Tanner, Wyatt and Lane came over today.

Saige and Lane rode with Clint while he unloaded bales

Popcorn and slushies after swimming

Clint hauled hay all day long today.  We spent the day in our summer happy place...

This morning, we took the big 4 kids to Larry and Diane's to play.  Clint and I came back home and, once I got Jaide to take a nap, we set up the swimming pool.  During her second nap, I got straw spread out in the garden and worked on placing more rocks around the fire pit.  Hopefully, I can finish that project tomorrow.  The kids got home at supper time and they were so excited to see that the pool was up.  After they ate, I took them out to swim.  The water level was still pretty low and all 5 of them loved splashing around and playing.  We love summer.

This evening the kids and I went over to Ashland for Forest's birthday party at the park.  Clint was hauling hay.  When I was almost to Protection, I figured out my tire was going flat.  I pulled in by the gas pumps to see what I could do about it.  I tried to change the tire myself, but I haven't changed a tire since driver's ed in high school so I'm slightly out of practice.  I was trying to give it a try when Jaide started screaming and I didn't figure there was any way I could get it done with 4 kids that wanted to be at a birthday party and 1 that just wanted out of her car seats.  I decided to drive through town to Earl's shop.  Earl and the guys helped me out and put the spare on for me.  I am so thankful for their help.  We made it to the birthday party, only a little late.

Jaide's first tooth started coming in yesterday.

A few days ago our dishwasher, that is only 9 months old, quit working.  I have to wait another 6 days before they come and fix it (its under warranty).  We have been eating off paper plates because I would rather do other things than wash all the dishes by hand.  I realize that sounds very lazy, but that's what happens when we're spoiled with technology that does the work for us.

Hot dogs and smores for supper tonight...

 

Today is Memorial Day.  While yes, we had a barbeque with friends, it's important to remember why we actually memorialize this day.

I have a horrible memory, so this year I wanted to have written down some information about our relatives and their service for our country.  I have great pride in my family and great pride in my country and saying "thank you" just doesn't seem like enough.  These are a few stories of some of our family.

I asked my Grandma Darlene about my Grandpa, Frank Studley's, time in the service and this was her response:
 "Frank was in the Air Force from 1950 until 1955.  He was stationed in Newfoundland and Greenland before I met him.  He drove a fire truck and went to crashed plane sights.  I met him in March 1953 - he was stationed in Wichita and they detached 17 men to the old Pratt air base as they were using the runways for touch and go landings and needed a fire crew in case of an accident.  Thank God there were no bad accidents there, but in Greenland he said there were and he helped pull men (some bodies too) out of the crashes."

"He and two other flyboys rented my folks apartment at 702 So Jackson in Pratt.  I was signing up to go to Colorado Business College that day - I did go to Denver and graduated the following spring and we were married in August 1954."

"Your Great Grandpa, Henry Hoeme, was in the First World War and was badly injured.  There is a purple heart engraved on his tombstone at Natrona.  The purple heart award was given after he died.  His left thigh was shot to bits - he layed on the battle field for over 36 hours and about bled to death.  He never would talk about it, but the day he died in Salina, I could tell he was reliving it."

My Grandpa, Jim Dixson, served in World War II.  He graduated High School in 1944 and went to boot camp the day after graduation.  He served in the Air Transport Command in the Philippines, but was also in Hawaii and Guam.  He was an airplane mechanic and while in the Philippines, the Japanese started shooting at them and they ran to the plane to get out of there and his hand got shut in the door of the airplane.  He held it over a 5 gallon bucket to catch the blood.  He had a big scar on the palm of his hand.  There is a military marker at his grave site at Stevens Chapel.

Clint's great uncle, Warren Lee Petty, also served in WWII.  He had volunteered as a night-time "runner-messenger" trying to unite scattered allied forces during the Battle of the Bulge.  He stepped on a land mine and was killed in action on December 16, 1944 near Belgium Border, Germany.

My uncle, Tony Haffner, served in the Army.  In April 1970 when he was 17, he skipped school and went to the Courthouse to enlist in the Army.  He told his parents about it that night.  He graduated High School on May 19, turned 18 on May 22, and went into the Army on May 25.  He went to basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, MO, Artillery School at Fort Sill, OK, and Parachute Training at For Benning, GA.  He was then assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division in October 1970 as a paratrooper and served in C Battery 1st Battalion Airborne 319th Field Artillery until June 12, 1973, when he left the Army as a Sergeant.

All I can say is THANK YOU.

We got .4 inch of rain last night.  It's not much, but it's sure better than nothing.

I gave the boys a haircut this morning.  I sure love their little buzzed heads.  I think they look so cute with short hair.

Batting practice...

Sibling love...

This messy little girl likes bananas.

Today we spent time visiting with Mike and Carrie.  Carrie played with the kids all day and they love her.  They all went out with Clint when he fed the cows.

Mike brought the kids a football, so they were playing catch in the yard.

Tonight, Kissels and Roetkers came over and we had great food and great times with great friends.

This evening was Lane's 2nd birthday party at Tanner and Jill's.  We had a great time celebrating with family.

Jaide is getting a tad better about letting people hold her, which makes Papa Bob happy.

Jett enjoyed playing with all of Wyatt's toy weapons.  He had a sword stuffed down his shirt, a pistol in a holster on his belt and a rifle in his hands.  His had these the whole time we were there.

Tonight we had great friends visiting and staying the night with us, Mike Elrod and his daughter, Carrie.  They used to live here and just came to visit for a couple days.  We haven't seen them in quite a few years, so it was really great to catch up.

Jaide only took 2 naps today, but her afternoon nap was a long one, so I was able to get a lot of work done outside.  I got myself quite a nice sunburn on my back to prove it.  We changed up our fire pit a bit, so I've been laying all new rock around it.  Oh, how much I love having a project to do.  No really, I love it!

Tanner and Lane were here visiting today (Wyatt was at his last day of preschool then went to a friends house and Jill was working).  For some reason I only got pictures of Saige, Jaide and Lane.  We had a good day with such a sweet boy.

I made roast with carrots and potatoes for lunch.  As I was getting their plates ready, Saige and Lane were thinking they were about to stave and were eating all the scraps off the cutting board.

Saige was having fun feeding bites to Lane.

Overall, it was a great day.  It was really hot, so they kids played outside on the tramoline with the sprinkler under it most of the afternoon.  I think each kid went through 4 pairs of underwear today.  They would go out and play and get wet, then come in and get dry ones on and spend a little time inside, then go back out and play in the water.  Perfectly fine by me.  I very much prefer this over coveralls and coats.

playing in the pallet fort we built for them

photo taken by Saige

photo taken by Jett

Jaide was sitting on the floor playing and I stepped out the front door to check on the other 4 kids and when I came back in the door just seconds later, this is what I found.  She was smiling and seemed so proud of herself for standing up.

Clint was out working all day in the heat and wind, so when he got home this evening the kids and I wanted to do something nice for him.  He got a shower, then Judd brought him a big glass of iced tea, Jett brought him a plate with a big cookie on it and we laid out blankets on the floor and Saige and Sloan rubbed his back.

Today Clint and I took the boys to Coldwater for their vaccinations.  Dian Roetker came to the house to stay with Saige and Sloan.  Jett did great.  He held still and just said "ouch" and had it done very quickly.  Poor Judd, on the other hand, had a rough time.  He was very scared and wouldn't even go into the room.  We tried to talk him into it and finally just ended up having to carry him in and Clint held him while she gave him the 2 shots.  He was a tad mean and acted like he was going to punch the nurse.  I'm pretty sure he gets that from Clint.  He is such a strong, tough guy, but he is the biggest baby about being poked with a needle.  We told Judd it was okay to be scared, but it was not okay to be mean.

It was a little over 100 degrees today and very windy.  We spent almost the whole afternoon inside.

Jaide is trying to crawl.  It makes me happy, but it makes me sad.  She is taking 2-3 naps during the day.  She still gets up 2-4 times during the night, but it doesn't bother me at all.  Getting up with one is so easy.  Call me crazy, but truth be told, I'll miss getting up with a baby when she starts sleeping through the night.  She still sleeps right next to me every night.  When she wakes up and fusses, she snuggles up next to me and quiets down.  She is a very good eater and hasn't acted like she didn't like anything I've given her.  Last night for supper I made stuffed pasta shells with ground pork, spinach and tomatoes.  All the kids except Judd didn't like it.  I ground some up in the food processor for Jaide and she ate it all.

Jett won the "Dirty Ear Competition" at bath time tonight.  This is a competition that occurs frequently our house.  I made it up so that they would let me clean their ears.  Everyone wants to be a winner.  The kids rode on the mower with Clint this afternoon, so there was some fierce competition tonight.

Lately, Saige's favorite saying is, "That teeney (thingey) deal".  Every time she can't think of what something is called she calls it a "teeney deal".

Sloan says that when she grows up she wants to be a firefighter, a doctor and an astronaut.  We didn't coach her to say any of that.  She came up with it all on her own.  I absolutely love to hear her talk and what all she comes up with.  Almost every evening, Clint will say he wishes he had the camera to record what all she says at bedtime.  I think she uses bigger words than I do.

The girls have started becoming pretty sassy.  The person that made up the saying "terrible twos" probably didn't have any kids.  Whether the child is male or female, 3 is age in which the "terrible" occurs.  Any time Saige does something wrong, the first thing she says is, "Are you gonna spank me?".  Any time Sloan does something wrong she says, "Saaaahhhhweeee" (sorry).

Judd shared his white stuffed bear with Jaide tonight at bedtime.  I laid her down on his bed beside him.  She held his bear and he talked to her and she just giggled and giggled.  I wish I would've had my camera with me because they were being so sweet.  I love to hear him talk to her and I love to hear her giggle.

Mowing was exhausting for Saige...

Jett's smile in this picture absolutely melts my heart.  I'm pretty sure I'll cry when I look at this in 10 years.  Heck, I'll cry looking at this tomorrow.  Good grief, I love that kid.

When I was taking this picture, the boys asked if I could show this picture to real firefighters.  Judd is especially interested in being a "fighterfighter".  I have been telling them I would take them on a field trip to visit a fire station, so I really need to do that.  I love how he wants to have a job to help other people.