Ashley’s Cheerleading Debut!

Ashley is finally living her childhood dream!  I am sure if I looked hard enough I could find a picture of her when she was 6 at the CSI cheer camp.  I cant believe she is old enough to be doing this…  She totally fits the part too.

Her skirt was super cute, they didn’t get to wear their tops, hopefully next game.  She was quite shy at first but then she got in to it more.  It was just her and one other girl at first until the volleyball games got over and the other girls could come out.

Doing “We are the Cheerleaders”  (the only other 6th grader is the girl right next to her).  Ash is a little shrimp, which I am sure she is used to. 

She does likes it because then she gets to go UP, when they go up… which thankfully hasn’t happened, yet.

I really like all of the other girls on the squad.  They are all nice fun girls and are really nice to Ashley which is great.

The only downer is that we lost the game, it was fun to go to a football game, it has been a while.  I guess we will be going to all of the games now.  So fun!

Everyday Days.

Claire and Rett and I have been enjoying a few days at home this week.  We have been busy canning peaches and pears.  I kind of liked it this year.   Last year was such a drag and I swore I would never can again, but this year was fast and furious and I was determined to get it done quick!  I think I just liked it because I felt productive, didn’t even sit down once for two days.  (Well besides for soccer practice and during Ashley’s first cheering!)  I think if my brain is working corectly, which it very well might not be, I did 48 bottles of peaches, 28 bottles of pears, I know that is right because I had to use the calculator to multiply 7 x 4, how pathetic!  So I think that adds up to 76 bottles of fruit.

When I tucked Justin in tonight he asked if I was done canning, I said yes, he said good because he didn’t like that smell!  I kind of like the smell of burnt sugar…. he’s crazy!  We are all going to be happy to have it done for another year.

We have also had our little friend Kendra over for two days.  They were “whispering” at lunch and I had to take a picture.  This little girl has more attitude in her little pinky than Emma does! 

It is amazing that she can have that much sass at such an early age.  She and  Claire chat and chat all day long, no you’re not, yes I am, no you’re not, yes I am…..  It was fun to have a playmate most of the time though.  We really love her big brothers, they are so mellow and different than little sis, it is funny!

And last but not least the chickens are consistently laying their 7 little, sometimes rather large eggs in the roosting boxes.  Good job girls.

Claire washes and “organizes”  (she is NOT playing, at least she tells me that) them.  No more buying eggs they are more than keeping up with demand!  I have some cute cheer pictures of Ashley I will post in another post.

Our Favorite Entertainment!

This kid is such a ham.  He is always doing something to make us laugh and is always smiling, almost as much as Kaleb!

Claire bear had to try out her green water color paints on his hair.  Green hi lights!  It suits him well actually.

I really fretted about that cowlick when he was born, but it is so fun and easy to do his hair.  What a cheeser!

He seriously likes to make us laugh at him.  He will wear stuff like this around all the time, he even tries to get the funny teeth in his mouth.

He was tired of the nose at this point,

but he sure thought it was funny on his ear,

And on me!

He is definitely a keeper!

Sunday Shots

I have been wanting to make Aunt Sandra’s Chex mix yummyness so I finally did for our Sunday treats.  I think the men liked it!

This little man screamed when I took him down, his cheeks were stuffed full, like a little chipmunk!

We sure love our Sunday’s around here.

Oh Dear….

This has been a busy wild week.  It was medium nice to have the kids home Monday, somehow we think when we start school we don’t have to work at home.  The house was left in a disaster which I just told myself I would clean all day Tuesday, I didn’t have any other plans.  Tuesday morning I went down to wake up the girls for school and stepped into a puddle of water…. a BIG puddle of water.  With out fail I flood the basement EVERY SINGLE SUMMER!  It is so annoying.  Basements are only good for tornado’s, and I don’t live in Nebraska.  I wish I could bury it in, or turn it into an indoor swimming pool, now that is not a bad idea!  Ryan and I are expert water vacuumers, carpet haulers and furniture movers.  I think the first time this happened we didn’t get it back to order until winter, this time we WILL have it back to normal in a week, no longer!  The girls have been sleeping in Claire’s room and Claire has been in on the boys floor.  Everyone will be glad to get back to their own rooms.  I did not take any during pictures one because I was to mad, and two because I was to busy vacuuming.  Now just to move the beds back in:

Thankfully we could borrow this monster from Nathan and Kristen.  We have invested in one of our own, unfortunately I am sure we will get our moneys worth out of it.

In other news we thought we had the suburban sold, but it fell through, looks like when I do get it sold my new car will look more like a deck than a car.  Ryan thinks if I cant water up next to the house then maybe I wont be able to flood it.  I will be happy with that!

This monster has poked through three molars and almost the fourth.  He and Claire are just quiet around the house.  He naps for 3 hours so it is really quiet some days.

School is definitely back at it, we have only forgotten homework twice out of 6 days so far…. thankfully we only live 3 miles away.

Ashley had a very thorough sports physical.  We got drilled by the nurse, it was a bit ridiculous.  They know what kind of milk we drink, how we discipline and that we don’t wear helmets when we ride bikes.  I am pretty sure the nurse has it out for me.  She was the same one who wanted Rett to go straight to the hospital when he was sick this summer.  She wouldn’t relent about him either, and that he could get better so quick because he was SO sick.  I think she thinks everyone is sick and has to find a problem with you or she isn’t doing her job.  Ashley’s “problem” of course was her size.  They made her weigh twice because she only weighed 65, the second time she weighed 64.  She is in the 6th percentile for her size and age.  She has never been more than 10 percent except her head size when she was a baby.  It was a bit much too much prying into my life for my liking.  This is why we DO NOT go to the doctor unless we are dying!  Who gets asked this much for a sports physical anyway.  Needless to say after she told me all of her “serious conditions”  she was cleared to be a cheerleader.  Really?  So I guess she just likes to make me sweat.  Whatever…I’m still bitter, maybe I was just over sensitive since I had just driven all the way to town and forgotten my purse.  It was just one of those days. I think I am going to make Ryan go with me to all of our appointments from now on, maybe she will be nicer to him?

Ryan has been getting ready to dig potatoes.  He is also putting up the last hay crop of 2012.  That is weird to say…  I wish is was the last of the potatoes, that season just DRAGS!  Well I should go move some beds back for the girls, they begged me to do it before tonight.  Hopefully next week will be more quiet, and normal?  Is there such a thing??

Bar Bee Q!

We finally had our summer BBQ now that summer is over!  It turned out great lots of friends made it and lots didn’t.  We had 50 people though and it was fun to visit and play.

Lots of kids!

The cook and a few little friends,  Emma and Malia.

Laurel and Jackie.

Aunt Sara and Aunt Leslie.

Steve, Angie, and little Emily.

Our favorite Serena, isn’t she a doll.

Lots more kids, oh dear poor Kaleb getting his arms yanked off!  (Justin, Tayson, Emma, Kaleb, Jamen, Serena, Hunter, and Kasey.

A sandbox full of kids too.  Claire, Kallee’s rump, Brooks, and Rett.

Another favorite friend Malia.

We have some really great friends, it was fun to have them all over.  So sad to see summer go.

Into IT!

This little boy loves to play, he lays on my kitchen floor and plays and plays with cars, trains, pickups, and tractors. 

He is such a boy.  He also loves the fridge and has figured out how to climb up into it.  So fun!

Good Reads

Justin always loved to read Ryan’s farm magazines.  I always kept one in the diaper bag when he was a baby.  Rett has just figured them out and loves it too. 

I thought he was done with it but he would keep dragging it out of the garbage if I left it on top.  He is a farmer boy for sure!

Back To School!

The kids are back to school today.  Somehow a kitty or two made it into the pictures this year.

Emma is a 4th grader this year, and she is wearing her new glasses.  I forgot to blog them, she is just so excited for herself!

Justin 1st grade.

Ashley 6th grade….. YIKES!

Claire was pouting in the back of this picture because she didn’t get to be in any.  So of course I obliged.

Justin was not as excited as he was for Kindergarten.  Emma has been scaring him to death about his teacher so he was SUPER nervous that she would be mean.  He was all set to ride the bus but at the last minute just couldn’t do it and needed his Mommy to drive him in to school.  I was sad last year because he RAN off and left me and never looked back, I was scared this year because I was afraid he wouldn’t ever want to go to school again and first grade is a little early to start not liking school!  We checked out his class and got him settled in and he had a great day.

His first words when he got home was, “Heidi is AWESOME.”  (His teacher goes by her first name)  He cant wait for the second day of school it is going to be so fun!  FEWWW!! 

Chickens

It has been a while since I have done a chicken post.  They are still fun to have, I worry about them getting eaten by a predator, or the neighbors dog, but so far so good.  They just own the place and go where they please.  They are really noisy at egg laying time, but are pretty quiet for the rest of the day.  I love that they have such a happy life, but the problem with free range chickens, is free range eggs!  We found a lovely little stash in the front flower bed tall grasses.  40 EGGS!  REALLY, come on ladies, you have that darling house to lay in, use it!

I just couldn’t bring myself to eat them so we threw them all out.  I even tested them by the sinking, floating method and none of them floated, but I just couldn’t eat them anyway.  Claire was devastated!  They are all laying every day, so 7 eggs a day is plenty for us.  Since this they have all started to lay in the coop except the red chicken, she lays green eggs and we have only collected two, I know she must have a stash somewhere around here.