Memorial Day Activities

Today we meet John, Ruth, Jack and Maddie Christison, Brad, Tess and Leo Rinehart, and Pastor Cain (John and Ruth's Pastor), Margie, Joy, Rebecca and David Cain at Browning Park in Moline, IL. for breakfast. The kids played on the playground and then most of the kids and the women played volleyball while the guys talked. We did get a little goofy as you can see in the above pictures. We then decided to go to Prospect Park just down the road to play kick ball. The adults decided to play on the playground too, or at least some of us. Brad, Leo and Pastor Cain played frisbee golf. We did play guys against girls kick ball. It was fun I think the guys were easy on us. Oh, by the why I really don't think grown women should roll down big grassy hills. I can go down slides, teter toter, play volleyball and kickball but rolling down the big hill was more than I could take. I was sick for about 2 hours afterward. Will not do that again. We had a great time though. Both kids passed out in the back seat. We made it home and crashed for another hour.

Cheyenne's Antics

Cheyenne is very much into babies. whether real or baby dolls she loves them and points them out everywhere. This is her putting one of her diapers on a doll that is about four inches tall at the most. I think she diapered this baby ten times. She would put the diaper around the baby, pick up the diaper bag, her binky, blankie, and her sippy cup, walk to a hiding place and lay everything down and change the baby. She would say,"baby yicky". It was sooo cute, and yes, she did use a baby wipe and cleaned the baby from head to toe. Well, now for the stuff that wasn't so cute. She took the glue stick i using to scrapbook today and used it as lipstick. I was mortified, yes it's non-toxic, but still. It was the purple kind so she thought she would be cute. Then she decided to get into the the baby wipes and dip them into Riley's apple juice and wipe the table and ring it out. She then poured water on the VCR to clean it. She still wears her shoes on the wrong feet and has to have her binky. She says byee to everyone and "see you" and she will do it louder until you respond. She also can read picture cards, and knows the colors pink, yellow and purple. She can say the pledge and John 3:16 in toddler talk, and says the best prayers of any two year old. Still wild, still sweet, and even more loveable. Of course she is also the cutest you'll ever see. So this is her 15 minutes of fame.

Love Your Neigbor

Today we read the Veggie Tale book "Love Your Neighbor". Being brother and sister they have their little tiffs and sometimes need reminders to love each other and to show kindness, and sometimes we need to show other poeple who we don't like the love of Jesus. So Riley and Cheyenne took turns role playing the Good Samaritan, but we did it "Veggie Tale" style. Although, the pictures are hard to see Riley is wearing a slipper in the first picture and Cheyenne is wearing a pot. Which means Cheyenne is from Jibberty Lot and Riley is from Flibber-O-Loo. In the second picture they reverse their roles. Riley wanted to throw pots at each other but I insisted the slippers were the heaviest thing they were going to throw at each other. The kids love to act out Bible stories.
So if you don't know where Jibberty Lot and Flibber-O-Loo is I suggest you read "Love Your Neighbor", it will give you a new look at loving your neighbor.

Update on Dave

I promised I wouldn't blog Dave's rear end, although I have a pretty good picture. He was also photography at the Wound Clinic. He had five nurses and the doctor checking him out today. I think he had a small glimpse of what it feels like to go to the Gyno. Seriously though, we so appreciate your prayers. He is doing a better since he had the dressing removed. The tape was hurting pretty bad. So he has been shaved and now has new medicine on his wound, and will continue to have dressing changes a couple of times a day that I will do. He goes back to the Wound Clinic in ten days. Today the black flesh is dark gray and there is quite a bit of bleeding and drainage from the wound and around it(I know TMI). You see I am gross by nature and get into this stuff, I know I am a rare breed. So there is some more embrassing stuff I could say but for Dave's sake I'll leave it to what I all ready said. He will be going back to work tomorrow. He is still take pain meds so we will see how tomorrow goes, but he is insistent to go back to work. Thanks for the prayers.

3 1/2 weeks

It is unbelieveable that we been here for 3 1/2 wks. I am more amazed how well we have transitioned. I can honestly say I am happy here. I get lost every now and then and get frustrated with the one ways, but the kids and I are enjoying ourselves. I love living "in town". I am still cautious of those around us, but my fear has lessened since we first moved here. Dave has changed so much for the better. The most change has been in his attitude and personality he is so much happier. He loves his job. We love our church. Honestly, don't tell Pastor Dennis we missed Pastor Brown's preaching. Sooo... the church is having SuperSaturdays this summer instead of VBS. So I have signed up to do the crafts. I figure I might as well jump right in. Our friends and church family has welcomed us home. We do feel at home. I miss the "BK days" and "girls night out", but the Lord has blessed me with a good group of friends which I had missed so much.

VanDeVeer Botanical Observatory

Riley, Cheyenne and I really enjoy going to the botanical garden. We are so amazed at the beauty and detail of the flowers that was saw. I love the picture above with the leave so huge compared to Riley's head. Riley loved the last two days off plant and flower research. Cheyenne's favorite were the Koi Ponds. I am sure we will be frequenting this park this summer. I have really enjoyed photographing the flowers and plants and watching the kids eye light up when they discover something new.

Homeschooling Moms Gone Wild

It's us again...It's a new week and off to the Park of the week. This week we went to Millinium Park in East Moline, IL (which is just across the Mississippi River from us (20 min. away in good traffic). Another beautiful morning. Cooler temps quickly warmed and the wind was whipping. In the pictures above (1) Tess Rinehart, Suzette DeLay, Cheyenne DeLay, Ruth Christison, and Marjie Cain (affectionality called "Charles Angels" + 1) So today we went a little crazy the four of us all took our turns going down the slide. No one got stuck this time, although not all pictured. My picture you won't see because I look like I am giving birth as I am exiting the slide, and for some reason I can't get Marjie's picture to "cut and paste" correctly. (2) Leo Rinehart, just hanging out.

(3) Tess Rinehart and her dismount from the slide. (4) Cheyenne Swinging on her stomach, a feat she accomplished today on her own.(5) Ruth, She Made It! (6) Jack Christison and Cheyenne playing with the "queen size ant" that Jack caught and showed everyone. Cheyenne smushed every ant she could find prior, so Jack "rescued" the "queen sized ant". After this picture Jack smushed the ant and said,"die, die your dead! I said die!" Cheyenne response was, "ooohhhh"! (7) Cheyenne, Maddie, Jack, and Riley sitting on the balance beam. So we had a ball today and yes we left the park in one piece.

VanDeVeer Park, Davenport, Iowa

After lunch we went to VanDeVeer Park. We looked at the different flowers and plants around the Stone Fountain and played at the play area. We didn't get to go in the Observatory because it's closed on Monday's but we will go back.

Field Trip to the Quad City Botanical Garden

We have been studying a combination of things plants, and rain forests. So today we went to the Quad City Botanical Garden In Rock Island, IL. We had a blast! These are some of our favorite pictures.

The Bike Paths Are No Longer Safe.

Today Dave and I bought new bikes. We bought a seat so that Cheyenne can sit on he back of Dave's bike. We rode around the block twice with Riley. I will admit I was wiped out. My bottom will never be the same. So this is our way of family fun and exercise. Pray for us! Dave and Riley are hoping to "Ride The River" for Father's Day.

Lots of Love and Learning

We took a little break during school yesterday to goof around. I just love this picture. I love to see the kids loving each other. They have their little tiffs everyday but they always hug and forgive each other. Cheyenne is doing really well with her vocabulary. We have some pre-school stuff we do with her. Her favorite thing to do is to color.

She holds the flag and puts her hand over her heart everyday when we say the pledge and says the pledge in 2yr. babble. She tries to say the verses we practice, that is a little more difficult for her. We plan to wrap up school about the end of May. Riley is working on double digit addition and doing very well, subtraction is a little tricker. We are slowly but surely breaking Riley of writing with "curls" that he learned at Buckley. We have basic letters posted and he tries to remember to make straight lines. This week we have studied Gorillas, Birds, and the Tropical Rain Forest. Today I had to work double time because the DVD that we borrowed from the Library about Birds was filled with Evolution and every other word I was saying "that's not true". So we had an additional lesson combating evolution and the truth of Creation. Thankfully Riley is pretty grounded in Creation and knows that God created everything and that birds did not evolve from dinosaurs. It was amazing all the falsehoods in the DVD. They even suggested that the reason Christians use eggs at Easter time is because at one time the darkness and space was inside of an egg and it blow up in an explosion and so the egg represents new life and that's how the earth came to be. Well I am about to preach so I better move on. Thankfully we could discuss that biblically.

Riley and his new bike

Riley took the money he got from Grandpa DeLay for his birthday and bought a new bike, helmet, and knee and elbow pads. He will also use the pads for riding the skateboard.

Riley On His New Skateboard

Riley got a new skateboard from his Uncle Matt and Aunt Minnie for his birthday. He has skinned both his knee and elbow, but he is determined. We do plan to get elbow and knee pads before we end up in the ER.

Riley's 7th Birthday

Riley's birthday was Tuesday, May 15th. We had a party at our townhouse. Grandpa DeLay, Uncle Matt and Aunt Minnie, Dave, Twyla, and Joel thiessen, and John, Ruth, Maddie and Jack Christison came to the party. I made homemade pizza, pasta salad and the Spiderman cake. We had chips and ice cream too. We have a lot more pictures than this. Some how I will figure out how to show them. The reason I chose the picture with the kids and Grandpa DeLay is because Dave and I have been married for 12 yrs. and he has never been to our house before. He has been invited many times and this was the first. So this picture is a very special picture.

Slattery Park

This morning the kids and I went to Slattery Park here in Davenport to meet some friends. Ruth and her kids, Maddie and Jack; and Tess and her son Leo were there. Ruth, Tess and I laughed enough to equal an aerobic excercise session. The kids played until they were played out. A "funny", there was a woman carrying a bag around her like a newspaper delivery bag(but smaller) and was riding her bike, her dog was jogging along side of her. Riley said,"Hey, look at that dog, I bet it's a mail dog". Maddie said, "How do you know?". Riley responded, "I can see his mail bag". Us girls laughed and laughed. I was crying I laughed so hard. The kids had no idea why that was sooo funny. The picture on the left is Ruth "sliding". Just that moment Tess and I were sitting in the shelter and noticed what she was doing and yelled "WAIT!!!" and we both ran over to the slide to get Ruth's picture. Tess and I looked like popperotizee gone wild (not that I can spell). Well, we finally had to leave other people starting bringing their children and that was spoiling all the fun.

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day! I tried to send an e-card out but, I messed it up. Anyways I hope you all had a wonderful day.

Dave and Riley made breakfast, scrammbled eggs and pancakes for me. Riley played a song on the guitar and sang to me. We went to Church and then went for lunch at Old Country Buffet. Dave then took us shopping and bought me new living furniture. Yeah!!! It gets delivered tomorrow. I am going to take a nap on our new couch. The couch and love seat recline.

Yesterday, after we went to the Graduation Party for Dave Inman, we went to the Beaux Arts Festival downtown Davenport. The Beaux Arts festival is basically a big craft show about six blocks long. I got to do a little shopping. OH, you won't believe this. I talked Dave into cutting my hair. Dave hates it when I cut my hair. Yesterday morning I starting my hair and asked him to cut the back for me. It is just too hot for long hair. So we cut about four inches off.

I miss being with my mom today. I didn't get to talk to her either. I called four times and missed her every time. My dad is filling in at a church in Bradenton, FL. So they were gone most of the day and had to work tonight. Please remember them in prayer. They are about 60 miles from the wild fires there and visibility is less than 1/4 mile. The air is filled with ash and the news is instructed people to stay in their homes. My dad has asthma and is allergic to smoke and is having breathing problems.

Yes, this is a long blog. We have decided to go back to Edgewood Baptist in Rock Island, IL where we were going prior to moving to Michigan. It's always been home to us and we just love it there. The Sunday School class that we are attending is "Homebuilders". On the left side of the blog if you arrow down you can arrow down and click on the website to see the church's website.

Dave & Tara Inman

American Legion in Blue Grass, Iowa

Today we went to the graduation party of our good friend Dave Inman. He and his wife Tara and their three boys have lived in Tennessee for the last 7 yrs. Dave has been studying to be a Youth Pastor. He graduate, and their family had a party for them today. Dave, Tara and their boys, Ethan, Carson and Caleb are moving the end of this month to a new Church 60 miles south of St. Louis Missouri. Dave has been a youth pastor while going to school, but this will be his first "pastorit" position as a full-time Youth Pastor. In the pictures, Carson and Caleb are their twins sitting on Dave's lap, they are 3 yrs. Ethan, pictured alone, is 7 yrs. old.

Cheyenne wanted in on the act too. Although she thought it was more fun to wear the bowl as a hat than to make a cake in it. She was the first in line for cake cake, I want cake!

Tuesday, May 8, 2007 During school Riley baked his first cake. He had to figure out the ingred. and the measuring cups to use. He made the whole thing himself, I put it in the oven though. It was a sprinkles cake mix from a box. We didnn't have frosting because mommy ruined the frosting so we ate the cake plain(mommy always makes homemade frosting). We used the rubber cookware that we borrowed from our friend Twyla.