Longing for spring and a new camera...

I am having spring fever...big time...I told Kris the other day that I just need to SPRAY PAINT something...ha!  I am so incredibly ready for garage sale season, and ready to open the windows and let the fresh spring air in!  I am ready to get the kids outdoors and just let them run, run, run! 

In other news...my camera died... it just will not work anymore.  I have had it for 7 years, and have taken at least 10,000 pictures with it, so I suppose it was time for the old girl to quit.  I had the Canon Rebel XT...and I took it everywhere...and took pictures with it every day.  We are working on getting a new one before Claire's 2nd birthday...which is in just a few days on the 18th!  Since I haven't been able to take pictures for a couple of weeks, I thought I might share some old ones. I recently read about a blogger who lost her home in a house fire, and she was so very thankful that she had blogged and kept so many memories online...makes me want to blog about every minute of our lives!  Hope you enjoy this random stroll down memory lane...

Our Claire with her sweet thumb, June 2011...she was about 4 months old...so tiny and sweet!

 

My three beautiful kiddos before church one day...this picture makes me LONG for warmer days!

 

Our sweet smiley girl, about 5 months old.

 

Daddy teaching Asher how to call in a wild turkey, Spring 2011.

 

My mom and dad, summer 2010, I think.  They have been married for 40 years.

 

Another picture that makes me long for spring! Vinca, my favorite "unkillable" flowers :)

 

And one more summery picture...homemade strawberry shortcake, with strawberries from Mitchell Farms...and Grandpa Mitchell's shortcake recipe! Yummy!

 

 

We {heart} the ZOO!

We bought season passes for the Sedgwick County Zoo for the kids for Christmas, and we have just enjoyed it so much!  We have already visited about 5 times, and it's only February!  I can't wait to visit in the spring when the grass and trees are greener! 

Katie visiting with a little penguin!

Asher visiting with a mama mallard duck!

The beautiful flamingos!

Claire begging to get out of the petting area!

Asher visiting with a Canada Goose!

Katie just looking beautiful!

King of the Jungle!

Just a little hello!

 

 

 

Just popping in to say Hello!  I really have no excuse for not blogging, except that we have been a little under the weather with a stomach bug.  We are also still "adjusting" to the move, and it's kind of taken a toll on all of us.  We are struggling a little, to be truthful, so if you can say a prayer for us, it would be so wonderful.  We are still trying to find the right church for our family, and with Kris's work schedule, he is not able to go to church with us very often.  We have not really gotten to know anyone yet.  We have only lived here for 8 weeks, but some days it feels like we've been here forever by ourselves.  We miss our friends and church family in Independence so much. 

We are enjoying being together as a family, though, and it wonderful to curl up with Kris on the couch or all of us snuggle with Daddy at the end of the day.  We are so thankful to be together.  God has provided a way for us to be together, and has given us a great home to "borrow" for a while.  We are still waiting on our home in Indy to sell, hopefully soon! 

We recently had pictures taken by Joee Seibel at Moments of Grace and she did a great job!  If you would like to see more photos, you can visit her blog.  Claire was not in the mood for pictures, and didn't give us even one single smile during the session! It was really cold that day too, but we were really happy to have them taken!  If you are in the Wichita, KS area, Joee is really affordable and wonderfully talented!