Upgrading Weanie Status

Well folks, I have officially upgraded my weanie status from weanie to no longer a weanie!!! I killed, with a shovel, my first rattlesnake today just off of our front steps in the grass. Noah found it and said, "snake, Mommy." While we were walking off to feed the calves and Haylee said, "Mom, Noah says there's a snake!" I looked around the corner and sure enough there was a rattlesnake peering it's head up and I was praying, "Lord, please do NOT let that snake bite Noah!" I kept yelling at Noah to run away and get to Mommy, but he just took his time. I grabbed my yellow shovel and sent the kids inside. Let me share that my adrenaline was racing or boiling and I was freaking out. So I smacked the snake with my shovel to try to break its back, I kind of missed so I cut its tail instead. But then I realized that my Mom was right about my shovel needing to be bluntly sharper, so I used the side of it like an axe and voila, I had managed to chop, in two whacks or maybe three (I really don't remember), its neck off about 7 inches from the the head. It was similar to an out of body experience, I just remember thinking, I have to protect my kids and I will NOT let anything harm them. Then I made the important call to my Mom to confirm that now I am no longer a weanie and to verify that I had done the job completely right. She reminded me that I needed to cut the head off right at the neck so that it wouldn't/couldn't have the reflex to bite anything or anyone and to bury it in a hole. Good point, I thought and did just that. It came complete with 7 buttons! This my trophy for the duty of protecting my family. I think that I need a shower to remove all the nervous sweat and to calm my nerves. My parents told me that my first would be the hardest, I am hoping that I don't have to find any more in my yard. That makes two rattlesnakes at the Sandman home thus far for 2009.

Pool Fun

Spring 2009 Concert

Here are some photos of Haylee's spring concert and the production of the "Three Pigs Opera". It was so cute to see the growth of the Kindergarten class and how much they have matured in just a few months of school. Haylee was the pig that built the brick house and her pig sisters are Maycee and Kendra (her good friends). The boys were the wolves. Haylee is really blessed to have such a great class of kids for her friends.

Alexa Graduates from Preschool 2009

This entire year Alexa has been ready for Kindergarten, but we told her that she couldn't go to Kindergarten until she completed Preschool. Here are some photos from Graduation night. During the program each class sings songs with the actions and sometimes sign language too. Each child receives a folder with various writings, stories, pictures and crafts to commemorate the year. This is a nice tool for Mom's especially when deciding what to keep from year to year. Alexa is definately ready for Kindergarten to begin in August (goodness, less than two months away!).

Elementary Field Day 2009

Easter Party 2009

I am a Weanie!!

At least I can admit it!! Right before school was out I had returned from McCook and my Mom brought by our new addition to the family, BG (Baby Girl). I didn't pick the name, but she is 2 and I cannot train her to come to anything else!!! That's another story, but during the time that my Mom took BG to the clinic and returned to our home for coffee, I went out to plant my tomato plant. In my quest to multitask...I came around the south side of the garage and looked down next to the foundation where my plant was and saw a HUGE rattlesnake enjoying the cool location between a planter and the foundation. It wasn't bothered my presence, but I was shaking in my flip flops!!! So I told Haylee to go inside because there was a rattlesnake and she proceeded to lock all the doors! I got my shovel and turned the car around to kill it when it came down the drive way (I am not a weanie in a car). And all the kids came running out to sit in the safe car while we waited for the snake. It was pretty happy where it was and wasn't moving, so I called Derek (my hero) to rid the snake and told me to kill it and I said, "I haven't ever killed a rattlesnake with a shovel, so I am a weanie." He wouldn't be available for a while so I called my Mom to find out where she was...enroute to our home. I needed her snake killing experience to rid the snake. She willing came to the rescue (my other hero). With the shovel, my Mom moved the planters and killed the snake (YEA!!!). It had 6 buttons and was 2 1/2 feet long, at least. I keep the rattle on the kitchen window sill to remind me to always be looking and keep the shovel where it is handy for snake killing.

The next day, I was out watering the planters and other plants and our cat, Ink, pulled out a gardner snake from the same spot!!! Seriously, I don't need any more snakes. I did grow a little bit of confidence to kill that snake. All the snakes need to know that they are not welcome in my yard, after all I have three children.

Too Many Commitments, Too Little Time

For those of you that follow our blog or just check in from time to time, I sincerely apologize for the lack of posting any thing on this wonderful tool. I have decided that today I would catch all of you up on our "Crazy Life". A lot has happened since Easter and I need to share it with you. And I for the life of me cannot get any video to upload. I will work on that or maybe I should learn how to operation YouTube? Any constructive thougths there????

My life is seriously a crazy one, but if it weren't I wouldn't know what to do with my life. I love being busy and haven't learned how to say NO yet, I could use some coaching there too...

Flying Kites on Easter 2009

Just Foolin' Around...

I recently got a new digital camera because I lost the memory card to my old one behind my desk and it would take an act of congress to move it to retreive it. I know that you would tell me to go purchase another memory card...Well, I did try three different cards and no avail, so I broke down and bought a new one. So far I am getting used to it and like it. The best part is that my children haven't figured out how to run it yet so it is still intact!!

We were outside enjoying a nice, but windy, day with the swing set and new baby calf, Juliet.