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Thursday, July 1, 2010

Farming with children

This week has been a wonderful week. We have 6 days of no rain in a row, and we can actually get some farmwork done. Although it is a bit behind, we are chopping our second crop, and the children have all had their chances to ride with Daddy in the tractor. While we hire a lot of the work done, they still get a lot of tractor time with him.
Isaac played spectator this week, but I think he likes watching the big tractor vroom around.

I think those cheeks are just adorable-and the are even getting pudgy!!!

Watching the tractor, and all his siblings!!


Daddy with 4 kids on board with him!


Isaiah gets his first tractor ride-and HE LOVED IT!!
Now he wants to go out with Dad everytime he leaves the house-I don't think we are quite ready for that yet, but he is sorely disappointed when he has to stay back with boring ole momma!!


What a view!!
Until next time!!
Chris





Happy Birthday Grandma and Grandpa
They came to spend a few hours with us on Wednesday, and we celebrated their birthdays-both on the 28th-with cake and icecream before they left.
Our children love all their grandparents, and any time they get to spend with them is cherished.
Blessings,
Chris and family

3 weeks

Isaac has been working on teeth since we picked him up. I think since we got home, 4 have come through, and more are working on it. No wonder we get so crankhy sometimes. His grasp has gotten a little better, as he can get the teething biscuits to his mouth-his real problem with them is, once he takes a bite, he throws it down, and then can't find it again when he wants more.


Isaiah is getting more interested in having his pictcure taken-he can even show off a little bit now


Isaac is actually standing up in his saucer now. His legs have a little chunk to them now, and he has something to support himself with-we are thrilled to see this!!


Our little water baby-he LOVES his bath time. Splashing with all 4 body parts is usually his preferred mode of soaking us all down-including my new floor!!



This is how much he loves his bath, he actually wants to stand and watch the tub fill. His little lets will support him, but he just doesn't think it will happen every time yet. I think he will go from scooting to running very quickly!! and then we will be in trouble, as he doesn't think anything should be off limits to him!!
Love
Chris



Week 2 pictures

Isaiah is enjoying having big brothers and sister around every day. He has learned so much from them already. He wants to do what they do, and although sharing is not on the top of his list of favorites, he is slowly getting the hang of letting someone else have "his" toys. One afternoon, the children wanted to play crazy 8's and they offered to let their little brother "play" too.
It was too precious, and I was thrilled to see how they will improvise their games and include him in everything they are doing.
We are blessed beyond words!!


" Is this the one you want?"

4 siblings enjoying time together


Isaac, our little monster man, is into everything. His favorite past time is emptying EVERYTHING, and then watching them roll off the back of the tipped over tote!

big brother enjoying some time with his littlest brother
The time is going so quickly. I can't believe it has been a month since we left for Taiwan.
After a few rough days, and nights, we have settled into a new kind of normal for our new family of 7.
Of course, the added stress of a new farm to adjust to, and an old farm house to adjust to has increased the turmoil we have had, but, it is all working itself out.
Isaiah had his days and nights turned around for quite a while-I remember Tyler switched his schedule within 2 days, but we fought with his little inner timetable for about a week before we were all able to get more than a couple hours' sleep each night.
Food is not an issue for either boy, as Isaiah loves to eat-although we had a scarey allergy reaction with him within the first week. We eliminated a few things from his diet, and then went to the Dr, and after a few days on Predisone he lost all his puffiness and itchiness. We are not sure it was food, maybe the soap in his bath tub-but we are still watching the dairy products and trying to keep things to a minimum for awhile until he adjusts to our foods here.
Isaac has developed a strong disdain for anything resembling baby food. He has learned to chew, and enjoys chewing. Meals have become a challenge though, as he prefers to be mobile, and eating requires sitting still for a while, which he also hates!!
We bought a used bouncy seat for him to eat in, as he had no interest in sitting up the first 10 days or so, but now he enjoys sitting in the high chair, (sometimes) and does not have a chance to flail his legs and knock all the food out of our hands with his 4 lethal weapons anymore, now he can only use his hands, and he is quite adept at grabbing anything within reach. He has a very quick strike-there is obviously nothing wrong with his eyesight, as he sees things to grab from a long ways away.
More Later
Chris

Setting up our office

Many of you already knew this, but we moved to a different farm before we went to Taiwan. Not a lot of stuff was organized before we left, and once home, Daddy had extra help putting in the counter for our new office space. He does not claim to be a carpenter by any stretch of the imagination, but he did an amazingly wonderful job, and someday I will show you pictures of it completed!!

what boy doesn't want to try out his Dad's drill?

It looks great now!!

Week 1 as a family of 7

OK, he is a little too big for the exer-saucer, but he was very determined to enjoy it as much as his little brother has been

Playpen time has been very good for Isaac, he usually is quite content in here for up to 45 minutes

Big sis Kendell and her long-awaited Isaiah-she has been a very good helper and loves her little brothers very much

Isaac in the middle of an "I'm not happy" moan

My Mom came to spend the first few days with us. What a God-send that was, as it turned out to be 9 days she stayed, and oh, the help she was.
Grandma loves reading, and here she is with all 5 piled around her!!



Momma with 2 tired little boys in her own kitchen



every time Isaac crawls down this hall way, we are so thankful we spent the money before we left to put in new flooring. The old stuff was ancient, holey and full of mildew, and we just knew we could not have our littlest one crawling around on it
Two big brothers putting Isaiah's toddler bed together. Isaiah is not as good about going to bed as he was in Taiwan, but he has improved tremendously since he got his own bed-although I still wish we had kept him in a crib for awhile longer. He is just tooooo mobile now!

Tyler loves to spend time with the baby-trying to give him a bottle from an upright position does not work too good, but he sure wants to be a good helper too.

the drive home

hoorray, out of those horrid car seats, and NEW toys at Grandma's
not a happy camper, after the first 20 minutes, or so, he screamed the entire 1.75 hours to Chuck's folks' house-and I mean SCREAM!!
Isaiah was soooo tired from not much sleep, and that wonderful time change-he was not very happy either

Isaiah meets Grandma Waughtal and cousin Cassie




Grandma playing with her new boys


the flights home

All wore out from squealing most of the 11 hour flight to LA, and then exploring the plane to Minneapolis all in one LONG day
His busy fingers have never stopped grabbing and throwing

Isaiah loves anything with buttons-this plane screen kept him busy for 1/2 the flight, until we all needed a break and he took a nap
waiting for the flight headed home to Minneapolis

our plane that will take us home from Taipei
more to come!!