The Boyers Visit a Dairy Farm... or, Why is Matthew Flashing Gang Signs?

So today we went to a dairy farm.  A centennial farm.  If you look closely, you will see Matthew is throwing gang signs underneath the historical sign.  I did not notice this when I snapped the picture.  I should have.  I think it was a warning from above.  My kids are CITY kids.  In case you don't believe it, here is the proof...

My children quickly found their favorite farm animal...

They were satisfied with this and were ready to go home and eat.  However Meems had other plans in store!  Like chasing chickens!  People say chickens are dumb.  These chickens are hiding from Ricky...(look close they are under the bush) seems pretty smart to me!  

Here is Clara getting kissed by a cow.  She likes it! 

 

Don't forget the bunny petting! 

 

We also saw quail, sheep, big cows, giant tractors, ducks, turkeys, and cows pooping (Ricky's favorite part aside from the smell), and giant sunflower fields,

Where Matthew felt compelled to flash more gang signs.  

Back to the city tomorrow.

God is good.  All the time.

Toad Lessons

We are "up north" as my kids would say, visiting my bff Meems and her gang.  They were at our house last week, just in time to get exposed to pertussis.  Thankfully their mommy called the doctor and got them on preventative antibiotics and the only coughing here is from my kiddos.  Have I mentioned that the coughing symptoms can last THREE MONTHS??   But I digress.  

The picture above is "Baby" holding a toad she found in the yard.  My kids were impressed with her boldness and all wanted to hold the toad.  Problem being... they all looked like this...

In case you don't speak Clara facial expressionesse she is saying "Are you kidding me?  I am not touching that thing!!"  They all tried and tried, and the poor toad got dropped and dropped.  My kids could NOT keep from flinching every time they touched the toad.  Finally Noah stepped forward and said, "I want to hold it."  Now those of you that know Noah, know that he is not known for his bravery or willingness to try new things!  He kept saying, "Wait, wait, I gotta get my mind set."  Then what do you know....Noah!  Holding a toad!  It seems like a very strange proud mommy moment, but it was one!  I proclaimed him the toad holding winner of the city mice!  Of course then Matthew wanted to try again....Poor Ricky just couldn't bring himself to hold the toad without a napkin.  I told him I was NOT getting him a napkin!  So he looked like this..

We have a few more days here... maybe "Baby" can teach him some toad holding tricks yet.

God is good.  All the time.

What are the odds.....

We have pertussis in our house.  Nope, I am not kidding.  Even my pediatrician said "Only you, Krista" and I have to agree.  What are the odds of contracting a disease that is supposed to be for the most part obliterated by vaccines? To add insult to injury, what are the odds that only one of my five immunized children had any protection from it (at least so far...).  Needless to say, we are ALL taking antibiotics and in 24 hours we will no longer be contagious.  I am looking forward to that.  

In the mean time, we have had friends from out of town over (sorry Meems!), went to Build a Bear in the Mall, Chuck E . Cheese, Olgas Kitchen, and many many Midwest Sliders games, and oh yeah, I donated blood for the first time.  I hope they check blood for pertussis.  (?!) I donated over two weeks ago, so I am hoping that I didn't unknowingly pass along an illness to someone who was already ill.  Good grief.  The guilt would kill me.

School is starting soon.  We are going to visit a dear friend (who I may or may not have infected with pertussis) this weekend, and are looking forward to the Heritage Festival one of Ricky's all time favorite ways to spend money.  We missed it last year because we were in Disney World.  He is still a little bitter about that.  He is a weird weird kid!  I'll have to post about his birthday when I am not coughing all over the place....

I guess it could be worse, but looking at the odds of so many of us getting pertussis in the first place, I think I am going to start playing the lotto.  My luck has got to change in my favor one of these days!

God is good.  All the time.

The Wonder Years....

It's a rather odd habit I have, but sometimes as I watch things unfold in the lives of my children I hear the beginning line of a story being told in my head.  Like the man voice in the wonder years.  So here are a few pics that the voice in my head has been begging me to share...

 " It seemed like a strange welcome to our family, but then I remembered that Hell had great ice cream."

"I frantically rehearsed the lines in my head, what if I forgot the words?  In front of all those people? And then she appeared, and her smile sent a sense of calm through my five year old body"

"I knew my mom would comment about my handwriting so I quickly grabbed my solar oven and stood in front of the display, hoping to divert her attention"

"I would never have thought that splashing on the banks of Hell Creek would feel a little bit like Heaven"

"I always knew I was going to be a dancer.  I just had to figure out how to get to people to notice me"

"I loved being in the dug out with the players.  Listening to the coaches yell, the players swear, and the crowd cheer.  When I scooped up the bat, I liked to imagine they were cheering for me."

Summer as all good things do, is passing by much too quickly.

God is good.  All the time.