The -Ing Family

Update From the Tiny Farm on the Hill

2013-05-14T18:09:00.000-07:00

Well. Things are moving right along.

School is continuing to be a challenge as the weather is turning warmer. I knew it would be this way. But we have to keep on it. It's not easy convincing those little boys to sit still long enough to get it done. We'll keep at it.

Our little micro farm is growing. The seeds are starting to poke their way heavenward (minus the few that Ezra accidentally knocked onto the porch. Oops. Maybe they'll grow there anyway.

The trees we planted don't seem dead yet. That is hopeful.

The chickens are fat.

The dog is lazy, except for this evening when we were chasing chickens and he decided he wanted to participate. We can NOT have that. No sir. I'm pretty sure he would have killed a chicken if he'd caught one, not necessarily on purpose, but still. But he was stopped and sent in the house. But it was some drama! Oh my!

We're in serious talks trying to actually add MORE creatures to our little place here on the hill. Maybe we are crazy. Maybe. But dreams are coming true, and that is what we are here for. There is so much delight in the few "farm" chores we have. The boys don't seem to tire of them. So we're counting our blessings, embracing the little corner of the world we've worked so hard for. It's wonderful.

($10 prize if you can guess what is all over my shirt!)

Miriam was plagued with a high fever for three days, and so we headed to urgent care on Mother's day. Now, we are squirting antibiotics down her throat twice a day. Thank you ear infection! She's much improved. Not that she was acting sick in the slightest, minus the 103 degree fever, because she wasn't. She was behaving as bright and sunny as ever. Dork-butt.

So, yes. There is the update.

Overwhelmed, that's what I am.

2013-05-08T09:55:00.001-07:00

Random cute ice cream eating picture.

I'm having a terrible time balancing my life.

Honest to to goodness. I can't believe how crazed I feel.

School is naturally a top priority, so I sometimes feel if 1. School is done 2. There is a meal on the table some time around dinner then I am successful.

Seriously low expectations.

There just isn't enough time in the day.

The house is (as you saw recently) frequently *ahemalwaysahem* a mess. It's usually clean under the clutter.
But still. Crap everywhere.

Everyone's yards, as Henry kindly pointed out yesterday are "more beautifuller than our's Mommy." Yes, child, I know. It's a LARGE work in progress.

Any amount of outside work equals the house staying a mess.

We've been doing a lot of outside work as of late.

Then there are classes/appointments/activities for the boys. I can't keep them straight. Spencer and Oliver missed their science class yesterday because I forgot about it.

Good grief, I suck.

Why do I suck so badly at finding the time and energy to get it ALL done? I haven't touched my novel in WEEKS because it's just so low on the list.

One claim to fame here is that you can ALWAYS find clean clothes. You just may have to dig for them.

Overwhelmed.

I need a maid/nanny/live-in helper.

You know, a Susan, like in Anne of Ingleside. I need a Susan.

Anyone want to apply for the post? It doesn't pay, but I'll treat you real nice!

Chicken Run

2013-05-01T18:13:00.000-07:00

Chickens don't belong in houses. Baby chicks? Sure. CHICKENS, no. Just no.

Except it's still butt-cold at night here on our little hill, so we don't keep the chickens outside then. That and the coop is in six pieces.

So, my dashing prince of a husband made the run for them this weekend. It isn't QUITE finished, but close enough.

Each morning we gather the chickens out of the wire dog kennel in my dining room where they spend the night, carry them out-of-doors to their portable run and shove them in.

It's fool-proof, except when it's not.

We also have to stick a feeder and waterer in there because there aren't enough bugs in their limited "free-range" run to fill up the growing bellies of these fat girls.

And ^^^that is where we got into trouble yesterday.

After carefully flinging the girls under the run, we realized (by "we" I mean me, and five super helpful children) we'd forgotten the food and water.

No matter, just lift and stick.

Food in.

Water... water... "STICK THE WATER UNDER THE WALL OH MY GOODNESS. SPENCER!"

Then, little Pecky Becky who is Derek's chicken, ducked her little fat chicken butt under the tiniest little space and was suddenly a real-live-free-range chicken.

And she was gonna enjoy it. She.ran.for.it.

Thus began the chase of the century. Four children, running in all directions as that white poultry dodged them all. Miriam was SCREAMING at having been plunked rudely down in the grass.

"Stop chasing her! Stop!" I hollered.

No one stopped.

For a stupid bird, she was pretty smart. She headed straight for the woods. And my dear sweet children headed straight for her.

Well. Becky picked the prickliest, thorniest spot of our yard to hide.

Of course.

The boys were determined to rescue her from her fun. She wasn't interested.

After chasing her even deeper in the woods (oh the crying as they scratched themselves), they FINALLY realized that there wasn't anything to do but listen to MOMMY. LISTEN TO MOMMY.

Goodness.

Spencer went left, Henry went right, clapping their hands, to scare her away from heading up the hill over the stone wall and joining the wild turkey clan that resides up there.

Oliver began to cry again when I dare suggest that we wait until she decided to come home.

Finally that feather-brained dinner on feet realized that life wasn't that great in the wild (Luckily she's never seen "Chicken Run") and came on out, while the little boys clapped and clapped to scare her down the hill.

Eventually she wandered out and right up to me and cocked her head to one side as if to say, "Hey, don't I know you?"

"Yes you stupid bird! I'm your momma!" A slow chase ensued where Oliver headed her off and I grabbed her from behind. Clutching her to my side I lifted the run and shoved.

WOOHOO!

Miriam was rescued, grass dug out of her angry mouth. Oliver was STILL crying but about how scratched he'd gotten.

"Good morning, Mary!" I called to our only neighbor, who was enjoying her morning coffee on the porch, watching EVERY SECOND of our chase.

"Morning!" she called back jovially. She was laughing. Of course.

Then all into the house to start school.

Except I had lost Spencer somewhere.

A quick yard sweep showed he'd gotten himself completely stuck in the brambles. The harder he tried to free himself, the more stuck he became.

I saved him, never fear And my badge of honor is that I'm completely covered in scratches.

All because of Derek's chicken.

Why My House is a Mess

2013-04-23T10:10:00.000-07:00

Gosh, those dishes sure need to be loaded into the dishwasher.

But wait, everyone is starving. Time to eat!

Miriam is having a ride on my back in the carrier. Perfect!

Okay, time to straighten up.

Oh no, we have no bread, must start the bread instead!

Okay, bread is rising.

Now, maybe clean up a bit?

No. It's time to get dressed/brush teeth/make beds, boys. Go go go!

Get dressed Oliver.

Find a shirt Spencer.

Get your pants on Oliver.

Henry, did you brush your teeth?

Get dressed Spencer.

Get dressed Oliver.

Go use the potty Ezra.

Get dressed Ezra.

Henry stop distracting them.

Get dressed Oliver.

Get dressed Spencer.

OH MY GOSH.

Did you brush your teeth?

It is now 9am, time for school. Get to work boys!

Miriam has been crying all morning, NAP TIME.

Hey, maybe while I'm upstairs putting the baby down, I can get dressed.

Nope! Ezra is having a fit. He needs help getting on the potty. It's POOP time people! No time to waste!

More school.

I am still not dressed. The house is still a mess. The dishes are not done.

The bread is finished, the baby is awake, everyone is STARVING.

LUNCH TIME.
We eat through the loaf before it is even remotely cool.

By tasking her brothers to feed her yogurt bites, Miriam is distracted long enough for me to...dundundun... LOAD THE DISHWASHER!

Go me.

Just in time for the lunch dishes to fill it back up again.

I put Miriam down to do piano with the boys.

Someone, in that time, smeared soap all over the bathroom mirror.

Diet Coke for lunch.

It's 1pm. I am not dressed.

Miriam is thrilled, her unwashed, pj-clad mother picked her up again! The world can go on!

The house is still a mess. I am still not dressed. Ezra did not nap. The washing machine is beeping incessantly telling me to come put the diapers in the dryer. The children are educated.

I am blogging. Miriam is banging on the computer.

This is my life. This is why my house is a mess.

Jet-Setting Morgan

2013-04-19T08:14:00.001-07:00

WOW! Too much time has passed. I'm sorry about that. I've been running all around the country like a crazy person the last two weeks.

And it has been a BLAST!

Early last week we headed to Mystic Connecticut, and it was beautiful. We ran and played and enjoyed the first really REALLY warm day we'd had all year. It was fabulous.

Then Meem and I boarded a flight (two actually) for the great state of Utah. It was my littlest brother's birthday, and he's leaving for TWO WHOLE YEARS on his mission in a couple of weeks. So it was a sibling reunion. My kind, sweet, magnanimous husband stayed home with the boys.

They didn't miss me in the slightest. No, I'm not kidding. Daddy is WAY more fun than Mom. This I already knew.

I shall simply have to go away more often.

It was the first time ever in the history of my parenting that I went away (other than the overnight births, but that was work and I don't count it).

I got to see Stacy and crew, which was balm to my lonely soul. Oh how I love her and her family.
*sniff*

It was so much fun to be with my family. I have missed them terribly since leaving in January. We stayed up late and laughed until we cried.

I love them. So much. (Not enough to take any pictures, but you know... I was busy!)

And then I came home, and to ease the sting of leaving behind my family, my own sweet boys were waiting for me, with signs they'd colored themselves.

Then I couldn't believe I'd been happy all weekend without them.

Motherhood is a strange disease.

To keep life interesting, my dearest of friends, Maren and her brood of four boys that match mine quite nicely came to stay.

We chased boys, slapped bandaids on the MULTIPLE bloody injuries (BOYS!) and sneaked brownies when the kids weren't looking.

It was very very good.

The two (TWO) toilets that were clogged were remedied by a late evening trip to Walmart for a plunger (who knew I didn't have one??) and my superhero husband.

Derek has been running around nonstop and has to work all weekend.

Poor man is going to need his own weekend away pretty soon.

You Say It's Your Birthday!

2013-04-06T18:14:00.000-07:00

My sweet sweet boy is now 4. Yay Oliver.

He chose to go to the movies for his "birthday activity." After of course, cinnamon rolls for breakfast.

In reality, Oliver wanted cinnamon rolls for DINNER, but with some gentle prodding, he was convinced to have them for breakfast.

We went and saw the Croods. It was a cute movie, and lots of fun for everyone. The theater is also a restaurant, so we ate lunch during the movie. VERY cool.

Cake and ice cream is a given. Chocolate with BLUE frosting. WEIRD KID.

NEXT, presents. Oh he was beyond excited for presents and thrilled with Finn, his new super doll and a new cloak to traipse through the woods in. Iron Man also made an appearance.

A good birthday.

At four years old, my Oliver is:

Highly opinionated. I'm trying desperately to see the GOOD in that.
A sweet brother.
loves tacos.
loves cinnamon rolls (see above!)
thoroughly loves playing outside.
likes to do "school.
naps most days.
can be incredibly INSANELY naughty.
still is my bug.

Love you darling son of mine. LOVE YOU.

Life According to my Phone Camera

2013-04-05T12:55:00.001-07:00

We declared winter over this week.

Snow? What snow?

Guess what? These boys still need naps.

But if you try to tell THEM that, look out.

My chicks are turning into CHICKENS and oh the messes they make.

Gratuitous baby picture!

I'm thankful that the weather is looking warmer. I'm thankful that it's becoming tolerable. I'm grateful that little boys can be OUTSIDE breathing fresh air and then passing out on the couch.

I'm grateful.

Tomorrow is Oliver's birthday. Stay tuned for birthday posting!!

Easter Wrap-Up 2013

2013-04-01T05:12:00.002-07:00

Happy April Fools! We're not observing today, because I FREAKING HATE APRIL FOOL'S DAY.

Thank you.

Instead, I shall tell you about our Easter.

It was lovely, thanks for asking.

Saturday we dyed eggs using the fancy schmancy shaving cream method. It was fun. And messy.
And you can't eat the eggs if you use this method. Hmm.

On Saturday night, it became apparent that I had no idea where the Easter baskets were. (Seriously, I need to unpack the friggin' basement.)

Derek was dispatched. He is BRILLIANT and came home with beach buckets, shovel included. The kids LOVED them.

We had an egg/basket hunt. The Bunny hid 82 eggs. They were ALL found (save a few stragglers still rolling in) in approximately 5 minutes. Then the baskets were found equally fast.

Those silver and gold eggs are a hot commodity. Much arguing.

(Spencer isn't in any of these pictures!!! I love him! I do! I just was perched on the couch, and he was a blur of egg-finding-stealth.)

It was a quick morning.

No one got new Easter garb, except Meem, because let's face it, boys don't give a crap, I don't need any new clothes (despite how badly I'd LIKE new clothes) and Miriam's dress was a gift.

Goodness she is cute.

The boys had a rough time at church coming from oh so much fun at home, too much sugar, lack of napping and general being-children-ness.

Church was rough.

But then we came home and a delicious meal of roast, potatoes, carrots, rolls, jello and fruit tart. Yes. It was delicious, even if I made it, I'm allowed to declare it thus. It was good.

Diet? What diet?

And then by then we were all fried, over-stuffed and kind of rolled our way to bed.

Today, my very favorite post-holiday-hang-over is in full swing.

OUCH.

One religious note regarding Easter:

I am the primary music leader at church which means I teach the music to the kids ages 3-11. And yesterday was a very cool day for music, because I picked a bunch of different primary songs with various subject matter and then had the kids connect each one in some way to the Savior. It was fun and the kids were incredibly insightful. Even the tiniest among them could understand how everything points to Christ. It was pretty cool. I loved it.

I love Easter. I love that my kids are getting old enough to actually grasp WHY we celebrate it. I'm thankful for Jesus and his atonement.

And I'm very thankful that March is done and perhaps, spring will find us here in April. Please? Maybe?

Happy Almost Weekend.

2013-03-28T15:16:00.002-07:00

Hello! I took a week off apparently. Mostly because there wasn't much to say other than "I'm over winter" and "The children are acting like caged monkey" and "Chickens smell."

But here's a cute little diddy to take you into your weekend:

Thanks to potty-learning, Ezra sheds most of his layers by the time dinner rolls around. I don't remember the last time Derek came home in the evening to DRESSED Ezra. Here he is, cleaning up the wall apparently, in all his glory. It's really really funny because it's not warm at all, but he doesn't seem to mind the cold.

Ok. That's all I got.

In Which I Yell...

2013-03-20T05:19:00.000-07:00

Dear World:

A foot A FOOT on March 19th. This is so deeply offensive.

THEN add to that a dead (and I mean DEAD) snow blower.

What does that mean?

(If you guessed, "I guess that means you had to shovel the driveway", then you could not be more WRONG.)

It means I'll be going nowhere until the darn snow melts. MELTS I say.

(Shovel? I'm sorry, I don't understand that. Come visit. See my driveway, THEN talk to me about shoveling.)

Then this morning, I was TRYING TO BE A NICE PERSON, so I betook myself (and the dog) outside at 6-frickin'-am to do his business, and clean off Derek's car. (BECAUSE I'M A NICE PERSON!) And I fell down ALL the stairs. (THERE ARE 8 OF THEM). Now, there is a strange numbness in a portion of my back.

I did not clean off Derek's car. I HAVE MY LIMITS.

And this darn winter is PUSHING THEM WAY BEYOND MY HAPPINESS.

I did not intend, when I came here today to gritch about the weather. BUT APPARENTLY THAT IS WHAT IS HAPPENING.

EVERYONE has a runny nose again. AGAIN. What is this, JANUARY?

Can someone please tell me, if it is possible for a two-year-old to poop in his SLEEP, because I declare that is what is happening. I thought you had to be awake to do so, but he is proving otherwise. EVERY SINGLE MORNING, Derek or I rush in there to catch him as he is waking to get him to the potty in time and EVERY SINGLE MORNING he is greatly distressed because he has ALREADY DONE HIS BUSINESS.

Pull-ups are NOT designed for that much BUSINESS if you know what I mean.

ALSO, the toddler and preschooler gave up naps last week AT THE SAME TIME. This is so rude I can not even explain it. BOTH OF YOU??? AT THE SAME TIME??

I want a vacay to somewhere warm and poo-free.

Love,
Morgan

Hagey Hens

2013-03-17T13:20:00.001-07:00

For a very long time one of Derek and my goals has been for self-sufficiency. We've always ALWAYS discussed chickens, but they were continually put off because we were perpetual-renters. Farm animals and renting don't usually mix well.

Well. My bank account app tells me that we have a mortgage that we owe ALL KINDS of money on now. And it's spring. That means CHICKENS.

So, on Friday we hauled tushie over to the farm store to get the girls. We ended up "settling" for a mix of breeds because the breed I wanted was only available in "straight run" which means that the gender is a mystery. Could you IMAGINE six roosters? If was going to eat the chickens, then big deal. But our ladies are not for eating. So, ladies they MUST be.

Anyway, we'll see what we end up with breed-wise in a couple months, but for now, they are little balls of fluff (who's wing feathers are already showing at just 5 days old). They are residents of a rubbermaid tub under the school table.

Here is the viewing arena:

The big boys are allowed to "hold" the babes but the little boys have learned "wun-finner" as Ezra says, which means "one finger" so they are learning to be gentle. (I promise, it LOOKS like Henry is squeezing the crap out of this chicken but he's being gentle!)

The poor dog can NOT figure out what these girls are all about, but he is very interested. We aren't sure if he thinks they are food or what, so he is NOT allowed near them unsupervised.

We are anxiously engaged is scavenging pallets for the chicken coop, which will be all set for the girls as soon as it gets warmer and they get some good feathers. In the meantime, they are growing and making the cutest little chirps.

Dreams come true! It's the real deal, folks. Awesome.

Play Dough Saved the Day

2013-03-15T09:19:00.002-07:00

Winter does not seem to understand that we've broken up. It was a good run, but I'm ready for a more serious relationship with spring, you see?

It's totally not me, winter, it's you.

But the temperature. Well. It's being frigid. The kids are still trapped inside. I did send them out the other day and Henry lost his boot in two feet of snow, and it's still out there somewhere.

Yesterday it was crazy town. RUNNING and SCREAMING and FIGHTING.

So, I did what any desperate mother would do.

I made play dough.

TWO hours of blissful playing. NO fighting. NO crying. BLISS.

Typically, I hate play dough. It's messy. It's sticky. But this? Worth every bit of clean up.

In other news, this little doll is SEVEN months old.

Amazing.

Potty Trained in Just One Day

2013-03-11T18:37:00.000-07:00

So. This morning, we woke up bright and early and decided to use the potty.

And now, my sweet, smart Ezra is sleeping off the excitement of his "Potty Party".

Ezra did SO well with the whole thing. He LOVES being a big boy. His daddy brought him home Spiderman underwear, a POTTY BADGE and donuts in celebration.

All day long he literally said, "Bye bye diapers!" Oh my boy. He is just awesome.

And for the fourth time, I swear up and down by the "do it in a day" method,. It can't be beat.

Homeschool 21st Century Style

2013-03-07T07:35:00.000-08:00

(doing their reading class on the computer)

One of the coolest things about homeschooling in this day and age is that it's not done in a vacuum. Well, I suppose it COULD be done that way, if you so choose, but we don't so choose.

Every morning, my boys hop on the computer and connect with other kids, live, as their reading teacher guides them through the basics. There is hand-raising, participating and reading over the microphone.

It's not exactly like traditional school of course (if that was the case, wouldn't we just use traditional school?) but it's great. It's collaborative and fun. I love it.

We're facing the reality that next year our beloved school may not be available to us because it's not offered in New Hampshire, and so we're trying to figure out what to do with ourselves. I'm just bummed because we've loved being a part of this experience, and it will be sad to forgo it.

Darn you New Hampshire. DARN YOU!

Blood...oranges

2013-03-05T04:14:00.001-08:00

To while away the winter (it snowed again yesterday, YES I am complaining), we have taken to fighting off scurvy through ingesting huge amounts of oranges.

BLOOD oranges are a new favorite. Why? Because they are dark red/purple and when you bite into them and let the juice go all over your face it looks like BLOOD.

And to little boys, this is straight up awesome.

And sticky.

It's gross, but it's been a long winter. We are in survival mode here people.

So, blood oranges? Pass 'em on down,

Awesome

2013-02-26T17:22:00.004-08:00

This is my favorite thing from today:

Knights, horses and dinosaurs.

Perfect!

These boys are pretty cool cats, ya know?

It's Still Winter.

2013-02-20T16:35:00.001-08:00

I don't have a groove yet. Miriam is six months old, and usually by the time the baby is six months old I'm usually pretty comfortable with what we're doing... AND we're not there yet.

Maybe it's because of the move, Derek left when Miri was 8 weeks old, then single-mom-hood, then Christmas, then the move, then then then WINTER oh my heavens, my house is a disaster and there are children everywhere, and boxes remain in the basement (we pretend like those aren't there), and it's just a bit of a zoo.

I'm trying to get a routine going, and it's helping, but it is still WINTER and my goodness above, February is the longest month isn't it? I mean it's short to keep people from offing themselves, honestly.

So, since more snow is a'comin' we're just going to try to stick to our routine...kind of, eat more homemade bread, and RUN and RUN and RUN.

Oh goodness.

The Week in Review

2013-02-15T17:40:00.002-08:00

We "celebrated" Valentine's Day this week with pink waffles and cookies. These are good things. Except no one liked the pink waffles. Whatever, there is only so much Momma can handle in a day. People wishing the waffles weren't pink is SO NOT ONE OF THEM.

Henry has started Karate this week. He is LOVING it.

Spencer and Henry are also doing piano lessons. They are working hard and liking it most days.

Oliver is trying desperately to find his place in our family, and we're stuggling. We are doing school a bit with him, and trying to let him help as much as he's wanting (starting the dishwasher, the washing machine, etc) but it's a challenge for my little middle. I hope we get there.

Ezra is going to make me potty train him sooner than not. I just want to, but he wants to. It's a tough thing.

Miriam Anne turned six months old this week.

This is hard for me to believe.

Miriam is a light and a joy. We are grateful for her.

We Survived Our First Nor'Easter!

2013-02-11T10:11:00.001-08:00

We survived our first Nor'Easter!

It was ridiculous. SO MUCH SNOW. The official totals for our area was just over 2 feet, but our little hill was gifted with much closer to 3 ft.

(Looking down on the van from the porch. I had to dig a door out because Derek's gloves were inside.)

I've been having to potty the dog on the driveway, if that is any indication of how much snow there is. He can't out in the yard because the snow is so light and deep that he sinks. He's also a pathetic beast from Las Vegas, so he's not a fan of winter.

Derek did the bulk of the snow-blowing, although I did one run up and down (did you know our driveway is over 200 feet long? Meaning that one run up and back took me an hour?)

(What a champ. For comparison's sake, Derek is 6'4, and he had to go over everything twice.)

Our neighbors who are also in our ward showed up with an extra snow-blower, shovels and teenaged daughters to help.

Four hours later, we had a driveway!

It was crazy.

(Ezra was unimpressed.)

I am so grateful to have maintained power throughout. We were warm and cozy and feasted on homemade bread for two straight days.

Today it is snowing/raining again and so instead of going to the store to get food to replace everything we ate as we were snowed in, I shall simply not do that.

Perhaps more bread is for dinner?

Here Comes the Snow!

2013-02-08T07:01:00.001-08:00

Here comes the blizzard of the year! Well, maybe. It might end up being a bust but we'll see.

We have food. We have water, wood for our stove and fireplace and Diet Coke.

We don't have to be anywhere until Sunday.

Bring it on winter. BRING IT ON.

Travelin'

2013-02-04T04:26:00.001-08:00

One of things that excited Derek and I about moving to New England was how close things are. You can drive two hours and go through three states.

Derek's job requires him to travel a bit, and sometimes we get to tag along. This week we went to Maine for the day. None of us had ever been. The boys were so so excited to go to the ocean. Oliver wondered why we didn't bring our swim suits.

The beach was FREEZING *duh* and windy as all get out. But it was beautiful and amazing and deserted and the boys had a blast. We also enjoyed a store called "Renys" which is apparently a Maine original and is, in my approximation kind of like Big Lots, maybe?

A mediocre pizza joint was our dinner (so sad when Mom and Pop's aren't good. I WANT TO LIKE YOU!) and we were home.

Then on Saturday, after cleaning all morning, we did what any person, desperate to keep their kids from crapping up their house after they just cleaned it would do. We went to Boston.

Boston boasts and amazing Children's Museum and despite being ridiculously busy, the kids had a blast. We bought a year pass and I'm sure we'll return as often an possible. Boston is just over an hour from our house, so it's an easy drive.

I probably should have stayed home more and opened more boxes, but... I didn't. HA! And we had a great week.

A Perk

2013-01-30T12:45:00.001-08:00

The land this house sits on was a HUGE perk in moving here. We have almost 2 acres, half of which is "yard" and the other half is woods.

The yard has a rather large hill, with the house perched right in the back.

My parents sent us with the sled we had growing up. It's fairly old,seriously, I think they had it before I was born.

A recent snowfall, all our school work completed and two sleeping babies meant that yesterday was the DAY to test the sledding conditions.

And so we did.

We laughed and flew down the hill. I stopped the sled over and over from pitching over the crest of the ditch into the small stream that runs on our land. It was a blast. I hadn't been sledding since before I was married.

Henry was shocked when I declared I wanted a turn.

And when I declared, "Moms like fun too, Henry!" he tried to HIDE his surprise.

Eventually, Miriam woke up and was not impressed with the whole affair, so we had to call it day sooner than the boys would have liked.

Sigh. I think we need more afternoons of sledding around here. I can't have my kids forgetting that I like fun too.

Catching Up

2013-01-28T17:35:00.001-08:00

There is much going on up here in our little house on the hill.

I do love my little house which really is about perfect for our needs. My only complaint? Who puts the light switch in the dining room on the OPPOSITE wall from the kitchen? It makes no sense.

BUT, other than that and a $500 plumbing bill (GO HOME OWNERSHIP), things are going really well.

We're getting unpacked, boxes shall remain evermore, and I'm shockingly okay with that.

Our school days are finding rhythm again, and I'm so glad. The boys desperately need that structure and contentment of know what is happening when. Everyone is much happier. So, boxes get pretty ignored, and kids are happy.

It's a good trade-off.

Additionally, I've been waiting for years and years to learn how to play this:

And I'm TERRIBLE. Oh so bad, but I can't quite put it into words how incredibly happy scratching out a few notes a day is making me. I LOVE IT. Did I mention that I'm terrible? The blessing is that my violin background means I at least know the basics.

This little peanut is learning new things too.

She is a light and a joy. Her brothers never ever tire of her.

The woods here are a beautiful place to live.

This is our yard, snow-covered toy lawnmower included.

We like to drive down our dirt roads really slowly and just see all there is to see. People who get stuck BEHIND us don't love it much. Meh. What can you do?

We're adjusting. It's good. I miss family and friends, and that is always hard. New Hampshire is NOT Utah. We get asked every time we go out anywhere, "Those kids all your's?" The last time it happened, in the check out lane, I answered, "Sure are, I made them all myself!"

We're settling in. It's good. It's very good.

Yesterday

2013-01-23T05:25:00.002-08:00

Oh yesterday.

We were supposed to be in NYC for a long weekend because Derek had a meeting there anyway.

But, we've been so sick and still recovering.

And plus, hello car trip, not interested.

Additionally, um it's winter. I don't want to wander New York City with five children in the butt-freezing cold.

So, I sent Derek off on his own, with a wink and a smile, trying to control my jealous feelings, and decided that since it was winter, now was the time to read a book about gardening.

(That book? Awesome, if you have any interest in well, self-sufficiency! I'm rereading it.)

Then, four pages in, my children needed a million things, and that was the end of my reading for the entire day.

But, hours later, I realized, "Wow, today has been pretty great."

Sad that I was surprised by that, but whatev.

I had successfully unpacked much of the bedrooms, the children made forts out of boxes, no one cried during school.

Ahem. Let me repeat myself so you understand what a momentous occasion this was: NO ONE CRIED DURING SCHOOl.

We stayed home all day.

And it was wonderful.

And it was so momentous that I thought I better blog it.

Yesterday was awesome.

Here I am, in New Hampshire

2013-01-19T17:28:00.000-08:00

Well.

Hello.

This has been one heckuva journey.

Yes. A journey.

(Nebraska)

Many many miles.

It all started with the seven of us loading up and heading eastward with an extremely sick Oliver.

By Cheyenne, Henry had the croup.

Urgent Care visit for Henry in Wyoming. WOOT!

(Hotel!)

Then, every single day we made it many LESS miles than we wanted.

Four days stretched to nearly six.

We were, in short, MISERABLE.

Much vomit (from coughing too much), much coughing, much fevers, much dizziness.

(Many meals in restaurants)

MISERABLE.

Derek got sick, I got sick.

EVERYONE GOT SICK.

We rolled into our new place late Saturday night.

Then we laid on the couches for four days.

(Underwhelmed with the new house. Too sick.)

Awesome.

More urgent care visits.

Almost no boxes unpacked.

Which is fine because only 2/3 of our stuff made it form Utah so far anyway. The rest is SUPPOSED to be here tomorrow. We'll see. I'll believe it when I see it.

We didn't have internet for the whole week.

We seem to be on the upswing, except Spencer who got better and now not so much again? I see another urgent care visit in our future.

I love the house, Derek did very well. New Hampshire is pretty.

My cell phone doesn't really like our house.

(Me standing at the only spot in my house my phone likes!)

Really, I'm grateful. We avoided any road hazards, the car ran beautifully. We had warm hotels (only one that was "wth?". The dog had no accidents anywhere (until the first night in the new house, awesome-Dog). Miriam avoided getting the brunt of the illness. The hotels had coin-op laundries, there was plenty of Diet Coke to be found. Blessings.

I'm happy we're home. I'm learning a bit about where we live. It's an adjustment, and there are moments of "woah!" every day. We live here? In this house? In New Hampshire?

Weird.

But it's good. Very good. My kitchen is now functional. The classroom/toyroom is functional. The internet is functional.

(Picnic dinners on the floor.)

(Don't mind the trash bag, but I managed to get the kitchen done!)

(What do you do with your formal dining room, when you're a homeschooling family? Turn it into the classroom.)

(My favorite spot right now. Pellet stove, rocking chair. Delight.)

We good.