Smiles

Paul at his first Circus- He was much more interested in the food than the acts!Sweatshirt season is almost over- so I had to get this cutie on camera before this went in the closet.

Snuggle and cuddle. :)

Changes...

I know I have been terribly over due in posting, but I am afraid that life right now is not going to improve my frequency of posting! We are in an exciting time of life right now with a lot of changes, so if you don't hear from us for a while- we would appreciate a prayer and some patience. :)

Scott starts a new job June 9th with the Ellsworth County Sheriff's Department. (Ellsworth Ks.) He will be a full time road deputy- or as Paul puts it- "Daddy has a big gun and shoots the bad guys. And helps the good guys." Scott will start with some training in the county and then sometime this fall attend the Kansas law enforcement training academy. This is a 14 week course in Hutchinson Ks. The trainees are there Monday through Friday and you get to be home on the weekends. He is really excited and looking forward to starting.

Anyone who has grabbed a map to find Ellsworth county now knows that this will also involve a move :) Ellsworth is about 3 hours south west of here, a bit too long if you are asking Marcus and talking about good travelers. :) Scott and I have been house hunting and are working with a great Realtor as we have narrowed down to 2 houses. We will see how the Lord irons out the details of which house, when we move, etc. At this point it is looking like Scott may start before we are all moved down, and the boys and I will follow after we get the house situation all finished up. It will be a big change to be in town- I have not lived in town since I was 6 years old, and a little nervous on learning proper "town etiquette".

Through this business and excitement we are constantly reminded how dear this place called home has been and how special the people around here are. To all you who share north east Kansas with us, we will miss you and are so grateful for the support and friendship you have invested in our lives. And yes- we will be back for visits!Paul with some flowers for mom- and a very posed smile.

Visiting the Shepards

The first weekend of April found us taking a trip down to the Shepards. We knew it had been a while since we had been down, but when we thought about it, it was almost a whole year ago that we had been at there house. Too long!

We had a really relaxing time, visiting and and playing with the boys. Paul and Justice are old enough to finally play together and it was a joy to watch them together. Thanks so much Rebecca and Andrew- we had a great time and will try to get down sometime this summer! :)

Andrew was the first to get the knack for the huge bubble wand.

Catch the bubbles!

Playing catch- Justice style.

"I'm ready!"

Rebecca found some great hats for the boys- they looked so cute!Too bad they did not leave them on long. :)

Thanks Aunt Rebecca!

Smile!

Family moments

What a blessing to have such a great husband and 2 precious little boys! Although some days I may feel very overwhelmed, when I see God's gifts, it makes me excited to welcome another in August! :) Part son, part walrus :)

Marcus loves making this lower lip face

Reading with Dad

Must be a serious part....

Matching shirts!

Safe and warm :)

Catching up on March....

March came in like a lamb and dragged a reluctant spring behind. Despite the north wind's calloused attempts to halt time in the bleakness of snow and ice, spring is pushing winter aside and painting it's beautiful colors all over. GREEN- the sign of life is appearing through the dead grass, Orange flies by on the wings of a robin, brown (did I ever think it was sooo pretty?:) mud covers most everything, a pleasant change from white snow. Soon the artist will be in full glory as flowers start to bloom and sunsets become a thing to enjoy after a long day outside. Ahhh, I am thankful for seasons! Especially warm ones! :)

Marcus really enjoys swinging!

Nice weather means outdoor projects.... "Can you fill my tire Dad?"
Our animal boy- Marcus checks on the goats.

The new addition! A 91' Chevy that is a great blessing. Now we are a two car family!!! Wow!

Happy Anniversary Sweetie!!

I love you so much. This has been the best 3 years of my life! I am so blessed to have such a wonderful wife. I hope and pray that every year is even better than any we've had so far. I love you and miss you every day I'm at work. I can't wait to get home to see you. --SA

We'll miss you grandma

The Ansons were blessed to make a trip to Chicago the first weekend of February to visit our family for Christmas. Grandma seemed fine and usual. Grandma was not in the best of health, but no one expected her to pass away any time soon. So we enjoyed our visit there and headed back to Kansas. 10 days later we found out that Grandma died sometime during the night. Grandpa found her lying on the floor in the bedroom. It came as a great shock to us all. I (this is Scott) lived with my Grandparents for 5 years after I graduated high school. My Grandma helped me through quite a few hard times. My love for her was/is strong and I will miss her very much. I have a lot of memories to think back on. I am glad Lydia was able to know her and I'm glad Paul and Marcus got to spend some time with her. They may not be able to remember her when they grow up, but we've got pictures! We are so thankful to still have Grandpa for as long as the Lord allows us. Grandpa has had a huge impact on my life just like Grandma did. We love them a lot. We'll miss you Grandma. Pictured below (L-R) is Grandma, Grandpa and my Mom at my brother's wedding in October, 2007.

Edna Kornack

May 13, 1932 - February 13, 2008

February....and pictures for Grandma

February was a tough month for the Ansons. Now that is almost over I am hoping for a much easier March and the rest of the year! Besides being bitterly cold, (you know it is harsh out when the temp does not rise into the double digits all day!) we struggled through colds and a flu. We were able to take a trip back to Chicago the first weekend of the month to visit Scott's family. We really enjoyed this time, even though we had to rush back home in order to miss a blizzard. What a shock when a week and a half later we received the news that Scott's grandma had passed away. Although a little down with a cold, Great-Grandma had seemed as full of pep as ever- how precious that visit became to us. We headed back to Chicago and gained comfort in the closeness of family in a time of loss.

Hard times draw me to the Lord and I am so grateful for His strength and mercy. Without Him we would be lost. Thankfully, His mercy is new every morning and as I look into the faces of my precious little boys, I am reminded of what a gift life is- (even when we have runny noses! :)

Grandma Sue and Paul

Great Grandpa and Marcus

Finally well enough to celebrate! Marcus turned 1 on Feb. 6th

Can I eat the candle?

This blueberry muffin is pretty good!

Having fun with Uncle Silas

Paul's first snowman

A new bed! Paul loves his "Fire bed".

Guns...

Ever since hunting season in the beginning of December, Paul has become infatuated with guns. He knows that Mom and Dad have guns and we take them out and shoot deer. (Yes, we both got deer this year- it was fun hunting and a blessing to have meat in the freezer.) So now everything that is able to fit in his hand has become a gun. And our efforts to train him just to shoot animals and not people seem to be bearing some fruit as he talks about shooting deer and rabbits all the time and is not so quick to shoot friends who stop by. He does shoot other things though- like his dirty diapers, or things that are lost.

"Paul, where is your shoe?"

"Mom, I shoot it. Shoe bye-bye."

Paul always wants to share his guns with Mom and Dad and Marcus, but Marcus has no interest and will drop the screwdriver/vacuum extension/toothbrush/etc. that Paul so willing offers. Maybe a few more months and he will catch on to the game! :)

All dressed up and ready to go out!

See the gun Mommy made me!?

Boys will be boys.... and when Paul is not playing guns, he finds other creative things to do.

Don't look now Grandma!!!

Where did the bullets go?

Ready Dad?

Catch!

What a big helper

Oh, we are ready to go out again.

See, I even have my back-pack!

Marcus, lets have some fun!

Oh, anyone want to play guns?

Need a bullet?

Goldilocks gets a trim

Marcus' hair started getting a little on the shaggy side this winter. So the beginning of January we gave our little guy his first hair cut. He was very patient and did a great job sitting still. It was hard to believe how much we actully cut off!

Before

Dad with the clippers

Paul trying to cut his hair :)

Not too happy, but every bit as cute!

Anson visit and Paul's Birthday

The day after Christmas we were thrilled to have Scott's Mom, and brother and his family come for a few days. We had a great visit- playing Monopoly, Uno Attack, and Medal of Honor. With plenty of talking and laughing through the 4 days. Paul loved having extra people to play with him and can't wait to see everyone again soon! Bryan takes Paul for a ride... Maybe Jeremy should help! :)
Jeremy playing with Marcus- he could get Marcus laughing so hard!

The whole clan! We miss you guys!

While the family was here, we were able to celebrate Paul's second birthday. Because strawberries are one of his favorite foods, we had strawberry shortcake for his party. But in this picture it looks like he will settle for the party blower if we don't stop taking pictures and get the food to his mouth!

Yeah! He blew out the candles!

Yummy!

A slide from Mom and Dad

Fun drums from Grandma Sue

A big hit- An inflatable indoor bounce house. Paul loves it and yes, it does take up our whole living room! Thanks Papa and Nana!