Photo catch-up!

     We're busy getting ready to leave for Arkansas/Missouri for two weeks so this seemed the perfect day to do a blog post and push off packing :). We will be staying at friend's for a few days then have a house rented where my family will join us so I actually have to pack instead of just hook the house up!

     Anyhow, here a few pictures of the last month or so.

May 1. The snow drifts are gone and green is trying to appear.

Makayla and Emily enjoy helping feed the calves :).

Makayla made this cake for her dad and Uncle Bill.

A dinosaur bone that the kids found while playing on a butte. A professional is slowly removing it. He's hopeful that the entire body is there. The children love to go with him, and he does a wonderful job of letting them help.

The O'Fallon County Museum is a favorite place of ours!

We were thrilled to have my Uncle Bill and Aunt Dorcas visit us! 

Michael having fun at a branding we went to.

Ethan loudly sang "I saw the Light" and Victory in Jesus" for ...... well a long time!

Emily and her friend Carli having fun on a pony.

 

These little guys were so happy that the men let them help hold the calves down.

Dragging another victim up!

Lunchtime!

The children showered me with gifts for Mother's Day! I was a bit overwhelmed that they all dipped into their own money and gave me over $30! they helped me choose a pink hoodie that says Montana on it. 

Flowers for me!

The local Runnings let all the kids pick out a flower and plant it in a cup for their mom.

The boys and I.

And the girls.

There was a few days of beautiful weather so we went fishing at the Little Missouri River a few times.

Makayla caught a catfish!

Poor Emily was very patient but never caught anything.

Neither did Michael.

It's much better if you can be bored together :).

Michael headed to his first sleep-over (well first one that was actually off the same property as us)

Eldon got me the best Mother's Day gift ever!

Mason caught a really big catfish one night!

 

And this happened a few days ago! The snow is now gone but it's still cool and windy. 

     So that's what we've been up too, along with lots of normal things. You know, work, laundry, cooking, school, planning VBS crafts, planning a reunion, music lessons and practice, ect. May your day be blessed!

A Role Model - by Makayla King

     This is the first report that Makayla has written without being prodded and given far to many ideas. I was pleasantly surprised when she handed me her paper!

     My Aunt Marlene

     A person I admire is my Aunt Marlene. Aunt Marlene is very good at drawing. She also makes me feel loved, because she takes time to teach me to draw.
     One time when we left Pennsylvania, she made us meat and cheese sticks. They were really good! She's very creative and also made us candy crabs. I like how thoughtful she is. When I grow up, I hope to be like her.

 -Makayla King

Our home for the summer

     We've all been looking forward to returning to Montana ever since we left last fall. Add to that several months of moving every few days and we were more than ready to get properly unpacked and set up!

The first order of business was to make a birthday cake for our big 4 year old!

Thankfully he was pleased with this easy cake :) 

Happily, we were invited to his "best friend Jason" for lunch on Saturday so we took the cake along and called it a birthday party!

Even though it was chilly outside, inside the greenhouse was 100*!

Ethan is quite happy with the remote controlled tractor he bought with his birthday money from Grandpa Beachy's.

In our first week here Pastor Durfey and family invited us for supper and Uno. 

Lots of fun! Makayla was happy to win the game.....again!

Tucker and Michael are like 2 peas in a pod- muddy, holey jeans and all!

April in Montana started out quite muddy with big snowdrifts in many places. 

The barn is a fun place to visit! Adorable bum calves and.....

....kittens!

Ethan is half scared of the calves but just can't quite leave them alone!

Makayla also had a birthday this month!

Ethan's loot!

Our very close neighbor's and "landlords" bought their son a trampoline for his birthday. So far it's been used for hours and hours already.

Since this was a big number for Makayla, she thought she should have a birthday party! After picking up all these girls, our first stop was the local museum.

I was very impressed with how interested they were in everything! 

Using photo props in front of Steer Montana-something this small town is famous for!

They had an Escape Room set up and the girls wanted to do it. We learned all about the Great Depression while cracking codes to figure out our bank account PIN. We did figure it out and got our savings back!

One of the absolutely stunning quilts on display.

The schoolroom was intriguing to this homeschooled crowd :)

A massive pot used to cook soap, ect.

The girls used biscuits and made personal pizzas for lunch. 

Makayla just wanted a simple cake with 10 candles :)

Watching Felicity, an American Girl movie.

They also decorated cupcakes to take home for their families.

It was fun to see their creativity come out!

Coloring......lots of coloring!

   

Eldon fixed up the chicken coop and we're all enjoying this cute little fuzzies!

This is such a gorgeous view!

The children think it's great fun to bike down the long hill on the lane but it's a bit terrifying to watch!

Mud is an important part of spring, we're told!

The children are having fun riding horses again!

     It's good to be back! Work is going well for Eldon and the children are back to doing school most days. Another exciting part of being back is that Eldon and Makayla are taking guitar lessons and Michael and I mandolin lessons. It's hard work but so exciting to hear progress!