Not Cold!

It's about 30 degrees outside and we're nice and toasty in our house. Last year at this time we were freezing, sleeping in our winter coats. I really like our wood furnace, and my lumber jack!

Aunt Michelle and Grandma Cherie Visit Missouri

My sister Michelle, her husband Lynn and there two beautiful children came for a visit at the end of July. My Mom also flew to Ohio and drove out with them. of. We had lots of fun playing at the creek, cooking dinner over the fire pit, shopping, and just hanging out

Cute Charlotte, she is a little older than Bell

Michelle is in the white

Grandma Cherie

 Charlotte, Hailey, Ashlyn

 James trying to break our naughty ponie Prince

Myrtle, Mo Farm

We have enjoyed living here. I almost title this post Garden of Eden but in reality it somewhere between that and the Lone and Dreary World. I will say this it is very Fertile there everything seems to grow and grow like crazy!

 front yard

 well house, we have a well but it is not functional right now one day we will fix it up but right now we are on city water.

 the barn, awesome doors right

 back yard

 three little piggies

 garden

 chicken coop

 The orchards in front of the fence and behind is the .

 James made this gate out of pallets.

 orchard

 pond is on the right

 field that James burned this past winter, isn't it nice and green now!

 This is the horse that actually belongs to us. He is Bella's pony prince and he has proven himself to be a royal pain it the behind.d

 orchard and back of chicken coop and barn

One of our 2 cats Princess 

 James office and Man Cave.

Front Porch

April and May Happening 2015

Here is the original exterior of our house

we used to have black shudders which when I took off showed the house was previously yellow.

We painted the front and one side so far with one coat. We still need to finish and put on a second coat as well as paint the trim white and put a coat of white metal roof paint on. I'm not sure if it will all get done this summer.

It rains most days we get little monsoons. Here is Jesse outside playing in the rain

Bella in the rain

James working out

Bella working out with James

We went swimming at the 11 point river with the cousins all fun and games till the mosquitoes came out

Rainbow from our backyard

Shiloh learned how to walk in April (Good job girlfriend)

My sister Heather had a babyshower at the chapel. 

Bella loves cooking and has become quite the little chef. Here she is making pizza

Our A/C this little puppy has been great, James work tirelessly installing the correct electrical outlet but we have had no hot days in the Mortensen (at least not inside)

Its hard to tell but those little sticks behind the fence is our orchard. We have come to realize that you need to plant double what you think you will need about half our trees have been pulled up or eaten mostly by Bella's sneaky pony who won't stay in his yard. 

Happy girls

Luke has started scouts again we drive him about a hour each way to the West Plains ward since our branch doesn't have enough boys for their own program.

The swimming pool is up and operational. I keep trying to talk James into getting a bigger one. 

 Little Baby Tucker was born in May... A nice reminder to me that you don't stay pregnant forever. 

Shiloh LOVES her grandpa George. She likes follow him around, snuggle him and sit on his lap whenever possible

 So we did a sugar cleanse in our house. We got rid of any food (fed it to the pigs) that had sugar. It is so sneaky its in all kinds of food. 

Royce put himself down for a nap you can see the window we haven't finished installing behind the chair 

 I love it when the babies sleep like this so cute!

James is building something. Probably the A/C frame. He has gotten handy with power tools. It would be so hard to live without them now

Labor Day get together at the Fabrizios

Mario built this swing

Look close there is a giant toad in that bucket. It was seriously huge. I wouldn't touch the thing but Royce had no fear.

James took the kids swimming somewhere while I was probably taking a nap

 The last week of school Luke feel and bloodied his knees and face but the kids was super brave.