Today was a somewhat productive day. We woke up, got Dad out the door and ate our usual breakfast of Cheerios and fruit. Then it was just off to the races as soon as Katelynn got out of her high chair! I managed to vacuum with a baby on my hip, but now am stuck wondering why I even try to keep the floors clean because it never fails that when we come in from playing outside, someone 'forgets' to take their shoes off (me usually...go figure!) and tracks dirt in. Blah. Then I start over. I got some much needed dusting done too. I'm really trying to prepare for Dusk tomorrow (when Sabbath begins).

Katelynn is finally walking now (16 months old), although she's still got a ways to go with balancing her new-found act. Walking means getting into more things, although I'm not sure how she does it considering she can't move very fast...but she does manage to sneak off and keep me on my toes. She's talking way more than Halie was at this age. Everytime we go stand by the window, she points down to the ranch below us where all the cows are and says, "C-OOW?" It's really cute. She's also really taking a liking to her dad which is good to see. It truly is amazing how much you can forget about what babies do, until you have another one to remind you. Then you're thinking, Oh yeah, I remember when that happened with the first!

Halie is learning to read 3 letter words. I mix them up on a daily basis, but also stick to similar words so she can familiarize herself with what she's reading. It's motivation for her. As soon as she reads a word, she'll proudly exclaim, "I DID IT!" and then she'll stick out her hand for a high-five. Numbers seem to be a bit trickier. We're counting well up to the number 13 and can recognize them for the most part. We have all the letters down along with the sounds they make. I keep thinking how I'm going to teach her bigger words, but we're still a ways off from there. We'll cross that bridge when we get there.

Ryan is working his hiney off with the business, which slowed for awhile, but is picking up again. Praise God for always coming through. Of course he'd much rather do just locksmithing, but he seems to be great at construction too. At least he has work! There seem to be many out there struggling so bad with the way things have gone down in this country. Jobs are becoming harder to come by (and keep) and we just pray that what Ryan has going, will continue. Believe me, this whole mess has definitely affected us too. In the meantime, I'm holding down the fort here at home and really learning to enjoy the peacefulness living out here brings. Rarely do I get lonely anymore. My kids keep me happy and I have some good friends in town who I visit with once a week or so. It's hard to get bored out here with two kiddos keeping me running around all day!

The house is a total construction zone right now, and things are coming together slowly but surely. Before next winter, we'll have sheet rock up, and our kitchen will begin getting a face-lift. At least we're making progress (and all my windows are done in the front room! Wee!).