Happy Thanksgiving.

Kevin had to work in the morning, and the rest of us slept in (for a little bit anyway). Most of the morning was actually normal - family prayer, family scripture reading, some kids had school stuff to do, I fed the baby... After breakfast the kids read books and played while I made lunner. We enjoyed Cornish hens, sweet potatoes, real mashed potatoes, stuffing, and fruit salad. Everyone was pretty full after all that yummy food! They were all very excited to head outside to play in the snow! There was about 1/2 of an inch of snow and they were delighted!

 

I actually got Harmonie into Ben's first snow suit. It's a little big but it worked. She was so excited to be going outside. The boots she ended up with were a little big because I didn't find the smaller ones until she was already outside. It was fun to watch the kids playing, sledding, shoveling, and having a good time together.

I was going to make an apple pie but was a little worried about the age of our canned filling or using Gala apples instead of Granny Smith. I decided on cherry instead. While it baked the kids watched a movie. After the movie was over, and the pie had cooled to an eatable temperature, we all enjoyed eating the pie and talking about what we are thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving to you!

What's for dinner?

I was making dinner tonight, and Domonique came to the kitchen doorway. She asked, with a very excited voice, "Are we having pancakes for dinner?" As I poured another one onto the griddle, I answered her question with a yes. She ran to me, hugged my leg and said, "Oh thank you Mommy! I love pancakes. I'm so happy you are making pancakes for dinner." What a funny little thing. You'd think she would gobble them up but she can sit at the table working on eating one or two for quite some time. Maybe what she means is she likes pancakes more than anything else that I make but she still doesn't really like them. I'm just glad I was able to make her so happy. Everyone did thank me for making such a yummy dinner. They were granola pancakes, after all. (Bisquick pancake batter, instant oats, mini chocolate chips, coconut)

Art by the older kids

After sharing Kemiah's art projects, I thought I should share what the older three just turned in for their unit projects. They had three options and so that's why they are different. It is fun to watch them be creative and enjoy it - but it does take more time.

 

Ben created a pendant. He made a paper model, then cut it out of cardboard. The wrapped it in tinfoil, then added the beads and chain. I thought it turned out very nice. The diameter of the circle is 2 inches, just so you can picture the size of it.

 

Emily and Marissa both chose to make a hat based on a theme. Emily's theme is Summer, and Marissa's hat is birthday. They are so different and unique, just like the artists who created them. Emily made her own flowers, and Marissa made her own decorations. They are getting really good at using different programs on the computer.

They are all learning so much, and I try to learn along with them.

Two Months Old!

Yes, Camdilyn is two months old today! She is so sweet and happy, but I think I have mentioned that before. Her hair is still dark, but she has rubbed a bald spot on the back of her head (just like all my other babies have done). She still has the cold/cough/congestion crud that one of her siblings probably shared with her (going on two weeks now, I think, but it's nice to hear the kids pray for her to feel better). She loves to smile and is starting to "talk" to us. She is a fantastic sleeper. We all love her so much!

Sometimes Love it, sometimes not so much

Here are some projects Kemiah has done in school recently.

A playground.

A Martenitsa decoration

For her art class in school, they have her doing all sorts of projects. Some we have to turn in and some we don't. Some I think are worth it and educational, and others are just a waste of time and materials. Then I remind myself that she's just learning and this is one of the ways she can learn and process information - building and playing with her hands. She really enjoys it so I try to be supportive... but it takes time, and I have to help her most of the time. It's a challenge for me but I try to be positive and I try to let her have fun.

8 Weeks Old!

What a really awesome, wonderful, sweet, happy, content, smiley baby we have!

New Twist

I have made paper fans before. Just fold the paper back and forth and gather it at one end.

I have made paper snowflakes before. Just fold the paper, cut pieces out, and then open it up.

I have never put the two together, but that's what Emily figured out and it made for a very nice looking paper fan. Super creative!

 

Are You Prepared?

Like I posted earlier, we lost power because of a storm. I just thought I'd show how we survived. I brought in our camp stove and put it right on top of my stove so I could cook some food for my little ones. It actually worked out just fine... and it was nice to see that we were prepared enough to survive for a few days without too much trouble.

 

Except for the growing pile of dishes in my sink. I was afraid to use cool water to wash our dishes, but eventually I warmed some water on the stove so I could wash the dishes.... we were running out of silverware and bowls.

Not really sure why I thought the kitchen was that bad, this is what it normally looks like because I tend to leave the dishes until later... and later always seems to be later.

I'll just be thankful.

Because of a storm that came through our area, we have been without electricity since Sunday night. Although it has been inconvenient, I am so very thankful that we still have a home. Many people had their homes destroyed by tornados. We did not. We have a generator that is running our heat, so we are warm. The generator is running the fridge and freezer, so we didn't lose any food and can still eat. We have a camp stove and tanks so we can still cook. It is challenging but we are safe and well. I am going to be thankful, even without electricity.

Mini Derby Pies

I saw a friend post about making mini apple pies with her little kids. I thought that was a great idea but I decided to try Derby Pie! I haven't made it in years (mainly because it didn't turn out) so I hoped making them smaller might help. I am not a great pie crust maker and this was no exception. It didn't mix together very well so I added more milk and added a little more milk. I finally decided I was over working it and just grabbed a hand full to roll it out. Ben helped with the first one (I was supposed to be involving the kids, after all) but the girls were all occupied so I just rolled out the rest. It was tough to get the dough into the muffin tin, so next time I'll just use the mini pie plates we have saved up. The batter came together easily and I was excited. The tops got a little darker than I would have liked but they were still soft and they were yummy. Okay, the filling was delicious and the crust was so-so (two kids didn't eat all their crust so maybe it wasn't even so-so). I guess I need to work on it... which means MORE PIE!

Big bath tub

I gave Camdilyn her bath in the big bath tub for the first time tonight. She handled it really well. Might dare say she enjoyed it. Then again, she enjoys most things she is involved in - eating, sleeping, being held... What a sweet little thing.

Now if she could just kick this cold/cough/congestion stuff then she'd be so much better off.

This is what happens...

if Harmonie doesn't get a nap during the day.

She went to sleep on her own, in an out-of-the-way corner of the living room, right before dinner. Fortunately, this has only happened once, but it was so cute. She was just really tired after playing outside.

Working Together

Benjamin planned a service project for our family: raking our neighbors leaves. Good thing we have so many rakes (and helpers)! Our neighbor's house is for sale and he moved so we thought we could help make the yard look nice by raking all the leaves. The kids all worked hard, and I think they had fun, too. I made them hot chocolate when they came inside. Good feelings all around.

I think Domonique and Harmonie liked their job the best!

Wall Reminders

I have a habit of hanging paper reminders on our walls.

I think maybe it will help us remember important things.

Kemiah has decided to add some ideas of her own.

 

 

Love them all.

Thanks for the ideas, Kemiah!

Little BIG Sister

She loves being a big sister. She tends to enjoy Camdilyn more than Harmonie, but she does enjoy hanging out with Harmonie when everyone else is in school. She just loves to hold Camdilyn and she already knows that Camdilyn loves her. She was very excited when Camdilyn fell asleep in her arms, because usually Camdilyn ends up fussing. What a sweet thing.

Diaper time

Can you just guess what she's trying to tell me?

 

5-mile hike

Ben planned a hike/walk for a Scouting requirement. Kevin took the older five kids on the walk. They were all excited. Packed some water and wore coats and shoes. It was a bit chilly - their hands were frozen when they got back - but they had a good time.

That left me at home with the three youngest. It is always fun to spend some time with them, because I feel like they get left out a lot. They just wanted to hold Camdilyn, so that's what we did for a little while. Camdilyn actually fell asleep with Domonique. She wasn't quite as happy with Harmonie. The baby just knows who has her and if it's safe or not. Harmonie was so lovey with her, but I'm not sure you can tell that in the picture! It was sweet.

This is what school looks like for us

I'm sure you are all SO interested in knowing what it looks like for us to go to school everyday. I thought I'd show you.

Here are the two little girls, watching Living Scripture movies in the living room. They are so cute.

Here is the school room, with all the computers and students busy at work.