Nice to See You Again, Louisa

Somehow we went three months without going to Flippin. We hadn't been there since the kids' spring break, so it had been way too long. I guess it was a busy spring.

I was hoping Alexee and Princess Louisa ("You-ee-ssa" as she pronounces it) would still have their special connection....and they did! That was Alexee's main focus while we were there: looking for the cat. Louisa is very sweet and loving, but I think it's safe to say she's not comfortable with five grandkids chasing her through the yard and pulling her out from under bushes by the tail. She was already shaken up a little bit because there were two guys painting the barn where she lives, so she was trying to keep her distance from them. Alexee enjoyed spending time with her though, and was very sweet with her.

The kids probably carried her 100 miles during our two day stay.

Blooming in Mom & Dad's back yard

The cat did get a short break while we took the kids to see my cousin's five little lambs. They were SO cute. I loved holding them and wished I could bring one back home with me. One momma had twins a few weeks ago, then the other momma had triplets just a few days before we got there, so they were smaller and slightly easier to catch. The mothers weren't thrilled about us being there though--I felt sorry for them because they seemed really stressed out with us in their pen.

My niece, Jaiden

(Notice the little hands reaching up to pet the lamb while she held it.) :)

My turn!!! He (she?) was very sweet and cuddly!

I love this one of Lex wearing her Queen Esther crown that she made at church last Sunday.

Aunt Kala helped Crosby take a turn. I love how he's wrapping his arms around it in this picture.

He laughed when it licked him.

By this point, C was tired of sheep, I think!

Protective Momma

my sister & nephew

Mo Nina and Granddad Forrest stopped by to visit while we were playing outside at the sandbox/swing set. I didn't have my camera with me then, so this is the only picture I have of their visit. Crosby got stung by a wasp earlier that morning. There was a wasp nest under the slide. :( He's so tough--he only cried for about 30 seconds. I tried to hold ice on it, but he didn't like that at all. He just wanted to go back out to play.

Later that afternoon Mom stayed home with Crosby while he napped, and Micaela and I took the kids to ride Banner (Jeryn's request). But when we got there, we noticed he was limping so we didn't let them ride. They brushed him instead, and he seemed to enjoy the attention.

Jaiden is good at braiding! She did Alexee's hair and Banner's tail.

Mic and her kids had to leave that evening. When Dad got home from work he asked if we wanted to go to Mt. Home to eat at the Japanese restaurant. Sure--sounds good! I'll have to add some of the pictures that Alexee took during dinner when I get the CD from Mom. The food was great, and I was pleasantly surprised that the kids liked it, too (especially Rhett!).

Crosby sat in Dad's lap most of the time, which means he dropped a lot of food on Dad. We got a laugh when we stopped outside the restaurant for this picture and noticed that Dad's shoes were covered with fried rice!

Tuesday morning...

On our way back to the barn to feed Banner.

Mo and the kids.

I spent many many hours of my childhood playing in the loft of this barn and running around in the fields surrounding it. It's neat for me to see my kids standing on those steps.

Alexee ended her visit the same way she started it...

holding Princess Louisa.

We'll be back soon...Vacation Bible School is coming up!