Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Gone Fishing

Julia getting ready to catch a "sish".

Austin, our non-fisher, whiled away some of his time playing his DS.

Benjamin searching for his broken line while Joseph mugs for the camera.

Waiting for new lures to be added to the lines.


Joseph discovered a new way to fish without tiring out his arms.


Jacob waiting patiently for Kurt to untangle his line.


Joseph and Julia taking a snack break.
Kurt holding Ben's catch of the day. We were thankful the branch was dead, because Kurt did not want to lose that fishing lure.

Adding yet another lure to a line. This time to Ben's pole.
Eleanor really enjoyed hanging out in her stroller watching her siblings fish.



Proof that I was actually there. Usually I take all the pictures, but Austin was bored, so I gave him the camera. Eleanor was his subject of choice, of course.

Julia having a 5-year-old meltdown over the fruit drink container.

This morning we took our first family fishing trip ever, finally putting to use all the rods we inherited from Poppa. I am so glad we did it. It was quite a fun morning, and Kurt and I were really surprised how excited Joseph and Julia were about fishing. They are the only ones who didn't go fish with Poppa while he was still alive, but they certainly seem to have caught his love of fishing anyway! I must admit that I was a little rusty at it, but things came back to me. I really do love fishing; I just don't want to touch the fish! Kurt was such a good sport, spending the majority of his time attaching new lures, freeing stuck lines, etc. I think I got more fishing time in than he did. Austin started packing the car up for us at one point (a not-so-subtle message that he was done). I just love teenagers! While we were fishing, we heard a loud splash at the other end of the pond. We think it might have been a gator, or maybe a really big frog. Of course, the kids had to go explore, but we found no clues to tell us what really made the splash. We did get to see lots of teeny little fish (maybe pollywogs) at the edge of one portion of the pond all up at the surface trying to catch lunch. Being out this morning made me realize that we need to spend more time exploring nature with our kids. It is so fun to watch them make new discoveries and really see what a beautiful world God has blessed us with. A big thank you to the Cryers, who let us enjoy their pond!













Sunday, June 14, 2009

I'm Blogging!


Feeling inspired by my dear friend Monica, and finally getting off my proverbial duff and actually doing something about it, I have decided to start a blog. As a wife, mother, and a full-time student, life is rarely boring! Right now I have 6 (I have a hard time fathoming this) children. I am married to my best friend Kurt. We have been married for 15 years and have lived in 3 states, collecting children at each location along the way. Austin (14) and Benjamin (12) are our Colorado babies; Jacob (9), Joseph (7), and Julia (5) are our South Dakota babies, and Eleanor (6 months old tomorrow) is our little Texas rose. I honestly couldn't say if we are complete as a family yet. We thought we were done after Julia when I was told that I probably wouldn't be able to have any more children by my OB. Lesson learned: doctors aren't always right! I hope you enjoy reading about my family of monkeys, as I affectionately call them. My mom says that the missing link can be found right here! Here's Eleanor trying to swing from Daddy's arm.