Enjoying the Great Outdoors

The other day James and I were out with friends at a playground and James discovered the slide. One of the boys we were visiting with showed him how to go down and before I knew it, he was hurling himself headfirst down the slide and having a ball doing it. He would get up and make his way back up the steps to go down again with a big smile on his face the whole time. So on Sunday Jerry, James and I went for a walk to the park here in Crete. Again... James had a blast on the slides. So fun!

James and the Shopping Cart

"Train up a child in the way he should go;

even when he is old he will not depart from it."

Proverbs 22:6

We took a trip to the grocery store, let James walk a bit and it wasn't too long until he started pushing the cart all over. Jerry said he was in training for the Strong Man Competition.

A Balmy Spring Day!

We finally got some nice warm weather to go outside and enjoy! The mercury rose to 71 degrees on Friday, and even with all the chores to do, we couldn't resist going out to enjoy it.

I think this toy might be getting a wee bit small for James. But he had fun spinning the little flippy thing and opening up the hood.

Here's the toy that's more his size. A wonderful family from the OPC church donated it to James and he loves it. Here he is trying to climb in.

Success!!

I took this car out and pushed him from the front of the house to the back and around a little bit... man were my legs exhausted! So sad :(. I need to start working out like Marie has of late. In my defense, the lawn is far from smooth and the car steers terribly. But James still thought it was great fun!

A ride on the swing is always a highlight for James. I think he giggled the whole time!

After all that fun, James wandered off by himself and plunked himself down to contemplate. We can't wait for the next warm day to come:).

James at Lunchtime

James has a hard time keeping the jam in his mouth. Poor guy does one wipe to fix the itch on his face and voila!... Picasso!

Boys and their Toys

Jerry and his truck. I wondered if Jerry was more excited to see his friends and family, or his truck. It was a tough call! But I have to admit that it's a fine truck and it's great to see Jerry so excited about it :). I think the fact that it has not sold in almost two years means that he ought to ship it back to us here in the midwest.

Jerry and his men friends... Joe, Nathanial, his look alike, Casey. It was great to see these guys again. The stories they tell of bygone days are absolutely hilarious... or maybe it's just the fact that they laugh themselves silly talking about them. We hope to see them all again sometime soon.

A Trip to the Dynamite Factory

Casey took us to see what he did at his work there in Battle Mountain. He works at a facility where they make the ingredients for dynamite which is then used at the mines in the surrounding areas. I think it's amazing how the acids and chemicals combine with the use of heat, pressure, and cooling to create tiny balls that will eventually blast holes in the earth. It reminded me of a mad scientists lab... on a larger scale, of course ;)

Jerry and Casey... and just so you can tell them apart, Jerry is wearing blue and Casey's the one in red... just like how their mother used to tell them apart :).



Casey and Lisa on top of a tower where the final product is allowed to drop. As it drops, it cools and forms the tiny balls called prill. What a great view, eh?



Jerry and I squished in the little elevator with Casey and Lisa. Can I tell you how the elevator was a little sketchy? It reminded me of something off a scary movie, especially when Casey had to keep slamming the door to ensure it closed properly so we wouldn't ultimately get stuck. Nice, eh?

Pit Shot with the prill.

Battle Mountain, NV

After we visited family in California, we packed up our things and headed to Battle Mountain NV. I was excited to see this town because... why on earth, I wondered, did our friends and family move to the middle of the desert?!?

Unfortunately we arrived in the dark and had to wait 'til the morning to see what Battle Mountain was all about. A trip that should've taken only 7 hours, took us 10. We're blaming it on all the California drivers who've never seen snow before. Would you believe that people were putting chains on their cars when there was NO snow on the roads and the sun was peeping through the clouds?? Crazy, I know. Jerry was a "wee" bit irritated :).

Sunday I figured out why everyone moved to this town. There's a great sense of community and friendship in the church, there's a low cost of living with good jobs to be had in the mines, and LOTS of open space for pursuing the hobbies they love... 4-wheeling!

The boys, Tys and James got along really well. It was fun to see them get to know eachother! Poor Tys wasn't feeling very well, but even so, he was a happy little guy!

Katie was never quite in the mood for a photo... but I still think she looks pretty cute. I thought it was darling how she liked to prepare a picnic with all her cups and saucers, etc... She'll be a good hostess someday!

Tys and his kid brother, Trent.


Tys and James.

This is me getting practice holding two little bambinos at once. Unfortunately, James didn't understand why I would want to hold a little baby when I had him. It'll be interesting to see what happens in May when his new little brother or sister arrives.