You Don't See That Every Day

We are now 9 weeks through the school year; Math is a not a favorite subject this year for more than one kid; but we're working through it with each of them. The girls at home have started piano lessons this month. So far the older one is progressing pretty rapidly in my opinion, but then I am still stuck in the beginning modes of piano.M and M both love playing, so I expect to be hearing masterpieces from them in no time. (ha!) Every year I try and take a pumpkin photo with each of the kids. I've been doing this since the oldest was just a 10-month old. So far this year I've gotten these 3 out of the 5. Those older two kids - being gone at school so much makes it really difficult to take their picture! I sure love this time of year for photos - the crisp air, the afternoon lighting, the fall colors!   This week really feels like fall is here! Even though the local football season and cross country season is just about over, the nights are finally turning cold...

13. This little curtain climber is now a teen. She is taller than me, wears a larger shoe size and can't really fit into my long-sleeve shirts anymore. We celebrated her birthday twice this weekend (does that make her 26?!) Pie on the hike/picnic on Saturday, and then cake on Sunday. Because some of us just don't think it is a birthday without cake.    She was thoroughly excited about all of her presents, which always makes a parent feel good. Earrings are the big thing, since she just got pierced this summer. And her sister knows her tastes - sour cream and onion no-share chips.   Even though she isn't quite as OSU-crazy as her brother is, she was pretty thrilled with her new boots. I love that she still is young enough to enjoy her American Girl doll - she got a book about hair styling for her doll;    Happy Birthday to our second-born, firstborn-girl who leads the way for her younger sisters.

The third installment. Because we didn't get enough this summer. We headed out early Saturday morning to catch the beautiful sun on the other side of the mountains, since we've had so much fog here lately. My husband did some research and came up with this neat little place to visit. It was a fair drive over and back, but I think it was worth it; and the family time is always worthwhile. We were near Sisters, OR and it was so clear we could see a number of the Cascade mountains. Here are two of the Sisters, we also got to see Hood, Washington, 3-Fingered Jack and Jefferson, along with some other bumps and cinder cones. All were so gorgeous. But the destination was Dee Wright Observatory. I had never heard of it, but my siblings had. We decided to take my sister along too - well, rather, she agreed to come along and share the driving. This place is pretty fun to explore. It is a stone structure made by the CCC back in the 1930s, built out of the lava rocks.  ...

It was a full week this past one - somewhere to go, do, be, each and every day. My girl started basketball this week. She hasn't played in years, so it was a little intimidating, but I am pretty excited to see her out there, trying!The Boy finished up cross country this week. He made a PR (20:13) and placed really well for JV. The weather was perfect for spectating - a little warm for running, but they managed. A couple of the kids on the team are heading to the state meet this coming weekend. Earlier - ok last week! - we helped make some necklaces and magnets for our friends. They are in the process of adopting two kids from China, and they are selling items to raise funds. Here is just one of there many creations - isn't it cute?! The have a plethora of choices for necklaces. If you want to peruse (and buy one!) check out Heinz Adoption on facebook and look at the photos!   More in the next post of the rest of the week ...

We've had some nice weather around our parts lately. Which makes for fun fall frolicking. Our friends were crazy kind enough to ask us along on a trek out to a pumpkin patch last week. Not just any patch, nothing like my dad's. This place has so many fun activities and the food - oh, the donuts and apple cider! made fresh right there - ahhhhh, the smells were so very enticing. But we also had fun with the activities. The kids found delight in going through mazes and obstacle courses. They were brave enough to try a dark maze - just like it sounds, completely dark (except for cell phone lights) and a maze. Probably something I would have done as a kid too, if I went with friends. There was an apple cannon and apple slingshot there. We tried our hand at the slingshot, and one of us almost made it into the target with the apple - so close, and yet so not. I have always wanted to try a zip line. The closest thing to it was the 'swing' line here. So I stood in li...

My daughter signed up for wood shop this year in school. I have fond memories of wood shop back in my junior high days. We still have the table and magazine rack that I made in class. But this: is what my girl made in her class.  I think it's pretty cool. I also think it's pretty cool that she stuck with the class, even though at first it didn't seem like she wanted to. Next up, using a blow torch. Yes, I am envious.

I dislike calling people on the phone. I don't even like answering the phone unless it's a family member. Just a quirk about me. (It's ironic that I was a secretary/phone answerer as a job back in the day.) Although in college and high school, I spent hours on the phone - with certain people. All this to say, I have a hang-up (ha ha) with the phone that most of my children do not. My middle child has been begging to call into a radio station that we listen to. They have a joke of the day for kids. We looked it up online and they had something about calling at 5.50 am. Phew - I thought I was off the hook on that one. But no, my girl kept researching it, and got the phone number for the radio station. And asked me politely if SHE could call. My brain said, Why on earth would you want to do that? But my mouth said, "Well, OK, but what are you going to say?" So we practiced a little bit. And she went off to call the radio station. And she did fine. Of course. ...

We harvested some pumpkins this weekend. Some? I mean like 300 billion.  On Thursday the girls and I went to the farm and filled the back of our pickup with pumpkins. Guess who did most (all) of the lifting? We sold some to the neighbors that day, and the next. Had to unload a few on Friday to get our 'real' groceries in. And then on Saturday I needed firewood. So I unloaded every single one, set them up in our driveway and we all drove to the farm; where we loaded firewood. And then we went to see what was happening down in the garden. My brothers and my dad were down there ... harvesting pumpkins. So we stayed to help. Which meant lifting and moving more pumpkins. Heavy pumpkins. But I made the kids unload the firewood once we were back at home. And then we decided to go and try to sell some more pumpkins So that meant reloading the pumpkins back into the pickup. Guess who did that. When we got to the selling place, we unloaded just a few pumpkins so people driving by c...

Yesterday was a farm day Which means we'll be catching up on our bookwork today. It started out foggy and cold here. But by the time we were done, the sunshine was beautiful. The farm isn't as 'pretty' in the fall as it is in the spring and summer, but there are still groceries to be picked. This time we rode the trailer down, as my dad drove the tractor.  Even with my 4-wheel drive truck, he would rather take the tractor down to the mudpit garden area. So we picked our groceries, and loaded up our pumpkins The kids have been selling the pumpkins to the neighbors and anyone else who wants one. We ended our farm day, with another outing to the Boy's cross country meet. He ran really well, placing tenth in his race - a 3k, among 60? or more boys. And except for the one girl with a fat lip from meeting a swing, the other girl with sprained jammed fingers, a cut thumb and bruised knee, it was a beautiful day. 

7th grade seems like so long ago for me. I can't say I look back at it with real fond memories, but there were a few of them. It was better than 6th grade that's for sure. But not as great as 8th. Such an awkward age for some of us. Well, now my oldest daughter, my second born child, is charging through 7th grade like a pro. There are 2 other girls in her class with the same name as hers. The three of them were talking about going to the mall and buying matching outfits, and then wearing them to school at the same time. It made me smile. She has been in school for a month now, and she has "matching" friends. It took me back to my junior high days. I had a couple of friends (who did not have the same name as me) that did something similar to this. They bought matching shirts, in different colors, and then wore them on the same day(s) as each other. I'm guessing they probably planned it out. It's what you do in 7th grade. My girl is now planning a little cra...

This girl had a birthday about a week or so ago. She came into our lives as a whirlwind 8 years ago, so much like her mom and so much like her dad. We thought she was our last child, but a few years later that changed. So she is the baby princess, and yet, she is also a big sis.  We celebrated her birthday night with ice cream, as you can see. We happen to really like ice cream around her. Possibly more than we like cake.  (But actually, the only reason we didn't have cake that night was because we had cake the night before for her cousin's birthday, and we were going to have cake the next day with family to celebrate her and her uncle.)