Miss Poppy

The past month has flown by since we were informed Baleigh was going to be Lena's Miss Poppy 2014. She interviewed for it months ago and here we are at Memorial Day weekend. She is a tiny local celebrity. She was crowned a little over a week ago, had several meet and greets, including one with the village mayor. She presented him with the first poppy of the year and accepted a donation to the American Legion as a result. I can't believe she was featured in three local papers as well. She will be out after school on Friday and first thing Saturday morning to hand out poppy's to the citizens of our lovely village. Then on Monday she will ride in the Memorial Day parade and place a wreath on the monument in the cemetery. We are so proud of how composed and grown up she has been during her responsibilities. She is taking them very seriously and we have had several long discussions about what Memorial Day really means. She understands that both mom and dad have had friends who went to war, and did not come home to their families.

Presenting the mayor with the first poppy of 2014

Crowning ceremony at the Lena American Legion

We had no idea a family picture would be taken, or we would have worn coordinating outfits.

Celebratory Breakfast at Two Eagles - Me and my handsome boy

Celebration breakfast with our Poppy Princess - this girl loves her daddy.

Easter

For the 2nd time since starting his new job, Jake had a full weekend off. We called his mom to see if she had plans for Easter and we were invited to come and visit her and her family down in Hobart, IN.
Saturday morning we went to the Easter Egg Hunt here in Lena, where the kids had a ball. Both Thor and Baleigh found one of the eggs with a prize in it. Thor actually found two, but decided to give one to another child so someone else could have a prize too.

We drove as far as Oak Forrest, IL on Saturday and spent the afternoon/evening with the best friends in the whole world. Katie and Skippy are the most wonderful host and hostess.

We got up bright and early on Easter morning to find that the Easter bunny had actually found us! After getting dressed up, Jake took us on the scenic drive through his childhood neighborhoods. It was fun for the kids to see where he had grown up.

Flip flops and pearls.....one classy little girl

Our handsome little man.

Loving their grandma Diane. Couldn't ask for a better grandma.

We played at the park, visited with family and had a generally wonderful time. It was a weekend to remember.

AWANA

Happy little boy with his daddy

Look at that cheese face!

About to be awarded for an excellent year of performance

Last Wednesday was the final night of AWANA for the kids. They have spent the last 9 months learning Bible verses, stories, and lessons at church on Wednesday nights. Baliegh was awarded the second highest honor, for leaning the most verses and performing all required tasks. She went above and beyond what was required in several categories and earned the Excellence Award for her division. Thor completed all required memorization and received a ribbon and certificate of recognition for a job well done. Both kids love AWANA and have enjoyed the last two years being part of something bigger than themselves. I started volunteering every other Wednesday and may step it up to every Wed. next year. I am so proud of our kiddos, and the people they have become/are becoming.

Lava Goes to School

Today Thor was asked to bring his fire bellied toad "Lava" to school with him. He was so proud to be able to introduce him to the class! I got to be there when he was introduced and for a 1st grader he did an excellent job of hitting all the important points of habitat, food, sleep habits, and camouflage. He showed the other students how to carefully hold the box and look quietly so as not to upset Lava.

I don't think I have ever seen him so proud of something as he was of that toad. I know kids grow up and change, but I will be very shocked if he does not grow up to work with animals. He is such a cute kid.

New Ventures.....

They say "Nothing Ventured Nothing Gained" - So I threw my hat in the online business ring. Below is the link to our Facebook Page and I would love for you to share it or at the very least, check it out.

 https://www.facebook.com/TheNielsenNook/


Nielsen Nook is my way of supplementing my family's income, while creating one-of-a-kind pieces of art for your home. I have designed many pieces for my home and would love to share a little bit of myself with others.

All pieces are made from reclaimed wood. Some of this is from my family farm and has the weathered look that can only come from years of exposure. Other pieces are taken from local lumber scrap yards. This allows me to be as eco friendly as possible in my artistic endeavors. All pieces are sealed for the health and safety of your family, unless you specifically request that "barn boards" be left natural. If you have and idea for a quote or would like to see a specific type of hardware please feel free to privately message me and I will do my best to create something that fits your vision. 

I've always love quotes…weather it was a simple verse from the Bible, a song lyric, or a quote from an unknown author. In starting this shop, and deciding what exactly it was that I wanted to make and share with the world, the decision was simple. Sayings and statements that will lift someone's spirits, speak straight to their soul, bring a smile to their face... that's what I want. 

I have also created several original Barn Quilts for local families. I can take ideas from your family heritage and incorporate them into a 4'x4' or 8'x8' wooden "quilt" for display on your home, barn, or shed. These quilts are painted with high quality enamel and sealed to prevent discoloration from exposure. I can not ship barn quilts due to weight and size but will deliver them within a 20 mile radius of my home.

Grandpa Peepaw's 65th Birthday

We had quite a cold winter but we made the best of it. Whenever it was in the teens we tried to get out and enjoy every second. Here are a couple of highlights from December and January. We called up Grandpa on his birthday weekend and made a spur of the moment trip to visit him. We also got together with our friends Skippy and Katie and in true Auntie Katie fashion, she got them the best Christmas gift EVER! The kids got to pick out a fire bellied toad and bring him home with us. "Lava" as they named him is the newest resident of 814 Peggy Sue Dr. 

 

Building our snowman in the backyard in mid-December....he lasted until just this week when it finally got above freezing. He melted in less than 48 hours. That is a testament to how cold this winter has really been.

So proud!

OMG! A picture with mom in it!!!

Sledding with Grandpa Peepaw!

Who would have guessed that the weekend of his 65th birthday Peepaw would be out competing with his 34 yr old son to try and win the longest run on the sledding hill. They both out-sledded the little people. This is Jake with his trophy of a piece of grass.... he was so proud to hit it before his dad. :)

This little girl is a champ! She sledded hard and didnt' want to stop after several hours of trudging up the hill. Not to mention that on her very first run a teenager stepped into her path and Bean caught a shin to the face. She was a bit teary as you can see below, but after some famous daddy squishy hugs she sucked it up and drove on!

Special Talents

Yesterday while cleaning the garage, we ran across some old Army gear. Baleigh asked me if I would ever go back in the Army and I told her "no". She then said she knew why and I asked her to elaborate. She said that I needed to be home so that I could say bedtime prayers with them and make dinner. I told her that daddy could help with that so I didn't really need to be there. She shook her little head and said, "no, that wouldn't work. Daddy isn't so great at teaching bedtime prayers. His special talent is squishy hugs and carrying me to bed. So we need you here."

Its good to be needed. But I especially liked that she thinks her dad's special talent is squishy hugs.

Now that I am thinking about hugs, it makes me think of something else that the little Bean does. Whenever she sees Jake give me a hug or vise-a-versa, she runs up to us and yells "SANDWHICH HUG!" She then gets in between us and wait for us to squeeze her until she squeals. lol

She is quite the little thinker. She comes up with some of the funniest things and   will randomly break out a big word that cracks my co-workers up. The other day she came in to the office and announced, "Apparently my snow pants are NOT waterproof. Because my pants got soaked at recess and Mr Blakely INSISTED that I change into dry clothes" Seriously? What 6 year old do you know who reads the dictionary for fun while waiting for bedtime? Mine does. Its amazing to see the differences between a boy obsessed with animals and a girl obsessed with learning everything about everything.  She is a voracious reader and is very into the show My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.