{Preview of Mara's Dance Recital}

Mara and Cadee

so stinkin cute!

Can't hardly wait...

{Climbing...}

How did they get up there? Where are they? Oh, just on top of the shed that houses our well-pump. They are ingenious, and their imagination never ceases to amaze me. They have the childhood I dreamed of having. Pigs, goats, chickens, free range of land around them, inventing things, building forts, running barefoot, haylofts in a barn, carefree living. I love it. One day I went outside to see they had rigged up their own climbing wall. Who needs repelling ropes?
Ryan is the coach for Caleb and Max's baseball team, and they are LOVING baseball. Of course you can tell by their pose. I hope that they will never change. I love their personalities, how they get so excited about small things like making clay necklaces, learning about the Romans, catching a baseball and making up slides that go off of really tall well-houses. I love little boys, the mischief they make, the constant wrestling and teasing, the battles, and the energy. I love them!

Here's their set up. It all started with Noah...he has always been my monkey! At nine months he couldn't walk, but he could scoot a chair and get on top of the table. He just liked to be high...I guess it has stuck. He still can climb a straight tree with no branches sticking out...we figure he must be part Polynesian. He is the instigator in this little climbing adventure, but Caleb has no fear of heights, and is sweet enough that after they got their set-up on top of the well house, he mad a smaller slide for the girls off the hitching post. No wonder they love him.

My polk-a-dot lady! I hope you never change. She is just enough shy to keep her reserved, but when she gets to know you watch out, she is all "TUDE" {short for attitude}. She loves mud, sidewalk chalk and her long polk-a-dot skirt! She is a tough girl who follows me around just like my shadow. I love it! She can fence with the best of them and loves the animals. She is such a hard worker and is still helping long after the boys have gotten distracted. I love her! I hope she will always like me as much as she does now.

{Guilley Monsters}

Caleb and Max had baseball practice with Ryan tonight, so Sam and Noah, Mara, Emma and I went to the mall to hang out with Sarah! We had Orange Julius, and then walked back through Sheel's.{a huge sporting goods store} There was a full size mannequin dressed up in a guilley suit. It is camo with lots of hairy weed like strings hanging off it. When we saw it I froze and slowly started walking toward it. The girls, sensing my caution instantly were on edge. Then they say it, we slowly got closer to it, and when we were close enough to touch it I jumped at my girls! Boy oh Boy did they squeal! Then they laughed. I promptly showed them that it was just a mannequin and they were just clothes, but Emma was still not going near it. Then Sam pretended to be caught by it. Emma really did not go for that. Sarah was holding Emma and she just kept sayin' "scare me" I was totally giggling! What can I say, I'm warped! I get it from my mother, she would always jump out at us!
As we were leaving, Emma just kept sayin' "freaky monster" like 40 times.
This morning when she woke up, I said "Emma did you see a freaky monster last night" her eyes got big and she said yah! "Sarah save me!" She is so funny!

Savoring each Moment

I can't get the computer to upload my pictures, so I will try later, but I have the feeling lately that I need to savor each moment of each day. The kids have decided to go back to school next year, and I am trying to just savor each late morning, and each bit of day that I get to be with them and teach them. I have to admit, I love being the one to introduce them to new things and teach them cool tricks. I will miss it terribly. I also realize that if I am going to get this school thing done, something has got to give. I am trying to not feel like a failure, but have such mixed emotions. I actually am looking forward to some time with just the girls, since if I tell the truth, they don't get my attention like the boys did, because I am always helping the boys with school. I really loved the leisurely schedule of home school. Loved getting to read to my kids everyday, have devotional and do arts with them. I am hoping that I can get my school done, and then do home school again when I can really focus on just them.
I am loving the easy pace of life and the satisfaction I get from our land and animals. There is truly a peace that I feel here, even if it is mixed with longings for home. I am thinking that those feelings are probably stronger now because I miss my parents while they are on their mission. I am content in our surroundings and love each one of my kids so immensely. They bring so much pure JOY to me. They are so GOOD. I don't know where they get it, but they are inherently good. They never cease to amaze me with their abilities. I bask in their perfection, because to me they are perfect, and a great reminder of what is truly important in this life.
I watched the primary kids sing is sacrament meeting "I Know that My Saviour Loves Me" the new song they are learning this year and I saw Mara, only four, sing every word with such conviction that I couldn't help but feel her knowledge: that she just knew. I was struck by how innate that knowledge comes to these kids. They do know, and what a great responsibility it is to help them keep that knowledge.
I am grateful for each day and each moment that defines my life-good and bad, for they are all experience and I will take it! I am so far from getting there, but each day I just keep trying! and that trying is all that is required.

{Garden Service}

We went out for family night to help our friend's the Birkeland's till their garden. The kids all had a hay day...riding 4-wheelers...

wheelin' rocks in the wheel barrow...


and playing "night games" with the big kids!

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!