Great Party

Last weekend we hosted the 2010 Czech team fundraiser pig roast here at the Kuhlman Farm, and it was another great party! God richly blessed us with good food, great weather, wonderful friends, and amazing provision.

Thanks to everyone who helped with food, setup/teardown, prayer, and anything else I'm forgetting. We couldn't have done it without such an excellent team. And thanks to God for using this event to help provide for this team.

I estimated over 100 people out at the farm, and we really had a great time. If you missed it, you missed out. But here's a few shots to see what you missed, or remind you of the good time you enjoyed:

Next Flock

Each year we turn over our flock of chickens, so each spring Steve orders new chicks from Mt Healthy Hatcheries. Paul and Julia really look forward to getting the baby chicks. So earlier this year Steve said, "I ordered the birds today."

"Birds?"

"Umm... Hens and turkeys."

"Turkeys?"

"Fifteen chicks and fifteen turkeys. That was the minimum order."

"Fifteen turkeys!?"

"I ordered the bronze turkeys. They are the bigger ones."

"Of course you did."

And then a little later, "I'm going to have to make the little door on the coop bigger so that the turkeys will fit through when they get bigger."



Baby hens and turkeys come through the post. These are the turkeys.




Steve and Paul dip the beak of each baby bird in the water so that the birds will know where the water is. Yes, the birds are just that unintelligent. (I was going to say dumb, but Paul said that wasn't nice.)



The baby turkeys meet the baby chickens. This is the junior high dance pic.

Thithter Thuthie's Thittin' on a Thithle

Paul lost one of his top front teeth in February. The new one hasn't come in yet. And maybe that is good, because on the bottom, two new teeth have completely filled the spot left by three old teeth.
On Tuesday, Paul lost the other top front tooth. His grin is something else right now. And the poor boy is completely lisping his S's.

So what did I serve him for supper Tuesday after he lost his tooth?

Can you guess?

Corn on the cob.

And a steak sandwich.

All I have to say is that he was highly motivated to eat that corn, because somehow he cleaned off the cob.

Imaginative Play

My children are full of imaginative play. I love it!

Julia has a recurring game of playing, "Found baby." She pretends that she is a baby, which has been left behind from another family, and I have found her. I've decided not to psychoanalyze that one real hard. It is interesting because she calls herself Baby Julia in contrast to my real daughter Julia. Then we talk about big Julia in third person. She asks me questions and I tell her about big Julia.

Paul, in a similar vein, has been playing "Lost Opossum." Don't ask me why an opossum. Anyway, he pretends that he is a talking opossum in our home. He doesn't understand basic components of civilization. "What is this? A spoon? What is that for?" It's kind of like living with Data or Spock from the Star Trek franchise. It is amusing.

Yesterday Julia was playing with a dolphin shaped pan in the sand box. She was caring for it, providing a home and food. She asked, "Do dolphin's like to eat fish?"

"Yes, Julia. Dolphins love fish. Do you like to eat fish?"

"No, I'm not a fish eater. I'm a carn-i-vore!"

Petra progress

Last week Petra started getting up onto her hands and knees. She isn't crawling yet, but she is scooting a lot. I am delighted and terrified. Now she practically hops up off her belly.



Yesterday she reportedly pulled herself up into a standing position while in the wagon. Wow. And yikes.

She has started to deliberately bring her two hands together. And while she is supposed to be eating, she reaches around behind herself to feel what might be going on.

Petra has been bringing cups to her mouth for a while, and held her own bottle for a while yesterday.

She holds herself up in a sitting position for quite a while. And she likes to help me type.

g ,cccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccc ,, ic

Rough Day

Yesterday was not one of my best. Paul went on a field trip to see his elementary school for next year.
They have a behavior code in Kindergarten.
Good Day Green
Yikes Day Yellow
Rough Day Red.

Paul has brought home Yikes Day Yellows before, but yesterday I got a call from the principal's office because he earned a Rough Day Red on the field trip. He didn't hurt anybody; he made a bad decision. Nevertheless, I feel like moving school systems and legally changing his name. Maybe someday I will look back and it will be funny. Maybe in a couple of decades.

Ever have one of those days?

There are a lot of things that Paul does that I am really proud of. And of course, I love him no matter what. But I suppose it is only fair to record it when things go wrong too. And so, what I hope to walk away with is this:

My children, your father and I are doing our best to react to discipline problems wisely and to raise you up well. And you need to know that you are more important to us than your Good Day Greens and your Rough Day Reds.

Beautiful Wedding

Congratulations again, Vojta & Radka!

It was a great wedding, and we were pleased & honored to be there to enjoy it with you.

Here's a few pictures of the wedding and some of the events leading up to it:

Little Mr. Charming

My boy is funny to me.
On Friday I dropped Paul off at school and went to a hair salon. With Petra in my lap, I had a little more than 10 inches chopped, and my hair is now chin length.

Paul came home later that afternoon. He had been home for nearly an hour already when he looked at me and narrowed his eyes slightly. Slowly and thoughtfully, he said, “Your hair looks… different.”

I decided to test his reasoning skills and asked, “What do you think happened to it?”

He suggested that it had started growing back into my head.

“Paul! I got a haircut!” And then, “What do you think of it?”

I think his answer included the word, “wacky.”

Maybe we need to work on charm.

Our spring mission trip - by the numbers

14 Days
1 tooth in the baby’s mouth when we left
2 teeth in the baby’s mouth when we returned
1 extra hour on our return flight home because of diverting north of Iceland
4 airplanes
1 passport stamp (EU = no passport stamps when crossing borders. Convenient, but boring.)
3 worship services ( 1 in Czech, 1 in Dutch, 1 in Turkish and Bulgarian)
0 colds or illness on the trip
1 wedding
9 hour reception party (we didn’t stay for all of it)
2 CB churches
2 schools to talk in
2 postcards sent to Paul and Julia
1 mommy group
1 youth group meeting
1 bible study
1 missionary team meeting
1 English Camp team meeting
1 BMW rental car (Interestingly, it was somewhat less expensive than the VW)
3 suitcases + 2 smaller bags in the trunk, which completely filled it
180 km/hr (don’t tell my mom)
3.7 inches clearance between the side view mirror and the semi-truck in Austria

Things I couldn’t count
Miles traveled
Castles
Wind turbines
How many people held baby Petra
Gracious friends and hosts
Little traveling mercies from our Lord

Congratulations Vojta & Radka!

Congratulations on your marriage today, Vojta & Radka! We're overjoyed for you both as you start your new life together. And we're pleased we were able to be there with you and for you to share in the wedding celebration.

And now we pray that you would together grow closer to God in the coming years, as He knits your hearts in together in an unbreakable bond. God bless you both.