Watch out for VIRUSES

Just to warn you all, I received a comment on my rattlesnake story that attempted to infect my computer with a virus... DON'T click on that comment from "dumuro" or whatever it was. And be careful!! All sorts of pop-up warnings came up, which you should NOT respond to!! Call someone (like Justin Lyon!!!) to help before you do anything!! Thanks Justin!

The Proof (see below story)

This is the second rattlesnake that has been killed in our backyard...Last summer's snake story was a bit more exciting. The little neighbor girl spotted the snake, and it went into the bushes before I could find a shovel. A neighbor had said that the fire station would take care of it, and I thought that would be fun for the kiddos, and boy was that an event!! 4 trucks, which drew all of the neighbors, 6 firemen in our backyard, and four little kids plus neighborhood kids with noses pressed on the window as they watched the firemen search for the little guy. And he was little too (the most venomous kind). Pray for no more snakes!!

RATTLESNAKE

Oh my, as Rick Holland (one of our pastors) said today, we skipped spring and went right to summer! Along with 95 degree weather around these parts, comes the frightening reality of rattlesnakes and black widows. I was out watering the flowers which were languishing in the heat this afternoon, and my mom was out with me chatting, when she spotted this little guy running from the water through my flowers. "SNAKE!!" She shouted. "WHERE????" I shouted back. My adrenaline was pumping when she pointed right in front of me in the flower bed. I immediately looked for a shovel which so happened to be on the ground a foot away from me. I was probably looking like a maniac as I chopped wildly at the unsuspecting snake. I missed him a few times, but thankfully he didn't get too far away as you can see in the picture. I actually felt a little bad for him. The adrenaline was going for quite a while after his death blow, but (I'm a little ashamed to admit) I was feeling a bit like a hero for having saved my childrens' lives (haha). I'm sure Kurt got a kick out of me coming into his office (as he was studying to preach tonight) and reinacting the attack. A proud moment for this mom. I'm not afraid of no snakes!! Okay, so that's not exactly the whole truth. I'm not afraid of snakes unless they're the kind that have venomous fangs and they're in my backyard while my children are playing less than 5 feet away (yes, that's what happened). That's when fear can set in. Thankfully, I've been reminded of the reality that God holds my kids in the palm of His Sovereign hand, and I don't need to fear! After Cam crawled over a black widow that was on our stairs a little over a year ago, I began to realize that I could never prevent something from happening if it was in God's divine providential plan. After all, He cares for them more than I could! So, I will entrust them to Him, as they belong to Him anyway!

Let's Go METS

Today is opening day for baseball, and we are celebrating today! The Mets are currently beating the Marlins, and are in the 9th inning. Kurt came home early and set up the computer with the game on it, and has been watching with the kiddos. We had fun with it, and the girls got their faces painted... We ordered pizza for lunch, and have been enjoying a relaxing family day!!

Kurt is excited for the prospect of the Mets going big this year, and it looks like they're off to a good start! LET'S GO METS!!!!

Cake Fight

We had our first official Gebhards family cake fight tonight, and I'll tell you, it was mayhem! I don't think we planned very well, though (I'll detail that for you in a moment). Yes, Kurt and I actually planned this one. We had a lot of leftover cake from an event today (thanks Jon, Julia and Aubrey for caring for Kurt this way!) and we thought it would be fun to initiate a cake fight with the kids. So Kurt and I started it, and then two of the kids joined in when they realized it was "okay". Cake was flying everywhere (I mean everywhere!!!!), and four of us were having a blast! However, Kinley, Cam, and Macy were all crying. Anyway, we had our fun smearing cake on each other, rubbing it into each others hair, and then ended it to ease the little ones' stress. When we were cleaning up, I asked the two little ones (Kinley and Cam) why they were crying (they were still crying 10 minutes after we were done), and here came Kinley's reply, "I don't like cake in my hair and on my face!" I could have predicted that one. She is meticulous and neat. Then I asked Cam. "I didn't get to eat any cake!!!" came the reply. I guess I should have also been able to predict that one too (she is a junk-food-junkie!). Macy calmed down quickly. She just didn't like the chaos, and was trying to figure out if we were all okay. Reilly made it all worthwhile with one statement: "That was the best time in my whole life!!!!"

When planning a cake fight, here are some tips (which we neglected to implement):

1. Make the kids think it's spontaneous

2. Make sure they're wearing grubbies

3. Don't use a cake with "lardy" frosting (it leaves cement slippery) or crumbly texture

4. Move all objects out of range that you don't want to scrub down later

5. Clean up first with paper towels, and only afterward use the hose (see picture)

6. Let the kids go and show the neighbors the mess- they think it's cool!

7. Have fun, don't stress!

8. Make SURE you get lots of pictures!!

I have to say, one of my fondest memories growing up is from a time when my family was out for pizza one night, and all 5 of us got into an ice fight. Even my mom was involved, and I thought it was the coolest! Thanks for the inspiration, mom and dad!

A Princess Party

Katie and me enjoying cupcakes... Katie sang the Happy Birthday songs in the cutest little raspy voice with "cha-cha-chas" all over the place... I love it!!

Opening presents from my friends

The mommies watching with cameras as I opened presents

Eating lunch with the princesses

Macy is all smiles! She loves to be outside and part of the fun!
Today we celebrated Cam's birthday with a few of her friends- which is pretty hysterical... When you really think about what their friendship consists of as 3 year-olds- sitting next to each other while they play with play-doh at church, hugging each other in the hallway at church (and nearly knocking each other over), and then of course that fun dynamic of a love/hate relationship... it's quite humorous! Today was a blast- watching all of these little girlies having fun together (and fighting over toys), and having a "tea party" in the playhouse was such fun. It really was a great time, and the mommies even got to eat together and have some fellowship while the girls played outside in the beautiful weather... Praise the Lord for that! Here are a couple of pics from the day!

Easter, a Birthday, and a Chocolate Bunny

What a fun, full day! We had a great Resurrection morning at church, and also celebrated Cam's 3rd birthday today. The kids are SO FUN! Easter egg hunts never lose their thrill. This year, the big girls won (found the most eggs) and Reilly and Cam tied!!

We were also thrilled that our neighbors (the Doyle family) joined us this morning at church, and we spent the afternoon with them over a great Easter feast (grilled steaks, sweet potatoes, and jello poke cake were the hits of the day).

This, however is what happens when you let a 3-year old eat an entire chocolate bunny as well as a piece of chocolate cake. It's bedtime, and for some reason, I don't think she's going to sleep anytime soon...