Dried Apples

This is what we've been doing all week. We tried getting some apples at the church orchard, but I couldn't believe the masses of people there. If you weren't there 10 minutes before opening, you didn't get any. My wonderful in-laws instead went out of their way and brought us almost 2 bushels from another orchard. Last year we happened upon a dehydrator and some cheap apples that we would never be able to eat all of, so we decided to try out drying apples. I was amazed that the children who would not eat fresh apples devoured the dry ones (loaded with cinnamon sugar of course)and they were gone way too fast. This year we got more apples and we spent 5 days peeling, coring, and slicing apples. This included 2 dehydrators running at the same time. Hopefully these will last us throughout the year. We also had a lot of friends over to babysit and are glad to help out where needed.

I woke up one night this week about 4 weeks prior to my due date convinced I would go into labor and couldn't sleep because I started thinking about all the things I needed to finish. About half of these are just things I want to finish, but the next day I got a move on and now the kids are packed, I'm halfway packed, the apples are done and my Disney World scrapbook is finished (mostly - I still have finishing touches). I'm almost to the point now where I can go into labor without feeling too unprepared. We still need to bring some things down from the attic and I wouldn't mind having a clean organized house, but that might be a lost cause anyway. On a good note, after over a month of the pain in my leg that I thought wouldn't go away until after delivery, somehow it dissappeared and I'm walking fairly normal again. Don't ask me how it happened because I didn't change anything, but I'm glad to not have to deal with that through this last month which is usually trying enough. Thanks to those who were concerned for me.

Holiday Dresses

Thanks Aunt Shirley for the new Holiday dresses!

All Dressed up

I decided I'm not a big fan of Halloween. Two years in a row it's been rush rush rush to get everyone ready and get everything done, the kids come home cranky, and scream for their candy. Who thought of this holiday anyway. Because my leg has been hurting I decided to take the "easy" route this year and stay home to pass out candy. My was I tempted to turn that light out. It's not like we had a lot of trick or treaters, but I thought I was taking the relaxing way out and with Mark taking the kids, I thought I could get some stuff done. I was interuppted in the middle of anything I tried to do and it was hurting my leg doing all the up and down, so I eventually quit trying to do anything. Oh well, it's over until next year and I'm pretty sure I won't be pregnant next year. I think everything just seems a lot harder when you're pregnant.

Happy Halloween

Thanks to grandma and Old Navy $1 sale for the shirts and socks. Dad has one too, but hasn't had a chance to put it on yet. If we can manage we'll take another picture if he puts it on later.

There is a belly

There was a comment after I posted our Halloween costume pictures, that I didn't look very pregnant, but let me assure you, the camoflague must have been doing it's job. So here is the shot to prove it. I'll just say it now, because everyone will ask - yes, I have carried all of my babies low. (If I can find them, I'll post pictures of previous pregnancies later). It makes it very difficult to find pants and shirts that fit well. I can't wear the "below the belly" pants because they're so low that they just fall right off - not to mention they are highly uncomfortable. Too bad these are more stylish. I also can't seem to find shirts that will completely cover my belly. Most of them stop half way down showing the stretchy part and the look is not very attractive. I'll admit, I haven't looked very hard because I have so many clothes from previous pregnancies that I can't bring myself to buy anymore. I guess when you acquire all your clothes from garage sales or freebies I can't expect to get something that works real well. I can last another month, but don't expect me to be stylish. I'm looking forward to my regular clothes.

Mind you, at this point of a pregnancy it's not likely anyone will feel great, but I don't remember having physical problems with my previous pregnancies. I have what the doctor only guesses to be a stretched tendon affecting one of my legs. It doesn't keep me from doing too much, but I hobble around like a pregnant woman and it does make me feel self-conscious. It's more annoying than anything, but the doctor said it will not likely go away until after delivery. I'm just grateful that so far that is the worst that has happened.

Some people ask if I'm ready. How are you supposed to respond to this? Physically - you betcha. I wouldn't mind having my body back, but I am not ready to handle 4 kids yet. I still have a list of projects I hope to finish beforehand so I better go get working!

It's been a year

So it's been over a year since I started this blog. It's been a great "journal" to look back and see what we've done in the past year. I started the blog for a more convenient way to keep grandma (who lives far away) to see pictures of the grandkids growing and progressing and it's nice that others can benefit from it as well. I know from reading other people's blogs that it helps me feel closer to them and to get to know them a little better, so I hope this has been a good thing for our friends and family. Thanks to those who care enough to check in on us and take the time to read what our family has been up to. I'm just posting some pictures for grandma to see the grandkids in the outfits she sent them, so enjoy.

Mom's Bragging Rights

I'm not here to post how much better my kids are than everyone else's, but each child needs someone to be proud of them and acknowledge that, so today is Taylor's turn. Taylor's class went on a field trip to the pumpkin patch today (which I hope to post pictures of sometime). We were allowed to take our children home with us afterward, but Taylor decided she wanted to go back to school. In the classroom the children were allowed to play for the remainder of the day, so while the children were playing, Taylor asked her teacher for some writing paper, and the overacheiver that she is started to write some stories. This may not sound like much, but I was at her school earlier this week testing the kids in her class and most of them couldn't tell me the names or sounds of letters, let alone read or spell a word. It seems as though it's been overnight, but Taylor is now reading books to us (and I'm not talking about the rinky dink decodables)and as of today writing not just words, but sentences (she even wanted to include punctuation). She still needs to learn her spelling, which will come, but the fact that I could actually read what she wrote if I tried hard enough to sound it out, amazed me. It's fun to watch your children excel and be so excited about the accomplishments they're making. Taylor spent the remainder of the night writing stories. I'll include a sample for you.

I wot to plant a Gortin with flawr's and pupkin's and ledsis and Green Bees's and tmato's.

(There is a picture of a monster on the page) This mostr is in a Book that My clas lovE's my tenr Has reD it Mene tis and dos a litl pupit with it my clas ask's all the tim for hr to red it.

Carousel

Sam's favorites & Aunt Kari

Sam of course loved the games with the balls. He kept begging for them and would look up the ramps to see if any balls would magically come out. He couldn't quite master the rolling in skee ball, but he knows how to use his arm to get the ball up to the top and hit the plexi glass. I'm surprised it didn't shatter. We loved having Aunt Kari accompany us to join in the fun.

Horse rides and bumper cars

I think this horse was one of the favorites because they all rode it several times. Dani loved the bumper cars and dad even enjoyed the fun. Poor Sam was pretty upset that he couldn't go on them.

A night at PoJos

Taylor wanted a family day for her birthday which I was thankful for instead of having a whole bunch of kids over. Grandma had sent some "coupons" to take the family to PoJos awhile back so we finally decided to use them. The kids had a blast - who wouldn't? Sorry Chuck E Cheese, but you've been ousted.

Celebrating

Our family came over to celebrate Taylor's birthday Sunday. Taylor wanted a cake decorated as a flower, so I drew many pictures of flowers for her, but none of them were what she had in mind. Instead, she drew me a picture of a flower and according to her the cake looks just like it. I really won't complain because the decorating took a tenth of the time as my usual elaborate cakes and I wasn't really into spending much time this time around. I did have to do some explaining, however, as to what it was.

Party time

We were invited to a costume party and attended last night. Unfortunately we are not as into dress up as much as our children, but we managed to come up with something. Our babysitter said she wouldn't take a picture unless we would post it on our blog. So this is for you Julia.

I've been tagged

My friend Debbie tagged me, but there's nothing too interesting to post. I'll see if I can come up with something.



1. I have what Mark likes to call piggy back toes. My pinky toes cross over. It is a trait I was born with that was passed down from my mother, who got it from her mother. I believe it even went back to her father. I've had several opportunities to get them "fixed" for free, but I feel they make me unique, and why would I want to change something that makes me who I am? I secretly fear that getting them fixed could end up disastrous (like not being able to walk anymore - or at least strong discomfort). Who wants to have surgery if it's not necessary - they don't bother me except in some shoes.

2. I graduated with a degree in Elementary Education because I thought I would love to teach. It's not necessarily what will make me happy and I kindof dread the thought of ever actually having to be a teacher. If I ever had to go back to work I really don't think the pay would be substantial enough for our family and I'm pretty sure I could find something I liked a lot better for more pay. If I choose to go back to work, I'll definitely look at other areas. I would like to go back to school, but I haven't figured out for what yet. I've always been good with and enjoyed computers, math, and numbers so I've considered accounting, but it sounds kindof boring doesn't it?

3. I attended Ricks college and I would have to say it was the best two years of my life so far. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to downplay my marriage or family and the time I've spent with them which I wouldn't give up in order to go to college, but that time in my life was the biggest growing experience for me. It was the first time out on my own and I got to experience everything for myself (I know, kindof selfish). I have the greatest memories from this period in my life. I would have loved to serve a mission, because I've heard similar things about that time in people's lives. Hopefully, someday.

4. Almost everypiece of our furniture was a hand-me-down or was bought second hand. I'm not sure whether this is something to be proud of or embarrassed by. My secret desire is to have a nicely furnished/decorated home, but I don't have the means. First of all, I'm too cheap and don't want to spend the money. Second, I have no fashion/style sense. I can find certain things I like, but I cannot coordinate them whatsoever. We always talk about hiring a decorator one day when we're rich, but I hate not being able to do things myself.

5. We never anticipated staying in this house very long (We've already stayed two years longer than we thought). Mark is itching to buy some land to put a few cattle on and he wants to design the house/shop himself. The thought of this does not excite me in the least. Not that I'm against it, but for the same reason as above (no decorating sense) and because I am one of the world's worst decision makers, I would much rather find a home that I can walk into and say - yes I like it, then start from scratch and criticize every decision I made for the next 20 or so years. Of course, the flip side is that there's no way I would find a house that would fit all my wants.

6. I used to pride myself on being one of the cleanest, most organized people I knew. I'm not sure exactly when that fell apart, but the fact that I can't keep anything organized anymore eats at me everyday. I can spend all day organizing closets and straigtening the house, and by the next day it's back the same way. I'm not sure that I can simply blame it on just having kids (although they sure help) and being busy, but I sure hope it doesn't stay this way until I'm retired, because it's driving me insane. I have noticed that I've become somewhat of a hoarder. I can't bring myself to throw much away. I collect a lot of stuff that I may use one day and we're just running out of space to keep it all, so this has probably heightened the problem.

7. I don't like fruit. I'm not sure when this started, but I don't remember ever liking it. I think most of it is a texture issue, but there are definitely some tastes that I can't stand (mainly bananas). I can manage apples as long as they're not mushy and I do love olives (if you consider that a fruit), but beyond that, eating anything else is torture. I actually crave fruit sometimes (especially during pregnancy when I'm looking to eat something healthy), but that doesn't get me to eat it. I like fruit juices and Mark has tried on many occasions to get me to eat fruit - to no avail. I'm worried that I'll pass this on to my children. I try to buy fruit, having it around the house, and offering it as much as possible, but I don't think this will be enough. I've already noticed them averting more than I'd like them to.

Not too exciting, but maybe you learned something about me.

Here's 7 people I'd like to tag, but I'm not going to link their blog without permission - sorry.

Kristy M.
Holly P.
Alli D.
Shani W.
Sheryl J.
Sherri B.
Patty M.

And I encourage anyone else to who is willing, because I would love to learn 7 things about you.

Who are you voting for?

If you haven't decided who you're voting for yet, maybe this will sway you.


http://www.tsgnet.com/pres.php?id=370743&altf=Nbsl&altl=Kfqtpo

Costumes for who?

In Grandma's package, she sent little Halloween costumes for the children's Build-a-bear's that she had bought for them. They were excited to dress them up and take pictures with them. It's kindof strange to see an Easter Bunny dressed as a witch.

Grandma's package

Grandma's package came yesterday and the girls couldn't wait to put on their matching dresses. Taylor insisted on doing both of their hair which she plastered with hairspray (Dani's was brushed out by this point). Taylor drew in her notebook with her new pens most of the day. Here are pictures she drew of Ariel, Mulan, and Cinderella. Dani wanted to include her drawing of a pencil.

Possible costumes

Both of the girls were Elmo during the previous years, but the costume is still a little big for Sam. I thought I should at least get a picture of him in it so we can have one of all the kids wearing it. Sam will most likely be a cowboy for Halloween (surprised?). Taylor had originally planned on being a dog, but we already had this horse costume and while trying it on, Taylor had the idea that she could be Sam's horse. We'll see if she sticks to that. We're still unsure about Dani.