want to go back...

ready...


set...


go...



go...


Go...


GO...


go back?

After our great weekend, of COURSE they are ready to go back to the farm!

a very special person indeed...

I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Psalm 139:14a

In G's kindergarten classroom, they celebrate how God made each one of them special and unique with a "Very Special Person" week. They are asked to bring 10 pictures and a few favorite items to help tell the kindergarten class about themselves, what they like to do and basically their life story up to now. They also get to have a parent come and read the class their favorite book, and parents are also invited to come and eat lunch with their child sometime during the week as well.

Last week G got to be the Very Special Person!

On Monday she brought her pictures and some favorite things:

. H
G in princess dress and crown, with legos (including special masterpiece she built for the occasion), and baby doll Anna wrapped in G's cozy blanket.


Her teacher wrote down some of the stories G told to display during the week and then send home.

On Wednesday S had the day off, so our whole family went in at the end of the day to read a book to G's class:

We arrived a little early and got to see G finish up a project.


The Very Special Person bulletin board where G's pictures were displayed all week.


***Now the boys were super excited to go to G's school, but during the story were extremely wiggly so we don't have a picture of me reading Winter Days in the Big Woods to G's class. G likes this book a lot and we read it quite often - can't wait to start reading her the real chapter books!***



Since we came at the end of the day Grace was able to leave right from the classroom with us, which she thought was fun.

On Friday, it happened to be the monthly pizza lunch day, which I help with as a room mom, so I was able to see G play at recess and eat pizza with her for lunch! Good end to her very special person week.


Here are the photos that G brought in to help tell her classmates about herself and her own words about them:

note - Let's just say the generous half hour I had allotted myself to pick 10 pictures was NOT long enough...After over an hour quickly looking through 5 years of pictures, I had it narrowed down to 58 . We have so many more pictures which show how she has grown (all of the pictures we have taken by c.e.b) and things we have done that are special and important (birthdays, trips, Christmas), but these were the ones S and I thought G could easily talk about and showed a few things she likes to do too.

"This is me when I was a cute little baby. And I had to stay in the hospital for a few days because I was so small. I was born on August 29."


"This is me on my first birthday. I had a ducky cake. I did not have any clothes on because I was going to get messy."


"This is me holding my brother W. I am almost 2 in this picture and W is brand new. Isn't he cute?"


"This is me when I was 2 1/2. I was a flower girl for my Uncle M and Aunt A's wedding. I got to wear a fancy dress made by my Nana and I loved to twirl in it."


"This is me when I was 3. I love to play outside and I love to write on the sidewalk with chalk. This is me next to a 'chalk G'"


"This is me holding my new brother C. Isn't he cute! W held him too but I was older so I could hold him more. I was 3 1/2."


"This is me playing dress up with my friend A and my cousins G and K. Don't we look so fancy?"


"This is me when I turned 4. I got a new big girl bike for my birthday present! I like riding my bike with training wheels, but someday I will be able to ride it without training wheels. I always wear a helmet when I ride bike to be safe."


"This is me at the MN state fair. One year I was 3 chickens tall, one year I was 3 1/2 chickens tall, and this year I was 4 chickens tall!"

"This is a picture of my whole family. I am 5 years old. Then is my dad and his name is S. Then comes W and he is 3 years old. My next brother's name is C and he is 1 1/2 years old. Last is my momma and her name is C."

10 blessings in the past few weeks...

of course there are the obvious big ones, and...

1. C starting to talk in 2 word phrases and trying to have conversations with us
2. W putting his arm around C sweetly and introducing him as "my little brother" to everyone, including Dadda
3. G overcoming a fear at school easily with a little motivation
4. S suggesting and taking us out for supper on one of those days when I really needed it
5. long bike ride with family in beautiful weather
6. six 3-4 yr old boys getting excited about the story of Noah
   
7. finishing a painting project
8. good conversation withfriend A while our kids played
9. evening out with s.i.l. C - walking, chatting, shopping and coming home with a bag full of books
10. lots of hugs and kisses and smiles and laughter and cuddles that get us through every day
    

10 plagues in the past few weeks...

1. 2 fill-in pharmacists canceling on S causing days off to be canceled and trouble rescheduling them
   
2. W got Hand Foot and Mouth disease again
   
3. raging stomach flu
4. back end of raging stomach flu
5. moles turned pocket gophers costing $$$ to get rid of
6. mice
7. grass rust
   
8. C's teething trouble turned decaying molars in need of dental surgery and crowns
   
9. all kids having trouble sleeping
10. colds and coughs
    

what would YOU do on an 80 degree day in October?...

I love Indian Summer. It has been really sweet this year because it came after a cool and cloudy September, where at least I thought that we jumped right from summer to late fall cold weather without any of that gorgeous stuff in-between. The past few weeks have been that gorgeous 70 degree and sunny weather and we are soaking it up as hard as we can because that four letter white stuff will be here all too soon. Last weekend was especially beautiful, with highs reaching 80 degrees and above! We had umpteen projects that needed to be completed or worked on, but we decided to take a break and enjoy the weather and fall colors.

In trying to decide what to do on Saturday, we were reminded by G that we should do our part for Calvin's marathon. Her school participates in our metropolitan 6 mile "marathon" for non-public education that takes place each fall. Kids raise pledges for completing 6 miles by foot or bike. Due to raging stomach flu, we were not able to participate on the actual day it took place, but decided to do our part and still complete the 6 miles. So biking as a family it was!

We biked, picnic'd and played at the nearby CR Dam park which has lovely bike paths, runs next to the Mississippi River, and has a great picnic area and playground too. The day was made extra fun by Papa and Aahma B as well as Auntie M joining us! The colors were gorgeous, and the weather couldn't have been more perfect. We far exceeded the 6 miles, as the boys fell asleep as we were reaching the pick-up and van, so we decided to bike the extra 4 miles home.

Hope you all were able to enjoy some of God's creation, beautiful weather and fall colors this past weekend!!!

a blessed September...

family photo taken by our favorite photographer (and s.i.l), c.e.b.

OK, ok, technically this photo was taken on the last day of August, but it really started September off for us so you get to see them here. We asked our lovely s.i.l, C, for a photo shoot in honor of our 10th anniversary this year. We did one with her for our 5th anniversary, and I would like to do this at least every 5 years. (I stole this idea from my Aunt K and Uncle H! =) Although mild obstacles occurred - a little confusion between a boat dock and a boat launch gave us a late start (the two gals who have no boat or lake knowledge should not have been the ones talking =), and then with 90+ degree weather and 90% humidity we were all a little sweaty and the kids were fussy and crabby. As you can see though, we got some nice pictures and had so much fun. Thanks again, C!!

September was busy with starting school for G and getting used to that schedule for all of us, and also it was the start of church programs and Sunday school. I am teaching W's class this year - six 3-4 year old boys! We also got our first taste of fall weather - 4 days after the 90+ weather on the first of the month, it was 60 degrees and we were scrambling to find jeans and long sleeve shirts that fit.

G notes:

• Oh this girl loves school! And that is so wonderful for S and I. It is great to have her excited to go every day. She also loves telling us about school too when she gets home (one of the things I was worried about was the typical answer "fine." to the "how was your day?" question.). After her first full day at school, she sat with me and told me all the details...then we went over to our neighbors house and she told Mrs. L all of the details...then she talked to Aahma and Boppa R on the phone and told them all the details...so by the time S got home at 7 that night, she didn't want to tell him ANYTHING - "I am tired of telling everyone the same story!" So I had to fill him in.
• For the month of September, they worked on colors and shapes...pretty basic for starting kindergarten! Each day they had to wear a specific assigned color for the day - this was a challenge being that this girl only wears pink, but really fun for G to help look for different colors in her clothes to wear. When they finished all the colors and shapes, they took a class field trip to the Walker Art Center and spent time in the sculpture gardens as well as the museum. G's favorite part was riding the bus! We do not get bus pick-up where we live which is very disappointing to her - she actually asked us if we could move so she could ride the bus.
  
• Other highlights for her have been being the milk helper and class leader, painting, library and storytime, singing, and playing with new friends at recess of course.
• Things that we are having to work on are being distracted and taking a long time with bathroom breaks, eating lunch and different projects. She is doing well in everything other than that though, and some of those things are just going to get better the more days she is in school (I have a feeling the novelty will wear off sometime).
• As usual with our kids, life and schedule changes don't really affect them too much during the day, but it comes out at night when they sleep. All the kids have been waking up more frequently, having nightmares, and of course wanting to all sleep in our bed since school started. Just takes time to work itself through...
  

W notes

• It took W a while to get used to G being in school 3 days a week. Not only did he miss his sister, but play is just different for him depending on whether she is here or not. Not much competition for toys when she is at school, a lot more when she is home...just hard for him to figure out his place again.
• He is enjoying some more attention from mom on school days though, and his relationship with C is growing too. That has been really fun for me to see!
  
• W was a little slow warming up to Sunday School this year, but by the end of the month, he was more excited about going and didn't cling to me the whole time. We are hoping he grows a little more in this area this year as he really has a hard time being apart from S and I yet.
• Storytime has started again at the library and continues to be a favorite activity of W's. He loves to listen to the stories and of course getting to pick out new stories to bring home and read.
  

C notes

• C has been just a lot more clingy since school started - I am sure it affects him too, although not as easily seen as with W and G.
• He really has been playing with toys by himself a lot lately. He of course is interested in the big kids toys and art supplies that W and G play with.
• We finally made the jump from C screaming to get what he wants to him yelling for "Mumma!" or "Dadda!" There are more times where he will ask with a please, too, without being prompted. My baby keeps growing up!!!
  
• Seemed to us that C was teething most of the month as he was fussier and had a finger in his mouth all the time. We didn't think much of it until we caught a glimpse of his upper teeth and they didn't look right. Took him into the dentist at the end of the month, and it turns out his molars are full of cavities and he will need to go into Children's hospital again the beginning of November to get them all crowned. This mostly comes from genetics as we are so careful with the sugar that our kids eat - no juice or soda, no hard candy or really candy at all, and limited other sugary treats. And we brush their teeth all the time! This means though that October could be an interesting month as you can tell that his teeth hurt him.
  

where we tried to take a picture for friend J...

One fine day in August we met other friends from church at Red Sign Park. I took my camera along and was taking some pictures of the kids playing. B said that we should take a picture like friend J (who moved away last year) did that one time (when we had met at the same park a couple years ago).

Great idea! Line the kids up and snap away. No problem, right?

Well...

...this was the best we could do with 7 children under the age of 5!

So these pictures are for you, J. Hugs to your kiddos, and happy park playing in CA!

taco filling - one of our go-to's...

produce from our garden

The theme of our Ladies' Night Out kickoff this past Tuesday was "favorite recipes." We got together at a gal's house and had a good evening of fellowship...and wonderful food of course! And everyone brought favorite recipes and cookbooks and we all had a lot of fun sharing them.

The recipe I brought is for our taco filling. It is one of our "go-to" recipes when you can't figure out what to have for supper. It is also incredibly versatile and we have 4 recipes that use the same taco filling so leftovers are never a problem. Thought I would share it with all of you too!

Taco Filling
1 lb hamburger
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 pkg taco seasoning (or 1/4 cup seasoning, 3/4 cup water)
1 can diced tomatoes
2 cups cooked rice
1 can black beans, rinsed (opt.)
1 cup frozen corn (opt.)

Brown hamburger and onion in frying pan. Add taco seasoning and water according to package directions. Then add tomatoes, rice, beans and corn. Mix all together and cook over medium heat until heated through. Serve in soft-shelled tacos and top with favorite taco toppings!


Nachos
Taco Filling (see recipe above)
Shredded cheese
Salsa
Guacamole
Sour cream
Tortilla Chips

Layer hot taco filling, cheese and salsa in glass pie plate or other microwave safe dish. Microwave for a few minutes to melt the cheese. Add guacamole and sour cream on top and serve with tortilla chips.


Mexican Lasagna
Taco Filling (see recipe above)
Salsa
Flour tortillas
Shredded cheddar cheese

Spoon a very thin layer of salsa in the bottom of a 9x13 baking pan (keeps tortillas from drying out). Next add a layer of tortillas, tearing the tortillas if necessary to make them fit nice. Then spread ½ of the taco filling on top of the tortillas followed by a layer of shredded cheese. Repeat tortilla, meat and cheese layers again. Add one more tortilla layer, then top with salsa and a bit more cheese. Bake 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees until cheese is bubbly and center is heated through.


Stuffed Green Peppers, taco style
Taco Filling (see recipe above)
Fresh green peppers, halved and seeded
shredded cheese
2 cups tomato soup (not condensed)
1/2 cup water
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Bring a big pot of water to boil. Drop halved and seeded peppers in and boil for 6 minutes. Remove and let dry on paper towel. Sprinkle 1 Tbsp shredded cheese in bottom of each pepper half, then fill the rest of the way with the taco filling. Arrange in glass baking dish. Mix tomato soup, water, and Worcestershire sauce together to make a gravy consistency. Pour over green peppers, making sure there is at least ½ inch liquid in bottom of baking dish (add more water if there isn’t). Top each half with more shredded cheese. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, removing cover for the last 5 minutes.

Taco Salad
Taco Filling (see recipe above), cooled
1 head lettuce
8 oz Italian dressing mixed with 1 Tbsp taco seasoning
8 oz shredded cheese
2-4 tomatoes chopped
1/2 bag (or so) crushed taco flavored tortilla chips (Doritos work well too!)
Salsa

Tear lettuce into large bowl. Add about 2-3 cups cooled taco filling, shredded cheese, tomatoes, and dressing. Stir up, add salsa to desired consistency. Add crushed chips right before serving (add more salsa if necessary).

So what are some of your "go-to" or favorite recipes?

test 2...

newborn baby stuff...

My brother M and sister-in-law A are expecting their first child early March. Yay! We are so excited for them! Finally another cousin on the R side. My other brother L is getting married to J in February so then we can start bugging them for babies too...=)

Earlier this year, SimpleMom did a couple of blog posts on "things you don't need for baby" and "things you do need for baby." I was talking with S at that time about what we used for our babies, and thinking about M & A lately, I thought I would do my own version of "what worked for us with our babies." It is a list of things, yes, but really, to us, it is part of the story of how we raised our babies, too.

To preface all of this, we are a shining example of how you don't need anything before you have the baby. We had lists upon lists of things to buy made before our first child was born, and S had taken a day off during the week for us to go on a major shopping trip, but G decided to make an appearance 6 weeks early instead! We had a pack of onsies and...that's it. Not even a car seat! We were able to go out and get everything on our list before G came home with us (she spent 10 days in the NICU). While we don't really recommend being that little prepared, we do recommend not being stressed out about having everything ready. Remember too, that this little person comes into the world very tiny and basically only needs you, not a house full of stuff.

I also am a big fan of garage sales and craigslist and thrift stores, but always always make sure that anything you buy used is in good working condition and up to current safety standards. Anyway, these are the basic things that worked for us:

for sleeping...

• Cribs are nice, but not completely necessary. You really just need a good and basic pack'n'play with a bassinet, especially in the beginning. This was very useful to us not only at home, but traveling, so that the little peanut had a familiar and safe place to sleep.
• We also co-sleep with our kids. This worked very well for us, especially with C, in making the night-time wakings short and brief (don't have to get up and drag yourself to their room down the hall!). Always practice good safety with co-sleeping, though.
• Having something to rock a baby to sleep in is also necessary in my book. I have loved rocking and nursing my babies. We were fortunate to receive S's Grandma B's wooden rocking chair, and we also received a great used recliner from our friends, E&T, named La-Z-Brown. All of our babies have been rocked so many hours in these chairs!
• Now, an extra that has proved to be in-valuable to us is definitely our exercise ball. Yep, exercise ball. Not for my labor, not for getting me back into shape after the baby was born, but for bouncing very fussy babies to sleep. G was an extremely fussy baby due to a dairy sensitivity that we did not discover for many months. On a tip from dear brother-in-law J and sister-in-law C, we tried holding G out in front of us and bouncing on the slightly deflated exercise ball. Oh my, how she loved it. And so have W & C. So the number of hours bouncing seriously rivals the number of hours rocking in this house.
  

for eating...

• All you really need is the momma! =) And I was lucky enough to be able to nurse all my babies!
  
• A Boppy pillow was very useful to me with all my babies.
• And if you want a pump, the Medela pump is definitely a good one.

for changing...

• We also use cloth diapers with our kids. We started with chinese prefolds, snappis and prowraps, added some bummis wraps to the mix, and now have been using my favorite of them all, softbums! They are so great with sizing for little bums to big bums, and a lot trimmer than most cloth diapers are. Plus the gal that designed them and who makes a lot of them is super nice and lives less than 5 miles from our house.
• There is a great information on the whole cloth diaper choices and process on softbums' website too. I will add to that info that we love our metal trash can with liner as diaper pails and BacOut for help with odors and stains in the wash.
• When we don't use cloth, we use Target brand diapers. They are not expensive, and they do not have any fragrance to them, which is a big deal for us. All our kids have sensitive skin and break out if we use other brands (even expensive ones!).
• And for those breakouts, we really like Burt's Bees diaper ointment. A little more expensive, but once again worked really well on our babies' skin. We figured the money we saved with cloth diapers and Target diapers meant we could splurge on the diaper ointment!
  

for bathing...

• We bought a fancy sponge baby tub insert and didn't like it at all. Nor did we like the spendy tiny bath tub that only holds baby for about 2 months. All we did were sponge baths on a towel, or we soaped them up and rinsed them with one of us in the shower, or we washed them in the bathtub sitting on a washcloth. Fancy towels are sure cute, but not necessary either.
• What was necessary for us with bathing babies were California Baby bodywash, and Avalon Organics aloe lotion. A little more expensive, but quality stuff with natural ingredients that we felt good about using with our babies.

for clothing...

• Nice cotton onsies. Carter's has always been a favorite brand. They are really true to size and have lasted through multiple babies. The white ones are great as well as the patterns - oh so cute too!
• Hanna Jams. I will say that Hanna Andersson sleepware is a staple in our kids' wardrobes. I know they are expensive, but the quality is outstanding and when they can be used heavily by 3 kids and still look great, that is a pretty good investment. We had a Hanna outlet near us until it closed last year so I was always able to find them on sale and clearance for great prices, and I have also picked them up on ebay or when they go on super sale at the regular stores or online. This is also something that we use extra birthday/Christmas money on!
• As for other clothes...um...don't get me started...I have a weakness for cute clothes for my children...but I do love a great sale or clearance rack at Target! (or Gymboree, or Carter's, or...)

for traveling...

• A good car seat is a must. We did research (as all good B's do!) in Consumer Reports and bought a Baby Trend car seat. We have really liked it a lot - the triangle on the handle makes it very easy to carry and lug on one arm too.
• We bought the matching stroller to complete the "travel system", and we have used it quite a bit, but when W came along we bought a double stroller and that is really all we use now. A stroller is definitely good to have, but if you are thinking about having more than one kid at all, I would choose something that would either give you a little more flexibility like this, or just spend wisely, knowing another stroller might be in your future!
• Baby Carriers!!! We LOVE "wearing" our babies. I am a little bit of a baby carrier collector, but I do have 2 favorites. My talented sister-in-law C made a mei tai for us (pictured above with W!) that works so well with tiny newborn babies up to toddlers. We also purchased a Baby Bjorn Active carrier (with back support), that was also great to use from about 10 pounds to 20 pounds. The added back support was totally worth the extra. We also have a Maya Wrap, an Ergo, and we just got a backpack carrier from some friends too!

So, M & A, happy baby! Hope this list helps you a little, and always make sure to use what works for you...you don't have to listen to your crazy sister or anyone else! Love you!