My Blessings...

        I'm having SO much fun taking pictures of my two beautiful boys!

cowboy in training...

having fun on top of the refridgerator

Thank you God for my blessings..

poor Grady...Blake has that "look" in his eyes!

my baby

ahhhhhh

I think this is how mommy does it?

almost done...

thanks Blake!

STRIKE!!!

We went to the bowling alley on Sunday with Grandpa, Uncle Paul, Devon and Taylor. Grandma stayed with Grady so we could all go and enjoy the afternoon.

Blake did great!!! 

Uncle Paul....the Pro~~

Mike

Taylor, Blake and Devon studying the lane!!

must of been a strike huh Devon??

pure concentration

Grandpa Denny...still has the form at 65!!!!

A few of my favorite things...

Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.
(Psalms 127:3-5)

Just Blake...

My how our little boy is growing up. Makes me sad just knowing that 3 short years ago, he was just the size of Grady and I would rock him to sleep in my arms at night.

Now he prefers to lay on the couch with his milk in his waterbottle, "taggy" (his blanket that he's had since birth) and his cartoons.

He's been going to the sale barn on Wednesdays with Grandpa Denny and Daddy and today, Mike told me that he wanted a snack there and so daddy gave him $1 and he walked all the way down to the "cafeteria" as Blake called it and bought himself some skittles...

Blake, we are so proud of the big boy you are growing into. We wish we could keep you little forever.

Blake ~ 4 months

Grady ~ 3 months

dresses himself and plays on the computer

Who would of thought...I got stopped at the grocery store by the postman this weekend who asked me,

  "Have you noticed that you have not received your mail in 2 days?"

 "Why yes, is there a problem?"

"There is, YOUR dog! - I have my spray, but didn't use it. She just looked at me and crouched down and I didn't know if she was going to attack."

" I'm very sorry, no she is not a mean dog and has NEVER attacked anyone"

"Well, just take care of her and your mail is at the post office to be picked up. We have enough dog problems around here."

UGH...whatever happend to the postman carrying dog biscuits to give to dogs instead of pepper spray?? What is this world coming to? Sorry, Mr. Postman, I'll make sure my dog is now locked up when you deliver the mail!   

Settling Inn...

Settling Inn...that's what it feels like...an Inn where all you do is stay indoors because the weather is too blusterly blank blank cold outside. Blake continues to ask me, "mom, when can we go outside to play football?" Oh Blake, maybe in a couple of months!

But really, things are starting to seem like home around here. I'm into my 2nd week at West River Regional Medical Center...sounds big huh? Well, it's a 25 bed critical access hospital which pretty much means we stabilize and then send patients onto someplace bigger like Bismark or Rapid City. The average patient census is 15 and each nurse usually averages 5 patients. I just finished working the day shift and now onto the 3-11 shift for a week. I'm really enjoying the challenges that being a nurse brings. I couldn't imagine doing anything else! I'm meeting lots of new people and look forward to the 30 mile peaceful drive each day. I've so far managed to avoid hitting about 20 deer and hundreds of pheasants!! A hunter's paradise! Check out the hospital at http://www.wrhs.com/

Blake's first experience at ice fishing...it lasted about 10 minutes. He didn't realize that what he thought was a puddle was really the fishing hole.. poor kid!

Mike is once again into his ranching career. He's been doing alot of planning on round pens and breaking horses and fixing things around the place. Mike and his brother Paul are making plans to lease some pasture this summer and run some cattle. I'm happy that he is getting to do what he loves. We also purchased a 28 foot stock trailer this fall and he's hauled a few loads of cattle for the neighbors already.

Blake and Grady are doing great! Getting to go to the ranch when I have to work is a real treat for them. Blake gets to do big boy things outdoors and Grady gets to be rocked by grandma all day!! How could it get any better?!? Blake is continuing to show that he is a big brother and a big kid. He's so good to Grady. Little...or should I say chunky Grady is growing and growing. I'm guessing he's almost 16 pounds and 3 1/2 months old. He's really cooing and smiling all the time! We're still working on sleeping through the night, but getting up only once isn't too bad. He's getting so big now that he can fit into his exersaucer that G/G Dexter bought him for Christmas!

Thanks Grandpa and Grandma Dexter

The beauty in my baby's eyes...

Well, that's about it for now. We continue to be thankful for all that God has given to us and look forward to what He has in store...

Frozen Tundra

ugh..all the packing

 

good-bye 364 N. Osborne St.

new kitchen

dining room

red cheeks says it all...

Well, here we are...settled in a little old town called Lemmon, South Dakota, population approx. 1400 and snow drifts as tall as me! The move on Saturday went fairly smooth. You know how it goes, the end little things just get dumped into random boxes and then trying to find them, well, good luck!  Thanks to Nuly, Justin, Heather, Shannon, Paul, Denny and Lynda for all helping with the move. Thanks Becky and Roni, Nadine and Sonny for watching the boys so we could get things packed!! The boys traveled great! Blake rode all the way with his daddy and Grady rode with Grandma Lynda and I. He slept 1/2 of the way and then was awake and playful the rest of the way! Praise the Lord!!!!  But come Sunday night, poor little Blake got the stomach flu and was up most of the night throwing up and the scoots! Thank goodness the floors are all wood, otherwise, we would be replacing some carpet and hadn't even been here 3 days! We are currently renting a house in Lemmon until the end of summer when we get to move into another house on the ranch.  It's a cute little house with 2 bedrooms and an apartment in the basement where some of our storage stuff is. Speaking of storage, Mike and I were able to fill an entire LARGE storage unit! I can't believe we have so much stuff. I thought that we had downsized quite a bit???  The town is cute with lots of little shops and banks, grocery store, quick stops, grain elevator, Ben Franklin store, coffee shop, beauty shops, and "CHINESE GARDEN". I'm so excited to have a chinese resturant right in our town!!  I have found that Lemmon really likes to blow the fire whistle. One at 8 AM, 12PM, 1PM and then at 9PM. People here must not wear a watch and so they need to be reminded to quit for lunch and then another reminder to wake up from a nap and go back to work! The weather here has definetly been colder than in Nebraska, hence the title "Frozen Tundra". Lemmon just had a blizzard go through in the past 2 weeks and my in-laws were without power for 8 days!!!! Thank goodness for generators! I will post some pictures soon of the town and the landscape, but picture just a highway completely surrounded by white as far a you can see!!! A truly amazing sight, but boy what an adjustment!! The temp. here is currently 15 degrees and we're suppose to get 3-6 inches more of snow sometime today. I will be starting my new job on Monday at West River Health Services in Hettinger, ND, on the med-surg. floor. I'm excited, yet a little nervous to be starting something new. I pray that I'll like it!  Mike is doing great. He's really enjoying getting to be close to his brother Paul and working with his dad again. The ranch is only 5 miles east of town, so it's a quick trip. Blake is really enjoying getting to see his grandparents again and play with his cousins Devon and Bubba Tay-Tay!!! The boys went to the gym last night, or as Blake calls it, "the stadium", to play some bball~ Mike is now realizing just how out of shape he is! I'm anxious for some warmer weather to get out and do some walking with my sister-in-law Lori.  I'll keep posting more as the time goes and put up some more pictures.  So good-bye for now from "up north".

oh the weather outside is frightful...

 

                                             ...but the goodies inside are so delightful