Patience, please

I have received many calls and e-mails from you all requesting pictures of our darling kids opening their Christmas presents and all the ensuing fun. Sam is not in school at the moment and my free time is severely limited so I will post pictures in a few days when I have time to really look at them all......Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to you all from the Hartley Family!!!

Pretty darn close

So, Ben says the baby is almost done. However, this morning at about 6:30 am Ben stripped the threads on his arbor (yeah, I don't know either...) Apparently it's super bad, but fixable and all the crusty old guys on the "Old Woodworking Machines" forum have taken our Ben under their wing to help repair "baby". We will keep you posted on the progress. Notice the custom made motor cover! It has all the guys on the forum talking!!

We are fine

Lots of people have called to see if everything here in Moline is OK. Thanks so much for your calls! We are fine and have power and the roads are great ect... It has been absolutely beautiful here. It's like living in a snow globe. I wish I was a better photographer so you could see what it really looks like!

Infinate patience

Sam and Lilly and I made Christmas cookies today. I wish you all could have been here. There were sprinkles and beebles everywhere! We used up a gallon of decorations and most of that ended up on the floor. (Notice the intense concentration...)

Random pictures from the snowstorm

These are some other pictures from the day it snowed.

sledding!!

So, Lilly got hooked into the sled and Sam pulled her around the back yard.

She didn't know what to think about it at first...

But, in the end she decided that it was really fun!

Except when it's over!!!

Winter play

This is from a few weeks ago, before we had any snow. Lil and Sam had fun playing on the climbing wall and going down the (wet) slide!

Lil likes spaghetti!!!

This wasn't the first time Lil had spaghetti but it was the messiest! This was followed immediately by a bath and we had to throw the washcloth away!

This is THE best

I don't think this needs any comment,......

Sam in the snow

This is just a silly little video of Sam playing in the snow. It was too cold for Lilly and I to come out and play so Sam went out with Camper.

We had a big ice storm yesterday that kept us cooped up all day long. The kids were crazy!!! They had so much fun playing with this laundry basket, they pushed it around for at least an hour. Go figure, about $1,000,000,000 in toys in this house and they are playing with a $15 laundry basket!!!

An update on the "Baby"

So this week the motor was installed on the Unisaw. Sam and Bob helped hoist the motor into place. Baby Unisaw is still having problems though, loose bands and a wobbly blade. Ben did say that he was able to cut wood with her for the first time so all's not lost. Check back for more updates on Ben's progress.....

An oldie but a goodie

This video was set to us by Sam's Aunt Chris. It was shot a long, long time ago,...about two years ago. When Chris was shooting this she had the monitor turned so Sam could watch himself as Chris recorded. It is so great to see how much Sam has grown and to see how much he and Lilly look alike. Do you think so???? Thanks Aunt Chris, you're the best!!!!! Kinda makes me all teary!!!

Knitting? Weaving??

Lilly has shown an aptitude for for the fiber arts, taking every chance to get into my knitting bucket and drag yarn all over the house. I should have taken video but this is the best I could do. Perhaps she has a future as a performance artist? Lets hope not.....

Pumpkin pie

Grandma Marsha gave Lilly her first taste of pumpkin pie. She loved it!!!

Thanksgiving

How do you like Sam's new glasses??? We think he looks great! A little like Mr. Potato Head???

Lil and her spoon

This was the first time Lil actually got food to her mouth with the spoon. Usually it's a big gag-fest!

More pictures of the "baby"

Bens Unisaw with a fresh coat of paint

Bens hand with a fresh broken finger.

Ben

Post this picture, or else,.....

Ben said that if I didn't post this picture, he would post one that I hated more. He thinks that there aren't enough pictures of me on here. I think he feels bad because there are so many tablesaw pictures!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hahahahahahahaha!!!

Progress on the new "baby"

Ben had Monday off and put it to good use by sandblasting and priming The Unisaw. It's looking great, I'll keep everyone updated on Ben's progress........

Fishing on Sylvan Slough

We went fishing on the slough with our friends John and Debbie tonight. The weather was amazing, just a little chilly. We didn't catch anything, as usual, but Sam got to see both John and Debbie catch some fish so he was happy.

Our climber

We are starting to think this won't be the last trip to the emergency room for our Lil. She loves to climb and can scale the rock wall all by herself. She scares the bejeepers out of us! She thinks she can go down the slide all by herself too. YIKES!!!

Ben's new toy

This week we had a new addition to the family. Ben got this 1940's era Delta Unisaw table saw from our friend Scott Hinton. Ben has begun to take it apart and, lovingly, restore it to it's former glory. Make sure and ask about it when you talk to him!!

Me likey ketchup!!!!

Ok, so these pictures were originally intended to show everyone how well her head was healing. As it turned out, however, they show the world Lilly's new favorite "food." By the end of lunch she had figured out that she could suck the ketchup off the meatballs and spit them on the floor for Camper to eat. It's a dysfunctional relationship, but it works for them.

Our first ever trip to the ER

Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later. Last night after dinner Lilly stumbled into a drawer pull which resulted in a trip to the emergency room. The kind Doctor was able to glue her forehead back together, thus saving us the trauma of stitches. She is fine today and doesn't even know she has a GIANT band-aid on her forehead. The glue should come off in 5 days or so and she will be good as new.

Sam shark video #1

If you can't hear, he's saying "it's my big fin" over and over. Did I mention that he likes his costume and that he scared a little kid at the Fall Festival at church? RAHRRRRRRRRR!!!

Sam shark video #2

Halloween 2007

Sam had a great time this Halloween! He was a shark, I made his costume and I think it looks great, if I do say so myself!! I have some great video of him in his costume but I am having trouble uploading it so check back for that!

This is from Lilly's birthday party and I might be the only one who thinks it's cute. I just love her joy of discovery and her chatter!!

A lesson in sharing

Sam and Lilly were playing so nicely on the floor with their barn so I thought I would shoot some video of them. This is what I got instead......

Lilly's first birthday!!!

October 18th was Lilly's first birthday and we celebrated with cake and some of Lilly's favorite foods! A special thanks to Lilly's Grandma and Buddy for being such wonderful hosts!!

Big Brother Sam helped blow out the candles. I think that he wished he would get some presents too!!

Lilly ate a whole piece of cake!!!

Dinner was Lil's favorites: chicken, french fries and peas!

Lilly and her Great Grandma Ruth

Lilly and Buddy, which is what we all call Ben's Dad. (It's a long story,...)

Lilly got so many cute outfits! This dress will be perfect for Thanksgiving and Christmas!