Just another day in paradise...11/11

It is strange to think that I have 5 kids. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Elise, Mason, Sammy, Lincoln, Trevor. One girl, 4 boys--the same as in my family: me and 4 brothers. More kids than just about every family I know. And I, at 31, have 5 kids. Don't you have to be old to have 5 kids?

I digress...

Nursing takes a lot of time. Don't get me wrong, I love nursing, but I figure I'm sitting for an extra 3 hours every day. I love the fact that I have to take breaks and just sit and relax. I can do quite a bit while nursing--read to myself or the kids, supervise cleaning, type one-handed on the computer. I continue to digress...

Things have been going very smoothly my first week alone with 5 kids, so I should have been expecting today. It started out with my shoes sticking to the kitchen floor. Strange, but not unheard of. I did a quick mop while the kids ate grilled cheese sandwiches that Elise had made. As soon as Lincoln finished eating I got him ready for his nap, noticing the second strange thing: his pant legs were soaked about three inches up the hem--like he'd been walking through water. I smelled them and they smelled like apple juice. Very strange. I tasted it, and it tasted like apple juice.

Now, I was certain that we have no apple juice in the house, and the older kids were as befuddled as I. Nevertheless, I sent them downstairs to see if maybe something spilled down there, thinking--hoping, I don't know, that perhaps there was no explanation for the mysterious apple-juiced pants.

Their report was not heartening, and the timing made me laugh. I was rocking Lincoln, Trevor was fussing to be nursed, I was in the middle of doing 9 loads of laundry, and they report that Lincoln got a jar of homemade apple cider and had dropped it in the laundry room, making everything sticky. There was glass and cider everywhere. Oh yeah! I thought I had heard a crash earlier! (But since no screaming followed the crash, I promptly forgot about it).

I love my life.

Stephen's post...1/12

Stephen claims his professors think we have some type of super-human strength to have our (large) family in the PhD program. The conversation usually goes something like this…

“You have some kids, right?” (Most of his colleagues have the very appropriate number of 2 children or less.) At Stephen’s response, “Yes, I have 5”, they say, “Wow! Are any of them in school?” When he tells them that we homeschool he gets an even longer, “WOW!!!” And then the inevitable follow-up question: “How do you do it?” Recognizing the double entendre in their question, his initial thought is that “The kids come quite naturally, it’s the raising them that is the hard part.” Even after he explains a little about the structure we use in our home—Sunday planning sessions, evening meals together, story time (leaving out that the downstairs is always a mess)—they still can’t quite fathom it.

It works for us, and we couldn’t be more happy!

O, Christmas Tree 12/2014

For the last couple of years (I think every year we've had Christmas in MN), we have walked down the street a couple of blocks to get our Christmas tree. I think Stephen joined us one year, but usually it is just the kiddos and I. This past December they begged and begged to get a tree, but I was just so stinking tired with being 8 months pregnant and planning the Nutcracker. I kept putting them off until one morning that I happened to feel fantastic. So away we went, the kids happily pulling & pushing the wagon. "You won't have to do anything, Mom."

June visitors, part 2

Elise turned 14 in June, and for her birthday present we flew out her best friend from Minnesota. The fun part was that we didn't tell her about it...

It was awesome.

They were both in heaven. Kieva and her mom, Sandy, have dreams about living together on a farm, and she took to the farm life naturally.

Duck face--get it??

Kieva's family came to pick her up on their way to a family reunion, so all of us got to see our dearest friends. I'm pretty sure I prayed Sandy and her kids into my life many years ago. Kieva loved showing her family around, and we rekindled important relationships with our future in-laws.

My Sandy, enjoying the peace of nothingness.

This could totally work.

If marriage isn't in the picture, we'll still have best friends. Maybe they aren't quite sure about that yet, but we have lots of time to work on it. If only we lived closer. Sigh.

Zak & Geoff introduced Mason & Sammy to Pokemon a couple years ago, so of course they had to play a game.

Sammy ordered an inflatable raft and it arrived in time for him to take Geoff out on the pond. Sammy cried and cried when Geoff left. He, too, hasn't found a friend here yet.

All the kiddos. Ages 1-16. 20 hours wasn't enough time together. I need more time with my bosom friend Sandy, and the boys need more time with each other. I know of a nice 10-acre plot for sale right down the road...

June visitors, part 1

The beginning of the month brought us our first Minnesota visitors of the year--homeschooling and ballet friends all combined in one. Our little homestead is a bit of a novelty to our city-dwelling friends (which is...just about everyone we know), so we are *quite* the destination vacation!

 What would a vacation be without a pilates class?

I can hardly get over how small the pigs are in this picture.

Loading the pigs into the trailer was a noisy, painful experience--for the pigs and the humans, but once they were in (and we were waiting in line at the weigh-in), the girls thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Being at a Wyoming 4-H event was kind of crazy--I've never seen so many baseball caps and cowboy boots, jeans with shirts tucked in and big belt buckles. I felt like a city girl. :)

Lincoln was soooooo excited to see his good friend--he hasn't made any close friends since moving. It's hard when the kids his age are in school all day and then busy with activities all afternoon. We miss our MN friends!!

I didn't get any pictures with my friend, Angel, but it was so wonderful to have her to talk to. Just like the other kids, I haven't made any close friends in WY yet. Like the others, most potential friends are too busy--I miss Fridays with friends and our education and parenting discussions. So it was wonderful to use my brain in adult conversation again. Not to say Stephen isn't awesome and amazing--he is--but there is nothing like having nothing to do but sit and talk with a group of women.

Come back soon!

Goodbye Minnesota!

Quick overview of the summer:

June 13-July 2: Mason gone on 3-week choir tour of the Southwest (I need to get him to be a guest blogger!)

June 19-23: Stephen & Sammy take Elise to the Bolshoi Summer Intensive in Connecticut

June 21-July 10: Elise at the Intensive

July 4-10: Dad here to visit & my 35th birthday!

July 10-15: Dad and Elise sightseeing--Niagara Falls, Hill Cumorah Pageant, Church History sites--Peter Whitmer house, Kirkland Temple, Sacred Grove, etc--Chicago

July 13-18: Sandy over to pack the kitchen with me, friends bring dinner over (all week!), final play dates, (final) farewell party, Dad & Lincoln & Trevor fly to Oregon, packing & cleaning & loading, oh my!

Saul & Lincoln--Lincoln just saw this picture and said, "Oh yeah! That was the time we were being so silly and laughing so hard!"

Final Minecraft party with Jack, Derek, Zak & William

Surprise Girl's Night Out! Tana B, Joan H, Selena D, Nery E, Martha D & Mirjam K! I can't remember the last time I smiled so much it hurt!

Everyone needs a friend like Sandy--a kindred spirit, a bosom friend. Someone who will help pack your kitchen since your mom can't be there. Someone who makes homemade rolls for your going away party. Someone who inspires you to be a better person--who lifts you up when you are down and understands what makes you tick.

Stephen and I decided that we wanted to have a farewell party for ourselves, but that we didn't want to plan it. So we asked Elise's friend, Kieva F, to be in charge of it. Best. Idea. Ever. Tons of people came and took photos in the photo booth, signed a map of MN, ate, talked and played games. It was so much fun!!

Big plans: Option A (Ruth & Geoffrey F)

Best buds--Lydia S, Elise & Molly H

Best buds--Geoff F, Sammy & Ewan M

Our signed map of MN--can't wait to hang it up!

So many friends came--from church, our neighborhood and ballet

Who doesn't love sidewalk chalk? Not pictured, but hilariously fun, was the "cake walk" that we did. Only instead of handing out cookies or cupcakes, we handed out food that we didn't want to take with us. "Look! You won 6 cans of tuna fish!" It was awesome.

We'll miss these people and this place!!

Big plans: Option B--Trevor & Amelia F

Big plans: Option C--Lincoln & Amelia F

Final final goodbyes. Sorry kids, but camping out under the moving truck will not keep us from leaving

Um...random family picture

Remember how I mentioned our neighbor, Persephonee, and how she passed away suddenly? Her parents made a memory garden, and we stopped by to visit it before we left. The kitten is Zelda, in honor of the game Per and her mom, Amee, used to play together.

Everything is all packed and loaded on the truck...what can we do with all this leftover plastic packing wrap? I know, let's take it to dinner at the Helgeson's! Funny quote of the night: Sammy was offered a chicken drum stick by Dezra. His response cracked us up: "Is that like a chicken nugget on a bone?"

Saying goodbye to Joyce Biorn--our wonderful neighbor! She loved watching the kids play in the back yard from her arm chair :)

Howard Biorn is probably the most awesome neighbor we'll ever have. He tried to talk us into renting out the house and moving back in a couple of years. We tried to talk him into moving to WY with us. We're going to miss him terribly!

Our final meal in MN at the McAllister's. It's kind of funny, because their first meal in MN was at our house. Rebecca with Ruth and Amelia

Me and Rebecca

Geoff, Sammy & Ewan. Ewan's parting words to me were, "Take care of my Sammy!"

Mason & Zak. I didn't put "Big plans: Option D" on here, but I'm just sayin' that Zak is 13, and a pretty amazing kiddo.

Elise & Kieva. Poor Elise was sick, sick, sick--probably something to do with getting home from CT and sight-seeing 3 hours before our farewell party (when people were already at the house), babysitting the boys the following morning while we signed papers on the house, having an incredibly late Girl's Night, then the final packing and cleaning of the following days, then horseback riding with the YW, home late to sleep on the floor, then breakfast at the Kirkhams, brunch at the Larsen's, church, Patriarchal Blessing and our final MN meal. Phew! I'm tired just writing all of that!

Oh, Sandy, Sandy, my irreplaceable Sandy! How I will miss you!

Photo dump--July

Dad came to visit on July 4th--marking the first time he's come just to visit for more than a stopover. 

Cousins! My cousin, Darci, lives in WI, about an hour away from our MN house. She brought her daughters, Ayrica and Bailee, and my Auntie Margaret for a goodbye visit. We'll miss being close to them! 

A picture of me that I like. :)

Just home from Bolshoi--so happy to have her middle splits down!

I was talking with Aunt Lisa and Lincoln really needed something. I guess we talked a bit longer than he was expecting!

Funny the things I can do with the little boys that I never have time for when the older kids are around! We made this name alphabet when the older kids were off doing other things. Doing this started me thinking about how I need to do more pre-schooly things with these two--it's in this year's homeschool plan!

Yes, she is this cute all the time.

Quality Daddy-daughter time (she didn't even spit up on him!)

Luke, the best cat probably ever.

4th of July bike ride! Sammy really wanted to go, and I did to, so we made it happen. We went about 11.5 miles--this is us on the Coon Rapids Dam.

Ruthie with our dear friend Martha.

Just cute. That is all.

Our traditional $30 4th of July fireworks display in the road in front of our house. We go all out...

Spectators of the amazing-ness that is our fireworks display! This year marked the first year that our across-the-street neighbors didn't join us--their precious 5 1/2-year-old daughter, Persephonee, passed away suddenly in February, and life has (obviously) been hard for them since then.

While Dad was here he took the boys on some adventures--to Fort Snelling, Como Zoo and Conservatory, and then to Stillwater (with Stephen, Ruth and I). Here at the Teddy Bear Park.

No trip to Stillwater is complete without stopping by Nelson's--the ice cream place that gives you waaaaaaaaaay too much ice cream. This time I came prepared with containers, ice packs and a cooler. I was eating my ice cream for days afterwards!

So maybe his hair is getting a bit long...

...but just look at those curls!

I told Sammy he should probably wash his face before going anywhere. He asked me "how come?"