Prayer request

My best friends mom, Kevin, is nearing her final moments before she gets to go meet our Lord Jesus Christ.  

Please pray for her to have strength, courage and faith in this most difficult time.

Also, please pray for her husband, children and grandchildren that they may find strength and comfort somehow during all of this.  

Thank you for any prayers you can offer for them.

CELEBRATING!!!

I just submitted my final, literally, and am DONE with my master class!!!

I am SOOOOOO excited and ready to begin posting on the blog again, I have actually missed it.  

Quick updates:

Jaren - LOVING kindergarten and doing AMAZING.

Landrie - LOVING preschool and I love seeing her at school

Ryland - WALKING everywhere - still only has 6 teeth.  Saying many words and happy as ever

Mark and I - We have a house now - all the interior and exterior walls are up and the brick, window, and shingles have been ordered!!!  This has been such a crazy exciting process.  We have our driveway now as well and we love going to see the house to see what is happening now.  Many impeding decisions but exciting still.  

My mom is taking me and all my sisters to KC this coming weekend for some Christmas shopping and girl time.  We have never had a girls trip and I am thrilled and very excited.  

Thanksgiving will be relatively slow for us, BUT, I can't believe I can say this,

It looks like ALL of Mark's family is going to be home at the same time the day after Christmas.  It has been 4 years since we have all been together at the same time.  And we have had many additions to our family in that time.  

whats up???

Just wanted to say we are still here and doing well.

 

I just found my match is all.

 

Two jobs, building a house, raising three kids 5 and under and taking a masters class and I am out!

 

I will catch up sometime, somehow, just not right now. 

 

Ryland turned one this week which was a tough day for mommy, I'm not ready for my baby to not be a baby.  He has 6 teeth now and is cruising EVERYWHERE, but not ready to walk yet.  He is such a sweet baby.  He LOVED the ice cream we gave him on his birthday.

 

Jaren started Kindergarten which he is LOVING!!! and doing great.  Landrie started Pre-school and is also in heaven the two half days a week she gets to go. 

 

My school year has started very well with two wonderful new kindergarten students.  I've been very greatful for my classes on deafblindness and having my sister as the PERFECT resource!!!  Working with a student who is deafblind has been a dream of mine I just hope I can teach her 1/2 as much as she is going to teach me.

 

Mark and I have been pretty busy with house stuff.  We have our section of land fenced in now (to keep the cows out) - THANK YOU to my Dad, Mike Hunter, and Robert for helping us get that done!  We found out our address yesterday which has been something I've been stuck on for a while so that felt GREAT!!!  A couple more paperwork things to take care of and we should get a driveway and a hole in the ground!  (Should be within 2 weeks)

 

I'll update when I can breath.  Hope everyone is well.    

May 14 misc

Here are some random photos from around our house in May

The sign the kids made for Mark - Jaren did the Dad part 100% by himself!!!

Mark and I actually had a sitter to attend a wedding of one of our friends from Mark's work 

this video is how Ryland started crawling we called it his inchworm crawl

Then by the end of May we were here!!!  Such a big boy

Miracle league

I was Blessed this year to have been asked to be a "buddy" "Angel in the Outfield" for one of my very favorite people.  Mara is a former student of mine.  During the few years I got to teach Mara her and her family touched my life in many ways I will NEVER forget.  Mara's parents and Mark and I have become good friends along the way and  Mara is the first student I taught that I got to watch take their FIRST independent steps!!!  I have been so blessed to be able to witness this miracle a number of times and hopefully many more to come.  You never forget your first though!!!

Mara did a great job this summer and even hit the ball all by herself!!!

My family enjoyed our time with Mara and her mom and dad this summer

Mark's graduation party!!!

To celebrate Mark graduating with his masters in Business Administration.  Everyone that could got together for dinner and piano bar!!! 

We had a GREAT time.

Mark I am SO very proud of you.  I thought finishing my masters with one kids was tough and you did it with two and three kids and for a good deal amount of time one miserable pregnant momma!  I'm not sure what I ever did right to deserve such a loving, compassionate, caring, supportive husband but I Thank the Lord Everyday I caught you.  (Maybe staking my claim at 16 was the key :)  

Our group at the piano bar

Me and Sarah

Greg and Holly

Michael and Kasey

Todd and Rhonda

Papa Mike and Mima Cheryl

HEY NOW

Amy and Mark

Amy and Holly

Sarah, me and Kasey

Me and Mark

Mark missed the memo on grey top ;)
Greg, Mark, Michael

This is HILARIOUS - Mark was asked to dance after about 5 shots and many drinks.

Landrie's 3rd birthday party

We had a great party for Landrie.  Due to her birthday falling right with harvest and ball tournaments we were unsure of numbers so we had pizza for her party.  Also when i asked Landrie hat she wanted her cake to be this year she said pink so we Googled pink cakes and she picked pink cake balls so we tried those out for her and she seemed to really like them!

Dance Dash 2014

Me, Amy, Blake, Rhonda, and Mom along with 17 other members of our team - took part in the Dance Dash 2014 to raise money for Children's Miracle Network this year.  A student Amy works with was the Children's Miracle Network Champion this year!!!

We had a great time.  So on the 5k walk you stopped at three different stations and learned a portion of a dance.  Then the whole walk ended in a flash mob of sorts.

me and amy

Rhonda, me and Mom

me, mom, amy, rhonda

me and rhonda

Amy dancing away - I generously volunteered to take video and pictures of the dance.

Cookout 2014

Mark and I have dreams of a BIG cookout/water day on Memorial Weekend's.  All of this after we have our house built and have a yard.  So probably two years out, but all the same we plan to do that.  

We have been talking about it for a few years so this year we went low scale and had a small cookout. (not on memorial day this time though)  We had a water day planned too, but this summers weather didn't work out to well for that.  The pool was COLD - good thing the kids didn't seem to care.

Of course Landrie is inside with the chips

Mark working up some Papa John Ribs!!!

Cold!!!

Amy

Mima Cheryls and Mima Ginia with Ryland Reece

water fun

Nikki and Elizabeth

Elizabeth and Michael helping Jaren catch his first fireflies

Landrie watching them catch fireflies

Fourth of July 2014

We had a great time this year on the Fourth!!!  

You couldn't ask for better weather.

Like every year we started the day in Garden Plain for the Parade.  Then we moved to my Grandma's house for a wonderful ham lunch.  

We again took part in the turtle races this year headed to Mima and Papa's cabin for dinner and fireworks!!!

Mommy and Jaren having a moment

Jaren and Matae playing

Jaren and Landrie practicing patience waiting for the parade

Me and Amy

Amy and Mima Ginia

Happy Family

Amy Mima Cheryl and me

Cute KIDS!!!

Landrie 'enjoying' the fireworks

Jaren trying out for College :)  

Little miss personality

Gotta love sparklers

Jaren enjoyed fireworks this year