Jan. 18th - Feb. 1st, 2014

Hi Everyone, 

Here's what we've been up to...

 Went to a concert by Love & Valor last week. Micah's younger brother, Jesse, started the band and we get to go listen to them once in a while. They are very talented and it's always a treat to get to listen. Seth got a "special" drink at the concert...apple juice... :)

 We have a nice day or two scattered between the too-cold-to-play-outside weather. Owen is just starting to get to walk around outside. He thinks he is big stuff now. 

 Of all the toddler and baby-sized scooters, cars and tractors we have in our garage to choose from, Owen only wants to "ride" on the boys' bikes. Of course, he can't reach the pedals, but still loves for me to push him around while I hold him and make many laps back and forth down the driveway. He cries whenever it's time to get down. He wants to do whatever the big boys are doing. 

 I thought this was a funny pose! :)

 Making good use of our wagon. I guess we'll need to get another one for the next three or four kids to fit in. ;)

 The boys have been interested in board games lately so we got Candyland and Memory. I was surprised at how well they played the Memory game! Micah says Candyland is a "girl game", but what about the Lord Licorice? 

 Dad underwent knee replacement surgery on Thursday and is doing very well. He's a trooper! He is expected to be released from the hospital tomorrow (Feb. 2nd). Scott is staying with him all next week to help out while he recovers. The boys at I went to visit him yesterday in the hospital. Seth brought their plastic guitar toy and played him a tune and Blake drew him some pictures on the Magna-doodle. One picture was stick figure of Pappy with an X over his right knee. A sympathy card? When we drove into the parking deck, Blake said, "Wow, there are a LOT of people here to see Pappy!". 

 Got some snow the other day! I figure you can calculate how long little boys will actually STAY outside and play in the snow if you add up the amount of time it takes to get dressed and divide that by about ten. :) Totally worth it though!

 One of several breaks to warm up. 

 Some preferred to leave frolicking in the snow to others. 

 Something fascinating about being able to eat off the ground. (snow that is)

News...

Micah and I met with a realtor on Wednesday and we are beginning to pray about when to put our house on the market. We have a great realtor working with us and feel confident that he will do a good job both helping us sell and buy the next house. We would love to find a place with plenty of room for the boys to play and explore outside. We'll see what God provides. 

Owen turned 11 months old on Monday, can you believe it? We will be celebrating his first birthday later this month. Crazy! 

Funnies....

"Can we have scrambled toast for breakfast?"  - Seth

Blake and Seth ask me at every meal if they can help. On one occasion I lost my helper when the chopped onions because too much to bear.  "The onions make my eyes spicy" said Blake. 

"Your extracting me, Blake!" - Seth, when Blake is trying to get his attention while Seth is busy looking at books and doesn't want to be bothered.

Hope you all have a good rest of the weekend!

Kari, Micah, Blake, Seth and Owen

Jan. 3rd - 17th, 2014

Hi Everyone, 


January is usually a time of both getting back into our usual routine and getting started with new ones. Micah and I spent some time planning for the year and we are looking forward to seeing how God might use us. Here's a few pictures of the Bumpkins... 

Let's just say Blake and Seth are reeeally enjoying the Nerf guns they got for Christmas...  :)

 Finally gave in to the boys' begging to help with laundry the other day. 

So one day as we were getting ready for some event, I put Blake and Seth in the bath tub and left the room to finish tidying up the house. Owen toddles into the bathroom to "watch" the boys play in the tub.  A few moments later I hear a splash and this is what I found when I came running into the bathroom. What's wrong with this picture? From that point on Owen now gets to join them in the tub with his bath seat- much to his delight. 

Below are some pictures I have been waiting to post until after Christmas. For my birthday in September, Micah gave me a photo shoot of the family. Photos were taken by Rob and Aimee McDorman at: mcdormanphoto.com. They did an excellent job!

 My Man, aka "Hunky Chunk"

News

Looking back at 2013, Micah ended the year exceeding his sales goal by about 80%! Almost doubling the amount that he hoped to sell that year. Way to go Babe!

Owen waved goodbye for the first time last week. He is saying a few words like "Di Di" for bye bye and "Mum, mum, mum..." for Mommy. However, he only calls for Mommy when he is tired, hungry or hurt. :-/

Blake finished reading Collection 1 of the Bob Books. I'm impressed every time we read together at how quickly he learns! He taught himself how to write letters and likes to write messages along with the pictures he draws.  He occasionally asks how to spell things like dog, cat, snail, but otherwise figures it out himself. 

Seth can now write the letter H and lately has enjoyed strumming on their guitar and making up songs. Still Blake's shadow.

With the addition of Owen last February, our little house on Gurney St. is, for the first time, starting to feel a little snug. All 1,184 sq ft of it is dearly loved and being used at it's max potential. I've enjoyed the simplicity of having a small home, but it's getting close to the time to move on. If you think of it, pray that God would give us wisdom and good sources of counsel about all the details that come with looking for our next home. We view our home as a place of ministry and hospitality and we want to keep that our focus through this process. 



Funnies

"Mom? Why is it so froggy outside?" -Seth noticing the strange mist obscuring our view of the backyard. 

I forgot to post this last time. On Christmas day we woke up and excitedly gathered our stockings to open them. Just as we were about to dig in, Blake says with enthusiasm and a SMILE on his face, "I hope this isn't the worst Christmas ever!".            Nothing like starting out Christmas morning with lowered expectations. LOL

As you know, the boys are all about pretending they are someone or something else lately. Yesterday, Seth exclaims, "I'm Uncle Jonathan because he's in the Navy and he saves the world!".        Go Navy! 


Hope you all have a good weekend!

Kari, Micah, Blake Seth, and Owen

Dec. 9th - Jan. 2nd, 2014

Happy New Year!

Hope you all had a great Christmas and New Year. We are so blessed to be able to share the holidays with our family. God is so good to give us loving and caring parents, siblings, grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, etc.. We were reminded over the holidays how "rich" we are to be a part of not only our flesh and blood relatives, but also the family of Christ. 

 A bit of cleaning before the company arrives. Owen has officially "taken off" walking! He is crazy fast around the house and I've noticed today that he is spending very little time staying in one place playing with toys. He is literally constantly walking around the house with some toy or object tightly grasped in one or both hands. He is a bundle of energy!!

 What a joy it was to add a stocking to our mantel this year! 

 Micah's grandma, Sharon, at one of several Christmas parties we went to. She is an amazing cook and always surprises us with the desserts she whips out. 

 Kate, Noah and Roger arrived safely on Dec. 22nd and we had a fun-filled ten days together. Like last year, our house was full to overflowing with family. We had a great time together. Stayed up way too late, ate way too much dessert, watched way too many movies, and were reminded way too vividly of the fact that we are not as young as we used to be. :) The sleep deprivation was totally worth it. 

Jonathan also got his leave approved to join us for the whole time. Will and Dad were also there for Christmas, so we had just about everyone. We missed Joy and James though. :(

 Blake and Seth were in heaven with all the people willing to play with them. 

 The boys got to meet Cousin Roger for the first time. He is just precious. I realized that our boys are not blessed with the "calm gene" like Roger is. Roger was so sweet, he would just sit on Kate's lap while she sang to him and did hand motions together. When I try this with Owen, he likes it for about 2 seconds and then it's a wrestling match to get him to sit still on my lap while we sing a song together. :)

 All their new Christmas outfits. Thanks Grandma Ensmenger! 

 Roger and Uncle Will

 One of a few very serious games of Monopoly. 

Below is what happens when you try to take pictures of two very busy baby boys. :) 

 Finally clothed and in their right mind. ;)

After a full Christmas season we are spending today writing thank yous, wading through new toys, getting back into our routine and remembering the good time we had. January is an exciting month for us as we take some time to reflect on the previous year and set new goals for the coming year. Micah and I usually take a day or two and do some planning for the coming year. Every company or business needs goals to work towards and our family unit needs them too. 

Hope you all are doing well and looking forward to this next year!

Love, 

Kari, Micah, Blake, Seth and Owen

Nov. 22nd - Dec. 8th, 2013

Hi Everyone!

Hope you all had a good Thanksgiving. We had a good time with the family!

 Not the Easter Bunny...The Christmas Bunny :)

 Blake and Seth helped me get ready for Thanksgiving. 

 Too tired before the party even starts 

 Third-born boys spending some bonding time 

 More bonding time...

 Jonathan was able to leave base for Thanksgiving. Somehow after reading a book to the boys about the first Thanksgiving, they got the impression that pilgrims and indians were to be joining us for the meal. Jonathan played along for us and arrived with this face painted with mud and shirtless. It had been several months since the boys had seen Jonathan anyway, so their little eyes got pretty big with he appeared at the door that day. It only took them a second to recognize him though, then they were fine. :)

 As you can see, I was hopelessly out-numbered! 

It feels like Thanksgiving came and went in a flash this year. Without skipping a beat we are on to Christmas! 

 Picking out our tree 

It was really cold out!

 Very excited! You know Seth is excited about something when he agrees to sing some Christmas songs with the rest of us. :)

Little "Owey" has taken his first step! Yup, he's only 9 months old. I guess he feels he must keep up with his brothers. He very close to full-blown walking now. At the moment he is only able to take one step before plopping down. 

I was excited to put up (well, that Micah put up) Christmas lights outside for the first time. Our house looks something akin to a gingerbread house at night, but the boys love to go out when it gets dark and turn on the lights together. 

A few funnies....

     Blake and Seth are anxiously awaiting the time with our large Pin Oak tree behind our house finishing losing all it's leaves because that means they can get their golf set out again and not worry about it getting lost in the mounds of leaves. The other morning there was an especially heavy sprinkling of leaves all over the deck and Blake goes outside and exclaims, "Good job wind! You got a lot of leaves off!!"

     "Why is it Santa Claus, like sharp things?" Blake on the reason behind Santa "Claw's" odd last name. :) 

     Seth-"I don't want to get married" Me-"You don't? Why not?" Seth-"Because I don't think that white thing will fit me"Me- "The white thing?" Seth-"Yeah, the white thing you wear when you get married" Me-"You mean the white dress that the girls wears?" Seth-"Yes". ....sigh, where these things come from, I will never know. Unfortunately, explaining to Seth that he would not have to wear "a white thing" and that he would have a nice tuxedo when he gets married did not change his mind about the matter. :) 


We are looking forward to having Kate, Noah and Roger join us for Christmas this year. They will be staying with us for about a week and a half. We are all really excited! This is always a very busy and fun month for our family and I'm looking forward to what's the Lord has in store. 

Hope you all are doing well!

Love, 

Kari, Micah, Blake, Seth and Owen