Tradition

I have 15 minutes, can I do this?

Here is Gracie. She found Daddy's DQ Blizzard cup from Tuesday night. It seemed to have exploded on her face.

Can't tell you what year Stoney Ridge Farm first opened(neither could they) but I know we were there. All four of us. Daddy, Me, Jessica and baby Jacob. We love the fact they do not decorate for Halloween. Most people probably don't notice this, but we do. I emailed the Gavettes several years ago and thanked them for this little detail and they said they decided from the get-go to honor the Lord in that way. Neat. So here goes nothin....

We walked in, paid(for the first year) and jumped on the hay wagon all to ourselves! We beat the school groups by 5 minutes! And missed Grandma by 1 minute who came walking out to the field as our tractor pulled up, lol. Poor thing.

Here is my pioneer daughter and her pioneer baby.

The pumpkin patch! We go there to run through the pumpkins and spy crazy looking gourds. Then we went hunting for 4 of the biggest Hubbard squash we could find to can and freeze.

The corn maze! Last year Danny got lost, it is too big for children imo. He FINALLY came out just as my *paranoid* thermometer hit the top. This year they went in groups WITH walkie-talkies....they still got lost....but we communicated and used the cloud patterns as a way to find north and south and then OUT. It worked! Homeschooling at its best yet again.

Who is that crazy baby sitting next to me?

Back in the hay wagon to go pet animals, feed chickens and drink fresh pressed, hot apple cider. Grandma bought apple pull-aparts for all the kids, YUM!!

While we had coffee and hot apple caramel pie, oh yeah.

Here turkey, turkey, turkey...

"I wish I could get out of this stroller...I sure wish my boot wouldn't have fallen off while being carried to the van this morning, or I'd be walking now."

Group hug!!

One bunch of happy children!! I LOVE these years. I LOVE my mother for coming with and helping me. We had a great time and made great memories. My oldest son was noticeably bothered when he overheard a mother come skipping in the restaurant and say "We took the kids to school, then came back to enjoy ourselves!" Ouch. For me, it was one of those days you come home smiling, so very thankful I'm a momma. We had a blast together.

And then there is Jessica, who can't go anywhere without spying some little

critter hiding in the foliage to love and hug and hold.

Nope, my 15 minutes was up 5 minutes ago. Oh well.

"It's a boy" and Daily News

See the little bum and the nubbin in between the bum in picture #3 from yesterdays post? We are planning for a boy, but only the Lord knows it's true identity as He knits this little one together in the darkness. I will shop & I will eagerly look forward to another little boy...but keep the tags.

The birthday party was fun, but the children must have had too much sugar because boy it was action packed. Here you see my oldest daughter spinning my youngest daughter on the lazy susan. Try keeping the 15m old off the table after that!

Instead of making a chocolate cake, as the birthday boy requested, the birthday cake baker *accidentally* make brownies with chocolate frosting. We had baked trout for dinner with fruit salad and green beans. Not all that exciting, but what he wanted.

Here is the birthday boy today with his over 400 piece set already completed. He woke up very early, grabbed his legos and ran downstairs before the little ones woke to meddle with his new toy.
It is a rescue helicopter, a Jayhawk the boys tell me. This poor Lego man has been in the mouth of the shark more times than his plastic heart should stand. But then along comes the rescue helicopter and takes the mangled lego man away to the hospital....again. If you know my boys well, you know they have a friend in *high places*. Yesterday, Daniels birthday, we heard *the sound* and all pandemonium broke out in the house as everyone runs downstairs, throws their shoes on and runs out the door leaving it open. With in 15 sec there is the Blackhawk helicopter thundering circles over our home and everyone waves, yells and jumps for joy. The neighbor lady, mowing her lawn down the road, stops mowing and stares with her mouth open wondering what the J's have gotton themselves into now. As quickly as it came, it flew off, but it put a smile on the face of three boys(and a Daddy) for the rest of the day.

Off to dig up dahlias while the sun lasts!

It's a ?????

What a treat!

Isn't he/she cute?! Let me interpret. The big round shape is the skull and to the right of the skull are two hands hear the mouth. You can make out fingers on one of the hands! I have a great friend at the WCPC who let me come in again to view my baby for fun. We don't have medical insurance so extras like a 20 min ultrasound is not an option at +$800 a piece(last I checked two years ago). She shows mothers who are considering abortion that their babies are not a blob of tissue, as they are told. They get Christian counselling to present them with the truth. She said it is nice to practice practice on someone who won't abort it, it ads joy to the room. So Jessie and I got to see our new little one! The baby is 19 weeks in this picture. He/She was moving it's fingers so slowly, opening and closing it's hand, turning it's head and kicking. It also loved to kick at the doppler when annoyed.

I did not plan the two word in the corner of this picture that were on my fridge.
I couldn't have described it better myself!

Can you experts see what we are having?
These last two pictures are from the bottom looking up!!!
Yes! I ruined the surprise! I can't help myself. I want the appropriate colored clothing, the binkies, the blankets out and waiting(Micah was wrapped in a pink blanket for all his newborn pictures!)

Fighting pies, indians & birthdays...

Happy birthday to my "Little D". He is 8 today! Daniel was my last hospital birth and a beautiful one it was. I finally learned how to manipulate the epidural so it would work the whole time. My fattest baby is by far the most bubbly child we have. He grew from our fattest baby to our thinnest child who now wears slim pants. He has always been our *easiest* child very affectionate, kind and loving. Daniel stacks an amazing amount of firewood each week, loves to ride his go-cart or 4-wheeler and go hunting with is BBgun slung over his shoulder out in the blackberries. This is the child who, when put to a task does not walk away no matter how long it takes. He takes everything apart to gain knowledge of how it works and studies gadgets with amazing concentration. He is highly creative and imaginative. Happy birthday...I wince at the thought of what he will come up with or his birthday dinner.

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Here is my Indian boy. My blond Indian. Jacob FINALLY got his replacement compound bow from the company and shoots in all his spare time. A couple days back he and daddy were shooting and he shot this! A perfect bullseye.

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We got this HUGE assortment of magnetic words from Second Chance last week. It has been a hoot. I wish I could take pictures of all the phrases I find! The all fell off to the side, but it was there next to *my*

Boys, boys, boys.

This is my very own creation...

Off to painting my bedroom...

Introducing Squaw Creek Dahlias

Check out our new fun blog! As time goes on Jessica and I are going to have a Dahlia page where we will sell the tubers from this years crop. We planted 40 tubers this Spring, some died, some lived. We are going to post pictures and sell what we are harvesting...over 200 tubers! Click our link on the sidebar or enter here.

To church we go.

I have been meaning to snap a picture of the kids all ready for church. I always forget! Finally, I got everyone lined up for this cute snap, all the way down to Gracie. Don't mind Micahs highwater pants and bright blue socks...

These kids all snapped to it this morning. Daddy and I always stop at a local coffee stand and buy 2 tall mochas, one with double chocolate, one with half the chocolate(we are a good pair) and breakfast bagels for our 35min drive to church. This morning Paul added that IF they all got dressed in the time Paul and I both took showers he would buy breakfast cookies from the supermarket for everyone! We got out and wallah, 5.5 dressed children ready for church.

That is child training at it's best.

Porky Man to the rescue!!

Our 3yr old son loves doing his hair. I think he likes admiring himself in the mirror more and fixing his hair just to boost his ego.






Anyway, he developed this look. You take about 1/2 C of water and dump it on your head, most lands on the ground, but that is ok mom will clean it up later after spying many little water footprints leading from the bathroom.





Next take the comb and run it backwards on your head to make hair stand up. Dub yourself "Porky Man" and act cool.

In our house *porky* is used instead of *pokey*

Swimming in applesauce.....still.

I cook apples aaaaaall day(or so it seems) and after dinner Jess and I can it. I come out with an impressive 35 quarts a night. You question "That's impressive??" Give me a break. I am trying here. Rumor has it, my foremothers could pump out an impressive +100 quarts a day. They like to tell me this. I have news to announce, I WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO DO THAT! Granted I spend half my time running back to the apple farm as I can not BELIEVE how many boxes of apples it takes to do this. I think I am up to 7 lrg boxes now and looking at maaaaybe 100 quarts of applesauce. My daughter took more pictures of our assembly line last night, but alas, my camera is down there and I am up here. A new day begins and we need to clean rooms, eat, dress, read bible and start school....oh forget school...Second Chance(our local thrift store) opens this morning! We will school after lunch. Off to make sure those rooms are being cleaned!