Life here at Twin Oaks is full and blessed.

We are still working on getting things finished around here!

The boys cleaned up and put a couple coats of varnish on our sign from the farm so we could hang it on the wall in the family room.

I LOVE IT!!

The guys literally spent all day last Saturday on the land.

After calling the sheriff’s department, they started a huge burn that day to clean up all the brush, branches and dead trees to get ready to bring in fill and top soil to make our YARD!

There are still road bans – meaning that we cannot bring trucks down our road right now until they take those road bans off.

They do that every spring during the thaw from winter so that heavy trucks do not tear up the roads.

Right now it is winter still, so it might be a while until they take those bans off!

I do not have good photos of last Saturday – I took mostly video that day – but here is one right as the guys started burning.

It doesn’t look it, but the pile was the size of half a football field!

They have kept at all the other little things that we are trying to finish too.

Like ceiling fans.

Hanging the shutters.

The boys did such a great job!!!

And hanging a blind in the kitchen that arrived.

The kiddos and I spent a day in town over a week ago to sell a bunch of winter clothes that we were done with and get some things that they needed.

It was a productive day!

Here we were waiting at the consignment shop for our big pile of things we dropped off to be gone through.

Of course there was coffee!!

Eliza asked if she could grow her hair long like Addie Mae’s.

That prompted a lot of talks with her about what that means.

That it will touch her back, that it will need combed, that it will get tangled easier….

All the things she could not handle when it was long before.

She was really determined to try!

So we are!

Our newest six year old has also lost two teeth!

She struggled quite a bit with those loose teeth and how they felt – so I was so proud of her when she did not cry when they finally fell out!

Thankfully we have these oils to help her (and I!) each day.

This was my view from the kitchen early one morning.

TOOK MY BREATH AWAY.

What if.

What if the Lord had not led us to Tate?

We are SO blessed!!!

Speaking of that, just look at these two.

Always together.

This guy claimed to be security the afternoon that we wrapped Lane’s birthday presents!

Small house problems, you know.

Our sweet pup turned TWO!!

I love her SO much!!

And she is ALWAYS at my feet or my side.

We brought the grand babies home from church on Kayla’s birthday so she and David could have a date!

It was SUPER fun!

Have I mentioned how much we are enjoying these guitars?

Well, we are!!

Chad’s teacher told us that Chad has been his student that has caught on and advanced the quickest!!

We are getting things in order for Chad to be part of the worship team at church!!

He sings when he plays and my heart is in a puddle every time.

We had five dentist appointments this week.

Some crazy lady in charge of our calendar made the appointments for 8 a.m.

CRAZY, I say!

It was nice when we were all through to have the rest of the day before us – because it actually was a nice, warmer day!

These two.

They have been best friends since the day they met and have grown up like twins.

They headed out one night this past week to eat to make good on a gift certificate that one gave the other.

I love, love how they invest in this all important relationship!

The finches have all molted and gotten their bright feathers!

Someone forgot to tell them it is still the dead of winter here in Wisconsin.

We had our first lunch and play date at River’s new place!!

It was FANTASTIC, as always!!

We sang this song at our women’s meeting at church this past month, and I loved the words.

I decided it should be the next song that the kiddos and I learn!

My helpers.

They are both also my talkers.

I mean NON-STOP talkers.

While we were putting away dishes this night I learned about six species of birds and the fascinating fact that worms cannot drown.

I love listening to them!!!!

We woke up this Friday to some serious RAIN.

And WIND.

I headed to town anyway and nearly drown while running errands.

Friday evening was to bring ICE.

And SNOW.

So, date night got cancelled!

But we took a date night at Twin Oaks in the upstairs while the kiddos were told to stay downstairs.

He, he!

Creative, huh??

The ice came.

The snow came.

It is APRIL, folks.

Some of our windows are covered in ice!

There is a bird lady who lives here.

She is OLD!

She had one of her guys put some bird seed on the patio in a dog bowl so the birds could eat under cover while it was so windy!

If they could say thank you, I know they would have!

Look how happy they look!

We were all stuck at home yesterday – which was GREAT!

Even Addie was told by her boss to stay home from work!

Nasty weather!

Warm sweaters, kiddos in pjs all day, and lots of cuddling went on!

That is until I decided to make a bunch of food and sliced my thumb on the food processor blade.

Cause what wouldn’t be a better day to go to the ER?

In an ice storm with 45 mph straight winds?

I know, I know.

I should have had Blake just super glue it himself!!

It was a nice addition to our date this weekend though.

Getting to talk to each other in a quiet ER room while we waited FOREVER, I mean.

Grant has been out since midnight hauling and plowing snow.

Church has been cancelled for this morning, and I am letting the kiddos sleep till they wake on their own!

We will have another cozy day at home today, and worship together too!

We have a family staying with us this week – something we have been looking forward to for a LONG time!

Having Twin Oaks full of people is my FAVORITE thing!

Especially people who will eat meals with us!!

Looking forward to a great week, Lord willing, of good food and fellowship!!

Hope you all have a great start to your week too!