Beautiful Sunny Day

What a glorious day it was today. The sun was bright, the sky was blue and the temps were in the high 60s. It was such a treat for the last day of October.

We had a good school morning. Everyone was able to work around the table for a while and then we broke off to do reading in various places. It worked well today.

Gabe and I set up one of the experiments in his Zoology I Science book. It involved making bug traps and seeing which type of food (or location) the bugs like best. Hopefully the bugs will stay active for a few days and we can see how it works.

Gabe sets up the bug trap experiment

Gabe was also on the bug hunt today. The warmer weather brought out a lot of bugs and he was in little boy heaven. He found a large bug that he was quite excited about. We looked it up and it was an "Assasin Bug". Very interesting. This particular one was a bee assasin. He had to check and see if it would kill another bug. He went out and found a yellow jacket and caught it (carefully). He put it in the jar with the assasin and sure enough, the bug jumped on the wasp and soon after, the wasp was dead. It was really quite cool.

I told Gabe we should put the assasin bug in our killing jar and add him to our collection, but he thinks he is too interesting to kill, so we will probably let him go tomorrow.

The Youngers had their lunch outside at the picnic table. They didn't want to interrupt their play for too long. We all spent most of the afternoon outside. The kids played, Bessie went for a run and read some of Tom Sawyer, I cut down some of the old corn stalks and put it in with the chickens and then did some stitching . It was such a nice day to be out.

Bess takes advantage of our un-October weather

Mom and Dad came over for dinner. They live in a small town that makes a big deal out of trick or treating...they get lots of kids at their door, so they try and not be at home during T & T hours. We had burgers, fries, baked beans and apple muffins that Bessie made this afternoon.

After dinner we went out and enjoyed the campfire. It was still so warm. What a pleasant way to spend an hour or two. The company was wonderful and the conversation good. The kids enjoyed playing in the dark. The Littles were very nervous at first. When they first came, they were almost phobic of the dark and especially being outside after dark. They have come a long way.

Enjoying the campfire

Toy Monkey

Here is my latest cross-stitch block. This one was quick and easy.

Dan was up at 5am this morning. Way too early even considering his little body is still on Day Light Savings Time! The Littles are not quiet if they are awake. There is lots of sighing, yawning, rolling over and general noise if they are awake. I finally brought him into our room and plopped him on the floor next to the bed. At least there, I could keep him quiet enough so he didn't wake up the other kids.

We had a really good school time today. The Little's are still a little unsure how school and home flow, but we are getting there and most of our days are more productive than not. Bessie and I went over her schedule and tweaked it a bit to make sure she is getting enough hours in. This is the first year we have counted hours and I'm a bit nervous about having enough. She reads and reads and reads, but is a very quick reader, so I'm not sure how it is all adding up.

Bessie and Gabe had dental cleanings today so we trucked off to the dentist after lunch. Mom and Dad met us there to watch the Littles while I went in with Gabe. Rachel came in and watched Gabe get his cleaning and have a sealant put on. We are still trying to get the Littles added to our dental insurance, so they have never been. She seemed to think it was pretty cool and she wanted to go.

We went up to Mom and Dad's for a short visit. The kids played outside. It was cold and still a bit breezy, but sunny and nice. We got home in time for dinner, which was just sandwiches as Bri was working late and wouldn't be home to eat.

Blustery Sunday

The wind has just been a howling today. There have been wind advisories all day. Thankfully, it isn't terribly cold, mid-40s. The sun has been in and out, mostly out with a few sprinkles. As the sun goes down, we might get a few snow showers.

We had a good morning. Everyone was up nice and early due to the time change, so no rushing around to get ready for church. We had a guest speaker today. He works with a NY organization that promotes legislative accountability and responsibility. He was very interesting to listen to. Some of what he had to say was quite discouraging, but I think it is good to realize that Christian's need to at least get out and vote.

Dispite the vicious winds, Bri and I went for a walk. Gabe tagged along. I told him that we didn't walk slow and that we went farther than when we walk as a family. He assured us he could keep up and he did. It was nice to have that time with him. We saw a wild turkey, a great blue heron, a small snake (squashed in the road), a very cold sluggish stag beetle and the smallest wooly-bear caterpiller I've ever seen.

I was able to get some stitching in today. I have a dealine of Tuesday for a block I'm working on. I'm almost finished and may get it done tonight.

We had tea tonight for our supper. It was a very enjoyable time. This is the first time Brian was able to join us and he thought it was a wonderful idea.

The Littles hit the wall early tonight because of the time change. We kept them up a bit longer, but finally put them to bed. We played some more Uno Attack. That is Gabe's favorite game right now.

Happy Birthday, Bessie!

Today was Bessie's 14th birthday. I can't believe how the time has flown by. She is becoming such a wonderful young woman. We are so proud of her.

We decided to make life nice and easy for today and went with sandwiches for lunch instead of a hot meal. We made a quick trip to the grocery store.

We decided to have the gathering at mom and dad's because it is more centrally located. Theresa and the kids came down and we had hoped that Dave and his family would come, but I knew they had some things they wanted to get done this weekend.

Enjoying some songs at the piano

It was a very nice day. We had so much food, as always! Mom had gotten veggies and dip and made up a pickle platter. We had assorted crackers with different cheeses, cold meat and cheese with veggies for subs and chips and salsa. We did make your own sundaes for dessert.

The kids get to eat in the living room

Bessie got some nice things today. We had given her a digital camera earlier in the day for her big gift. She has been wanting one for a while. Glenn and Theresa and their family gave her a great gift bag full of fun things...chocolates, comfy socks, picture frame and other assorted things. They also gave her a nice photo album...just right to go with her new camera. Mom and Dad gave her one of those flexible silicon muffin pans and money. She can't wait to try out the muffin pan.

Bessie loves chocolate

The kids had a terrific time playing. The weather was very rainy and windy, so everyone stayed inside, but that didn't damper the fun. The bigger girls played cards and Gabe and Zeb did a lot of running around. The Littles joined in here and there and generally had a great time. The adults relaxed and chatted.

Say "cheese"

We got home about 6:15pm. The Littles watched a video and then headed to bed. Dan was a little slow to go to sleep as he had fallen asleep in the van on the way home.

Bri, Bess, Gabe and I played a couple games of UNO Attack, then Bessie watched some Pride and Prejudice, a new DVD she received, while I snuggled with Gabe.

It was a very good day for all.

We continued to work on our Civil War era study today. Gabe and I read a book on the underground railroad. I am hoping to find a sight in the area someplace that had a "railroad" stop in it. I think this would help make the whole idea come alive.

It was such a nice day that the kids spend most of the afternoon outside. The leaves have all fallen and are quite crispy now, but the youngers had fun playing in them.

Enjoying the leaves

Raking up the leaves was on this weekends agenda, but I think we are in for some severe weather...rain, high winds and snow before it winds down on Monday.

Bessie and Gabe have been feeding the neighbors cats for the last 10 days. Today was the last day. We all walked over this morning. I helped Bess clean the litter box and vacuum up the litter the cats spread around. Nothing worse than coming home to a mess.

Bri got home a little early today. We quickly mixed up De'Etta's chicken divan and then he and I went for a walk. What a treat! It is so nice now that Bessie can stay with the youngers for short periods of time. It was such a nice day out...clear, but cool, great walking weather.

I took a nice hot tub this evening. One of my favorite indulgences.

Bri, Bess, Gabe and I watched Princess Bride after the Littles were in bed. The movie was an early birthday present for Bess.

The plans for tomorrow have been totally changed. We are heading over to mom and dad's for an impromtu gathering for Bessie. I'll need to whip up some food in the morning and make pies.

Theresa and the kids are coming down (Glenn has to work) and hopefully Dave and his family will come up for a little while.

Bessie loves seeing the cousins, so this will be a great way for her to spend her birthday. I can't believe she is going to be 14!

Not too much going on this week...at least nothing terribly exciting.

Our weather has been cloudy and cold this week. Very early winterish. Most of the leaves have fallen and it is quite gray.

We have gotten quite a bit of school done this week. Things are settling in better and everyone has started to accept that we do school at home. The new kids, especially Rachel were very confused by this. I guess no one homeschools in the Philippines.

Bessie usually has piano on Wednesdays, but she has been having headaches a lot lately and didn't feel up to going. She has a doctor's appointment next week. Hopefully we will get to the bottom of the problem.

Thursday was Dan's last day of nursery school. His teacher made quite a fuss over him and she gave him a book when he left. She was almost in tears when I picked him up. We go to church with them, so it isn't like we won't see them again!

Brian come home from work early so that I could go out shopping for Bessie's birthday, which is Saturday. I had pretty good success. Brian is going to pick up one more item today.

I had choir Thursday evening. Gabe likes to come with me. He brings the portable DVD player and sits in the back of the church. We finished up going through our Stars and Stripes musical. We will be doing run throughs for the next few weeks and then have our preformance the weekend of the 18th.

Today has turned off sunny and cold. The sky is so blue and a welcome change from the grayness of this week. I'll post more later.

This week will be Dan's last week of nursery school. I am feeling more relieved about this decision every day. His teacher said all the kids were wild today and we sure could tell when he got home. He spent quite a bit of time in the "uncooperative chair", a name coined by Bessie and Gabe from one of their favorite picture books, Julius, Baby of the World.

We hit the post office and one of the libraries after we picked up Dan. This week quite a few of our TOG books were available at our local library. Most often we have to order them from our regional system. We have come to the Civil War period in our studies and we are going to settle here for a bit. We haven't studied this time period indepth before and we might not come to it again before Bess graduates. She is doing a lot of reading in the dialectic and rhetoric levels (the literature selections). I'm still trying to come up with some good activities to do with the youngers.

We had a pretty quiet afternoon. Bessie made Jodi's pull apart rolls to go with our ravioli for dinner. I worked on a stitching project. I sat in the room with the woodstove and have to admit that the wonderful heat made me so sleepy that I know I dozed off a time or two.

Brian and Bess finished up their movie after dinner. Brian was a bit disappointed with part of the ending and wants to get the older version. I'll have to look and see if they have it at the library.

Monday Home Day

We had a pretty good day today. We were able to stay at home and get some good school done. Everyone at good attitudes and that made things go much smoother.

I did table school with Gabe this morning and helped Bessie with her science. She is doing Apologia Biology and she needed the microscope. We usually use the dissecting scope which has a binocular view, but today she needed the compound scope with the higher power to look at some prepared slides and it only has a monocular view. It took her a bit to figure out how to get the best view, but then she was able to do the rest the of assignment with no trouble.

After lunch I worked with the girls on math and then I took the plunge and started doing the phonograms for SWR. Gabe knew almost all of the sounds. Rachel did well repeating the sounds and I think she'll catch on quickly. Hannah had definite trouble pronouncing some of the sounds, so we will have to do some speech work while we work through the phonograms. I am going to start the Wise Guide with Gabe.

Mom and Dad called and they are having a good time in Ohio. They said they visited an Amish area today. I'm not sure where they went. They will be heading home on Wednesday.

I finally called Dan's nursery school teacher and told her we had decided to stop bringing Dan. It was a tough decision, but I think we made the right choice. She was very gracious about it. This will be his last week. I know he has a good time, but we really feel he will do better on several levels at home.

Bessie made chicken pot pie for dinner. It was very yummy. We had a good chuckle when Rachel asked Bessie is she was making "pie pot". The language thing can be quite humorous at time.

Brian and Bess watched some of the Count of Monte Cristo after the Littles were in bed and I was snuggling with Gabe.

I can't believe it is Sunday already. I have been lax in my blogging duties. I'll give a quick recap of what has been going on.

Thursday...
We were all so excited today, Brian is coming home tonight. Dan had nursery school and we did school at home. I spent the afternoon cleaning up some. I had choir in the evening. Gabe came with me and Bessie watched the Littles at home. We are finishing up reheasals for our Stars and Stripes musical we are doing in Novemeber and started working on our Christmas Cantata.

I put everyone to bed (Bessie stayed up) because Brian's flight wasn't scheduled until after 11pm. I woke everyone up around 10 and we headed to the airport. It is always so exciting for the kids to go to the airport in their jammies. Brian was already waiting at the baggage area when we got there. They had a real strong tail wind and made excellent time. It is so good to have him home. He was only been gone a week, but we all miss him when he is away.

It was around 1am before we got home, tucked everyone back in and finally called it a day.

Friday....
Pretty quiet day. Bri slept in a bit. It will take him a few days to get over all the time changes he has been threw over the last week. He started the woodstove...the first time of the season. I love the woodstove, even though it can be messy. It is always so nice to have that one really warm spot to retreat too.

Bessie and I headed to the beauty salon and WalMart. Bess got a very cute cut. It is just above her shoulders and slightly layered so it flips out nicely. It looks very nice. She wants me to highlight again. We ran in and picked up a few things in Wallie-world.

I had the Secret Prayer Sister reveal dinner tonight. I was undecided until almost the last minute whether I would go or not. Brian encouraged me to attend and I'm glad he did. It was a very fun evening. We had a great meal, a wonderful devotional time, played some fun games, revealed to our sisters and picked new secret sisters. It was a terrific time of fellowship and fun.

Saturday...
Today we ran some errands. We made a trip to the library and then up to the base to pick up Bri's car. It wouldn't start. The battery cable was bad. He fussed around with it and got it going then we went in seperate directions. The kids and I stopped at Michael's and Bri stopped at the grocery store.

We had a quiet afternoon and evening. Everyone is still tired from being up late on Thursday.

After dinner, everyone had showers and then to bed.

Sunday...
We went to Sunday school and church this morning. Bessie went home with people from church to babysit for them this afternoon. We had a nice lunch. Brian loves to put something in the crock pot on Saturday night so that it is ready for lunch after church.

Bri is getting wood and doing some outside chores as it is suppose to ran later.

That pretty much sums it up for now. Nothing majorly exciting, except for Bri coming home.

Today turned out to be a pretty good day. The kids were better and it wasn't raining, although it was cloudy all day.

A funny, wierd sort of thing happened lastnight. Dan sneezed a few times after going to bed and then started to cry. I went up and he had a bloody nose. I got him up and was cleaning his face up when I noticed it looked like he had something way up in his nose. I thought is was a harder boogie, so I had him blow his nose again...no luck. I brought him down stairs and used the tweezers to get it out. It was not a boogie, but the head of a plastic army man! He fessed up to putting it up there. I guess I'll have to keep a closer watch on Daniel's nose!

Bessie had her piano lesson this afternoon. Usually I drop her off and then Bri picks her up on his way home from work, but with him out of town, we waited to her. We brought the portable DVD player and watched a DVD in the van.

On the way home we filled up the van, stopped at the farm store for chicken feed, bird seed and dog food and made a quick grocery store run.

The Littles are in bed and Gabe is watching a movie. Bessie made cookies and is busily cleaning up in the kitchen.

My computer is still giving me fits, but working well enough to do what I want. I'm going to start copying some files and printing out address lists and favorite files and things like that and then bring the hard drive to a friend that is a computer wizard. I'm beginning to think I need one on-line computer for play (where I usually pick up viruses and what not) and another on-line one for more serious things, like banking and such. Not sure if that will really help. Maybe I'll switch to a MAC. I've heard they don't get viruses.

Bri should be home late tomorrow night.

Blurry days

The last couple of days have been sort of a blur...nothing much going on, but our days seem full.

Monday...
We had a quiet day at home on Monday. The Littles were "off". I think everyone is missing daddy. It is harder for them to express what they are feeling, so it usually comes out in poor behavior.

We did manage to get quite a bit of school done, so that was good. I'm still trying to figure out how to implement SWR (Spell to Write and Read). I am just not sure this program is for me...a bit too rigid for my style. I am going to give it a go, but I'm having my doubts. Bessie and Gabe learned to read fine with a much easier, more laid back program, but I was thinking the Littles would need more structure as English is not their first language.

I took some time to just read today to the Littles. They enjoy being read to, as long as the books are short and have lots of pictures. I took turns with each of them having "laptime". Some days there is just never enough momma or momma's lap to go around. (And I have a large lap!)

The kids played outside in the afternoon. We watched a movie after dinner and everyone was in bed early.

Tuesday...
It was a cool rainy day today. Better rain than snow...at least this early in the season. Dan had nursery school. They did fire prevention today. He came home with a fireman's hat and Tot Finder sticker.

My computer starting giving me a hard time. It kept telling me my hard drive was full, but I had no idea why. I downloaded spyware software and it found 300+ spyware/adware/whatever ware! I deleted a bunch of files and did a disk clean. I enjoy fiddling with the computer, but I sure wish I understood more about what I was doing. There is probably so many more files I could delete to free up space.

Brian called and he made it to his destination. He was tired but doing well. He was going to take a run and drop off a Geocaching Travel Bug (TB). They were having a big barbecue in the evening to launch the new season.

Wednesday (today)....
So far, things have gone pretty well. Bessie and Gabe are doing schoolwork and the Littles are playing. I'll need to get Rachel and Hannah out here soon to so some seatwork.

Sunday Teatime

We made it to Sunday school and church today. I really wasn't feeling like going as Dan was up several times in the night. It makes me sad some days how easy it is to talk myself out of going to church, especially when Bri isn't home.

One of the motivators to go this morning was that the choir was singing. I missed rehearsal this week, but knew the song and our director said I should sing. I do not thick I had a great voice, but it is strong and I can hold my part well (alto). The rest of the alto section was glad to see me, which is always nice and the song went well. I am glad I went. The message was good and I felt refreshed.

Right after we got home, the phone rang and it was Bri. I was surprised as I didn't expect to hear from him for a few days. He said it was pouring buckets where they were and he was sitting in the plane waiting for the pilots (he is a flight engineer). It was funny thinking of him sitting in his seat and chatting with me. It was a real pick me up. You gotta love cell phones.

We had a quiet afternoon. Gabe decided he wanted to try and make a domino design. I'm not sure where he saw this done, but he had a great time with it. He kept coming in and asking if he could make it curve or a circle and I showed him how to gradually slant the dominos to go around corners and such. After he was done the Littles had fun playing with them.

There was a flock of 33 turkeys in the field across the road. Right after the harvest, we often see turkeys, Canada geese and deer cleaning up the rest of the corn.

Dan loved using a "china" cup

The tea was a big hit with the girls

Bessie and I decided to try having an afternoon "tea". Thanks for the inspiration De'Etta! Bessie made sour cream cookies, little finger sandwiches and we had fruit, veggies and cheese. It went quite well. We are trying so hard to help the new kids realize that food doesn't need to be such an important part of their day. We slowed the meal down, tried to encage them in conversation and just enjoy the time. I think it was quiet successful. The Littles loved using real "china" teacups for their cocoa.

Gabe shared his meal with "Peter" his dog

Soccer Season is Over!

Can you tell I'm doing the happy dance here. Don't get me wrong, I love watching the kids play sports, but...we have had a game almost every weeknight and most Saturdays for the last seven weeks.

We arrived at the fields at 8:45am and left at 3:00pm. The day was cold and windy, but clear and lovely. A great day for the tournament. We had the seven games that I mentioned. The kids did great. We had to wait around a bit at the end of the day to see how the last game turned out in Rachel's division as her team was very close to making the finals.

Mom and Dad came around 10:30 and watched the end of Hannah's game and then Bessie's first game. We got hotdogs at the snack bar and then Mom and Dad took Hannah and Dan home. They were getting very bored.

It was a good day, no one was injured (Well, Bessie had one major hit with the ball, but she is tough and shook it off.) and the kids had a good time. Overall, it was not as unpleasant as I had imagined. (I'm forever making mountians out of mole hills!) We had a few breaks in between games to go sit in the van. We had brought food, drinks, books to look at and Gabe had the portable DVD player. My foot was getting very sore by the end of the day and I am looking forward to getting everyone in bed so I can elevate it and relax.

A Few Quiet Days

After my fall on Wednesday night, my foot was very, very uncomfortable yesterday. I spent most of the day with it propped up, which helped, but made for a very chaotic day. The new kids just seem to know when I am not at my best and take full advantage. Bessie did a terrific job, but after a while, they don't listen to her very well.

Thankfully, Brian called and his trip was delayed. We are never really sure when he leaves until he calls us from someplace else. He was home by mid-afternoon. He was concerned about the furnace as it had been acting strange, so he was glad to have the extra day home to work on it. He completely cleaned it and changed the ignitor nozzles and filter on the oil tank. He took care of dinner and brought Rachel to her soccer game. It was a real blessing that he was home.

Today was a better day. The foot/ankle has settled into a "thick" sort of feeling, like when you sprain something...not a great amount of mobility, but not a lot of pain either. I even braved putting on a shoe and we went to the library. Thankfully, it was the left foot, so I didn't need it to drive. It was sore again by the time we got home, so after lunch I popped in a video for the kids and hit the recliner.

The weather has taken a sharp turn to the colder. The rain had stopped before the cold blast hit, or I think we would have had snow. It was 28 degrees this morning. I'm not sure we made it out of the 40s today and it has been very windy.

None of the kids has soccer tonight, but tomorrow is tournament day. I expect to spend most of the day there tomorrow. Mom and Dad are coming over to help out. They will probably bring the little ones home after a few games. Rachel and Bessie's teams play multiple games. Rachel has two scheduled with a third possible and Bessie has four games so far with more if they advance. Hannah's level only plays one, so we are up to a minimum of seven games tomorrow, with the potential for more if their teams win. The first one is at 9am and goes on from there. Is it a terrible thing for a mother to hope her children's teams lose? I'm tired already just thinking about it!

Just Another Day or Not!

Yesteray, Dan had nursery school. He is doing a bit better, but I am still not sure whether we will continue with this or not...at least for the next few weeks. We have to deal with so many behavioral things after he has been at NS, plus I feel I am missing out on bonding time. Bessie laughingly calls it "DANS", the Day After Nursery School issues. It does give me uninterrupted time with the little girls, but it also takes me 40 minutes to bring him and 40 minutes to pick him up, plus the extra gas...can you tell I'm trying to talk myself out of bringing him!

The rest of us did school at home. We are getting into a better routine. I tried working with everyone at once, but that did not work at all. I now rotate between Gabe, Rachel and Hannah and help Bessie as needed, which isn't often. I do 20-30 minutes with Gabe and then maybe 10-15 minutes with the girls or one at a time if I need to. Their attention span is still very, very low, so I have to limit the time I expect them to concentrate.

After lunch, Bessie sat down to do a craft with Dan. Of course, everyone ended up joining in. They made rainboy crayons out of crushed up crayon pieces. Later the kids played outside quite a bit.

Mom and Dad came over after dinner with a load of wood and then went with Bri to watch Bessie play soccer. They try and get to watch all the kids at least once. With 14 grandchildren, that can be quite a bit of traveling, especially when some of them live 600 miles away.

Today the weather is turning. It is still warm, but very cloudy and windier. It is suppose to get much colder, maybe even some snow this weekend. We did some school.

Bri came home early as he is going TDY tomorrow. He spent most of the afternoon doing chores. He took the water plants and fish out of my garden pond, brought firewood in and put the storm windows down. He also packed and spent some time with the kids.

The day before Bri leaves is always strange. We are so happy to have him home, but also feel badly that he will be leaving soon. Gabe and Bessie especially feel it. The new kids don't really understand yet about dad's trips.

Well, I've come back to this draft of our days events and we had an interesting evening. Hannah was suppose to have a soccer game, but right before dinner, I was giving Gabe a piggyback ride down the stairs and tripped on a toy. We only fell from the 4th stair, but I was trying not to drop Gabe. I smashed my elbow up and bent one foot back as I tried to keep my balance, landing hard on the stair, with my weight and Gabe's. My elbow was bleeding and one toe had the nail torn, so that was bleeding.

For a few hours, I really thought I had broken my foot. Bri was ready to take me to the ER and get someone else to take his trip...both of which I didn't want. After icing it and keeping it elevated, it is some better. It is still very sore, but not swollen too much. I have a feeling I'll be very sore tomorrow...all over!

Bri gave the little ones yet another talking too about leaving toys on the stairs. This is one of their favorite places to play. It seems like these things always happen right before he leaves, so he has one more thing to worry about.

Happy Columbus Day

Today was another gorgeous day...sunny, clear and a bit warmer. I think we might have reached 70 today.

Brian worked all day outside...in the garage and the yard shed. He organized, sorted, and hoed out. He is determined to get his little car in the garage this winter and he made a lot of progress toward that goal.

They finished cutting the corn across the road today, so if we get some good breezes this week, we will try out our new kite.

Gabe decided he wanted to make a diarama of a reef. I don't know where he got this idea, but he ran with it. We found a box, he painted the inside and drew some sea creatures. Tomorrow he wants to do some more painting and we should be able to assemble the parts. Out of the blue he also decided he wanted to build a fireplace out of bricks for the back yard. Brian took time out of his working to help him with this project. We have a pile of old bricks out back from the fireplace we took out. They hauled and stacked and before long they had a nice fire going. We all sat around and enjoyed the blaze. There is nothing like an open fire.

I gave Bri, Gabe and Dan haircuts today. I gave the little boys their's outside. Dan is easy...a quick buzz with the clippers. Gabe likes his a bit longer on the top, but still pretty easy. Bri has that very short military cut, again pretty easy. Rachel wanted me to cut hers and I told her only if I could use the clippers. She didn't think that was a very good idea. I do need to get all the girls to the hair salon.

We had homemade soup and biscuits for dinner. All the kids needed showers again after a full day of playing outside.

Cross-Stitch

I stitch with a wonderful group of ladies that make quilts for children who have chronic or terminal illnesses. We all pitch in stitching the blocks and then one of the ladies sews them together into a quilt.

This block is from a Precious Moments book called "World Harmony".

We didn't make it to church today. Not really sure why, except that everyone was tired. Dan and Hannah were up at 5:30 and didn't go back to bed and made sure that everyone else was awake too! I'm hoping the new sleeping arrangements will settle down soon. Gabe did stay in his new room all night! Way to go Gabe!

Dan loves big brother Gabe

After lunch we decided to go for a hike. We had found a cache in this area before, but didn't get a chance to finish the trail has it had gotten too dark. We brought along a travel bug to drop off at the cache and then continued along the trail.

Carter's Pond

It was a beautiful day and a great hike. The kids had a good time. So many of the leaves have already fallen and along the pond you could see quite a few bare trees. We say a Great Blue Heron. They are so large and the coloring of their feathers is striking.

Enjoing the hike

Brian cleaned the woodstove chimney and the woodstove. We are all set to go if the weather turns real cold.

I made De'Etta's chicken divan tonight and it was a big hit. That one goes into the "recipes to keep" file.

I took a nice long, hot tub tonight and then settled in for some cross-stitching. A pretty good day overall.

Bunk Bed Set up Day

Today was a very productive day. We started out by cleaning out Bessie's room (she had done a lot of this during the week) and then took down her bed. The next step was setting up the new bunks for Bessie and Rachel. The bunks look great and Bessie is thrilled with her new "cubby place".

We then moved on to setting up one of the toddler beds in Bessie's room for Hannah. Now all three girls are together. We were concerned that Bess wouldn't like this as she has always had her own room. This is a trial run and we'll see how it goes. If she would rather have her own space, we will have to do some more moving.

Bessie and Gabe try out the new bunks

Gabe and Dan's room was next. We took down one of the toddler beds and moved Bessie's old twin bed in there for Gabe. We moved some things around in their room, straightened all the rooms out, vacuumed and made all the beds.

We are still short on bureau space, so I need to sort and store clothes, but that will have to wait until after the weekend.

Gabe has been in our room since he was around two. He used to have terrible night terrors and had trouble falling back to sleep once he woke up at night. No one was getting any sleep, so we moved him into our room...in his own bed, but in our room. After five years, I have to say that it is going to be very, very strange to have him in his own room.

Brian, Bessie and Dan headed to the grocery store for a few things while Gabe, Rachel, Hannah and I went over to the church for some bike riding and roller blading.

Everyone had showers, stories, singing and bed (Well, Bessie skipped the stories and singing). We weren't sure how it was going to go tonight, but Gabe went into his own bed and fell asleep. This is a major step for him. It is a bit sad for momma. Everyone is happily sleeping in their own space. Life is good.

Really good day!

Today was just one of those days when things just seemed to go well. I rearranged our school schedule (again!) and things went much smoother. Everyone's attitudes were good and we were able to accomplish quite a bit. It felt very good.

Gabe lost another tooth today. He is not one to fiddle with a loose tooth and I have been tempted to go in and snag the silly thing out while he was sleeping. It finally came out on it's own while he was eating lunch. He has two others that are loose.

It finally fell out!

Brian went in very early this morning, so he was home a bit early. I had worked on cleaning the pool earlier in the day and we finally got it all closed up. That is a good chore out of the way.

The kids played outside all afternoon. It was such a gorgous fall day. Cool, but bright and sunny. I think we are going to get a freeze tonight. I took the plants out of my water garden.

Hannah and Dan enjoyed having Gabe

push them in the wheelbarrow

I tried Jodi's (from SHS) pull apart rolls today. I used 1/2 ww flour and 1/2 unbleached all purpose. They came out very good. Everyone agreed we could make them again. Thanks, Jodi!

Bessie had a soccer game tonight. Her toe was feeling well enough for her to play. They won 2-0. Bessie has only been playing for two years and the coach is so patient and really encouraging to her. She played almost the whole game. It is nice to see a coach that remembers that this is suppose to be fun for the kids.

It is a beautiful night out...mid 40s right now and the moon is full. It seems so huge. The coyotes will be howling for sure.

Praise!

Brian picked up the bunk beds tonight and they are so nice. We have really been blessed by finding them. They are in great shape and only about seven years old. The mattresses look new and it came with bunkie boards which are always nice and make it much easier to make. The woman we bought them from even gave us four sets of bedding, sheet sets and comforters. She said they are going to a full size bed for their daughter and would not need the twin size.

We are hoping to get it set up this weekend and move Hannah in with Bessie and Rachel. Gabe will take Bessie's old bed and move in with Dan...and least that is the plan!

Fall is here

After a relatively warm week, Fall is definately in the air. The air is cool, clear and blue today with temps in the low 50s. There is a nice breeze and the leaves are turning fast. It is such a pretty day.

Gabe enjoys his favorite climbing tree

We had a good morning. I'm still struggling with trying to figure out how to work with so many ages, but we're getting there.

Bri is going to pick up a set of bunk beds tonight and this weekend will be the big move getting everyone where they need to be...the three girls in one room and the two boys in another. We'll see if Gabe really agrees to move out of our room!

Dad's moose

Mom and Dad came over this morning. Dad had been in New Foundland for 10 days on a moose hunt. He wanted to show us pictures and visit. He got a nice moose, 15 points and 1100 lbs. He had a great time.

Dad with his prize moose

They brought a load of wood. They stayed for lunch and a short visit after. It was good to see them. We usually try and see them at least once a week, but we haven't gotten together in a couple of weeks.

Dan got up at 5am this morning and did not go back to bed. I finally went in and brought him into our room. He was not happy, but I didn't want him waking up Hannah. I laid him on the floor next to the bed. I could here him fiddling around, but at least he was relatively quiet. He had nursery school today.

We got quite a bit done while he was at NS. The girls are still struggling with number recognition, but we are plugging along and hopefully soon, it will start to click. Gabe is doing much better with his math now that we are doing a combo of worksheet, oral and other. The other being a lot of living math type stuff. His reading is coming along so well. We sure could use more work on his handwriting, but that is still a sticking area. He just doesn't like to put in the work.

I called the doctor again as Bessie's foot was blacker and still very sore. I don't think it is broken, but I don't want her playing soccer if it is. We had an afternoon appointment.

After picking up Dan, we hit both libraries and the PO. A PBS book came. I've been getting some great books for our TOG studies. I had called Brian to see if he could come home to stay with the youngers while I brought Bessie to her appt. He was home waiting for us when we got back from our errands.

The doctor agreed that he didn't think it was broken and as long as we were okay with no x-rays, he took a wait and see approach. He said if is wasn't feeling better by Thurs or Fri to come back for x-rays.

Brian, Gabe and I did three of his Zoology experiments. Gabe just loves science. I've been struggling a bit lately with the fact that he doesn't like sports much. I don't think it is the sports as much as the attention. He is so shy. I'm trying to embrace the things that he does love and go with that. I also love science, so this is a great common ground for us.

How wing size/shape effects flight

How air movement effects air pressure

Brian brought Rachel and Bessie to soccer. Bessie didn't play, but wanted to go cheer her team on. It rained the whole time.

Bessie and I watched some TV after everyone else was in bed. She is growing up so fast. She is such a wonderful person and I so enjoy her company.

Monday

We had a pretty good morning yesterday. Things have been working out having Gabe, Rachel and Hannah at the table together and usually Bessie. This way I can work with each of them as needed and rotate around the table. Bessie jumps in and helps when she wants a break. We got quite a bit done and everyone cooperated...for the most part.

Bessie smashed her foot into the door frame and has a nasty little toe. It turned quite black and blue and was very sore. She spent most of the afternoon with her foot up and iced. Called the doctor and he suggested waiting at least until tomorrow to see how it feels.

Hannah was suppose to have a soccer game but she was very fussy and tired, so we decided to skip and get her to bed early.

We woke to the sound of rain again today. We went to Sunday school and church. I was in the toddler (2-3 yos) nursery today. Gabe helped me. One of the other dads was there too. We only had three kids, but then the pastor's wife (she organizes the three different nursery rooms) said they were short handed in the 4yo room downstairs, so they sent the kids up to us. That made eleven. Oh well, the kids kept each other busy and we only had a few teary-eyed ones looking for mom or dad.

Brian had put a roast in the crockpot lastnight with veggies, so we had a nice lunch waiting for us when we got home. I love the smell of the house when the crockpot is doing it's thing.

We had a leisurely afternoon. Lots of play, reading, computing and stitching. Brian called about a set of bunk beds in the want ad paper and we went out after dinner to look at them. The set was just what we wanted, very sturdy wood, in good shape. It came with the mattresses and the woman told us to take the bedding also and threw in two more bedding sets. They were upgrading to a full-size and she said they wouldn't need them. Bri will stop one night this week to pick them up. That means we will have to get Bessie's room totally cleaned out!

Dan and Hannah fell asleep on the way home, so we got them inside, a quick ready for bed and then lights out. They all went down very quickly.

The rain tapered off toward evening. I'm not sure if it is suppose to rain tomorrow or not.