Where'd I come from?

At supper the night before last Jack (age 3) asked where he came from.  His brothers quickly responded that he came from me, Momma. That started the rounds of where'd YOU come from's for everyone at the table.  Each person of course came from Momma.  Until we got to Daddy.  The big boys said he came from Mimi (his mother) and Jack insisted that no, he came from Momma, too.  Then he asked where Momma came from.  The big boys answered Me-Ma (my Momma) and Jack said "No she didn't!  She came from Heaven!"  Aww...... what a compliment!  Three is such a sweet age! 

Catch up

This is a post just to catch up on everything from the last couple of weeks so get ready for some randomness! :) 

My dear husband brought me flowers last week.  He was trying to think of something nice to do for me like send me on a pedicure but I told him hinted to him that I wanted flowers.  Awe. Aren't they pretty? 

One of our favorite meals from this months menu so far has been the pork loin roast.  I just love love love pork with cranberry sauce (thank you Pioneer Woman).  I didn't follow her recipe exactly this time.  I just cooked a preseasoned roast in the dutch oven then simmered a can of cranberry sauce (with whole cranberries) with a little garlic, onion, and rosemary and used that to top our roast.  Throw on a side of rosemary roasted potatoes and carrots and we're good.  The plate pictured is mine so the carrots are raw.  The kids like there's sliced and simmered with a little water, honey, and butter. 

I saw a neat idea on pinterest and now my two youngest think I am so cool.  All I did was cut the netting out of the long sides of the pack-n-play and put a fitted sheet over the top and now they have a book nook that can be put away when not in use . I have big plans to sew receiving blankets together to make a top for it and sides that can hang down or be tied up.  But.... for now it's just a cut up pack-n-play with a sheet.  But they love it. 

Another favorite meal.... chicken pot pie.  This was my first time to not use canned chicken, canned soup, and canned broth.  I actually boiled a chicken, simmered the bones for 18 hours to make stock, and used a little bit of the stock to make the filling for the pie.  I did buy the pillsbury refrigerated pie crust (the two pack of rolled up crusts).... it's just so easy and it tastes great.  And I've never made pie crust.  Yet.  I made it in a giant cast iron skillet and it was perfect! 

The crust cooked perfectly... yum. 

Just enough left for Daddy to take for lunch the next day.  :)

While I was making the above chicken pot pie, the boys pretended to be in time out.  Silly boys.

Henry has a new favorite place to do his math. 

On top of the shelf under his window. Whatever works! 

Oh!  You know it's our first time to have a winter garden so while it's technically not unusual to harvest broccoli while there is ice hanging from the trees, it was a first for me.  How cool to go outside in 32 degree weather and pick broccoli?!  I also got a little bit of cauliflower.

And look at the brussels sprouts!  Our chickens peck at the garden every chance they get so the leaves aren't pretty, but thankfully they haven't eaten any of the vegetables yet. 

We also have a couple of nice heads of cabbage going. 

Last but not least, my handsome 10 year old begged me to let him try out his new basketball shoes that are suppose to be for inside the gym only .....

Gramps

Gramps is the name given to my step-dad, Cary, by my boys.  He married my mom a couple of weeks before I started 7th grade.  He helped my mom take great care of me and my brother, John.  Later, when my first son was born, he was retired so he took care of Nelson when I went back to work.  He loved Nelson so much and Nelson loved him.  When Nelson was just 9 months old, my mom was diagnosed with cancer.  She battled cancer off and on for 6 years all with Gramps by her side.  He was an amazing support and care taker.  She passed away in 2008 and Gramps' heart was broken.  Even after that, he came around all the time and while he was happy in the moment... watching kids play their sports, coming to birthday parties, coming for dinner and just to visit... you could still see the saddness in his eyes.  The only time I didn't see that sadness was when he was surrounded by (and completely distracted) his grandsons.

When they were around, you may as well forget having a conversation with him.  While had a few health problems, we never expected the phone call we received on Friday, July 13th.  That Gramps had passed away sometime in his sleep the night before.  His dear friend and landlord was who found him.  We were all shocked.  If you knew Gramps, you know he seemed much younger than he was. We all expected him to live for ever.  The kids were crushed, we... James, my brother, and our other siblings that he had from his previous marriage... we are all sad not to have him here with us.  But we are thankful that he is no longer trying to mend a broken heart or fighting any health issues.  We are thankful that he has once again been united with my mom and has gone home to be with our Savior.  We love and miss you, Gramps!!

Wordless Wednesday - Sleeping Snuggles

Sweet Conversations

Jack has really turned in to a talker lately.  Besides the typical "What's that?" that we hear all day, he is making good conversation and will even start some on his own.  My favorite from this week went like this:

"I lub you Momma."
"I love you, too, Jack."
"Ready for my sugars?" (followed by a great big kiss!)
"You give great sugar, Jack."
"I give great hug, too, Momma. Want Jack's hug?"
"Yes, please!" 

Sooooo sweet!  Moments like this completely melt my heart and remind me again how blessed I am.  These moments are also very needed after a day full of moodiness and tantrums!  Haha!

Perfect Day

I love days like today.  When I don't have to rush to go somewhere first thing in the morning.  When my husband comes home from work and slips into bed with me (and Jack today, lol) for a little nap before the house wakes up.  A good cooked breakfast instead of the usual oatmeal or cereal that we have during the week. Relaxing and enjoying each the company of our sweet little family.  Afternoon naps. The boys hanging out and getting along.  And now... Now I sit in the cozy kitchen chair and watch Kash as he talks to Daddy and Jack through the window while they are out grilling our supper.  Our delicious supper of steak & shrimp with corn-on-the-cob, new potatoes and squash in foil packets... I love a good grilled supper! 

Besides the tragic death of a chick, we have had a perfect day!

Chicks

In case you missed it (I can't remember if I blogged about it already and my computer is too slow for me to go back and look!) we have chickens.  They started in a box in our garage and recently made it to a coop built by my amazing husbands with 3 of his little helpers :)

This man... I kinda sorta love him a lot! 

It fills my heart with joy to see the boys working along side daddy!

Another fact you may not know is that we have a great dane.  The boys do a good job taking care of him and the chicks. But, the dog, Captain, wants to taste the chicks.  He stands gaurd just waiting for the right moment to get in. He tried digging and may try again but we're hoping the has given up on that.  When it's time to tend to the chicks, Captain MUST be put inside the house.  He really is waiting for just the right moment to slip into the coop...and a couple of days ago, he got his chance.  I was inside tending to Kash when I heard Nelson hollering outside.  I sent Henry out to check and then he started yelling.  I rushed outside leaving Jack & Kash in the house to find Nelson in a panic, Henry yelling and crying, and Captain running across the yard with a chick in his mouth.  I start yelling for him to drop it and he does.  But he goes right back for it and grabs it up again!  I finally got him to drop it again and while Nelson and I try to catch/distract him, Henry catches the chick and puts it back. During all of this, I have escalated to screaming at Captain, then at Nelson (when I stopped I heard our elderly neighbor outside talking to his dog...oops), and Kash & Jack are trying to get out the back door... why not? They probably think we're having fun out there! After the chick is returned to the coop, we get Captain inside so I can check on the chick.  It's fine.. phew..  BUT we count and there is a chick missing! What?! Henry goes inside to stay with the little ones while Nelson and I search high and low. Is it possible that Captain had a snack without us realizing it?!!!?? Finally, Nelson finds the chick in the wood pile behind the coop.  When he uncovers it, it runs.  We chase it around and it finally runs through a gap in the fence.  Nelson calls Henry back out and they go to the other side of the fence. (Henry is our official chicken catcher).  The chick comes back through the fence and I miss it.  Then I run it back through the fence where it darts across the street.  Henry corners it and catches it near the neighbors fence.  Sigh..... The chicks survived their little adventure, Henry hates Captain now (aka chicken killer even though he didn't actually kill any) and Nelson is certain to put the dog up before opening the coop.  :) A day in the life.....

Quiet

It is unusually quiet here right now. The only sounds I hear are clothes tumbling in the dryer and birds chirping. It's actually kind of nice. I am glad it is short lived though... I enjoy the noise my family makes. Except the crying noise I heard a lot yesterday. Kash figured out the crying loudly while throwing my head back thing yesterday and he does it quite well. He has really not been cranky or ornery a day in his life.. not even when he is sick... until yesterday. I am so glad that today he is back to his sweet self! He's having his morning nap right now. James picked up the 2 oldest early from school and took them and Jack to the hardware store to get supplies to finish up the chicken coop. It's coming along nicely. And I ... I have been reading the Sonlight catalog. I really think this is it and I am so excited about it! I also learned today that a friend is about to make the decision to homeschool too. It will be nice to have a friend living so close to learn on this adventure with.

Spring Is In the Air

I am loving this weather... this is the kind of weather I could live with year round. BUT, I am a fan of 4 distinct seasons also. Especially when having a good winter cuts down on the crazy amount of bugs. I am still holding out for a couple of good freezes.

Spring IS my favorite season. The temperatures are perfect. It's breezy. There are more chances of rain. Trees budding, flowers growing... life is new and fresh. AND... the kids get a week long break from school! Yay! We always try to do a mini vacation during spring break (like Sea World). This time we are thinking of heading up to Robbers Cave State Park in OK for a couple nights to semi-rough it.... you know, in a cabin. There are suppose to be lots of really good hiking trails here and some caves. We could all use some good outdoor time enjoying God's awesome creation!

Monkey

I do the army crawl because I haven't figured out how to use my knees and get my belly off the ground, and until last week I hadn't pulled up on anything until I suddenly figured out how to go from laying down to standing using the crib rails. I haven't figured out how to go from laying down to sitting up. I am really good at crawling (not falling) down stairs. And now.... now I can climb up onto the bars under the end table!

Breakfast of Champions - His first sprinkle donut.

Puppy Love

The boys had a great time making their own valentine's this year. We chose to opt out of the superhero cards you can get at the dollar store this year. Nelson went with semi-homemade cereal box valentine's and Henry with homemade cards. The cereal boxes were a spin on something I found on pinterest. Everything turned out really cute!

All of this valentine business has sparked a couple of conversations. Henry's ended with me saying, "I don't care how pretty she is, it is NOT okay for you to be one of her FOUR boyfriends!" Forget the fact that you aren't old enough anyway... I'm okay with a little puppy love at this age but really? Nelson's on the other hand was much better. It went something like this: "Mom, Jane (fake name to protect identity, lol) sent her friend to tell me she has a crush on me. I told her to tell Jane that I'd see her in 6th grade. Jane#2 also likes me." So glad he is going along with the whole you're not old enough thing. It's been a while since we've talked about that so I'm surprised. Funny thing is, we never put an age on it, just a generic you're too young. Apparently he thinks 6th grade is old enough! :)

Toddler Love

If you've raised a child through toddlerhood you know how that some days you are just trying to make it to bedtime without hurting someone....whether it be yourself, the toddler, or whoever has crossed the toddler sending him or her into tantrum city, meltdown mode, or whatever route of craziness your toddler takes. Mine isn't picky about which route he takes, when he takes it, or who all is watching.

Then there are other times like this morning that make me almost forget about those crazy moments. A quick trip to the Family Dollar to pick up dishwashing detergent after dropping the two big boys off at school ended with my heart bursting with love and joy to be the mommy of this toddler. I let him walk the store instead of riding in the buggy and you would have thought he had never seen anything on the shelves of the FD before. He was in awe. Looking at everything and his sweetest voice repeated, "Look Mommy!" at each thing we passed by. I wish I had a recording for you to listen too. It was precious! Look is drawn out and Mommy is high pitched.... full of excitement. Sweet. Joyous. All over the $6 shoes, batteries, cookie sheets, etc. that were on his level. He also saw a toy tool set that I could not resist buying for him. He told the cashier all about the tools he was going to "fix it" with.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go play with my toddler before he switches to crazy mode. ;)

Is That What I Think It Is?!

Boys... boys are what I know and love and... what I wanted. I knew from day one that I wanted a son. I was suppose to want a girl the second time around, and maybe I did a little but I was giddy when they said he would be another he. The third time... my husband and I both laughed and then said "phew, we know what to do." The fourth time, the sonographer was scared to say it. She didn't say it. We were all in the room (sons included) and I asked, "Is that what I think it is?!" We were shocked. We expected a girl. But we were happy to have another boy. People always expected us to want a girl and I thought I did at times but I was always relieved when the baby was a boy! I'm surrounded by dirt, unidentifiable scents and noises, adventure... and I'm showered with hugs and kisses. I really think I'm spoiled.