Mini Rex Rabbits

We have our first litter of purebred Mini Rex kits. They are so tiny compared to the Mini Rex mix kits we have had! And I've already got three of these reserved for sale. Not bad.

Graceful Summer: First Friday of Summer

Good morning all! This has been a full week of fun for our official first week of summer break. The kids were all done with school last Wednesday. But of course, we can't sit still - we have been at our church's VBS all this week, and I have been helping out by leading Faith Skills, where we help the kids to put the memory verse into action. This year it is 1 Timothy 4:12 - Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young. Set an example for the believers in what you say and how you live. (It's a shortened easier version of the verse for the kids to learn). I think it is a great verse for kids to learn, especially school kids, as they face so many struggles in school.

This week was also a reminder of how blessed we are in our country life. Moving here almost two years ago was a lifelong answer to my heart's desire - to raise my children in the country just like I was raised. God really blessed us with our property (10 acres) and this week I have been especially reminded of why I wanted to live like this. We have seen lots of beautiful animals, the kids have been able to explore freely, and I have been able to really tend to my garden. Life is so good right now! My poor husband has been working like a dog, though - his schedule at work changed, and not only has his regular schedule changed from 4 10's to 3 12's and a 6, but he has also been on mandatory overtime, so this week has been all 12's. He has a 45 minute commute to work, and has to be on the job at 5 am, so you can imagine how tired he is by the end of the day. And this will go on for at least the next 2 weeks, including having to work on the 4th of July. It's hard, but we know it is an answer to prayer - he has been worried about some unexpected financial things, and this was God's way of providing our need. I'm trying super hard to make his time at home relaxing, but sometimes with the craziness of kids, that can be a struggle too. But we're getting through, and today is the end of his first week of new schedule. The weekend doesn't have a lot going on, so hopefully he can catch up on his sleep.

And last night was a special night for my oldest, Austin (7). He prayed the salvation prayer, so now there is one more name in the Book of Life! I made sure he truly understood what was happening, and what it meant, and he was able to really tell me what it all meant. He loves his new bible, The Bibleman, that he got on his 7th birthday, and it has a study page in it that explained it all really well. I am so excited for him!

This week, my body has been waking me at 5:45 am. This makes for some good time alone in the morning to have a cup of coffee, prepare for my day, and watch the Joyce Meyer episode I tape at 3 am each day.

This post is part of Graceful Summer. Click the link below to find out more and see other bloggers that are participating.

Mommy - a bear!!

We were getting all loaded into the car this morning to head to VBS when Gretchen said, "Mommy, there's a bear!" I just shook my head at her - there couldn't possibly be a bear. But I looked up towards our bunny barn that she was pointing to, and would you believe, there really was a bear! A black bear, between the ages of 2 and 4, was peering into my bunny cages, probably giving them all heart attacks, wondering which one of them were going to be bear breakfast that day. Thank goodness that all the kids, including our neighbor boy, were all buckled safely into the van. Not 10 minutes earlier, the kids had been up at the bunny barn, checking on them before we left. And thank goodness my camera was handy right next to me. I quickly grabbed it, put on my zoom lens, and began snapping photos.

Standing Tall - probably between 5 and 6 feet tall

Can you see the bolt in the blue siding? 
The top one is at about 3 feet high.

He has got the biggest feet!

The sunlight hit his back, and he is so gorgeous! 
And big!

 

I feel so blessed to live out in the country where we get to see things like this.  And all my neighbors are jealous - they have lived out here from between 15-35 years, and this is the first time they have seen a bear. They didn't get to actually see it like I did, but my pictures proved it! And luckily, he didn't snack on any of our bunnies!

Dirty Dash

I participated in my first ever Dirty Dash run today, and it was a blast! A bit harder than I imagined, as there were lots of goat trails, steep hills, and gradual climb hills. Also lots of obstacles, and of course, tons of mud. I told my friends - chasing after three kids all day does not constitute training for a 5K race. Next year, I will definitely train for hills better. But how fast you finished this race was not really the goal. The goal was to have tons of fun and get dirty, and I am pretty sure I accomplished all that!

The finish line - I mean, the finish mud bog!

Slogging through!

All done - so much for a white shirt!

I had the kids put their handprints

with brown fabric paint on the 

back of my shirt.

My friend and team mate, Amy and I. 

We stayed together until the last mile.

Then I told her to go ahead, I needed to slow down!

Relay For Life 2012

I have been participating in our Relay For Life event since 1997. I love it, and have done many aspects of it, including event chair for 2 years. This year I was Team Captain of my MOMS Club team, plus did Prizes and Awards for the whole event. And this year, my kids spent the night with me for the first time. The weather was good until the middle of the night, about 1 am or so, when it started raining, and really didn't stop at all. It's not that much fun to pack up a campsite in the pouring down rain! But the kids were really good sports about it, and slept pretty darn well in the tent that night. I was very proud of them, and they had a blast!

My kids and I enjoying the event

My MOMS Club team members