April 2010 Update

This post is just a journaling for and update of what the kids are up to, I am sure it will be long and boring to anyone but the grandparents, but that is what it is for, me and the grandparents.



So let's just do it in order...



Sam: He got his inserts for his fallen arches, and I promptly had him put them in his shoes. We went outside and worked for quite a while (like 4 hours) When we got back inside he said his feet hurt. Me, being the sympathetic mother that I am said, "it will just take a while to get used to them." He took off his shoes and walked around like they were tender. Then he read the instructions..."wear only one hour the first day" Oops! He just rolls with it though. I am so grateful to have him in our family. He is so awesome to always help me out. He is the first to say "mom, what can I do for you?" or "How can I help?" I truly do not feel like I deserve him. He is loving passing the sacrament and is first councelor in the deacons quorm. He teases Max endlessly, and has started a little with the teenager attitude, but I can't complain too much, because he is so good to entertain the girls. He is forever trying to get Emma to say that she likes him more than Noah, but Emma's heart is bound to Noah's and she can't do it, not that she doesn't love Sam to pieces, she just always has had a special bond with Noah...I hope one day to know what that is about. Sam is playing the guitar, and is way into music, we have his father to thank for that. Currently he has no room of his own, so he is sleeping in Caleb and Max's room, and is good to put up with them. He seems to be one who can, to a certain extent, roll with my punches, I am constantly rearranging our schedules, and even though he might complain, he is always good to help me pack as much into our day as we can. He loves art, is a great drawer, and is the best kid to stay on task with school work. I love him so much and am so grateful for the example that he is.



Noah: where do you start with Noah. He is the kid who just is fine with whatever. I keep thinking he should have an opinion about everything like his brothers do, but he really just is fine with whatever. He is so funny, and yet so serious. He is great at school, and has days where he spits out his work really fast and days that I have to just keep on him to get anything done. He loves to be outside, hates to wear shoes, is always the one to come and give me a kiss goodnight, and loves to build things. He is in charge of the baby chickens right now, and is glad that he traded with Caleb so that he doesn't have to milk goats each morning. Sam and Noah just got given BB guns,and they have been practicing with them. They both took archery this winter and do really well with that. They are building a goat chariot right now.(Than came from our history lesson on the Romans...and then they found an old palet that they cut in half and are fastening wheels to.) I love how creative they are. Noah also draws really well, and can read like no other. I thought that maybe with his reading so fast, he wasn't comprehending all of it, so when I made him read a book I had already read and write a report on it, I was floored by the details that he remembered. I think because he is so serious most times, it throws me when he just gets on his giggling kicks, and I love his laugh. I am so happy that he is in our family.



Caleb: Is seriously the kid in our family who can remember any line from any movie. He is forever quoting movies, a talent that I assume he learned from my brothers, because I don't even remember if I've seen a movie or not, let alone remember the lines. Caleb is in charge of goats right now, and is determined to learn how to milk them. He is great with animals, and love them. Especially tigers. He and Max will play baseball this spring, and Ryan will be their coach. They are all so excited about that (the boys maybe a little more so than Ryan) Caleb is pretty tough for his small body, he can keep up with the bigger boys, and he is constantly checking in the mirror to see if his muscles have grown. He loves girls...don't ask me where he gets that since his older brothers still think they have cooties, and he insists on washing with "man soap" in the shower. He is very thoughtful and is always the first to bring me dandelions. He loves to snuggle up on the couch with me, and I love it.



Max: Yes, He is still a cowboy. He still gallops wherever he goes, he still has a rope in his hand and boots on his feet. He is following after Caleb in liking the girls, but I had to tell him multiple times..."NO KISSING GIRLS" yikes. He loves to flex his muscles and say "Hay, check out the gun show" I don't know where he comes from most days, and tends to be the one who gets picked on because he is forever bugging his older brothers, and younger sisters. He is so charming, and I am pretty sure if he ever wanted to be a politician, he would be a great one, because he sure likes to tell you what you want to hear. He is in charge of the dog, and is pretty responsible if you tell him 50 times, he will eventually do it. He is new to the taking care of the animals game, so I hope it won't be like this always. He thinks he is older than he is, and gets frustrated when he can't so everything like the bigger kids, but he is always trying to keep up. He has no fear, and turns on the charm whenever he is around anyone. He makes friends so easy, I don't think I have to worry about him having friends. He just draws beople to him. It is fun to watch.



Mara: She is the best worker of all of them. She follows me around like my little shadow and I am loving every minute of it. I want her to always like me as much as she does right now. She is truly a miniture me, and bosses those boys around. She sounds just like me when she talks to them, the funny thing is, they ususally listen to her. She is so sweet, and has the most beautiful smile. I love it when she smiles. She almost never gets into trouble, and is pretty good to help Emma. She is still kinda shy around others, but at home is large marge in charge. (at least she thinks so) She helps me cook, clean, garden, milk, feed animals, gather eggs, you name it if I am doing it, she is right there with me. She is usually the first one up in the morning, and first one to sleep at night. She and Sam both can just fall asleep wherever they are, no matter what else is going on. She is getting ready for her first dance recital next week, and I don't know who is more excited me, her or EMMA.



Emma: loves to dance. She is always changing her clothes and putting on "dance" A leotard and tights with a tutu. She puts on music and dances around. She is always bummed when we take Mara to dance, because she wants to join in. you are supposed to be three before you start dance, but she snuck into class one day and the teacher said lets just see what she does. She did everything, never lost her attention, so we may start her in the fall. She certainly has her own opinion about things and is bound and determined to get what she wants. She keeps the family laughing at her two year old talk, and usually gets whatever she wants with all seven of us there to meet her every demand. She is so sweet though, not bratty, so that is why she gets things...how can you resist. she loves everyone, and everyone loves to get hugs and kisses from her. We are so gratful to have her.

{Here Piggy Piggy}

Okay Okay Okay!

Two pigs for 4H turned into six pigs!

That't right! We are regular pigs farmers now.

They are not near as stinky as I thought they would be, but let's face it,

they haven't had time to poop up the place.

They have a great set up though.

When we got them and let them outside, they just stood there, they had never breathed fresh air

or stood on ground before. We got them from a Hutterite Colony and the hutts keep them in a heated barn all the time.

It was probably a shock to their system the first few days, but they have adjusted well even with the cold snow storm we had last night.

I think they are so cute!

I told the kids they could not name them though. They will be for consumption. {not from me, I don't eat pig, but for the neighbors, the 4-H people and one for us to share with others}

They named them though. Names like: Chris- for christmas dinner, Ham, and porkie-from porkies on a stick that you can get at the farmers market, I refuse to call them these things though. They are just "the pigs".

I didn't know how I really felt about this, but lets face it. These pigs will have a great life until they are....well you know.
Every night for dinner the kids say..."this would be great with bacon" When I inform them we have none, they just say..
"but we will soon" ... soon is a relative term.

Emma was out with me and the pigs and got so distraught because a pig "...ate my shoe..."
She is so funny. She says here piggy...then freaks out if they get too close. She loves them from a distance, smart girl!

We had good fortune. We were looking for a feeder for the pigs, and they are not cheap. While talking to a man in our ward, and telling him we were getting pigs he said "oh, need a feeder?"
How fortunate he would ask.
He happened to have a small pig feeder, and I happened to have a water cooler that he needed.
As they say on Dances with Wolves "Good. Trade."
As my mom would say... that was a tender mercy from the Lord.
As you can see in the picture. It is just a small one.
This is how lazy pig farmers farm. With huge feeders that you only have to fill once a month if that.
They can't waste food because they have to lift the door with their snout and if they pull their head out, the door closes.

We were also very fortunate that our neighbor, Miles rigged up this great water bucket.
The water only comes out if the pigs suck on the end of it.
We truly have a great set up.
I love to go out and watch them. They are cheap entertainment.
I count my blessings daily and am truly overwhelmed at how much the Lord blesses me.
He might just bless me just a little too much. Because sometimes the blessings come with work, but I love it.

Slovak Egg Dying

We got invited over to the Becker's to do some Slovakian Egg dying. I didn't know what to expect and I was pleasantly surprised. Elaine's family is Polish and they dye eggs on the Friday before Easter from 12:00 to 3:00. They do it reverently in remembrance of the three hours that Christ hung on the cross. It was so fun to paint eggs this way, and I was totally impressed with the kids artistic abilities. Mandy was helping us get the hang of things. The dye was so cool, you just had to dunk the egg, and instantly it was that color.

Mara was even very good to draw on her egg and it was so funny to see her concentrate so hard.

You have these really cool writers that look like metal wired onto a dowel. you get the metal part hot in the flame, dip it in the wax of the candle and then draw on the egg the pattern that you don't want colored. It is backwards, so it took a minute to figure out how it worked.

Writing on the egg.

The kids loved it! I don't think I will ever be able to go back to just dying eggs. The kids spent hours on one egg, and so it took a long time and wasn't over so fast like regular egg coloring. It was so fun!

We were so grateful to Elaine for having us over, teaching us this new art and shining our eggs. And truly grateful for Mandy for helping us figure out the color and dye.

The finished product.

The fun thing is that after they are colored, you scrap off the excess wax and then polish them with a terry cloth towel. The wax seals the eggs and you can keep them forever. They don't stink, they just eventually evaporate all that is inside and you are just left with the yolk rolling around. Kinda cool!

What's in the Chicken Coop?

Sam's job is to take care of the chickens. He came in this morning and announced that he had found something in the chicken coop. He went out with a bucket and came back with this....

Sick, Sick, Sick, Sick, Sick, Sick, Sick, Sick, Sick, Sick, Sick, Sick, Sick, Sick, Sick,

Six, can you count them six, in the chicken food container. I am so glad that he went out and found that. I would have screamed and screamed some more if I would have been the one to open that container.

Their plan was to "...mash them with a hammer"{Emperor's New Groove}.

Noah was carrying the bucket away from the house so that they could smash them with a hoe, and looked down to see one sitting on his shoulder. OHHHH!!! it just gives me the creeps thinking about it. He flicked the mouse and in the process dropped the bucket full of mice. They only got to mash two. Good thing they were away from the house.

Caleb was inside...he couldn't bear the thought of killing them, so he stayed in with me. I think it might have been his prayers that saved the poor (disgusting, revolting, sick-me-out) mice. He is my animal lover.

Problem is, where there is six, there is six hundred. Please just pray I don't find on in the house. I will die of a heart attack.!!!

Bean Boozled Family Home Evening.

Perhaps you may have not seen these silly little jelly beans. If you haven't, and you really need a laugh, grab a box and just play! It is the funniest thing ever. For our activity/treat last night, we had bean boozled jelly beans. There are two jelly bean that look exactly the same, but are two diffrent flavors. For instance. The black ones, could be licorice, or it could be skunk spray! You don't know until you eat.

The unsuspecting victims!

Noah got baby wipe flavor. Obviously he didn't like it. Emma just wanted to try one so bad, so what is a mother to do...give her one of course. She got baby wipe to. She spit it into her hand...Ukk. was her reply.

We laughed so hard that we were crying. Then it was me and Ryan's turn. Supposedly one was supposed to be toasted marshmellow and one rotten egg.... They were both rotten egg. Rule was you had to eat it all.

I thought I would barf. It was the most nasty thing ever. We laughed and laughed, and laughed some more.

Caleb got pencil shavings, Noah got booger, Sam got ear wax, Mara got toothpaste, Max got skunk spray.

You have got to try it!

Then after FHE, I showed Ryan this movie that you have to all see... Click Here.

Then tell me what you thought!

Getting the swing of things!

When we first found out that we were going to move to Montana, I was so excited! My whole life I had wanted to live on a farm, and being more self-sufficient just seemed like a little piece of heaven on Earth for me.

We got our chickens and they were so easy. Anyone could do chickens, even in the city. They stay close to home, and if you have a coop(that is really easy to build yourself) then you don't even have to worry about them roaming. With chickens, you getfresh eggs everyday. Your neighbors would never even know you had them as long as you didn't have a rooster. You don't need a rooster to have eggs, but if you do have a rooster they will be fertilized. Fertilized eggs are better nutritionally for you because they have all 23 amino acids making it a perfect protein. Unfertilized eggs, the kind you get in the store, only have 19 amino acids, but arguably are still good for you. Having your own eggs is a bonus over buying them because free range chickens lay eggs that have more nutrients, you know exactly what is being fed to the chickens and it is more humane.

Then we got our goats. I must admit I cried when the older man bringing them to us de-horned them at our house. I was so saddened, but determined to have milk goats. The next year, it was time for us to de-horn our own goats. We waited too long to do it and the horns were really big. The goats were really big and it was a disaster. Ryan and I both cried (not really, but it was quite tramatic). We only did one goat. The others were left to grow horns...not a good idea. With all that "experience" we attempted goat de-horning again this year. We are pros now. It was easy. Just call me a natural. Actually Ryan did all the work, I just held them still. This year we will have four milking ladies, and I will learn how to make yougart, cottage cheese, goat cheese and ice cream out of it. The kids are so ready to have milk again. I can tell a diffrence in our health when we don't have it. The good fat(see link) from milk is essential for kids. Only two more weeks and I will start milking them.

So I guess after all this, I think I may have gotten the swing of things. We got 24 new baby chick this year and are going to get 24 fryer chickens next week, and since I have all that down, I guess it is time to shake things up...you know the only way to learn is to jump in with two feet and start moving, so we are getting pigs. Five of them. I know, I know, what will I do with pork that I don't eat...well, we are just doing pigs for 4-H. The boys will each raise one, and they get to sell them and keep the money that they make. They are the easiest animal to start with, so instead of jumping into steers, pigs will have to do. It should be fun, and hopefully not too stinky! Maybe we will have enough confidence that next year we can do a cow! I love this farm life.

~`Of Chipped Teeth and Fallen Arches!`~

I guess it is inevidible. I do have six wild crazy kids, and they are all very active thankfully. I mean I don't really want them to sit on their duff and do nothing, so it is with gratitude that I say Mara was running around like a banshee yesterday and ran straight into the gate...not fun for her or her tooth. The front on, right smack dab in the middle of her mouth got slightly chipped. You can't really tell, luckily it chipped back behind, so unless you really look, you can't see it.
Look out Uncle Wade, here we come!
It just so happens that the same day I took Sam to the doctor because he gets really stiff legs and as I was zoning his feet about a month ago (I know I am quick on the draw...a whole month later I get around to it) and noticed that his feet were so flat...go figure. his arches drop a whole 8 mm when he stands, forcing his tibia to rotate inward, throwing his hips off balance, so he has to have really cheap insert....you know what is a couple hundred here, and a couple hundred there? I am made of money aren't you? It will all be worth it though, if he can only run like a normal kid and not be so stiff when he stands up.
I could create a whole list of how my life is falling apart and how it appears that I can do nothing right at the moment, but instead, I will just say that I got to spend the afternoon planting flowers with the most sweetest girl in the world who insisted on holding my hand and the greatest boy who thought it was the coolest thing in the world to walk back and forth from the house to the flower bed with his eyes closed. I have a wonderful husband who grounds me and helps me to realize that really, life is perfectly how it should be, insignificant trials and all.

Happy Spring To you all...I love the newness of life I see all around me.

Robotic Noah

This kid cracks me up! There is nothing in this whole world like his laugh!

Love him!!!

Family Ski Day!

Finally I got to go!

I can't tell you how nervous I was once I got to the top and realized that I now had to go down.

I rode up with Max and when I said that I was a tiny bit nervous about going down that big hill...

his response "it's okay, just follow me"

Great advise from a six year old. If he could do it then so could I. and I did, I followed him right down the hill

So much fun.! Hunk-a-love!

Noah was awesome today! He almost got those parallel turns down.

You should see him rip it up on the moguls though!

Caleb did get those parallel turns down! Way to go!

He was not as fast as the others, but his form!!!Good job Caleb!

I couldn't believe how great Max was, he went on everything that we did. He's a snowplow, but boy can he plow

and is he ever fast! More than once we wanted to go a diffrent way, but Max was already down the mountain!

Sam can do anything his father can...though he doesn't love the sluice box, and Caleb and I agree with him.

Oops

Missed Max's head

There we go, there is that sweet grin!

It was so great to have some "wholesome recreational activities" with all the kids!

Where are the girls???

They got stuck in the daycare for the first time in their lives. At the resort there is a daycare, and though Mara was not loving it, she was promised that next year, She is UP!

Emma's First Haircut!

Rondi was nice enough to take on Emma, Mara, Sam and me all in one sitting.

Emma was pretty excited for "me_turn"

She was really good too. Rondi cut off the back and just blended her baby hair

She looks so cute.She has just enough curl that I can't do a little bob unless I want to straighten it each day and with a two year old...

yeah, that won't happen, so we'll just let it grow.

Thanks Rondi!