Gone fishin'

Monday of this week Michael, the boys, and I went fishing at a cute little pond a few minutes away. Now you may not believe me... but this, to me, is a perfect day. I guess God did know what He was doing when He gave me boys because I certainly enjoy doing things like that. Most ponds I know about only have little fish, however these little fellas are really aggressive. Michael was in a constant battle because tiny fish would chase the bait and he would reel it in furiously to keep them from stealing it! But these ponds are GREAT for kids because fish bite as soon as that bait hits the water! Michael was so surprised and thrilled because he actually caught several "keepers".
Here are some things we brought home:
1. Justin - a plastic container full of tadpoles (I am not sure yet what we are going to do with these when they become adult frogs. Legs have already started growing!)
2. Jonathan- an empty turtle shell which shed a layer onto the van floor on the way home.
3. Ryan - muddy "britches"
4. Michael - Several fat blue gill
5. Kim - poison ivy, but knew it would happen... so have resigned myself to a couple of weeks of scratching... I mean "patient endurance".
All of us came home smiling and on the way home we just HAD to stop at the grocery store and get a quart of ice cream to "top off" the evening.

One happy man!

Tadpoles for Justin. At least 20 or 30 of those slimy things!
I bought this bug-keeper at Dollar Tree and it has housed crickets, lightning bugs, roly-polys and of course tadpoles. They keep the critters inside so you can bring them in the house and hey have both little holes and a magnifying glass on top. It also came with tweezers and a tiny net. Great bargain and made 2 fellas really happy (and Mommy feeling more secure). The tadpoles have moved to an empty old aquarium Michael was saving for such things. There are lightning bugs/fireflies living in the bug-keeper tonight. J & J watched them tonight as they fell asleep.

Jonathan's turtle shell. Little boys love those things! So much that he actually jumped INTO the pond to get it.

Ryan's first fish. He loved touching the little fellas. He produced lots of giggles that day

Contented Me... The white flowers were everywhere!

Anniversary

Tomorrow, June 10, is our 12th anniversary. I remember praying in my early teen years that God would give me the right man. I saw so much heartache in others' marriages that I did not want that for myself. I am so thankful for my aunt who challenged me to start praying "now". I was only 10 or 11, but I listened to her and God listened to my prayers too. God certainly knew what He was doing when he brought Michael into my life. He is so perfect for me. My mom always says he has to be THE most patient person to ever have lived. His love has always been unconditional even with all my flaws. Our marriage has stood the test of time and it will continue to stand with God's help.
I love our little family and I am so thankful that God has blessed us with 3 beautiful boys. I am still excited about our future together. I still feel like I need to pinch myself because sometimes I still feel like it just must be a dream...

Cookouts and Weird behavior

Does anyone else every struggle with this type of problem? You go to look for something and you find it in a really weird spot? I cooked some ground meat yesterday and separated it into 2 freezer bags(I do this in preparation for times when I need a quick supper). A few minutes later (thankfully),I was looking for something else and I found one of the bags IN THE KITCHEN CABINET. The other was in the freezer, so why in the world would I put the other in the cabinet? Goodness! Friday I was at my in-law's house and I was talking to my mother in law. I was trying to tell her something that I had forgotten about and mid sentence I forgot what I was saying. Can you imagine "I forgot to tell you the other day that...." and then my mind went blank. I forgot to tell her about something I had forgotten to tell her. Isn't that nuts?!!!

Okay.. on to other things. Hopefully I won't forget what I want to say! We had a big cookout today at Spring Mill Park. Michael's grandmother is in her 80s and we do a birthday cookout for her every year as a family. All of her children and grandchildren try to come. There are 12 great-grandchildren. Only one poor little lone girl (who can definitely hold her own). You see her in these pictures with a gun too. But thankfully Susanne (my sister in law) is expecting her first child and it's supposed to be a girl. Yayy! So Janae may get to finally play tea party and dolls! Here are some pictures of the kids with their cousins. They played toy guns (I think poor Luke was actually tied by his feet), bicycles and scooters, and ball. There were a couple of big plastic balls flying around but it seemed all of the kids wanted the same ball (as you can see in one of the pictures). The children are obviously not yet sanctified as evidenced in the ball and gun pictures. Although they may all look angelic, the carnal heart does display itself on occasion.