ADVENTURE AT SUPERSTITION FARMS!

So, today we went on one fun adventure to Superstition Farm owned by the Stechnij Family! www.superstitionfarmtours.com It was one of the funnest adventures we have been on yet and literally right around the corner!

The farm is a dairy farm that has tours of the farm and a petting zoo for kids. its so so so so so much fun

It all started out with Farmer Jason telling us about how they take care of the cows on the dairy farm and what they feed them. Bethany wanted to take a handful of the cow feed for her to keep for herself. silly little girl. lol.

Here are the pictures from our day of fun

The whole gang (Me, Bethany, Jon, Melody, Steve, Kristin, and Kyler) taking to tour of the dairy farm


Me and Bethany learning that 3-5 calves are born on the farm a day. thats alot of baby cows

After the tour we got to meet the smaller animals and help feed them.

This is the bunny named Sushi

Sushi was donated to the farm from a japanese preschool

Bethany really really liked Sushi. She wouldnt leave that poor bunny alone

They had little brushes so the kids could brush Sushi

Bethany and the chicken with the funky feathers

Me holding the funky chicken

Jon and the funky chicken

Bethany and Sushi again

The girls brushing Sushi....again

Bethany really wanted to take Sushi home

Melody telling Sushi about the bunnies in our front yard.

Kyler being a cutie

Melody and Bethany with Carmichael the unicorn goat

Bethany talking to Picante the miniture donkey. His name is Picante because he is little but has some kick to him. :-)

Picante and Cookie eye balling the kiddies

Another one of them funky chickens

Everyone enjoying the milk from the dairy farm with the fun flavor mixes in them that the Stechnij's were nice enough to give us

Jon with his butterscotch milk and me with my chocolate milk.

Bethany really really liked her orange and cream milk. :-)

Due to the fact that i kept snagging sips of Bethany's milk she decided to keep it attached to her face til it was all gone so she didnt have to share with anyone else.

Bethany being silly

The farm dog Toby really liked us. We spent about 20 minutes just playing fetch with him. It was the funnest thing we have done in a while. If you ever wanna have a fun time and learn all about cows and a dairy farm ( and by the way the dairy farm didnt even smell!) head on over to superstition farms!

The Amazing Faith of Melody

So Melody and I have a stomache flu where we have been throwing up and feeling miserable. And Jon and his brother Rick were in the garage when the missionaries rode by on their bikes and Jon asked them to please come in and give Melody a blessing to help her feel better. In the blessing it said that she would get better quickly and would feel well very soon. Not even two seconds after the missionaries say Amen that Melody looks me straight in the eye and tells me, "Mommy. Its working" So the elders asked her if she was feeling better and she responded, "Yes. I'm feeling better. its working."

Its amazing the faith of a small child.

So to Catch up Everyone up on whats going on since our last blog.....

So....... alot has happened since our last blog and even before that one. Four days before bethanys birthday we had to have her have surgery. :-( Her eyes had a tendancy to wander outwards and we thought nothing of it til i took her to the eye doctor to see if we could do anything about it and he told us that she needed surgery. He explained to us that when her eyes wandered outward the vision would turn off in that eye while it was off to the side. And he also explained that if we didnt get the surgery done we risked her losing sight in one or both of her eyes. :-( sad day. Of course i was SOOOOOOOOO stressed about her having surgery, I mean for goodness sakes she wasnt even two yet. But we made the decision to get the surgery done just the same, my worriedness aside.

So as the day of the surgery approached closer and closer the more and more nervous i got. Cuz bethany is my baby girl. So when the missionaries came over for dinner the night before we had them give her a blessing to help her and mommy, once she had her blessing i was feeling much more calm about it all.

So the day arrived for the surgery and Bethany was more concerned about the fact that she wasnt getting to stay at her Nana's to play (Melody was staying there for the morning to play while mommy and daddy took sissy to the hospital) than she was about surger. She played and had the greatest time waiting for her surgery time and i thought that i would be staying with her when they gassed her before they put the IV in for her other anesthesia, but they had me walk with her to the double doors and hand her over for her to go behind the doors all on her own. Needless to say as soon as i handed her over and she started crying for her mommy i broke down and was just crying.
After the surger the doctor came out and told us everything went fine and she would be good to go home as soon as she woke up from the anesthesia. And whe she woke up from the anesthesia she was very UNHAPPY. lol. she didnt want the IV in her, she wanted to rub her eyes and she wanted out of that hospital and wanted her cup of juice. lol.

Since her surgery her personality has changed completely! She is more out there and excitable and she is happier and her personality has just shined through! We are so grateful that the surgery went well and she did so good. and the results are fabulous! can you tell by the pictures?

Befor the surgery when she was quite a bit younger

and 4 days after the surgery at her brithday party!

Bethany is Two!

Bethany has been a member of our family for two years now!

We have been through sooo much with her in the short amount of time we've had her. The usual learning to walk and talk and what nots, and lots of fun stuff too!

She knows how to work her cuteness to her advantage to stay out of trouble and she knows how to be the sweetest too!

We just recently even went through surgery with her on her eyes as well.

With all our little family has been through we are soooooo HAPPY To have her as a member of the Stanley family!

This is Bethany in a wagon full of water balloons! Shes so cute!

The following pics are just ones from her stages of life so far!

Bethany just a few days old in her daddy's arms!


Bethany being held by her Nana when seh was just a few months old

The sad Bethany Face

A Happy Bethany face

Bethany at the zoo for new years snow!

Bethany riding a cement camel at the park!

My baby B. as a bumble bee!

And lastly beth dressed up as a cow for Cow Apprectiation!

Bethany Rose Stanley we LOVE YOU so so much and we are so happy to have you as a part of our little family! You are a very important part of our lives and i love you to pieces!

The New Stanley

THERE'S A NEW STANLEY FAMILY MEMBER!!!

Rick and Pauli welcomed the newest member into their family!!!

INTRODUCING......

Rolland Richard Stanley

Born June 19,2009 12:30

8lbs 13oz. 21in. long

Baby Rolland

Mommy and Daddy Stanley and Baby Rolland

Baby Rolland and his awesome Uncle Jon!

We are super excited to have him in the family, and boy is he cute!!!!

Fun Photos Courtesy of Jon Stanley

Melody playing with her Daddy bug while mommy got ready for the day

Mel thinking about the world while on a giant Baseball

Melody is part of Jon's breakfast club

Daddy lovin on Beth because she was upset that mommy left to go to the library.

Bethany is a rockstar monkey!

Bethany is also a part of Jons Breakfast club on saturdays and sundays

And Lastly Bethany addressing the world from ontop of the giant baseball!

The Decision to Speak Softly

So, on monday i was having a very rough day with the girls, so bad that when jon came home i retreated to my bathroom to take a very long bath. After i took my bath i joined Jon with the girls in the playroom to finish watching "Babe" with them. While i was sitting there watching my girls play i came to the realization of why I've been having such a difficult time.

I forget so often that my children are just that, CHILDREN. I get so frustrated and angry and i always forget that they are just children. Bethany isnt even two yet and i get so angry and im sure she doesnt even know why im angry, Melody is three and though she is old enough to kind of understand she doesnt always.

So sitting there watching them play i decide that i need to be more understanding, kind, and loving to my children. And ive made the decision to try not to raise my voice at them. and so far things are going WONDERFULLY!

Since i started only yesterday i have found that not only are the girls happier, but so am I. I dont have the anxiety throughout the day that i normally do, and i dont feel as stressed. Sitting and quietly talking to the girls has made a world of difference to me and to them. It is my goal that from now on I try not to raise my voice to them. I need to remember that they are just small children still learning, and alothough that learning may irritate me or cause me headaches, they are just children. Children who love me unconditionally and look up to me and are learning from me, and i owe it to them to love them right back and be understanding and loving in everyway.