Our adventure in the country

Good Government

2010-10-10T14:20:00.000-05:00

Hi, it's Mike :) Things have been good. Oh yeah! My Dad is running for judge. Well, bye now.

My Dad

2010-01-23T21:16:00.003-06:00

Our family suffered a loss today with the passing of my Dad. He will be missed by his children and grandchildren. My brother's family is already en route to Florida. Lexie and I are leaving in the morning. Please be praying!

I love you and miss you, Dad!

Dome in the Snow

2010-01-07T21:16:00.002-06:00

My New Kitchen

2010-01-07T21:00:00.005-06:00

I wanted to post some pictures of my new kitchen. It is not finished yet, but coming along nicely.

This is the desk area. The doorway on the left leads to the living room. The door on the right is the pantry.

This is the island and counter with prep sink and cook top in it.

This is the island, the wall ovens, and the sink. The doorway goes into the living room.

This is a built-in hutch and china cabinet for my Polish Pottery. There will be a broom closet to the right of it.

This is the counter for my microwave, crock pot, fruits, eggs, etc. The doorway on the right is the laundry room.

Hey, its me Lexie!

2009-10-02T15:03:00.005-05:00

Sorry everybody! I know its been a long time. lol! Well mom is gone to GA for a baby shower and she won't be back till Tuesday. So I'm running the house( with my dads help of course )! Lets see, the dome is coming along great! We have all the walls up and all the windows in. We will be in it by my birthday! Um Zach, Mike and I started soccer and piano and I started guitar! Well I have to cook some mac and cheese so I'm gonna go now! I'll post some more later!! and thank you all for reading my mom's blog!

Way Behind!

2009-08-09T17:04:00.003-05:00

I know I haven't posted in months. The dome is coming along nicely. Andrew has been working very hard on it. I have been struggling with my attitude towards the dome. It is getting better, but I would appreciate your prayers. Thanks!

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-10T04:31:00.000-05:00

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there! I received red roses from my husband and chocolate from my children. I am blessed to be a wife and mother!

Happy 10th Birthday, Zachary!

2009-05-05T22:19:00.000-05:00

I know I haven't posted in nearly two months. I will be going back and posting about the dome. I wanted to wish my baby a Happy Birthday! It seems like only yesterday since you were born!

Here are pictures from Zachary's birthday party.

Zachary's cake, made by Lexie.

Zach with his typical smile and his cake.

Zach, with Mike and friends, blowing out his candles.

Zachary looking at the construction pencil that Lexie gave him to go in his tool bag.

What a great group of kids (and Mr. Dave too)!

After the pizza party, we went to see Monsters vs. Aliens.

13 Years of Wedded Bliss

2009-03-09T10:06:00.004-06:00

Andrew and I celebrated our 13th Anniversary yesterday.

Our wedding picture taken by the professional photographer.

My favorite wedding picture taken by my Grandpa (GP).

These pictures are from our church wedding, which actually happened on our first anniversary.

My Birthday Roses

2009-03-05T09:53:00.000-06:00

My Mom and Step-Dad sent me two dozen long-stem roses for my birthday. Aren't they beautiful?

Lexie and her guitar

2009-03-03T09:50:00.000-06:00

Lexie practicing the chords on her guitar.

We have walls!

2009-03-02T09:46:00.000-06:00

Andrew started on the walls. This room will end up being the guest room.

Installing the First Window, Part II

2009-02-27T09:33:00.002-06:00

Andrew worked on framing in the window and making it weather-proof.

Outside view:

Inside view:

Lexie rappelling off the dome.

Installing the First Window, Part I

2009-02-25T09:07:00.003-06:00

Andrew is currently installing the first window. He used me to help lift the window unit into place and the boys to hold the window while he secured it.

Side view:

Outside view:

Inside view:

Painted Dome

2009-02-23T12:43:00.000-06:00

On the 10th of February, Andrew and his helper, Michael, painted the inside of the dome. It is the primer coat.

The inside of the dome went from looking like this...

to this. Much nicer!

Andrew and his helper cleaning up.

I think the back of his suit says it all.

Our New Doors

2009-02-21T12:46:00.005-06:00

This is the front door for the dome. It was delivered on February 13th.

On February 19th, the other three doors were delivered. This is the french doors for the kitchen.

There are really two doors here, exactly the same. One is the back door and one is the upstairs door.

They are all unfinished and will be painted later.

Bye bye birdie!

2009-02-09T12:41:00.001-06:00

During the ice storm adventure, we lost Tweety. He was our 29 year old cockatiel. We got him around the time that I turned 7 and my brother, Joe, was 4 1/2 years old. He had been living with us in Arkansas since after we came back from Germany.

Here is a picture of Tweety taken on September 5, 2008.

R.I.P. Tweety

Ice storm and no power (27 Jan - 5 Feb)

2009-02-07T10:02:00.016-06:00

With weather reports saying that we were in for an ice storm, I stayed up late Monday night baking bread, making food, washing up dishes, and finishing up laundry to be prepared. (I was a Cub Scout leader for 2 years. :))

Tuesday started out normal. The freezing rain was falling when we did morning chores. The trees looked really pretty with the ice building up on them.

Then, the willow tree in the pasture fell over from the weight of the ice.

Limbs started to fall out trees. Our power went out at 9:20 am.

All day Tuesday, the trees were breaking under the weight of the ice. We went from this view

to this view. The tree in the blueberry field in laying on the telephone line and blueberry bushes. :(

And this view

to this view.

We went to bed Tuesday night to the sound of popping and crashing noises. We felt a real sense of God's protection. It really sounds like the trees were falling down around us.

This is a picture taken on Tuesday of the sycamore tree that the turkeys sleep. It is located right next to the chicken house and barn.

Here is that same tree Wednesday morning.

The section of the tree that the male turkey sleeps in was laying on the ground close to our house. The female turkey was at the morning feeding, but no male turkey.

Besides the missing turkey, the pole that held the power line going to the pump house broke off at the base.

No damage to the dome.

Andrew spent all Wednesday clearing the road down to our friend's house. She lives a mile and a half further down the road than us. Using his tractor, chainsaw, ax and machete, it took him all day to get to her.

Along the way, he found a telephone pole standing in the middle of the road.

On Thursday, Andrew started clearing towards the head of our road. In the afternoon, he met the county road crew with the grader.

Thursday afternoon, I went looking for the turkey in the woods. I walked around calling to him. I heard turkey noises, but did not find him. I took Andrew a drink on the four wheeler and when I came back, the male turkey was in the front yard looking at me. His feet were really pink, but he looked fine.

Here are the trees along the creek in the blueberry field.

More trees in our front yard and a glimpse of the dome.

More broken trees.

A shot of our house from down the road.

The view from our front pasture.

The ice really melted on Friday. We went to Home Depot in Harrison and bought a generator. Thankfully, we had wood heat, a gas stove, and running water, just no hot water. Our power came back on at 6:00 pm on Thursday. We were out for 9 days, 9 hours, and 40 minutes or almost 226 hours.

Thank you, God, for all of your protection!

A special thank you to all the electric workers that have worked to get our power restored! I heard on the radio that there were 1800 poles that had to be replaced in our area. WOW!

Setting the Anchor

2009-01-17T20:46:00.005-06:00

Andrew wanted to set the anchor in the top of the dome. The anchor has an eye on both ends to make dome maintenance easier. On Wednesday, Andrew and Zachary climbed up the dome to drill a pilot hole through the foam and concrete. Michael was the ground crew, tying needed equipment on the rope. After Andrew had drilled the hole from the top, he had to drill from the inside. This required several trips up and down the dome.

After Andrew inserted the bolt, Michael tightened it from inside of the dome. While Andrew and Zachary tightened it from the the top of the dome.

Michael sitting on top of the scaffolding inside the dome, waiting for further instruction.

Andrew holding the rope while Zachary climbs back down the dome.

Zachary, in his Swiss seat, walking down the side of the dome.

Job well done, boys!

Windows

2009-01-17T20:08:00.004-06:00

Here are the windows for our dome.

They were delivered a few weeks ago. The doors have been ordered and should be here in about a month. Here is a picture of the front door we ordered.

We also ordered two doors with glass in the top half of them (one will be the back door and one will be the upstairs door) and a set of french door for the kitchen.

Snow on the Dome

2009-01-16T10:24:00.004-06:00

We woke up yesterday morning to about an inch of snow. Here is what the dome looked like with the snow on it.

The snow is gone now. The kids are praying for more!

Merry Christmas

2008-12-25T06:28:00.000-06:00

from our family to yours!

Happy 14th Birthday, Lexie!

2008-12-22T18:38:00.001-06:00

Today my oldest child turned 14!

Wow! Where have the years gone?

Sixth and Seventh Days of Shotcrete

2008-12-14T10:35:00.000-06:00

Due to internet issues, I have been unable to post these pictures when they were taken. What I do remember clearly is that there were many obstacles to overcome on those two days. There was freezing weather and equipment failure both on our end and with the concrete company.

Rick and Andrew standing in the doorway.

The walls drying.

Cleaning concrete off the floor.

Despite all the problems, they were still able to spray another batch on the ceiling.

Bruce spraying the ceiling.

What Bruce looked like when he got done spraying.

Fifth Day of Shotcrete

2008-12-09T10:18:00.001-06:00

The crew took Sunday off for a much needed break. The blower was turned off over the weekend and will not be used again. The airlock was removed, making entering and exiting the dome much easier.

Rick standing in the doorway where the airlock used to be. This will be the location of my front door.

Andrew cut open the doorways for more ventilation. This opening will be french doors in the kitchen.

Andrew cutting open the hole for the back door.

There will also be a door on the second floor for the kids.

The scaffolding's motor was replaced and worked well, as did the pump. The crew was able to spray on 8 yards from the concrete trucks and make a bunch of their own batches in the Bobcat mixer.

Brian and Roger making a batch. The Bobcat will make a 1/3 of a yard of shotcrete.

The batch mixing.

Roger watching the batch being dumped into the hopper.

The outside guys: Brian and Roger.

The inside guys: Rick, Andrew, and Bruce.

My gorgeous husband, Andrew, in all his safety gear, so he won't get shotcrete in his eyes again.

Third and Fourth Days of Shotcrete

2008-12-08T11:23:00.011-06:00

The concrete truck arrived with 4 yards. The crew started spraying and then the pump started acting up. Over the course of many long hours, they were able to spray about 3 yards before the pump called it quits. The crew had made a form to pour a pad for Andrew's saw mill, just in case the concrete had to be used. With the pump failing and concrete still left in the truck, Brian poured the pad.

Brian finished the pad. He even made the corners smooth so the kids could decorate it. Notice the turkey tracks to the left of Brian in the concrete.

Rick and Bruce watching Roger and Brian work on the pump.

Rick holding the hose while Andrew reconnects it.

The next day, Andrew and Roger continued to work on the pump. Andrew replaced the peristaltic hose and hoped that would fix the problem.

Brian giving Jack (dog) a ride in the Bobcat at the end of the work day. Roger walking down the hill behind him.

The inside of the dome on Saturday afternoon (end of day four).

Looking straight up the wall.

Second Day of Shotcrete

2008-12-04T21:33:00.005-06:00

In the morning, Mitchell Scitern of Reliable Pump Service came out to install our submersible well pump and faucet, so the crew would have water up at the dome.

Here is Mitchell and Andrew.

Here is the completed, temporary job. As soon as the shell of the dome is done, we will dig a trench from the well to the dome for the water and pump electric lines.

Just after that was finished, the concrete truck arrived. We've used Carroll County Ready-Mix to pour the ringbeam, the pad and now, the dome itself.

Roger and Brian preparing the equipment.

Brian mixing the shotcrete in the hopper.

Another picture of Brian with the hopper and the pump.

Bruce spraying shotcrete on the inside of the dome. Rick and Andrew are pushing the scaffolding and keeping the hose out of the way. (The motor's starter, that moves the scaffolding, burned out yesterday morning.)

This is the top of the dome with its first coat of shotcrete. They spray from bottom to top.

The wall with two coats of shotcrete, notice the depth marker.

The bottom half of the wall with two coats and the top half of the wall with one coat. (Sorry, it's blurry.)

First Day of Shotcrete

2008-12-03T16:27:00.004-06:00

Today, the crew sprayed the first load of shotcrete on the inside of the dome. Here is the wall by the kitchen door.

Here is the back door.

Here is the ceiling in the living room with the electric conduits.

Here is the pad the crew made from some extra concrete. This is our new well. Michael and Zachary put their hand prints in the wet concrete.

Chickens in the Freezer

2008-12-03T11:34:00.005-06:00

On the day after Thanksgiving, we processed 20 chickens. Our neighbor, Bev, came and showed me how to clean a chicken. Andrew killed them, Bev and I plucked the feathers and cleaned out the innards. I washed them and put them in freezer bags. Andrew sucked the air out of the bags, labeled them and then, put them in the freezer.

Foam and Rebar Done

2008-11-30T14:08:00.002-06:00

On day three, they continued to spray foam and hang rebar ties.

This the very top of the dome. The last part to be sprayed with foam.

The foam components comes in two barrels. The white barrel is isocyanite and the green barrel is resin. They are combined as they are applied.

On day four, they sprayed the top of the dome, hung the rebar ties, then finished spraying it. That concluded the foam spraying. Andrew hung all the rebar ties in the dome.

On day five, they began to hang rebar. Here is Michael helping Andrew tie rebar.

At the end of the first day of rebar hanging, they had hung 10 rings of rebar around the inside of the dome.

I didn't get any pictures on the second day of rebar hanging. Here is Roger, Andrew, and Jeremy hanging and tying rebar on the third day.

At the end of the third day.

The top of the dome on the middle of the fourth day.

At the end of the fourth day, they completed the rebar.

Ready for shotcrete.

Andrew admiring all the hard work.

For eight days, the whole team worked really hard. Thank you to Melvin, Roger, Jeremy, and, of course, my husband, Andrew.

After, Thanksgiving break, they start spraying shotcrete. Yeah!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T07:49:00.003-06:00

I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! We are very thankful for all our family and friends! We also are thankful to God for the countless blessings He has bestowed upon us!

Dome Update

2008-11-18T07:41:00.001-06:00

On September 1st, Marty and Melvin came over from the other job they're working on to attach the airform and test the blower.

Here Andrew, Marty, and Melvin are unrolling the airform and fitting it around the ring beam.

Here Andrew and Melvin are permanently attaching the airform to the ring beam.

Then, the airform was inflated and the blower failed. Here is the airlock and half of the blower.

So, the blower needed to be repaired. It was taken to a place in Harrison, that fixed it under warranty. Come to find out, the motor needed to be replaced. Ordering a new motor and removing it from the fan takes awhile. In the mean time, Hurricanes Gustav and Ike blew through here, leaving the deflated airform covered with water, leaves and other debris.
On October 7th, with the blower fixed, we inflated the airform again. Andrew and the boys got inside and helped push the water off the airform.

When fully inflated, the airform looked like a scoop of chocolate chip ice cream. Okay, that's what it looked like to me.

Another view of the inflated airform.

After inflated, the guys went into the airform to assemble the scaffolding. Marty had bought it straight from the factory and this was the first time it had been set up. One of the tires did not fit on the axel of the scaffording. This had to be fixed before any further set up could be done.

On October 30th, we inflated the airform for the final time. The scaffolding was assembled. Marty and Roger had to go back to the other job they are working on. Andrew went to work framing the doors and making the frames for the windows. We also pressure washed the airform.

Here are door frames on the inside of the airform.

And the same doorways on the outside of the airform. Also, notice the sewer line coming down the hill.

On November 15th, the crew was back and ready to work. The foam comes in two barrels and has to be combined as it is applied. The crew also has to wear protective gear while spraying. Here are Andrew and Melvin getting some refreshments before heading back in the airform. Roger was in the airform spraying.

This is what it looked like at the end of the first day of spraying foam. They sprayed from the bottom to about 7 feet high.

Notice that they sprayed the window frame right to the wall. Also notice, the rebar ties sticking out of the wall.

On day two, they sprayed another coat over the first coat to set the rebar ties. The final thickness of the foam is about 3 inches. Here is the same window after the spraying on day two.

They also sprayed the first coat of foam from about 7 feet to about 14 feet. After they were done, Andrew set the rebar ties.

Another picture of Andrew setting rebar ties on the scaffolding.

This picture is the front door, living room windows and skylight, taken last night after Andrew was finished hanging rebar ties from about 7 feet to about 14 feet.

This picture is the back door, kitchen french doors, and the kids' windows upstairs.

They will continue to work today.

Quick Trip

2008-11-09T09:40:00.001-06:00

I'm on my way to South Dakota for a few days. I will be posting about the dome when I get back. Stay safe! Oh, and, Happy Birthday, Annie! We love you very much!

Saunders Heights

2008-10-22T13:09:00.000-05:00

We took Arianna sightseeing while she was here. We went up Saunders Heights, which overlooks Berryville.

Lexie, Michael, and Zachary on top on Saunders Heights.

Arianna with the town of Berryville behind her.

Arianna's Week on the Farm

2008-10-21T12:48:00.000-05:00

During her week stay with us, Arianna got to milk a goat (Mama Goat)...

...and feed a bottle baby (Patch) the milk.

Trip to New York, Part VII

2008-10-20T12:13:00.001-05:00

The last stop on our trip was the Creation Museum in Petersburg, Kentucky. We had a wonderful time! We plan to take Andrew with us next time!

Lexie with her 'pet' dinosaur.

The boys on a bridge in the gardens.

Trip to New York, Part VI

2008-10-19T11:26:00.000-05:00

After we stayed the night at Fort Drum, we headed to Niagara Falls. We met up with my brother's family, including his mother-in-law, Sue. (One of the nicest people you will ever meet.) First, we toured the American side of the Falls. Lexie took a picture of Arianna, Michael, Zachary & I in front of the Falls.

The Canadian side of the Falls. (Much better view!)

Saying goodbye to my little brother, Joe and my beautiful sister-in-law, Stacey.

Arianna came home with us for the week.

Trip to New York, Part V

2008-10-18T11:49:00.006-05:00

The next stop on our trip home was Fort Drum. This was the first place where Andrew was stationed in the Army. This was before I knew Andrew, back when he was infantry and a soldier in the 10th Mountain Division. I really wanted to see and be able to show the kids where Andrew had started his Army career. My Dad was with us. He had flown into Albany to drive home with us.

All of the following pictures are taken at the Headquarters of the 10th Mountain Division.

A stature of the Military Mountaineers.

My boys in front of the statue. Behind the statue is a memorial to all the 10th Mountain Division soldiers that have been killed. There is a plaque for each campaign.

My boys with a howitzer.

Trip to New York, Part IV

2008-10-17T00:25:00.004-05:00

On our way home, we decided to make several stops. Lexie was very excited to see her best friend, Kristen. We took Kristen's family out to dinner. We had the best time! Here is a picture of Lexie and Kristen.

Here are Kristen's siblings. (Cuties!)

Michael eating pickles with Kristen.

Zachary with his 'twin', Brandy.

All the kids saying goodbye in the Walmart parking lot.

Trip to New York, Part III

2008-10-16T23:19:00.002-05:00

While we were in New York, the kids (including my niece, Arianna) and I went to visit Grandma Elly and Grandpa Bill. We swam in their pool and ate dinner. Grandma also took the kids to see Wall-E, while I went shopping for a blouse. (A treat from my Mom.) I also took the kids to see Great Grandma. We had a nice visit with all! Here is a picture of Grandma Elly and Grandpa Bill.

And a picture of the Grandchildren sitting on their couch. I had the hardest time getting them to take decent picture.

Mama Hen and Chick

2008-10-16T22:38:00.003-05:00

Soon after the kids and I returned from New York, we saw a hen walking around the barn yard with a chick. We're very excited! This is our first hen to hatch out a chick. The boys carry them inside every night to put them in a box in the den and carry them out in the morning at chore time. Here is a picture of the hen and chick in the yard with our Hurricane Ike debris.

Here is a picture of Mike and Zach holding the hen and chick.

Funny picture!

2008-10-07T17:56:00.001-05:00

Well I just thought that this was a funny picture!

BB goat's (Mama goat's baby from last year) and Mama goat's behinds.
Love,
Lexie

Guineas

2008-10-06T15:24:00.000-05:00

On the 23rd of September, my Mom, Dad and the boys got up early and went to pick up some guineas. They returned with 14 young guineas, 5 of which were "keets". (Keets are what the guinea chicks are called.) We already have one guinea. We thought she would like having other guineas to hang out with. She was raised with chickens and did not take a liking to the other guineas. Sometimes, they follow her around. She ditches them as quickly as she can. Dad thinks that she doesn't like them calling her "Grandma".
Here are the guineas in the yard.

Here are the guineas with one of our roosters and the duck.

Guineas are great watchdogs and they love to eat ticks. We love the guineas! They are amazing!
Love,
Lexie

My Mom

2008-09-29T20:33:00.006-05:00

My Mom had a cow when she found out that I had not posted the picture of her and I. So here it is.

I love you Mom!!!!!
Love,
Lexie

Church picnic and more

2008-09-29T19:45:00.006-05:00

On Saturday, a man and his son came over with a horse and left the horse in our pasture to wean her baby off. On Sunday morning, the horse got out and started down the road. Dad got on the 4-wheeler and chased down the horse and brought it home. After it was put back in the pasture, Dad watched it get out again to find the hole. Dad got on the 4-wheeler again, brought the horse back, and tied her up. Knowing where the hole was in the fence, my Dad stayed home from church and fixed it.
Mom, Mike, Zach and I went to church. After church, I went to a friends house instead of going home. (My Mom and I had made cheesecake and broccoli salad on Saturday for the picnic.) Mom and the boys went home to get Dad for the picnic. The church picnic was a lot of fun! I got to spend a lot of time with all my friends. Sorry, no pictures.
Love,
Lexie

Silver Dollar City

2008-09-26T17:20:00.008-05:00

Well on Thursday, we went to Silver Dollar City (an amusement park) with some friends. They got us in free. (Thank you so much, Mr. Chris and Mrs. Rhonda!) We left at around 10 am and we got home around 9:30 pm or something like that. We went on a lot of rides.

Levi, Zach, Lacy,Me, Ezra and Mike.

Us on a big chair.

My Mom and Mrs. Rhonda on a big chair.
It was the best day I had in a long time!
Love,
Lexie

Birthday party

2008-09-22T17:08:00.010-05:00

On Sunday, we went to our friend, CJ's birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese. There was a cool picture booth thing. I had all my friends take a pic with me. It was so much fun!

This is a pic of my friend, Rio and I.

Mike, Mom, me and Zach.

Mike, me and Zach.
Happy Birthday, CJ! I love you!
Love,
Lexie

Shooting with Dad

2008-09-22T16:29:00.006-05:00

Just to let everyone know, this is not Laurie, this is Lexie. My mom does not post enough and I'm always telling her that. She told me to go ahead and post, so I am. Well today, Dad, the boys, and I took some guns to the second pasture for training in gun usage and safety. It was mostly for the boys, because he had already taught me this stuff. We were shooting at a bucket and a toy tricycle. We were about 50 ft from the target. I collected the shells. I ended up finding about 60 of them and we shot about 100 total. Dad did most of the shooting. I wish I had brought the camera! Well, I will post some more some time.
Love,
Lexie

Ike

2008-09-17T08:23:00.004-05:00

It started raining on Saturday. The wind picked up that evening. Our electricity went out at about 2:30 in the morning. We woke up to a tree uprooted leaning against another tree that was starting to uproot and had pushed one end of our propane tank off its base. Both trees were resting against a walnut tree.

Thankful, they hadn't fallen and hit the house, power line, or the gas line. Andrew climbed the walnut tree and cut the other trees down before they fell. Our neighbor, Bev, let us borrow a generator. A couple times a day, we would plug in the freezer, refrigerator, and water pump. We have a gas stove, so all I had to do is light it with a match. We used hurricane lamps and flashlights for light. Our electricity came back on last night at 8:00. We were without power for 65 1/2 hours. The only thing we really missed during our "pioneering time" was the computer. The cleanup in our county continues. There was massive tree damage. I have never seen so many trees pulled up by their roots. The power company said that all customers would have power by today.

Kids' Pictures

2008-09-01T12:11:00.005-05:00

Professional pictures of my wonderful children.

My beautiful daughter, Lexie

My handsome son, Michael

My other handsome son, Zachary

Zach's Scar

2008-09-01T11:57:00.004-05:00

This is what Zachary's leg looks like after 6 weeks of healing.

It's a really cool scar!

Doing Well!

2008-08-31T15:44:00.005-05:00

I just wanted to update everyone on how we are doing. At first, I was sad and I mourned. Andrew has been very supportive. (I love my husband very much!) We have spent the week sharing the news. It's so easy to share good news and so hard to share bad news! I feel bad telling bad news, seeing how sad people look when I tell them. I was thrilled to be pregnant! I am still thrilled for the opportunity. It answered questions for me. I am doing well. I look forward to the next opportunity! I have made the decision not to let Satan steal my joy and to keep believing in the good God has planned for us. Thanks for your prayers!

Sad News

2008-08-27T13:21:00.001-05:00

I just wanted everyone to know that we lost the baby yesterday. We are doing well! Thank you for your prayers!

Trip to New York, Part II (More Pictures of My Niece)

2008-08-21T17:22:00.006-05:00

Since the whole point of our trip to NY was the birth of my niece, I wanted to post more pictures of her and some of the people in her life.

Alyssa with her happy parents

Alyssa with her gorgeous mommy

Alyssa with her proud daddy

Alyssa with her wonderful big sister, Arianna

Trip to New York, Part I

2008-08-21T16:44:00.005-05:00

The kids and I had a wonderful time on our vacation! As I already posted, I got to meet my new niece. What an honor to be there for her birth!

On our way to New York, we stopped the first night in Terre Haute, Indiana. I was just too tired to drive any further. The second night, we made it to Pine Grove, Pennsylvania, where our friends Mey and Grant live. We had a wonderful visit with them and I got to meet their newest addition, Anaja.

Before we headed to NY, we went to Hershey's Chocolate Factory (YUMMY!) and out for BBQ. My kids posing with their boys, Thor, Vladamir and Conan.

On the tour through the factory. Back row: me, Grant, Conan, Mey and Anaja. Front row: Lexie, Thor, Zachary, Vladamir, and Michael.

We're pregnant!

2008-08-13T23:39:00.004-05:00

Well, I really mean, I'm pregnant! We are very excited! We have been blessed!

Let me share my story with those who don't know it. Andrew had a vasectomy in June 1999, when Zachary was 6 weeks old. I realized it was a mistake immediately. Andrew, who only had the vasectomy because he thought it was what I wanted, did not want to go under the knife again. I cried, I begged, I pleaded. I couldn't get over not having any more children. I prayed that God would either remove my desire for more children or He would change Andrew's mind. I tried hard not to nag Andrew about getting a reversal. Some months were better than others.

While Andrew was deployed to Afghanistan, I started a Bible study by Nancy Campbell. She has a ministry called Above Rubies. Her beliefs are very pro-family. What I learned just confirmed my desire to have more children. When Andrew returned home from Afghanistan in July 2003, I shared with him what I had learned. He told me a story about a guy who had been deployed and got his wife pregnant when he got home, even though he had had a vasectomy. I think he was trying to give me hope. I still continued to research reversal and reversal doctors. I found a Christian urologist, Dr. Cary Leverett, who did reversals at a discounted price as a ministry. He happened to be in a town about 3 hours away from us. At the next homeschool group meeting, I learned that one of the families had just gotten a reversal done by this doctor and completely recommended him. I mentioned this to my husband. He told me to call the doctor's office and ask for some information. Andrew decided to have the reversal. The reversal was performed in November 2003. I was on cloud 9. I thought I would be pregnant by my birthday. Well, my birthday came and went. The 1st anniversary of the reversal came and went. I started to chart my cycle. The 2nd anniversary of the reversal came and went, still no baby. The Army had moved us to Germany. I was still charting my cycle, but now I was reading books about infertility and what I could do to get pregnant. I sometimes wanted Andrew to get a sperm analysis done, but didn't ask him, because I felt like he had done so much for me already. I turned my thoughts to adoption. Andrew didn't even want to think about adoption until he retired from the Army and that was still 2 years away. So, I just waited, prayed, and obsessed. I continued to obsess until a few months ago. I just didn't call it obsessing until Andrew told me that was what I was doing. So, I stopped obsessing, I stopped charting my cycle, I stopped living from period to period and just gave all of it to God.

My chiropractor asked my about my cycle because he knew I was trying to conceive. I told him that I didn't know. I came home and asked Lexie went her last period was because I thought I had mine the week before she did. I decided to take a test. 2 line!!! I couldn't believe it! The period of time between the vasectomy and the reversal was 4 1/2 years. The period of time between the reversal and getting pregnant is 4 1/2 years. Thank you, God, for the gift of life! I am still in total amazement! We are looking forward to an early Spring baby, around the end of March. Andrew, Lexie, Michael, and I think it's a girl. Zachary thinks it's a boy. Our prayer is for a healthy baby!

New Niece

2008-08-13T23:25:00.003-05:00

I am an aunt again! Alyssa Susan Logsdon was born July 23rd at 10:22 pm in Albany, New York. We arrived 2 1/2 hours before she was born. Congrats to my brother, my sister-in-law, and my niece, Arianna, the new big sister!

Alyssa, 1 day old, in the NICU.

Alyssa, 14 days old, at home with Lexie holding her.

Praise God for her complete healing from a heart condition!

Zachary's Stitches

2008-07-18T04:09:00.004-05:00

On Monday, Zachary was racing Michael over the barn fence. Michael went over the fence at the proper place, Zachary did not. He ended up catching his right calf on the fence and ripping it open. After a trip to the emergency room and 18 stitches later, here is a picture of his wound.

Here is a shot of his legs, so you can see the size of his wound. It measures 10 inches total.

Zachary is doing great and loves showing off his stitches.

Trip to Tulsa

2008-07-11T09:44:00.000-05:00

The kids and I spent Thursday and Friday in Tulsa visiting with friends. It was so great to see Kelly, Cory, and Livvie and to finally meet Chase! We enjoyed visiting the Oklahoma Aquarium and eating at Gina & Guiseppe's on the Riverwalk. Thank you, Shawna, for the recommendation!

This is a picture of my kids with our friends in front of the aquarium.

The internet ate the rest of my pictures. I will post them later.

The After Pictures

2008-07-09T22:10:00.001-05:00

The after picture of Andrew's hairless face.

The after picture of Lexie's streaked hair.

Notice that they both have a scar on their chin.

Beard no more!

2008-07-08T09:08:00.003-05:00

This is the last picture of Andrew with his retirement beard. He shaved it off last night. Actually, he shaved off one half and then came to find me. He was holding his hand over the side he had shaved. Then, he moved he hand the side that wasn't shaved. Wow! What a shock! He looks so different! I missed his gorgeous smile!

And Tammy, I posted more than once today, so keep reading!

A bat and a dead chicken

2008-07-07T08:32:00.004-05:00

On Saturday, Andrew and the boys went to his aunt's big holiday party down near Fort Smith. We decided that Lexie and I would stay home to man the farm and enjoy the peace and quiet. Lexie and I took the opportunity to have some girl time. We went out to dinner at a German restaurant. It made us homesick for Germany. Our friend, Kariann, went with us to dinner. When we came home to lock up the animals and watch a movie, we discovered a bat in the house. The bat hit the wall and fell into the dishpan. Kariann used salad tongs to remove it from the dishpan and put it outside.

Due to wet wings, the bat crawled across the porch and down the stairs.

Thank you, Kariann!

On Sunday morning, as Lexie and I were leaving for church, I ran over one of our chickens. The chickens always move out of the way of moving vehicles, just sometimes they run the wrong way! This black chicken just stood there. I asked out loud,"why isn't it moving?" So, it adjusted the vehicle to straddle the chicken. As the vehicle past over the hen, she decided to move and run right under my back tire. Lexie said, "Mom, you ran over the chicken!" She continued, "we need to go back and see if it's dead." I backed up the vehicle. "If it's not dead, you need to run it over again!" I looked at her and stated, "I don't want to! You get out and check if it's dead." I was pretty upset. I felt bad. Lexie got out of the vehicle and poked the chicken with a stick. It was both flat and dead. I called Andrew on the cell phone and told him. They made it home before we did and Michael disposed on the chicken for me. Thank you, Michael!

We have a floor!

2008-07-04T11:02:00.009-05:00

Since the last update, Andrew finished filling with dirt and made it level. Then, he laid what I call 'fancy bubble wrap" over the dirt. It serves as a vapor lock and will also reflect the heat from the radiant floor heating system. As soon as he put down the 'fancy bubble wrap', he ran rebar over it.

After that was completed, he tied the rebar. He then ran the pex, which is the tubing that the hot water will run through for the radiant floor heating system. The pex was then tied to the rebar. We were ready to pour the floor!

We hired Wendell Terherst and his assistant, Jimmy Cox, to finish our floor. Wendell comes highly recommended. We also had to hire a concrete pump for the job. Andrew got everything arranged to do the pour on Wednesday. Early Wednesday morning, the concrete pump arrived first and started to set up. I covered the plumbing openings with bags and duct tape. Wendell and Jimmy arrived and prep the site. They divided the site into sections. Here is Jimmy pounding the dividers into the site. The little black dog is his "assistance", Belle. Three concrete trucks arrived at this time.

Time to start pouring!

Wendell pouring concrete and Zachary holding the end of the pex out of the way.

Wendell working while Andrew and Mike, my father in law, watch. The guy in the middle is the concrete pump operator. He works for Brundage-Bone Concrete Pumping out of Springdale. We used Carroll County Ready-Mix for the concrete.

Wendell moving the concrete.

Jimmy flattening the concrete.

Wendell smoothing the concrete.

Jimmy finishing the concrete.

We used 28 1/4 yards on concrete for the floor. Here is the finished floor! It looks like clouds to me.

Lexie and her goat, Jo Jo, playing and Andrew riding a scooter on the new floor.

The next step is to put up the dome.

A Visit From Friends

2008-07-01T23:56:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, we had a wonderful visit from Tammy, Becky and family. I lured them over with the promise of blueberries! They brought us some hand-picked blackberries. I got a bunch of Hunnicutt steak out of the freezer and had Andrew grill it. Then, I convinced them to stay for dinner. Lexie wanted me to mention that she seasoned the steak with her own special seasoning. Yummy! We had a wonderful visit with them! Oh wait, I already said that! We can't wait to see them again! We missed you, Stephen!

Snakes

2008-07-01T09:07:00.001-05:00

Lexie found this snake as she headed to the barn. She thought it was a copperhead. She went back into the house and got a machete. She was going to kill it. I followed her back outside and convinced her to let her dad look at it. She yelled for her daddy. We've discovered that yelling the word "snake" makes Andrew come running very quickly. Come to found out, this snake is a water snake. It is now living at the creek.

The next day, I was hanging wash on the line, when the chickens started making a fuss in the barn. I walked over to the barn and found a black snake eating an egg. I yelled, "snake!" and Andrew came running. Andrew realized that the snake was caught in the chicken wire. I ran and got wire snips and we cut it free. Andrew and the kids posed for a picture with it and then Andrew relocated it to our pond on our other place.

The following day, Andrew and the boys found a pack rat in the barn. Let's just say, it was not relocated.

Goodbye Simon!

2008-06-30T23:23:00.004-05:00

Today, Andrew buried Simon. We found him under the porch last night. When he left the house on Tuesday night, he must have gone under there to die. He will be greatly missed by his family. He didn't belong to us, we belonged to him! He was an amazing cat and Andrew said that we will never see his equal! Here is one of Lexie's many pictures of Simon, taken in January.

Thanks for your prayers!

No Kitty

2008-06-26T08:53:00.002-05:00

After looking for Simon, our sick cat, for most of Tuesday, he finally showed up late afternoon. He kind of staggered out of the pasture and into the yard. I brought him into the house and we gave him more medicine. I also cleaned him up. He made himself at home in Lexie's room. Lexie's room is one of his favorite places in the house. We continued to medicate him through out the evening.

We woke up afternoon morning and he was no where to be found. He had somehow found a way to open the pet door and go out. He never came home yesterday. I spent the whole day looking for him. I am concerned. Andrew said that he's either dead or laying low and recovering. I'll let you know if he shows up.

Bobcat Fever

2008-06-24T08:15:00.008-05:00

We moved here with two pets: Blackie, our 12 year old dog, and Simon, our 7 year old cat. We got Blackie from our next-door neighbor in San Antonio, Texas. She was so good with Lexie, who was 2 at the time. Blackie welcomed both the boys into the family and was always very protective of them. Even at 40 pounds, she thought she was a lap dog.

We got Simon from good friends in San Angelo, Texas. His mama was a stray cat, who showed up at my friends' house and had her 4 kittens in their closet. We were taken with Simon immediately. I thought I was allergic to him, so I spent several weeks rubbing him on me. In the process, I fell in love with him. As soon as I realized I wasn't allergic to him, we brought him home. In 3 hours, Blackie and Simon became best friends.

Blackie and Simon went to Germany with us. Here is a picture of them on 'their' chair in our German apartment.

In March, we lost Blackie, along with our new puppy, Red. We think they were eaten by a mountain lion. The kids and I have had a hard time with her loss.

Well, on Sunday, Andrew told me that Simon had a fever. I checked him and noticed he was sick. He refused to eat and drink all day Sunday. Yesterday, I took him to the vet. He was diagnosed with Bobcat Fever. The reason it is called Bobcat Fever is because bobcats carry the protozoan in their bloodstream. It is transmitted from a tick and almost always fatal. The vet gave Simon a shot of Imizol to try and kill the protozoan. He also got a shot of Metacam to lower his fever, so he would want to eat and drink. We also went to Dr. Fain in Eureka Springs for Monolautin and Pawier. Monolautin is a supplement that has an anti-microbial agent that can protect the immune system from a range of infectious agents. Pawier is vitamin supplement for pets.

This morning, Simon is no where to be found. I think he is hiding. Please pray for his complete recovery!

Happy Father's Day!

2008-06-15T10:10:00.000-05:00

Happy Father's Day to the best daddies in the world!

The Daddy of my children.

My Daddy.

My Daddy-in-law.

Twins

2008-06-03T18:22:00.008-05:00

Michael saw a Lego Star Wars shirt in Walmart and had to buy it for Zachary for his birthday. Zachary loved the shirt and knew Michael loved it, too. So, Zachary went to Walmart and bought Michael one for his birthday. They also received cell phone from Papa for their birthdays. Here is a picture of my boys being 'twins'!

I've always liked to dress them alike or similar. Here they are with Lexie and Papa in September 2002.

Grandma Elly (my mom) liked to buy them matching clothes, too.

Dome Update

2008-05-31T23:24:00.016-05:00

Here is a picture of the building crew: Andrew (my hubby), Roger, Marty, and Melvin. Not pictured are: Brian and Bill.

First, they are using a transit to make the form level.

The toe boards for the form.

The outside ring of the form.

Reinforcing the wall and hammering in rebar.

Building the inner ring of the form.

Andrew and Zachary drilling holes for the last part of the form.

The Bobcat had to stay inside the form to help with the concrete.

The form is ready for the concrete.

From the road, it looks like a wooden swimming pool.

On the day of the concrete pour, my father-in-law, Mike Wilhelm, and our neighbor, Jon Toombs, came to help. Here they are tying rebar as the concrete truck arrives.

Loading the Bobcat with concrete.

Roger directs Marty where to drop the concrete.

Action shot of the concrete.

Andrew using a shovel on the concrete and Melvin using a vibrator to get the air pockets out of the concrete.

Andrew, Mike, and Jon shoveling concrete out of wheelbarrows into the smaller part of the form.

Smoothing the top.

Jon and Mike making a channel in the concrete.

Michael taking the wood form off. The ring beam is done.

Now it looks like a concrete swimming pool with a Bobcat in it.

To get the Bobcat out, Andrew built a ramp. Then, he started laying the plumbing and filling in the foundation.

Bottom left is the sewer line leaving the concrete wall. Top right is the gray line going through the wall.

Zachary building a rock wall for the pipe to sit on while Andrew works on fill.

Filling in the sewer line.

With the plumbing covered up.

Mostly filled.

Andrew is working so hard to make this dream a reality. Daily (for the last year), I see him up at the site working. The boys have been a big help. They love to help Daddy any way they can.

A big thank you to Mike Wilhelm and Jon Toombs for helping with the concrete pour!

My Other Birthday Boy

2008-05-30T23:21:00.001-05:00

Michael will turn 10 on Tuesday (June 3rd), but we decided to celebrate it today because Papa goes home tomorrow. Michael wanted pumpkin pie for his birthday "cake". Here is Michael with Zachary, Lexie and his pies.

Here is Zachary and Michael wearing their birthday pajamas that Lexie gave them.

Michael is very excited to be 'double digits'. Happy Birthday, Michael!

Papa's Here

2008-05-20T15:29:00.001-05:00

My dad, Joe, is here from Florida. We are thrilled that he is visiting us! He is staying until the end of the month. Here is a picture of Papa, with his Arkansas grandchildren, right after he arrived.

Happy Mother's Day!

2008-05-11T17:31:00.000-05:00

I received flowers and cards from my children on Mother's Day. Here I am with my handsome boys and my flowers.

Here I am with my beautiful daughter and my flowers. I am blessed with awesome children!

One of the great things about retiring from the Army and moving home is living next door to my in-laws. I love my in-laws! It's so wonderful to be able to celebrate with them. We bought Grandma Barbie a card, flowers, and Walmart gift card. I also made her a coconut pie. Here is the family taking gifts to Grandma.

Smiles and hugs all around!

Happy Mother's Day!

Lexie's Chin Update

2008-05-08T16:02:00.001-05:00

Here is Lexie's chin after one month of recovery.

My Birthday Boy

2008-05-05T21:54:00.005-05:00

Today is Zachary's birthday. Here is Zachary with Michael and Lexie and his birthday cake. It is a dirt cake.

Notice the gummy worms. Lexie did a fabulous job decorating it! Yummy!

Happy 9th Birthday, Zachary!

Baby Chicks

2008-04-28T20:37:00.002-05:00

We bought baby chicks from the feed store. We bought 16 chicks: 9 Araucanas (which lay green-blue eggs), 3 Light Brahmas, 2 Barred Rocks, 1 Golden Comet, and 1 Buff Orpington. We lost one Araucana chick, so we have 15 chicks in a box in the den.

Ground work

2008-04-14T20:14:00.015-05:00

On Sunday, April 6th, our dome builder, Marty Heaton, and his crew came down to work on the site. They started by marking the placement of the dome's foundation.

After further discussion, it was decided that the dome needed to be put further back on the rock shelf. So, Marty hired a backhoe to tear into the hill.

The backhoe tore up the dirt parts of the hill, but had no effect on the rock outcropping.

So, Marty rented a jack hammer attachment for his Bobcat. With it, they removed about 4 feet of limestone.

Lexie's stitches

2008-04-13T22:48:00.004-05:00

On Tuesday morning, April 8th, we had to go do state testing. After testing, we hung out with some friends. While at their house, the children went to play in their creek. It had rained that morning and Lexie slipped on a rock. She landed on her chin and split it open. I took her to the Urgent Care Clinic for stitches. The doctor gave Lexie shots of painkiller and 7 stitches.

She is recovering quite nicely and the doctor said her scar should be small. Thanks to Levi for watching the boys while I took Lexie to the clinic!

We have 4 new kids!

2008-04-13T20:27:00.009-05:00

I was reminded today by my dear friend, Shawna, that I need to post pictures of our new kids. Thank you, Shawna, for nudging me in the right direction!

Michael and Zachary had been camping out in the barn to be close to Mama Goat if she went into labor. On Saturday evening, April 5th, when they went out the barn to go to bed, they found that Mama Goat was giving birth. Zachary ran into house to get the rest of us. We grabbed a bright light and some towels and headed to the barn. When we got to the barn, we found this little guy.

So, I immediately started wiping it off. The kid turned out to be a strong little boy. Mama Goat started pushing again and out came a kid still in the sac. Andrew broke the sac and we starting drying it off. This kid turned out to be a girl. Mama Goat took quite a break at this point, so we just sat there and waited (cuddling the 2 kids). Mama Goat started pushing for the third time and the kid seemed stuck. Andrew realized the kid was breech, so he reached in and helped pull it out. Andrew gave the kid mouth to month resuscitation and we dried it off. Kid number 3 turned out to be a girl, too. Here are both girls (#2 & #3).

Mama Goat seemed to be done having kids, so we waited on the afterbirth. She started the push out afterbirth. It was stuck like kid #3, so Andrew pulled on it and out came kid #4 behind it. We were pretty shocked that she had 4 kids. Last year, she gave birth to triplets. But, wow quadruplets!!! Here is #4, who also turned out to be a girl.

What an awesome and amazing experience witnessing the miracle of birth!

Andrew wasn't feeling well, so I volunteered to stay in the barn with the goats. I stayed with them all night and Mama Goat never finished delivering the afterbirth. At 6:00 am, Lexie relived me and I went to bed. At 10:00 am, I was woke up by the noise of my children. Mama Goat still hadn't delivered the afterbirth. Our friend and goat expert, Kari Ann, arrived and told us that Mama Goat was in trouble and going septic. She jumped right in and doctored Mama Goat. Here is Mama Goat and kids on Sunday morning.

Mama Goat stabilized, but still hadn't delivered all her afterbirth. We called the vet and he told us that we were doing all the right things. He also told us that he would come out if we needed him or we could bring Mama Goat to the vet Monday morning. At the next morning feeding, Mama Goat still wasn't eating or drinking, so Andrew loaded her in the truck and Lexie and I took her to the vet.

The vet, Dr. Toni Brandt, gave Mama Goat a few shots, took blood, and flushed out her uterus. She let me help. It was a learning experience! Mama Goat's sodium count was low, Dr. Brandt decided to give her an IV. So, Mama Goat stayed at the vet for the rest of the day in a large dog kennel. When I picked her up at 5:00 pm, she was eating and drinking.

In the mean time, we started bottle-feeding the quads. Mama Goat is getting better and feeding two kids, while we continue to bottle-feed the other two with milk replacer.

I would like to thank Kari Ann and Dr. Brandt for saving Mama Goat's life. I would also like to thank my daughter, Lexie, for taking all the pictures and videos.

Wonderful Surprises

2008-04-02T21:52:00.004-06:00

March was a month of seeing old friends. On March 13th, I was on the phone when a white van, which I had never seen, pulled into the driveway. Out stepped a young man in a cowboy hat. I knew it was our friend, Stephen immediately. We've missed seeing Stephen. When we were stationed in San Angelo, my children and I spent a lot of time at his mom, Nola's farm. She taught me a lot about country life. Stephen, his wife, Becky and their cute baby boy, Ty were up from Texas visiting Becky's family. Becky brought her mom and four of her brothers with them. We had the best time visiting with them and were happy to learn that Becky's family doesn't live too far from us. I really enjoyed meeting Becky's mom, Tammy and I look forward to seeing her soon. It's always nice to meet a new friend. Here is a picture of our families before they left. (Lexie took the picture.)

On March 27th, my dear friend from high school, Beth, came to see me. During our afternoon of catching-up, we realized that it had been 16 years since we had seen each other. Wow! Thankfully, now she lives in Missouri and we will be able to see each other more often. Here is the picture Andrew took of Beth and I.

Hunnicutt

2008-04-02T21:26:00.000-06:00

This is a picture of our steer, Hunnicutt. He went the butcher on March 26th. We named him after the gentleman who gave him to us. I am really looking forward to home-grown, grass-fed beef. Only have a couple weeks to wait and he will be in my freezer.

The Airform

2008-04-02T14:21:00.000-06:00

We met Marty Heaton, of Domelogistics, at the conference and talked about our project. (At this point we had plans and an idea of what to do, but no one to 'push' the project) Marty listened to what we had done and seemed interested. He thought about what we had told him and decided that if we were ready to take it to the next step, he would help. He called us after the conference and said he'd like to come down and look things over. In the mean time, he was gathering information from the engineers at Monolithic Domes on our building site - just in case. He came down, looked it over, and then started the ball rolling. He delivered equipment to use in prepping the site for the leveling 'stemwall' and 'ringbeam' pours. He also obtained an airform and had it shipped to our site.

This is a picture of Andrew with the airform, when it arrived on March 27th. The airform is the outer layer of dome. It is made of PVC cloth-like polystyrene fibers. (very tough)

Why a dome?

2008-04-01T09:15:00.001-06:00

Andrew has wanted to build a monolithic dome for about ten years now. While we were stationed in San Antonio, Andrew took a course called "Drafting with AutoCAD". He decided that he would design his own dome. He designed several hundred dome floor plans, all of which I found something wrong with. I think it was a lesson in patience for him. We finally agreed on the FINAL plans about three weeks ago.

From what I have learned about domes, they are amazing! They are an insulated concrete shell, so they maintain their temperature quite nicely. They are warm in the winter and cool in the summer. They are also fire, earthquake, and tornado proof. Andrew and I went to the annual Monolithic Dome Conference March 6th-8th. We toured many different domes. We looked at domes built as school gyms, and they double as the town's emergency shelter.

Here is a picture of the gym at Avalon I.S.D. in Avalon, Texas. Thank you, Coach Davis, for the wonderful impromptu tour!

Other highlights from the weekend were:

meeting Marty Heaton, our dome builder,
meeting other like-minded people,
being stuck in a blizzard in North Texas,
eating Texas-shaped waffles for breakfast,

and visiting with old friends.

It was great to see you, Dean and Jen! Thanks for dinner!
Your children are wonderful!

We also celebrated our anniversary during the weekend.
Thanks to the best Mother-in-Law in the world for staying with our children!

The building site

2008-03-31T21:03:00.000-06:00

This is where we are going to build our monolithic dome. If you have no idea what a monolithic dome is, here is the official web site. I am in the picture with our two goats.

Here is the building site from another angle. My husband, Andrew, has cleared the whole site by himself. He used his tractor as much as he could. He also used a shovel, pick, and breaker bar.
He has been working on the site since last summer.

On Thursday, March 20th, our builder, Marty Heaton, brought his Bobcat down for Andrew to use.

My children

2008-03-31T20:27:00.000-06:00

I wanted to post a better picture of my children. In the family picture, my son, Michael was not smiling. Anyone who knows Michael, knows that he is a very smiley boy! Here is a better picture of Michael with his older sister, Lexie and his younger brother, Zachary.

Here is a picture of them right after Zachary was born.

Aren't they just the cutest babies you've ever seen?!?

Welcome

2008-03-31T14:21:00.000-06:00

Today is the start of my blog. I have been asked by different people to blog. Some want to know about the dome we are building, some want to know about our farm, and some just want to see updated pictures of my children. So, I will start with a picture of my family.