the boys

Tabor is such a daddy's boy!

costumes

 My cousin Kimberly and family were here for the weekend.  So we had a family get together at "Gramys" house.  I love visiting her... as I look around her house I see bits and pieces of my childhood.  We watched some family video's from the 60's.  My grandpa has passed on and it was great to be reminded of his different traits.  Even though the video was silent, as I watched him I could hear his laugh.  I miss his laugh.  Also, Grandpa was such a dare devil.  I use to be more that way.  I never flew airplanes through telephone wires, rode motorbikes with 3 small children aboard through the forest or participated in rodeos, but I have made people wonder if I am missing a few things upstairs.   But as I became a mother I became a worrier.  I miss being so carefree.  I need to take a step back and do something wild again.  Something to make me feel more alive.  And I don't let my grandma fool me, she is wild too :) Anyway... we ate good food, played games and had fun visiting with Gramy.  Then we went off to a Halloween Carnival. It was a great day.

author and illustrator

Pepper is forever carrying around a notebook.  She either says she is "coloring a picture" "making a list" or "writing a story".  

mama goat

Tabor and I arranged our pumpkins on the front porch.  We went inside to tell Pepper to come out to take a look at the decorations.  When we opened the front door we were all startled to see a goat. We live in a neighborhood where houses are packed in fairly close together and HOA codes forbid us from livestock (or believe me I would own some) so we wondered where this goat came from.  We took it in our backyard, fed it carrots, let it finish off our garden and romp around with the kids.  We got out our dog leash and took the goat for a walk.  We headed out of our development and up the main road.  Luckily we found mama goat's owners at the second house we went to.  I am sure glad mama goat stopped by.  She was great entertainment for the afternoon.

Pumpkin Patch

This pumpkin patch is not far from our house.  You drive about 5 miles outside the city.  Beautiful drive.  The combination of the river, crops, farm animals and fall trees felt like we were driving through heaven.  The atmosphere was so relaxing.  Animals walking all around.  Their dog followed us, okay so I am a dog person.  Robert was thankful the only for sale sign along that road was for a trailer home.  

freedom

For those of you wondering how I managed to get a walk, forest time, cooking & crafts in on a daily basis... I will tell you a secret.  For over 5 years, I didn't have a car.  Robert took it to work each day and my sidekicks and I were able to do things within walking range.  I did well.  If they had warm showers I could of done well in the lifestyle people lived hundreds of years ago.  But now I have a Honda Pilot and am brought back to this century.  I am enjoying the freedom.

garbage man

What is the only thing more exciting then tearing the house apart?  Watching the garbage man come.  And then the recycle man.  And then the yard waste man.  The kids run to the window whenever they hear the truck.  So exciting!

science club- dinosaurs

Pepper is not going to preschool this year, so I decided to create a "preschool science club" at our house.  We had 10 kids come over.  We talked about how dinosaurs hatch from eggs and what type of food they ate.  We fed the big green triceratops (top picture).  The triceratops moves its head around and chews... the kids LOVED it.  Then we talked about how herbivores protected themselves from carnivores.  I gave them clothes pins to color and we stuck them on the back of a stegosaurus (as spikes) to protect it from the T-Rex.   We read a book about dinosaur bones.  Next we became paleontologists and went outside to dig.  We ended by putting "dinosaur eggs" on a parachute and flinging them up in the air.  Okay it was a stretch, but I wanted to use the parachute before the weather turned to rain.  There was so much going on during the "science club" that I forgot to take photos.  So all of these pictures are of after the fact.  Tabor was happy to dig up his dinosaur bones again.

ballet

Pepper has always expressed interest in ballet.  The question always was "when" and "where"?  The YMCA offers a class, but it is only 6 weeks and then it just repeats itself.  So we found a dance studio where the classes are smaller and the course is longer.  As in a year.  She went for her first time on Wednesday and I loved the place.  They did 10 minutes of stretches then jumped right into the practice.  I am amazed how well the teacher kept 3 & 4 year old girls occupied and on task for so long.  Pepper  enjoyed it.  She is now just like "Angelina Ballerina" who goes to a dancing school.  I can hardly wait for a recital! 

peaches and pears

This year we bought 125 pounds (5 boxes) of peaches and 50 pounds (2 boxes) of pears.  We have dedicated 3 nights in the past couple of weeks to canning.  I did one batch in the day, while the kids were awake.  Pepper brought the pears in from the garage (one at a time to keep her occupied), Tabor put them into the cans after I had peeled and sliced them and Kitt sat in her highchair and ate scraps.  It went okay, but it was a one time wonder.  Canning with Robert after the kids go to bed is loads easier.  Next year maybe we will expand our horizons and can some vegetables.  (meat in a can looks nasty to me, I am not ready to go there yet)

Back in Season!

I am seriously in love with pomegranates.  Yogurt, Aunt Doneens Granola and Pomegranates mixed is hands down my favorite breakfast.  Yes I would take it over french toast or eggs.  Anyday. Everyday.  All 3 of my kids like it... but Tabor also has more of a "love" then a "like" for the fruit.  A pomegranate can always put a smile on his face.  

The last picture Pepper randomly took.  This is us in the morning.  Now I always wipe off the top of my table but this picture magnifys that the chairs and table base could use a good cleaning as well.  Not to mention the floor.