4th of July Photo EXPLOSION!

It has taken me forever to get these pictures in the right order. So even if you don't do anything but skim through the stories, please spend a few moments enjoying the photos!

Ironically, none of these pictures were taken on the 4th because it fell on a Sunday. We hit the fireworks on Saturday and finished off our celebration on Monday.

We had to take our traditional 4th of July pictures in our matching outfits. What a great looking group of kids!

It wouldn't be a typical Saturday if we didn't run errands together. We found ourselves at Home Depot, buying materials for the bathroom construction project.

We felt pretty lucky to be there on the day they were making periscopes! We love free projects.

Very nice! Rebekah wielded a hammer very skillfully. She'll be a good builder someday.

Eventually, we headed to town for the fireworks show. It requires a lot of stuff to get a crew this size through the several hours that firework watching entails.

Snacks are one of the biggest requirements. Sarah made sure she got in on the cracker goodness!

We played some games, including WAR with the Five Crowns cards.

Sarah discovered that she really likes licorice!

Joseph kept us entertained with his usually goofy style.

The kids had a lot of space to run and they made sure they did. It was a good thing, because it was a little cool and they were able to get their blood circulating!

Finally, the show started. We didn't go to the fireworks last year, so Joseph had no memory his last firework display: he was only 7 1/2 months old. Rebekah was kind of in the same circumstance as she was 2 the last time we went.

I don't know how much Sarah enjoyed the show, but she didn't cry. That was a relief!

The show lasted over 30 minutes, so the kids started to get a little restless after some time.

Eventually, they fell asleep. It just doesn't seem right that they waited so many hours for the fireworks and then missed the finale!

It took us a while to get out of the traffic mess we got caught in, so we got home pretty late. Everyone was tired enough that we just let them sleep on the floor in the living room. (Blankets and sleeping bags were still out from sleeping in the tent in the backyard.) Some of them were confused the next morning!

We bought some fireworks of our own and saved them for the FHE activity. This year, we let Daniel light the explosives. It doesn't sound so responsible when I say it that way. He had quite the posture for lighting the fuses.

But it got the job done.

Nathan was captivated. Actually, he was showing off just a bit.

Ever the Big Sister, Leah held on to Sarah for us. There were some very bright fireworks. Leah squinted and Sarah was spellbound. I hope her eyes healed quickly.

Daddy gave Joseph the best view. Joseph seems to be enjoying himself!

We had sparklers for the kids. They were VERY difficult to light!

The camera had a hard time focusing in on Leah. Apparently, it just gave up and took the picture anyway.

And that was our 4th of July for 2010. Great memories!

Laundry Baskets

Kids often do surprising things. My kids constantly surprise me. Usually, it's not a pleasant surprise. We're working on those situations.

Some of the best moments come from the littlest minds. We passed by Joseph's room one night, not too long ago. He was settling down to sleep. Do you like his choice of bedding material?


What made it even funnier was that we've seen this situation before...about 4 years ago.

Here's Nathan. I guess being a little bit older, he was able to think to put a blanket on top of the basket.

Kids are full of surprises! And often good for a great laugh.

Hatching Chicks

I made a promise a while back to share our experience with hatching our own chicks. We found someone selling some fertilized eggs and bought a still-air incubator. We bought 3 dozen eggs, marked them with an "o" on one side and an "x" on the other. They had to be turned 3 times a day. Good thing we go to bed late, so we didn't have to worry about really watching the clock.

One night, half way through the 3 week incubation, the power went out for two hours. We didn't know what that would do to the eggs. We eventually found out.

When day 19 arrived, we stopped turning the eggs. And we kept an eye on those eggs! We saw many of them shaking and knew it would be any day! Ugh. Those eggs kept us waiting; the eggs were late. Apparently, that two hours made a difference. And maybe the temp wasn't quite warm enough, though it was a little difficult to regulate.

Then one morning...FINALLY! We saw a crack and kept a close watch on that little egg. It took all day.

We decided it was ugly in a cute sort of way. We kept it in the incubator until it was dry. Little chicks sure create a huge disturbance to the rest of the eggs while they flop around. So much for not turning the eggs during the last 3 days!

It was a much cuter creature when it was dry. And seemed so lonely all by itself.

Until more of the eggs started to hatch.

All in all, we didn't have much success with hatching eggs. Out of 36 eggs, 8 hatched and 4 survived. We did learn some things though and plan to try again with eggs from our own birds sometime.

We bought a dozen chicks from the mill in town and now have 16 chicks that have fully feathered out. Just two days ago, we moved them from the coop into the yard with a shelter. It's a temporary situation until we can build something a little bigger for them. We're only waiting until they start laying so that we can replace our 2-year-old hens. We figure that won't happen until November.

Additionally, we have two turkey chicks. The first two we had died. That's when we found out that turkey chicks need to be kept warmer than chicken chicks. Some information is more important than other information. The turkeys are still in the coop, but their pen is being prepared. November is also their big deadline. ;)

One heck of a day

We survived the day. Barely. A HUGE thank you to Chad's parents who saw a need and did something to fill it.

They drove 5 hours round trip to watch the sick kids so I could take Daniel to the TMJ doctor and have him fixed up. Things got a little tricky when I noticed that Daniel was also becoming sick, but the appointment was already scheduled and grandma and grandpa were on the road.

It took a lot of coaxing to get Daniel into the van and he waited somewhat patiently for them to be ready for them. I went into the office by myself when we got there and explained that Daniel was sick, but we really hoped they would still see him and help him out. We waited by an outside door so we didn't spread whatever he had all over the waiting room.

He spent about 10 minutes in the chair and we were on our way back home. Luckily, there was road construction on the interstate (did I say luckily?), so I took the highway. It made it a lot easier to pull over when Daniel started throwing up. YUCK.

I spent all morning cleaning...wiping down door handles and light switches, sweeping and mopping, doing tons of laundry, vacuuming, cleaning the bathroom vanity with a bleach cleaner...blah, blah, blah. I hope I got some of those nasty germs!

Chad and I are the only ones who haven't gotten sick. Since Chad got Rebekah's throw up on his face this morning, he'll be very lucky to avoid it. Nathan spent most of the day in one little chair, and Leah in another. Daniel was a little more nomadic. Rebekah tried to feel better throughout the day but would often crash when she overdid it.

Let's hope tomorrow brings a happier day for everyone. And no more fevers!

One step forward...

You know how the saying goes. I've been driven this morning to get as much cleaning done as I can. I've mopped and done about a 100 loads of laundry. My list is still long, but at least you can SEE that I've done something.

Amidst my cleaning efforts, Joseph has has a lot of requests. His latest one is to play with the electric train. He emptied his marble cup to make it a legal request. Too bad he emptied the marbles illegally! To get some peace, I decided to ignore his method and just give him the train. Unfortunately, that train is better suited for a 7-year-old. So while Joseph is playing with the train, I am, too. That wasn't something I was hoping to accomplish!

Now Nathan is sick. He hobbled back to bed, buried himself in his blanket and went to sleep. He's been there a couple of hours, at least. I've got Daniel an afternoon appt. with the TMJ doctor. I'm hoping he doesn't show obvious symptoms of this germ until AFTER we leave the office.

Someone HELP!

We had a busy weekend. Apparently, it also involved harboring a very nasty germ. Now it's Rebekah's turn to throw up and she's taken it very seriously. Leah is complaining of a headache, but so far seems to be holding off.

Joseph and Sarah don't seem very bad anymore. That sounds like it would be a good thing, but I'm not sure. They sleep more when they're sick. Now they're more likely to seeking me out.

Daniel has been having jaw pain for almost 24 hours. If I'm going to get him to the doctor, it has to be today; I don't think their office is open on Fridays. It would have to be an emergency for me to agree to put Rebekah in the van.

It's not even 8 AM and I have a 2nd load of laundry running...more to come. Several rooms in the house are disaster zones. I can't avoid them any longer. And Sarah just woke up.

Chad just took 4 days off of work. I hate to have him come home today, but I may not have a choice if I am going to take Daniel to the TMJ doctor.

These are the days that I could use two of me...and maybe a 3rd Me to get the sleep the other 2 me's aren't going to get.

A sample of the morning: I was finishing up in the bathroom (brushed my teeth) and Rebekah showed up in the doorway wearing a pale yellow complexion. Within seconds, she was standing over the toilet throwing up for at least the 3rd time in as many hours. I thought it was probably time to wash her hair. I got her kneeling at the tub and was about to start the water when I hear Joseph start screaming and crying in the dining room. He had just started his breakfast when the cat jumped up in the window and scared him half to death! It was so funny, I couldn't help chuckling. I opened the curtains wider so the cat wouldn't be so sneaky next time, but Joseph was spooked enough that I had to go to the back door and dump out cat food to get the cat away from the window. Rebekah did eventually get clean hair. :)

And last, but certainly not least, Nathan just came down the stairs - limping. He says his leg hurts. Let's hope he just slept on it funny.

Happy 37th!

Chad celebrated his 37th birthday nearly two months ago. That means the short time he's older than I am is half over.

The kids are always on a bit of an emotional buzz in June. First is Daniel's b-day, next is Chad's then comes Father's Day. They LOVE to celebrate something and 3 somethings is way better!

Chad's big day fell on a Sunday this year. He left the house at 10 for his meetings and we went to work. We made a big banner for the garage door and wrapped his presents. Amazingly, we still made it to church on time.

After dinner (church is out at 3:30 and we usually eat about 4:30), we presented Chad with his cake. When mom decorates a cake, it usually stays hidden from as many people as possible. There were kids who didn't know what Daddy's cake looked like and were more interested in it than he was.

Though it was the perfect cake for a baby (or baby shower), the lamb cake fit Chad, too. :)

Sarah helped Chad blow out the candles.

Everyone else helped him eat it! There is something very gruesome about this photo.

Daniel got the whole thing on video for evidence later.

Everyone gave Daddy a card they made him...

...and helped him open his presents.

Happy Birthday, Daddy! You're the best daddy in the world.

Up and running again

The computer went to the doctor and came back resurrected. (That's some doctor!) It has a new power supply, CPU fan and CD rom. Apparently, you really are supposed to use that canned air stuff. Great...more work.

Anyway, it hasn't shut down on me yet. That's handy. We got the computer back on Tuesday but were leaving town on Thursday, so I didn't have any time to blog. We got back yesterday afternoon and now I have even MORE to catch up on.

So the next post is Chad's b-day. It will be the third attempt. The first two times I tried, the computer shut down while I uploading photos. It must be because Chad is so old and the pictures somehow overwhelm the system. (Or it's because I was doing other things at the same time and the computer couldn't take the stress.)

P.S. Computer time has become more difficult this past month partly because Sarah discovered the printer and the pretty blue glow the power switch makes. Now she is drawn to it whenever I am in here and turns the printer on and off. I spend a lot of time picking her up and swinging her over my lap to get her away from that darned button! And if it's not the printer, it's the modem and all the pretty lights flashing on that. I'm glad to know she can see so well.

Electronical Nightmares

Electronical. Is that even a word? It doesn't seem right, but it works for me right now.

We went to the drive-in movie last night. Toy Story 3. The last drive-in movie we went to was Shrek...4 years ago. I know...we're such fun parents.

Anyway, the theater finally had something decent and the weather was good...so off we went. Overall, I give the experience a thumbs up. The kids enjoyed themselves and there wasn't an insane amount of crying (though it was close).

The worst part of the night was when I was trying to put the back seats of the van back up and couldn't get one of them to lock into place. I was pretty sure I was doing it right. The kids confirmed that the floor was clear of obstructions. So why won't it latch? I pulled it back and looked down in the back hinges. Ahh. That's not good. The camera.

The screen was fractured. It still took pictures, but I couldn't see them. It still loaded the pictures on the computer, so the pictures from the evening weren't lost. But the camera was not going to be usable anymore. Shoot. We just got that thing for Christmas!

So I had to buy a new camera today. After all, there is a family reunion coming up next week. Bad timing, I'd say.

I did a little price comparison online and eventually found something to satisfy me. Same brand and almost same model. Unfortunately, not same enough because the computer wouldn't recognized the new camera. When I went to load the new program, the computer didn't respond to the disk. Great. The computer doesn't even seem to know that it has a 'd' drive. It must be a communicable problem because the kids' computer hasn't been reading disks for a little while now.

The computer is already making clunking noises and freezes up when we run too many graphics. So Chad will take it to the computer shop on Monday. I'm so grateful that I have alternative internet options. It's bad enough that I can't use the scrapbooking program while it's gone!

Dandelion

I got together with a friend tonight for some digital scrapbooking. I was supposed to be helping her, but I'm afraid I left her to drown a bit. I hope she doesn't feel too ignored. And I hope to see her finished page soon!

Here is mine. I scrapped the momentous occasion of bringing the horse home. Maybe not a big deal to you, but it fulfills a lifelong dream of mine. Although, to be honest, the dream had mostly given way to reality. I wasn't so starry-eyed as I would have expected.

No matter. Daniel and Leah were excited enough for any lost emotions on my part.

Fancy Schmancy

How do you like my new blog look? My friend Krissy helped me get it up and running. Now my creative itch is active again. The possibilities are endless!

Joseph Budd

Joseph has a new favorite today. He has been carrying around an old copy (1980 - not so old, I suppose) of Billy Budd that I got in high school. If his hands get too full, he tucks the book under his arm.

The only picture is on the cover, but that seems to be enough for him. He'll even pretend to read it for you!

Breakfast cracker

Sarah and I were up first this morning. Actually, Sarah wanted to be up and so I had to get up.

Because of a slight addiction, I wake up at the computer. It gives me a chance to get the brain moving without having to use it too much. And I find out what happened during the night (which is usually nothing).

This morning I got a graham cracker for Sarah and sat her down on the floor. How do I deserve such beautiful babies?


Oh, NOW she decides she's not quite awake! That little girl has a birthday in 1 1/2 months. Crazy!

An update on the bathroom project. Here is our current situation. We got in a few hours of work this Saturday. And this time I can honestly use "we" in the description. I cut the tile (a lot of it), and Chad slapped it on. I am really going to appreciate this shower when I can use it!

I did shower upstairs Saturday morning. It did not help my feelings of frustration to see that bathroom in such a nasty condition. I really don't understand how toothpaste gets on the opposite wall.

Dear Life,

I think you have me confused with someone else.
I'm not strong enough for your tests.

I could use a little less stress.
And someone who understands.

I've had enough crap, thanks.
And enough of crappy people.

Your Target,
Arlyn

Losing It

Mentally, yes. That goes without saying.

But that's not what I meant. You may have noticed that I removed the weekly weigh-in list on the sidebar. I wasn't having much success and I really needed less stress in my life. So that was deleted.

That doesn't mean I stopped trying. I just stopped worrying about worrying about it. Get it? Anyway, I realized that I was too weak on my own. So I looked higher. I made a promise and have kept it. And I can now officially declare that I've lost all my weight gain from my last pregnancy. (It only took about 8 months, but HEY! I did it.)

An older sister came up to me at church today and said I was looking skinnier. She may have been squinting, but it really made me feel good to know that it was noticeable. And I think she was inspired to do that. (I'm thankful for people who act on their promptings.)

I still have about 15 pounds to go before I lose all my weight from my pregnancies. And then I need to get rid of a little more. For now, I'm taking it one day at a time and feeling grateful for any positive results that come!

Hidden Picture

Here is a shot of Joseph's room well after bedtime.


Can you find...
...a book?
...a dirty diaper?
...a blue blanket?
...a little boy who should be in bed?

This is SO Joseph. It's not uncommon to find him asleep back there, or sleeping under his bed or Sarah's crib, or in the closet. It is uncommon to find him sleeping in his bed. Usually, he just falls asleep on the floor next to the gate in the doorway.

Daniel's 10th Birthday

Yikes...I am WAY behind. Daniel has been 10 for 5 and a half weeks already!

Daniel's b-day was during the first full week of summer. Everyone was ready to party!

We opened presents first. The pile was high, but socks and underwear don't often seem to count when you're thinking of what great gifts you got. :) No one opens presents in this family without at least 4 witnesses. Daniel was surrounded and the exclamations were frequent.

Does anyone else have kids that always think another person's gifts are so much better than the ones they got? Our kids seem to be keeping track. Oh well, at least I know their long-term memories are strong. :)

Joseph quickly figured out that he could open presents just as fast as Daniel. I have a few shots of him standing off to the side with his own package. Daniel eventually moved over to Joseph in order to see what he was getting for his b-day. hehe
Nathan was the official videographer this time. He felt very grown up. We've yet to watch the video, so we don't actually know how skilled he was.
Like Nathan earlier this year, Daniel wanted brownies for his birthday cake. It's not as exciting to reveal the cake this way, but a heck of a lot easier!

In our family, it's tradition to cut and serve up your own cake/brownies. Daniel followed tradition and Rebekah kept an eye out for the piece she wanted!
Sorry, Sarah. No brownies for you. But have some of this DELICIOUS baby puree!

Daniel got his first official journal this year. We'll see what memories he chooses to record. When he comes down at night and says he can't sleep, I tell him to write in his journal. I don't know if he does, but I hope he picks up the habit before too long.