Montana or Bust!

Only 7 days left until we arrive in the beautiful Flathead Valley! We are so excited to see everyone, spend time visiting, and have a great time. The Martin Zoo will be arriving on Friday the 25th in the afternoon. We can't wait! See you soon!

Sully's First Ride

Last weekend was beautiful, and we spent most of it at the lake. Sully is really only happy when we are on the boat or if he's on the wave runner! Otherwise he just complains. Stella is just happy to be there! -Molly

It's Your Birthday!

HAPPY 8TH BIRTHDAY FAITH!

Wow! Look how you have grown! God poured out His blessings on us, when He gave YOU to us 8 years ago. We love you so much! Love~Dad, Mom, Lauren, Payton, and Maggie XXOO

"I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made!" Psalm 139:14

Happy Bday

On the night you were born,

the moon smiled with such wonder

that the stars peeked in to see you

and the night wind whispered,

"Life will never be the same.''

Because there had never been anyone like you...ever in the world.

Happy Bday

I love you

Faith

Happy Birthday Maggie!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAGGIE!!!!

Happy 11th Birthday Maggie! We can hardly believe how time flies. We thank God for you everyday! Your sweetness always warms our hearts, and your goofiness brings us to tears in laughter. We are so glad that you are not afraid to be you!! You are fearfully and wonderfully made. We love you so much! Love~Mom, Dad, Lauren, Payton, and Faith XXOO

"Heaven blew every trumpet and played every horn on the wonderful, marvelous night you were born." -On the Night You Were Born by Nancy Tillman

Oh to be a kid again!

For our 4th of July festivities, the kiddos set up booths and activities for everyone. We had face painting, a bouncy house, squirt gun fights, etc. I have to say that this booth was my favorite. Let's hope the fortune telling is more accurate than the spelling!

Back to school already?

I know what you are all thinking. Yep, you are thinking that I am crazy. ( Are you sure you are wrong? ) Well, what I am talking about is basketball practice for three on three, which is held at my old elementary school. I thought that I had left it forever, but noooo. We just have to have basketball practice there. When you leave Ruder in fifth grade, we have to be "clapped out". Well you just clapped what little sanity I have left right out of me! All the fifth graders have to walk around the building while the evil little kids clap. I don't think that the teachers realize that they are the only ones that clap out of sincere gladness, that is, gladness we are leaving. The evil ones and the adults enjoy it, but they are hopefully the only ones. But I endured that so that I could be freed from the aids. There were a few in particular. #1-Mrs. Patrol- No that is not her real name. We just call her that because she would walk around the playground looking for her next victim. I may have been dreaming but I swear i saw the white hand of Soromon on her head. I can hear his words to her know-" Tonight , you shall taste KID flesh. The only thing she was missing was dreaadlocks. Actually, no one even knew her real name until the end of school.
#2Mrs. Grasser- She is my favorite, or at least what I did to her is. Since she was so cruel, I decided a small prank was entitled. So I decided to call her house. The plan- To call and pretend that I was wishing happy birthday to someone, who as you may have guessed is made up. I actually got her to syay some pretty mean things. Well my fingers are tired and I am about to miss my favorite part of Alice in Wonderland, so I must go.

Love Mere

Fairwell to Crooked Neck

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Woman pays £1,800 for chicken leg ....

A woman from Cwmbran, Torfaen took out a bank loan and lived on beans on toast for a year to pay £1,800 in vet bills after her pet chicken injured its leg.
Vicky Mills, 24, was heartbroken when Lily, a Rhode Island Red, got her leg trapped in a barbed wire fence.
Despite the costs, Mrs Mills told her vet to try to save the limb rather than have her put down. When the treatment failed, she paid for an amputation.
Lily was also diagnosed with depression but has now recovered, said Mrs Mills.
The chicken's gloominess was thought to have been brought on by being in the house alone while Mrs Mills and her husband Sam were out at work.
So the couple now leave the television on all day to keep it company and it is a "happy hen again", they said.
Mrs Mills was given Lily, now three-years-old, when it was a two-day-old chick and she now lays up to six eggs a week for her and husband Sam.
"My wife loves that chicken so much that she could not bear to have her put down", said
Sam Mills.
The cost of the seven operations was "worth every penny", said Mrs Mills, who has forsaken her holidays this year to pay the vet's bills.
"I love her to bits and it would break my heart if anything happened to her," she said.
"She's much more fun than a cat or a dog.
"She struts about as if she rules the roost - she really thinks she's top of the pecking order in our household."
The couple have taught one-legged Lily party tricks like keeping her balance as she stands on Mrs Mills' head.
Mr Mills, 23, said the couple were "devastated" when Lily's leg got snagged in the barbed wire.
"My wife loves that chicken so much that she could not bear to have her put down," said Mr Mills.
"But now she is a happy hen again and laying eggs regularly for us.
"She is quite happy to hop around on one leg.
"But sometimes she tries to scratch herself with her missing leg and falls over."

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I hope Mae's future husband enjoys eating beans and toast. I'll make the bread..

-Sarah

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Goodbye to a well loved chicken..

"Crooked died and now we are sad about crooked since she died. She would hop on my lap and sleep, she would sleep in my pocket. She was always the sweetest little bird and now I am sad hanging out with all of the other chickens, enjoying the wonderful world without Crooked. Me and my mom are sad and we are writing about it because I think crooked died from a fox."

Love,
Mae

p.s. please call me if you find her so we can bury her.

Baby turtle we found at the lake...
Sarah, Mae & Otto

PAPA

By Mae

papa goes into the trees

looking for elk and trees and trees

he goes into the forest

and finds antlers, but no buffalo

he comes back home

with his antlers

he always finds antlers

and pennies

in the forest

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY

Happy 4th of July to all our family! We hope you have a great day celebrating all our freedoms and blessings! We love and miss you all! Love Always~Jon, Misty, Lauren, Payton, Maggie, and Faith

I WON! + I WON! = I won!

My Dear Sweet Lauren,
HAPPY JULY FIRST!
...and I love you so much!

We are missing you like crazy here too. Now just a few more days, okay a good twenty- something, and you will be home in Montana. Have a great July Lauren! See you next month here to see who wins again.... good luck. You will need it.....
All my love,
Aunt Sarah