Miss O and her critters!

Earlier in the spring, you might recall that I had some "bad luck" with getting my chicks and guineas to live past the "baby" stage, due to our chick-lovin lab, Phebe!
Well - we had a total of 9 chickens make it! Miss O has named them all! She named some after her preschool teachers and the rest after family! Here she is with her two "favorites"!

Miss O and chicken Ralla... there are a total of THREE Ralla's - and they are identical!

Here she is with chicken "Cathy"... Cathy is her absolute favorite! Cathy is also the name of her absolute favorite preschool teacher!!

A new season of soccer

September brings yet another year of soccer! This year, Big Al is on a U13 team, and as you can see by the picture above, is still the smallest kid out there!

Big Al just did a throw in... sad - but I have hardly taken any pictures this year!

Little J is on the U11 team this year - and plays full teams on the large field... quite an adjustment!

Hopefully - I can get some better pictures soon!

Off to Ukraine!

The infamous Ukraine cell phone is off on another mission! This time - it is headed back to Kremenchuk with Elizabeth and Stacey from OBS (An Orphans Bright Star)! Stacey took the phone back with her two years ago and wanted to borrow it again!

Hopefully - I can post a picture here shortly of some of the great things they saw! You can get more information on OBS, by checking the sidebar on the right!!

What's new......

I have spent alot of time trying to get things updated on the blog- with very little success!! haha!



Since the Fair is over, and all three kids are back in school - I'll start with a big WHOO HOO about all that! We have been trying to do a few small things in our lives to try and simplify... and for the hubby and I, this is a tough thing! We both tend to be pack-rats about certain things! This summer we spent some time getting rid of stuff at a garage sale - which did alright, but mostly we got rid of O's clothes - as she is growing like a weed! We have been trying to just let go of stuff.. which is hard for both of us!

The blog has, unfortunately taken a back seat to many things... I need to get back on the bandwagon and update more often! I am starting with the Ukraine adoption portion, by clearing off the old and updating the new - not an easy task, mind you!

So - hopefully, in the next couple of days, I can have things cleaned up and ready to go.....

The last hurrah before school

Yesterday I took the boys fishing for a last little hurrah before school started today! We went to Mattoon Lake. This was the 3rd time that the boys have ever fished there. The weather was beautiful and in the 80's... I got to enjoy reading a book while sitting in the sun with a whole bunch of peace and QUIET! Miss O got to spend some time with her Nana and Grandpa - so the boys could focus all their energy on fishing!

For some reason - the boys thought that they NEEDED to bring the Barbie fishing pole - though their little sister was not consulted first!

Little J shows off this "whopper" he caught with the Barbie pole... fortunately he caught this one about 10 minutes before I told them it would be time to go home....

10 minutes after the first "deadliest" catch of the day - Little J wrangled in this other huge monster (had to release it - too small!)

Both boys had a good time - there was limited arguments - mostly about who got to use the Barbie pole, of all things, and who got the "bigger" worms - etc... they had some fun together, even though Big Al caught nothing - he kept up a good attitude (for the most part)!

It was sort of the "goodbye" to summer...

One proud Mama

I took this really bad video of Big Al winning his Fitting and Showing class.... the last 30 seconds are mostly bouncing around and ceiling, as I was jumping and cheering for him!
What happened in the beginning was his pig somehow left the ring with another pig.. since the judge was giving out his ribbons (this was the Championship class) - they waited until Charlotte was brought back into the ring... poor piggie - I think that she had had enough!!

The Fair - part 2

The gruesome threesome had a fun time on rides! The boys were actually more than happy to take their little sis on the "baby rides"... I wonder for how much longer!

My champion boys! Though it is Big Al's trophy - they both deserved one for working together - even though the hubby and I had to do a lot of pushing to get them to do things!

Both boys posing with Bill... Charlotte decided to sleep this one out!

Charlotte managed to get up for a picture with her ribbons and trophy!

Little J and his pig Oreo.... he was really broken up when he had to leave her at the end of Fair... I was too! She had a ton of sweet personality!

Little J and his ribbons with Sunshine! He sold Sunshine at the Auction for $4 a pound! Not too shabby!

Sunshine got to wear Miss O's crown... too cute!

Big Al and his buddy Chance! This was Chance's first year showing and he took Reserve Champion in his class... he and Big Al have been friends since Kindergarten!

The Fair - 2009 Part One

The Fair came later for us this year - the first full week in September! Both boys have been so busy getting their pigs ready for the big day(s)! There has been alot of yelling, crying and frustration this year trying to keep boys motivated to the end - and to try and get the piggies to make weight! All pain a side - here are some of the highlights!

This year I refused to pay for any games at the Fair. I gave the boys opportunities to do extra chores to earn their own money for the Fair... that way I knew that I got more than a 5 cent toy busted in the first 5 minutes out of the deal! The boys still have not learned that when playing games - don't play each other - because someone has to lose!

Miss O won a crown! She actually wore it alot of the fair - and she just loves it!

Miss O got the opportunity early one morning to actually milk a goat! One squirt and she was done!

Papa entered (well, technically, "I" entered it for him!) tomatoes in the Fair this year - so he could get the cheap exhibitors pass... my - I mean HIS tomatoes got a blue ribbon!

Here is sweet miss Oreo... she did alot of trying to crawl out of her pen.. or as I liked to say - she was doing her "upward pig" yoga stretches!

Here is Little J coming out of his first class! He got a blue ribbon! He did really well for his first fair!

Big Al was all smiles as usual - showing off Bill! All blue ribbons for him too!

Little J was happy to get a Blue Ribbon!

Little J showing Sunshine in the Market Hog class

Bill and Charlotte did alot of sleeping during the fair!!!

So did neighbors, Oreo and Sunshine!

Miss O has to enjoy some corn on the cob... minutes later she was swarmed by one pesky hornet that caused her to hurl the corn down the sidewalk, while screeching... classic fair moment!