Visit with the Rausch's, a field trip, and the park

Yesterday our family drove up to Chicagoland to visit with my sister and her children. They live in Germany, so we don't get to see them very often. It is a treat for the cousins to be able to play together. 

Patricia and Justin discussing the finer things of life

Grandpa and Josiah playing bean bags

Sara and Mathias riding in my wagon from when I was a little girl.

Mathias and Owen playing bean bags

Lorenz

Jesica and Ashly taking pictures of themselves

Love riding bikes and scooters in the church parking lot

Heads up!

Last time we saw them was when Sara was born. Since then Patricia has also had a baby, Hazel. So this was the first time we saw her. She is now 7 mos old. At first Sara was a bit hesitant around Hazel, but warmed up quickly. Hugs were in abundance!

Hazel

Sara trying to hug Hazel

Even though Mathias and Owen are only 6 months apart, Owen quickly became Josiah's shadow.  It was fun to watch all the boys interacting together in the back yard and at the park.  

10 of the 14 grandkids with Grandma and Grandpa

We also had the opportunity to go to the Firehouse. Scott, who I have known since kindergarten, happened to be on duty. After a little arm twisting, I was able to get him to give us a tour.  Patricia's boys hadn't ever seen a fire station, let alone an American one. American fire engines are larger than German ones. The younger boys really enjoyed seeing the kitchen, relaxation room, sleeping rooms, the fire pole, training room, and best of all climbing on the engine. Thanks, Scott for give us a great tour and showing the boys what the life of a fireman is like. (click picture below for photo album)

Firestation 4-23-09

By the end of the day everyone was tired! The ride home was quiet as everyone but the drivers were sleeping!

A long time in coming....

This post sure is a long time in coming. I can hardly believe that it has been almost a month since I last posted. A lot has been going on around here now that the weather is starting to be nice. 

Last week the local septic guy started digging up our yard to add another tank and lay a new septic field. The current one is designed for a 1-bedroom home, not 9 people! Our new one will be large and able to accommodate our family with no problems.

Last week Sara was also pretty sick. She had a very high fever and was very lethargic. It was so unlike her that we took her to the dr. Dr. Baer is a really nice guy. He couldn't find anything wrong that would lead her to have such a high fever, so he sent her to the local hospital to have a few tests done. All those came back good also, so we are still clueless about what caused her illness. Today we ran into the nurse that took care of her at the hospital. She still remembered Sara and was so happy to see her feeling much better.  That's one of the joys of living in the country.

Now that is warm, we are looking to get our garden planted. A while ago we started a few things in a small green house we found at our local Farm and Fleet (this is one of our favorite stores!). We still have to get the area for the garden turned over. It was hard to decide where to put it, since we are on a wooded lot.

Daniel and Justin also put up a clothesline for me. We don't have the benefit of a city gas line, but instead, a huge LP tank out back. So have a clothesline will really save on the gas usage and hopefully save us lots of money this summer.

Living on a some acreage caused us to need a riding mower. Justin has been waiting for the day to come when we would buy him one! He has been using it for mowing, hauling wood, and giving rides to his younger brother.

Daniel has been traveling a lot, but that should be slowing down in the next couple weeks. 

Our chickens will be arriving as soon as we can find the time to pick them up from Missouri. Then it will be fresh eggs and eventually a freezer full of chickens.

School is almost over until August. Everyone has worked hard this year. Next year will be interesting as I have another one starting and one who is eager to get finished!

So there is a brief recap of the things that are happening around here lately. Tomorrow we go to visit family, so more posts will be coming! Here are a few generic pictures to enjoy!

Patriot and Espresso