For Noah!!

Some dear friends of ours came for a few days as a birthday surprise for Seth, Esther and Tabitha!! Absolute secrecy was preserved, and their arrival was a complete surprise!! We had a wonderful visit, with lots of laughs and fun memories made!!

Pictures Courtesy of Anna Rehm!!
At the fair!!

Good Friends.

Matching Hair-styles!! :)

Setting up the volleyball net!

Sequence-- who knew the game could be SOO funny?? :)

Late night games----

and more late night games!! :)

Many a fun game of volleyball and Ultimate Frisbee!!

Bekah and Silas!!

The following pictures are for Noah-- since he misses his horses SO much!! A big thank-you to Anna for taking these pictures!! :)

Tabitha and Bekah with Sandy!!

A Walk to the Quarry.

It was a warm, windy day in Kansas-- what a perfect day for a walk with a friend!!

We were delighted to bring sweet Bekah Rehm home with us following her sister's graduation party on Saturday.

We let the horses out for a run in the bright sunshine-- they were thrilled!

They wandered a bit far though, so we had to round them up.

Playing follow the leader!!

Manie--- isn't he beautiful!

Noah's baby, Honey.

"Come on Sandy."

Playing with his baby.

The fun begins as we set out across the hills.

We never imagined all the memories, laughs and near accidents we would encounter.

Hiking across the Kansas Hills.

The Rocks reminded us of old western movies (Right, Bekah?!?!) :)

It was extremely windy, especially after climbing "Mount Sinus" (don't ask, it's a long story!!) :)

Awwww.... good times!

Leaping gracefully across the ravines.

Our faithful four-legged escort-------Roscer.

The scenery was breath-taking.

Best Friends....

"Mount Sinus"
(Name courtesy of Noah!!)

Drama Queen in the 'volcano'.
(Don't question our imaginations!)

After such a long walk, my companions died of exhaustion.

The 4 Explorers!!

What a perfect day!!

Surprise Arrival!

Sometime last night or early this morning, a very special little foal arrived!! What a pleasant surprise!! Noah and Tabitha decided last fall that Sandy was pregnant, but their hopes for a foal were short lived after she miscarried in late September.

So you can imagine our surprise and excitement this morning when Moses came running in from his chores and shouted through the house; "Sandy had a foal!!"

Stay tuned for more pictures!!

Labor Day Fun..

Last year our family spent Labor Day week-end at home; enjoying family time and roofing a new shed. This year Daddy had a list of projects for us to tackle over the course of the week-end, so hammers pounded, chainsaws buzzed, mowers hummed and faces smiled as we crossed project after project off the list!! Of course, every so often we'd take a break for an acitivity or treat Dad had planned- Ulmers love brownies and ice-cream!! Dad and Seth both had off Saturday and Monday, and Noah was able to get Monday afternoon off, so we had some great family time!!

Finding our front flower beds was a adventure. But after 13 million weeds, 17,000 grasshoppers and 1,600 spider webs, we finally found the flower beds again!! :)

Seth mowing.

With lots of little trees to be cut down, Moses kept busy with the handsaw.



Seth and Silas fixing the mower!! Thanks guys!

Our Little Mechanic!!

Mom shampooing the carpet!

Cutting stumps.

Hanging Gutters.

Silas doesn't like to get into the pool, but he likes to kick with his feet!!

What a better way to end the day then a dip in the pool with Daddy?!?!

Phoebe, Tabitha and Charity enjoying some sister-time on horse-back!!

Aunt Tabitha and Paul!

"Open up your mouth Paul!!"

One night after supper we had pudding cups. Silas and Paul were sitting next to each other and Silas began sharing his pudding with Paul. He would get a spoonfull, taste a teeny bit off the end of the spoon, and give the rest to Paul. It was precious to watch them!!