Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Baby bump
Ok, so I had so many people mad about me leaving FB because they were worried that they wouldn't get to see baby bump pics, so here is the first, in a long line of way too many baby bump pics. I'll be uploading one once a week for sure after Terence deploys so you'll be sick of seeing my belly soon enough. I am 13 weeks now, almost at the end of my 1st trimester, and I'm so glad to be leaving morning sickness and exhaustion behind me! :)
We did it...
We did it. It was probably stupid, and irresponsible, but we did it. Our Suburban was sitting at 190k+ miles, and we didn't want to put any more money into a sinking ship. It for sure immediately needed a water pump, and alignment work. Terence is deploying and the car ALWAYS breaks down if he leaves. I'm pregnant with baby #7, and our Suburban only has 9 seats, which means Gavin would soon be riding in the front. We are about to take a 3000 mile cross country trip. So, we did it. We bought a brand spankin' new car.
I hate car payments, but I love my new van! As a friend of mine pointed out, we'll hate the van once a month when we make the payment, but the other 29 or 30 days every month, we'll love it! It's hard to go back there after working so hard to get out of debt, and having no car payment for 2+ years. Our buying experience sucked, and I was so mad by the time the salesman showed up at our house with the van that I wouldn't even go outside to see it until after he left. I have this terrible knack for embarrassing my husband with my loud mouth, so sometimes it's best to just not speak... But, it's in my driveway now, and I love it!
So, here it is... It is a Nissan NVP 12 passenger van.
I hate car payments, but I love my new van! As a friend of mine pointed out, we'll hate the van once a month when we make the payment, but the other 29 or 30 days every month, we'll love it! It's hard to go back there after working so hard to get out of debt, and having no car payment for 2+ years. Our buying experience sucked, and I was so mad by the time the salesman showed up at our house with the van that I wouldn't even go outside to see it until after he left. I have this terrible knack for embarrassing my husband with my loud mouth, so sometimes it's best to just not speak... But, it's in my driveway now, and I love it!
So, here it is... It is a Nissan NVP 12 passenger van.
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Graduation
Today my little dude graduates from speech. I can't believe that he's all caught up! He has come such a long way, especially in the last 9 months. It's hard to believe that when we moved here he couldn't (or wouldn't?) say his own name!
He has turned into a little chatterbox when he's comfortable. Just in the last 5 months he's figured out how to carry on a conversation instead of just answering questions. He also figured out how to answer a question with his own thoughts instead of waiting for something to be suggested to him.
I'm so proud of my little dude and how far his speech has come. His lisp is still pretty bad, buts he's come as far as he can until his teeth get fixed(he gave himself a terrible bite by sucking his finger). His tantrums are at an all time low(although still there) and he is almost done being potty trained! Pretty good for the kid who didn't want to/couldn't talk, pitched epic fits all the time, and wasn't supposed to potty train until much later! :)
We still have some concerns that will need to be addressed by a pediatrician and possibly OT when we get all settled in WA. Right now I am just so happy about how far he has come that I can't stop smiling! We're celebrating by bringing cupcakes to AWANA!
He has turned into a little chatterbox when he's comfortable. Just in the last 5 months he's figured out how to carry on a conversation instead of just answering questions. He also figured out how to answer a question with his own thoughts instead of waiting for something to be suggested to him.
I'm so proud of my little dude and how far his speech has come. His lisp is still pretty bad, buts he's come as far as he can until his teeth get fixed(he gave himself a terrible bite by sucking his finger). His tantrums are at an all time low(although still there) and he is almost done being potty trained! Pretty good for the kid who didn't want to/couldn't talk, pitched epic fits all the time, and wasn't supposed to potty train until much later! :)
We still have some concerns that will need to be addressed by a pediatrician and possibly OT when we get all settled in WA. Right now I am just so happy about how far he has come that I can't stop smiling! We're celebrating by bringing cupcakes to AWANA!
Monday, November 5, 2012
E-readers
Ok, so getting rid of my FB has one downside. I have no big group of people to ask for opinions from! So here it goes, and let's hope I have enough readers to get some kind of response!
I've been really thinking about getting a e-reader. I don't really know where to even start! I know I either want a nook or a kindle but there are so many different ones that I get overwhelmed when shopping and just give up! I don't really need it for anything besides reading. I mean it would be cool if I could have a game on there for the kids or something, but I've heard that the ones with a color screen aren't as easy on your eyes as the original readers. Help! Comments are so very appreciate right now!!!! :)
I've been really thinking about getting a e-reader. I don't really know where to even start! I know I either want a nook or a kindle but there are so many different ones that I get overwhelmed when shopping and just give up! I don't really need it for anything besides reading. I mean it would be cool if I could have a game on there for the kids or something, but I've heard that the ones with a color screen aren't as easy on your eyes as the original readers. Help! Comments are so very appreciate right now!!!! :)
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Fresh rolls
This is what happens when fresh rolls get made in our house. Yes, that's the baby, trying to eat rolls through the glass on the stove.... Hahaha!
Yeah I said it...
I'm sure most of you know I am prolife. In fact I am so prolife that I would probably vote for a candidate based solely on their stance against abortion. Ridiculous, I know, but that's how strongly I feel about it, and how much it breaks my heart.
I hurt for the babies who are robbed of their chance at life. I hurt for the moms who will be forever haunted by that memory. I hurt for the dads who are robbed of the opportunity to know their babies. Before you say no such thing, I have personally spoken to some. Here's a link for those of you who doubt. http://www.fatherhoodforever.org
So I'm sure from my giant family, and the fact that we are pregnant again and not planning on being done until God says so, that you can tell that I am not a big fan or birth control or planned parenthood. Needless to say, I'm not happy that our tax dollars go to paying for someone else's birth control or abortion. Your tax dollars don't pay for the kids I have, so why should I have to pay for the kids you don't want? We don't get WIC, food stamps, or even use public school money! Not that there is ANYTHING wrong with using these things, we just don't need it.
I think one of the most disturbing things to me about planned parenthood is their origins. In a nutshell, a woman started this as a birth control clinic, aimed at big families, but more so at BLACK families! Literally, she saw black people as less "fit" to reproduce and wanted them to stop. She even enlisted black pastors(unknowingly) into her plot, to get them to push their flock towards birth control. Big deal, some of you are thinking. It was almost 100 years ago, and birth control isn't that big of a deal.
Here's the deal though. It didn't stop there, as things rarely do. It's not like they adjusted fire and turned to just helping people. On the contrary, the majority of their clinics are in minority communities. African Americans are exponentially more likely to get an abortion! Why? Because they are being TARGETED! This makes me sick, really really sick. More sick than just plain abortion, this feels like GENOCIDE to me, yeah I said it. And I mean it. I'm am thoroughly disgusted.
Don't take my word for it, check it out for yourself. Do some research. Prepare yourself to be horrified. Prepare yourself to find how many people survive abortions, and become prolife advocates themselves. Here's a couple of links I found.
http://www.protectingblacklife.org/pdf/SE_Black_Genocide_Study.pdf
www.protectingblacklife.org
www.blackgenocide.org
http://theabortionsurvivors.com/
I hurt for the babies who are robbed of their chance at life. I hurt for the moms who will be forever haunted by that memory. I hurt for the dads who are robbed of the opportunity to know their babies. Before you say no such thing, I have personally spoken to some. Here's a link for those of you who doubt. http://www.fatherhoodforever.org
So I'm sure from my giant family, and the fact that we are pregnant again and not planning on being done until God says so, that you can tell that I am not a big fan or birth control or planned parenthood. Needless to say, I'm not happy that our tax dollars go to paying for someone else's birth control or abortion. Your tax dollars don't pay for the kids I have, so why should I have to pay for the kids you don't want? We don't get WIC, food stamps, or even use public school money! Not that there is ANYTHING wrong with using these things, we just don't need it.
I think one of the most disturbing things to me about planned parenthood is their origins. In a nutshell, a woman started this as a birth control clinic, aimed at big families, but more so at BLACK families! Literally, she saw black people as less "fit" to reproduce and wanted them to stop. She even enlisted black pastors(unknowingly) into her plot, to get them to push their flock towards birth control. Big deal, some of you are thinking. It was almost 100 years ago, and birth control isn't that big of a deal.
Here's the deal though. It didn't stop there, as things rarely do. It's not like they adjusted fire and turned to just helping people. On the contrary, the majority of their clinics are in minority communities. African Americans are exponentially more likely to get an abortion! Why? Because they are being TARGETED! This makes me sick, really really sick. More sick than just plain abortion, this feels like GENOCIDE to me, yeah I said it. And I mean it. I'm am thoroughly disgusted.
Don't take my word for it, check it out for yourself. Do some research. Prepare yourself to be horrified. Prepare yourself to find how many people survive abortions, and become prolife advocates themselves. Here's a couple of links I found.
http://www.protectingblacklife.org/pdf/SE_Black_Genocide_Study.pdf
www.protectingblacklife.org
www.blackgenocide.org
http://theabortionsurvivors.com/
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Home made Mac and cheese
Ok I haven't put up a recipe in awhile but I just tried to make home made mac and cheese, for the first time in 4 years, and it actually turned out GOOD this time! :) I winged it, so here's my recipe:
1 box of elbow macaroni(my box was 13.25oz)
8oz sour cream
8oz cheddar cheese(shredded)
4oz mozzarella cheese(shredded)
1TBS soy sauce
1TBS mustard
1/2TBS garlic powder
Preheat oven to 350. Cook the macaroni according to the box directions. Drain. Put the macaroni back in the pot you cooked it in, and add everything except the mozzarella cheese. Stir well. Put in a 13X9" pan and sprinkle the mozzarella cheese on top. Bake for 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted on top.
1 box of elbow macaroni(my box was 13.25oz)
8oz sour cream
8oz cheddar cheese(shredded)
4oz mozzarella cheese(shredded)
1TBS soy sauce
1TBS mustard
1/2TBS garlic powder
Preheat oven to 350. Cook the macaroni according to the box directions. Drain. Put the macaroni back in the pot you cooked it in, and add everything except the mozzarella cheese. Stir well. Put in a 13X9" pan and sprinkle the mozzarella cheese on top. Bake for 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted on top.
Monday, October 22, 2012
Sibling fun
It never ceases to amaze me the things that pass for other things around here. I think you know what I'm talking about if you have more than a few kids! My kids are always finding new and inventive ideas for items. Below are 2 pics, the first is what passes for jewelry in our house. The second is what fun looks like here. I love watching my bigger kids come up with things to entertain the little ones! They love to play with their siblings. As I'm writing this my 8 year old is laying on a blanket he spread out for his 15 month old sister reading her a baby book. My 12 year old is snuggled up in a chair trying to get his 3 year old brother to read to him. It isn't always sweet around here. Already this morning I had to break up 2 arguments and convince 2 little girls that didn't want to clean their room to do it anyway. It makes me all that more thankful for the sweet moments in between the chaos!
Friday, October 19, 2012
A little sweetness
One of my beautiful daughters is a saucy little thing who often times says hurtful things trying to be funny and occasionally on purpose. So, when this particular child says something sweet, not only is it honest, it's very emotional for me.
This morning as I am changing quite possibly the most disgusting diaper ever(ok I might be exaggerating a little due to some pregnancy smell enhancement) she tells me one of the sweetest things. She says(and I'm paraphrasing due to pregnancy related memory loss) that babies don't really give any rewards. When I asked her what she meant, she told me that you get your rewards in heaven for taking care of babies since there aren't any rewards on earth for caring for a baby. Then she goes on to say that I must have a lot of rewards in heaven. I wanted to burst! She has no idea how sweet she was being, she was just saying what she thought was obvious.
But, I do get rewards here on earth. I get those first beautiful smiles, those precious tiny arms wrapped around me in a hug, one of their first words are almost always mama, and I get the joy of helping to point a child towards Christ. I love my kids. I don't think I'll get rewards in heaven for raising children, because I surely do get my rewards here on earth! Don't ever forget what a JOY raising babies, and later kids is when you are caught up in the hum drum of everyday poopy diaper business! :)
This morning as I am changing quite possibly the most disgusting diaper ever(ok I might be exaggerating a little due to some pregnancy smell enhancement) she tells me one of the sweetest things. She says(and I'm paraphrasing due to pregnancy related memory loss) that babies don't really give any rewards. When I asked her what she meant, she told me that you get your rewards in heaven for taking care of babies since there aren't any rewards on earth for caring for a baby. Then she goes on to say that I must have a lot of rewards in heaven. I wanted to burst! She has no idea how sweet she was being, she was just saying what she thought was obvious.
But, I do get rewards here on earth. I get those first beautiful smiles, those precious tiny arms wrapped around me in a hug, one of their first words are almost always mama, and I get the joy of helping to point a child towards Christ. I love my kids. I don't think I'll get rewards in heaven for raising children, because I surely do get my rewards here on earth! Don't ever forget what a JOY raising babies, and later kids is when you are caught up in the hum drum of everyday poopy diaper business! :)
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Becoming a man
So Gavin informed us a few months ago that he had planed some potatoes. It was forgotten, but not by him. He came to me yesterday and informed me, "Today is the day I am going to harvest my potatoes." Okay.....
He quickly finished his homework and chores and raced outside to get his potatoes. While he was finishing up there were many questions about his potatoes, mostly how many we needed for mashed potatoes or potato salad, and if we could use them for dinner tonight.
He then proceeded to tell me that he planted a whole potato. Now, not knowing much about potato growing except that you are supposed to cut them up before planting, I warned him that there may not be any potatoes. He was undeterred and raced out to harvest his potatoes.
This is what he found! He was so proud to help feed his family!
He quickly finished his homework and chores and raced outside to get his potatoes. While he was finishing up there were many questions about his potatoes, mostly how many we needed for mashed potatoes or potato salad, and if we could use them for dinner tonight.
He then proceeded to tell me that he planted a whole potato. Now, not knowing much about potato growing except that you are supposed to cut them up before planting, I warned him that there may not be any potatoes. He was undeterred and raced out to harvest his potatoes.
This is what he found! He was so proud to help feed his family!
Monday, October 15, 2012
Man plans, God laughs
Ok so I haven't updated in a while(big shocker!) so of course, yet again, there is like 5 million pages worth of news! Let's see, where to begin...
I guess I should start by saying how much I love the farm life, our house here in NC, our church family(they are especially fantastic), and our TONS of friends here. That being said, there's this thing, this big, terrible, awful, especially no good thing, called deployment.
I'm sure I've shared before that my husband is in the Army, and since all of my readers are my friends, I know you all already know! Him being in the Army means deployments, no big deal. I've done them before, 2 actually, back to back, a 12 month and a 15 month. These 2 make me by no means an expert by the way, some of my readers and closest friends have done 4, 5 , and even 6 of them(some 18 months!) with their super awesome husbands. I can't explain why, but this one is just different.
Anyway, my superman husband left for a month to go to NTC(National Training Center in Cali, for our non military friends) in July, and I came upon this sudden, terrifying realization. I can NOT do this for 9 months! What is 9 months really, in the grand scheme when you've done a 15 month? NOTHING! I don't know if it's because I have 2 more kids than the last one, or because my boys are of that super fun age where I need manly back up, or if it's because owning a home is terrifying when you have no one here to help. Regardless, I can't do it, and happily, I don't have to.
I have this super awesome, super supportive, super loving, big, loud(not quite as loud as me), simultaneously-get-on-your-last-nerve type of family who loves us so very much, that they are going to help us out. So here's the game plan at this point. Sell the house, move home. Lame right? NO! It's super awesome! My kids are super excited, I'm super excited, my parents are pretending to be super excited! It's going to be awesome, and if it isn't, well we'll make it work anyway! I get the backup I need, they get grandbaby fix.
And, speaking of grandbabies leads me to the very best most exciting part.... YEP! We are having a baby! This is baby 7 for us, and we are so over the moon we can't even describe it! I can't believe how blessed we are, and at the same time a little terrified at this HUGE responsibility God feels like we can handle. I think a measure of terrified dependence on God is right where we should be anyway.
P.S. My super funny daughter just heard me reading this out loud to my husband, who proofreads all my hilariousness, and she says, "Hey, that's just like you!" I said, "That's because it IS me, I just wrote that!" HAHA! I love my kids! :)
I guess I should start by saying how much I love the farm life, our house here in NC, our church family(they are especially fantastic), and our TONS of friends here. That being said, there's this thing, this big, terrible, awful, especially no good thing, called deployment.
I'm sure I've shared before that my husband is in the Army, and since all of my readers are my friends, I know you all already know! Him being in the Army means deployments, no big deal. I've done them before, 2 actually, back to back, a 12 month and a 15 month. These 2 make me by no means an expert by the way, some of my readers and closest friends have done 4, 5 , and even 6 of them(some 18 months!) with their super awesome husbands. I can't explain why, but this one is just different.
Anyway, my superman husband left for a month to go to NTC(National Training Center in Cali, for our non military friends) in July, and I came upon this sudden, terrifying realization. I can NOT do this for 9 months! What is 9 months really, in the grand scheme when you've done a 15 month? NOTHING! I don't know if it's because I have 2 more kids than the last one, or because my boys are of that super fun age where I need manly back up, or if it's because owning a home is terrifying when you have no one here to help. Regardless, I can't do it, and happily, I don't have to.
I have this super awesome, super supportive, super loving, big, loud(not quite as loud as me), simultaneously-get-on-your-last-nerve type of family who loves us so very much, that they are going to help us out. So here's the game plan at this point. Sell the house, move home. Lame right? NO! It's super awesome! My kids are super excited, I'm super excited, my parents are pretending to be super excited! It's going to be awesome, and if it isn't, well we'll make it work anyway! I get the backup I need, they get grandbaby fix.
And, speaking of grandbabies leads me to the very best most exciting part.... YEP! We are having a baby! This is baby 7 for us, and we are so over the moon we can't even describe it! I can't believe how blessed we are, and at the same time a little terrified at this HUGE responsibility God feels like we can handle. I think a measure of terrified dependence on God is right where we should be anyway.
P.S. My super funny daughter just heard me reading this out loud to my husband, who proofreads all my hilariousness, and she says, "Hey, that's just like you!" I said, "That's because it IS me, I just wrote that!" HAHA! I love my kids! :)
Monday, June 25, 2012
Just a day in the life...
So I was struck by the sheer hilariousness that is my life today. First, before sharing, a disclaimer. This is NOT me complaining. I know my life is hard and full of work, but it's also full of crazy love, fun, and it's just down right funny sometimes! Besides, isn't EVERYONE'S life hard????
My morning started at 4:30 when I drug my exhausted butt out of bed. The initial plan was a quick shower followed by some work, getting the kids up, fed, dressed, animals cared for, and out the door by 7:30. As soon as my shower and quiet time were over I realized there is NO WAY I have time to actually work this morning. Now, this in and of itself, is a small miracle. EVERYONE who knows me well, and even some of my acquaintances, are fully aware that I am late EVERYWHERE I go. My husband will testify that I always think that I have time to quickly do some work when I so very clearly DO NOT! :)
So I wisely chose to get the kids up, feed them breakfast, and hurry them through getting ready. This plan was going great until I was telling them to get into the car at 7:28 when I realized that I never sent anyone out to feed the goats or chickens. So, I send the oldest 2 out with the hope that THIS morning, they won't fight or bicker, get frustrated, or take forever to get the animals fed so we can leave... Yeah, not so much...
While they are doing that, I'm loading all the littles into the car. Baby, check. Toddler, check. 6 yo, check. 8 yo, check. Gas that my husband was supposed to pour into my tank the night before so that I could make it to the gas station.... not so much.
In his defense this really is all my fault. I was just hoping that he would rescue me. I really am a damsel in distress in disguise. Often. Poor knight. Last night I ran to the grocery store at 9pm because we needed eggs, fruit, syrup, and most importantly sugar for our coffee. I was tired, I was hot, and it was dark. I had $10 cash for gas and I didn't want to stop on my way home in the dark, when I was tired, and go all the way into the gas station to pay them so I could pump my gas. So, I called my knight, and he tells me to come home, that he has gas in his lawn mower gas can, and he will put it in my tank for me.
So, back to this morning. He has a jump. He HATES to jump. Naturally, he's distracted. So, he forgets. No big deal, I'll just put the gas in. I'm a big girl. I can figure this out(after he tells me in detail exactly how to do it!) I go in search of the funnel I need, because the big gas can's nozzle won't fit into my gas tank. Finally after a frustrated prayer, I find it! I stick it in the tank, prop it up, poor the gas in, AND, the stupid funnel falls over and gas pours all over my car, and my driveway. Awesome. I call my big girl over to help me out since she just finished up with the animals. She holds the funnel as I SLOWLY and CAREFULLY pour the gas in, because I'm so scared to pour it on her! About halfway through I realize she doesn't look so good. I ask her if she's ok. Nope, poor kid is standing RIGHT next to the gas I poured everywhere, and the gas I'm still pouring, and she's getting all dizzy and nauseous. Mom of the year, I tell ya! So I have her switch out with my biggest boy, and have her go get some air. We finish the gas, wash our hands, pour water on the car to rinse off the gas, and hit the road. We were only 18 minutes late leaving, and still managed to get to church 5 minutes early. Yeah, that was all God. I'm still impressed! :)
Of course, we get there and my 3yo decides he wants to pitch a fit for the next 30 minutes. However, all the other kids were fantastic. I was able to help out, and my baby even stayed in the nursery(a first, THANKS KELLY!) It was really a blessing to go and help out today. Little Dude snapped out of his bad attitude and I think that he even had fun. I'm looking forward to the rest of the week at church.
Now I just have 5 loads of laundry, 2 loads of dishes, a floor to vacuum, dinner to make, and 2 hours worth of work after the kids go to bed. Ah bed, can I go to bed NOW? ;)
My morning started at 4:30 when I drug my exhausted butt out of bed. The initial plan was a quick shower followed by some work, getting the kids up, fed, dressed, animals cared for, and out the door by 7:30. As soon as my shower and quiet time were over I realized there is NO WAY I have time to actually work this morning. Now, this in and of itself, is a small miracle. EVERYONE who knows me well, and even some of my acquaintances, are fully aware that I am late EVERYWHERE I go. My husband will testify that I always think that I have time to quickly do some work when I so very clearly DO NOT! :)
So I wisely chose to get the kids up, feed them breakfast, and hurry them through getting ready. This plan was going great until I was telling them to get into the car at 7:28 when I realized that I never sent anyone out to feed the goats or chickens. So, I send the oldest 2 out with the hope that THIS morning, they won't fight or bicker, get frustrated, or take forever to get the animals fed so we can leave... Yeah, not so much...
While they are doing that, I'm loading all the littles into the car. Baby, check. Toddler, check. 6 yo, check. 8 yo, check. Gas that my husband was supposed to pour into my tank the night before so that I could make it to the gas station.... not so much.
In his defense this really is all my fault. I was just hoping that he would rescue me. I really am a damsel in distress in disguise. Often. Poor knight. Last night I ran to the grocery store at 9pm because we needed eggs, fruit, syrup, and most importantly sugar for our coffee. I was tired, I was hot, and it was dark. I had $10 cash for gas and I didn't want to stop on my way home in the dark, when I was tired, and go all the way into the gas station to pay them so I could pump my gas. So, I called my knight, and he tells me to come home, that he has gas in his lawn mower gas can, and he will put it in my tank for me.
So, back to this morning. He has a jump. He HATES to jump. Naturally, he's distracted. So, he forgets. No big deal, I'll just put the gas in. I'm a big girl. I can figure this out(after he tells me in detail exactly how to do it!) I go in search of the funnel I need, because the big gas can's nozzle won't fit into my gas tank. Finally after a frustrated prayer, I find it! I stick it in the tank, prop it up, poor the gas in, AND, the stupid funnel falls over and gas pours all over my car, and my driveway. Awesome. I call my big girl over to help me out since she just finished up with the animals. She holds the funnel as I SLOWLY and CAREFULLY pour the gas in, because I'm so scared to pour it on her! About halfway through I realize she doesn't look so good. I ask her if she's ok. Nope, poor kid is standing RIGHT next to the gas I poured everywhere, and the gas I'm still pouring, and she's getting all dizzy and nauseous. Mom of the year, I tell ya! So I have her switch out with my biggest boy, and have her go get some air. We finish the gas, wash our hands, pour water on the car to rinse off the gas, and hit the road. We were only 18 minutes late leaving, and still managed to get to church 5 minutes early. Yeah, that was all God. I'm still impressed! :)
Of course, we get there and my 3yo decides he wants to pitch a fit for the next 30 minutes. However, all the other kids were fantastic. I was able to help out, and my baby even stayed in the nursery(a first, THANKS KELLY!) It was really a blessing to go and help out today. Little Dude snapped out of his bad attitude and I think that he even had fun. I'm looking forward to the rest of the week at church.
Now I just have 5 loads of laundry, 2 loads of dishes, a floor to vacuum, dinner to make, and 2 hours worth of work after the kids go to bed. Ah bed, can I go to bed NOW? ;)
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Yeah, I'm not 18 anymore
You know when you have one of those moments, when you realize you aren't as young as you used to be? I actually have those moments a lot, but this time it was bad, and it lasted awhile, and I don't think I'm likely to forget again, at least not for the next week! ;)
So as I posted a little while ago, I started playing on the church softball team. I love it! It's so much fun, and even though I am not super good at it, no one makes fun of me, and everyone is nice when I mess it all up! HAHA!
We had a scrimmage game 3 weeks ago, and it was a BLAST! Our teams were pretty evenly matched, and it was just a fun game. I connected with the ball each time I came up to bat, and I got to play through to home all but one of the times I came up to bat. That means I was sprinting, and it means I had this really awesome adrenaline rush as I was sprinting. Have I ever mentioned that I am an adrenaline junkie? I love love love doing crazy things that make me feel alive! Anyway, the next day I was understandably sore. I stretched, and stretched, and stretched. Something was off, but I kept thinking I was just sore. I had this weird shooting pain if I propped my legs up, and then went to get up, but I just kept thinking that I could stretch it away!
So 2 weeks ago we had our first 2 games. I didn't get to play in the first, we have SO many awesome ladies playing that we have to take turns, and did I mention that I'm not so good? Not exactly starting material(just kidding coaches!) The second game though... I connected with the ball and tore off running. Yes! :) Then I got halfway to the base and had this awful searing, tearing pain up both my quads. I literally almost tripped and fell over. I didn't. I kept running(I'm sure I looked super retarded). I made it to the base and thankfully got out, b/c otherwise I would have had to run to second! I tried to walk it out, and stretch it out, and it would NOT release. Both of my quads were in this awful constant contraction.
I left the game after it was over, and went home. Hot bath, ice, rest. The next day, still pain, and then swelling. I went into the ER. The doc who spent like 2 seconds with me, didn't even bother to look at, or bring in my chart(his admission) hurried me through to a micro tear(AKA strain) diagnosis. He was just as baffled as I was that I managed to hurt BOTH legs. My best friend says that it's b/c if I'm going to do something, I'm going to do it all the way. A very good observation! HAHA! I guess this is a common injury for runners b/c our hamstrings are stronger than our quads so if we sprint we can tear the quad muscles. The doc said to take tylonol and motrin, rest, and wait. I am thankful that I looked it up, and have a super smart RN mommy who both said DO NOT TAKE MOTRIN Apparently this causes bleeding in the micro tears which increases swelling, bruising, and pain.
The next week was full of owch that hurts walking, wondering if it was worse, TONS of bruising, and a visit to my PCM to make sure he agreed with ER doc's diagnosis, which he did. The next Friday I woke up pain free, YAY! But I had this awful headache. Anyone who knows me knows that I get these stupid headaches if I don't sleep right. If I don't take 2 extra strength tylonol and 1 800mg motrin, I will have the stupid headache for 3 days! And yes, this sucks when I'm pregnant and can't take the motrin! So, I think well, it's been 2 weeks since I hurt myself, and I'm pain free, I'm SURE it'll be fine to take a motrin. WRONG! Pain for the next 3 days! :(
Things are healing up nicely now. I have some pulling pain in my right knee occasionally when walking or stretching but that's about it. I am planning on trying some light jogging today, and if that goes well, I'll be trying to play in the game tomorrow! :)
So now that you read my 7 page paper on my retardedness, please remember, if you aren't 18, don't act like you are! HAHA! Needless to say, I probably won't be sprinting the bases anytime soon! Act your age, not your shoe size people! :)
So as I posted a little while ago, I started playing on the church softball team. I love it! It's so much fun, and even though I am not super good at it, no one makes fun of me, and everyone is nice when I mess it all up! HAHA!
We had a scrimmage game 3 weeks ago, and it was a BLAST! Our teams were pretty evenly matched, and it was just a fun game. I connected with the ball each time I came up to bat, and I got to play through to home all but one of the times I came up to bat. That means I was sprinting, and it means I had this really awesome adrenaline rush as I was sprinting. Have I ever mentioned that I am an adrenaline junkie? I love love love doing crazy things that make me feel alive! Anyway, the next day I was understandably sore. I stretched, and stretched, and stretched. Something was off, but I kept thinking I was just sore. I had this weird shooting pain if I propped my legs up, and then went to get up, but I just kept thinking that I could stretch it away!
So 2 weeks ago we had our first 2 games. I didn't get to play in the first, we have SO many awesome ladies playing that we have to take turns, and did I mention that I'm not so good? Not exactly starting material(just kidding coaches!) The second game though... I connected with the ball and tore off running. Yes! :) Then I got halfway to the base and had this awful searing, tearing pain up both my quads. I literally almost tripped and fell over. I didn't. I kept running(I'm sure I looked super retarded). I made it to the base and thankfully got out, b/c otherwise I would have had to run to second! I tried to walk it out, and stretch it out, and it would NOT release. Both of my quads were in this awful constant contraction.
I left the game after it was over, and went home. Hot bath, ice, rest. The next day, still pain, and then swelling. I went into the ER. The doc who spent like 2 seconds with me, didn't even bother to look at, or bring in my chart(his admission) hurried me through to a micro tear(AKA strain) diagnosis. He was just as baffled as I was that I managed to hurt BOTH legs. My best friend says that it's b/c if I'm going to do something, I'm going to do it all the way. A very good observation! HAHA! I guess this is a common injury for runners b/c our hamstrings are stronger than our quads so if we sprint we can tear the quad muscles. The doc said to take tylonol and motrin, rest, and wait. I am thankful that I looked it up, and have a super smart RN mommy who both said DO NOT TAKE MOTRIN Apparently this causes bleeding in the micro tears which increases swelling, bruising, and pain.
The next week was full of owch that hurts walking, wondering if it was worse, TONS of bruising, and a visit to my PCM to make sure he agreed with ER doc's diagnosis, which he did. The next Friday I woke up pain free, YAY! But I had this awful headache. Anyone who knows me knows that I get these stupid headaches if I don't sleep right. If I don't take 2 extra strength tylonol and 1 800mg motrin, I will have the stupid headache for 3 days! And yes, this sucks when I'm pregnant and can't take the motrin! So, I think well, it's been 2 weeks since I hurt myself, and I'm pain free, I'm SURE it'll be fine to take a motrin. WRONG! Pain for the next 3 days! :(
Things are healing up nicely now. I have some pulling pain in my right knee occasionally when walking or stretching but that's about it. I am planning on trying some light jogging today, and if that goes well, I'll be trying to play in the game tomorrow! :)
So now that you read my 7 page paper on my retardedness, please remember, if you aren't 18, don't act like you are! HAHA! Needless to say, I probably won't be sprinting the bases anytime soon! Act your age, not your shoe size people! :)
Friday, May 25, 2012
Family update
So I had to do 2 updates. The first was getting really long, and who wants to read a 4 page paper anyway? So, here is what is going on with our family specifically!
Terence is looking forward to being done with the Army in a little over a year and a half. He is still feeling a strong call to ministry, although we're not really sure where God is pointing us. A walk of faith to be sure! He is going to school online with Liberty University for Christian Studies right now, and we're hoping for a nudge in the right direction from the Holy Spirit when it's time to move on with his schooling. He's also been doing some wood working, which he LOVES, along with all the farm work.
The kids are all doing great, and are all FINALLY on summer break! We look forward to this all year! I know a lot of homeschool families school year round, but it's just NOT for us! We need the break, desperately!!! I think I look forward to it more than the kids! I'm kind of dreading getting back to it, next year we will have 7th, 5th, 3rd, and 1st grade! How did THAT happen?!?!?!
Gavin will be in 7th grade this coming year, which kills me. Seriously, don't blink people! He will be going away on a week long camp this summer, which thrills and terrifies me at the same time! HAHA! He'll do great, and I'll miss him like crazy! He is really intersted in anything having to do with science and art.
Elizabeth truly is my little mama. She loves babies and is really good with them. She literally begs me to let her change diapers, or hold MJ. She's also my go-to-gal for keeping the baby safe if I need to run upstairs or outside for something! She loves to sing, dance, and do anything artistic.
Ryan is my super active kid. He loves everything sports related, or anything competetive. He's a pretty happy, sweet boy. He's also WAY more adventurous than some of the other kids. He would do pretty much anything crazy we challenge him to do, which I love to do with my kids. Since some of them are pretty reserved, I tend to say things like, "Climb that and I'll give you $1." He's usually the first one to take me up on it!
Anna is well, Anna! If you know this funny, crazy little girl, you know what I'm talking about! She is her own person, to be sure! As our preschool ministry leader in Alaska said, "She's going to do SOMETHING when she grows up!" Yep, that about sums it up. We never really know WHAT that kid is going to do. She is awesome, and funny, and vibrant, and probably the most ALIVE person I know! God made her just the way He wanted her, now I just have to figure out how to teach her to harness it! :)
Jeffrey is finally starting to talk! He's still behind, but he is working on it! He was a full year behind in his speech a year ago, and unfortunately he hasn't made a full year's progress, which means he's more than a year behind now. He'll be going in soon for another speech evaluation. A recent primary care visit(to get our new referral for speech) also brought to our attention that he is a little behind in his fine motor skills. He'll go back in, in about 3 months to do a follow up on that. He's a fun kid, and is finally wanting to do some things for himself. He says, "I do it," a lot. He also says hilarious things, like when you ask him a question, he will answer you, "Oh, of course!"
MJ is getting big, and getting herself ready to walk, much to my dismay! She is almost 10 months(again, HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?!?!?!) and is a super happy baby! She sleeps all the way throught the night, which makes me SUPER happy! She is already starting to talk, and says mama, dada(at Daddy!), cat, dog, and bath! I think she might out talk Jeffrey soon! HAHA!
I've been working hard at trying to be a good mom, wife, teacher, house cleaner, etc. while getting this business going. It's no easy feat! I have a booth at the local farmers market here, which goes fairly well. Some weeks are definitely better than others! I also joined the women's softball team at church, which is a blast! I love it! I haven't plaid organized sports in FOREVER, but it is SO MUCH FUN!
I swear one day I'll get better at time management and have more time to write, because I truly do enjoy it. It'll probably be when I'm too old to write anything interesting! Util then, I'll continue updating when I remember! :)
Terence is looking forward to being done with the Army in a little over a year and a half. He is still feeling a strong call to ministry, although we're not really sure where God is pointing us. A walk of faith to be sure! He is going to school online with Liberty University for Christian Studies right now, and we're hoping for a nudge in the right direction from the Holy Spirit when it's time to move on with his schooling. He's also been doing some wood working, which he LOVES, along with all the farm work.
The kids are all doing great, and are all FINALLY on summer break! We look forward to this all year! I know a lot of homeschool families school year round, but it's just NOT for us! We need the break, desperately!!! I think I look forward to it more than the kids! I'm kind of dreading getting back to it, next year we will have 7th, 5th, 3rd, and 1st grade! How did THAT happen?!?!?!
Gavin will be in 7th grade this coming year, which kills me. Seriously, don't blink people! He will be going away on a week long camp this summer, which thrills and terrifies me at the same time! HAHA! He'll do great, and I'll miss him like crazy! He is really intersted in anything having to do with science and art.
Elizabeth truly is my little mama. She loves babies and is really good with them. She literally begs me to let her change diapers, or hold MJ. She's also my go-to-gal for keeping the baby safe if I need to run upstairs or outside for something! She loves to sing, dance, and do anything artistic.
Ryan is my super active kid. He loves everything sports related, or anything competetive. He's a pretty happy, sweet boy. He's also WAY more adventurous than some of the other kids. He would do pretty much anything crazy we challenge him to do, which I love to do with my kids. Since some of them are pretty reserved, I tend to say things like, "Climb that and I'll give you $1." He's usually the first one to take me up on it!
Anna is well, Anna! If you know this funny, crazy little girl, you know what I'm talking about! She is her own person, to be sure! As our preschool ministry leader in Alaska said, "She's going to do SOMETHING when she grows up!" Yep, that about sums it up. We never really know WHAT that kid is going to do. She is awesome, and funny, and vibrant, and probably the most ALIVE person I know! God made her just the way He wanted her, now I just have to figure out how to teach her to harness it! :)
Jeffrey is finally starting to talk! He's still behind, but he is working on it! He was a full year behind in his speech a year ago, and unfortunately he hasn't made a full year's progress, which means he's more than a year behind now. He'll be going in soon for another speech evaluation. A recent primary care visit(to get our new referral for speech) also brought to our attention that he is a little behind in his fine motor skills. He'll go back in, in about 3 months to do a follow up on that. He's a fun kid, and is finally wanting to do some things for himself. He says, "I do it," a lot. He also says hilarious things, like when you ask him a question, he will answer you, "Oh, of course!"
MJ is getting big, and getting herself ready to walk, much to my dismay! She is almost 10 months(again, HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?!?!?!) and is a super happy baby! She sleeps all the way throught the night, which makes me SUPER happy! She is already starting to talk, and says mama, dada(at Daddy!), cat, dog, and bath! I think she might out talk Jeffrey soon! HAHA!
I've been working hard at trying to be a good mom, wife, teacher, house cleaner, etc. while getting this business going. It's no easy feat! I have a booth at the local farmers market here, which goes fairly well. Some weeks are definitely better than others! I also joined the women's softball team at church, which is a blast! I love it! I haven't plaid organized sports in FOREVER, but it is SO MUCH FUN!
I swear one day I'll get better at time management and have more time to write, because I truly do enjoy it. It'll probably be when I'm too old to write anything interesting! Util then, I'll continue updating when I remember! :)
Wanna be farm update
So, you all know I'm terrible at keeping up... I'm suprised anyone even reads this. I love love love to write, and I wish I had more time to do so. It's crazy here though, as always, and it really is hard to balance family, farm, and the business! Some days I feel like the cat in the hat when he has all that junk balanced and he's trying to bounce on a ball at the same time. Yep, that's me. I hope I don't sink the ship in the cake!!!
So here's what's going on here...
We ended up with 15 chickens total. We bought them as a straight run, so there is no way to tell how many male or female we have until they are big enough. At almost 3 months now, they are getting pretty big, and a few are definitely getting bigger, and redder combs than the rest. I'm fairly certain we have at least 2 roosters, and I really am hoping that the rest are hens, but only time will tell! They love to run around the yard, eating bugs and being chickens. The kids love to chase them, well because they are kids. This of course is frowned upon, much to the kids dismay!
The goats are getting big too and acting rather, well, goat-ish. If you've never been around goats, this is what they do: eat, jump, yell, head butt. That's about it, the life of a goat. They are related to deer, and it shows. They prance around and jump a lot like a deer. They are hilarious to watch, and watch them you must, because the neighbor dogs would love to eat them for dinner! We are still working on getting our electric fence up, which Terence is hoping will electrecute at least 1 dog before they learn. He's pretty mad that he has had to rescue the goats a few times, and would like to see a little revenge! HAHA!
Our garden is awful. We seriously under estimated the amount of protection that it would need, and the fire ants are AWFUL here! So, everything has helped itself to our produce, and the fire ants have helped themselves to the nice soft dirt that we tilled up! The new game plan is to do raised beds with a "hoop coop" over it, and then cover it with plastic as soon as it starts to get chilly, to create a greenhouse to grow stuff in the rest of the year. Terence is currently 1/2 way done with this project. Many more updates on that to come I'm sure! The one thing that did make it was our peas! They were delicious! We ate them raw with dinner last night, and you never did see a group of kids eat so many peas!
So here's what's going on here...
We ended up with 15 chickens total. We bought them as a straight run, so there is no way to tell how many male or female we have until they are big enough. At almost 3 months now, they are getting pretty big, and a few are definitely getting bigger, and redder combs than the rest. I'm fairly certain we have at least 2 roosters, and I really am hoping that the rest are hens, but only time will tell! They love to run around the yard, eating bugs and being chickens. The kids love to chase them, well because they are kids. This of course is frowned upon, much to the kids dismay!
The goats are getting big too and acting rather, well, goat-ish. If you've never been around goats, this is what they do: eat, jump, yell, head butt. That's about it, the life of a goat. They are related to deer, and it shows. They prance around and jump a lot like a deer. They are hilarious to watch, and watch them you must, because the neighbor dogs would love to eat them for dinner! We are still working on getting our electric fence up, which Terence is hoping will electrecute at least 1 dog before they learn. He's pretty mad that he has had to rescue the goats a few times, and would like to see a little revenge! HAHA!
Our garden is awful. We seriously under estimated the amount of protection that it would need, and the fire ants are AWFUL here! So, everything has helped itself to our produce, and the fire ants have helped themselves to the nice soft dirt that we tilled up! The new game plan is to do raised beds with a "hoop coop" over it, and then cover it with plastic as soon as it starts to get chilly, to create a greenhouse to grow stuff in the rest of the year. Terence is currently 1/2 way done with this project. Many more updates on that to come I'm sure! The one thing that did make it was our peas! They were delicious! We ate them raw with dinner last night, and you never did see a group of kids eat so many peas!
Monday, April 16, 2012
Wanna be farm fun facts
Ok so I thought it would be fun to share with you all some of the little "fun facts" that our family jokes about!
#1 Showering in the morning just doesn't work when you have a wanna be farm. You need to clean your body at night to "get the goat off you"!
#2 If you have chicks inside your house, your house will smell like a barn!
#3 Flip Flops outside the house are NEVER a good idea!
#4 Riding lawn mowers have seat sensors that a child is not heavy enough to activate. You can overcome this by piling more than one child on the lawn mower seat.
#5 Your child might be heavy enough to activate the sensor on the riding lawn mower, but not tall enough to reach the pedals. A long stick to push down the gas pedal is a perfect aid to such a child.
#6 No matter how cute your farm animals are, your neighbor does not agree. Especially if your goats are doing a little jig on the hood of their car or your rooster wakes them up every morning.
#7 If you have farm animals and children, don't expect your children to do anything but hang out with every new animal you bring home for at least 2 weeks after every addition.
#8 Just because a farm animal CAN fit in the back of your suburban, or down by your kids' feet, doesn't mean it should necessarily be transported in this manner.
#9 Chicks won't eat caterpillars.
#10 All of the weird random bugs, amphibians, rodents, and/or mammals that kids find outdoors should NOT be brought indoors to proudly display for their mother, EVER! If they find it outside it should STAY outside. I'll come out to peek at it of its not too creepy... maybe.
#1 Showering in the morning just doesn't work when you have a wanna be farm. You need to clean your body at night to "get the goat off you"!
#2 If you have chicks inside your house, your house will smell like a barn!
#3 Flip Flops outside the house are NEVER a good idea!
#4 Riding lawn mowers have seat sensors that a child is not heavy enough to activate. You can overcome this by piling more than one child on the lawn mower seat.
#5 Your child might be heavy enough to activate the sensor on the riding lawn mower, but not tall enough to reach the pedals. A long stick to push down the gas pedal is a perfect aid to such a child.
#6 No matter how cute your farm animals are, your neighbor does not agree. Especially if your goats are doing a little jig on the hood of their car or your rooster wakes them up every morning.
#7 If you have farm animals and children, don't expect your children to do anything but hang out with every new animal you bring home for at least 2 weeks after every addition.
#8 Just because a farm animal CAN fit in the back of your suburban, or down by your kids' feet, doesn't mean it should necessarily be transported in this manner.
#9 Chicks won't eat caterpillars.
#10 All of the weird random bugs, amphibians, rodents, and/or mammals that kids find outdoors should NOT be brought indoors to proudly display for their mother, EVER! If they find it outside it should STAY outside. I'll come out to peek at it of its not too creepy... maybe.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Chickies and goats!
This is our oldest using a stick to make the riding lawnmower work for him. He was hauling some cinder blocks from the backyard to the goat pen. He's a great helper!
These are our new baby goats! They are only about 4 weeks old, so they are still bottlefeeding 2X's a day, but they are so much fun! When we picked them up they were a little uneasy around us, but now they just love us, and are pretty sure the little kids are part of their "herd". The mostly white one is Cream and the brown one is Sugar. We were initially wanting to make sure that the goats we bought were disbudded, but this ended up not happening. We are feeding them whole cows milk, which is what the breeder bottle feeds her goats, but the hilarious thing is that Sugar refuses to drink the milk from the bottle unless we add SUGAR! This is NOT why we named her this! We named her before making this discovery! Talk about living up to your name! The first day we had them, we put them in the back yard. They jumped the 4' gate in the front and took off. Little Dude walked around for 20 minutes until Daddy came back with them saying, "Bad goats, run away!" Too funny!
Our baby chicks... what a sad story. Never ever ever order day old chicks in the mail in March! They had such a rough shipping that 8 of them died over the first few weeks. They just couldn't fully recover from the trip. As long as we make it with at least a few laying hens, I will never order day old chicks again!!!! The 17 that made it are getting big, and are all super healthy, but we are all super sad that so many of them didn't make it! They are all starting to get "real" feathers, and try to fly out of the box, which is the reason for the plastic netting. Terence is currently sitting next to me planning out our temporary chicken tractor so that they can go OUTSIDE where they belong!!! I have a sneaky suspicion that they are much more hardy than I am giving them credit for, but since so many of them died I'm terrified to lose more! After weeks and weeks of constant chirping, I am so so so ready for them to NOT be in my living room anymore!
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
life on a wanna-be farm
Ok, well I know it's been a little while since I blogged(like over a month!), but I really am super busy! We arrived in North Carolina January 31st, spend the night at a friend's house and then headed over to our new house on February 1st! Oh the excitement and joy! :)
We absolutely love our new house and the 5 acres that it sits on. I know a lot of our family and friends were worried about us buying this place sight unseen, but we really felt God's hand in this, and now we are completely certain of it! This is the perfect place for us! We are out in the middle of no where, and loving it!
Since moving in, we've started a TON of projects, and even completed a few of them! The boxes still aren't completely unpacked, but the important stuff is, and the house is functional. We have more important things to do anyway, like homeschool, get our garden going, and raise some animals! I'm going to try to slowly add in posts and pics of all of our projects, but today I'm going to talk about what we got in the mail this morning!
Have you ever received a call from the post office? How about a call from the post office at 6:45 in the morning? We did this morning, it was to tell us that our baby chicks were waiting for us! I have never seen my kids move so fast! We arrived at the post office at 7:10, and it's a 15 minute drive, so you do that math on how long it took 6 kids to get into the car to pick up baby chicks! :)
We decided to order our chicks for a number of reasons. The first being that we really wanted to go with a heritage breed chicken called Delawares. The second is that there is supposed to be less cross contamination of germs from other animals when you order from a hatchery as opposed to a feed or pet store. The only downside in my opinion is that shipping them is hard on them. Really though, where are the feed and pet stores getting their chicks? Chances are they were shipped too.
So we ordered 25 chicks straight run, which means you have no idea if they are boys or girls. We're hoping to end up with at least 12 laying hens, so hopefully 25 chicks will get us those 12. The roosters will be meat chickens, all except the nicest one who we will keep(much to my neighbors' dismay) so that we can have more baby chicks!
When you order baby chicks they stick in what they call an extra, just in case you have a fatality. Unfortunately we did. We did lost 1 chick, so that puts us at the 25 that we ordered. It was sadder than we expected. The poor little baby chick will get a cute little funeral this afternoon. Not sure why it's so sad since we will most likely be eating some of these chicks later on, but it still is!
This is a pic of the box the baby chicks come in. There are 26 little chicks crammed in there, it's a tiny box, b/c they need each other's body warmth to make the trip!
Now on to the fun! They are so stinkin' adorable! Little yellow fluff balls hopping around and chirping! They are inside for now, in a giant cardboard box with a heat lamp. The kids are so excited and love to listen to them chirp and watch them hop around. They all took to food and water right away, so I'm hopeful that they will all make it!
This is a pic of our 25 chicks that made it in their new temporary home! They are currently happily chirping and hopping around! :)
We absolutely love our new house and the 5 acres that it sits on. I know a lot of our family and friends were worried about us buying this place sight unseen, but we really felt God's hand in this, and now we are completely certain of it! This is the perfect place for us! We are out in the middle of no where, and loving it!
Since moving in, we've started a TON of projects, and even completed a few of them! The boxes still aren't completely unpacked, but the important stuff is, and the house is functional. We have more important things to do anyway, like homeschool, get our garden going, and raise some animals! I'm going to try to slowly add in posts and pics of all of our projects, but today I'm going to talk about what we got in the mail this morning!
Have you ever received a call from the post office? How about a call from the post office at 6:45 in the morning? We did this morning, it was to tell us that our baby chicks were waiting for us! I have never seen my kids move so fast! We arrived at the post office at 7:10, and it's a 15 minute drive, so you do that math on how long it took 6 kids to get into the car to pick up baby chicks! :)
We decided to order our chicks for a number of reasons. The first being that we really wanted to go with a heritage breed chicken called Delawares. The second is that there is supposed to be less cross contamination of germs from other animals when you order from a hatchery as opposed to a feed or pet store. The only downside in my opinion is that shipping them is hard on them. Really though, where are the feed and pet stores getting their chicks? Chances are they were shipped too.
So we ordered 25 chicks straight run, which means you have no idea if they are boys or girls. We're hoping to end up with at least 12 laying hens, so hopefully 25 chicks will get us those 12. The roosters will be meat chickens, all except the nicest one who we will keep(much to my neighbors' dismay) so that we can have more baby chicks!
When you order baby chicks they stick in what they call an extra, just in case you have a fatality. Unfortunately we did. We did lost 1 chick, so that puts us at the 25 that we ordered. It was sadder than we expected. The poor little baby chick will get a cute little funeral this afternoon. Not sure why it's so sad since we will most likely be eating some of these chicks later on, but it still is!
Now on to the fun! They are so stinkin' adorable! Little yellow fluff balls hopping around and chirping! They are inside for now, in a giant cardboard box with a heat lamp. The kids are so excited and love to listen to them chirp and watch them hop around. They all took to food and water right away, so I'm hopeful that they will all make it!
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Amish sweet bread
Ok so I have had this recipe so long I really don't even remember where I got it from. Let me apologize in advance to whomever it originally belonged to for butchering it! :)
Makes 2 loaves
2 cups warm water(110 degrees)
2/3 cup white sugar
1 &1/2 TBS active dry yeast
1 &1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup oil(or butter)
6 cups flour(unbleached white is fine, I've never tried it with whole wheat but I will be soon!)
In a large bowl dissolve the sugar in warm water and then stir in yeast. Allow to proof(sit and make sure the yeast is good) for 10 minutes. You should see some creamy looking foam.
Mix salt and oil into yeast. Mix in flour 1 cup at a time. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth. OR dump all the rest of the ingredients into a kitchen mixer and use dough hook attachment. Place in a well oiled bowl, and turn dough to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
Punch dough down. Knead for a few minutes and divide in half. Shape into loaves and place in 2 well oiled loaf pans. Allow to rise for 30 minutes, or until dough has risen 1" above pans,.
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
Makes 2 loaves
2 cups warm water(110 degrees)
2/3 cup white sugar
1 &1/2 TBS active dry yeast
1 &1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup oil(or butter)
6 cups flour(unbleached white is fine, I've never tried it with whole wheat but I will be soon!)
In a large bowl dissolve the sugar in warm water and then stir in yeast. Allow to proof(sit and make sure the yeast is good) for 10 minutes. You should see some creamy looking foam.
Mix salt and oil into yeast. Mix in flour 1 cup at a time. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth. OR dump all the rest of the ingredients into a kitchen mixer and use dough hook attachment. Place in a well oiled bowl, and turn dough to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
Punch dough down. Knead for a few minutes and divide in half. Shape into loaves and place in 2 well oiled loaf pans. Allow to rise for 30 minutes, or until dough has risen 1" above pans,.
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Day 26
Today was our final day of travel! We made the 620 mile trip from Columbus AFB to our friend's house in Sanford, NC. What a trip! All together this trip has been over 5,000 miles, not including the plane ride from Alaska to WA. The last leg was rough! Everyone was tired of being in the car and it showed! The kids fought, I yelled, even the dog was restless. Things you shouldn't have to say to your children got said. Such as, " Do not throw that water bottle over the baby!" They were playing "keep away" from the baby with a water bottle. Also, "Do not paint your legs with yogurt!" The important part is we made it all the way, and tomorrow we get the keys to our very first house EVER! We even stopped by Sears and bought a washer and dryer that will be delivered tomorrow! Yay for finally being "home"! :)
Monday, January 30, 2012
Day 25
Today we drove from Killeen, Texas to Columbus AFB, Mississippi. We got a really early start this morning. We planned on leaving at 4am, and only got off 30 minutes late. Pretty good considering that my hubby went out to load up the car, and found a nice pile of doggy diarrhea in the car! Ewww! So, so glad I was not the one cleaning that up!!! The kids all did pretty good today. It's a 12 hour trip, just driving time, so a long day for us! Our hotel room on post is super nice. They gave us a 3 bedroom in the TLF(temporary lodging facility). We were joking about how sad it is that it's only for one night! Only one more day of travel for us, which is great because we are so DONE!!! :)
Day 24
Today we spent hanging out with old friends and just relaxing. We got to go over and spend some time with my friend Danielle and her beautiful little boy who is just a few weeks older than little dude. My hubby is good friends with hers, but unfortunately he was out of town, so mine spent most if the day washing the car and doing laundry to avoid getting stuck hanging out with us! Haha! Her little man is an only child so I was worried he'd be a little overwhelmed by all my crazies, but he really seemed to enjoy them! We got to go over and see my friend Wendy and her family as well. All her boys got so big since we last saw them 4 years ago! It's crazy to think its been that long. I love that I have friends that no matter the time that's passed or the miles between us that we can just pick up where we left off, only with taller babies! We went back over to have dinner and finish up our laundry at Danielle's and then back to the hotel to sleep and pack. Early morning tomorrow, we have 670 miles to cover!
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Day 23
Today we drove almost 400 miles from Hobbs, NM to Killeen, TX. We got a late start(big surprise) and it was a tiring trip. I think this "vacation" is starting to wear on us all! We made it here, with only 2 stops, about 5:30. We were just in time to check into our hotel, drop off some bags, and meet up at Chili's for dinner with my cousin. She drove 2 hours to have dinner with us from San Antonio. It was super awesome to catch up! We haven't seen her since Christmas 3 years ago. She didn't even mind my crazy kiddos who jumped all over her, and were obnoxious at the dinner table! What can I say, my family is awesome, and anyone who drives 2 hours just to have dinner with us, rocks! :)
Friday, January 27, 2012
Day 22
Today is my oldest son's birthday! He turned 12 today. I know, I know, I look MUCH too young to have a 12 year old! HAHA! He seriously is just an awesome kid! He is so smart, kind hearted, responsible, helpful. Did I mention smart? Scary smart, no joke! So to celebrate, since we're on the road, he got to pick where we ate lunch and dinner! Lame, I know, but don't tell him that! :)
We got to spend some more time with my hubby's grandma today, and then we all got to meet his uncles, his aunt, and his other grandma. I really enjoyed finally being able to meet his family, and they were all super nice to us.
We finished the night off with a cake from Walmart(yuck) and singing happy birthday to my big boy. I still can't believe it was 12 years ago that I birthed that gigantic 10 lb 13 oz baby boy! I'm telling you, DON'T BLINK!!!!! It goes by so fast! I'm so glad he's such a fantastic kid, it makes this whole thing just a smidge easier.
We got to spend some more time with my hubby's grandma today, and then we all got to meet his uncles, his aunt, and his other grandma. I really enjoyed finally being able to meet his family, and they were all super nice to us.
We finished the night off with a cake from Walmart(yuck) and singing happy birthday to my big boy. I still can't believe it was 12 years ago that I birthed that gigantic 10 lb 13 oz baby boy! I'm telling you, DON'T BLINK!!!!! It goes by so fast! I'm so glad he's such a fantastic kid, it makes this whole thing just a smidge easier.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Day 21
Today we packed up and drove the 344 miles from Los Alamos to Hobbs, NM. It was a sad goodbye to "the handsome uncle"! The drive was decent, we only had to stop twice. Of course the first time was within the first 30 minutes we were on the road! We drove through Roswell, which was hilarious. I never realized how flat that part of New Mexico is! The highlight of our day was going to visit my hubby's Grandma and her husband in Colorado City, Texas. It's the first time I have met her and she is fantastic. A sweet as sugar southern woman with a strong faith, who just welcomed us right in, and got to lovin' on her great grandbabies. I keep teasing my hubby that it took him 14 years to introduce me to his family, but apparently she was worth the wait! :) I would love to be able to spend more time with this awesome couple! Even my little dude, who is slow to warm up to people, let her kiss all over him! What a fantastic day!
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Day 20
Today my uncle took us to the local science museum in the morning and to Bandalier National Park this afternoon. It was a really nice walk through old native ruins, most were built into caves naturally formed by volcanic ash, and some were hand dug. It was a really cool experience for the kids, and the sun shining off the rock was beautiful! Jeffrey even said cave. It sounded suspiciously like his word for cake, but beggars can't be choosers! :) Today my baby also decided to start sitting up! So much excitement in one day! Haha!
Day 19
Today we drove 332 miles from Holbrook, AZ, through the petrified forest, to Los Alamos, NM. The petrified forest was really neat. We got some really great photos of the painted desert, and took a really small hike to see some native ruins. We made it to my Uncle's house right about dinner time, because following a theme here, he is a fantastic cook! We had a great dinner and great conversation!
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Day 18
Today we made the 537 mike trip from Coronado Island, CA to Holbrook, AZ. The trip was super easy, and the kids did really well. Highlights included seeing the Mexican border fence and beyond into Mexico, being stopped at a random border control check but waved through b/c we're so pasty they thought we might actually BE vampires, a beautiful sunset, and tons and tons of cactus(cacti? cactuses?). The low point was my little dude freaked out tonight because of the new hotel, and spent 20 minutes screaming on the floor. 9 days and our new house can't come fast enough!!! We're getting all rested up for the night here so that we can drive through the petrified forest and maybe even crater park tomorrow during the daylight!
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Day 17
Today we went to the San Diego Zoo with my brother and his family. It was a lot of fun, and a lot of walking! I think this time the kids were even wore out, because we only made it until like 3ish. We packed a lunch, which is what we should have done at our previous 2 places. It saved us a ton of money and was much better FOR us as well! The kids all got to pick a souvenir again, and loved to see all of the animals(besides the ones in the mirror). I think my favorite today was the panda bear. It's obviously a big thing there, because it's habitat was jam packed with people, even though it was a pretty slow day at the zoo. You'd think I'd be stick thin from all the walking this last 4 days! Holy cow! I almost wish I had a pedometer to see just how far I walked, maybe I'd feel accomplished! HAHA!
Day 16
Today we went to do a little shopping on base and off, and then drove up to Carlsbad to have dinner with some friends! We were initially supposed to go to the zoo, but it was raining, so we pushed the zoo off to Sunday. We wanted to go visit my hubby's grandma, but that didn't end up working out. It was a good, fun day, and felt like a day off after all the running around we had done the 2 days before. We had so much fun out for dinner with our friends! We have been friends with this guy since I was in the Army back in 2001, and we haven't seen him since 2002, so it's only been 9 years! Since then we've had 4 more kids, and he got married and had 3! His wife is super nice, and his kids are beautiful. It was a blast to catch up! :)
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Day 15
Today we took the kids to Sea World! My brother and his family joined us again, and his mother in law as well. We walked around and saw everything, had a great lunch, and even caught a dolphin show. Some of my favorite exhibits were closed, so that was a bummer, but I don't think anyone else even noticed! The kids all got to pick a souvenir, and my middle daughter lost hers, so here I am 10 minutes before the place closes running all the way to the arctic area to get her a new one. HAHA! I'm not sure why they don't sell the same things in all of the shops. I suspect it's because you buy something in the first shop, and then everytime you go into one of the other shops, they have different things, which then encourages you to buy even more junk(er I mean souvenirs)! About 2 my hubby and I were both EXHAUSTED and ready to go... so sad for us the kids weren't! HAHA! They ran us ragged until the park closed! We drove by the Los Panchos in National City to pick up our favorite, carne asada burritos and horchata for the whole family. This is my favorite restaurant in the area, and we try to make sure we eat there everytime we are in town! We finally got the kids in bed about 7pm(normal for us, not normal for our vacation!) and they were all out cold by 8! I think we may have worn them out, but not as much as they wore us out! HAHA!
Day 14
Today was the best day of my oldest's life(according to him). Yes, that is correct, we went to Legoland! My brother, his beautiful bride, my niece, and her beau joined us, and it was a blast! We got a much later start than we anticipated, but it was still 5 hours of bliss for my lego loving family! It was worth every penny we paid. Afterward, we had a wonderful dinner that my lovely niece cooked, and had some really nice family time, I'm praying that tomorrow goes just as well! To borrow a phrase, my hubby and I will truly need a vacation from our vacation when this is all over! HAHA!
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Day 13
Today we said a sad goodbye to my aunt, uncle, and cousin and made the 600 some mile trip from the San Francisco Bay area to Coronado Island. The trip went pretty well. We hit traffic in San Francisco, but we took this awesome bay street right next to the waterfront and through all of these wonderful old buildings before rejoining the 101. It was awesome! We made really great time until we hit LA right at 4:30. What was I thinking??? Haha! Apparently I'm a bad co-pilot! We made it through the concrete jungle hours later! We stopped for dinner at Carl's Jr(yuck!) and then checked into the most amazing hotel ever! This is the view from the back patio! And yes, that IS the beach! :)
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Day 12
Today we spent the morning with my fabulous family and then a friend of mine drove all the way from Placerville with her little boy to come hang out with us. We met up with them at Applebee's for lunch where my children acted like wild monkeys! THEN my littlest(6 months) grabbed my water glass and dumped it all over us. Thanks to my slow reaction time I was soaking wet and looked like I peed my pants for the remainder of the day! Haha!
We took the kids to toys r us to look at toys(because we like to torture them!) and then ran a few little errands. It was just so much fun to be with old friends! We had dinner with my family, followed by a viewing of Tron. So, so much fun! Although, apparently no more late nights for my little ones since after 7pm they turn into pumpkins! They went to bed last night at 9 and were holy terrors until they finally passed out! Bed time needs to be consistent in this family, even on vacation!!!
We took the kids to toys r us to look at toys(because we like to torture them!) and then ran a few little errands. It was just so much fun to be with old friends! We had dinner with my family, followed by a viewing of Tron. So, so much fun! Although, apparently no more late nights for my little ones since after 7pm they turn into pumpkins! They went to bed last night at 9 and were holy terrors until they finally passed out! Bed time needs to be consistent in this family, even on vacation!!!
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Little dude's speech
Ok so a quick update for all of you who know what life is like with my little dude. So he was evaluated at a 19 month old level for his speech, which is a full year behind. He is a very particular child who likes things a certain way, but since he can't tell you what that is, he is very easily frustrated, which almost always leads to a lovely head banging fit. Yes, I am left standing there looking like THAT mom with THAT child in Walmart. You know what I'm talking about...
Anyway, I was really concerned that this trip was going to cancel out any progress that he was making since he completely fell apart the first few days after the movers came. However, we have been pleasantly surprised and blessed to see that the opposite has happened. It's almost like this trip has forced him to be a little more go with the flow, and boosted his speech. He even has been talking to relatives and friends he doesn't know! It's awesomeness! :)
This week he has added probably 10 new words plus a few phrases. He added 3 words this morning alone! He still has a long way to go, and is going to have to figure out how to verbalize his feelings before the fits stop, but he is coming right along! Praise the Lord because I was fixin' to sell that one! Haha!
Anyway, I was really concerned that this trip was going to cancel out any progress that he was making since he completely fell apart the first few days after the movers came. However, we have been pleasantly surprised and blessed to see that the opposite has happened. It's almost like this trip has forced him to be a little more go with the flow, and boosted his speech. He even has been talking to relatives and friends he doesn't know! It's awesomeness! :)
This week he has added probably 10 new words plus a few phrases. He added 3 words this morning alone! He still has a long way to go, and is going to have to figure out how to verbalize his feelings before the fits stop, but he is coming right along! Praise the Lord because I was fixin' to sell that one! Haha!
Day 11
We left Grandma and Grandpa's house about 9 to head to the San Francisco Bay area. We stopped about 11 at a random California beach to let the kids collect some sea shells and run on the beach. I think our dog was in heaven! The rest of the trip was pretty uneventful. The baby didn't do quite as well as she did on the way to Grandma's but she still did great overall. We got in to my aunt's house about 5, just in time for dinner, which was perfect since she is a fabulous cook! The kids watched a movie while we visited, and then we all went to bed about 9, which is apparently as late as we make it recently! We must be getting old! Haha!
Monday, January 16, 2012
Day 10
We went to church with my grandparents, and just had a really great visit with them! The two littlest had never met them, and the next few up didn't remember them since it had been 3 years since we had seen them. Grandpa is working away at his movie, and Grandma is still writing a column for the local newspaper a few times a month. I hope and pray I stay as active as they are when I'm in my late 80's. What an inspiration! Apparently we brought the snow with us bc we woke up to a whole 1/2" on the ground this morning! It's not a lot for those of us used to Alaska, but my grandparents said its only snowed a handful of times since they moved there in 1989. They told us to take it with us when we go! Lol!
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Day 9
Today we headed to Brookings, OR. We took the I5 down to Portland, where we stopped for breakfast at a place called the Daily Grill to meet my soon to be sister in law! She is fabulous, and so was the restaurant. Then we headed over to the 101 to go the rest of the way down the coast. What a beautiful drive! Farm land, forest, and the ocean all mixed together makes for one awesome view! The kids were great and we made great time. It was only 480 some miles, and a very enjoyable time!
Friday, January 13, 2012
Day 8
What a full, fun, fantastic, and sad day all rolled into one! We started this day out signing our closing papers for the house in NC that we are buying! We had to drive all over town trying to find a notary since none of the banks here would do it for a non member. Turns out UPS has one, if you ever need to close on a house via mail! :)
We went to the zoo in Seattle with some awesome friends of ours from Alaska who PCSed down here last summer. The kids had so much fun even though we didn't stay long! I'm pretty sure the mommy's had more fun chatting away though, with an occasional interruption on my part to tell one of the kids NOT to crawl into the animal cage(usually Jeffrey). My mom went with us and it really was a blast!
We spent most of the rest of the day running errands. My hubby ran off in my mom's car to Fed Ex the papers off for the house and the 3 littlest kids, my mom, my sister, and I ran off to Costco to pick up groceries that we have no room for in the car.
After dropping them all off except the baby I ran out to go get new tires and an oil change for the burb so it could continue to be road worthy. One quick trip over the Tacoma Narrows with my sister for one last goodbye with my best friend(and a LOT of chocolate) and now I'm back at my mom's ready to pass out. I forgot to eat dinner, but with all that chocolate and sad goodbyes, who needs to eat anyway?
We went to the zoo in Seattle with some awesome friends of ours from Alaska who PCSed down here last summer. The kids had so much fun even though we didn't stay long! I'm pretty sure the mommy's had more fun chatting away though, with an occasional interruption on my part to tell one of the kids NOT to crawl into the animal cage(usually Jeffrey). My mom went with us and it really was a blast!
We spent most of the rest of the day running errands. My hubby ran off in my mom's car to Fed Ex the papers off for the house and the 3 littlest kids, my mom, my sister, and I ran off to Costco to pick up groceries that we have no room for in the car.
After dropping them all off except the baby I ran out to go get new tires and an oil change for the burb so it could continue to be road worthy. One quick trip over the Tacoma Narrows with my sister for one last goodbye with my best friend(and a LOT of chocolate) and now I'm back at my mom's ready to pass out. I forgot to eat dinner, but with all that chocolate and sad goodbyes, who needs to eat anyway?
Day 7
Ok so we got up early, at breakfast and hit the road back to my mom's house. We got out about 2 hours after we wanted to(no big surprise there!) It's a 600 mile trip and it was surprisingly uneventful! No one puking, and no car troubles! Praise the Lord for a long boring trip! Lol!
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Boyer Bunch's cross country craziness!
Ok so I know I've been bad about updating lately, so hopefully I'm turning over a new leaf here! Lol!
We are currently on day 6 of a 26 day cross county tour/move! We are moving our whole 8 person family from Alaska to North Carolina. Yes, I said 8! We welcomed baby MJ, our 3rd girl into our family July 9th! Contrary to all of our worries and scares throughout her pregnancy, God is good and she is perfect! :)
So we got on an airplane in Anchorage on the 6th and flew to Seattle to visit my parents, some of my best friends, and our home church. My best friend's hubby picked us up and we spent the night at her house, and spent the next morning with her before heading out to meet up with another good friend and visit with my brother, sister, and parents that day. I also started feeling like crap that night! I was sick all the next day but insisted on going to our home church to see old friends, go out to lunch with my bestie and my family, and then dinner with my parents at their house. Well it didn't stop me but it sure slowed me down!!! Lol!
That night I was REALLY feeling bad and then my hubby started feeling sick too! So we both got up, sick, to leave at 6am and drive 600 miles to Butte, MT to see hubby's family. We traded off driving as best we could, and then our little blond child started throwing up about 400 miles into our trip! Poor thing was miserable! THEN, about 90 miles out our car died! It just stopped getting fuel and died! My awesome SIL drove 90 miles to get us, and we had the burb towed back to Butte. We spent the whole next day with my lovely MIL and SIL and her family. The burb got fixed at a shop for about $300. and was done that afternoon(praise the Lord!) Today we were able to spend the day with my FIL and my SIL and her super awesome family again! It was a sad goodbye tonight. We head back to Washington tomorrow morning!
I will try to add to the blog daily for the rest of the trip now that you're all caught up! Lol!
We are currently on day 6 of a 26 day cross county tour/move! We are moving our whole 8 person family from Alaska to North Carolina. Yes, I said 8! We welcomed baby MJ, our 3rd girl into our family July 9th! Contrary to all of our worries and scares throughout her pregnancy, God is good and she is perfect! :)
So we got on an airplane in Anchorage on the 6th and flew to Seattle to visit my parents, some of my best friends, and our home church. My best friend's hubby picked us up and we spent the night at her house, and spent the next morning with her before heading out to meet up with another good friend and visit with my brother, sister, and parents that day. I also started feeling like crap that night! I was sick all the next day but insisted on going to our home church to see old friends, go out to lunch with my bestie and my family, and then dinner with my parents at their house. Well it didn't stop me but it sure slowed me down!!! Lol!
That night I was REALLY feeling bad and then my hubby started feeling sick too! So we both got up, sick, to leave at 6am and drive 600 miles to Butte, MT to see hubby's family. We traded off driving as best we could, and then our little blond child started throwing up about 400 miles into our trip! Poor thing was miserable! THEN, about 90 miles out our car died! It just stopped getting fuel and died! My awesome SIL drove 90 miles to get us, and we had the burb towed back to Butte. We spent the whole next day with my lovely MIL and SIL and her family. The burb got fixed at a shop for about $300. and was done that afternoon(praise the Lord!) Today we were able to spend the day with my FIL and my SIL and her super awesome family again! It was a sad goodbye tonight. We head back to Washington tomorrow morning!
I will try to add to the blog daily for the rest of the trip now that you're all caught up! Lol!
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