Hannibal

One of the cool things about Joseph working for Quimby Pipe Organs, Inc. is the fact that he gets to see a lot of new places and meet a lot of wonderful people. Sometimes we even get to join him, as was the case a couple of weeks ago when we accompanied him to an organ concert in Hannibal.

It was about 5 1/2 years ago when they installed an organ in the home of the Colberds in Hannibal Missouri; the Colberds happen to be the owners of the Mark Twain Cave as well as organ enthusiasts.  Anyhow, we attended the dedication of the organ 5 years ago and had a tremendous time there exploring the area a little bit and they were gracious enough to let us go through the cave at that time. 

These pics below were from that first trip out there.

This was one of Joseph's favorite jobs and these were a few of the pics that they took during the instillation of the instrument.

Kaija took this picture of the organ pipes reflected in the mirror on this trip.

Anyhow, Mr. Colberd passed away this last year and the organ is now being donated to the William Jewell College in Liberty,  and this was the final concert to be held in their home.  The kids loved being there again, they are so fond of their house, and the view of the Mississippi is glorious. 

(We got to listen to the concert from the best seats in the house- the bedroom in the balcony- perfection!!)

 Joseph tuned the organ, and Linda offered for us to go visit the cave once more. She is such a kind and generous person, and wasn't even scared (well maybe she was, but she didn't show it) having our entire family be a part of the moment- a saint indeed! 

 Let me just say that we had a lovely time and we were amused by some select items in the gift shop. 

We made it through a portion of the cave in peace, then we became alarmed as Spencer felt it necessary to scream for the remainder of the tour. Remember here that it is a lengthy tour- over 45 min. I think and oh my, how embarrassing!! It really made it hard for the young tour guide to deliver his memorized slightly lame jokes through an echoing screaming baby. 

I don't think Spencer cared much for the 52* temperature, though I enjoyed it immensely- it was a little steamy that day and the cicadas were enjoying their summer heyday!

So anyway, many apologies to all those good folks that were on the same tour with us that day- he really is generally a very happy baby... but when he gets mad he wants things fixed that minute! It makes me frightened for any road trips in the future!

Mr. Colberd was a firefighter- among the many other hats that he wore (dentist, organist etc.) and they have all the bells and whistles to attest to his interests, like the fire pole in his office (along with the hidden door behind the book shelf) and all sorts of fun things on the interior and exterior of their home . 

This cool fire truck was used to serve the refreshments following the beautiful concert.

I love to be able to see and do wonderful things, but I'll tell you what, there is nothing better than doing them with my little family that I cherish more than life itself!!

Tornado Weekend

We were staying at Amy's down in Ozark (on May 22) for a last minute visit with the cousins (and Amy and Joe's mom), we were getting ready to leave on Sunday when the tornado sirens went off and the skies blackened. Here are some of the pics from Ozark right after the tornado devastated Joplin. 

We only saw the beautiful side of the storm gratefully. 

This is the storm as it is rolling in...

Eli helping Grandma sew while we were all in the basement shelter.

The kids trying to pass the time playing the Great Dalmuti.

The storm breaking in the west.

Rainbows appear in the East along with a lot of lightening. 

Mitchell was so excited that he captured a picture of the lightning- there was definitely electricity in the air.
The lightning would spread across the horizon behind the double rainbows. It was quite a sight.

When all was said and done, you have to just respect the power and majesty.

 Our hearts really go out to the people of Joplin and everyone who has been experiencing natural disasters across the globe. We have been trying to redouble our efforts to be prepared in every way physically, mentally and spiritually, because we never know when life will change so dramatically.

Random Moments

Eli was cracking me up with this message:

"Mother cut up the house LOL Tuf one"

Someone needed a hair cut.

He is such a ham- he loves getting sprayed by the spray bottle!

The kids always want him to have a fohawk- he doesn't usually need any help because that is how his hair works, but they do help it along periodically- in this case it is an off centered one!

And some spring happy that just didn't last long enough- the rain came and ruined all the peonies- boo!

So it is June

Well, here I am playing catch up again! Pathetic, I know! Wow, what have I missed??

To start with we missed recording Kaija's birthday, May 7th. 

She is 13, I now officially have two teenagers in my home and somedays it can be a wild ride, 

though most days I really do love it.  My kids are so much fun to be around.

Kaija with her cake from her school teacher Mr. Rosine- he thought it was weird that she didn't want a cake for her birthday.

Kaija invited her friend Kristin to our house on friday and I think we overwhelmed her- she is a quiet girl, but I am glad that Kaija suggested to have her come over to celebrate.

She also had all of her dreams come true...

A very blurry picture of a happy Kaija getting a sewing machine, finally!

This has to be one of my favorite pics of all time- I love Joe holding the girls hands at Powell Gardens!

We came across these beauties at the gardens- they give me the creeps but it was cool to watch them slithering along in a pack one on top of the other!

The Jurassic Garden- who knew that I brought along my own dinosaurs! Bella is our  resident impersonator, and Eli likes to join in on the fun periodically!

Spencer loves feet- he thinks they are wonderful, and he likes to suck on his big toes! Delicious!!

Final band concert for the year, Kaija on percussion and piano and flute, and Zach on trumpet.

Kaija's Winter Guard Banquet (a "formal" event).

All the gals from church at the banquet- they are all so beautiful!

So many things going on in May! It was hard to keep up with, 

but alas school is out and we are ready to get into the summer!