Brothers and Sisters

To say that today was busy, was an understatement.  We had to have the van checked out and the oil changed since we are leaving for Ohio (woo hoo!) next Friday.  Of course, we had school to do.  I took Kindle to ballet.  Afterwards, we were in desperate need to go to the grocery store.  Since it was just the end of the month, the kids also got to get their stuff with their money at the store.  I managed to squeeze in a couple loads of laundry and some cleaning too.  I was able to do my Beth Moore Bible study as well (which I am really enjoying by the way).

So no time for pictures...however, I snapped this photo with my iPhone the other morning.  Kindle thinks she is so big when she holds Gunnar.  I love how much she loves being a big sister!

I really love how all of my children love their brothers and sisters.  They are great friends and have lots of fun together.  Of course, they do have their share of disagreements, but at the end of the day, they love each very much.  I am so happy they have each other!

Cooper was just reminding me today of how he guessed the sex of each of his brothers and sisters correctly.  It is pretty wild, but he has gotten it right each time.  He has decided that we should have 10 kids.  A girl is next so we can continue the pattern-boy, girl, boy, girl and boy.  I told him we shall see...

Pumpkin, Pumpkin Who's Got the Pumpkin?

Yesterday, we had a fun filled day at Berry Patch Farms.  We have been there several times over the years and have always had a great time.  Nathan carried Celeste around in the backpack I bought at the consignment sale.  It was her first time riding in it.  She thought it was such an adventure!

They have some farm animals.  They really like the baby cow and goats.

Next, the kids went to get their face painted.  Grant was the "brave one" that decided to go first.  It is so funny to me.  As a child, I loved to get my face painted!  Cooper and Kindle have always been hesitant to get their face painted.  They have done it in the past, but typically turn down getting their face painted.  After seeing their little brother go first, they decided they wanted their face painted too.

We then headed out to the pumpkin patch to get a pumpkin.  You get to ride on a hayride out to get a pumpkin.  The kids always love that!

Gunnar hung out in the sling the entire time.  He was so sweet.  We got lots of compliments on how cute the kids all were.  Grant and Gunnar had matching shirts.  Kindle and Celeste had matching shirts and hairbows too.

Each of the kids picked out a baby pumpkin or gourd.  We also picked out a bigger pumpkin for our front porch.  They loved walking through all of the pumpkins.  There was also some cotton plants.  We had just been discussing in Cooper's school about what clothes are made out of (cotton, wool, etc.), so it was neat to tie it all in.

 

 

We took the hayride back and headed to the playground.  The kids wanted to slide over and over.  They had a really great time!

 

Since Gunnar was in the sling, I wasn't able to get photos of his cute pumpkin shirt till later.  He looked so big in it with his jeans.

 

This post is also my submission for this week's You Capture.  The theme this week was "togetherness".  As you can see, yesterday was full of togetherness and I loved every minute!

My Bumbo Babies

After Kindle was a baby, I discovered Bumbo seats.  I purchased one when I was pregnant with Grant.  I think a lot of people have seen these before, but just in case you haven't, I will tell you a bit about them.  

The Bumbo seat is made to help assist babies that can't quite sit up yet.  It is also great for babies that can sit up, but need to be kept still for a bit. (Please note that your baby needs to be able to control it's head and neck before you use it.)

I needed to run to the restroom, so he sat in his seat with Kindle watching.

I have used mine to feed Grant and Celeste when they were starting solids and beginning to sit up.  They make a tray that you can put on it as well so that children can have toys or finger foods on it.  When Gunnar starts with solids, I will be using it with him as well. (Please note that you should never leave the baby on an elevated surface unattended for obvious safety reasons.)

Grant at 7 months eating his dinner.

Celeste eating rice cereal (notice the tray).

Celeste after eating her peas in her Bumbo seat.

One of the great things about the Bumbo seat is that cleans off really easily.  Anyone that has fed a baby knows how messy they are!  Even though mine is now almost 4 years old, it still looks brand new.

I have seen lots of these at consignments sales for amazing deals.  Since you can clean these so easily, must of them look brand new.  I would recommend that any new Mom picks one of these up.  It will be worth it!

Homeschool Soccer: Week 5

It was a wet day at Homeschool Soccer today.  It had just started sprinkling, or as Kindle calls it sparkling, while we were headed to the park.  We hoped it would blow over.  Instead as we got out of the car, it actually picked up and got worst.  So, the kids had a fun day of soccer in the rain and mud.  Of course, they loved it!  I obviously didn't get my camera out in the rain.  Instead, I took some videos on my iPhone.  I was with Grant the entire time because Kindle and Cooper finished earlier because of the rain.  

Here is Grant and the 3 year olds doing jumping jacks.

And doing the helicopter stretch.

And touching their toes.

And "dancing" with the ball.

And kicking the ball uphill.

And playing with the parachute.

And more fun with the parachute.

The kids had a really great, wet day!

100 Posts!!!

Today, I am proud to say that this is my 100th post.  Woo hoo! 

When I started my blog in June, I had no idea if anyone would actually read it besides my family and a few friends.  I just kept getting phone calls and emails from other Moms and Moms-to-be asking me many of the same questions.  I thought it would be easier to respond on a blog rather than email the same thing over and over.  I am happy that many people have been helped by some of the things I have discussed.  I am here to say I DEFINITELY do not have it all figured out.  I am just doing the best I can and seeking God on how to be a better Mom and wife. 

Through this journey, I realized how wonderful it is to have an [almost] daily post about what was going on in our lives.  As most of you know, I love to scrapbook.  This blog has been very helpful to remember the little details that often times get forgotten when I go to print photos to scrapbook.  I plan to print my posts and make some kind of journal [eventually].  

I also have really enjoyed getting to know other people out there in the blogging world.  Prior to starting my blog, I rarely read other people's blogs.  I was a bit overwhelmed [I might still be just a little] and had no idea barely any idea what I was doing.  It has been such a blessing to read other Mom's homeschooling ideas, meal planning tips, craft projects, product suggestions, etc.  It also is wonderful to read other Mom's blog posts that make you feel like "I am not the only one who has a messy house somedays :)" ha ha.

To sum this up, I just wanted to say thanks for reading my blog.  Thanks for suggesting it to friends.  Thanks for your comments.  I hope you continue to enjoy reading about our lives.

Gunnar cuddled up to me at dinner tonight.  So sweet!

Lesson Learned for the Day: Always Bring the Kid's Shoes in the Car

Nathan is always saying to me that no matter what we are doing the kids should wear their shoes in the car just in case.  I learned why this was a good idea this evening...

The kids and I decided to grab a bite to eat through a drive-thru since Nathan was out of town on a photoshoot in Alabama.  I got some food and then headed to the gas station.  After I pumped the gas, I went to start the car and it wouldn't start.  Prior to leaving the house, I actually thought "maybe I should put the kids shoes on?"  I decided not to worry about it since I was in a hurry and we weren't going to be getting out of the car.  So here I was at the pump at the gas station, Nathan is in Alabama, all 5 kids are getting hot in the car, they have on no shoes so I can't go inside the gas station to ask for help and I have no jumper cables or clue what to do.  I talked to Nathan and ended up calling my parents.  God Bless them because they had just sat down at a restaurant for dinner.  They left the restaurant and headed towards me.  I decided to ask the man at the pump next to me if he had jumper cables.  Unfortunately, he was on the phone, so I pushed the call button on the pump and let them know I couldn't drive away from the pump because my car wouldn't start.  They said they could send someone out to help me.  Just then, a lady and her son pulled up behind me waiting their turn to use the pump I was pulled up to.  The completely wild thing was that there were over 20 pumps and only a few were occupied, but she decided to wait for mine.  Since I was waiting, I walked over and told her that my car wouldn't start and that she might want to pick a new pump.  She told me that she had jumper cables and could help me.  Just then, the man sitting in his car on the phone overheard my conversation, and said "oh, you need a jump?" and he whipped his car around to help me.  He discovered that I had corrosion on my battery and he cleaned it off and jumped the car for me while on his cell phone the entire time. LOL.  I thanked him and the lady in the car behind me many times. [Side note: I was really blessed that 3 people offered to help me!]  I made it home without anymore problems.  Since my parents were headed my way, they asked me to park in the driveway, so the kids got out barefooted (they thought that was awesome).  When they arrived, my Dad took a look at the battery which needed water as well.  He cleaned everything up too.
P.S. I will be putting jumper cables in the car asap!
[There are no photos of this "event" because I would like to forget that it happened and not memorialize it with photos.  ha ha]

In other news, while I was getting the older 4 kids ready this morning, Gunnar fell asleep on my bed.  He looked so sweet, I had to snap a couple of photos.

Sometimes You Feel Like a Nut, Sometimes You Don't

Trying to get things accomplished with 5 little ones always proves to be challenging.  I have a great plan of getting my task accomplished in [insert time frame here] and then there is reality where I have to add an extra 30 minutes to an hour for the unexpected.  My Mother came over to do to go through the last child's clothes for the Fall today. We are almost completely finished, but man did it take a lot longer than I thought.

The kids had a great time today even with the busyness.  Cooper decided that he was going to be a warrior and created a costume.  He ended up combining 4 of his old Halloween costumes to come up with this.

He was so excited to see this photo.  He is wearing his Dale Earnheart Jr. racing costume, his Buzz Lightyear boot covers, his pirate sword & ties around his neck and his Luke Skywalker belt.

Kindle and Grant are such great buddies.  They were playing kickball in the foyer.

They also went outside and jumped on the trampoline.  We are all enjoying this cooler weather!

Tonight, we had to run some errands.  Grant had to go to the potty for the 3rd time in an hour.  Gunnar decided he was not happy in his car seat anymore.  Celeste was upset because she wanted a book to read in the car, etc.  All I could think of was the old commercial for Mounds and Almond Joy chocolate bars. You know the "Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't."  Ha ha