Sweet Nails!, Fantastic Food!, Awesome Company!

Last night my Mom hosted a first-time Ladies Night Out with my two sister-in-laws and myself. We had a great time. It was so fun to visit and relax while we got our nails done and backs massaged in their fancy chairs.

Then we enjoyed a fantastic meal at Olive Garden. Our waitress was so pleasant and the food so flavorful. I felt like the rat on "Rat Tooting" (as my niece calls it) as I enjoyed the many flavors in the food.

We had such a nice long visit. (Notice the word "long", as in more than one subject discussed) It was so fun to talk without kids running in and out and between our conversation. (Could I agree again with that last statement: It was sooo fun to talk without kids running in and out and in and out and between and around and under and over our conversation.)

Thanks, Mom, for a wonderful treat. I feel so pretty with my dolled up nails. :-)

Forgiveness

At Notesfromthetrenches.com she posted about the fact that this is a good time a year for thankfulness and had in hand with that is forgiving oneself. I loved a number of her items and thought I'd add them on my blog:
This year I forgive myself for:
1) Being only a good enough mother. (I have high expectations)
3) Losing my patience when a deep breath and little bit of understanding would be more appropriate. (Or maybe they could work on aiming more accurately.)
4) Not changing the sheets on my children's beds as often as I should. (Unless quarterly and/or when vomit strikes is the appropriate amount of times.)
6) Eating junk food in the pantry so that I don't have to share it with my children (I am only thinking of their health.)
8) Getting dressed at 4pm so that my husband will not think I was in my pajamas for the entire day (why do I do this? would he even care? or notice?)(on this one I rarely stay in my pjs but some days I don't do my hair or makeup until before he comes home and I can't believe the company that can arrive on those days!)

Our Family

Yesterday we took family pictures! They are taken on our property, which was cool for us.

Darling was a little under the weather so we had trouble getting her to smile. This picture was the closest to a smile we got.

Finished w/ Lord of the Rings

We finished the Trilogy! Last night Dot, EB, TB, and I watched Return of the King. I liked how they finished the ending. It gave closure to the Hobbits. I KNEW Frodo was going to join the Elves. Gandolf does so well. I love how important each Hobbit was to the end of the story. They were essential to the final result.

I passed my Test and found out my Elven and Hobbit name. You may now call me:

Luthien Lossehelin (Elven) or Rosie-Posie Bramble of Willowbottom (Hobbit)

(I don't know how to give the u and e in the Elven name the proper punc. on top)

Today we do family pictures. Yikes. Please pray they go well. We are going to do them outside (yes, I do know the high today is going to be 44) They shouldn't take long. :-) Next time I will aim for earlier in the year.

Dime is singing today in church and I don't get to be there. :-( Darling is still recovering and we felt she should stay home as much as possible. She has the runs from the antibiotic, so I've been giving her a bath 2-3 times a day to keep her bottom from getting sorer than it is.

Still Sleeping!!!

Darling has been trouble sleeping, thus I have been having trouble!! (besides the regular trouble I have falling asleep or going back to sleep) She has her bottom two teeth about to pop through and been sick with a chest cold. Yesterday we went to G&G K's for Thanksgiving and her grandparents gave her the magical touch. SHE SLEPT ALL NIGHT!!!!!!! Well, from 11:00 til 4, nursed, then 4-7, nursed, then 7-9:30, nursed, STILL SLEEPING at 11:45!!! She is going to feel so good when she wakes up.
I felt like a new woman when I woke up. I coulda gone jogging! (Didn't as we are planning family pictures today~which canceled because of cold and snow on ground, replanned for Sun afternoon~and needed to get ready, plus I haven't done it for AGES and didn't want to be sore!)
The kids are all excited because we are starting the process of putting up the Christmas tree today! I like putting it up while on school vacation this weekend and then puttting it down before the new year while on C-mas vacation. Less stressful when we have several days to sort through the stuff.

Nov. This & That

This week I've been working on a test. It is a Lord of the Rings test by EB & TB. :-) Dot wanted to see the Lord of the Rings series and friends of ours had them. Dot arranged for their two daughters to come over and I agreed as long as I got to see them as well. It makes such a difference to watch a movie like that with someone who can explain what is going on.

They come over and we hide ourselves in Dot's room to watch them with the door locked (against prying eyes who like to sit outside the door). It has been a blast! I have really enjoyed watching and learning about this famous trilogy. The girls made Dot and I take a test they made about the two movies we have watched so far. It has been fun to study for it and has really helped to solidify what I've seen and learned. I am looking so forward to seeing the last one, Return of the King. See! I even know the name of the third movie - I'm impressed with myself. lol Out of a 50 point test I have 6 I can't answer. I like Treebeard the Ent. The Ents help with a little humor in the 2nd movie.

I am looking forward to Thanksgiving at my folks. Mmmm. Good food!! Dot is going over Wed nite to help with the pie baking Thurs morning. She LOVES to bake pie. Lucky for us, we occasionally get the results of her "gotta make some pies" urges. I don't make pie crust anymore, Dot is so much better at it. She'll probably always have the pie baking job for Thanksgiving when she gets older.

Uncle J helped Dot with Physics!!!! She gets it!!!! I was so excited when Uncle J offered to help Dot study. She has been struggling along and hates to call for help. Uncle J seemed so less threatening. Gma W has been asking what Physics is good for (in a good way) and now he needs to help her have a good answer for that question. :-) It seems fitting he should help as he is the reason she is taking it this year, before Biology, etc. He always said he thought Physics should be studied first and so when the opportunity came up for Dot to take the class, she was in. Uncle J's a science and math wizard (that's why I listened to him). We'll see whether our experiment continues on to Drum & Dime. :-)

Darling has been under the weather. We took her in and her cold is upper respiratory. I was so thankful it wasn't worse. Her cough has been getting better but will probably take a bit to be all gone. I'm so glad she hasn't had a ton of nose gunk to give trouble with nursing.
I kissed Dessert good-night last night and realized he had a fever. He still has a mild fever this morning and hopefully it is just a 24 hr. mild bug and won't mess up Thanksgiving plans. He's still sleeping.

Dunk has off Thurs and Fri!! We hope to do family pictures on Fri. Please pray they go well and turn out well. Pictures are so nice to have when DONE. :-)

We had fun at Karokee at our church last week. Dunk and I (kindof) sang to the song by Garth Brooks, "Two of a Kind, Working on a Full House". That should be self explanatory why we like that song. :-) It had been awhile since we heard that song, so that was why I wasn't too bold on singing it. I couldn't get the tune right. Jerry did fantastic. I want to get that Shania Twain song "Man of Mine" or something like that, and learn it for Karokee. My sister-in-law D has that CD and introduced me to that song. Fun! We plan to bring the older kids next time as well. They would love it - we think.

Darling can now stand up in the middle of the living room floor and walk! She is amazing. We are looking foward to seeing the tree lights reflected in her eyes.

Only 7 more days (five in one week, two the next) of school before Christmas vacation for us!! We started early so that we could have a big break at C-mas and we are so looking forward to it. Last year we started early but worked right up to C-mas, because needed to take the time after Darling arrived. It didn't feel as much of a break, as I think it will this year. Can I say that again? ONLY 7 DAYS!!

Darling's Dedication

Yesterday, we dedicated 10 mo. Darling to the Lord. Dot, Drum, Dime, & Deer sang "Your Eyes." They did so well and I was so proud of the kids as a Mom. It is amazing that my children have grown so much into such beautiful people to enjoy. Definitely not perfect, but worth the work to get them to days like this. :-) Both sets of Grandparents were in attendance as well as Uncle J. God Bless You, Darling. We love you so much. The kids were so glad to sing for you on your special day!

The Great Hunt!

The boys have been very excited about their first hunt this year. Last year, Drum broke his clavicle before hunting season, so he had to wait until this year for his first hunt. They are hunting at our place and at Papa K's.

Sunday Dime went to hunt with his Gpa. K. They were out in the stand when Papa noticed Dime taking off his glove slowly and lifting his gun. He wondered what Dime was doing because he couldn't see anything. All of a sudden, Dime shot. Papa asked, "What did you shoot?!" Dime exclaimed, "A deer!"

A pine tree was blocking his view of the deer. It was a 4 point buck. Dime was so excited and proud. Still is!! :-) He has the antlers for his fort, a few deer steaks, and deer sausage coming for the freezer. We were so excited to get the phone call before church that morning! (Keep praying Drum gets a deer.) :-)

Old News. Good News.

I had to post a couple pictures from Drum's adventure with the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) a month or so ago. They got to go on a plane that refuels these jets. It was an awesome experience! Drum is the cadet in the middle.

This is Dessert in his Spidy outfit. The older kids gave to him as a surprise gift last month and he has so enjoyed wearing it. He gets embarrased and will stand in a corner if too many people are around. He loves to climb trees, posts, refridgerators, and even the corner of our house!
We were wondering whether this cutie should join the red hat club! :-) She is so fun!


PTL! Deer's flute is fixed and waiting to be picked up...and...we found someone who can get a violin for Dot online!!!! (at an enormously less expensive cost than the music store) We hope to have it by Thanksgiving. Thanks to those who prayed!

This & That

Sunday Dot organized and enjoyed a Chocolate Party in honor of the National Day of Chocolate. She & Deer had a great time sampling lots of chocolate that the party guests brought and played games involving chocolate. ie-spoons (with m&m's instead of spoons)

I've GOT to get a camera. I keep missing great pics. I will do so SOON!!

Dime finished his gun safety course. Drum & Duke joined a couple of the classes as a refresher for Drum and a great reminder of family rules about guns. Drum & Dime are planning to go deer hunting this fall. If they get a deer, I promise a post and a picture!

Dot got to drive Gma W's around today. Papa W was working on his back garage, so Gma did the honors of accompanying Dot around to her activities. Dot did all the driving!

We are having instrument struggles around here. Deer's flute needs a makeover immediately. We thought the tone problems were with Deer, and today her teacher discovered it is the flute's problem!! A relief for Deer, although she is so bummed about having to wait to get the flute fixed. Dot needs a full sized violin, asap. She has a 3/4 violin which is now too little. She has been practicing but occasionally reminds me how difficult and frustrating it is. Please pray we somehow can get both these issues addressed.

We start speech this week!! The kids are excited about seeing their friends and getting started. (well, mostly the friends part at this point) (It takes a bit to get the speeches going.) Dot is planning a Dramatic Interp., Duo Interp., Original Oratory on the subject of Predestination, and Impromtu. Whew!! Drum is doing a humorous Interp. Dime an Open Interp. This is Dime's first year and I am looking forward to watching him do this. :-) We are encouraging Drum to try a more humorous Interp this year. He can be funny easier than serious. Good grief, I guess our whole family is funny easier than serious. We sure have loud dinner times.

The kids sure enjoyed the beautiful day outside on the tramps, etc. I can't believe we are going to be mowing for the last time in November. Wow! I love it. I love 50's for the highs, and have so enjoyed the sunshine after all the rainy days we had a few weeks ago.

Has anyone seen the movie "Evan Almighty"? We saw it a week ago and LOVED it! (I know it has a couple issues, but all in all we enjoyed it. Great one liners. Makes me smile thinking of it.

Happy Reformation Day tomorrow! Tomorrow marks the day Luthur nailed his 95 thesis to the door. I wish we could celebrate with more of a Reformation Party, but we'll save that idea for next year and go with same old for tomorrow. The younger kids are going to a "God is Greater" party at a church in the area. They do a great job. Dunk is looking forward to seeing friends we see once a year. I plan to stay home with the older kids and baby this year. Anyone have recommendations for a good movie for the older ones? It is so hard to pick out good movies at the store.

I remember when planning ahead meant what I was doing next week or next month. Now planning ahead includes next season and a year or more ahead. Getting older does wierd things.

Did you realize there are not that many people groups left to bring the Gospel to? I hadn't. I read that they could concievably bring the Gospel to every people group within the next 10 years! Wow! I read that they have figured out ways to computerize putting a Bible in a new groups language that takes a much shorter time than the painstaking long process it was before.

My favorite Ted Dekker book is "Blink". I love, love, love the message of that book. I read "Thunder of Heaven" last month and really enjoyed that one as well. I want to get the rest of that trilogy to read, but I want to wait until I can purchase them all so that I can underline as I read! (So I can find the one-liners again.) (Sorry, Dot, I know it drives you crazy when I underline.) Ted Dekker is definitely one of my favorite authors. He reminds me of ..... (oh, I hate it when I forget names!!!!!) who wrote Scottish books and they were edited (to make them more readable for today's readers). I enjoyed the twists and turns in his books as well and the way he wove in great truths.

I edited my comments so hopefully people can leave comments now. I'd love to know if you visited. :-) Daisy

She Drives!, She Walks!

SHE DRIVES!!
Yes, our dear Dot drives. She's enjoyed taking her parents on rides and even her Grandpa has been brave enough to let her drive when he takes her to lessons. Mostly country roads yet. :-)

Friends!!
We were so blessed to have a missionary family/friends-we-haven't-seen-for-4-years stay with us for a week. Well, actually they stayed 'up the hill' with Gma & Gpa but they all ate with us. (Not every meal as others wanted their time & attention as well) They have 5 children. The oldest a girl (8), the next four are boys. We loved getting to see them and getting to know the kids. Our kids were soooo sad when they left to stay with someone else the next week. We all got to have a last get-together dinner with them here, which was fantastic. They brought Chinese food which was a fun experience. Our kids are all looking foward to visiting them in Tiawan, Lord willing!

SHE WALKS!!
Yes, our dear Darling walks. She watched the youngest friend walk all week. He is 11 months. Her first friend. They were sooo sweet together, playing side by side. When he left she was determined to be a bi-pod like him. Within one week she took her first steps! She is still working on being stable enough for a longer walk than 2 feet.

Fall Update

Yes, I'm finally updating. I decided to not try to totally catch up. Just go from here. :-)
We had a fantastic summer and school is in full swing. I feel like we are on a full-speed train, but we are enjoying the ride. Dot finished Driver's Ed. last week! We now need to schedule her driver's test to have another driver in the family. I can't believe I have a daughter old enough to do this.

I checked out some of the curriculum my sister-in-law uses and we are trying some of them this year. She must be the best researcher for home-schooling on the planet.

We had a friend of the family's daughter die a few weeks ago and that has brought some good conversations and thinking by our family. We beg for prayer for their family. It brings the meaning of life to the forefront. Time is so short here.

To let you know what we've been up to, here's our weekly schedule:
Monday: Art Lesson/CAP/ Unicycle Club
Tuesday: Piano Lessons, Flute & Trumpet Lessons/ Dot vol. at C. Book Store/ Violin Lesson
Wednesday: Physics/ Guitar Lesson/ Awana/ Youth Group
Thurday: Voice Lessons/ Ballet/ Speech Club
Friday: Nothing but regular school!!

Not everyone does everything. A number of classes only one child takes, and some are every other week, like art & voice. My In-laws are helping with driving on Tuesdays and watching Darling here and there. My folks have helped with child care on Thurdays, plus other things, and making some of the classes possible to take. I don't know what I'd do without Grandparents!!!!

Dot is enjoying the new ballet class she is trying out. It makes me jealous to watch her enjoy it. :-) Someday...me too... :-)
Please pray we find the right pieces for speech this year!
Gotta run..

Cabin Pictures

One of my favorite places on the planet - on the boat looking at the sunset. Dime goes fishing with his Uncle P, Uncle J, and cousin Nicknack and reels in a couple big ones! Excitement ran high! The two youngest cousins get all cleaned up and ready for bed.

Darling

I just had to post one of Dot's pictures. Here is our little Angel. She is laying on Dot's comforter and is wearing one of the few items she owns that is not pink but still sweet. :-)

Howdy!

Wow! I can't believe I'm finally updating after having figured out the new log in system. It's 1:50 am if that tells you how much time I have lately. The days seem to just fly by. I wish I could post a new picture of our little Darling but I lost the connection from the camera to the computer - Bummer! - so I can't get rid of the 700 pictures off my camera. Now my camera is refusing to turn on even with new batteries. I guess digital cameras are not totally hassle free.

Summer is soaring by like we were in a jet airplane. We have really enjoyed time at the cabin and time with friends and family. Dunk has been working out of state for the past four or five weeks. We are grateful for the work, but looking forward to his working instate again - hopefully in a couple of weeks. The kiddos have kept busy with friends and yard work. It didn't take the older kids as long this year to get used to the tube as they have in the past. The summer has had so many beautiful days for swimming and playing.

Our biggest events of the summer has been the boys and girls Gameathons hosted at our place. The Boys Gameathon was first with 18 boys in attendance. They arrived at 3 pm and left the following morning about 10 am. Only half the boys ended up being able to spend the night but that was fine. Each person brought two prizes and a snack to share. It was a takeoff on the theme of a marathon but with each person required to finish 26 games. They had a marathon mile keeper sheet to keep track of which mile they were on. It was a blast! The Girls Marathon was hosted the day after the boys and it was fun to see the differences in the ways they played. I most enjoyed the obstacle course and signature bingo. There were outside games like "pig" and "fish in the sea" as well as the typical indoor games. Dot did a ton of work organizing the events which will be put into good use again next year. Thanks, Dot!

Little Darling has grown so fast! She sits up now all by herself and loves to put everything in her mouth. All the other kids are very attentive to her needs and love her a ton! I've even had them walk by and remind me to be careful. :-) I just love watching siblings interact.

I really better catch a few winks. ;-)

Our Baby Arrives!!

Our little bit of heaven arrived Jan. 16th! Little Darling is such a sweet pea. Her big sister, Dot, has a fun update at www.xanga.com/Joy4Kitties We have been recovering well. Two of the pictures are at the hospital (Mom needed the help of pictocin), one was at home when her color improved (she was a little bruised in the face from her rapid ride). Hopefully I'll get another update in soon after my pictures are uploaded. :-)

December Update

Wow! With all that has happened in the past month it feels like it should have been a year since I last updated. We had a busy but fun holiday season and also did the bulk part of our remodeling. We are now just finishing up some of the details. The nursery is finally ready for baby "Sweet Pea". I'm looking so forward to holding her.

Here is a picture of Drum and Dunk.
They had a special event that night so Drum wore his dress blues for the first time. He got to see alot of pomp and circumstance. The last Monday of this month he will wear his dress blues again and get his "wings" because he passed his first test in CAP (Civil Air Patrol). Congratulations, Drum!!

We spent a special last day at my Mom's office. The kids got to use her special pen, press their own seal, and walk around the capitol enjoying the sites.

We had a very enjoyable Christmas at G&G W on Christmas Eve and at G&G K on Christmas Day. Deer did her sign language song, Silent Night, at church on Christmas Eve and the event was extra special because my brother, John, was home and able to come see it. Dot did her song two weeks before. It was "Mary, Did You Know". She did an absolutely fabulous job and brought tears to her mother's eyes. Duke and Dessert did one to "Little Drummer Boy" that day as well. Duke did the sign language and Dessert played a little drum at the Rum pa pa pum parts of the song. It was a new experience for both of them.

We celebrated my Mom's 60th birthday at a hotel with all the siblings and cousins. It was so fun to get to see everyone. It had a water park that was a great hit with the kids and also most of the adults. I enjoyed it from the sidelines, not wanting to be seen in a swim suit at two weeks before my due date.

New Year's Eve we ended up getting quite a snow storm but made it safely to the events we had planned for the day. We skated with friends on an indoor ice arena which had a walking track so Mom got some exercise as well!

I will have to post pictures of the kid's rooms and hopefully a picture of the new baby very soon. :-) We have been so busy I haven't taken the time lately for many pictures but Dot gets in a few and G W and Papa K keep us from forgetting pictures altogether.

Drum, etc.

Drum has his sling off and is reaclimating to using his left arm. He got his new camo and dress blue uniforms at CAP class tonight and is excited about wearing them.

We are still in the middle of remodeling. Our dining room table is next to the corn stove while Dunk works on putting the wood floor in the dining room. I am soooo looking forward to having things back in their places. The kids can't wait to get it done as they can't decorate for Christmas until the furniture is back to where it belongs. :-) The boy's bedrooms in the basement are making steady progress but, as everyone who remodels knows, it always takes longer than one thinks. We are hoping to get the boys bedrooms done so we can do the bedroom switching around before the baby comes and the nursery can be readied.

Time to hit the hay....

Happy Birthday Dunk!!! and misc.

Dunk turns 50!!! We had a great birthday open house on Sunday. Dunk spent the day enjoying visiting and getting teased by his friends. :-) We appreciated all the gag gifts and sympathy cards.

News updates:
Drum's clavicle is healing up well at this point. He can move around without alot of pain. Still needs help with his shirt, socks, and tying shoes.

The mud room is almost completely done. The trim is almost all up. Bathroom fixtures need to get hooked up yet. Washer and dryer are working!!! I looooove using them in their new spot. No more running up and down all those stairs.

The dining room and kitchen is 80% sheetrocked. The taper was due tomorrow but we haven't been able to touch base with him after he hunted so hopefully he's ok and will be able to come on Wed. PRAY ! :-) It is sooo nice to have a clean ceiling and not have all the coats hanging around the table. I love it!! The dining room light wasn't working after they sheetrocked, but today they got the problem solved and we are in the light again. Yeah!

Baby is growing. I seriously have a belly now. Feeling great except for heart burn. I've been sleeping with my head on a couple pillows and not wanting to spend too much time bending over to pick things up. I need to visit the chiropractor again. That really helps. Only two more months!!

Dime and Deer visited a unicycle club and really enjoyed it. It is on the same night and Drum's CAP class so works well with the schedule. We are looking for another unicycle so that they both can ride at the club. They practice skills and then play flag football (with unique rules) and other games.

Dot is taking a CPR and First Aid class this week. She will miss speech club this week because of it and is bummed. This from the kid that was nervous about attending her first speech club meeting last year. :-) She's been enjoying working on her speech projects.

Dunk got let go from his sheet metal job. Will be interesting to see what the next months hold for us. (positively speaking) His side business will give us some income but I'm not sure what else he'll do for income. Lord knows.

Drum and Dime took naps today, Dot took a rest, and Deer needed one. :-) So did Mom but I chose to eat chocolate instead (don't tell my midwife). We were planning to hit the hay early, it's been a busy week, but there sure is plenty to do and here I sit finally updating. :-) Better hit the hay! :-)

Again?!

Drum broke his clavicle again this week. He is so bummed as he knows exactly what that means in recovery time. I pulled out the arm sling for the third year in a row. Yesterday he was looking at the box-elder bugs on the window and commented to himself, "Even these bugs are having more fun than I am." I guess it feels pretty slow these days. Today we get an x-ray and meet with the Doctor to discuss why it broke again, etc. His foot is "better" but he is on aleve twice a day and wearing a foot pad so we are still trying to figure out how to get it really better so that he can go off the aleve. Please pray for him.

October Tidbits

"Weekends are a bit like rainbows; they look good from a distance but disappear when you get up close to them."- John Shirly

Dot and I went to see "One Night With the King" on Wednesday. It was wonderful! I loved Esther's gowns!!! One gorgeous one after another. There were a number of great lines. They did change the story a bit - figures - but it was still very fun. I would love to know whether the connection between Haman the Agagite and King Agag whom King Saul was supposed to kill but let live until Samuel killed him in 1 Samuel 16 is a real possibility. It is an interesting thought and would explain the intense hatred Haman had toward the Jews. One of the lines they had Esther quote to the King was from Proverbs 25:2 "It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings to search it out." Thought provoking. I would love to see the movie again.

Friends of ours saw "Facing the Giants" and really enjoyed it. We would love to see that one as well but may have to wait until it comes out on DVD.

Baby Sweet Pea is growing. Dunk, Drum, Dime, Duke, and Dessert have felt the baby kick. The girls still keep missing it and are growing a little frustrated. Hopefully they will catch it soon. I am off all my penicillin thanks to the chiropractor - believe it or not. I'm so glad. Food tastes better I've noticed.

There are two ladies due at our church and I'm so eager for them to have their babies as then I will be next and it will seem even more of a reality.

Dessert let us know that he's waiting for Mommy's tummy to get bigger and then he will pop it and it will explode and the baby will come out. - Yikes! :-)

The mudroom is ready to be taped!!! We are working on getting a taper - hopefully it won't take too long.

The kids are racing to put their jammies on, and carmel corn is waiting to be eaten. See ya....

Deer, Duke, & Dessert's Weekend

Deer had a fun weekend as her friend, Delight, came over to keep her company. They picked raspberries for the big girls and even had their own session of glamour photos done. Duke & Dessert spent Saturday at Gma & Gpa K's house where Duke got alot of dirt-biking in on the trails and they ate well. :-) They spent the night and came back on Sunday afternoon. They were glad to have their own special events for such a big weekend.

The Boy's Busy Weekend

Dunk, Drum, & Dime headed up North for a dirt-biking weekend. They spent the night Friday at a hotel so they could head out early Sat. morning. After breakfast they headed to the trails and hills. They were with friends from church. The boys greatly enhanced their bike skills and took a number of tumbles giving them some "awesome" stories to tell. In the photo of the two boys, Dime is on the left and Drum is on the right. They found out they were grateful for protective gear. It was a great memory making day!!

The Girl's Busy Weekend

This weekend Dot celebrated her birthday with a slumber party with friends. They had a blast!! :-) The weather was perfect for playing outside late. They ate pizza, watched "Phantom of the Opera", ate pie and goodies, and Dot opened awesome presents. They slept late, ate a good breakfast, took some drama photos, and then retired to their own homes to rest. Whew!!

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!!

Think Pink!

Yesterday was an eventful day. I went to my scheduled prenatal checkup. At the end we could not hear the baby's heartbeat - even with the doppler. My midwife called and we went in for an ultrasound. I was very worried. (She had heard the heartbeat 4 weeks earlier and I was really surprised not to hear it with the doppler.) During the ultrasound we saw the heart beating strong and baby was healthy and active - Rascal! We also saw that we are expecting a little GIRL!! :-) The girls were ecstatic and the boys are getting used to the idea. :-) It was fun to show the kids the ultrasound pictures. I showed the kids the picture where the technician wrote, "Think Pink", then asked why she would have wrote that. They had several wrong ideas. I mentioned that sometimes they write, "Think Blue", but still they were stumped until Dot's brain started clicking and she said slowly, "Oh, I get it! It's a Girl!! Pandemonium reigned for a bit afterwards. :-)

Drama Camp 2006

Drama Camp was our next week. Drum, Dime, and Deer participated in a musical drama called "Who is Like the Lord?" Here Deer is participating in a song with choreography with fabric. Drum & Dime are in the background to the left of the center, second row down. The boys helped with stage set up. Drum was traced on large brown paper and then painted in a solid color and cut out for the walls of the church. They had a fantastic time and hope to participate again.

We ended our week with a picnic lunch at a nearby park on the Mississippi River. It was very dry so we were able to work our way across to the middle where we hiked down the river aways. Actually, Drum, Dime, Deer, Duke, & Dessert just took off their socks and shoes and ran across. Dot & I took a little longer as we hesitated to remove our shoes and the crossing options were limited but we made it! Dot was nervous about the amount of green goo and didn't want it on her sandals. I teased her about the possibility of snakes and then had to improve her attitude with a phone call to a friend (horray for technology!!). We finished the day with a trip to Burger King for swirly cones and then Cub Foods for our favorite donuts and licorice. The check-out clerk at Cub mentioned the kids were going to have their fill of sugar. I replied we were making a memory. She mentioned it would be Quite a memory!! It was! FUN!! (It is a memory for me just traveling through Cub with six kids and pregnant. It's like herding cats)

The following Sunday the kids performed in the drama at their grandparent's church for the two services. They did very well and we celebrated the end of camps and the beginning of school by eating out at Don Pablo's. It was another fun memory!!

School started the next day and we've kept it up. We are trying to get some extra time in for taking off after the baby comes. Speaking of which, I've felt the baby moving around. Yeah! Not super active at this point which I think I could handle if he/she decides to keep that personality. I've needed to stay on penicillin to deal with the leftover symptoms from my July bout of joint pain. My hands and feet keep falling asleep if I forget to take it - Wierd, I know. G & G W's have become my consience, putting feet to their prayers so they say, by calling daily to make sure I've remembered my morning and lunch dose. :-)

Dunk has had the motorcycles up and running which is a great motivation for finishing school! Everyone family should have such a motivator - Thanks, DH! :-) Drum holds the record for getting up early and getting school done. Speaking of which, I better get going. My website was acting up and I haven't been able to update for awhile. Maybe it will work again..we shall see. :-)