3 Princes and 1 Princess

Well Hello There!!!!!

2011-05-19T04:25:00.000-04:00

I must apologize for my lack of blogging. Life just got so busy! I have missed sharing everything that has been going on so I figured I would return to blogging again!!

Homeschooling is going well! Both boys have finished thier current grade and have already started the next! We are trying something new out called the Sue Patrick Workbox System! It has really helped us be more organized. It is also suppose to help with the boys being a little more independent with thier schooling then what we had been doing. It has been working great for "C" but "E" seems to have a focus issue. We will continue to work at it, I think it will be a great addition to our school day once we get use to it. I will post pictures soon of our workboxes!

At the end of April I went to a womens retreat with our church! It was a great weekend away to relax and worship our God. Unfortunately all good things must come to an end but I am looking forward to next years!

Since I have blogged last my good friend Julie and I have started a new blog called "Vast Beyond All Measures" or VBAM for short! We would love for you to check it out at vbamblog.com!

Well I guess that's all for now! I will post more very soon, I promise!

Busy, Busy, Busy

2010-09-06T20:24:00.000-04:00

I am SO sorry that I have been MIA for the past few weeks. We have been super busy with starting school. We finally got "C's" school books in the mail so we were finally able to start with him. He loves it!! "E" is almost 1/4 of the way through first grade. "A" was feeling left out so I went and bought him a preschool workbook.

As soon as things slow down and we get into routine, I will post more about some of the things we have been doing!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-08-25T08:25:00.002-04:00

I'm just peachy!

2010-08-24T08:16:00.000-04:00

The other day I decided to go over to the farmers market and find some fruit that I could use to try my hand at making jelly. I ended up getting a half a bushel of peaches and decided to make peach jelly.

My "sister" was here and she helped me make them. I plan on making some more soon because one batch didn't even put a dent on the amount of peaches I bought, that is if the boys don't eat them all first.

Here is a picture of our finally product.

What a Saucy Day!

2010-08-23T20:15:00.000-04:00

I made and canned homemade spaghetti sauce today! I took some pictures of the process while I was doing it to share with you all. I started this around 10am this morning and just completely finished about 5 mins ago (8pm)

I started off by cooking my tomatos and garlic. By the way, I didn't take this picture until after they were almost all out of the pot, it actually took 2 pots to fit them all.

Then I strained the tomatoes and garlic....

Here is the tomato juice that I got after straining....

After this I cooked the peppers and onion and then strained them but I forgot to take a picture of that.

After mixing in all the other seasonings and such, it cooked all day and then I put it in jars after dinner.

Then I processed them....

And finally.....they are done! I ended up with 5 quart jars and 8 half pint jars.

Check-ups

2010-08-20T20:52:00.000-04:00

So "A" and "L" had check ups today. "A" had his 3 year check up and "L" had her 18 month check up.

"A" weighted in at 33lbs and "L" weighted in at 25lbs.

"A" was grumpy as ever, but was clear with a good bill of health with no shots!

I had a few concerns with "L" One was a white spot on the back of her neck and it turns out that it is a birth mark. The second issue was that one of her eye lids droop especially when she is tired. The doctor recommended that she be seen by an eye doctor. "L" wasn't as luck as "A", she had to get 1 shot.

I made "L's" eye doctor appointment for Sept. 1st, so I will update you all then.

What A Great Weekend!

2010-08-16T11:13:00.000-04:00

It started off friday night when we had a ladies get together for church. Its always great when the ladies can get together! No Hubbies, No Kids, just Ladies! We chatted awhile, ate some good food, then shared some prayer requests and testimonies. What a great night and a great group of ladies!

Then Saturday, I got up early to head over to kohl's because I had a 30%o off coupon and wanted to use it on a new vacuum! I wanted one that was good with pet hair since we have the kittens now. I was debating between a Bissell Pet Hair Eraser or A Dyson. I opted for the Bissell just because I also got one of the Bissell Little Green Spots so that I can steam clean my furniture and things like that. Then I came home, of course tried my new purchases out, and the started getting some food together for a cookout with the praise team from church! We had a great time, with great food, and great people. We played Horseshoes, Ultimate Frisbee, Football and Badminton and just fellowship. It was a great time!

Sunday, we got up and went to church. It was a great service that really touched me. We then had planned on meeting a couple from church and their kids at a local park, but since it was raining we ended up at our house. The kids had a blast, the played outside, played the wii, played board games, and of course watched Pheoneous and Ferb. It was a great time for us parents, since the kids occupied themselves, we had a chance to chat. We found out we have a ton in common and we can't wait to get together again soon!

There is only one bad thing about this weekend and that is that it went by way to quickly!

MOM!...Phineas and Ferb are in my small intestines!

2010-08-11T22:02:00.000-04:00

This is "E" and "C's" favorite show! We have then taping on DVR and if they are watching tv, this is what they are watching, unless "A" complains and wants to watch Mickey Mouse.

If you haven't seen this show, it comes on the Disney Channel everyday. Its basically about 2 brothers who are on summer vacation that have a new project everyday which annoys their sister and she tries to "bust them" but when she finally gets her mom to come look, their project has vanished. The part that I find so funny is that in the beginning of each show the two boys tell their mom exactly what they are going to do and the mom is so not paying attention and just says something along the lines of "Thats nice dear"

I laugh at that because how many times do my kids tell me something and I just respond so that they don't think that I am not listen but they I realize I have no idea what they just said. I am going to try to do my best at really paying attention to what they are saying so that they aren't building a giant size robot in our backyard and "L" is desperately trying to "bust them"

And how could I leave you with out sharing with you this picture of the boys introducing our new kitty, Cubbie, to Phineas and Ferb today. They insisted that he needed to watch it.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-08-11T09:34:00.000-04:00

Here Kitty, Kitty!

2010-08-10T20:57:00.000-04:00

Thats right, we got kittens...

We went down to my moms house Sunday. She had a stray cat come into their shed and have kittens. They are adorable! The kids really wanted them and thought that maybe it would be a good idea. The kids are scared of most animals and thought that a kitten might be a good way to break them of being scared of everything. So we told them we would take them when they were ready.

However, after talking with a friend of mine who is a vet tech, I decided that I didn't want to shell out all the money on a brand new kitten that I am not ever sure if it has any diseases or anything and they are too little to be tested yet.

So we have decided to visit a shelter last night and see if we can find a replacement for the ones we were going to get. The boys were so excited!

Here are a few pictures of the kittens we were going to get....
Kitten 1

Kitten 2

And here are the kittens we got last night at the shelter! The kids LOVE them! They are so playful and fun!
Here is Cubbie....

And here is Sparky...

They are both 13 week old male kittens!

Stylin' Sunday

2010-08-08T07:08:00.000-04:00

I decided yesterday that I wanted to dye my hair. I wanted something different and I have tried different hair styles but just don't keep up with them. I decided that I wanted to out black. I took pictures of the process for all of you to see....

Before

During

After

I actually really love it!
Hope you all have a wonderful sunday!

Tractor Pulling Saturday

2010-08-07T18:16:00.000-04:00

One of my hubbys many hobbies is going tractor pulling with his family. Since we have had kids it has been harder to make it to all of them, but when he can make it he loves to go and the boys love to watch.

My FIL got 3rd place in his class.....

And my wonderful hubby placed 4th in his class....

Hope everyone had a great saturday!

Fabulous Find Friday

2010-08-06T07:27:00.000-04:00

Something that most people don't know about me is that I LOVE drinking out of cups with straws.

So here is my Fabulous Find Friday.....

You may be wondering why I am so excited about a plastic cup with a straw, but this cup is actually made to be reused. I am in love with this cup. They also make them in coffee cups as well.

So it may seem silly but I got super excited about it and just wanted to share!

Happy Friday!

Girls Night!

2010-08-05T09:41:00.000-04:00

Last night was girls night! 5 of us ladies met at Panera Bread for dinner and just to hang out and unwind after a long day. We had a ton of fun talking about things from our kids to the local combine derby! We even had a guy behind us listening in and shaking his head at our discussion on the combine derby.

Its so wonderful to have friends that can meet together and just talk and take your mind off of the everyday things for a little bit.

Thanks Ladies, I look forward to the next one!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-08-04T16:13:00.003-04:00

Craft Time Tuesday

2010-08-03T15:12:00.001-04:00

Doodle Pads

Items you need:
1-gallon size ziploc bag
paint
packing tape

Pour some paint into the gallon size bag.
Seal the bag, making sure to get all the air out
Tape the top of the bag shut to make sure there is no leakage
PLAY! Let your kids draw with their finger on the bag. Its great for practicing writing your name!

DATE NIGHT!!

2010-08-02T09:11:00.000-04:00

Saturday we actually had someone volunteer to watch all four kids overnight!! We have not had a date night in FOREVER, and have never left "L" overnight with the exception of needing to take Hubby to the ER, and I don't count that. LOL

We dropped the kiddies off around lunch time. Leaving them went pretty well. We headed to a mall that we go to on occasion. We went to the apple store and then ate lunch at Cheesecake Factory. We ate outside. It was nice and relaxing.

Over lunch we were talking about all the things we could do that night. A ton of things were talked about but we decided on bowling and a movie.

There are two bowling alleys in our town so I called both to price them and the one was cheaper then the other so we headed to that one. We got there and there wasn't a single car in the parking lot. We walked in and an old musty smell hit us at the door. There was no one else there with the exception of the workers who were all in a lane bowling. We got our shoes and our lane. We bowled 2 games until I had had enough of the smell and was starting to get a headache. Sad to say, hubby won both of them, but I blame it on the smell. LOL

We left there and did a little shopping and then met my brother and his girlfriend at the movies. We have not been to the movies since before we were married. I was so excited to go to the movies. We saw Dinner for Schmucks. It was so funny and so stupid all at the same time. I would defiantly recommend seeing it, if you can tune out some language.

Our date night was wonderful and I can't wait for the next one, hopefully that won't be so far away this time!

Allergic or Not Allergic, that is the question!

2010-07-29T11:09:00.000-04:00

With our recent switch to cows milk, it has been bringing up a lot of questions. Here is a little history on my kiddos and then I will fill you in on what is going on right now.

We will start of with "E". When he was little, he started not gaining weight and falling off the growth chart. After sending him to Hopkins, they told us to start giving him milk and milk shakes to "fatten" him up a bit. We started doing this and it didn't help. I started to notice that he was just not acting right. After suggesting that maybe his is actually lactose intolerant and taking him off of milk itself, he started to thrive.

Then there was "C". He practically came out with an ear infection when he was born. We were in the doctors office constantly for ear infections. Finally, the Wednesday before his first birthday, they put in tubes and he seemed to be better. He was better that is, until they fell out. They fell out and then the ear infections started all over again. January of this year we had his second set of tubes put in. The ear infections stopped again, well until this week.

"A" Had a lot of ear infections as well. He has his first set of tubes put in Jan of '09 I think it was and they are still in.

"L", when she was born she was so fussy and spitting up all the time. She was just miserable. It was suggested that maybe she was allergic to milk and that I should take it out of my diet since she was nursed. Then the ear infections started with her too. Then she developed this cough. It was awful, I was in the doctors office all the time because this cough just wouldn't clear up. We finally ended up at a specialists office where she instructed me to remove wheat, dairy and soy from both her and I's diet. She cleared up almost instantly and was fine from then on. We reintroduced everything around her first birthday. We gave her everything but milk and she seemed fine.

So that brings us to the present. And as you all know, we have recently started getting the milk delivered to our house. Well they have been drinking it for the last 2 weeks and wouldn't you know, "C" not has an ear infection even with his tubes and "L" developed a runny nose and cough.

That leaves me with the question....is it a coincidence or are there still some food allergies going on.

My other though is, maybe that the reason for the reoccurring need for tubes for "C" could actually be from food allergies and maybe if we get those cleared up the need for tubes will not be needed anymore after this set falls out.

There are a ton of things going through my brain. If you have had any experience with stuff like this, I would love to hear your situation. I should add as well that I have had them both allergy tested by skin test for food allergies and they all came back negative, but if then they drink it, they get ear infections how really is that going to show up on a skin test.

Could it also be that maybe dairy isn't the only issue going on with at least "C"? So many questions and I guess they will all need to be answered by trial and error.

New Blinds!

2010-07-29T10:00:00.000-04:00

The boys broke my blind in our front window a few weeks ago. They pulled on the string and down came the blind. We went for the last few weeks with out any blind, but the sun shines right in the front window every evening about 4pm and its just nice to have some privacy if you want to.

So enough was enough, I finally replaced it. Except, when I went to get a new blind, I fell in love with the bamboo ones and though that they would really go well in our living room, so I ended up buying 2 blinds since our front window is actually 2 windows that make one big one....they had to match of course.

I like they way they look....what do you think?

Wordless Wednesday

2010-07-28T10:00:00.000-04:00

An oldie but a goody

Craft Time Tuesday

2010-07-27T10:00:00.000-04:00

Craft Time this week is bird feeders!

Items you need:
2 Liter Soda Bottle
8 inch dowel rod
Bird Seed
Yarn or string
Stickers
Scissors or knife

What you need to do:
~Cut a hole on the side of the soda bottle
~Underneath the big hole, cut a small hole and also across on the other side of the bottle to stick the dowel rod through
~ Stick the dowel rod through
~ Tie yarn or string around the top of the bottle to hang with
~Decorate the bottle with stickers
~Fill with bird feed
~Hang outside and enjoy watching the birds

Fresh Fruits and Veggies!

2010-07-26T21:08:00.000-04:00

We are blessed enough to have my grandparents who have a ton of land and loves to plant gardens. We are also very blessed to have children that love their fruits and veggies!

We go down to their house every Friday. "C" loves to help Poppy plant stuff in the garden and after its planted, every week he will inspect and water the plants! When they are ready, they all go out and pick the stuff out of the garden.

We were down yesterday and they helped pick some cantaloupe and tomatoes and they got to bring some home, so guess what we had for lunch!!!

Here are some pictures and "C" and "L" chowing down on some cantaloupe, tomatoes and cucumbers.

Simple Sunday

2010-07-25T22:00:00.000-04:00

We made homemade ice cream today!!! It was SO yummy! We used our fresh off the farm milk and also replaced some milk with some heavy cream!

We spent the day with friends, family, food, swimming, sweet tea and homemade ice cream! It was a wonderful day!!

Giddy Up Cowboy

2010-07-24T08:24:00.000-04:00

I spent all week this past week helping out at my moms church's vbs. The theme was Saddle Ridge Ranch and everything was decked out in cowboys and barns.

My task was to teach the 2 & 3 year old class. Wow, what a task that was. They changed their vbs this year and made it in the evening from 6-8:30pm. Well, I don't know about all the other kids in our class but "A" was in our class and his normal bed time is 8pm on the dot! So, with vbs going until 8:30pm you can only imagine how that went.

All the kids seem to have a great time and learned a lot. Last night was the hoedown complete with a hayride, bonfire and of course food. Needless to say with it being 100 degrees outside, I went no where near the bonfire. We did let the kids play a few games and we went on the hayride.

Here are a few pictures from last night....

"L" all ready for VBS She was so proud of her outfit....

"A" playing with the ducks....

"L" playing with the ducks

"L" and Mommy on the hayride

"L", "C", and Mommy on the hayride

"C" & "E" on the hayride

Fun was had by all, but I am really glad that VBS only lasts one week....Its usually a crazy buy fun and busy week.

Fabulous Find Friday

2010-07-23T08:09:00.000-04:00

I know it is what I posted as last weeks Fabulous Find Friday, but I am so excited that I had to share it again.

Today is our first milk delivery! I have our cooler out on the from porch filled with ice and our 5 glass bottles that need to be returned.

Our order today will include:
2- half gallons chocolate milk
2-half gallons cream line milk
2-half gallons of sweet tea

I am not sure if this will be enough to last us the week or not, but we can always add more to our delivery for next week if we find we run short!

Our delivery day will be every friday between 8am-6pm :o)

Hope you all have a Fabulous Friday!