day 43..... Hazen hiding... not a groundhog... and now a lost tooth

This is Hazen hiding or being a turtle, not quite sure. It started as one and ended up as the other and he kept changing his mind as most any 2 year old tends to do, except for when you want them to. This was supposed to be a picture of a groundhog. But he was too fast. Or I was too slow. Or maybe it was a combination of both. Learned one thing though... if you kid comes in yelling that there is some weird animal in the yard, bring the camera the first time. More to follow..... well, didn't expect it to be this soon. As soon as I got off of the computer, Sophie came to me as her tooth was about to fall out. It came out with no trouble. She is about to lose the one next to it. Now we get to see how the new ones come in.

day 42..... relay for life

day 41..... boys will be boys

What is it about boys that they insist on making everything fight. Legos, Barbies, any toy that they pick up is going to fight. So if you give them a toy that is a "fighting" character, case in point, a ninja turtle and a transformer. They sat and fought for quite some time this afternoon. Friendly fighting. And they were adorable.

day 40..... first cone ever

day 39..... snowflake flavored hamsters???

It Trevin, enough said. Actually, I will write later... maybe tonight, maybe not....

day 38..... oh brother!

Too hot to do much of anything. Chill in the living room and watch TV was the name of the game. Bring on fall!!!

day 37..... choke cherries and apricots

Today was a busy, busy day. We picked a big bunch of choke cherries. Then we moved on to the apricot tree. The problem with the apricots is this... the squirrels. They grab them as soon as they are ripe, bite them open and tear out the pit. We couldn't reach very many of them even with the ladder. So..... Brian got the idea to take a rain gutter and get them. We tied and taped a bag to the bottom of the gutter, and then he bumped the fruits and they rolled down the gutter into the bag. After a while, all of the lonely fruits were taken, and all that was left were HUGE grape like clusters hanging up there, so we moved on to the next phase. Operation Tarp! We put a huge tarp around the base of the tree. Then he jiggled the bunches and let them fall to the ground. Then we all grabbed them up and tossed them in the tub. We got a crapload of them. Now to find a good recipe for apricot preserves.

day 36..... we're getting there

So, today was quite a busy day. We emptied bookcases, built bookcases, rebuilt bookcases, moved bookcases, and filled bookcases. We went from 1 tall and 1 short usable bookcases in our room to 3, count them, 3 tall bookcases and 2 short ones. I LOVE them. It was a LOT of work, but I am glad to have this much done. Still a bit to do, but it is better already. It gives the wall an entertainment center type feel. And we are talking BIG entertainment center... 120 inches. If I had my way, every wall in the house, where there was not a window, would have bookcases. We have about 9 different types and sizes of bookcases in the living/dining/school room, and it still is not enough. There is just never enough room... but we're getting there.

day 35..... what? me knit?

day 34..... a tale of 3 bunnies

Sophie found Mr. Potato Head bunny teeth upstairs, and she brought them downstairs to play with. I still have a migraine from hell, and she was trying to make me laugh by wearing them. Well, of course anything that she does, her little brothers can't be outdone on. So here we go... 3 little bunnies in a row.

day 33..... where I spent the day

Migraine from hell = a very non-productive day. I forgot to start supper early in the day, so had to revamp the menu. Lots of naps. Gatorade. Water. Even hit the caffeine to see if that would do it. Nothing is working. *sigh* Hopefully it will be gone in the morning.

day 32.....yes, he knows they are upside down...

and he doesn't care. He loves putting them that way. And that is fine... I am just relieved that he didn't throw them out of the car.

day 31..... mario madness

It's like a weird sequel to Zombieland around here. Turn on the Wii, and this is what they look like. I think their eyes glow like that in real life, not just from the camera. Be prepared to tell them something at least 3 times to get an intelligent reply. Sometimes they really scare me.

day 30..... out with the old... in with the new

We have been homeschooling for about 8 years. Over the course of time, you pick up things you love. Unfortunately, you also pick up things you don't love so much. Castaways. Partial sets. And as we get further into this blogging experience, you are going to realize that I suffer from OCD. Sometimes it is mild. But sometimes it is bad... really bad. And one of the things I can't stand is to have a "partial" set of anything. I want the entire thing. I need it. So, as I don't "need" 3 complete sets of science books for 5th grade, it is time to start selling. It is that time of year. The time of year when all of us homeschoolers are looking for new things and weeding out the unused. What I can't/don't use, someone else may be looking for it. A random book to complete a set. A teacher's guide to lead the way. This represents about 1/10th of what I need to list on ebay. There is nothing wrong with any of the curriculum that I sell. For one reason or another each item just doesn't "fit" our way of teaching or learning. It may have fit at one time or another, but you live and learn. And each child learns differently. Even this far into it, we are always looking for a better way.

day 29..... walking home

We went to the movie theater tonight. It was beautiful out, so we walked. While we were in there, it poured rain. It was a wonderful walk home. The picture is Brian with 3 of the younger ones. Benji hopped around all the way home, trying not to step on cracks. The movie was awesome. Made me laugh. Made me cry. The kids were AMAZING. Nobody had to potty. Nobody spilled anything. It was unreal. Will have to do that again soon.

day 28..... wiped out!

This was nap time for Hazen today. We had a very busy day. Riding in the convertible, moon sand, Littlest Petshop, Yo Gabba Gabba Legos, pattern blocks, potato heads, and the list goes on and on. Days like today, even if I sat around and did nothing, I would be exhausted just watching them. There were bike rides, gardens to water, meals to prepare and clean up after, lesson plans that I worked on, clothes and bedding on the line, which by the way, when it came into the house smelled sooooooo good, I had to change bedding even though it wasn't the right day for it yet. I just can't resist the smell of sheets fresh off of the line. And I don't use fabric softener on them.... they smell like they were meant to smell, like the sun and everything under it. Just like when the little ones come in from playing outside... nothing in the world like hugging them and kissing the tops of their heads and breathing in to smell the warmth. Those are happy smells.

day 27..... busy little hands

These cards are one of my favorite finds at Art & Learn. They will play with them forever.

day 26..... cookout fun

Beautiful day after a rough night of storming throughout SE North Dakota. High topped out at about 73°. We decided to get the fire pit rolling and roasted some brats and some hot dogs, followed with toasted marshmallows. Combine that with LOTS of playing outside, and we should get a decent night of sleep out of them.

day 25..... summer time top down cruising

About 10 minutes into the drive, he was out. That is until we got home to try and lay him down. Early bedtime sounds about right.

day 24..... pepsi and purple horseshoes

it has been one of those days

day 23..... tadoodles are tadorable

Tadoodles are amazing. They are a Crayola product. They fit perfectly in the hands of a toddler. No lids to lose. Completely washable. They are a win-win product. Hazen LOVES them, so do the siblings. They were driving him NUTS trying to "help" him. I think we need to invest in stock in a paper factory. He whipped out about 8 pictures in no time at all.

day 22..... so tired

Everyone is really tired today. BIG day. County fair. I haven't seen my husband up close since about 5:20 this morning. It was HOT. Very sunny and not much wind made for a long day for some of the little ones that don't tolerate the heat very well. We opted to not go to the derby this afternoon because of that. Some of the older ones went, but we stayed in. After the parade, and a walk around the fairgrounds this morning, they were done in. Put them in the cool house, next thing you know, they had napped for 2 and a half hours. This was Hazen just waking after nursing and napping, trying to wipe his eyes awake. Even with the haircut, he still gets bedhead.

day 21..... the haircut didn't change a thing

and you thought he would quit wearing the dress :P

day 20..... tomorrow's list

My list for tomorrow keeps growing. Trevin has been driving me bonkers wanting bacon and eggs for a while now, so when I did the menus for the month, I was sure to include them. Watering the gardens is a daily task, sometimes twice daily, unless it is raining. The birds... well, they will have them half empty in about an hour. Tomorrow is payday, enough said. The van... funny story there... I have evidently been driving on expired tags all this month... shhhh! Don't tell anyone, as I have a 45 minute drive to get to the DMV. Next... I have to get back to town by 2:00 as there is a fair event that the kids want to go to. Next, on to the T-shirt shop to pick up a fair board shirt for Brian as I have managed to lose his... and it had shrunk anyways. Then back home to get little ones quieted down, too late for naps, and give spelling tests to the older ones. And then waiting... the doctor was supposed to call yesterday.. she was out of town at a conference, was supposed to call today... never did. I lost track of time this afternoon and next thing I knew, it was 5:13.... guess what... they were already closed for the day. I am not very good at waiting. *sigh*

day 19..... our anniversary

day 18..... horseshoe night and lacing cards

though only sophie is shown in this picture, at one time there were 5 little ones sitting there playing with them. my brain was in a fog and it didn't occur to me that I should have taken a picture. they were all quiet.. they were all getting along... no fighting. maybe subconsciously I was afraid to ruin the moment. I will clean this post up later, but as it is horseshoe night.....

day 17..... let sleeping babies lie

This was taken a few nights ago, after I had already posted for the day, and it is too cute to keep to myself. He was in bed with me and wanting to watch Oobas Yo!!! otherwise know as Yo Gabba Gabba. Well, after turning on an episode with cable's "On Demand", he snuggled in for some nursing and then some hugging and next thing I knew, he was asleep hugging my arm. He stayed that way for quite some time. I ended up leaving the entire episode on and not moving him for fear of waking him. He is quite the little lover boy. His snuggles sure were nice this past winter, he puts off amazing amounts of heat. Let's just say, I really enjoy the down time. He is extremely busy as it is, and I have watched 8 more older than him grow up in the blink of an eye. I am going to cherish every second with this one. Good, bad, or otherwise.

day 16..... 4th of July

day 15..... it's the pit(s) around here

YAY!!! Thanks to my wonderful husband, who I am greatly indebted to, the fire pit got dug today. My oldest daughter wanted a picture with her babiest brother standing in it for a size comparison. We can't wait for tomorrow so we can try it out. The kids are going to roast hot dogs over the fire for part of their July 4th meal. Now we just need the cool nights to sit around and enjoy a fire with. As hot as it has been, I say, "Come on FALL!!!" There... glad to have that out of my system. I will catch up tomorrow, hopefully have some fantastic pictures to post of the festivities, and definitely some pictures for the food blog, as the entire meal will be gluten free as always. I wish for a safe and wonderful holiday for everyone.

day 14..... the play set

play set that took the entire mother's day weekend to build. more later.

day 13..... I got it done

I finally did it!!! I am not going to try and buffalo anyone that it was a long work in the making. I sat in my room last night, surrounded myself with a blank calendar page and a stack of magazines and cookbooks, and in just over an hour, it was complete. We changed some of our normal categories for this month, like the addition of a Grilling night and Burger night. And best yet, even with being gone shopping today, I got home, unloaded the vehicle, put most if it away, and started the month off right with the meal that was planned for today. Life is good with a menu to follow.