Spring time...

We have so enjoyed the warm sunshiney days! The kids have been playing outside for hours and hours!

Nesiah loves being outside in her stroller!

Fayth was very happy when I found this PINK bike for her! I was happy to find a practically new bike on craigslist!! I am a huge fan of craigslist. With lots of patience and watching, I have bought many a  cheap but useful item!! 

Babysitting kiddoes need to be confined when on the driveway! Our road scares me to death! Note the gray duct tape "safety line". Cross that line and you automatically get to spend the rest of your day inside. It has really helped protect everyone. 

But with littles I needed more! So with some good helpers, we put up this baby gate on the front porch. 

It allows the littles to play outside while I am cooking abd the big kids are riding bikes or rollerblading! 

I love spring days... we have a very safe neighborhood, aside from the occasional sex offender. We have 4 neighbors within walking distance who are foster/adoptive parents. We have 2 police officers, an FBI agent, and someone that works for the DA's office. Plus we are surrounded by amish and horse and buggy mennonite neighbors.  We also have a neighbor who brings us left over garden produce and venison, but threatens trespassers with his shotgun. You gotta love it! ;)

I do not allow my kids to roam freely, but they do play in the neighbor's woods and in the meadows. They traipse around dreaming of survival camping and hunting wild animals, like cougars and wild cats. They have literally butchered the tree in our backyard, building themselves a tree house. (Mr J brings them lots of wood scraps from his cabinet shop.)

They are inventors and creators, they are confident of their skills and are not afraid to try to figure things out or try new things. (which may not always be good for my heart health) For ex... I had a daughter who broke her arm because she was "taking a nap" in the shed on a winter day. Try explaining THAT one in the ER...