Quote of the Day

Claire came upstairs today, with her hand covered in blood.
"Oooh, Claire what happened?" I asked.
"I was trying to clean your razor. I didn't know they were so sharp. "You know they should really put a notice on those things so that eight year olds don't play with them and cut themselves. Wait...I'm nine... yeah, nine-year-olds."

Friday afternoon Cade and I had a brilliant idea to ride our bikes to Limeberry, a little frozen yogurt shop near our house. We thought it would be a great idea for an otherwise boring afternoon, or as Cade put it: "We ride our bikes there, stock up on fat, and burn it all off riding back." Right, Cade, because you're in such danger of getting fat. There was only one small problem. Limeberry happened to be four miles away, eight miles altogether, over a series of busy streets. We finally convinced my mom that it would be okay for us to ride there, when we reminded her that my dad had ridden around in San Fransisco on his bike when he was in third grade. We finally got out of the house, after numerous promises to stay on the right side of the road, wait for the little hand signals on the other side of the stoplights, and wear our helmets. Oh, yeah and we also brought her phone.
It started off great we rode there and got in line to get our yogurt. "Now remember, Cade. We have seven dollars. They cost about $2.50 each so don't go over!"
"Yeah, yeah. I won't."
We proceeded in getting several little cups and tasting every single one.
When we were finished I placed ours on the scale. The total came to $6.14.
"Let me feel yours," I said suspiciously. I weighed each in my hands. "Oh my goodness, yours is so much heavier."
"Let me see." He grabbed them. "No way, yours is, like, waaay heavier!"
How come people say we never agree on things?
We ate our yogurt and listened to a group of high school girls in talk about how their tans were really coming in. Cade got up, "I'm gonna get a drink." He came back with an ice cream bowl filled with water. "They didn't have any cups." He explained. We finished our yogurt and got on our bikes. We had gone maybe one block when I heard a small pop. All of a sudden it was very difficult to ride and my back tire was suspiciously deflated.
I got off my bike and pushed down on the wheel. My hand came down and squished the empty tire. I yelled to Cade, "It's flat!"
"Oh, great, I guess you'll just have to ride it flat."
"But it's dangerous! You're not supposed to do that."
"What do you suggest?"
I felt my pocket where my mom's phone was. "We could..."
"No, we're old enough, we don't want to bug her. Come on, we can switch off."
So we rode the next four miles in strained silence, switching off every now and then. The last stretch home was the worst. The bike made a terrible noise with every pedal. As I strained to keep going on the last mile all I could think about was that noise. That terrible, gravely grinding noise. What did it sound like? Chewing, I thought, chewing, like cookie monster gobbling cookies and chewing them. Again and again and again. (Yes, I did forget that he now eats vegetables.) As we pedaled home, all I could think about was that gravely cookie monster-like chewing.
After what seemed like forever we reached home where we realized my mom had tried to call us twice and not succeeded. Needless to say she was not thrilled...but that's a different story for a different time.

Yes, we are in the country.

Today, my family visited Scio, Oregon for the annual county fair. We got a wonderful taste of true country life. As we drove down a winding road to the fair we passed many indications that, yes we were in the country. Old barns with the paint peeling, cows peppering the countryside, an old man in his overalls next to a fire pit with a pipe hanging out of his mouth...Finally we reached the sight of the fair. We pulled off onto a street and started walking. Just then, we heard music playing.
"We're gonna miss the parade!" My mom yelled, "Come on guys, lets run."
So our family ran down the street to be greeted by a dozen kids on tricycles and half as many moms parading down the street. Oh, boy. Cade and I exchanged looks. It was going to be a looong day. Following this we saw, a school band, two church groups, several parade floats, numerous John Deeres', horses, and five men, my Grandpa's age, toodling around on go carts in a figure-eight fashion. The highlight of the experience (for Cade) was when a van advertising midwifery came along. A mom was running around passing out slips of paper for midwifing. She was trailed by about five kids. She tried to hand one to my mom. "Oh, I'm well past the birthing age," she said. The lady smiled, "Oh, of course." Then she looked at me. "Here you go."
Okay... Either a. It means I look pregnant. b. I'm the closest female who would require her services. Or c. I look like I'm planning to get pregnant.
After the parade we walked around the fairgrounds. It was exactly like fairgrounds are supposed to be. Numerous displays advertising, face painting, crocheted sweaters, tie die t-shirts, beaded indian works and COSTCO. There were stands serving elephant ears, sno-cones, ice cream, chicken and lemonade. Port-a-Poties dotted the grounds. The smell of smoke, live animals, and hamburgers drifted through the air. It was alive with the noise of several hundred people who had come to enjoy the county fair.
Emily and Ashley got to run around with the goats in the petting farm, while my Dad, Cade and I sat at a live cooking show and learned the benefits of sweet potatoes. After this, we got snow-cones and cotton candy.





The next attraction of the day was the sheep dog contest. We drove a couple miles to a sign that read:

CHAMPIONSHIP SHEEP DOG TRIALS. NO SPECTATOR CARS PAST THIS POINT.
We piled out of the car and were halfway there when we heard a voice behind us. "Hey! Have you guys been here yet?"
"Uuuh, no."
"Well, you have to pay, it's $5.00 a carload."
Cade happens to be the only one with cash left, so he reluctantly peels a 5 Dollar bill out of his wallet and hands it to the man.
"Have a great time."
As we neared the fence we noticed there was going to be a bit of a problem. For one thing, the sheep were about a football field away. "I thought there were going to be bleachers," my mom muttered as we took our seats on the grass under a thin canvas tent. A lively lady with a microphone kept us informed on the sheep.
A sign on the fence read:

"I didn't know sheep had tendencies to attack," one of us said.
We watched the dogs try to herd the sheep through several obstacles and finally into a pen. The smart dogs were trying to herd the less-than-smart sheep through and...well not doing quite so well. From behind us we heard a lady with a southern accent drawl, "Those sheep are 'bout as dumb as a box o' hammers."
The three of us tried not laugh.

The owners all had uniquely different techniques for directing their dogs. Some whistled, others yelled, one barked orders to hers in German. Only one dog succeeded in successfully corralling the sheep. The lady behind us shook her head, "That dog is jus' like a rodeo clown."

So, I learned something new today. It's not necessarily what you're doing, but who you're doing it with. That and I will never use a midwife for my delivery.

"Pretty soon your necks will be red!"

We've been getting a lot of wonderful comments about how we're going to become country folks. The quote in the title, which I did not appreciate, came this afternoon. :) Here are some pictures. Yeah, maybe I understand where they're coming from...





We're borrowing this Ford Pickup until we buy a car! All it needs is a gun rack.

Happy Mothers Day!

I'm sorry this is a day late but, anyway better late then never, right?
Well, Happy Mothers Day to all the moms out there, I hope you had a great day yesterday. I just wanted to talk a little bit and say a few things about what I appreciate about my mom.

Mom, I love you so much! I'm getting more and more thankful for your example as I get older. Thank you for being a faithful example of a godly woman to me. I enjoy taking long walks and talking to you...sometimes serious, other times not so much! Thank you for being an example in how you honor Dad. I hope you were honored by yesterday, because you deserve it. I want to be like you, mom, I really do. You're amazing, I'm so glad God gave me to you.

Happy Mothers Day!
Love, Kailyn

Blessings

This is an amazing song by Laura Story.



1 Peter 1:6-7

In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith-more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire-may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Romans 5:3-5

More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given us.

Seven Quotes of the Week

"He is no fool who looses what he cannot gain to keep what he cannot loose."
-Jim Elliot

"Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows, it empties today of its strength."
-Corrie Ten Boom

"Loss for Christ is always gain."
-John H. Orme

"Help me to remember these four words: 'This is my doing.'"
-Bonnie Witherall

"God always gives his best to those who leave the choice with him."
-Jim Elliot

"You are only as much as you think in your heart."
-Unknown

"In prayer it is better to have a heart without words than words without a heart."
-John Bunyan