Tumbling Trio

I was fixing supper this afternoon while Laura and Abigail were practicing a duet on the piano and Charlotte was turning pages for them.  Laura announced that whoever made a mistake had to turn a somersault.  I turned around to uproarious laughter to see 3 girls head under heels. Wonder what the chances are that the "mistakes" were on purpose...

Our littlest cowboy with his sister...

... on a real horse. 

They're all looking forward to some great times with this lady once she gets used to her new home.

Meet Cheyenne...

...the newest addition to Jordan Creek farm

Loyal...

We didn't expect to find a dog to fit in with us so quickly, but we didn't want to be without a watch dog and playmate too long so today I looked on Craigslist and found this dog's picture.  I sent an email to find out more about her, and it turned out that she belonged to some of our friends.  They had her for a sheep protection, but she ended up being a sheep herder and spent her days sending the sheep from one side of the pasture to the other and then back again.  So, we brought her home this afternoon and so far she seems like she will be a good dog for us.  She's pretty gentle, quite active, but not hyper, and, unlike our other Great Pyrenees, hasn't barked constantly (in fact, we've had her for about 4 hours and haven't heard her bark yet - we'll see what happens when the trains and coyotes start up tonight).  Her father was an Australian shepherd and her mother was half great Pyrenees and half Merremma/Anatolian.  So as long as she doesn't end up killing chickens for enjoyment (like Bridget) or doesn't have some other undesirable habit, it looks like we may have found a great addition to our critter population.  She'll not replace Autumn in our hearts, but hopefully she'll share just as special of a place as Autumn had.  She was named Loyal by her previous owners, and so far that name seems to have stuck.

Autumn...

I'm not sure I've ever written a post about Autumn.  She was our sweet Yellow Lab.  We had her for about 10 years and she made her way into all of our hearts.  She was one of those dogs that just became a part of the family and we were all very attached to her.  She was our kids' playmate, climbing toy and protector.  She was our "alarm" when a car drove into the driveway.  She was always happy to see us and would come wagging her tail when we would come out the door or arrive home from somewhere.  When we were home, she was just content to lay on the porch and listen to the sounds of the household inside.  We wished we could have her always.

Autumn was getting slow and arthritic.  She couldn't get around very quickly anymore.  It took her a bit to get up and start moving.  Wednesday morning, she was laying under the van and I didn't notice.  She would normally get up and move as soon as we started getting into the van.  But this time, she didn't make it and ended up getting run over.

There were lots of tears and sad, sad, people around here.  And now all we have are memories - but they are all good ones - of a loyal, devoted, and content friend of the family.

The Germans are invading!!!

One thing I don't worry too much about is everyone in the family sharing germs (unless, of course a stomach bug is going around and then I'm constantly reminding everyone not to drink out of someone else's cup).  It would drive me crazy to try to keep the little ones from drinking out of someone else's drink, etc.  It is not uncommon to hear someone say, "Taste for taste?" when having a treat.

This morning, however, Garrett apparently reached a new stage.  I overheard one of the girls tell him that 'No, I'm not going to get you more milk'  and then he came running.  "MOOOOOOMMMMMMMYYYYYY!!!"   Me: "Garrett, did you pour your milk out?"  (That stopped his crying, after all how could I know that he had poured out his milk without being told???)  Garrett:  "Um, yes..."   Me: "Why?"  Garrett (with the return of tears):  "Because Heidi drank out of my cup and she has Germans!!!"

This from the little boy who regularly greets our dog with a kiss...  Apparently dog germans aren't nearly as bad as girl germans...

Remembering 11 years ago...

The kids had realized what time it was and that it was close to the time that the first plane hit and were all gathering outside to have a little quiet ceremony of remembrance (although the younger ones weren't even here yet nor do most of them understand what the significance of the day really is) so I grabbed the camera for a quick picture. It is amazing how clearly the feelings of that day come back to memory.

Only two screws left over... hmmm... wonder where they were supposed to go!

They don't change much...

Our 3 oldest spent the week at the place where our church convention is held, helping to get it ready for the annual convention which will be happening in a few weeks.  They had a great time - working during the day and playing volleyball and other games in the evening.

We have a joke around here (since our first five kids are girls with 2 boys following) that boys are a completely different breed than girls.  One of our girls was telling me that at meal time whichever girl ended up sitting closest to the boys' end of the table got to listen in on the "all boy" conversation - they spent the meal laughing involuntarily.  I asked if Lincoln and Garrett were on track to be normal boys.  Her reply... "They don't change much..."

The 'lil cowboy

Garrett came in from playing outside (driving his pickup truck around - taking care of the farm) this morning and said to Abigail...



"I don't know how to be a cowboy. I am going to go to where the resting chair is (whatever that is... I wasn't aware that we had one of those... maybe the rocking chair?) Someone is going to come sit in the resting chair and teach me how to be a cowboy." He then came to me and said, "Mommy, I don't know how to be a cowboy... can you teach me how to be a cowboy?" I replied that I didn't really know how to be a cowboy either. "Who can teach me?" he asked. I recommended that he go ask Laura, because she reads a lot of books and maybe she had learned how to be a cowboy from one of them. So he went and found Laura. "Laura, I really don't know how to be a cowboy. Would you please teach me how to be a cowboy?" "They wear cowboy boots and cowboy hats. They ride horses and move the cows around. They have lassos. They yodel and play the guitar. Their favorite foods are beans and bacon and coffee." His next step was to come to me with a cute little smile and ask for some coffee. So after his coffee* he headed downstairs with his cowboy hat and cowboy boots to ride his horse.

* Yes, he really did drink some coffee. He has been enjoying coffee since he was a few days old when his sisters dipped their fingers in coffee and let him suck it off of their fingers.

Get your animals straight...

Emily was just talking about the "bull" we took in to the butcher last week.  Garrett said, "It's NOT a bull, it's a TEER!!!"

(Then to me:  "Emily doesn't know what a "teer" is...")

(Teer = steer)

Finally - a menu - Week of 7/1/12

Sunday

• Breakfast -  Skillet potatoes with scrambled eggs, English Muffins
• Lunch - Roast Beef, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, Green Beans, Salad
• Supper - ?

Monday

• Breakfast - Overnight Blueberry Oven Pancake
• Snack - Grapefruit
• Lunch - Leftovers
• Snack - Granola Bars
• Supper - Chicken Drumsticks, Sweet Potatoes, Corn Bread, Salad

Tuesday

• Breakfast - English Muffins, Baked Eggs
• Snack - Yogurt, Granola
• Lunch - Cream of Broccoli Soup, Cheese Slices, Rolls
• Snack - Watermelon
• Supper - L/O Roast Beef, Potatoes, Gravy, Corn

Wednesday

• Breakfast - Biscuits & Gravy, Fried Eggs
• Snack - Banana Bars
• Lunch - Steak, Baked Potatoes, Peas & Carrots
• Snack - Peanuts & Raisins
• Supper - Hamburgers & Hot Dogs

Thursday

• Breakfast - Scrambled Eggs, Toast
• Snack - Fruit Bars
• Lunch - Sandwiches
• Snack - Chips & Salsa
• Supper - Black Bean Enchiladas

Friday

• Breakfast - Steel Cut Oats, Fruit, Granola, Toast, Peanut Butter
• Snack - Cheese & Crackers
• Lunch - Leftovers
• Snack - Popcorn
• Supper - Pasta Salad

Saturday

• Breakfast - Breakfast Rollups
• Lunch - Sandwiches, Chips
• Supper - Leftovers

Our family picture book

This is the book we are having printed out for prospective birth moms to view.

Our Mixbook

As if our life isn't busy enough...

For several years, it has been in our hearts to adopt someday.  It hadn't seemed to be the right time, though, until recently.  Maybe it is because our youngest is three now and we've gotten some rest from the more intensive physical care that newborns, infants and toddlers take. :)  Anyway, a few weeks ago we spent a few hours with an adoption lawyer learning about the costs and legal aspects of adoption.  So... we don't know who, we don't know when and we don't even know if it will be our privilege to bring another child into our family through adoption, but we do know that our hearts and thoughts are going that direction.

This summer, we have been working in our basement.  We've been sorting, cleaning, throwing away  - both to make room to build a bedroom or two (it is a walkout basement on two sides so it is more like a first floor, not a dungeon) and to have a sale to help pay for the costs of an adoption if it works out.  It's been a lot of work, but it has also been so much fun for the kids and me to work together. It's been fun to find pictures of when the kids were littler and  to dig out toys and clothes that they had when they were babies.  A friend of ours invited us to bring our stuff over to add to her yard sale next month, and that was (and still is) the plan.  But as we added and added and added to our pile of stuff we realized that it would take several trips to get our stuff to their house and we decided we'd have a pre- yard sale, yard sale here.  So this weekend is the weekend of that sale.  I put up a sign advertising that it was an "adoption benefit sale" thinking that it might encourage people to buy some of our stuff, but it was amazing as one after another people handed us money to pay for their purchases and said "keep the change".

So the thought that has been going through my mind today is that it is "More blessed to give than to receive..." but it is also so humbling - difficult - and beautiful to be on the receiving end of people's kindness and generosity.

(As a side note, the lawyer said the best way to find a child who is need of a family is through the network of friends and family - so... if anyone hears of a child needing adoption, please keep us in mind. At this point we are thinking of a child younger than our youngest who is 3)

Things you don't see growing up in the city...

We had a parade go past our house this afternoon - over 30 tractors riding in memory of a local farmer who passed away a couple of years ago.  We stood on the hillside and waved as they drove by.

We packed a lot into...

...a weekend with a few extra days.

We spent the weekend at the home of some friends a few hours north of us.  These friends happen to have a lot of room at their place and several families were invited to spend Memorial Day weekend there.  What a wonderful time!  We were talking about it this morning and realized that there were children at every age from 18 down to less than an year (with the exception of any 2 or 4 year olds).  The fun thing was that all of the kids from every age group enjoyed playing together.  There was swimming in the pond, softball, hymn singing, instrument playing, bubbles, a car wash, eating, a moonlight hay ride, lots and lots of visiting (including whispering late into the night in the girls' sleeping area), several volleyball games (including a session that lasted until 11:30 one night after most of the kids were in bed) and lots more.  We forgot to take a camera along, so hopefully someone will share some of their pictures with us.

One of the girls there was getting ready to graduate from high school.  She has been home schooled her whole life so we all thought it would be fun to have a little graduation party for her.  Someone got some cake.  Someone printed up an "almost graduated" certificate and a certificate for the "parents of the year" for her parents and someone suggested we sing the song "Dear Lord we Thank Thee for our Youth Today" to her and the rest of the kids there.  It was a really nice little celebration of her (and her parents) accomplishment.

Monday, at lunch time, the kids told us they had something for the parents.  Here is what they sang to us to the same tune as the above hymn.  One of the girls (Laura) had been thinking of this thought for a while and had been putting it together in her head.  After we sang to them, she put this song down on paper with the help of some of her friends. It was beautiful to hear them.

"Dear Lord we thank Thee for those who higher climb

The lowly path that leads to rest sublime

They leave examples all along the way

Helping young feet that from the path would stray

When the oppressing cares of mortal life

Weigh down their feet and hinder in the strife

Help them to see the examples that they make

Showing the youth how to labor for His sake

Chorus:

Dear Savior help them farther go

As Thee their Lord they better learn to know

Doing their best to lead

Strengthening each young seed

As on Thy word they feed

Each day more and more

It was a beautiful ending to a wonderful weekend!

Happy Birthday Lincoln!!!

Our little man is 6 today!!!  He's full of fun.  Loves to tease me with snakes and worms and other creepy creatures.  Still has lots of snuggles and cuddles in him.  Does a great job in school - another little bookworm.  We love him so much and are so glad we have him!  Have a great Birthday, Lincoln Todd!!

Just because I posted this picture and thought it was cute does NOT mean it is OK to climb in the washing machine!  

Well, since the kids let the cat out of the bag...

... that today is my birthday... 

They made me some cute mini angel food cake cupcakes with a strawberry and some whipped cream on top. -Yummy!!
(And yes, they used a match for a candle... )

 

Hacked/Happy Birthday!

Mom said that she wouldn't do a birthday post for herself. Of course, her children refused to think of letting her sneak by that way. 

Happy birthday! These are some random pictures that we scanned to the computer. 

Fourth Grade

Graduation

Cheetos

Love,

Your Children

A bone shaking experience

Poor Garrett was having a rough time playing today.  He got stung by a bee on his toe, he fell down and got hurt, and it seemed like every few minutes I would hear him crying and in he would come for some sympathy and snuggling.

At one point, he was crying and I asked him what happened.  He said through his sobs... "My bones got shaked."  Poor little guy.