Celebrating Baby Opal!

We met up with the McClellan and the McConnel and Lambert families for a couple nights of fun in Kansas City to celebrate Opal's cancer free status! We rented an Air B and B five bedroom house and lived on top

of each other for a few nights, but we were all together!! Curtis grew up with the McClellan family in Oklahoma for a number of years and the families grew very close. They have kept in touch over the years though both families moved away. Their granddaughter Opal was diagnosed with cancer at the age of eight months in 2016, and they  battled for her life for six months at St Jude children's hospital to rid her body of the cancer. They received a bill of good health right after the new year. We all got together to celebrate from March 12-14! 

Unfortunately just one day after us leaving, Opal was not acting right so they got her blood drawn and the ER. The cancer is back. It is so devastating. We will trust the Lord in this process as we watch, pray, and wait for His might hand to work. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

March 11!

Callie got to attend her first baby shower today! She dressed up so beautifully! We were celebrating the baby of Curtis' cousin's wife, Kandis. She is expecting a girl at the beginning of June! We showered Momma-to-be with Young Living Essential Oils - Sleepyize and Gentle Baby blend, shampoo, and bath gel!! Hopefully she will be a chemical free baby!! 

Callie was excited to get on a beautiful dress and go with Mommy. She was invited to sit at the"little girls table" with her cousins at the shower. She was very kind to the other girls and obeyed well. We saw a lot of family we do not see often - Grandma Lawther, Aunt Tammy, Aunt Theresa, Aunt Linda, Cousin Janice, and Cousin Aubrey. We had a great time and enjoyed seeing family we hardly ever connect with. 

 

 

Bunny Hugs!

This morning Callie was playing with her stuffed bunny from Ms. Patty!

 

 

 

Three Year Old

This girl makes me smile everyday. She is a joy to my heart! We were getting ready to go to the library today and she was climbing up and down the step stool ladder! You have to love her outfit - cowboy boots, Bears Shirt, and pink headband! She is a joy!!

 

Go Cart Building

Cade has really wanted to build a go-cart with the lumber we have around here, which isn't much so his endeavor has been very successful. He found the training wheels and had the right idea here, but since they are only hanging on screws, when the board was set down, they fell off. I love his desire to work with his hands and build and grow. He easily gets flustered so the fact he has gone back to this project two or three times is great. He does love using Curtis' drill, though, so maybe that is the motivation!! I need to get him the right "scrap" tools to make this happen for him. He has gotten very frustrated with this project because he doesn't have the right materials. Hopefully we can make it happen with a few donations from friends. I do wish I had the abilities my Dad has with his hands. He can make anything happen. So let's hope we see an updated picture of a go-cart by summer's end with wheels that roll! 

 

Tea Party!

While Mommy was doing some office work, we enjoyed a little tea party together with water and Hershey's Kisses! She was so patient with me as I finished up some work! She sure loves to pour the "tea" from glass to glass to glass! She definitely has loved Ms Bea's gift. 

 

Trombone Man

We have been enjoying music from Mr. Trombone! We got out the metronome this week and Cade has been working on keeping a consistent beat as he plays. Each minute he practices he gets better and better! He is a joy to watch grow! 

 

Warriors!

The kids have dug into the dress up box this week, and have been enjoying their sword battles. We are definitely learning the famous Odell slogan, "If you are going to play rough, you better be tough." Though there is always conflict, the kids really have gotten along well this week. 

 

Hair Cutting!

Little Miss Callie was cutting paper so nicely and then I noticed her go under the table for a few minutes and come back out. I took a closer look and noticed hair bybher scissors. That little girl cute her beautiful hair! She knew right away that I knew, and her lip began to quiver with tears to follow. Precious little babe. We definitely learned to not cut our hair after those moments together. 

 

Peoria Speech Meet

Cade qualified for the ACSI Speech Meet in Peoria on March 3rd. He prepared hand perfected is I Corinthians 13 passage over the last few weeks to compete at this meet. Though it is always a nerve racking time, Cade did a great job presenting his chapter. He had to go first so that made him a bit more nervous, but when I reminded him that it was an advantage to go first because he would set the tone for the judges, he liked that idea! Cade walked away with a blue ribbon this year with an average of 48.5/50 from the judges. He did a wonderful job of teaching his audience God's Word as He recited I Corinthians 13. He was even chosen during the awards ceremony to present his passage in front of the whole Speech Meet crowd (100-200 people!). He did an excellent job! I was so proud of him!!

We did continue the tradition of Golden Corral for our lunch time celebration! Grandma Bev rode with us and we enjoyed the day with her. She even spent the evening with the kids, so Mommy could go out with the church ladies for dinner! What a darling lady who loves us and sacrifices for us so much! 

 

 

 

Missing Daddy!

We sent Daddy off to California for the week and we cuddled close all week while we missed him. Grandma Bev was a big help and got the boys to and from school a few days which was a big help so Callie could nap. We made it but would prefer him being home!! 

 

Grandma's Cat!

Grandma's cat is becoming more and more tame, so the kids are getting some special moments to hold the cat here and there!! Little Jasper is going to have to like kids whether he likes it or not! 

 

Happy Birthday Kaylyn!

Joel got to celebrate Kaylyn's birthday at the bowling alley with his classmates and friends!! The bowling alley was a busy place with lots of people, loud music, and fun lights! The kids had a great time celebrating! 

 

Ready for Spring!

She has her new helmet and bike gloves ready to go!! Her helmet received new pads, and we found her new gloves at Dig and Save! She is ready to hit the road, and actually has been moving quite well on her trike. She has finally been able to enjoy riding her trike because she can touch the wheels!!

 

Micro Machines

Grandma Bev brought over Daddy's micro machines from his childhood days for the kids. The kids have loved them!! Joel has enjoyed every moment of these "little" treasures!! Nightly car drafts and races have made a very happy little boy. 

 

Grandma Sparks

We received word on Tuesday night Grandma Sparks was not doing well and had been placed in the hospital due to renal failure. Uncle Dan and Aunt Opal had planned to come for the week to work on some things with the farm and be with Grandma. Unfortunately, the plans were put on hold and Grandma needed major attention. Things definitely looked awful. Curtis and I decided to go on Wednesday to support Grandma, Mom, Dad, Dan, and Opal. Sitting and watching life leave this earth is so very hard. Working to understand God's plan in this season is hard, but knowing He is God and holds it all together is what we continue to trust in. He has the perfect plan and He desires our hearts as we walk through every season. May the Lord continue to be glorified in our family even in these hard days. 

 

Callie left her special beads with Grandma Sparks as we left the hospital. When we left our home to leave for Ames, she got the beads from her room and planned to leave them with her. When she really did, I was surprised. Tender hearted. 

 

 

 

 

 

President's Day Overnight!

We headed out after church President's Day weekend to visit Josh and Tori! When we got into town we stopped at our favorite store - Dig & Save! We ended up with a few treasures as we dug! 

On Monday, we went ice skating at Josh's rink where he works! We had the whole rink to ourselves to skate and play hockey! We brought all of the boys' hockey gear, so they suited up and grabbed their sticks! There was a little seal Callie could ride on or push around the ice which was a huge blessing! There were even skates at the rink that Callie could wear. She was pretty excited to be wearing skates for the first time! We got to see Josh drive the zamboni after we finished skating. 

After lunch we went to the zoo! The Madison Zoo is free! They had great animals! I wasn't sure what to expect since it was free admittance. When we walked in we immediately saw a male and female lion. The kids loved it. The orangutans were a huge hit with the kids. I think Cade could have watched the three of them play all day. It actually reminded me of our three kids playing together! We also saw giraffes, alligators, tortoise, fish, flamingos, goats, polar bears, buffalo, and a few more! We had a great time! We ended our time with getting new pennies for our souvenir penny books! 

What a fun 24 hour get away! It is always nice to get away from the day to day stressors for a bit of time and enjoy the wonderful people God has given us as friends!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Play!

With such beautiful weather, you couldn't keep us in!! Daddy had a meeting at church this Saturday morning, so the kids and I made it over to the "blue school park" to play!! Callie is going higher and higher, and faster and faster! She is growing up so quickly! 

 

 

Sunshine!

We have had unusually warm weather and we have had to find time to get out and enjoy it! With our trip to the museum yesterday we were inside, and on this day we needed groceries from Aldi so had a drive to Peru to include in our day. After Aldi we found a park and played some on the playground! The park had a tall old slide, so brace Callie made her way up the steps, but the way down was much faster than expected and when she landed her leg got caught. Momma thought for a second Callie's leg was broken when she screamed, but thankfully it wasn't! After some hugs, she walked it off and we ended our time at the park with joy! 

 

Doc McStuffins Exhibit

We took our friends Makaylee and Marian to the Family Museum to play for the day! The girls ran from one exhibit to the next to the next for three hours! We packed our lunch and enjoyed a little break from playing to enjoy our food at the museum. Baby Marian did great, and Makaylee was a fun playmate! Callie wants to be sure to go back, so we will have to take the boys sometime this Spring before Doc's exhibit leaves.