life update

Life on the farm recently has been full and lively.  We are "in the thick" of planting season, which means that dad is spending hours in the fields, getting the crops in.  There's also plenty of work to be done on the lawn and in the gardens.  Many wonderful friends have visited this month (with some more dear ones arriving this evening).  Plans for a two-month trip are in the works, with scheduling, packing, cleaning, and cooking to be done in preparation.  In the midst of it all, we make memories as a family.  Some of my favorite memories are never captured on camera or recorded in words.  A few from this month:

-laughing so hard together while cleaning the bus late at night

-sitting in the living room together, buried in our books (this was my activity of choice for my birthday....so fun and rare!)

-racing with our cleaning responsibilities in the house (the girls)

-eating meals together.  It doesn't happen every meal, but I'm grateful for a family that often shares home-cooked meals around a big table.

And now, here are a few pictures from the past few weeks, mostly photos of work around the farm:

 Josh running the skid-loader.  

 these are two of the adorable kittens from the latest batch of kittens on the Bontrager Farm

 Carson loves mechanics so much that he recently bought an old fourwheeler to fix up in his spare time.  I don't quite get what's so fascinating for him about engines and parts.  Maybe it's kinda like me and cooking?  Only instead of messing around with food ingredients and recipes, he's working with nuts and bolts and engines and stuff.

 Little Miss Rebecca makes a lovely grilled strawberry/cheese sandwhich.

 Mother was gone the other weekend so one day for lunch we ate around our kitchen island.  We can only eat there when several people are gone, and with mother + some of the guys gone, we fit! Goblets with yummy beverage upped the "amazing" factor of a lovely spring lunch.  Of course the whoopie pies and grilled sandwhiches were quite scrumptious, too.

Typical life on the farm often involves very untypical happenings. =) You never know what is going to go wrong...
In the above situation...our vet came out and three of the boys are helping him with a procedure for one of our cows that had developed a twisted stomach. The twisted stomach resulted in lots of issues for the cow, unfortunately, so it had to be fixed.
The remedy? Flip the cow over on its back, and then make an incision in the stomach and literally "flip" the stomach. It sounds impossible but it works.

Taylor hanging on for dear life!!

We had friends visiting that evening so they got to watch.
Its always fun to have company here when we have farm stuff going on because then our company can get in on a few of the things farmers do and experience the true life on a farm!
{note: for those of you who are thinking that we are a bunch of crazy country folks that just abuse our animals with torturous procedures, you couldn't be further from the truth.You are just a little ignorant, so let me enlighten you. This cow would have died from a bloated stomach if something hadn't been done. And this is the procedure that works! She was injected with pain killer prior to the surgery so it really wasn't as painful as it appears. Just for the record}

 Denver l o v e s our big rider lawn mower!  

Taylor did a great job cleaning the porch.

"And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men."

Colossians 3:23

posted by chelsy & allison

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Dancing in the street

By Rebecca Almond

Those who know me will agree when I tell you I’m not at all “street”. So when I was invited to sample the new urban dance exercise class at Fitness First, I was conscious my moves would be more hip-pop than hip-hop.  

Now I’m not one to shuffle around my handbag when I hit the dance floor – 16 years’ of ballet training instilled a modicum of rhythm in my body – but this genre of dance is way beyond my comfort zone. Still, the allure of burning up to 400 calories in a one-hour ‘fun-filled workout’ led me to pack my gym kit and prepare to take centre stage…

Diversity Street Dance promises to help you achieve traditional exercise goals through high-energy street dance moves, offering a workout that boosts cardio fitness, muscle strength, balance and flexibility. And, as the class name suggests, the routines are choreographed by the winning dance troupe of Britain’s Got Talent 2009, Diversity.

“This class is for absolutely anyone,” says Diversity’s leader and man with the moves, Ashley Banjo. “We hope the class will attract more people to street dance – the idea is people have fun, gain an insight into a different style of dance and get fit.”

So, warm up done, positions taken – and my eyes sheepishly averted from the surrounding wall of mirrors – the instructor takes the class through the routine. The steps are easy to grasp, combining a series of jumps, body rolls and powerful moves both upright and on the floor. And when we’re ready to put everything to music and the beats start booming, I’m quick to realise Ashley’s get-fit pledge has grounds. Two takes of the routine and I’ve worked up a sweat and am gasping for water – but all worries of looking like a fool have been danced away.

This class is hugely energetic, but not in a humdrum, must-keep-pounding-the-treadmill sense. There’s something about dance that turns your mind away from achieving your exercise goal and focuses it instead on mastering the moves and having fun – regardless of whether your interpretation of the routine is as polished as the instructor’s.

If you have two left feet, this class probably isn’t for you as the choreography is fast, varied and high impact in places. But don’t let age hold you back – my session was filled with men and women of varying generations. ‘There should be something for everyone,’ says Ashley.

A class that burns calories and builds strength but doesn’t feel like an exercise class? I’m sold. In fact, street dance is likely to become a regular feature of my stay-fit regime. So come on Mr Banjo, I’m waiting for your call – I quite fancy myself as the 12th member of Diversity…

Diversity Street Dance is available at selected Fitness First clubs nationwide. For more information and to find your nearest class, visit fitnessfirst.co.uk/Diversity

August Tour Schedule & Update

AUGUST SCHEDULE

1st...Church of God Holiness::Eldorado Springs, Missouri::7pm

3rd...Liberty Faith Bible Church::Norwood, Missouri::7pm

4-6th...Friendship Baptist Church::Highland, Arkansas::daily

We would love to see some of y'all at one of our upcoming concerts! Feel free to email for 

more info! info@bontragerfamilysingers.com

And just because a post is always better with a picture...here is the update on our sibling stair-step progression. Obviously, us girls are losing the height battle. =) Denver started growing the beginning of this year and I don't think he is ever planning to stop. =)

We will be back soon with update posts from the last two weeks, which included a fabulous family reunion weekend with the Bontrager side, a lovely nine-day 25th anniversary celebration getaway to Washington state for Dad + Mom, and a most wild, adventurous, and very busy nine days alone running the farm for these Bontrager siblings!

Today on the schedule is packing + getting ready to head out again. I think tonight there might have to be a search for a few of us who have gone into hiding because we really don't want to leave the farm again. =)

"That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a cooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world. Holding forth the word of life: that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain."

Philippians 2:15&16

{posted by chelsy}

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