Sorry, I'm not even going to be creative and hold you in suspense...
We started it by painting our addition!
I'm so excited about it I could scream, or something. :) My mom came over today and we painted the entry, hallway, office and most of my bedroom. We would've finished my bedroom, but we ran out of paint. All that's left is the laundry room (which my dear husband is priming right now) and the bathroom (which is going to be wainscoting and wallpaper and will be finished a little later.) Matt even hung up one of my pretty new light fixtures. He's wonderful!
We didn't go out last night to celebrate New Year's Eve. We decided to stay home - mostly because Clarence had been running a fever for the third day in a row and we didn't want to expose him to other kids - and also because we wanted to get all the rooms primed so Mom and I could really make progress today. I'm so glad we did it. I love the colors we chose and how nice it all looks so far. Now we're on to flooring, wood on the ceilings, and wainscoting in the entry and hallway. Progress is going great!
Sorry if it seems like all I do is talk about my addition. I'm so excited for the extra space. Some days, I'm so overwhelmed with the mess in my regular house I could cry. And I have a hard time telling Matt how I feel because he's doing all he can to get things done for me. The thing I'm most excited for is finishing the office...right now, my office desk and file cabinet are in my kitchen, one object on each end of my kitchen table. Things get a little tight when we have company over for a meal (which explains why we've been pretty stingy with our invites this fall and winter).
My dad came up after chores today, too. He spent the afternoon working on making a skating rink out in my yard for the kids. It's really thoughtful of him; he knows it's a long drive in to Hallock to take the kids skating, and he wants us to get them skating so they can play sports. :) Grandpa (well, all the grandparents) is excited for the kids to get involved in sports so they can start having someone to cheer for again.
And, as I'm sure you already know, baby #3 is arriving two weeks from today. Oh, dear! We've got so much to do before he/she gets here. I'm excited though, to meet this baby. I don't have a strong feeling either way with what it is. I can't wait to find out! It's hard to believe how fast the time has gone. I'm ready to be done being pregnant again, too. I get really stiff if I sit too long and really seem to waddle when I get back up to walk again. I'm sure it's quite a sight...and totally cliche...the "pregnant waddle"...I totally feel like I have it these days. Oh well.
Adina's been doing okay with potty training...today we had six successful bathroom trips and no accidents in her undies. My only challenge is convincing her to sit on the potty. She's such a headstrong little girl that I have to find creative ways to get her to sit for a while. I ask if we can sit down and look at books together. A couple times, I let her play with her plastic scissors and cut up a few pieces of paper (which she does, then asks for another and another...). She's very content if she's got something to do while she sits there, but sometimes it seems to take forever to convince her to go potty. Hopefully if I just keep on top of it, she'll get the hang of it and love being a "big girl" wearing undies.
Hope your 2013 is starting out great!
Tomorrow's agenda: finish painting! (I think.)
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Friday, December 14, 2012
A Clarence Story and Adina's prayer
The other day, the kids were playing under my desk (Adina calls it her house), and had all her dishes spread out all over the place. They brought me a plate of "food" (actually, just the dishes with make-believe food and drinks on/in them). Clarence told me everything he'd made for me: chicken noodle soup with carrots, meat and noodles, there was meat on the plate, and he'd given me apple juice and milk to drink.
He sat down beside me on the couch and said:
I'm not hungry.
Me: Oh, you're not, how come?
C: Oh, I just had a beer.
Me: You what?
C: I just had a beer.
(It was all very nonchalant....totally not what I was expecting out of that conversation....but it sure made me laugh!)
____________________
Yesterday, he was talking about hauling bales...
C:I'm hauling bales to Danny's (Lyberg).
Me: Oh, you're hauling to Danny's?
C: No, he gave me some corn bales.
Me: Oh, I see...
C: I helped him haul hay and he gave me a load of bales.
This conversation also made me smile; Matt had helped my cousin Erik haul a bunch of corn bales last week, and his payment for it was a load of corn bales to take home. Clarence sure doesn't miss a beat!
_________________________
We were saying prayers one night, and had finished our usual "Now I lay me....". We were on to our next section, where we ask God to bless all our family, and then name everyone. Adina has finally decided to start participating in prayers. She folded her hands, bowed her head right down to the blankets, and started repeating names after me.
Me: God bless Mark, Nathan, Mike, Mark, Nikki, Harley...
Adina: Mar, Nath, Mike, Mark, Dikki, Harley, all my hens,
Me: Grandpa Bob, Grandma Carmen
Adina: All my hens, Mom! All my hens.
Me: Oh yes, and all Adina's friends: Payton, Anna, Esther, and everyone else.
Then she was satisfied. And it sure was cute. :)
He sat down beside me on the couch and said:
I'm not hungry.
Me: Oh, you're not, how come?
C: Oh, I just had a beer.
Me: You what?
C: I just had a beer.
(It was all very nonchalant....totally not what I was expecting out of that conversation....but it sure made me laugh!)
____________________
Yesterday, he was talking about hauling bales...
C:I'm hauling bales to Danny's (Lyberg).
Me: Oh, you're hauling to Danny's?
C: No, he gave me some corn bales.
Me: Oh, I see...
C: I helped him haul hay and he gave me a load of bales.
This conversation also made me smile; Matt had helped my cousin Erik haul a bunch of corn bales last week, and his payment for it was a load of corn bales to take home. Clarence sure doesn't miss a beat!
_________________________
We were saying prayers one night, and had finished our usual "Now I lay me....". We were on to our next section, where we ask God to bless all our family, and then name everyone. Adina has finally decided to start participating in prayers. She folded her hands, bowed her head right down to the blankets, and started repeating names after me.
Me: God bless Mark, Nathan, Mike, Mark, Nikki, Harley...
Adina: Mar, Nath, Mike, Mark, Dikki, Harley, all my hens,
Me: Grandpa Bob, Grandma Carmen
Adina: All my hens, Mom! All my hens.
Me: Oh yes, and all Adina's friends: Payton, Anna, Esther, and everyone else.
Then she was satisfied. And it sure was cute. :)
'Tis The Season
It's one of my favorite times of the year!
Yesterday I was home with the kids, and we had such a fun day together. While Clarence was off at preschool for the morning, Adina and I made a couple different kinds of cookies. They were new recipes I'd found in Taste of Home. One I like - it's got crushed candy canes in the cookie and is topped with a chocolate or candycane kiss; the other is ok...not my favorite, that's for sure. It's got cream cheese in it, with chopped Andes mints. Matt likes them, so I guess they're ok. He'd tell me if they were gross.
After Clarence came home, he went out with Matt to feed cows. He loves it and thrives on being able to help. While they were outside, I layed Adina down for her nap and was able to clean the house up pretty well. Yay! It always makes me feel good to find the floor again. :)
Bob and Carmen called in the afternoon and said they were coming over to visit. So I got supper in the oven, then the kids and I decorated the Christmas tree. We'd gone to "Grandpa Lowell's Ranch" tree grove to cut our tree a couple nights ago, but just hadn't had a chance to do it yet. After we got the lights on and before I'd even started with the ornaments, Clarence had gone around the downstairs and shut off all the lights. He loves having just the Christmas tree lights on - just like me!
Bob and Carmen brought Adina a present - a new Christmas dress...it's absolutely adorable! They stayed for supper and we all had a nice visit together...Grandpa Bob even got a little crazy with Clarence and Adina and started chasing them around the house with Clarence's new little dart gun. The kids loved the game.
This weekend (tomorrow), we're going to my aunt and uncle's, Loren and Jana, house for our Younggren Christmas. I'm really excited to start celebrating and enjoy the season. We always have a $20 gift exchange and it's always interesting to see what everyone decides to bring for it. I'm still trying to think of something good....I need to do a little searching and thinking today.
We've had another busy month up until now - we were all sick around the week of/after Thanskgiving with the flu and head colds, so we're just getting over our stuffy noses now. The kids and Matt had flu shots, as well, so we're all trying to prevent getting sick with our new baby coming. The doctor cornered me last week when I had a checkup and wouldn't let me leave until she'd given me a flu and whooping cough shot (DTaP). I guess it's all for the good of me and the baby, but I really didn't want to have a shot. Oh well.
I've been subbing quite a bit, as well as my piano lessons. I've also been doing a bunch of sewing projects for Christmas presents. I can't wait to show everyone what I've made and finally finish them!
We spent Thanskgiving at Mom's house, then the next day, we went to Roseau and had brunch with Matt's grandma Jeanette and family. We had fun visiting with everyone.
We've also been busy with the cows - the calves have been weaned, the steers and heifers are separated, they've been vaccinated, the cows have been vaccinated and preg-checked, and the bulls have been pulled (off the main herd and put with fall-calving cows). We've made a lot of progress as far as that goes...
As far as the house goes....
Matt's been working like crazy. He's got sheetrock up in almost all the rooms in the addition. The entry is ready for wainscoating on the bottom half of the wall, as well as wood on the ceiling. The bedroom is ready for wood on the ceiling and floors...He's working on the office now and the laundry room. I'm getting so anxious, but trying to stay patient. It's such a hard job! :)
Sorry for the total randomness of this blog post; I'm just writing about things as I think of them. For a closing, I'll share some pictures from Thanksgiving. Actually, they'll be the next post. Now that I know how easy it is to share pics from shutterfly, I'll be doing that more often.
Enjoy your Holidays!
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Flying By
Wow, has time flown since I last wrote on here.
I'm now 30 weeks along and a few days. I'm having the baby in just two short months! Wow...I can hardly believe it. Until then, I want to cherish the wonderful seasons coming up.
Sunday the 18th is Clarence's 4th Birthday. We're celebrating Saturday night, the 17th with a party at dad's cabin. That's where Clarence requested we have it. He loves being at the cabin with everyone.
Just the other day, we were talking about his birthday. He told me, "Mom, the dads be outside talking, the kids play and watch movies in the basement, and the moms stay in the kitchen and cook the food." Really, Clarence, you've got it all figured out, don't you? That's how it always works...it's just funny that an almost 4-year old is perceptive enough to realize it!
Tonight we're going over to clean at the cabin and get everything ready. I made buns for it last night, and I'll make most of the other food on Saturday morning.
We had a fun couple weekends hunting...even though we didn't shoot a thing. We all saw a lot of does, fawns and small bucks, but none of us had a doe tag, so we just sat and waited for a big head-mounter to come along. Didn't happen, though. Maybe next year, I guess. Clarence went out opening morning with Matt. He lasted about a half an hour total...he was cold about 10 minutes after they got to their spot, then Matt told him to walk back to the pickup and wait for him there. Instead of walking quietly, Clarence would turn around and yell, "Coming, Dad?", then walk a little while longer, "Come on, Dad!". Needless to say, Matt just brought him back to Grandma Juli at the cabin, since he knew his chances of actually seeing deer with his little hunter were next to nothing.
I'm thankful I have a husband who's willing to at least make the effort, though. It meant a lot to Clarence.
I've been subbing a whole bunch this month. I'm getting tired and ready to just stay home with my family and get ready for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I want to help feed cows, cut/load wood (I only load it...I'm not too handy with a chainsaw), and bake Christmas cookies with my little helpers.
I feel like I get so far behind at home when I sub all week long. I neglect the house, only wash enough clothes to get us by so we have something clean to wear, make the most simple meals I can think of, and fall asleep exhausted with the kids at their bedtime, only to start it all ove the next day. Thankfully, I got a bug this morning and picked up and cleaned the floors pretty well so the house looks more presentable. If nothing else, it makes me feel better.
Anyway, I've just been rambling, but we've been so busy running here and there, hunting, feeding cows, and everything else, that I haven't written in almost a month. Hope it doesn't take me that long to write again!
See ya!
I'm now 30 weeks along and a few days. I'm having the baby in just two short months! Wow...I can hardly believe it. Until then, I want to cherish the wonderful seasons coming up.
Sunday the 18th is Clarence's 4th Birthday. We're celebrating Saturday night, the 17th with a party at dad's cabin. That's where Clarence requested we have it. He loves being at the cabin with everyone.
Just the other day, we were talking about his birthday. He told me, "Mom, the dads be outside talking, the kids play and watch movies in the basement, and the moms stay in the kitchen and cook the food." Really, Clarence, you've got it all figured out, don't you? That's how it always works...it's just funny that an almost 4-year old is perceptive enough to realize it!
Tonight we're going over to clean at the cabin and get everything ready. I made buns for it last night, and I'll make most of the other food on Saturday morning.
We had a fun couple weekends hunting...even though we didn't shoot a thing. We all saw a lot of does, fawns and small bucks, but none of us had a doe tag, so we just sat and waited for a big head-mounter to come along. Didn't happen, though. Maybe next year, I guess. Clarence went out opening morning with Matt. He lasted about a half an hour total...he was cold about 10 minutes after they got to their spot, then Matt told him to walk back to the pickup and wait for him there. Instead of walking quietly, Clarence would turn around and yell, "Coming, Dad?", then walk a little while longer, "Come on, Dad!". Needless to say, Matt just brought him back to Grandma Juli at the cabin, since he knew his chances of actually seeing deer with his little hunter were next to nothing.
I'm thankful I have a husband who's willing to at least make the effort, though. It meant a lot to Clarence.
I've been subbing a whole bunch this month. I'm getting tired and ready to just stay home with my family and get ready for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I want to help feed cows, cut/load wood (I only load it...I'm not too handy with a chainsaw), and bake Christmas cookies with my little helpers.
I feel like I get so far behind at home when I sub all week long. I neglect the house, only wash enough clothes to get us by so we have something clean to wear, make the most simple meals I can think of, and fall asleep exhausted with the kids at their bedtime, only to start it all ove the next day. Thankfully, I got a bug this morning and picked up and cleaned the floors pretty well so the house looks more presentable. If nothing else, it makes me feel better.
Anyway, I've just been rambling, but we've been so busy running here and there, hunting, feeding cows, and everything else, that I haven't written in almost a month. Hope it doesn't take me that long to write again!
See ya!
Saturday, October 27, 2012
10 things
#1 - I had a baby appointment this last Monday. I will be 28 weeks tomorrow (Sunday). Yay! I am now at the point where I can start going to appts. every 2 weeks, but she told me everything's fine so if I want to space them out more for now, I can. Baby's doing well....moving a lot. Clarence was patient enough to wait for a kick the other day. He thought that was pretty cool. Adina just pretends like she's feeling for it, but she's too impatient.
#2 - My doctor is due with twins Feb. 9th (I'm due Jan 20th)...I'm hoping she'll be around still when I have my baby...I really want her to do my c-section! I've set a date the week before my due date, but for now, I'll just keep it a secret...it's fun to be surprised when babies show up out of the blue, don't you think?
#3 - Clarence still loves school. He likes when Matt picks him up after school so he can come home and get work done, though. I think he worries the farm can't make progress without him when he's at the babysitter. He's really into watching cowboy movies lately. His new favorite is a John Wayne movie, "The Cowboys". He talks about bringing his cows to Belle Fousche all the time. He'll load his cows and horses in his big semi and say he's bringing them to Belle Fousche. You can tell he's seen the movie a couple of times!
#4 - Adina's doing great as well. She now loves having her hair done...we do braids and pony tails with barettes to hold her bangs back. She looks so grown up with her hair done. The only time she takes her hair out is if she's mad at me...like it's supposed to bother me or something. She's definitely going through her "terrible twos" these days, though. Or maybe it's just because she's a girl, I don't know, but her mood changes almost instantly. She'll be happy and cheerful one minute and screaming if she doesn't get her way the next. She's really been testing my patience level...:) Most of the time I handle it well, though, and leave her alone and let her get over her tantrums by herself. She's getting a lot better at doing that.
She's also big into makeup, perfume, and pins. Grandma Carmen sent her home with a box full of pins she wore to work in the '80's. Adina's a huge fan. We decorate her whole shirt with weird little pins, and then do photo shoots. She also loves having her picture taken...I say smile, she does, then wants to see each picture as we take them.
#5 - Matt's been working hard, as usual...he's been working on putting up a new fence on some land we have north of our house. He wants to put the cows out there to fall graze this next week. The kids and I have been helping some, but he's done a lot of the work himself this last week. He's also been continuing to work on my house...thanks, hun!, and feed cows, etc. Clarence tries to make sure he helps feed cows every day...it's important to him to be involved.
#6 - The kids and I made sugar cookies last Sunday. We used Halloween cookie cutters: a bat, an owl, and a pumpkin. Then, we frosted them and put candy corn and sprinkles on them. The kids had so much fun with the sprinkles and eating the frosting. We have a lot of randomly sprinkled cookies, but they're so, so cute! And we had such a fun afternoon doing that together. It's one of my favorite memories from when I was little - doing the same thing with my mom.
#7 - Mark and Andrea are here today to help put up soffit and fascia on the house and to start the siding on the addition. Yay! I'm so excited, I can hardly stand it. I can't wait to get the addition closed in better so that we can use the back door as our main entrance, even if it's only stud walls. I'm going to lock the front door and have a real living room again! Yippee!
#8 - Clarence and Adina spent the night at Grandma Juli and Grandpa Lowell's house last night. On the way there, Adina talked about "riding Hico" (Chico) the whole time...she's obsessed with Chico. (I think it's definitely time for me to look for a nice old horse for the kids!) Clarence talked about going to the farm with Grandpa Lowell to drive his little pickup around the shop and the farm. He was so excited to be going there. I called Mom's house this morning and Clarence answered the phone - it really surprised me! He did so well talking to me, though. He told me they're making cookies this morning with Grandma. They love getting to help bake in the kitchen. Adina talked to me, too. She was pretty excited, so I couldn't understand everything she was talking about, but I got that she slept well, she's making cookies, and she's been drinking chocolate milk. :)
#9 - I'm excited for snow. And Christmas. I love this time of year so much...I wish it lasted longer. :)
#10 - I'm going to be subbing a lot between now and Thanksgiving...better to sub now than after Christmas when I'll want to be home with my kids and the new baby!
Hope you're having a super weekend! And month!
#2 - My doctor is due with twins Feb. 9th (I'm due Jan 20th)...I'm hoping she'll be around still when I have my baby...I really want her to do my c-section! I've set a date the week before my due date, but for now, I'll just keep it a secret...it's fun to be surprised when babies show up out of the blue, don't you think?
#3 - Clarence still loves school. He likes when Matt picks him up after school so he can come home and get work done, though. I think he worries the farm can't make progress without him when he's at the babysitter. He's really into watching cowboy movies lately. His new favorite is a John Wayne movie, "The Cowboys". He talks about bringing his cows to Belle Fousche all the time. He'll load his cows and horses in his big semi and say he's bringing them to Belle Fousche. You can tell he's seen the movie a couple of times!
#4 - Adina's doing great as well. She now loves having her hair done...we do braids and pony tails with barettes to hold her bangs back. She looks so grown up with her hair done. The only time she takes her hair out is if she's mad at me...like it's supposed to bother me or something. She's definitely going through her "terrible twos" these days, though. Or maybe it's just because she's a girl, I don't know, but her mood changes almost instantly. She'll be happy and cheerful one minute and screaming if she doesn't get her way the next. She's really been testing my patience level...:) Most of the time I handle it well, though, and leave her alone and let her get over her tantrums by herself. She's getting a lot better at doing that.
She's also big into makeup, perfume, and pins. Grandma Carmen sent her home with a box full of pins she wore to work in the '80's. Adina's a huge fan. We decorate her whole shirt with weird little pins, and then do photo shoots. She also loves having her picture taken...I say smile, she does, then wants to see each picture as we take them.
#5 - Matt's been working hard, as usual...he's been working on putting up a new fence on some land we have north of our house. He wants to put the cows out there to fall graze this next week. The kids and I have been helping some, but he's done a lot of the work himself this last week. He's also been continuing to work on my house...thanks, hun!, and feed cows, etc. Clarence tries to make sure he helps feed cows every day...it's important to him to be involved.
#6 - The kids and I made sugar cookies last Sunday. We used Halloween cookie cutters: a bat, an owl, and a pumpkin. Then, we frosted them and put candy corn and sprinkles on them. The kids had so much fun with the sprinkles and eating the frosting. We have a lot of randomly sprinkled cookies, but they're so, so cute! And we had such a fun afternoon doing that together. It's one of my favorite memories from when I was little - doing the same thing with my mom.
#7 - Mark and Andrea are here today to help put up soffit and fascia on the house and to start the siding on the addition. Yay! I'm so excited, I can hardly stand it. I can't wait to get the addition closed in better so that we can use the back door as our main entrance, even if it's only stud walls. I'm going to lock the front door and have a real living room again! Yippee!
#8 - Clarence and Adina spent the night at Grandma Juli and Grandpa Lowell's house last night. On the way there, Adina talked about "riding Hico" (Chico) the whole time...she's obsessed with Chico. (I think it's definitely time for me to look for a nice old horse for the kids!) Clarence talked about going to the farm with Grandpa Lowell to drive his little pickup around the shop and the farm. He was so excited to be going there. I called Mom's house this morning and Clarence answered the phone - it really surprised me! He did so well talking to me, though. He told me they're making cookies this morning with Grandma. They love getting to help bake in the kitchen. Adina talked to me, too. She was pretty excited, so I couldn't understand everything she was talking about, but I got that she slept well, she's making cookies, and she's been drinking chocolate milk. :)
#9 - I'm excited for snow. And Christmas. I love this time of year so much...I wish it lasted longer. :)
#10 - I'm going to be subbing a lot between now and Thanksgiving...better to sub now than after Christmas when I'll want to be home with my kids and the new baby!
Hope you're having a super weekend! And month!
Friday, October 12, 2012
Progress!
Well, I'm subbing today; right now, I'm watching a study hall class...2 seniors. The teacher I'm subbing for left me her computer, so here I sit, writing my post. If I wasn't doing this, I'd be reading a new John Grisham book I found in the library, or planning Clarence's birthday party menu.
Anyway, the kids are home with Matt today. The babysitter called yesterday and said one of her girls had a fever, and it was our choice if we wanted to risk bringing the kids in or not. Matt said it was no bother for the kids to stay home with him, so they're all hanging out at home today. Or in the tractor. Or in the pasture fencing. Something, I guess. Matt told me they were going fencing. I wonder how it's going for him?
I helped bundle them up before I left this morning; Clarence in his 1-piece insulated carhartt coveralls and Adina in old "work" snowpants and a coat Matt found for her. They were so cute, and they'll be all set for their morning of working outside with their nice warm clothes on.
The kids are really good to entertain themselves when we're out fencing. Too bad I don't have my camera with...I took pictures the other day when we were out, and they're just so cute running on all the cow trails all over the pasture. The fresh air sure wears them out...Adina got cold, so we cuddled on the 4-wheeler, I put her feet in my coat and held her, and she was sleeping by 11:45. She slept almost three hours that day....how's that for a good way to wear a kid out? It's always a struggle to actually get out the door to go fencing, but once we're out working, it's so nice to be accomplishing something and doing it all together. We love all staying home and working together.
________________
We (I should say Matt) have also been busy working on the addition. After the power went out last Thursday, he decided since it was too snowy and yucky outside, he'd stay in and start wiring the addition. I'm so pumped about all his progress.
Since Thursday, he has:
It's so handy having a husband who can do almost anything!
________________________
Clarence is loving school...yesterday I picked him up and he'd just gotten back from riding around town in the fire truck. I think it was pretty fun for him. He and his cousin Tucker get along really well now....they used to fight a lot..... I'm thinking they've both just matured and realized they like each others' company. They both ride the same bus, and Clarence always tells me he has played with Tucker at school.
Well, one of these days I'll try and get an updated picture of my kids on here....I tried getting one from fb, but it didn't work. I'll try soon.
Have a fabulous weekend!
Anyway, the kids are home with Matt today. The babysitter called yesterday and said one of her girls had a fever, and it was our choice if we wanted to risk bringing the kids in or not. Matt said it was no bother for the kids to stay home with him, so they're all hanging out at home today. Or in the tractor. Or in the pasture fencing. Something, I guess. Matt told me they were going fencing. I wonder how it's going for him?
I helped bundle them up before I left this morning; Clarence in his 1-piece insulated carhartt coveralls and Adina in old "work" snowpants and a coat Matt found for her. They were so cute, and they'll be all set for their morning of working outside with their nice warm clothes on.
The kids are really good to entertain themselves when we're out fencing. Too bad I don't have my camera with...I took pictures the other day when we were out, and they're just so cute running on all the cow trails all over the pasture. The fresh air sure wears them out...Adina got cold, so we cuddled on the 4-wheeler, I put her feet in my coat and held her, and she was sleeping by 11:45. She slept almost three hours that day....how's that for a good way to wear a kid out? It's always a struggle to actually get out the door to go fencing, but once we're out working, it's so nice to be accomplishing something and doing it all together. We love all staying home and working together.
________________
We (I should say Matt) have also been busy working on the addition. After the power went out last Thursday, he decided since it was too snowy and yucky outside, he'd stay in and start wiring the addition. I'm so pumped about all his progress.
Since Thursday, he has:
- put lights in every room but the bathroom,
- put up all the closets we're going to need,
- put in nearly all the outlets,
- put in the remaining three windows,
- put in closet doors,
- and built the walls over the basement stairs.
It's so handy having a husband who can do almost anything!
________________________
Clarence is loving school...yesterday I picked him up and he'd just gotten back from riding around town in the fire truck. I think it was pretty fun for him. He and his cousin Tucker get along really well now....they used to fight a lot..... I'm thinking they've both just matured and realized they like each others' company. They both ride the same bus, and Clarence always tells me he has played with Tucker at school.
Well, one of these days I'll try and get an updated picture of my kids on here....I tried getting one from fb, but it didn't work. I'll try soon.
Have a fabulous weekend!
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Fun Fabulous Fall!
I absolutely love fall.
I love the cool mornings.
I love the changing leaves.
I love playing outside with my kids.
I love pumpkins and gourds and seeing everyone's decorations.
I love that it freezes and I'm allowed to let my garden go.....all I have to do now is pick the underground stuff.
It's just a wonderful time of year; I only wish fall lasted three months instead of the hot summer. That's just me, though.
Today's a bit warmer than it has been lately. We're making good use of the weather outside; we started cross-fencing a pasture by our house. (Cross-fencing is just dividing the large pasture into smaller pastures so that we can rotate our cows next year...it helps prolong the life of the grass.) We've been digging holes for railroad ties this morning. Now the kids are napping. They were so tired; they sort of cried and whined their whole way through lunch. I was glad to send them off to bed; they were sleeping within minutes.
We've also been busy with many other things this month...or at least Matt is every day....I help when I can or he really needs assistance. He's been combining beans and fixing machinery; we've been hauling manure and hauling cows home together. I'm so glad all the cows are home now. It's so nice to know we only have one pasture to go and check and that if we need to give them a bale here and there, we don't have to spend half a day bringing hay down to my pasture.
Clarence has enjoyed his first two weeks of preschool...(It's only been 4 half-days, but he loves it!). He rides the bus now with cousin Tucker. He's picked up about 7:50. He gets to school, they play, then go eat breakfast as a class, then come back and brush their teeth. Then they get to make projects, play in the gym or outside, and read books. He really loves school; he's always asking me when the bus is coming again to get him for "cool". Of course, as soon as he gets any free moments, he's working on his pen. He recently moved it over by the horse pen, and has moved the panels around to make a chute. He's decided it's going to be a calf pen for the little calves. He's just constantly working on it to perfect its usefulness, I guess. :) He even has a bale of nice green alfalfa spread around the pen.....what he's expecting to come and eat it, I'm not sure.
He spent the night at Nikki's on Thursday. He noticed all the leaves in her yard and told her, "You need clean you yard up." So they went out and taked for a bit. They made a big pile of leaves, and Clarence pointed to the raked part, "That look so nice." He's such a little perfectionist! It makes me laugh!
Adina's having fun at home with me while Clarence is gone at school. We just hang out and get a little bit of work done, then it's time to go and pick him up. People keep asking her if she wants to ride the bus, and she replies, "maybe yater"...meaning that she's really not ready yet. "Maybe Yater" is her answer for when she doesn't get to do something today, tomorrow, or for a while. She understands that "maybe later" is a ways away, so that's how she responds. She's into playing with her Barbie, Ariel, putting on lip gloss, brushing her hair, and wrapping up her babies lately. She's also really into training her kitties, too. She loves playing "out-hide baby hihees". I love listening to her talk. We can really have a pretty full conversation these days, which is nice for me...I understand better what she wants.
I started teaching piano lessons in St. Vincent last week. I've got 20 students up there. I'm hoping it'll be a good year with everyone willing to practice and move along in their books. :) I'll also be teaching some lessons in Lancaster on Monday evenings, but I'm really glad I split the days up...it would get to be such a long day if I hadn't. I'm not really sure how things will work after the baby comes and I decide to teach again...I guess I'll just cross that bridge when I come to it. Just pray that it'll all work out ok, I guess.
Well, hope you're enjoying our fabulous fall! Pray that we get some rain soon....it's so dry everywhere!
I love the cool mornings.
I love the changing leaves.
I love playing outside with my kids.
I love pumpkins and gourds and seeing everyone's decorations.
I love that it freezes and I'm allowed to let my garden go.....all I have to do now is pick the underground stuff.
It's just a wonderful time of year; I only wish fall lasted three months instead of the hot summer. That's just me, though.
Today's a bit warmer than it has been lately. We're making good use of the weather outside; we started cross-fencing a pasture by our house. (Cross-fencing is just dividing the large pasture into smaller pastures so that we can rotate our cows next year...it helps prolong the life of the grass.) We've been digging holes for railroad ties this morning. Now the kids are napping. They were so tired; they sort of cried and whined their whole way through lunch. I was glad to send them off to bed; they were sleeping within minutes.
We've also been busy with many other things this month...or at least Matt is every day....I help when I can or he really needs assistance. He's been combining beans and fixing machinery; we've been hauling manure and hauling cows home together. I'm so glad all the cows are home now. It's so nice to know we only have one pasture to go and check and that if we need to give them a bale here and there, we don't have to spend half a day bringing hay down to my pasture.
Clarence has enjoyed his first two weeks of preschool...(It's only been 4 half-days, but he loves it!). He rides the bus now with cousin Tucker. He's picked up about 7:50. He gets to school, they play, then go eat breakfast as a class, then come back and brush their teeth. Then they get to make projects, play in the gym or outside, and read books. He really loves school; he's always asking me when the bus is coming again to get him for "cool". Of course, as soon as he gets any free moments, he's working on his pen. He recently moved it over by the horse pen, and has moved the panels around to make a chute. He's decided it's going to be a calf pen for the little calves. He's just constantly working on it to perfect its usefulness, I guess. :) He even has a bale of nice green alfalfa spread around the pen.....what he's expecting to come and eat it, I'm not sure.
He spent the night at Nikki's on Thursday. He noticed all the leaves in her yard and told her, "You need clean you yard up." So they went out and taked for a bit. They made a big pile of leaves, and Clarence pointed to the raked part, "That look so nice." He's such a little perfectionist! It makes me laugh!
Adina's having fun at home with me while Clarence is gone at school. We just hang out and get a little bit of work done, then it's time to go and pick him up. People keep asking her if she wants to ride the bus, and she replies, "maybe yater"...meaning that she's really not ready yet. "Maybe Yater" is her answer for when she doesn't get to do something today, tomorrow, or for a while. She understands that "maybe later" is a ways away, so that's how she responds. She's into playing with her Barbie, Ariel, putting on lip gloss, brushing her hair, and wrapping up her babies lately. She's also really into training her kitties, too. She loves playing "out-hide baby hihees". I love listening to her talk. We can really have a pretty full conversation these days, which is nice for me...I understand better what she wants.
I started teaching piano lessons in St. Vincent last week. I've got 20 students up there. I'm hoping it'll be a good year with everyone willing to practice and move along in their books. :) I'll also be teaching some lessons in Lancaster on Monday evenings, but I'm really glad I split the days up...it would get to be such a long day if I hadn't. I'm not really sure how things will work after the baby comes and I decide to teach again...I guess I'll just cross that bridge when I come to it. Just pray that it'll all work out ok, I guess.
Well, hope you're enjoying our fabulous fall! Pray that we get some rain soon....it's so dry everywhere!
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Excitement
It's been a good start to the week.
Sunday began with our first day of Sunday School. All went well, and the kids had so much fun. After church, Mom and Nikki each took a kid. Matt and I went and had lunch with Pat and Laverne (the people we bought our farm from), then came home and canned tomatoes and spaghetti sauce. Yay for having a helper who was willing to peel tons of tomatoes. He literally saved me hours. Thanks, Matt. :)
The kids were so excited when they got home that night because Grandma Juli had let them borrow "Gunsmoke". It's all they've been watching since they got it. And they love it! It's black and white, but it's all they request. It makes me laugh. Matt loves it, too. He'll find any excuse to come in and watch a movie with the kids before bed. :)
Clarence started out yesterday by being privileged enough to ride in the corn chopper with Donald Burton. Donald and his crew came out yesterday and chopped our corn. Clarence was lucky enough to get to ride for three hours in the corn chopper. I asked him how many rows he did. He held up his hands, and said, "Five, five, five, five, five rows." (That's a lot, I'm thinking.) I wonder what he and Donald talked about? Any guesses?
I'm guessing farming, cows, haying, chopping corn, etc. Anything and everything that could have to do with the farm. Donald even gave him pop and candy. What a lucky boy!
Tonight he had his pre-school open house. We went to the school, found his room, his cubby, his nametag, his locker, and met his new teacher. He had a lot of fun (and Adina had fun tagging along). We read a book together, then had a snack, then went outside to play with the other kids. I know he's going to have a great time at preschool.
Today we spent a few hours cleaning up our toy room. It was a disaster, to say the least. Anyway, now we can easily walk in the door, through that room, and go right into the kitchen, rather than going around the long way. It's lovely.
Adina found so many cool toys she had forgotten about. She found one of my grandma's old purses full of dishes Nikki, Amanda, Savannah and I used to play with at Grandma's house. She added her own little collection to the purse, threw it around her neck (that's how she carries it), and has walked around with it on all afternoon. This morning she even picked 8 tomatoes and added to her purse and random collection. Thankfully Clarence told me about them so I could take them out before she squished them and made a large, disgusting mess.
That's all the excitement I have...not as much as I thought, but it's all fun, anyway.
Oh, one more. The baby's been moving for the last two weeks, and it's so much fun to experience it again! Now I can even feel it on the outside sometimes. I'm excited for when the kids will actually be able to feel it. It won't be long now! I'm 21 weeks along right now. Baby's due January 20th, although I'm sure I'll have my c-section the week before...I'm kinda shooting for Jan. 15th, which is my brother's birthday.That would be fun!
Hope you're having a super day and week! And yay for cooler weather!
Sunday began with our first day of Sunday School. All went well, and the kids had so much fun. After church, Mom and Nikki each took a kid. Matt and I went and had lunch with Pat and Laverne (the people we bought our farm from), then came home and canned tomatoes and spaghetti sauce. Yay for having a helper who was willing to peel tons of tomatoes. He literally saved me hours. Thanks, Matt. :)
The kids were so excited when they got home that night because Grandma Juli had let them borrow "Gunsmoke". It's all they've been watching since they got it. And they love it! It's black and white, but it's all they request. It makes me laugh. Matt loves it, too. He'll find any excuse to come in and watch a movie with the kids before bed. :)
Clarence started out yesterday by being privileged enough to ride in the corn chopper with Donald Burton. Donald and his crew came out yesterday and chopped our corn. Clarence was lucky enough to get to ride for three hours in the corn chopper. I asked him how many rows he did. He held up his hands, and said, "Five, five, five, five, five rows." (That's a lot, I'm thinking.) I wonder what he and Donald talked about? Any guesses?
I'm guessing farming, cows, haying, chopping corn, etc. Anything and everything that could have to do with the farm. Donald even gave him pop and candy. What a lucky boy!
Tonight he had his pre-school open house. We went to the school, found his room, his cubby, his nametag, his locker, and met his new teacher. He had a lot of fun (and Adina had fun tagging along). We read a book together, then had a snack, then went outside to play with the other kids. I know he's going to have a great time at preschool.
Today we spent a few hours cleaning up our toy room. It was a disaster, to say the least. Anyway, now we can easily walk in the door, through that room, and go right into the kitchen, rather than going around the long way. It's lovely.
Adina found so many cool toys she had forgotten about. She found one of my grandma's old purses full of dishes Nikki, Amanda, Savannah and I used to play with at Grandma's house. She added her own little collection to the purse, threw it around her neck (that's how she carries it), and has walked around with it on all afternoon. This morning she even picked 8 tomatoes and added to her purse and random collection. Thankfully Clarence told me about them so I could take them out before she squished them and made a large, disgusting mess.
That's all the excitement I have...not as much as I thought, but it's all fun, anyway.
Oh, one more. The baby's been moving for the last two weeks, and it's so much fun to experience it again! Now I can even feel it on the outside sometimes. I'm excited for when the kids will actually be able to feel it. It won't be long now! I'm 21 weeks along right now. Baby's due January 20th, although I'm sure I'll have my c-section the week before...I'm kinda shooting for Jan. 15th, which is my brother's birthday.That would be fun!
Hope you're having a super day and week! And yay for cooler weather!
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Clarence's Daily/Weekly/Monthly and Adina's new obsession
Here's what I can remember from some funny things my sweet little boy has said recently. He continually cracks me up with his conversations, his addiction/obsession with the farm, and his love of helping his dad and grandpa.
C: Grampa Lowell? You got any minner and salt blocks? I need some. Bye.
(This was his imaginary phone conversation with my dad in the car one day.)
_________
C: Mom, you need get those matoes out of my wagon. I need to haul 'nure.
Me: Can we just leave them in there until I'm ready to use them?
C: Okay, but I need to haul 'nure. Morrow you can get them out.
Me: Ok....(but I'll leave them in there as long as he forgets about them.)
____________________
Last week, we found Clarence at the foot of the deck with two chairs turned over on their sides, the cushions for the chairs on the ground, a garbage can, and the wagon, all in a circle.
Me: What are you doing, Clarence?
C: Going camping, Auntie Mary's fair.
Me: You are at the State Fair?
C: Yeah, camping. Dina, lay down and sleep. (Then he lays down with her on the cushions and they pretend they're sleeping and camping.)
Later on, I saw he had Ruby in his "pen."
Me: Clarence, be nice to Ruby.
C: She's my heifer, I need to load her in the trailer (his wagon).
Me: Ok, but if she wants to get out, make sure you let her. You have to be nice.
C: I be nice.
.......
After Matt got home and saw his mess, he said:
Matt: Clarence, come with me; I have some panels you can have and you can make a real pen instead of making a mess right here.
C: Ok... (He's so excited about the possibility of real panels!)
Matt: (Goes to the barn, comes out with six sheep panels.) Will these work? Where do you want me to set them up?
C: Mom! I got panels!
Me: Set them up by the sandbox.
C: Yeah!
Minutes later, after Matt had the pen all set up, Clarence had a rope around Ruby's neck and was leading her over to the pen.
Me: What are you doing, Clarence?
C: I need to get this black pig in the pen.
Me: Oh, now you have a black pig named Ruby?
C: Yep.
From this poing on, Clarence has spent countless hours at his pen, opening gates, getting dogfood to lure the puppies and Ruby in, bringing the baby kitties out there, etc. He's obsessed...it's his own little pen to do whatever he wants with (as long as he's nice to the animals).
________________________
Adina's been really busy lately. Her black cat, Regan, had kittens about four weeks ago. She's been faithfully petting and training those five cute kitties ever since.
She begs to go outside to see them. She'll pet them, wrap them in blankets, carry them around in buckets (nicely), and feed them. She absolutely loves them! And, I'm so thrilled that we now have nine TAME cats right out my front door. Oh, and I forgot to mention that Rocks, the gray cat who had kittens in May or June is going to have another batch any day now. I'm so excited..........
Anyone need any tame kittens?
Adina's a great cat-tamer! She's taught them a lot of tricks! And they are eating catfood already.
________________________
We've had such a fun, busy summer. I can't believe school's already started and we're back into having schedules to live by. Clarence starts three-year old preschool on Sept. 18th. He has it Tuesday and Thursday mornings every week. He's really excited about it - the fun things they get to do and seeing his friends a couple times a week. It's hard for me to know he's already old enough to be at school a little bit, and that he'll be riding the bus!
We have two pastures north of our house that have ponds in them. Dry ponds. We had to bring the cows home from those pastures this last week...we even had them dug out - 8 feet down, with only mud and dry dirt coming out...no water. We've been checking one of the ponds, and thankfully there is water coming back into it slowly from an underground spring. This might allow us to bring the cows back up to those pastures in a couple weeks. Hopefully! Please pray we (and all the other dry areas around us) get rain and plenty of snow this winter. If we don't, it'll be hard to feed the cows next summer. Kind of a scary thought.
Well, off to do something productive before my 'nure spreading helper, Clarence, wakes up from his nap. Adina's at her friend Payton's house today, because she's a difficult little girl to entertain in the tractor for an entire day. Plus, she's so excited to go and play with her friends, that it's fun for me to bring her there because I know she'll have tons of fun. It's all Clarence ever dreams of, though. An endless amount of farm work to do. He sits and talks to me about working his cows, feeding them oats, combining his beans, combining his sunflowers, etc., all of which is imaginary or has to do with his toy cows in the house. He's a funny and interesting little boy!
C: Grampa Lowell? You got any minner and salt blocks? I need some. Bye.
(This was his imaginary phone conversation with my dad in the car one day.)
_________
C: Mom, you need get those matoes out of my wagon. I need to haul 'nure.
Me: Can we just leave them in there until I'm ready to use them?
C: Okay, but I need to haul 'nure. Morrow you can get them out.
Me: Ok....(but I'll leave them in there as long as he forgets about them.)
____________________
Last week, we found Clarence at the foot of the deck with two chairs turned over on their sides, the cushions for the chairs on the ground, a garbage can, and the wagon, all in a circle.
Me: What are you doing, Clarence?
C: Going camping, Auntie Mary's fair.
Me: You are at the State Fair?
C: Yeah, camping. Dina, lay down and sleep. (Then he lays down with her on the cushions and they pretend they're sleeping and camping.)
Later on, I saw he had Ruby in his "pen."
Me: Clarence, be nice to Ruby.
C: She's my heifer, I need to load her in the trailer (his wagon).
Me: Ok, but if she wants to get out, make sure you let her. You have to be nice.
C: I be nice.
.......
After Matt got home and saw his mess, he said:
Matt: Clarence, come with me; I have some panels you can have and you can make a real pen instead of making a mess right here.
C: Ok... (He's so excited about the possibility of real panels!)
Matt: (Goes to the barn, comes out with six sheep panels.) Will these work? Where do you want me to set them up?
C: Mom! I got panels!
Me: Set them up by the sandbox.
C: Yeah!
Minutes later, after Matt had the pen all set up, Clarence had a rope around Ruby's neck and was leading her over to the pen.
Me: What are you doing, Clarence?
C: I need to get this black pig in the pen.
Me: Oh, now you have a black pig named Ruby?
C: Yep.
From this poing on, Clarence has spent countless hours at his pen, opening gates, getting dogfood to lure the puppies and Ruby in, bringing the baby kitties out there, etc. He's obsessed...it's his own little pen to do whatever he wants with (as long as he's nice to the animals).
________________________
Adina's been really busy lately. Her black cat, Regan, had kittens about four weeks ago. She's been faithfully petting and training those five cute kitties ever since.
She begs to go outside to see them. She'll pet them, wrap them in blankets, carry them around in buckets (nicely), and feed them. She absolutely loves them! And, I'm so thrilled that we now have nine TAME cats right out my front door. Oh, and I forgot to mention that Rocks, the gray cat who had kittens in May or June is going to have another batch any day now. I'm so excited..........
Anyone need any tame kittens?
Adina's a great cat-tamer! She's taught them a lot of tricks! And they are eating catfood already.
________________________
We've had such a fun, busy summer. I can't believe school's already started and we're back into having schedules to live by. Clarence starts three-year old preschool on Sept. 18th. He has it Tuesday and Thursday mornings every week. He's really excited about it - the fun things they get to do and seeing his friends a couple times a week. It's hard for me to know he's already old enough to be at school a little bit, and that he'll be riding the bus!
We have two pastures north of our house that have ponds in them. Dry ponds. We had to bring the cows home from those pastures this last week...we even had them dug out - 8 feet down, with only mud and dry dirt coming out...no water. We've been checking one of the ponds, and thankfully there is water coming back into it slowly from an underground spring. This might allow us to bring the cows back up to those pastures in a couple weeks. Hopefully! Please pray we (and all the other dry areas around us) get rain and plenty of snow this winter. If we don't, it'll be hard to feed the cows next summer. Kind of a scary thought.
Well, off to do something productive before my 'nure spreading helper, Clarence, wakes up from his nap. Adina's at her friend Payton's house today, because she's a difficult little girl to entertain in the tractor for an entire day. Plus, she's so excited to go and play with her friends, that it's fun for me to bring her there because I know she'll have tons of fun. It's all Clarence ever dreams of, though. An endless amount of farm work to do. He sits and talks to me about working his cows, feeding them oats, combining his beans, combining his sunflowers, etc., all of which is imaginary or has to do with his toy cows in the house. He's a funny and interesting little boy!
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