Sneak Peek. . .

I hope to finish this today (most likely tomorrow), then I will post details and the finished product soon!

On to First Grade!

Congratulations, Jack! You have now finished kindergarten!
You have done so well this past year; mommy and daddy are so proud of you!

Thank you so much, Mrs. Ringenberg! You were a great teacher, but more importantly, you were a godly influence in Jack's life.

First grade, here we come!

Happy Mother's Day!

Mom,
Happy Mother's Day!

We love you and miss you very much!

Love,
Nat, Erin, Jack, and Andrew

Happy Birthday, Lauren!

Lauren,
I wish, I wish, I WISH we could be there this evening to have a cupcake with you on your birthday!
I hope you have a very special birthday today! We love you, Lauren, and are looking forward to you visiting us this summer during VBS!

Easter Photos, Take One!

"Okay, Jack first! Good job smiling, Jack!"


"Now it's Andrew's turn! Andrew, put your shirt down!"

"Andrew, stand up straight, please!"
(oh brother!)
"Okay, let's try one of you two together."

"Jack, please don't touch your brother. Andrew, can we try to get just one picture!??!?!?!"

"Just one?!?!?!"

(sigh.)
I hope Jennifer had better luck with her camera!

Fun with Family

Uncle Bob, Aunt Debbie, and Jennifer stayed with us over Easter weekend. We spent Saturday at camp.

Jennifer brought her camera, and thankfully she got some great photos of the boys. However, until I can get my grubby paws on her amazing work, you will have to settle for my feeble attempts at capturing the moments of the day.

Aunt Debbie is so much fun! After helping me bake all morning, she still had energy to help Andrew with his plane.

I don't think Andrew's plane took flight, but he sure had fun running around with it!








Jack quickly got the hang of his little glider. He was able to get it in the air quite a bit that afternoon.













Ah, another missed opportunity for a good picture of Andrew. As soon as he spotted me lifting the camera, the cute little grin turned into the growl and laughter that soon followed!







Here is Andrew with Uncle Bob. Poor uncle Bob had to sleep in our tiny guest room on our full mattress.
Next time you come, Uncle Bob, I will try to stretch the mattress another 3 or 4 feet! :-)

Feedin' the Horses

Nat needed some "horse byproduct" for our flower beds, so we made a trip to feed the horses with Camp Grandpa.


The boys and Daddy took a break to check out the minnows and tadpoles in the creek.

We are so blessed to live by Camp Manitoumi. The boys have so much fun "working" with Grandpa.

Eggciting Events!

We had so much fun decorating Easter eggs with Great Grandma and Grandpa Kealen!

Andrew with his never-natural-looking camera pose!


Jack with another not-natural smile.


Grandpa, lookin' all spiffy with his egg.


Doesn't Grandma seem proud of her creativity?!?!

Easter dresses

I had sew much fun working on these dresses for my nieces!
This is Emma's dress.

The skirt has netting sewn to the lining. What a chore, but the results are really cute!

I have never sewn a zipper in a lined dress before, so that was a new experience for me.

Now, I can't wait to get some pictures of them in their dresses on Easter Sunday!

Happy Birthday, Mary!

There are some people in this world whose very presence make the world a bit cheerier, whose smile warms the coldest of days, and whose sweet spirit makes everyone around them a better person.
When I think of such a person, I think of my big sister, Mary.
And whenever I think of her, I remember how she used to sing to me.
I remember how she used to make me tapes when we lived so far apart.
I remember how much I missed her, and how I would sit by the tape recorder and make her tapes. And when I couldn't think of anything to say, I would pat the tape recorder and say, "I love you, Mary."
I remember going to visit her in her little trailer in Rossville, Georgia.
I remember crying every time I had to say goodbye to her.
I remember her patience as she taught me to sew.
I remember all her godly counsel and Bible verses set to cheery songs, like "Wait on the Lord, and be of good courage!"

And always, always, always, I remember her smile.

And when I remember, I smile and thank the Lord for giving me such a godly example in my life.

I love you, Mary!

A Little Sewin'

I am working with my SIL on Easter dresses for my nieces. The first one took For. Ever. (I became good friends with my seam ripper, and I realized how much I don't like to follow patterns.)

The second is coming along a zillion times faster.

My goal? Finish the second dress today, sew the last curtain for the ladies room at church, then work on the last Easter dress.

I will post pictures soon!

Finally Home!

As you can read below, we had a great time in Quincy. It was a bit stressful at times, but it was really a lot of fun. I missed Nat terribly, though, and wondered if he thought of me while we were apart.
Come to find out, he did!
When we got home, the first thing I noticed was the immaculate house. Then, as I walked upstairs, I noticed this.

I had already put up the vinyl lettering, "All because two people fell in love," but I couldn't figure out what pictures to hang up on the wall.
Well, Nat chose the pictures, bought the beautiful frames, and hung them up.
Yes, I cried when I saw them.
And then, I thanked God for the wonderful family He gave to me.

Play Ball, Part 2

Andrew wanted to play ball too, but didn't quite get it.
"Andrew, hold the bat on your shoulder."

"Well, almost. Let Grandpa help."

"There ya go, buddy!"

Play Ball, Part One

The weather was great in Quincy. We really had fun playing outside. Grandma Donna still loves to play softball, and she can still pitch!

Go, Grandma!

Jack was so intense. He really enjoyed the practice, and hit almost every pitch that came to him, even while wearing his eyepatch.

Fun at Grandma's House!

The boys and I spent a week in Quincy. We had so much fun!

The boys enjoyed watching the squirrels in Gradma and Grandpa's backyard.

And the name is . . .

Lucille VicBetsia !

(I came up with that one at 3:00 am, while I was sitting up with a feverish little boy. Can ya tell!?!?!?)

I think I will call her "Lucy" for short, becase I love watching old "I Love Lucy" reruns; she somehow makes my life seem almost sane!

And the "VicBetsia" is a combination of "Victoria" since she is a Viking, and "Betsie" for Betsie Ross. Oh, and as I told my sister, I often holler out "Whoa, Bessie" while I sew, and cook, and clean, because I get in too big of a hurry.

Yep, that is her name, and I like it. (Aren't ya all glad I had boys instead of girls? Who knows what kind of names I would have picked out for a girl baby!)

Thank you so much for all your great suggestions, and Amy, I will still call her "Gertie" once in a while in honor of you!

I haven't been able to play with her as much as I would have liked, but I have worked on a few small projects. Oh, and I got some marvelous moda "Posh" charm packs for my birthday. So I am going to make a new purse for Easter, after I help make my three niece's Easter dresses!

YIKES!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A New Arrival at the Kealen Household!!!!!

I am proud to announce a new arrival at the Kealen home. She arrived at our home this morning at 10:47 a.m., weighing approximately 5 pounds. She is white with an emerald guide, and as fun as can be!

So far, she is quiet and smooth, so that is an added plus!

Pics of her in her new home to come soon, but for now, here is her online picture.



Isn't she cute?!?!?!?!

My only problem is that I can't think of a good name for her. So, I am taking suggestions from my friends. I want a fun, girly name for my new little friend.

I will take ideas until Thursday, and I will post her new name next weekend.

Thanks for your help!

VBS, Machine Shopping, and other boring details . . .

Well, I see I let almost a month go by with no post, and no pictures.
sigh.

Here is a list of the Kealen Kalamities from the past three weeks.

We are down to one car. Yes, let's all take a moment of silence for my little green car, ELN. She was a great little car, but in the last year she began to go downhill. First we noticed the little coughs when she started. Then we noticed the knocking and the tinking. Still, she started even on the coldest morning when I had to take Jackman to school. But then, the strangeshifting of driving speed began, and we realized that her situation was most likely terminal. Because of her advanced age (seventeen human years equals about a million in car years), we realized that the cost of replacing a transmission would not be worth our investment.

So, little miss ELN went to a teen in our church, who has the time and effort to try to learn how to fix her. Nick has promised to take good care of her in her final golden years. I just hope he appreciates what a precious gem he has in my first car.

I REALLY miss her!

****************************

As to other things, my sewing machine is giving me fits, again! I really almost threw it out in the street yesterday. (Notice the aversion to the machine and the love for the little car!?!?!?! Are my priorities mixed up here?!?!?!?) But, unlike ELN, I never developed a strong attchment to my machine. But, I'm a thinkiing that could all change if this little beauty comes into my possession!



or, maybe this one?!?!?!





















As you can see, I am undecided on a machine right now. I have almost $500 saved up, and I want the best machine for the money.

In other news, I am trying to wrap up the 2010 VBS for RBP. Trying to put parables to a 2s and 3s level has been challenging indeed! But, they are coming along, and I am pleased with all the activities that go along with the lessons.

So, that is my life right now! Oh, and the boys and Husband are still alive and well.