How many kids fit in a hula hoop?

This past month has flown by with the flurry of activities that we have been a part of. From our first doctor's visit, to our birthday's, to houseparenting, to graduations, to the last week of school, to round up, there hasn't been a dull moment!

We started the month celebrating Jeff's birthday and the very next week saw our baby for the first time. I cannot begin to describe that amazing feeling that we both had to see our baby on the ultrasound monitor. We could see all the little fingers and toes and ears and nose. "Bob", as Jeff is calling it for now, was just over 3 1/2 inches and moving its little arms and legs all around. The doctor gave us pictures from the ultrasound but they don't do it justice. In another month and a half or so, they will do another ultrasound on a better machine. We hope to be able to scan those pictures in so you all can see "Bob" as well!

Next, it was Leigh Ann's birthday, preceded by Cindi's birthday and Mother's Day. We spent the evening relaxing anticipating our upcoming houseparenting stint. We spent the remainder of that week and weekend houseparenting. It was a busy time as two of our residents graduated this year. We had a great weekend and even got to see Shrek 3 before it over.

Finally, the week we have all been waiting for, THE END OF SCHOOL! It was another busy week with finals, grading, and wrapping things up. We did however, find time for a little fun. We spent the afternoon of the last day with a few crazy games followed by a good ol' fashioned staff vs. residents softball game. It was a beautiful day and fun was had by all. Too bad that the residents lost the game after all the bragging they had been doing all week!

To top off another crazy week, we participated in the semiannual "round up". The kids and staff herd the cows into a set of pens, chutes, and gates. We then "guide" them (with whips and shockers) into a final gate where they receive their shots. The head of operations did an amazing job in redesigning the chute system this time and we had all the cows completed in just over an hour (compared to about three hours last time). It is truly a "ranch" experience.


Needless to say, after these last few weeks we are spent and looking forward to a change of pace. We have two weeks to recuperate before heading to camp for a week with the kids. During our recuperation time, we still have many things to keep us busy but at least the lesson prep and teaching part is done for the time being. Jeff is doing some prep work of a different kind as he will be preaching at church on Sunday. We are also eagerly anticipating visits from Jeff's parents and Pete and Dorothy in the coming months (Did anyone tell them how HOT it is going to be?).