No Strawberries Made It Into Our House

Here's one reason why, well there were 5 little reasons, I guess.  :)

See what Anthony has in his hand?  Yep, a green strawberry.  He ate any he could find, no matter the color.

I was looking forward to having lots of strawberries this year, as this was their second year, and you don't get any the first year.  However, this was not meant to be a strawberry year, unfortunately, as we only got a few small handfuls.   Maybe next year!

If You Ever Forget...

...to put salt into your cantaloupe bread (or zucchini bread, banana bread, etc.)...


...Do Not Despair!


All you have to do is slather on some butter and eat away.


Problem solved!

The "Little" Church

Dan's brother works for St. Fidelis Church in Victoria, KS (aka, The Cathedral of the Plains).  This summer they are celebrating the 100th anniversary of the dedication of the church, so this to-scale replica was on display outside the church when we came through town.  Since rain was expected, Dan's brother went to get it.

The replica is made out of wood and painted.  Isn't it neat?

In order to fit it into the garage...

...Dan's brother had to take off the twin towers!

A close-up of the sign explaining who built the replica and when.  It's 85 years old!

My Little Mowing Man

Anthony likes to push the toy lawn mower around the yard...

...but every chance he gets, he climbs up on Daddy's big riding lawn mower.

Hey, Mom, when do I get one of these?

End Of The School Year Party

A couple of weeks ago, we celebrated the end of our school year by going to the zoo with the kids' cousins.

Anthony was ready to see some animals!

Catherine got silly with Isabella, while Seth looked on.

We got to see the little lion who is close to the same age as Anthony.

The kids were very interested in that little lion. 

I got all the kids but one in this picture.

Joseph and his buddy, Aloysius.

Anthony was really excited to see the turtles.

Everyone but Anthony here.  We had two moms and 10 kids.  You better believe we got comments all over the zoo.

As we were about to leave the zoo, our path was blocked for a moment.  Aren't they adorable?  Not as cute as the kids...  :) 

Mommy's Eyes Might Not Have Seen...

...but the camera sure did!  Can you guess who?

The Brungardt Golf Team

When we were at Grandma's house, Dan found his old golf clubs.

So he brought them back with us and the kids have discovered they like whacking those little balls.

Luckily we have a lot of room outside.

When they run out of balls to hit, then it'll be time for a scavenger hunt!

Grandma's House

A couple of weeks ago, we went to visit Dan's mom.

It was right before Joseph's birthday, so he got a little birthday party.

Grandma turned Joseph into a present, which Anthony thought was funny.  Joseph, not so much. 

Anthony and Dan, with Dan's great-nephew, who is about 5 months younger than Anthony.  Aren't they cute together?  Anthony liked Kayden, as long as Mommy did not hold him.

Joseph with his new truck.  What a goofy guy!

Visiting Grandpa's grave.

Grandpa and Joseph share the same birthday, thus they have the same name, Joseph Balthaser.

Time to say a prayer, which was Anthony's cue.

He walked up behind the kids and tried to knock them over, which is what he does every evening during bedtime prayers.

I think Grandpa would be happy to know that the kids were praying and playing so close by.

Book Review: Temple Cat

This picture book is a story about a cat who lives in a temple.  It takes place in an ancient civilization where the people worship cats, and he is seen as a god.  His every need is taken care of, but he does not get to do the normal things that cats like to do.  So one night he escapes and finds his own happiness. The illustrations are striking.  I think this would be a good picture book to read when you are studying ancient civilizations.  Catherine read this book three times before I had a chance to read it to the kids.


Disclaimer:  I did not receive anything for this unsolicited review, but if you follow the link to Amazon and purchase anything, I will receive a small commission.

Book Review: Jam & Jelly by Holly & Nellie

This is a story about a poor family living in Michigan whose daughter, Holly, will be ready to start school in the fall.  However, she does not have a warm coat or boots for the winter, and they cannot afford to buy any.  Holly's mother is determined to earn money so that Holly won't have "gaps in her education" like she did from not being able to attend school in the winter.  So all summer long, Holly and her mother work hard picking berries and making jam and jelly to sell, all the while the mother encouraging her daughter and telling her the worth of an education.  At the end of the summer, Holly's father has a surprise for them to help sell their goods.  While the storyline is good, what I liked most about this book were the lovely illustrations, each of which was a wonderful painting.  Catherine and the twins were interested in the story and they all liked the pictures.


Disclaimer:  I did not receive anything for this unsolicited review.  However, if you follow the link to Amazon and purchase anything, I will receive a small commission.

Book Review: Can You Make A Scary Face?

This is a thoroughly delightful picture book that all five of my kids loved from the first page.  Yes, even Anthony!  The bug on the front is the star of the book and on each page tells the readers to do something.  Stand up, sit down, pretend this, pretend that.  The kids were giggling, jumping around, doing a chicken dance, pretending to wiggle a bug off their nose, and so on.  Anthony was very entertained watching the antics of the other kids, thus I could actually read the whole book without any interruptions.  The illustrations are bright and cute as well. 

Disclaimer:  I did not receive anything for this unsolicited review.  However, if you follow the link to Amazon and purchase anything, I will receive a small commission.

Roses For Mary

Last year Dan transplanted three rose bushes from the front of the house where they were not doing very well to behind the grotto.

Aren't they doing great?  Beautiful, and they smell wonderful, too!

First Holy Communion

A few weeks ago, Dan and I were happy to be present for our godson's First Holy Communion.  What a glorious day!  Congratulations, Michael!

Joseph's 4th Birthday

Here is one excited little boy getting to open a birthday present before breakfast.

Then after breakfast we mixed and baked the cake.  Anthony "helped."

After I decorated the cake, Joseph got to play with the decorator bag.  Black frosting, of course.

Time for some outside fun.  Funny face and all!

After Daddy brought home some hamburgers and we ate dinner, it was time for birthday cake!

The Batman cake, cake pan courtesy of our local library.

Ripping into some more presents.  Did you notice somebody got a hold of one of them?  Anthony had a fit when I took it away.

Joseph is enthralled with his new cap gun.

Cowboy Joe is all ready to go.

"Say your prayers!"

Joseph had a great day.  He got to open presents, have a cool Batman cake, and choose what he wanted for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  Well, except for when he said he wanted cake for dinner.  And he got to play all day.  And not pick up any toys!  What more could a little boy ask for?

Happy Birthday, Joseph!

Our Joseph is now 4 years old!  If you want to read about when he was born, go here.

Joseph is getting to be such a big boy.  He still loves tractors and being outside, especially helping Daddy in the garden.

Riding his bike.  Notice anything funny about it?  Yeah, one day Mommy backed over his bike and made it unrideable.  So last weekend Daddy took some parts from Anne's old bike and now he can ride his bike again. 

This is classic Joseph.  He is always making funny faces and doing little funny dances.  Never fails to get us laughing.

And now I'm off to decorate a Batman cake!