100 balls and 4 generations!

I know the title is a little odd... but I didn't want it to be boring! A couple weekends ago my mom and dad and Grandpa Kaliff came for a Sunday visit... and with them they brought 100 BALLS for Elli to play with in her little swimming pool!

Giving Grandpa "kisses"

Playing in her "ball pit"!Four Generations

Jon and I are so thankful to have two sets of parents who love, support and encourage us as we walk down this path of parenthood. We don't know what we would do without the example they have set before us! We love you all!

4 years ago...

... we said "I do!"

In many ways it is hard to believe that it has already been 4 years... but in other ways it is hard

to believe is has only been 4 years...

I never completely understood when people would say that marriage is "hard work". But it is... yet so rewarding at the same time! I am so thankful for the man that the Lord has put in my life. There is no one that I would want to share the great joys and sorrows of this life with. We have been so incredibly blessed beyond what we deserve in our 4 years of marriage!

I look forward to many more years with you... excited to see what new doors we will walk through together! I love you!

gettin' in to stuff

Now that Elli is on the go, crawling everywhere and pulling herself up to things she is getting into stuff (i.e. "trouble") on a whole new level! It is fun to watch her explore and learn about her surroundings but it is also challenging for Jon and I as we explore and learn how to train her rightly.

Train up a child in the way he should go, and even when he is old he will not stray from it.

Proverbs 22:6

It's a...

BOY!!!

On Friday we went in for our 20 week ultrasound. Our hope was to see our baby growing and developing healthy and strong AND to hopefully find out if Jon would remain in a house full of women (which he would have been totally fine with!) or if he would get a little man to share his love of ... jeeps, big equipment, farming, dirt, sweat... well you get the picture!

Sorry if the last picture was a little too "revealing"! Just had to show the proof!

So... I'm thinking the title "Princess on the Farm" just isn't fitting for this blog anymore! Any thoughts on what I should change it to? Something a little bit more... gender neutral perhaps?!? Any ideas would be appreciated... just leave a comment!
Lord we thank you and praise you for this new little miracle! We are so thankful that you are entrusting us with another precious child. We pray that this little one will grow up to be a man who loves you and serves you with all of his heart!

Summer Fun!

Elliana has been able to experience many "1st" this summer! In August we went to her 1st bullriding event at the Buffalo county fair. Even though she was up way past her bedtime she loved it! It is becoming more and more evident that she is a farm girl through and through!

We took a weekend visit to my parents and she had her 1st trip to the zoo. We were going to attempt the Omaha Henry Dorley Zoo but because of the extreme heat we decided to opt for the Lincoln Childrens Zoo instead! We had a lot of fun and the monkeys were her favorite!We also went to the Cass County Fair that weekend! This is the county fair that I grew up showing livestock and taking 4-H projects to. She may have had her 1st taste of cotton candy as well (don't tell her daddy!) While at Grandma and Grandpa's Elli had fun in the water. Grandma bought her the tiniest baby pool I have ever seen! She took a swim/bath on the porch! Grandpa let her play in the pond too!It has been such a joy to experience summer fun with a little one this year! Things are new and exciting for us as parents in a different way! I know that as she gets older it will only become more adventerous... and we get to have those adventures with 2 kiddos next year! Woo hoo!!

Here's what we've been up to...

My dad informed me last weekend that I haven't put up any new pictures and that it should be done at least once a week! Really I don't think that is too much to ask but lately it seems our life has been CrAzY with many extra things besides life's normal busyness! I thought I would just recap some of the things we have been up to this month...

...celebrating the 4th of July with lots of family... going to the pool...stripping wallpaper... painting...other renovation projects...getting ready to move...irrigating...putting up corn... to name a few! :)

BIG Sis!

It doesn't seem like our little Elli is BIG enough to be a BIG sister but she's gonna be one! Our little family was very surprised to find out that we will be adding to it. The new addition is expected mid January.

As much of a surprise this was to us we are thankful for this new blessing and know that God's plan for our family is perfect!

'Behold, children are a gift of the Lord...'

Psalm 127:3