sights.  We all enjoyed walking, looking, reading, and learning new things.

This was Saphira's favorite part...feeding the giraffe.

 Only these three rode the skyway.

 We took a break for lunch and was thoroughly distracted by the peacock who made us all a little nervous....okay, he made me and Diella nervous.  Everyone else just laughed at us and let the bird get closer and closer.  :)

 This was some of the children's favorite area.  

 Crazy dad.

 She wanted so badly to sit up front and there was seat open for her.  What a treat!

 Alot of us enjoyed the sea lion feeding and show.  We watched it at 11:00am and then went back for the 3:00pm show too.  We just couldn't get enough of it!  They were so playful and active.

 We took a long time watching the otters.  Josiah did a wildlife board on otters for the 4-H Fair, so he was especially glad to get to see two in real life.  Our next goal is to track them down in the winter and look for their tracks in the snow.

We finished at the zoo around 4:00pm.  A full day of fun!  We then headed to Ruby Tuesday for supper.  More good memories with Saphira doing silly things with the straws and the waitress praising the children for how well behaved they were, which they loved because then they got dessert, ended our day.  We all loved the day so much!  I'm so thankful for my children.  A blessed momma for sure!

Hard Work in the Field and Ice Cream Rewards

While some people think of outdoor recreation on lakes as their summer entertainment, our family is a little different.  We do enjoy time on the boat, fishing with my parents, but some of the things that make our summer a delight are maybe over looked by some.  

After a quick run to the library, a quick stop at the grocery store, and stopping to give a hug to a friend on her birthday, we headed to the garden and blueberry field.  The garden has one patch that gets overly weedy, so the children worked on that while Jonathon and I worked on the blueberries.  We've been working at getting all the weeds cut back from around the plants, so they can be fertilized easier.  They look pretty good out there.  Still not overly big, but they're coming along.  We have one area in the field that is especially wet.  Those bushes didn't survive, but the other rows look pretty good.  

Yesterday I told everyone that once the field got completed, we'd bike to Stroh to get ice cream.  The job got accomplished today during this beautiful day we had.  While we were working on the bushes, Uncle Norman came in the field with his tractor and rake.  Benaiah sure enjoyed watching him rake the hay that he had already mowed.  Watching the field get mowed and baled is one of our favorite things during the summer.  It just feels like we're in the right place when it's happening.  Jonathon of course loves to help, but today he stayed in the field at the blueberries to get that job done.  Uncle Norman finished raking, we finished cutting back weeds, and I went in to start supper as Jonathon took his tractor and a cousin's bush hog out in the field to mow the rest of it down where he wants to dig some spots to see how the field would hold water for a pond to irrigate the blueberries.  

Field done, supper done, weeds pulled in the garden, and kitchen cleaned up from supper.  Time for a bike ride to get ice cream!

I would say our ice cream treat was well deserved by all!

 The garden area is closest to the camera and to the left of the mowed grass area.  Hay field all raked.  Blueberries all weeded, now we just need to get it all mowed in between each plant to get rid of the extra tall weeds where a plant died. 

 Bush hogging to clean up the area a little.

 We love when it's hay season!

 Some boys enjoying the work on the tractor.

 Our littlest farmer.

 There's something about a freshly mowed and raked hay field.  It looks and smells so good!

Off to get ice cream!

 She usually needs some help.  

On the ride home, she really needed help.  She used her little napkin to keep her lap clean, but it just wasn't enough.  Drip, drip, drip.  :)

Today was such a wonderful day!  Some hard work accomplished by all, some good exercise, and a yummy cold treat to top off our hard work.  My legs feel a little jelloey from the bike ride home, but I made it.  My body is ready to get some sleep, but I'm thankful that it can do all that it does despite being pregnant.  Love being pregnant during the summer to keep it in shape, ready for labor and delivery.  2 1/2 more months to go!  Until then, I'll keep myself busy and enjoying this lovely summer with my family!

Spring Ball 2015- Our first Family Ball

                            

We were invited to our first ever Ball.  We've been preparing for weeks with what we were going to wear, how we would fix our hair, and practice some dances to know what we were doing.  It was all so much fun and nerve rattling for my children as they weren't real sure about dancing with people they didn't know.  It turned out to be so lovely and nothing like any of them thought it would.  

We were hoping that Josiah would be brave enough to be a gentleman and ask other girls for a dance, but alas, he only asked his sisters and sat out for most of the dances.  Diella also was quite nervous about it all and denied a couple dances to other boys, but made sure she danced with her dad and Josiah.  Alegra did great, accepting every dance that was offered to her and had a smile or giggled through most of the evening with delight.  Benaiah, well, if you know Benaiah, you know that he didn't have one bit of problem getting a girl to accept his dance offer.  He was bummed when they started a dance without him finding a partner.  Saphira sat with me most of the time except when she danced in her papa's arms and with another young lady friend who loves her dearly.  Jonathon started out dancing with our girls, then as I was being quite comfortable on the sidelines or taking someone potty, he found another young girl left to herself and continued on with the dance party.    

There was a lot of hair to get ready.  I worked at getting the boys' hair cut while my mom was kind enough to come help the girls with their's.  Diella chose a lovely bun with curls all the way around it.  They both chose what they wanted, and we did our best at accomplishing it.  Not too bad for non hair doers.  :)  

She also had a pretty salmon colored flower stuck in her's.

Alegra chose a harder style.  My mom and I both worked at it, but I mostly stood in the kitchen and snacked.  :)   

 It turned out very pretty and grown up looking.  Not sure where my little girls went, but when we fancy them all up they sure grow up right before our eyes.  Guess it's why we aren't big into the trends of clothing, makeup and hair with our girls.  A once in awhile occassion is one thing, but not all the time.  

Guess there aren't any pictures of my hair style.  I picked one that might cover up my gray hair more, but I think it only highlighted them.  :)  It was very pretty anyways and made me feel like something out of a movie.  

 My little family all fancied up for some fun!

This wasn't a typical dance.  Actually, it wasn't a dance at all.  It was a Ball, so there were certain guidelines that both the young men and ladies had to abide by.  There were certain ways of asking for a dance and certain ways of declining or accepting.  When a particular dance was over, all couples went back to the middle of the floor to switch partners.  A lady called out all the dances and went through all the steps so everyone knew what they were to be doing.  Some dances the group got in one big circle and others they were in groups of 4-8.  I would have enjoyed the dancing but for a first timer, I really enjoyed watching how it all went together and how everyone switched partners for certain dances or how they made all the movements work with so many people.  I think we all thought it would be a pair up and that's who you dance with, but it wasn't like that at all.   

 The first song Jonathon asked Diella and Josiah asked Alegra.

 Not sure which song this was, but poor Benaiah had a hard time going the right direction and ending up with his partner, Alegra.  Everyone was so kind to be patient with him and help him along with each dance.  I think Jonathon might have had more fun than the children did.  :)

 This dance was a very tricky one with lots of different steps and movements.  The group that Alegra and Jonathon were in didn't quite move fast enough to keep up with the music.  There were a  lot of laughs throughout it though, which is the point of it all.

 Benaiah asked our good friend, Kam for this dance.  She was so good, as were all the ladies in the group, to help him through it.  He had such a great time dancing!

The final dance, Alegra was asked by Mr. Olson to dance.  Diella caught their, or should I say "his", ending pose perfectly.  I'm sure Alegra was filled with laughter by this.  :D

It was a late night, but was filled with many laughs, joys, and memories.  I'm pretty sure the vote was unanimous that all had a wonderful time, and it was better than they had expected.  I was glad to get home and lay down in my bed. :)