Tika and Sasha?

No......... Royal and Marshall.

I'll explain shortly, but first a quick history of Tika and Sasha for those that aren't familiar with that chapter of our life.

For those of you who remember our Tika and Sasha, seeing these dogs brings back a HUGE amount of memories. Some good and some, well let's just say the good outweighed the bad.......usually!

Phil and I got Tika in 1993 and Sasha in 1995. They were pure bred Samoyed dogs that lived with us until we moved to Casper in 2002. At that time, we had 3 kids and were renting a home in Casper that did not allow animals. We found a great family to take both the dogs, and they were showered with love until they both died in the last year or two.

With 5 kids and Phil's allergies, we have decided not to have pets for now. The kids love animals so they have to get their animal fix from our friends that have pets.


Now back to Royal and Marshall. Recently our friends, the Baldacci's, bought 2 American Eskimo pups. They are from the same family as the Samoyeds, only smaller.

As you can see from the pictures, they are adorable. We told them that we would be happy to watch them when they went out of town. Finally, the opportunity came for us to have a couple furry guests for a few days.

They have been here for 5 days and have been fun to have around. They quickly learned to race to the area under Savannah's high chair the moment they come in the door. They are not dumb!!


Savannah saying good morning to them.

Timothy sharing his stuffed animals with one of them

They (kids and dogs) have had a BLAST playing in the foot of snow in our backyard.

They liked to lay on a towel near the backdoor.

They were both so good with Savannah.

Sarah - our biggest animal lover - gave them a ton of attention!

Lindsay's giggles were infectious as Royal licked her and climbed on her belly.

Allie just liked sitting and letting them lounge on her.

Now that's a lot of SNOW!

After our beautiful weather this weekend, we knew the storm was coming.

On Sunday, Dave and Missi and family came down from Sheridan on their way to Denver. We BBQ'd and ate lunch on the porch and the kids got SUNBURNED! By Sunday evening the clouds started rolling in and the sky began getting gray.

We woke up Monday morning to a little snow on the ground and lots falling. I took the kids to school, but as I was driving home, I thought about going back to get them because the snow was really coming down and piling up.

All morning I watched out my windows as the teeter-totter and the slide all but disappeared under the white blanket of fresh snow. Several times the winds would pick up and I couldn't even see the fence.




This is (was) that little and orange car - look at the snow piled on top of it's roof!


Sure enough at about noon the automated call came from the district -- school had been canceled immediately! Thankfully, my great friend Jackie lives one block from the school (I live across town) and she volunteered to watch the girls until the roads were cleared off better.

We must have at least 18 inches and it is HEAVY, WET SNOW!

Timothy went out to shovel with Phil. Look how rosy his cheeks were.........

UPDATE: As I was finishing up this blog post -- I have been up since 3:30 a.m. with Timothy who I think may have an ear infection -- we got the automated call from district, yep, school has been canceled for today. That means no Bible Study, no Chorale practice and no ORFF concert. I'm going to go turn off the girls' alarms and let them get some much needed sleep.

AWANA games in Scottsbluff, Nebraska

The annual regional AWANA games competition was in Scottsbluff again this year. I had not been in a couple years because I have stayed home with small babies. This year some good friends, Steve and Melody, kept Savannah all day (from 8:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.) as she would not have enjoyed the 6 hours in the car and the other 7 in bleachers and highchairs! THANK YOU SO MUCH!

As you can see from the pictures, it was absolutely gorgeous! We ate lunch outside the gymnasium. That's Mike looking very content in the warm sunshine.



Sarah, Abigail and Aly share some chips and a few laughs.


Nothing can distract Timothy from his lunch.


Okay -- this picture of Kindrid is priceless. Her dad and brother rode with us because Christy was at home tending to the 7 unexpected puppies that had made a recent arrival!




On your mark, get set, CRAWL!

The spectators -- I think this was right before Teresa got the text that Jordan had been in an accident - he was fine, but car is totalled!

I don't even want to think about how much junk food my son ate this day. Every time I saw him, he had another treat. He did finally crash in my arms in the middle of the T&T game time.

Kristy, Abi, Aly and Sarah cheering on the Sparks

Sparks Team - 1st Place!!

T&T Girls (and Boys) - First Place!!

Several families finished off the night with dinner at Chili's and then made the 3 hour drive home. The weather and roads were great, but that was soon to change.............

Dancing, Sleeping and Cleaning............

Savannah loves to dance with her siblings. What a joy to see her play with her big sisters and brother, and what a delight to see them enjoy showing her new things. Enjoy their voices and laughter.




So...I went to check on Timothy about 15 minutes after I put him down for his nap. I glanced in and saw an empty bed. It took me a few seconds of glancing around to find him here.....

In the corner, behind his bed, on top of stuffed animals, with his head on the wall. Asleep. Hilarious!!

He's hired!

Oh No...Not the Big 4-0!

Not the big 4-0, but getting as close as I can. Notice the lovely candles on the cake. Phil and the kids were very innovative with 3 small single candles signifying 30 and an upside down 6 for the 9!! Hilarious. My favorite cake is angel food (without frosting), fresh strawberries and whipped cream.

I had a perfect birthday. The weather was beautiful -- sunny and hot. Timothy, Savannah and I played outside most of the morning, had a picnic lunch, and then I sunbathed while they napped in the afternoon. We enjoyed steak, shrimp scampi and loaded sweet potatoes for dinner.



Didn't want to leave Savannah out........

The day before my birthday, I celebrated with some very special friends. We went out to lunch and then back to my house for more planning. This is also the True Woman Wyoming planning group, and we have spent MANY hours together. This has not been a small undertaking!! So far we all still love each other, though :).

From left to right ~ Deb, Teresa, Jodi, Jackie and Brenda

Piper on Parenting....

An Encouragement and Precaution for Parents

March 16, 2009

By: John Piper

Jesus tells of two sons:

What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, “Son, go and work in the vineyard today.” And he answered, “I will not,” but afterward he changed his mind and went. And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, “I go, sir,” but did not go. (Matthew 21:28-30)

I draw this advice for parents from these words: Do not despair of the rebel, and do not assume the heart of the compliant child is with you. Which means practically, pray like crazy for both of them. And keep showing both of them the gospel of undeserved, blood-bought grace.

Christmas in..... March??

After leaving Cheyenne, the next stop was Laramie. Because of bad roads and weather in December, we had two failed attempts at seeing Wayne and Sandy over the holidays. Finally, in MARCH, we celebrated Christmas!

Timothy got the extra bonus -- birthday presents, too!! Here is a video of him opening a very large package right after he opened an EMPTY tool box......




The tools were a hit!



Hey, what happened to Timothy??

Savannah trying on the glasses from Timothy's doctor kit.

Timothy letting her know how he felt about that... (this event of Timothy refusing to share did earn him some need discipline from mom and dad).

Allie loved the prayer shawl that Sandy made for her.

As always, the kids dove into the dress up chest. This time Savannah and Timothy dressed up as well. Phil was thrilled that Timothy was in a skirt and beads.

An exciting game of Pacardy - the game of dice, money and cards!

While we were whoopin' it up in the kitchen, Grandpa and Timothy snuggled together to watch an episode of Sesame Street on the portable DVD player.

Three generations: Timothy Phillip, Phillip Wayne and Wayne Arthur

Another nice looking threesome

As an added bonus, Grandma Zaucha is currently staying with Wayne and Sandy. The kids were thrilled to see her again.

On our way out of town, we stopped by Gregory's assisted living home. He was excited for the kids to see his decorated room.

A trip to Cheyenne

It's Spring Break here in Casper this week. So far it doesn't feel like it, but that's okay because we've stayed nice and warm in Grandma and Grandpa's house.

After knee replacement surgery last week, Grandma Jeannine was ready for visitors. From her comfy chair, the kids entertained her and we did our best to prevent them from jumping on her lap.

Sarah and Timothy look and sound like Indians.



Allie nurses her elbow she hit on Grandma's mirror in a lively game of checkers.



Lindsay was "stair patrol", trying to keep Savannah contained to the main level. Savannah pleads, "Just ONE more time, pleeease?".

Afternoon days

While the big girls are at school, Timothy, Savannah and I stay busy at home. Most days Timothy bugs Savannah and takes everything she touches. On other days, they actually get along.....




...until Savannah decides to tackle him.



March ... in like a LAMB??



We enjoyed a nice warm beginning to the month of March. Timothy and Savannah played at the park, played in the sandbox and enjoyed a picnic lunch.