Critter Junction

It was critter junction around here again. A hawk hit the window and the kids enjoyed seeing him up close until he felt good enough to take to the air.
Dime caught a possum in the live critter trap the same morning. There was much excitement as the kids checked it out.
Then the kids came in for breakfast and there was a Grasshopper on the table!!!! I'm not sure when he came in but we sent him out! Never boring around here even on a regular school morning. :-)

Happy Birthday Dot!

Dot had an surprise on her birthday. Papa K showed up with her favorite pizza and a small cake at lunch time! She also received singing phone calls from friends and family. Later we celebrated with Papa & Gma W's. Dot decorated her own cake and used kitty candles from a birthday when she was little. She had an enjoyable evening. She is looking forward to celebrating with friends next weekend. You can check her site for details after the party at www.xanga/joy4kitties She is also looking forward to a birthday shopping date with Gma. K. Happy Birthday! We love you, Dot!!

Drum & Dime Update

Drum & Dime have been busy lately so I thought I'd do an update on those two.

Drum has been struggling with a sore foot for about 6 weeks or so. We finally decided he needed to be seen as it was continuing to get worse and he has unexplained swelling underneath his second toe and along the ball of his foot. The Dr. took some x-rays. No bone trouble at this point was noted. The swelling in by the growth plate of one of his bones and so he said the pressure needed to be taken off the area. He said he's never seen something like this in someone Drum's age. Whatever that means. :-) Drum is wearing a fancy shoe for two weeks and then we will return to see what he thinks. At this point there is no improvement.

Drum has also been trying a new class on Monday nights. It is with the Civil Air Patrol. He is planning at this point to join as a cadet. It is a part of the U.S. Air Force. He went last week and they let him know his hair was touching his ears so he has to get a hair cut tonight to be in shape for Monday's class. :-) (I can't help loving that part. :-) I think he is looking forward to being an official member and getting his uniform. Pray for wisdom as we make a final decision whether he should join or not. He has been interested in flight since he was very young and this would be an opportunity for him to pursue flight training and community service with significantly less cost.

Dime has been avidly pursuing hunting lately. He was so proud of the squirrel he shot. The girls were disgusted. :-) We are proud of his manly hunting skills and Papa K is hoping he will help with the squirrel population at his house which devoured the last of his apples that the deer didn't get. We are glad he has found a hobby he really enjoys that gets him out into the woods.

Sept. Tidbits

Two Happy Samplers of Dot's Pie Baking.
Occasionally Dot gets the baking urge and we all get to benefit. Here she made custard, chocolate, and pumpkin. Another favorite is apple.

Dunk was sharing with Dot the benefits of learning to change the oil on the car and while I'm not one to discourage independence, I've encouraged Dot that her abilities in baking would probably help her out in the car dept later. She'll be able to ask her brothers to exchange an oil service for a cooking service. We'll have to see...

We've had kids under the weather a bit here with a strange headache and fever flue. Only lasts 24 hours usually. Dessert had a high fever while the others only a mild one. Dot has been struggling the most to get rid of her fever and headache. We are hoping it is cleared up today.

Dunk has been super busy with work and his side business. I'm almost looking forward to it slowing down. The kids keep him busy his extra minutes with fix-ups on the dirt bikes. He does get a few minutes of reading in before bed and has been working on the book, "Why Men Don't Like Church". Very interesting and enlightening. We are starting to wonder if our pastor has read the book as his sermons (which are always good) have been especially challenging and a blast to listen to. I don't think any of the kids will forget the last two. Dunk or I either. Pastor likes to say marriage isn't to make one happy but holy. We were thinking that we could call our "discussions"- Holy Moments - as that is what they seem to bring out and work on, our character. I should say he is happily married with grandkids. We recently had our 15th! wedding anniversary. I can't believe how the time has flown. Marriage is an institution worth commiting to. We've enjoyed marriage so much we are looking forward to our kids getting the opportunity to be happy and holy. :-)

Friday we had our homeschool track meet. The kids had fun seeing friends and participating in the 1/2 mile run, 50 yd. dash, long jump, jump rope, sit-ups, obstacle course, etc. They finished with a huge tug-o-war with most all the moms and dads involved. After eating and hanging around the bonfire a bit, Dessert, Deer, and I headed home. Deer wasn't feeling well. Dunk and the rest hung out visiting and playing games. We are all looking forward to next year's track meet.

Labor Day Weekend, etc.

We worked hard, played hard, slept hard, and ate hard!! Wow, can our crew put down the corn! Papa brought raspberries and we ate like kings. The boys worked on splitting wood and got quite a nice pile of campfire wood from the big old pine tree. Papa slept in until 7, but the rest of the crew beat him and slept in until 9 am (Papa couldn't believe how "late" we can sleep in.). The kids went tubing, skiing, and kneeboarding. We ate at Slavoda's for breakfast one morning - Papa and the kids biked in. Their second cousins came over and they enjoyed playing with them. My brother and two of his kids came for a visit and it was fun to see them in person (vs. the blog :-). Every night ended with a cruise, often furnished with m&m's from Papa. What a fun way to end summer!!!

School has been trucking along. We aren't accomplishing any major, fantastical events, but we are trucking. :-) Papa W. broke his foot so he has been laid up for awhile. He finally reconciled himself to the idea of using crutches but his foot is still bothering him so he is keeping it easy. Wierd to not have Papa out in his workshop or on the tractor. The kids have been taking advantage of his seated position and beg for stories on his lap. Dime has been doing his reading with Papa which helps with the school load for Mom. Duke has been doing reading and Dessert a preschool book with Gma. At noon, they all go up the hill for "Little House on the Prairie". They have really enjoyed discovering this series and Mom looooves the break of quiet for one hour from 12-1.

Baby has continued to be a quieter sweetie. Not super active but moves enough so that I know she's kickin. We picked up a couple baby girl items and the kids enjoy looking at the baby clothes. We all look forward to enjoying her in person.

My penicillin isn't working as well lately so I've got to check into that this week. The kids have dentist appts and Drum gets a tooth pulled this week. We have a homeschool trackmeet this Friday. Duke received his Bible Sunday. (Our church gives second graders a Bible at the beginning of Sunday School each year.) We have been attending this church since Joy was in second grade - Wow, does time fly! We are looking forward to a new season of Sunday school classes.

As my teenage daughter would say, "That was random". (My post) Teenage slang for tidbits of info. :-) I love having kids. Dessert told me on the phone last night that he "never gets to do anything except shoot his bb gun". Dot wanted to talk to me on the phone as well and he added, "I don't even get to hang up!". He stayed on the phone while Dot talked, interrupting every few words with "Mom!" or "I don't get to do anything!". Dot and I were laughing so hard he finally laughed and then I told Dot to hang up first so I could say goodbye and Dessert could "even hang up". Kids!!