It's a beautiful thing...

This place we have the privilege of calling home for the next year or two.( I'd love to post pictures and plan to as soon as we get the home computer up and going again. Currently Mr. Tech takes the Internet along with him when he goes out of the office. )We have chickens (not our own) in the "back 40" and enjoyed some 28 turkeys too 'til a week ago when they "got turned into meat" as the small men like to inform people. As I type this, there is a haying operation going on in the back field, the small men have been having a blast watching the round bales roll out of the baler one by one.
We "hiked" down through the hay windrows two nights ago to the tiny creek in the "canyon". It's very tiny as it trickles through the fir trees and we had to beat our way through the spring growth of underbrush to find it. A 1/4 mile walk up the country road (no lines) brings us to a beautiful view of Mt. St. Helens, with lots of friendly neighbors along the way. Never dreamed we'd be here, the Lord has been so gracious to us. It is such a blessing to be surround by His handy work out every window!! Hope to post a few pictures of it soon!

Projects and Pigtails

Over the last week we have been able to get a few of the "big" projects done around here. We are planning Lord willing to move to the new place the first week of June. We were originally hoping to be moved in by this last weekend. But with the nasty flu bug the week before last we pushed it out to June so as not to share the bug hopefully! It's worked out better anyway as we will have a lot more done and ready on this place now. The back fence boards needed to be replaced so that became the project of last week. And with the beautiful sunshine we had a great time doing it!!

Before

Almost halfway. And I didn't get time to upload an after but it's finished as of Saturday!!

Julabeans was a trooper and slept a lot mostly. But also got a chance to enjoy the sunshine a little too.

The boys had a blast being out in the yard so much!!

"Small Bear" ( aka Leroy) "pinched" grass and dirt for quite a while.

Gettin' there!

The three Musketeers conferring over their "logging operation" I believe it was.

Bugs checking to see how tall he is.

And then comes the pigtails! Her hair has partial curl but the ends are straight so it's always a bit on the wild side. I ran into Walmart for wallpaper border and found these cutest little mini clips and rubber bands! This was the result:

"Look what my Mom did to my hair"

"Might as well show it off"

"Right side"

"And here's the left side"

"are you laughing at me?"

"I guess it was sorta funny"

She is 4 months today and has been such a sweet little person. She's seems to be always laughing silently at her brothers. She occasionally finds her little voice and has very gurgly, jolly little conversations with whoever is chatting with her. She is up to about 15 lbs and still a little snuggle bug! Pretty much, all around, sweetness, our "tiny lady" as she's called some times! So we start into another busy week! I was able to get the boys room painted and new wall border on over the weekend too. Something that had to be done before we could rent the house as the old wall border had gotten torn. Very nice to have two of the biggest things out of the way!!! And we're that much closer to being out in the country. Not that it won't still have it's challenges but I'm looking forward to the quiet... well as quiet as it gets with three boys around. But if you've every lived in the country you know what I mean. Well it's wash day so I better get going. Later.

A month in pictures...

At the end of April we were able to visit the Woodburn tulip fields in bloom. They were amazingly beautiful, as usual!

And given all the rain we've had, the boys had a blast!

We came semi prepared with rubber boots

and boy did they have fun.

Although, it looks as tho' there is such a thing as too much mud.

I guess, not as long and you're bigger than it is.

Why else would there be ditches between every row, besides for jumping over?!

Uncle AJ and Aunt Ruth came along,

as well as Grampa and Gramma.

The diversity of color never ceases to amaze me!

On the first of May, Jeffy, (whom we more often call Bugs these days) turned 2!

We got to celebrate at Uncle Dave's house, which was great fun.

As it was Uncle Dave's birthday, 2 days before Bugs.

Juls getting a "ride" in the wagon from Grampa.

She made the 3 month mark at the end of April.

"My Sweetness"
one of her many nick names.

Chubby toes so fun to munch on!!

Investigating her brother Leroy's offerings for play things.

New shoes!!

Happy Mother's Day, which we enjoyed at Uncle AJ and Aunt Ruth's

Mom and her two granddaughters

Two cousins waiting for Uncle Dave to hurry up and come in.

Our Monday night laundry pile, which we tackle while listening to recorded ministry, or something motivational !!

The boys view of their Dad :)

And some sunshine at last, which has the kiddos in the yard most days!!

"Pride goeth...

before a fall"...
when your brother backs up in the truck you're standing on.
(tho' he landed quite safely from this one)

And right now we're in the middle of a rather horrible throw -up flu , which this small man started for us. He was actually in the middle of it when I took this picture tho' you'd never guess. He was starting to come out on the topside after having lost it at least 6 times over the course of 9 hours.

I didn't feel quite so chipper when I got it two days later. :P Mr. Tech got a light version yesterday night and now Phi's down with it today. So far Leroy and Beans are holding out!! It seems to be catchy for up to two weeks after you have it, so we will probably be laying low for a while here. So, that's another month in the life of the Soares. Plenty happening, not so much time to stop and think about it.

I read this in an old book from the 1800's the other day, and found it "food" for thought:

"Time is so precious, that there is never but one moment in the world at a time, and that is always taken away before another one is given." Hawes

Spring time at the Zoo

We were able to make it to the Zoo for $4 Tuesday yesterday. Not wanting to ride in the school bus this time we didn't get there until 1:00 and got to park in the zoo parking lot. We were thankful for lovely spring sunshine! Since most of the animals we saw were from Asia or Africa I'm sure they were grateful to finally have sunshine too! Phi walked the whole time and Aaron was at the stage where he preferred the stroller and was unsure of the animals. Phi was in that stage last year. It's interesting to recognize some of the stages they go through since they're close enough in age I can still remember when the other one "did that". Any way, on to the pictures and hopefully (if I can get it to load right) one video for you. Kate and Tay-O, we hope you can go with us some time when you're here, for now here's a "through the lens" tour!!

One of the polar bears was splashing in their pool...

playing with a big rubber toy.

Mean while his buddy was hanging out in the shade on his tummy showing off his big bear feet

The tiger was pacing back and forth, back and forth by the doors in his cage looking like he was waiting for his lunch from his keeper.

These little gazelles were Phi's favorite, tho" they were just minding their own business eating grass and leaves. We talked about how they can run really fast, fast enough to get away fro a cheetah! (Which always reminds me of Dave Ramsey's visual of credit card advertisers and debt being the cheetah and we've got to be the gazelle getting away. HA! guess that one stuck with me)

And the Hornbills who were just enjoying the sun on their black feathers on a log.

The giraffe was again indoors.

But Leroy found it interesting that it was drinking water.

This coolest lizard looked like it should be a fake stuffed one, but, it was cruising around it's cage hoping on rocks and such like, very much alive.

This lone zebra was grazing in the sunshine.

We at least got to see the hippos' faces this time and their funny little ears. Leroy like their "little" tails.

The lions were not doing more than sunning them selves on the rocks. This was just fine with Phi who was hoping they wouldn't roar. The male remind us of Gramma's Dandy lion story with his scruffy mane.

It was Julabeans first trip to the zoo at 10 weeks. She slept most the time and was a very patient little lady and waited the whole 3 hours to eat till we made it back to the van.

Sorry the video would not load, grrr. Maybe when Mr. Tech gets back we can get it on here.