March and April Happenings

It's been a while since I Blogged, so I decided to just lump some of our 'happenings' into one post. We've been pretty busy lately!

Newton got a new toy in the form of an A.P. truck. Guess I shouldn't say 'toy'. It cost nearly $1million! Truthfully, it makes me nervous even thinking about Duane driving it. Not that I don't trust him, but the thought of putting even a ding in it... We stopped by to see it one evening and Brady got to go for a ride in the bucket, but it was too dark for pictures. It reaches nearly 100 ft. into the air. He was SO excited!

We had a staycation spring break this year. My Mom, Dad, Matt, Katy, Garret and Tatumn all came to stay a few days. We went to the Cosmosphere in Hutch and the Zoo in Wichita. The weather was beautiful and we had a really nice time!

The last big event to happen lately was the snowstorm. The wind blew SO hard it is hard to tell how much fell exactly and how much blew in from somewhere else. It was really wet and perfect for packing into snowmen and such, but a real workout to clear from the drive. We tried to tunnel through a drift in the backyard, but didn't have much luck.

A New Addition to the Family

We have exciting news! The Helms family has a new addition - the furry, four-legged kind! My parents came to visit us on spring break last week. While they were here, Dad tilled up my garden area and along the back of our house so we can finally get it planted. Sadly, during his tilling, he his a rabbit's nest. One bunny was gone instantly, one was very badly hurt and had to be euthanized and the final bunny was perfectly fine, but scared to death.

I know I'm insane, but when four kids (our niece and nephew were visiting, too) are standing there watching what you will do with this helpless little creature...

Surprisingly, the bunny is doing very well. I made a call to our vet who told me what sort of 'formula' to feed it. It took a few tries, but once Bugs new what that eye dropper was all about, he went to town. He is old enough that we have even been feeding him some lettuce and other greens.

Now the hard part will be turning him loose.

Sing It, Brady!

The kindergarten and first graders recently had their school concert and Brady sang a duet! Very exciting! Of course, he is so much taller than most of the other kids, the mic was too low for him, so he had to hunch over. From the look on his face, I think this caused him some anxiety, but he pulled it off. You all know how those young programs go...they could stand on their heads and we would all think it was fantastic!

Enjoy the clip of his debut!

Wii finally got one!

Last weekend, I stopped in at Walmart after a birthday party. Just needed a couple of things...found myself in electronics and found that they had 3 Wiis. I looked forever for one of these things. Figured we didn't need one. Convinced myself they were a waste of money. Bought one anyway!

Everyone I have talked to who owns one has no regrets. Neither do we! I woke up the next morning so sore from boxing (and knocking Duane out!) that I couldn't pull open the dryer door! Pathetic!

Kaela is already an expert bowler and Brady loves baseball. Doesn't matter the sport, you can pretty much guarantee that I'll get beat.

I'm fairly certain that an ER trip is in our near future. Someone is bound to whack someone - soon!

Quiet Time

Sunday was a fairly nice day, so Brady and I decided to take advantage of it and ride our bikes over to the Dyck Arboreteum. We had some old bread and were hoping to find some fish and turtles to feed. No luck with the turtles - we're sure they were hibernating at the bottom of the pond - but there were two pairs of ducks interested in a snack.

As a mom, I always marvel at how different my kids are when you get them alone. Kaela and Brady are at a point that I can barely stand to be in the same room with them together. They fight ALL the time about EVERYTHING! But, when you get them alone, you remember how pleasant they are and that they can actually be fun to spend time with.

Baby Ashley

I hope our good friends Bruce and Kelly won't be offended that I posted pics of their daughter, Ashley! But, so many of you have asked about them and prayed for them that I just had to share! The Sunday before New Year, Miss Ashley got to come home!

I had talked to Kelly about the possibility of her moving to a special care unit at Newton and out of Wesley hospital in Wichita. Days later she left me a message saying they were bypassing Newton and coming home!

This little girl is small but mighty! She came into this world 3 months early weighing 1lb. 13oz. She wasn't even due until the end of January!

Here is a pic me holding her that day. My hand next to her head gives her size some perspective. Keep in mind, she has grown a lot!

Christmas

We had another great Christmas this year. I often am amazed at just how blessed we are!

Kaela had very few requests for Christmas. The one thing she wanted more than anything was a sewing machine. Well, she got it! Grandma Mary says she's a natural. I'm hoping she can teach me a thing or two. She has already made PJs for she and Brady. At this point (mostly because mom doesn't know how!) we are going to stick to projects that don't require zippers and hopefully don't need buttonholes!

Here are some pics of her sewing and showing her first project.

While Kaela only really wished for one thing, Brady couldn't find paper enough to write his wishes on.

One neat gift he received was a book of simple science experiments using household stuff. We tried out a few and they actually worked! Here are some pics:

We're Baaaack!

Wow! I knew it had been a long time since I did anything with our Blog, but when I opened it and saw November 2, I was embarrassed!

Shortly after that entry, our computer crashed. (It had been dying a slow death and suddenly couldn't hold out any longer.) It took us a while to decide what we wanted, order it and get it here. Then it was Christmas! Now...New Year and I'm back on track!

Sadly, not too much has been happening around here anyway. Even if I had Blogged, it probably wouldn't have been too interesting - not that it is anyway! :)