Outside boy...

Paul really enjoys being outside and the weather has been great for that lately. We always laught that Kansas has two seasons- summer and winter. No fall or spring. However, this year we have had a really nice September. Nights in the 40-50s and days in the 60-low 80s. Harvest is starting and leaves are beginning to fall. Ahhh! What a beautiful time of year. Fall has always been Mom's favorite season. I think it has always been tough on her, growing up in NY to come to a state that has such pathetic weather these autumn months. Growing up here in the country though, I am afraid I would take the combines and grain trucks over the neighborhoods of red maples- no matter how stunning! :)
The cool weather has brought apples, and I have enjoyed making applesauce and freezing it for later. Paul loves applesauce, so I don't think I can have too much on hand!
I saved some for eating though, and we "share" one most mornings after our walk. I take a bite and he gums all the juice on that part. :)

One evening we walked up and down our drive for a while as we waited for Scott to get home from work. Paul loves the cows our landlord keeps here, and just had to go over and investigate. It looks like the cows are as curious as he is!

He is a little country boy!

After a long walk, those heavy eyes would not stay open one minute longer! :)

This weekend we are looking forward to the wedding of some dear friends. Scott is honored to be part of the wedding party. We are so excited for Jonathan and Kayla!
And next weekend we have another wedding- a good girl friend of mine is getting married. (Only 8 days to go Emily! :) It looks like we will have a house full of company staying here by Thursday, so I may not get on to blog for a bit. I will try to keep up!
Enjoy this fall!
LA

Grandma Su

We sure miss Scott's mom. We keep hinting about a fall visit, but she is trying to save up vacation time for February. So we call and post here.

This week Paul got a special package. He loved the envelope. :)

Thats right!
We love and miss you Mama Su!

Eating

Can you tell Paul loves to eat?
He must take after his parents. :)
He is learning to feed himself, but still makes more messes than really getting much in his mouth. Little movements that I take for granted, require such concentration from him. I can see why the fork was invented though.... imagine eating the whole meal in little pinch- portions!

Look at that belly! No starvation going on around here!

Growing up

Paul is growing up so fast! I would blame my lack of blogging on his activity, but it is more an issue of time management than anything else! We have been doing really well. Septemeber came with cooler weather and beautiful days for being outside. Scott is busy at the dairy, and really enjoying it. Most days he works 8-6 with a lunch break that he enjoys here at home. :) Once or twice a week he works 3:30am to noon. We actully like this shift as it gives up the afternoon together. (After a long nap) They run a varied schedule so everyone takes turns with the weekends. THis week he worked Sat and Sun, but had Friday and Monday off. It is fun to have a little variety.
As some of you know, Scott has continued to pursue his law enforcement dreams this year with the patrol again. We found out recently that he did not make it again this time, but we are not discouraged. We are praying about Scott finishing his degree starting this spring and then trying again after he has finished his schooling. He already has 20 hours from night school he took back in Chicago, so we have some of the work already done!

Paul is crawling very well and pulling up on everything. He has been on a better schedule lately and that helps out everyone. He is beginning to say "mama" and it is sooooo precious! He is eating a lot of "real food" now. I still nurse him often, but he can put down a whole sweet potato in one meal! We also just started yogurt, and that with banana is a new favorite.
Until recently he was still waking up several times a night to nurse, and for the sake of peace and quiet, we just gave in, but this week, we started laying him back down. THere were two rough nights, but last night he slept ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HIS LIFE!!!!! FROM 8:40PM TO 7AM!!! What a praise the Lord, the busy nights were hard on me, and this a huge blessing.

Not to say we don't have our crazy days still- even Paul has a bad hair day in this shot!

I have been doing well, feeling good which is a blessing. Yep, for those of you who do not know already, sometime in mid-February there will be another little Anson joining the family! We are excited and the pregnancy is going very well. I did not have near the morning sickness I had with Paul, all together much better in that area. I have had some headaches this time, but that is usually because my blood sugar is dropping and I need to eat something! It is a bit of a challange some days, I feel between feeding Paul and being pregnant I just need to eat all day! Thankfully food sounds good! :)
Paul and I have been walking each morning. He really likes the stroller and a few times has even fallen asleep! I enjoy the exercise, especially now that the weather is nice. Most mornings we start out with a sweatshirt!
Well, that catches you up a little bit on our lives. I have been working on my own schedue lately and feel really good about keeping up on the house- Thursdays are supposed to be my day to blog, but don't hold your breath! :) However slow I am at times, we really enjoy this way to stay in touch with people and share pictures of what is going on. Your comments are always so fun to read!

God bless! Lydia for Anson farms

Bath Time!

Paul really enjoys bath time. Scott usually gives him his bath in the evenings and they both enjoy a little "Daddy and Paul time" while I clean up from supper. The perfect way to relax and play after a long day!

Cousins :)

Did you ever see two sweeter boys? :)

May they grow up to love the Lord and His ways!

Shepard visit....

The second week of August was a fun week for us. Scott had finished at Haug, (The computer place he was working at full time) and had a week off before he started full time at the dairy. Rebecca and Andrew have been working on an addition on their house for over a month and we had really wanted to go down and help them for a while. So on Tuesday the 8th we headed down to Parsons for the week. I would post a lot of pictures of the work- except I feel that is Rebecca's news, so hopefully she will blog soon, :) (THeir computer has been having problems lately as I understand it- so be patient!)
We had a great time though, and the guys worked hard. (Rebecca and I enjoyed visiting, watching the boys and helping out here and there:) We can't wait to go down again!

Paul- FINALLY happy at the Chinese resturant, playing "drums"
with Uncle Andrew

Justice- layed back and enjoying the meal

After a hard days work.....

Aunt Rebecca with the boys!

Shepard visit....

The second week of August was a fun week for us. Scott had finished at Haug, (The computer place he was working at full time) and had a week off before he started full time at the dairy. Rebecca and Andrew have been working on an addition on their house for over a month and we had really wanted to go down and help them for a while. So on Tuesday the 8th we headed down to Parsons for the week. I would post a lot of pictures of the work- except I feel that is Rebecca's news, so hopefully she will blog soon, :) (THeir computer has been having problems lately as I understand it- so be patient!)
We had a great time though, and the guys worked hard. (Rebecca and I enjoyed visiting, watching the boys and helping out here and there:) We can't wait to go down again!

Paul- FINALLY happy at the Chinese resturant, playing "drums"
with Uncle Andrew

Justice- layed back and enjoying the meal

After a hard days work.....

Aunt Rebecca with the boys!

Busy, happy boy...:)

Paul is such a joy to us! He is crawling very well now , can sit up easily and pulls himself up on people and furniture. He is learning the meaning of the word "no" :) He loves going out side for stroller walks with Mom and lights up when ever Scott gets home from work.Playing ...

Can I sit in your lap Mom?

No teeth yet, but what a happy face!

Grandma Sue and the boys...

I know it has been a long time again. Summer is a hard time to post for me! :) July finished out very hot, but we had a nice visit with Scott's Mom and 2 nephews to break things up!
We had a good time together, (although no air-gun wars due to the furnace outside,) and can't wait to see them again. Hopefully we will make it back to Il. this fall sometime.
Thanks for coming! We miss you!

Nick had a special touch with Paul

Scott dominated at Risk..... I don't want to talk about that more.....

At the pool at Ulmers. Ahhh- cool and wet :)

Family photo flop...

Ok, it was not a complete flop, but it was not what I was thinking either. :) I have been wanting to get a family picture since the 4th of July and it has not worked. Finally, Saturday night we were dressed and pressed and all ready. Except for Paul. As you can see, he did not feel in the mood to smile, or even look at the camera. This was the best shot out of many.
Oh well, we will try again soon! (Doesn't Scott look sooo handsome! :)

Aunt Dorie, Victoria and Heather....

Thursday night brought my Aunt Dorie, and cousins Victoria and Heather all the way from NY to Kansas! Mom picked them up at the airport in the evening, (you don't want to ask how their flight was...) and brought them home. Friday night Scott, Paul and I headed to Mom and Dad's for supper and a long over-due visit. Dorie is Mom's only sister and she has flown out at least once a year for the past 7-8 years while Grandma, (and at first Grandpa) live near here in a nursing home. We always looked forward to her visits, and her trademark treat- fresh from the bakery NY bagels! Yummy! You could always SMELL her suitcase, it was scented with garlic bagels!
We have not been able to see her children or husband as much, but this time she brought her two oldest, Victoria who is 19 and Heather who is 17. We had a great time talking, laughing and hugging. Saturday they came over for a while to see where we live, but moved along as Scott and I were butchering. :)
Saturday night found us back at Mom and Dad's for a campfire and smores. They left today with Esther as tour-guide and headed down to Rebecca and Andrews for the night before flying home tomorrow. We loved our visit and miss you already!

Victoria with Paul at Mom and Dad's.

Heather and Paul

Aunt Dorie
Thanks for coming!

Our joy boy....

Paul in his little "Lord Fauntleroy" outfit made by Great Aunt Beth

Peek-a-boo!

Where did Paul go? :)

Trully children are a blessing! Paul is such a joy! He is moving very well now- not "offical" type crawling but very close. He loves being the center of attention, :) and much prefers you to sit and play with him, than play by himself. He sat up by himself for the first time last Wednesday, and continues to work on making it a smooth skill. He does well sitting, but sometimes forgets that there is nothing behind him and crashed backwards on his head. Ouch! I think it always frustrates him more than it hurts!

A few months ago we began training him to go to bed without being rocked or snuggled with. When it is bed/nap time, he gets kisses and prayers and lays down. He has been doing really well and after the first few rough nights, he now hardly ever cries and goes to sleep quite quickly. This has been really nice when we are out and at other's homes. We can just put him in the portable crib and he knows what is up.

Other things our little man loves...
Tickles with Daddy
Playing with the puppies
EATING :)
Riding in the "back-pack" carrier
Visitors
"Talking" on the phone
Smiling
Visits from Grandma Sue!

Busy, hot summer....

Did I hear someone say supper?

The Joys, Schreiners, Gurnseys and Ansons
(And a few Ulmers too!)

Just chewing on toys with Aunt Esther :)
Dear Friends, I have really fallen behind in blogging. Yikes! Hopefully I will do better in the coming weeks. June finished out very warm and busy. Scott turned 30 this year, but we kept it small and I did not make a huge deal about it. We were actully on the road some of his birthday as we went down to Salina to test for the KHP. This marks the second summer Scott has been trying to get on the Kansas Highway Patrol. It is a long process with trips to Salina for tests, Topeka for a polygraph test, back-ground investigations and waiting to hear results. Last year he made it to the last cut. THis year we are praying he will get on. If he does, he will train Monday through Friday at the academy in Salina. He gets to come home on the weekends, but we would sure miss him during the week! We would have some time to prepare though, the academy does not start until January.
Near the end of June we also enjoyed attending Esther's graduation party at my folks house. It was a lot of fun. Andrew and Rebecca were up and we had a great time as family.
July started hot and has been getting hotter. We traveled up to good friends the Schreiner's near Lincoln Ne. for our annual July 4th visit. Scott always takes joy in purchasing a bunch of fireworks and he and all the guys put on a great show! We had a terrific time up there- the Schreiner's had opened their house to many and we had a great crowd of friends.
July also brought my birthday, and that ment surprise dinner out and out to the movies- my husband is so sweet! We brought Esther and Elizabeth and had a great time.
As you saw by Scott's post, we finally finished our chicken plucker. What a blessing! We are hoping to finish all our chickens this week. Please pray things go well! :)

Paul is such a blessing. His little smiles and noises keep me grinning all day. He is eating veggies now, carrots and squash have been the start. Saturday he had a bad day. Overtired, strange schedule and teething ment a fussy boy ALL DAY LONG. But thankfully, Sunday he was much happier and we are hoping his teeth will cut through quickly or not cause him so much discomfort.
I will try to post again soon!
God bless! Lydia for the Ansons

The plucker liveth!!!!

The parts I was getting machined finally came, and we fired up the plucker on Monday night. After a few final adjustments, I gave it the green light for Tuesday's butchering. It is amazing!! It will take 99.5% of the feathers off of two 4 lb birds in about 30 seconds. And the best part is that it is 'hands off'. Just drop them in, keep them wet, and the plucker does the rest. It has easily doubled our efficiency. What a blessing!
Here also are some fun pics :)
Keith came to visit last weekend. Here is a picture of Paul and Uncle Keith. And there also a picture of Justice and Uncle Noah. And here also is a picture of the pups.

Thank you Lord...

Thank you Lord for rain and rainbows..

For a home, clothing and food...

For our mothers...

And our fathers....

And precious children.
Each day I look at Paul, my love grows deeper.
Each day I am more challanged by the thought-
"God so loved the world that He GAVE his
ONLY Son......"
"Lord, thank you for life and all you have given us.
Thank you for your Son.
You alone are worthy of praise."
"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning."
James 1:17