singing to baby Jesus

I'm not sure what is more funny, their random and disconnected songs or that Toby is using the baby as a footrest.

Our first tree!

she's walking!

Halloween and friends

sorry for the 2 month haitus... we're back.

silly kids and tiny dogs

Penner family reunion

We had a Penner family reunion at the farm in SW Kansas. It was awesome to see our CA family (we miss you all!) and just to have fun back home with the kids.

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pretty funny marketing spoof on scientology

soda pop

I was born and raised blue, but after only 3 1/2 years, I am yellow... and I can tell you right now I'll never be red. Soda anyone?

Fun at Gram's

Fun at Gram's!

THE gokart

There is a joke in our family. Whenever we talk about the good 'ol days, my brother Marc and I reminisce about our days building and driving our gokarts all over the country. This is usually when my mean old brother-in-law Chris claims that our gokarts are mythical figments of our imagination and that he has never once seen them in working/riding condition. Well, in an effort to bring the family together, Marc and I (with, well... alot of help from Dad) have ventured out to set things right... to prove our manhood by building the greatest gokart ever (or at least one that runs)! It was actually Chris' idea, but that is beside the point. Marc and I set out on a perilous adventure, tasked with this great goal!!! And now, BEHOLD, the hour draweth nigh... it is almost complete. I, with bravery beyond compare, have ridden the monster of a gokart... armed with only an outstretched arm to awaken the beast and not one disk break to ease her rage.

Farm livin'

This weekend we went to hang out with Papa on the farm! It was awesome... there were tons of rocks and random metal objects to play with. The kids loved being on the farm and I was reminded of why I loved growing up there. We got to ride the tractor, play with cats and dogs, ride the gokart, jump on the trampoline, see Great Grandma and Grandpa, pick fresh mulberries, and take in the big Kansas sky.

family pics

On father's day weekend, we went to Baldwin City, KS and took a ride on the REAL Thomas Train Engine... all the way from Sodor Island!

house tour

Here's our first house ever! We bought it from my sister and we are so blessed to inherit such a great house. After doing alot of painting and refinishing the wood floors, we are excited to be settling in... although the mowing has been crazy with all the rain. Enjoy... and then come visit!

- Adam & Becky

the floor

they say it can't be done... lowes.com calls it an "advanced" job. I am not afraid.

Okay, for some backound: Becky and I agonized over color and stain vs natural for about a week, then tested a few things: natural with the poly coat, dark stain and light (actually white) stain. We didn't like the yellowing effect on the natural, so we almost broke out the white stain when we realized that it is "not recommended on floors". So, we tried the dark stuff and liked it. It was initially not our first choice, but now that I have finished staining, I love it. All that's left is the polyurethane finish!

Step 1: sanding the floors - I rented a big nasty floor sander which was awesome.

Step 2: stain floor with "Jacobean" oil based wood finish by Minwax (it's dark!).

Note how the natural grain and variation of the wood is enhanced.

more updates to come....

We're moving!

As many of you know, we have bought my sister's house and are moving soon! So far, Becky has been staying up late at the house painting while I have been sanding and staining the wood floors. We are already exhausted and we haven't even moved yet. We are blessed and excited to have our own home and look forward to creating our own memories there. I will be posting pictures soon, but if you'd like a sneak peak, you can check out my sister's blog -> Julie