You Don't See That Every Day

 It was time for the annual pumpkin carving party at my brothers. Three of the kids and I drove up there, leaving the sickies home with Dad. My niece and her knife. ... struck me as scary. Someone got creative and used the little pegs from a LiteBrite on their pumpkin. There was a pacman And a pumpkin guy in a suit Of course we had the annual pumpkin rolling contest. I think the dogs 'won' this time. They chased every single one down the hill, and even brought some back up for another roll. I'm sure our pup would have loved the game too.     There is always plenty of good food to share. My birthday girl found one of our favorite treats- candy corn. Not only yummy to eat, but awesome to play with. And my other girl ... she personalized her pumpkin with braces ... just like her (almost). I have a photo somewhere of all of our carved ones, I'll try and get it up on the next post. 

See that cute little face? It's still cute - just 12 years older.  Our swimmer girl had her birthday this weekend. Although she is working hard at extending it all week! She got to have a sleepover party this year. She asked 3 of her closest friends, and included her sister and her friend. We had pizza, and giggles for supper. We had swimming and giggles for an activity later, along with rock climbing. Those are two of her favorite activities. So she was pretty thrilled when we went to the center that had both of those available for us. And then we came home and had cupcake and giggles with the movie, Princess Bride. I went to bed by 11 and I think they made it upstairs by midnight. I found out later that a pajama fashion show, and giggles, kept them up until even later.  The birthday did run into the whole weekend. We had our family celebration on Saturday night. This girl is a hat-girl, so she was pretty happy with this gift. Older brother helped out on th...

I've started and deleted this post too many times to count. I can't get quite the right words to come out, yet I am afraid that if I step away it won't get written. The afternoon was a lovely time spent with my girls at home doing our home stuff. And then we were off to the Boy's football game. Last night we had another long talk with him about goals and expectations and playing time. There was some frustration on his part. (And prayer for wisdom from us!) We didn't know what we would be seeing in today's game. But the game was more than we could ever imagine or dream of. I am so so glad his grandparents were able to come and see the Boy play this time. He was on fire! He tackled! He ran! He juked and left the defense standing! At one point he even tackled the quarterback and then helped him up after the whistle. For some reason the team wore different colored jerseys this time. So instead of looking for #22 we had to be on the lookout for #41. So were were w...

We looked at carpet and vinyl flooring today! G was able to take some time off of work and the two of us (with Little K) went 'shopping'. We have an idea of what we want and like, so that helps. But, wowee, there are SO many choices out there for flooring! The stairway is just begging to be carpeted. (Oh wait, maybe that's me doing the begging.) But there are some issues that need to be resolved before this can happen. When we put the stairs in (remember, I use the term 'we' very loosely. G does the work, and I feed him so he can.) the risers went in first. And then as time allowed G and the Boy installed the treads and other parts-which-have-names-I-am-not-sure-of. Then there are some boards along the side called runners. They go between the wall and the stairway. I guess they were supposed to be put in before or at the same time as the treads. So we are going to do some remodeling on the remodel. G is going to try and take out the treads, put in the runners and t...

We are quite blessed to have an 'in' with our personal pumpkin grower.  A few weeks ago the girls and I went out to the farm and loaded the truck with pumpkins. They each helped, to the best of their abilities.   I love the look of pumpkins! And then once again the girls needed a run through the cornfield. Here one minute, and gone the next. K is wondering where they are - We took the pumpkins home and the next day, when it was sunnier and warmer!, set ourselves out on the busy road near our home and sold them from the back of the truck. We didn't sell them all, but we made a nice chunk of change for 2 hours. The girls seemed to enjoy the waving, and the sign-making that is necessary for bringing in the customers. And a few people just couldn't resist my cuties smiling and waving to people, asking them to come buy pumpkins.

 One day this past month the kids and I went out to collect a few last veggies before the frost came. As I was preparing some peppers for freezing, I found a fun little face staring back at me. I was just cutting of the ends to get the seeds out and saw this little face smiling back at me! Here is what the farm looks like in the fall; my oldest walked around with little sister and took some photos of the place. The beans had not been taken down yet, but most of the other veggies were already done. A few squash and zucchini were left then. We had gone out as a family one Saturday to get some veggies out of the cellar ('grocery shopping' of a different kind) and to bring some firewood home for the upcoming cold weather. After loading both pickups, we drove down to the bottom land, where the garden was, and had a family picnic.       Here are the last of our tomatoes - I sliced a ton of Romas and then put them in the dehydrator. I'm not sure what...

For the past few months, I have been a little 'worried' about how we were going to break the pacifier habit of our 2 year old. She is so different from our other children in some ways. Louder, fussier - or maybe it's just that G and I are 'older'. But we relied on the plug more than we probably should have. This is the last picture we have of K and her pluggie. A few days later it was lost. Utterly lost in the maze and nooks and crannies of our home. I have no idea where it could be, but I think it is somewhere in the house. Little K has a propensity for putting items into places we wouldn't usually think of using. Her older sister did this too, so she comes by it genetically I think. Anyway, the pacifier is gone! The first night without it was difficult. She knew it was lost. She still asked for it. But thankfully, weeks later now, she doesn't ask for it, and doesn't talk about it anymroe. I sure hope we don't find it anytime soon!!

A picture of our new dishwasher(s) They love to 'hide' in this hole, or read, or play there. You know how fun boxes are for kids - well, holes work nicely too.  

In one of my favorite books (Cheaper by the Dozen - the original , by the Galbraiths) there is a story about the conversations the family has around the dinner table. The father got to decide whether the talk was of general interest or not - basically, whether it was something he wanted to discuss or not. I highly recommend that book; our large family was nothing like the one in the book, but it is still fun to read about a real life family. And please don't go and watch the movie made a couple of years ago. Please, please, don't ruin the story by doing that. I digress. Our family actually had supper tonight. As. A. Family. There was no child away at practice. There were no meetings for us to be at. There was no game to get to, or come home from. All 7 of us ate together and talked. I have missed this! The Boy's football has taken a lot of time away from family time; and then the girls' swimming adds to it. So a night all together is one I cherish. Our conversation t...

To any of those who still check this place once in a while. I'm still here. We have had no computer for a few weeks now - I'm borrowing one right now - and it has been a very interesting challenge. But we are in the market for one, and Lord willing we will be up and running this weekend!