Rattled Up!

I left off at the end of our vacation on June 20th. To refresh y'all, we drove through the night, got home in the morning, and got in some good naps on Sunday. Made a quick recovery before our next adventure: having two kids join us for ten days while their family was on vacation! Eeek! It was a super fun, crazy, and overwhelming ten days, but so worth it to pour our love into the lives of two sweet children and learn the ropes of foster care a bit. 

I think the biggest highlight (why????) of their stay was when Matt found a 42-inch rattlesnake in the garden. The first one we've found since moving here almost eight years ago!

Matt thinks this is the most beautiful picture ever. It is now the background on his phone lock screen so he can show it off to everyone. 

The kids were impressed by the other wildlife, too...they even left us with a pet worm...

...and a frog that eventually escaped its box.

And Matt found a soft-shell turtle out by the creek!

Keenan turned 10 months old! By this point, he was getting along pretty good walking on his two feet and exploring the world! 

But let's be honest, the REAL highlight was being here to celebrate my birthday and enjoy my watermelon cake. Hehe. I mentioned back in May that I decided to stay on plan with THM for 100 days, and I haven't given in to cheating yet. I didn't have more than two spare minutes to make a dessert for my birthday this year anyway. (I did let the kids have microwave s'mores after supper so they could officially call it a party.)

Our one outing with six children besides church on Sunday was a double wedding shower for the Eisenmanns. I had to snap an update of Keenan and Narra, the 2020 Schulz cousins!

Then we had two days to recover before another highlight of every year...the fourth of July and Massner-Steffen reunion! 

So we spent one of those days at the pool...

Matt also decided he wanted to bring the Gator through the Northfield parade so we got that thing all decked out Friday night. The kids had fun riding through and throwing out candy. We love the Northfield parade because it is one block long, attended mainly by neighbors/family/church people, and lasts about two minutes! And for those who like parades for the candy, you still get plenty. And I might mention it happens at 9:30 in the morning before the sun has a chance to get hot. Bam. Check "parade" off your fourth-of-July bucket list and move on with your celebration! 

Little Auburn (Quinn & Sandi)

We attended the Morning Sun fireworks Saturday night!

Throwback to the first year we met the Steffen family and a recreation of that photo! (Since Cherelle was missing this year, and Jesse hadn't been born in the first photo, he filled in for her.)

All but Abram and Cherelle were able to make it this year!

Lots of music, laughs, and games filled up our weekend together...

We did get to talk to Cherelle for a bit on Sunday afternoon!

Then we had a few hours to recover before our next adventures: a new puppy and three sheep!

Meet Daisy. She is a Pyrador from Ben and Kasha. 7 weeks old when we got her! 

Levi loves her! Levi and Keenan are now the only kids who will go outside because Micah and Joanna are terrified of dogs! We are working on it, but talk about putting a damper on our outdoor summer fun.

Seth brought over three sheep for us to raise. Matt had spent a week at the end of June getting the pasture and fence ready, but when the Hartters delivered the sheep the first time, they ran right out. The rest of the day became a neighborhood rodeo trying to get them loaded back up. So we had to strengthen the fence a bit, and the second time worked like a charm!

Levi missed VBS while we were on vacation so he had fun making up all his work! 

"Take my picture too, Mommy!"

My flowers are finally blooming on the side of the house! I bought a bag of bulbs from Aldi this spring and wasn't sure what was going to come up! 

We also had swimming lessons for the boys the next week, and they both ended up passing level one, to my great surprise! 

Between training a new puppy (and its child owners), catching up on doctor visits and errands, replacing a flat tire, and not feeling well (weaning from meds), the next week was pretty well wrapped up in the books. 

Joanna's birthday party was last Friday! Both sets of grandparents and most single aunts and uncles attended. She was all smiles with her butterflies and pink things!

Joanna was pretty excited about her new dress and purse to bring to church on Sunday!

Practicing for his birthday in a month...

Birthday pancake!

Tuesday we spent the evening at Andrew and Hannah's so Matt could help them bale hay! 

I was thankful for a chance to unwind a bit this week! 

Joanna took a birthday trip with Grandma Massner and Uncle Jesse to Niabi Zoo! She was so thrilled!

Even got to end the day with ice cream at Sprat's!

Beginning Thursday around suppertime, and over the course of the next 28 hours, a stomach bug flew through the home, causing 14 vomiting incidents. Yes, I kept track. I needed some way to humor myself while I spent the day mopping up kids' puke as my body ached and churned. Thankfully, it was Matt's Friday off work and he felt decent, so he helped out with showering kids, changing sets of clothes and bedding, running for buckets, letting me get some rest, and nursing everyone back to health. I know he had big plans for the day, so I am thankful he was willing to sacrifice for us by pulling out his superhero cape instead! 

Keenan turned 11 months old today! Happy, full of energy, taking great naps and slept a couple of FULL nights this week for possibly the first time ever(?)! He is known for always walking around with marbles in his mouth. Keenan also loves to carry around crayons or any sort of writing utensil, and is even more delighted when he finds places to use them. It is making me more motivated to get some of these walls a much-overdue new coat of paint. And between crayon all over the place and multiple stains from the stomach bug that just sailed through the house, I think it is time for a professional carpet cleaning as well. 

I planned to add a lengthy mental health update at this point, but this post is already getting long so I will save it for another post. For now, things are going pretty well and I am super thankful that over the course of the last couple months I have been able to fully wean off my medicine! I do not know that the journey is over yet, but I am thankful for where we are at today, everything we have learned, and all God has done!

Until next time...our love to all!

*Note: We published two blog posts today: this one ("Rattled Up!); and "Black Hills and Wedding Bells" about our vacation, in case you missed it!