Our Faithful Friend

Chuckie, our miniature pinscher, passed away this fall. We had her for over 15 years, and she was such a part of our lives. A dog truly is man's best friend---an example of unconditional love.

Chuckie was such a companion for me after we got married, and Bill was traveling every week. It was so nice to come home to her! Bill and I didn't know how she would adjust to Jenny---she walked over to Jenny's carseat, smelled her, and walked away. Chuckie actually loved chewing Jenny's little socks and toys. She also put up with the kids that followed, not always appreciating being chased and tormented, but absolutely loving the "treats" they gave her off the high chair.

Chuckie had many nicknames---Lead Belly, Chuckie Munackie, Letisamus., Houdini.

We all had a hard time adjusting to life without Chuckie. She really had a wonderful life---from her days sunning herself on the porch in Redondo Beach to barking at all the kids coming and going to school by our blue house to all of the fun she had with country life. Here are some pictures of her getting "warm" in our weather--from a fireplace and in the sun:)

I sure miss having Chuckie cuddle up in my arms on the couch and snuggling by my legs under the covers. She was a one-of-a-kind pet!

We miss her but are grateful for the memories we have!

Overheard

Last week I was sitting at the desk working on the computer. Ellie came up to me, and it was obvious she wanted to start up a conversation. Here is what she said:

"Hey Mom, do you have any money?"

Now where would a 2 year old come up with that?

Living the country life

Sorry for the huge gap in posting here---life's been full of a lot of happenings---will post on later but wanted to share something that happened today.

We had a beautiful day---around 75 degrees and sunny! Wow, hard to believe it's November. We went outside this afternoon to do some raking. Joe and I were coming back from dumping a load of leaves behind the barn and saw Jenny and Ellie. Ellie looked so cute running in her bare feet with a pink striped shirt and jeans on and her hair flying in the breeze. The thought came to me how blessed she is to have this house and the country life as the only life she's known---she so loves being outside and experiencing everything.

Jenny was all excited to show me a bug she had found and after I looked at it, Ellie got closer us. I looked at her, trying to figure out what treasure she had found and was holding. I looked again and realized it was a MOUSE! A DEAD MOUSE! EEK! Yes, I did scream! Ellie was stroking her new friend, obviously a victim of one of the cats. Well, Miss Ellie did not want to give up her new find. I again screamed and told Jenny to get it from Ellie (I didn't want to touch it!). Somehow, we got Ellie to drop it, and I carried her in to disinfect her hands. She kept saying "I want my mouse" as we washed her hands.

I came back outside about two minutes later, and she had it again! I don't know how she got it. The mouse now "lives" in the high grass, hopefully hidden from our little treasure hunter. She sure does get to experience everything!

Our Summer of 2008 & Back to School

Our first day back to school was Monday. We were blessed with another beautiful day. The kids had fun on the treasure hunt, and Ellie decided to try and raid everyone else's backpack for goodies. It's hard to believe that this is our 8th year of homeschooling---the things I've learned in eight years!

Jack and Joe planned an "End of Summer Carnival". We all tried our hands at the different games they came up with!


Jenny showing off her bullseye!

My plan for the summer was to post more often about what we are doing and everyday funnies. Well, let's just say, we're going to Plan B which is a summary of the summer now! :) Here are some photos from throughout the summer---

Having fun in the bathtub---how many kids can fit in one tub?

Sharing a laugh with cousins.

Nate and Ellie as cowboys.

"The Pond" made a surprise appearance in July this year. We usually see this in the spring when all the snow melts, but we had a summer day with lots of rain over a short amount of time. The kids had such fun playing in the brown water---yikes!

This water comes out of the well---very chilly, even on a warm summer day! Didn't stop these three monkeys!
Here is a shot on our trip to Bay Beach. The rain started to fall very heavily right after I took the picture. Bill and the kids had to take the stairs down instead of the slide.

Our painting projects have been on hold due to a broken toe and too many other commitments. We're hoping to get some serious painting done some of the weekends in September.

We also had an experience in July that has showed us how sensitive Nate is to gluten. He accidentally got a piece of "real" pizza and his speech is still not back to where he was. We are seeing more and more come back but now realize how careful we need to be to keep him away from gluten. He has added "privacy" to his vocabulary---used when he needs privacy in the bathroom!

We've had a wonderful couple of months---lots of time with friends and family and hours spent outside enjoying the warm weather. The older four kids love to swim, and Ellie loves to wade.

We spent a week up north with Grandma, Papa, Uncle Kevin and Uncle Pete's families and had a wonderful time! The weather was fantastic and the kids had so much fun swimming, fishing, canoeing, eating, laughing and playing with their cousins. It was a week to remember!

A couple of things I've learned over this summer. Don't try to kick something out of the way with crocs on.

Make sure your 4 year old is doing something with his hands when you cut his hair---little hands can quickly knock off the end of the clippers and turn it into a buzzer.

Lists can't be followed too closely.

Never underestimate what a two year old can do.

Some Happenings

We're all in shock that June is dwindling---it seems like our summer is flying by! I've noticed a couple of things that I wanted to share.

The first thing is, if you give one of your children the chore of doing all the dishes, it is amazing how often the family ends up eating on paper plates. Also, how said child tries to make everyone use the same cup for the day and thinks it is OK to eat spaghetti on paper plates.

Likewise, if you give another child laundry duty, they will all of a sudden have a uniform that is worn every day, which by the end of the week could almost stand by itself.

Just a couple interesting observation!

In other news, Bill and I have a new "wild hair" (a term fondly adopted from Aunt Carla). We decided to try and clean up the east side of the house near the deck and put a coat of new paint on it. Thinking our house is white so we should get white paint, we quickly discovered how many different shades of white there are and how "unwhite" and in need of paint our house really is. So, instead of painting part of the barn over the 4th of July weekend, we will be painting more of the house.

Here's the during---

and the after. The painted sections look so clean and fresh! Now to get rid of the spot on the door that Chuckie has scratched. We'll have to add that to our list. Sometimes I think we're crazy, other times I know it!

Finally, just to share a phrase (YEAH!!) Nate said last week. He said, "Momma get stroller, and Nate get in stroller." WOW! You can't imagine what music this is to our ears. He is saying lots more "I" statements and continues to progress. Thank you Lord!

Here are a couple shots of Nate---celebrating his birthday at Grandma and Papa's. He's really into birthdays now!

Ellie is actually spying his presents and figuring out how to get over to them and open them all up before Nate gets a chance. Here's one she got to first---

Papa and Nate looked at Nate's cards many times. Papa was so patient, and Nate had such fun with him.

We went to the zoo and Joe, Nate and Jack Peter found a turtle to climb on.

And here is how Ellie has been spending the lazy days of summer.
Bill and the older three went strawberry picking early this morning. The berries are beautiful and delicious---red all the way through and SO sweet! We will freeze them to enjoy throughout the year. We will probably take at least two more trips. Our stash of frozen strawberries last year was gone by October---we had them in the freezer in the barn, and the kids had lots of sweet snacks while biking last summer.

Hope you're enjoying the terrific summer weather!

Happy Birthday Nate!

Nate is 4 years old today! We've had a fun day with a trip to the Children's Museum and a dash into the library. Nate had a fun day, sampling frosting and cupcakes! One of the cupcakes had quite a large hole in the middle when I found it!

There is nothing better than licking all the frosting off all the cupcakes on your 4th birthday!

We are so thankful for the progress Nate is making in his speech and communicating! This week he has said to me "Nate take a break" (after getting brain freeze from too much ice cream), and a number of I statements---I get out, I get off, I go potty. He is imitating all we say, and we are thrilled to see how far he's come in the last six months!

Nate is so full of life and loves to try and keep up with the older three. He and Ellie are pretty much inseparable when awake---they are true buddies! Nate loves to read, loves his Cars cars, loves anything to do with animals, and lately has a strong love for Chuckie. Chuckie tolerates him for a short time, unless of course food is involved. One of his favorite pastimes is wrestling with Dad---

He loves his cousins, especially Jack Peter. Watch out for these two boys as they get older---I have a feeling we might have some broken bones!

Nate is our "Hat Man". He will make a hat out of almost anything---we've seen him wearing face masks, deflated balls, and Ellie's doll's hats. Here is a sample of his "headwear":

You just never know when you might need to go from wearing a dust mask as a hat to an actual dust mask. Nate follows the Boy Scout motto, Be Prepared.

Nothing wrong with wearing sister's hat---


A good ol' baseball cap---


And Nate's all time favorite, his black cowboy hat. This hat has been through it all, including a rain storm! You can tell it is well loved by its shape.

He's worn it to the park

speech therapy, shopping, the library and church.

Nathan means "God has given" , and we feel that the name fits him perfectly. He has been such a wonderful addition to our family and brings such joy to our home. Nate's laugh is infectious, and his smile melts your heart! God has truly given us a gift in Natey!

Happy Birthday Natey!