She also created this terrific 3-D map of Missouri:
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Meredith's art
Meredith made this picture of Abraham Lincoln's birthplace. Pretzels for the logs. It made it into the art gallery at home:
She also created this terrific 3-D map of Missouri:
She also created this terrific 3-D map of Missouri:
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Big happenins in Lamar
The tallest horse in the world came to the Orshelin's in Lamar early this month. His name is Radar, and here he is:
Radar stands 19 Hands 3 1/2 Inches (6' 7 1/2" at the withers) and weighs over 2,400 lbs. He eats 18 lbs. of grain, 40 lbs. of hay, and drinks 20 gallons of water each day. A gelding, he was born in 1998 in Iowa. Doug took the kids over to eyeball him.Okay, well, that's all I really have to say about that.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
New Haircuts
Sophia has new stylin' glasses and a new haircut:
I got a new haircut at the same time, but something happened to it overnight.
I got a new haircut at the same time, but something happened to it overnight.
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Gargantuan catfish
Cute furry animals were not the only ones we encountered on our spring break. Slimey, scaley ones made for the most excitement.
You all know that we have a little pond across the street, and it is stocked with fish. In nice weather, folks often stop by for a little fishin.' Some friends of Jacob's came to the park, and Jacob ended up fishing much of his spring break. Up until this point, he'd never caught much over there but tiny minnows, and certainly didn't expect anything other than smallish fish.
To his utter surprise, while Jacob was after some minnows, the line he'd left dangling in the water was taken and his entire fishing pole was suddenly pulled into the water! When it floated up to the surface, a fisherman nearby used his pole to pull it back to the shore. As Jacob reeled in the line, it broke and his fish nearly got free. So Jacob jumped in the water, grabbed the fish in his arms, and hurled it onto the shore! The fisherman grabbed it in a net.
It was a 20" catfish!
We called Doug and he drove the 4 miles home from work to see the big catch. He noticed that its belly was swollen with eggs, so the decision was made to toss it back in.
One of Jacob's friends caught another big one later in the day! The next weekend, the boys were back at it. Their plans to sleep in a tent at the park were foiled when Doug and I suggested that 1) this was probably illegal, and 2) it was going to rain cats and dogs anyway. They still fished in the rain! But they came inside to sleep. Five wet, fishy, muddy boys in our basement. Hmm. (It was not as bad as you might think.)
You all know that we have a little pond across the street, and it is stocked with fish. In nice weather, folks often stop by for a little fishin.' Some friends of Jacob's came to the park, and Jacob ended up fishing much of his spring break. Up until this point, he'd never caught much over there but tiny minnows, and certainly didn't expect anything other than smallish fish.
To his utter surprise, while Jacob was after some minnows, the line he'd left dangling in the water was taken and his entire fishing pole was suddenly pulled into the water! When it floated up to the surface, a fisherman nearby used his pole to pull it back to the shore. As Jacob reeled in the line, it broke and his fish nearly got free. So Jacob jumped in the water, grabbed the fish in his arms, and hurled it onto the shore! The fisherman grabbed it in a net.
It was a 20" catfish!
We called Doug and he drove the 4 miles home from work to see the big catch. He noticed that its belly was swollen with eggs, so the decision was made to toss it back in.
One of Jacob's friends caught another big one later in the day! The next weekend, the boys were back at it. Their plans to sleep in a tent at the park were foiled when Doug and I suggested that 1) this was probably illegal, and 2) it was going to rain cats and dogs anyway. They still fished in the rain! But they came inside to sleep. Five wet, fishy, muddy boys in our basement. Hmm. (It was not as bad as you might think.)
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Animals for the weekend
Several weekends ago was spring break, and I'm just now getting the shots up. Unlike Easter weekend, we had george-ous weather for the long weekend that comprised spring break here.
Abbra, one of the young women from our branch, got to stay with us while the rest of her family went to the temple (she had to stay home to work). Why I didn't get a shot of her I don't know, but there was hairdos, manicures, and an elaborate fort she and the kids built in the basement. It involved sheets hanging from the ceiling fan, every spare blanket in the house, and the complete rearranging of all the basement furniture. Abbra was an excellent sport and slept in the fort with the girls that night. It was big for a fort, but rather smallish for three sleepers! She also took us to her home to help her feed the rabbits, and the kids got to hold them and pet them.
The weather was so fabulous that I ventured further on my walks than before. I discovered the most beautiful Missouri farm not too far away:
After an evening fireside, we stopped by to visit the goats and llamas that live on this farm. Here's Aidan and Sophia trying to entice the goats with a carrot:
The goats would have no part of our carrots. However, we did have some excitement when one of them did get stuck in the fence:
Doug and Meredith rescued him, Sophia doing her part by offering a silent prayer. (He was saved).
Llama pajamas:
What is this face? I think this is such a funny picture:
He's just so dang good-lookin':
Abbra, one of the young women from our branch, got to stay with us while the rest of her family went to the temple (she had to stay home to work). Why I didn't get a shot of her I don't know, but there was hairdos, manicures, and an elaborate fort she and the kids built in the basement. It involved sheets hanging from the ceiling fan, every spare blanket in the house, and the complete rearranging of all the basement furniture. Abbra was an excellent sport and slept in the fort with the girls that night. It was big for a fort, but rather smallish for three sleepers! She also took us to her home to help her feed the rabbits, and the kids got to hold them and pet them.
The weather was so fabulous that I ventured further on my walks than before. I discovered the most beautiful Missouri farm not too far away:
After an evening fireside, we stopped by to visit the goats and llamas that live on this farm. Here's Aidan and Sophia trying to entice the goats with a carrot:
The goats would have no part of our carrots. However, we did have some excitement when one of them did get stuck in the fence:
Doug and Meredith rescued him, Sophia doing her part by offering a silent prayer. (He was saved).
Llama pajamas:
What is this face? I think this is such a funny picture:
He's just so dang good-lookin':
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
O'Sullivan to close Lamar plant
This is the headline of the Joplin Globe today.
If you remember, Doug works for O'Sullivan in Lamar. So it seems that we have big changes in the near future. Of course, we have known this was coming, and we have been making preparations. We feel at peace and are confident that Doug will be able to find employment elsewhere. We have received many blessings and have no reason to worry. Our hearts go out to the 700 other employees whose roots go deep in this area and may have a more difficult time finding a new job. They are in our prayers.
If you remember, Doug works for O'Sullivan in Lamar. So it seems that we have big changes in the near future. Of course, we have known this was coming, and we have been making preparations. We feel at peace and are confident that Doug will be able to find employment elsewhere. We have received many blessings and have no reason to worry. Our hearts go out to the 700 other employees whose roots go deep in this area and may have a more difficult time finding a new job. They are in our prayers.
Monday, April 09, 2007
Moon shinin' o'er Lamar
The 12-year-old in our family has been up to no good. I was enjoying a peaceful Sunday conference morning when some commotion and hilarity broke out in the front room. Meredith came running in to tell me that she and Sophia were being mooned by the boys! Pretty soon Aidan was sportin' a smiley face on his bum. Here's Jacob and his protege:
It was all in good fun, but I do worry about what would happen if Aidan were to bring this game to preschool with him. I had a talk with Jacob about that!
Easter in Topeka
For Easter this year, the Lamar Von Feldts travelled up to Topeka to be with Grandma and Grandpa and also the Olathe VonFeldts. We all stayed overnight at Grandma and Grandpa's house. As always, it was soooo fun!
Grandma was not quite as concerned about bedtime as the moms usually are. No surprise there. Little girls were dying eggs at 9:00 pm, and aftwerward Haley and Jacob and Grandma went shopping for Haley's birthday present (an iPod)! But no harm done. The girls were still up at 3:00 am the next morning, excited to see what the Easter Bunny had brought.
The cousins enjoyed an Easter egg hunt together on Easter morning. This was the first year that the Easter Bunny did not visit Jacob, presumably because he has gotten too big. Instead, Jacob's job was to help his little brother Aidan battle the crowds and get to some of the eggs. Actually, all of the siblings and cousins made sure the littlest one got to enjoy the wonder and fun of discovering eggs throughout Grandma and Grandpa's back yard.
The major obstacle was the cold. It was 20 degrees outside Sunday morning! Brrrrr. Teeth chattered. Fingers froze. But it was nice and warm inside, where everyone dumped out their eggs, took inventory, and bargained and traded.
Later, we had a spectacular Kansas Easter dinner. Here is Grandma with all the food:
For more shots of the fun and the food, click below:
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| 2007-04 Easter |
Friday, March 30, 2007
Meredith's Baptism
Meredith was baptized on Sunday, March 18--not quite two weeks ago. It was a wonderful day! Grandmommy and Granddaddy Skabelund came from Albuquerque for the special event, and Aunt Cindy and Haley and Megan came down from Olathe as well.
With my girls, I have enjoyed the special time in the dressing room before and after their baptisms. I found it a good opportunity to talk with them about their big day and to gift them small, symbolic gifts. Like with Sophia, I gave Meredith some special white and crystal jewelry to commemorate the day, and a white towel on which I sewed some lace to make it special:
Here is Meredith and her dad just after the baptism.
Aidan wanted to see the water in the font from the backside:
As we towel-dried Meredith's hair in the dressing room, she said to me: "I feel clean and pure!"
Here she is, still clean and pure, in her baptism dress on our front porch:
Among other things, for refreshments, we had cream puffs, BYU-catering-style ham-and-cheese sandwiches, Camie's fruit dip, and Skittles (a remnant from the days when Joe Baird lived near!)
For more shots, including fun at the reception and outside play with cousins, please click on this web album:
With my girls, I have enjoyed the special time in the dressing room before and after their baptisms. I found it a good opportunity to talk with them about their big day and to gift them small, symbolic gifts. Like with Sophia, I gave Meredith some special white and crystal jewelry to commemorate the day, and a white towel on which I sewed some lace to make it special:
Here is Meredith and her dad just after the baptism.
Aidan wanted to see the water in the font from the backside:
As we towel-dried Meredith's hair in the dressing room, she said to me: "I feel clean and pure!"
Here she is, still clean and pure, in her baptism dress on our front porch:
Among other things, for refreshments, we had cream puffs, BYU-catering-style ham-and-cheese sandwiches, Camie's fruit dip, and Skittles (a remnant from the days when Joe Baird lived near!)
For more shots, including fun at the reception and outside play with cousins, please click on this web album:
 |
| 2007-03 Meredith's Baptism |
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Not to be outdone . . .
Meredith has had a birthday, too! She turned 8 on February 11. That means that her baptism is coming up soon! She will be baptized on March 18 after church, and Grandmommy and Granddaddy are coming up from Albuquerque for the big event. Anyone else who'd like to make the trip is welcome, too!
Meredith chose a homemade cheesecake for the big day, and here she is salivating over it (click for a shot also of her chosen dinner: steak and smashed potatoes with jello and fruit cocktail!):
Also, Meredith has been doing some cheerleading lately. She cheered for her last game two Saturdays ago, and the awards ceremony was on the following Monday night. A Ropes Master performed--wow! He was handy with the jumprope and unicycle! I think the whole town of Lamar had a child involved in Upward basketball. The auditorium was packed.
Here she is in cute pigtails, the epitome of a cheerleader:
And in action. She was in the back row, of course, because she is so taaallllll.
And by the way, here is Sophia impressing her dad with her mad flexibility skills:
Meredith chose a homemade cheesecake for the big day, and here she is salivating over it (click for a shot also of her chosen dinner: steak and smashed potatoes with jello and fruit cocktail!):
Also, Meredith has been doing some cheerleading lately. She cheered for her last game two Saturdays ago, and the awards ceremony was on the following Monday night. A Ropes Master performed--wow! He was handy with the jumprope and unicycle! I think the whole town of Lamar had a child involved in Upward basketball. The auditorium was packed.
Here she is in cute pigtails, the epitome of a cheerleader:
And in action. She was in the back row, of course, because she is so taaallllll.
And by the way, here is Sophia impressing her dad with her mad flexibility skills:
More on the adornment of Aidan
As Kristy surmised, Aidan did love the attention he got when the girls dressed him up. He ran skipping and hopping all over the house and willingly posed for his picture.
On similar occasions, Jacob has come home to find his little brother all dressed up like that, only to moan in horror, "No! Oh, no! Oh, no!" and begin ripping off the tutu and tearing out the pony tail holders. Aidan is quite bewildered by this display!
On similar occasions, Jacob has come home to find his little brother all dressed up like that, only to moan in horror, "No! Oh, no! Oh, no!" and begin ripping off the tutu and tearing out the pony tail holders. Aidan is quite bewildered by this display!
Monday, February 26, 2007
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Sophia Turns 10!
Sophia had a birthday on December 27, 2006. We were in Albuquerque at the time and had a small family party. A bigger extravaganza is still in the works for March!
Click for more shots:
Click for more shots:
Mega Christmas Series: New Year's in Topeka
Family members (but few others, I know) may be interested in my overdue tales and pics from New Year's.
On our first day there, December 30, we opened presents (since we Lamar Von Feldts had been away for Christmas proper).
The next day was dedicated to eating and ringing in the new: Lamar Von Feldts did the lunchtime Cottage Cheese Pockets, and the Olathe VonFeldts did the suppertime Bierocks. You should have seen Grandpa quick hop up from the supper table to squirrel away the leftover Bierocks in the freezer for mid-January meals. Doug kept saying, "What happened to the leftovers? What happened to the leftovers?" Oh well; there were plenty of after-dinner snacks--more than we could eat. We played card games until the New Year and the cousins had a screamin' (literally) good time. There was a terrific view of the north Topeka fireworks bringing in the New Year from Grandma and Grandpa's sunroom. Rick, you must join us next year.
We just got back (Feb 18) from our first trip back to Topeka since. Grandma took Sophia and Meredith birthday shopping. And we watched an old tape of one of our (Lamar Von Feldts) visits to Great Grandma's farm. We saw 8-year-old Jacob, 5-year old Sophia, and baby Meredith playing at the Sand Hills, pumping the teeter-totter, and feeding the cows. That perked Great Grandma up to see her old house and farm!
And on the way back to Missouri, we picked up a replacement SNAKE for Jacob! And she made it home alive! More to come on that story!
Just click to see more New Year's memories:
On our first day there, December 30, we opened presents (since we Lamar Von Feldts had been away for Christmas proper).
The next day was dedicated to eating and ringing in the new: Lamar Von Feldts did the lunchtime Cottage Cheese Pockets, and the Olathe VonFeldts did the suppertime Bierocks. You should have seen Grandpa quick hop up from the supper table to squirrel away the leftover Bierocks in the freezer for mid-January meals. Doug kept saying, "What happened to the leftovers? What happened to the leftovers?" Oh well; there were plenty of after-dinner snacks--more than we could eat. We played card games until the New Year and the cousins had a screamin' (literally) good time. There was a terrific view of the north Topeka fireworks bringing in the New Year from Grandma and Grandpa's sunroom. Rick, you must join us next year.
We just got back (Feb 18) from our first trip back to Topeka since. Grandma took Sophia and Meredith birthday shopping. And we watched an old tape of one of our (Lamar Von Feldts) visits to Great Grandma's farm. We saw 8-year-old Jacob, 5-year old Sophia, and baby Meredith playing at the Sand Hills, pumping the teeter-totter, and feeding the cows. That perked Great Grandma up to see her old house and farm!
And on the way back to Missouri, we picked up a replacement SNAKE for Jacob! And she made it home alive! More to come on that story!
Just click to see more New Year's memories:
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Winter writing
I think I am past a busy spell and can plan on getting back to blogging.
I was absorbed in writing a review of Did God Have a Wife, by William G. Dever, which I read over Christmas. It is an archeologist's take on the religion of ancient Israel, before the exile to Babylon. You can guess the answer to his question, which of course is rather shocking given the very strict monotheism that theologists have attributed to the religion of Israel for some two thousand years or more. Anyway, I'll post information about the publication of the review when I have it.
We also have had sickness here. Anyone else? We have had flus and are starting on strep. This has given us a chance to meet many more friends here in Lamar, including the emergency room staff and well as the family practice doctor, his wife and office staff. What a nice town we live in. Everyone knows everyone else.
I did hit a PTO meeting and a class Valentine's party, my first since moving, and it was fun. I envision more PTO involvement in the future. No pictures this time around, however.
I was absorbed in writing a review of Did God Have a Wife, by William G. Dever, which I read over Christmas. It is an archeologist's take on the religion of ancient Israel, before the exile to Babylon. You can guess the answer to his question, which of course is rather shocking given the very strict monotheism that theologists have attributed to the religion of Israel for some two thousand years or more. Anyway, I'll post information about the publication of the review when I have it.
We also have had sickness here. Anyone else? We have had flus and are starting on strep. This has given us a chance to meet many more friends here in Lamar, including the emergency room staff and well as the family practice doctor, his wife and office staff. What a nice town we live in. Everyone knows everyone else.
I did hit a PTO meeting and a class Valentine's party, my first since moving, and it was fun. I envision more PTO involvement in the future. No pictures this time around, however.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Saturday, January 20, 2007
And the Children were Free
Okay, we have just completed our fifth snow day, and today another 3-6 inches are predicted. This is the Ozarks, folks. Not known for harsh weather.
But I just want to say that our family has been in pure bliss. It's like Christmas vacation all over again, without an commitments! The kids have been playing games, watching movies, eating popcorn and hot chocolate, and enjoying hanging out with neighborhood kids and other friends who have come to stay awhile. Matthew and Lauren, who stayed much of the week with their grandparents down the street, got permission to hook up their sled to their granddad's tractor lawn mower. Hoards of children spent innumerable hours this week riding behind that tractor! It does well on the Zambinied ice streets!
Meanwhile, with all the kids occupied elsewhere, I've been reading and writing. Joy.
But I just want to say that our family has been in pure bliss. It's like Christmas vacation all over again, without an commitments! The kids have been playing games, watching movies, eating popcorn and hot chocolate, and enjoying hanging out with neighborhood kids and other friends who have come to stay awhile. Matthew and Lauren, who stayed much of the week with their grandparents down the street, got permission to hook up their sled to their granddad's tractor lawn mower. Hoards of children spent innumerable hours this week riding behind that tractor! It does well on the Zambinied ice streets!
Meanwhile, with all the kids occupied elsewhere, I've been reading and writing. Joy.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Mega Christmas Series: Merrill Interlude
Just when we thought we were having more fun in Albuquerque than we could have, our dear friends, the Merrills, stopped by on their way through from Dallas to Utah.First, they took a tour of my folks' castle. Kristy especially was entranced by my parent's library, which fills walls and walls of bookcases in my parent's basement study complex.
Meanwhile, upstairs, the ever-impish Nate (above) removed a key and its tassle from an early 20th century china cabinet and took off running. My vigilent sister Anhara spotted this mischief, tailed Nate, tackled him, and pried the key out of his white-knuckled fist. All in good fun, of course.
We packed up all of the impish kids and visited a couple of favorite Albuquerque hangouts with the Merrills: first, Frontier (near the UNM campus) for dinner, and second, the old Double Rainbow which is now called the Flying Something or Other (in Albuquerque's artsy Nob Hill district) for dessert. Read more about this at Kristy's blog. Maybe she got the name right.
Here's Kristy and I with Nate and Meredith:
Next shot includes more kids: Sophia, Christopher, and Jacob. Aidan was running loose around the shop. The following photo is the dads Doug and Matt, deep in conversation.
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Pet Rescued, Prayer Answered
You may all know that this past weekend we had a very bad ice storm in these parts. We luckily were spared the worst of it and were never without power. We had stocked up on groceries and rented movies. We had a great family weekend. Doug and I got some important projects done (he is studying for his project management certification test, and I cleaned up my extremely, extraordinarily, horrifyingly messy office). But also as a family we played games, cooked, ate, and watched our movies. Church was even cancelled! The kids are having a snow day today, and I wouldn't be surprised if another one or two follows!
We did have a bit of a scare with Lucy. When Doug took Aidan out for a short walk across the top of the snow in the front yard--it's covered with a layer of unyielding ice--Lucy dashed out of the house and across the street to the park. Sophia and a friend were also playing over there, and after a good bit they saw Lucy swimming in the freezing water! That dog is always up for a swim, no matter what the weather! However, she was foiled this time by the ice accumulating on the edges of the pond. The sharp edges made it hard for her to climb out. As Sophia became aware of this, she dashed home to get Doug. It was pouring rain at this point and freezing as it hit the ground. Doug threw on a coat and hat and tried to help call Lucy over to an easier spot to exit the pond, but without success. He ran home to get our canoe, hoping he could think of a way to help her from the canoe.
Things were starting to look desperate. Sophia was worried. She said a short but sincere prayer. Then Lucy suddenly clawed her way over the ice and onto the banks of the pond! By this time, neighbors had come out to help, and they carried her home to us, drenched in icy water and shivering badly. Lucy that is, not the neighbors!
We warmed her up in a bathtub and then with towels that had been heated in the dryer. It took her a long time to stop shivering. She had a little injury as well--her left thumbnail was almost completely torn off and bleeding. After things settled down a bit, Sophia came over and told me quietly about how Heavenly Father had answered her prayer. We are so happy that Sophia had the faith to help Lucy!
Here is Lucy with her rescuers, Sophia and Sydney (Anhara, please notice that Sophia is wearing the "dungarees" that Aunt Joy embroidered for me when we were little girls):
Here she is nursing her hurt toenail:
We won't be letting her play at the pond until it thaws, that's for sure.
By the way, Lucy has found that when the ground is a sheet of ice, going potty is a little . . . splashy:
We did have a bit of a scare with Lucy. When Doug took Aidan out for a short walk across the top of the snow in the front yard--it's covered with a layer of unyielding ice--Lucy dashed out of the house and across the street to the park. Sophia and a friend were also playing over there, and after a good bit they saw Lucy swimming in the freezing water! That dog is always up for a swim, no matter what the weather! However, she was foiled this time by the ice accumulating on the edges of the pond. The sharp edges made it hard for her to climb out. As Sophia became aware of this, she dashed home to get Doug. It was pouring rain at this point and freezing as it hit the ground. Doug threw on a coat and hat and tried to help call Lucy over to an easier spot to exit the pond, but without success. He ran home to get our canoe, hoping he could think of a way to help her from the canoe.
Things were starting to look desperate. Sophia was worried. She said a short but sincere prayer. Then Lucy suddenly clawed her way over the ice and onto the banks of the pond! By this time, neighbors had come out to help, and they carried her home to us, drenched in icy water and shivering badly. Lucy that is, not the neighbors!
We warmed her up in a bathtub and then with towels that had been heated in the dryer. It took her a long time to stop shivering. She had a little injury as well--her left thumbnail was almost completely torn off and bleeding. After things settled down a bit, Sophia came over and told me quietly about how Heavenly Father had answered her prayer. We are so happy that Sophia had the faith to help Lucy!
Here is Lucy with her rescuers, Sophia and Sydney (Anhara, please notice that Sophia is wearing the "dungarees" that Aunt Joy embroidered for me when we were little girls):
Here she is nursing her hurt toenail:
By the way, Lucy has found that when the ground is a sheet of ice, going potty is a little . . . splashy:
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