Spring is sure coming in like a lion!!!!

Last Sunday we tried to make it out before the snow hit...  no such luck!  But, there were still 2 geese and a bunch of 'gulls that appreciated the bread!

Dane is a typical boy, he loves to chase the birds and he doesn't actually toss the bread gently, he wads it up into a tight little ball and throws it at the birds with all the strength that he can muster!

When the birds swoop down to grab the bread, they leave these cool designs in the snow.

Today we made homemade sauerkraut!  YUM!

You'll Shoot Your Eye Out!

I'm a little behind, but our sweet boy had a birthday on March 9th!  He turned 6 years old!  It was a really great day!  Dane and Kimber went to church with Grandma, and then Dane and Grandma went to lunch/picked out his b-day gift!
After Clint got up, we opened presents and then enjoyed pizza!

Dane and Grandma picked Kimber out a tierra and "earrings" so she wouldn't be sad!

 Then the present opening commenced!  Dane let Kimber help him out!

 Then as the last gift, he got to open the "big one".  What could it be?????

 Oh my goodness...  it's a real BB Gun!  Wow!

 Well, you know what they say...  hopefully, he doesn't shoot his eye out!  :)  Look at that big boy!  

Dane's fishbowl treats, and Kimber's haircut!

We got the treats done, and even decorated one special treat for Gramps!

 The blue ones are red velvet cake inside, and the green ones are lemon!

 Then, this morning I got brave, found a good youtube video and decided to cut Kimber's hair!  I didn't do a very good job getting a "before" photo...  but here she is ready to go!

 I did panic about halfway through when I realized how much I was cutting off, and I couldn't get her to sit still.  But, despite the wiggles and worries, I think we got a pretty cute subtle wedge out of the deal!  

Misc. Winter Fun!

The temperatures have been cold, but we have still been getting some things done! Like rabbit hunting! In style, I might add.  (except for the mismatched mittens...)

 Dane is such a good big brother; holding Kimber's hand and helping her navigate the cactus and such.

 Our mighty guide checking things out for us! Although I did not get any pictures, he was able to harvest a couple rabbits for us!  

 Back at home, Bones totally rests in comfort...  compliments of Kimber!

 So, next weekend is Dane's birthday. That means we get to whip out the cake ball book and get some creative ideas.  Dane made his pick.  Here is a picture from our book of the end goal.

Then we started the process. First, you make the cakes...

 Gotta lick the spoons!

 Next, you break up the cake, and mix in the frosting!

 Then you curl up on the couch and take a little break while mama rolls out the balls...  (to be continued)

Trip to Willow Creek with Noah and Kaylee

Last weekend we were able to sneak away for a great day of ice fishing, and since it was a three day weekend, we got some projects done around the house as well!  Win/Win!  For our ice fishing trip, we really lucked out with the weather.  It was the perfect temperature (not too warm, and not too cold) and the wind came for a little while and then went away...  Not to mention, we were joined by Noah and Kaylee!  

Kaylee started off by quickly winning Kimber over.  It didn't take long and Kimber was pulling her around in the sled!  Kaylee totally had a little sidekick for the whole day!

Of course my two favorite guys got to work getting the tip ups in...  and catching fish! :)

Then Kaylee and Noah quickly followed suit and caught a very nice trout.

Of course, Dane had to pack around fish...  and Kimber wanted to help!

As always, Kaylee did a great job pulling in the trout!  Here she is with one of the biggest fish of the day!

Kimber was insistent that she needed to tie Shep to the sled.  She thought he would do a great job pulling her around.  Needless to say, we didn't think that would be such a great idea!  But, she still loves following him around when he was out with us.  

He has actually gotten quite good with her; I think he might even like her!

The girls enjoyed sledding throughout the day to break it up a little!  Dane was definitely more interested in fishing, so he did very little sledding and stuck with Clint out on the ice most of the time.

It is a little hard to see, but the girls are totally in the air in the picture below!  Again, you can see why Kimber totally adores Kaylee!  Kaylee is SO GOOD to her!

I think that Noah had a good time out there!

So, there we were...  Clint was cleaning fish and I was visiting with him.  Dane took initiative and was in Noah's ice house jigging with the rod.  When all the sudden he started yelling for his Dad!  Sure enough, little man caught one of the biggest fish of the day on the rod.  Look at the bend in that rod and the smile on that face!  If there was ever a question before, I'm certain that there isn't one now...  that boy is a fisherman!

Woo hoo!  Quite the catch!

Kaylee is much better at looking at the camera and smiling.  My kids complain about the sun, can't tear their gaze away from the fish, etc.  

Quite the haul for a day of fishing!

Last weekend was a "meat making" weekend!  We made landjaeger, summer sausage, venison ham, and of course burger.  The kids did a great time helping!  Dane is actually getting to such a great age.  He was able to help a fair amount which freed me up and I was able to do some clean up and other tasks while he helped Clint.  Kimber still has a little growing to do, but she is getting there too and will we will have two awesome helpers before we know it!

Then I was making something in the food processor and Kimber came into the kitchen like this... Safety is always a top priority around our house! :)

 Monday morning we started our day by hanging on the couch doing valentines...  Dane gave Kimber some stickers.  I promise that I had nothing to do with the placement of this sticker!

 Dane had all of his cards organized and was doing a very nice job!  He is our handsome little man for sure!