I know that I haven't posted in quite some time but I do have my reasons. Do you know how hard it can be to prioritize all kinds of things over the summer with my kids, the normal doings of my household, etc? I didn't even get online to read other people's blogs that I follow or any of the other online things to do except checking my family facebook statuses from my phone. So, I'll update you a little on what we did this summer.
We planted a HUGE garden! We had about 18 tomato plants that were about 5' tall, cucumbers, peppers, chilis, asparagus, radishes, potatoes, raspberries, cantaloupe, watermelon, onions, corn, sweet peas, green beans, & more that I can't remember right now. The bad news was that right around harvest time Jeremy realized that some grub killler he had used on the lawn might have effected the food even though the bottle said nothing about it-he called & they said they should really include that on the bottle. SO, all our work was for naught & Jeremy was depressed for about 2 weeks. Good thing he had made about 24 qts of pickles before he put the grub killer down.
We spent a lot of time at the aquatic center in Ames & our 3 bigs passed their deep water tests so they could go off the diving boards & down the infamous RED slide. Because they passed these tests, we took the kids out for the first time in Jeremy's parents boat to go tubing & for Jeremy to go skiing. Celeste & Corbin got to go on the tube too but we were pretty careful. NOTE* until this time Sage had been the only one in the family to avoid stitches or staples in our family. The very first day out tubing he was sitting on the couch seat, he leaned back to yell to Brody & slipped & hit his eyebrow bone on the back end of the boat. I knew right away he needed stitches so he & I headed to the ER. Now Sage is devastatingly fearful of needles. He had to be held down by 3 men & me to get his blood drawn for a lead test. I was praying diligently the entire 20min drive back to the Ames ER & don't ever tell me prayer doesn't work. He was so brave. He didn't cry, whine, wince or put up a fuss. He sat there calmly while the doc & nurse went to work. Of course he was bummed that they then stated he couldn't get in any water (other than a shower) until his stitches came out which meant his tubing weekend was shot but he did get to be the driver of the boat so that was a little better.
Now, you will notice that I said Sage was the last one! That means that my darling 1 year old must have been stitched or stapled. Yes! On Sage's birthday/father's day, Celeste fell of one of our kitchen stools & cut a gash from her chin along her jaw bone. It is quite large for a tiny little face & I asked for a plastic surgeon to stitch her up & they agreed that he was needed. I know it's sexist but I told Jeremy that bringing your baby girl in to the ER for stitches is SO much harder than bringing in your sons. Now Celeste hates bandaids which is totally the opposite of the other 4 who think bandaids cure everything & are really fun to just wear for fashion.
We had a birthday party for all the boys in our family. Sage felt badly that Brody really doesn't ever get a friend party because his birthday is so close to Christmas & then Corbin couldn't be left out so they had a brother's pirate party. It got rained out but was rescued when we relocated to the PLEX at the last minute.
We got to spend 9 days at the Iowa State Fair this year. Normally we only go for 3-4 days but this year we had time to ourselves at the fair & time with Jeremy's family. The kids had a blast as usual. We finally figured out why we love the fair & would never miss it. Other people have always made statements to us like, "I'm just not a fair person." or "how can you stay there that long, one day is enough for me". Glenna's (my mother in law) cousin came from CA & she said the reason it's so great is because of the people we get to be with. Family is HUGE & she's right. Jeremy's family has been coming & camping at the fair for over 40 yrs & we have such a great time. It is the people. It's what we anticipate all year-especially Feb when it's so cold & gray outside.
We went to our first Iowa Straw Poll this year. It was so fun. Totally family oriented & much like the fair. We will probably make this a family activity every 4 years. The kids had fun on all the blow up things, face paint, snow cones, tattoos, arts & crafts, free stuff, etc.
I have now graduated to a new level. Let me explain. Jeremy & I split up at the Straw Poll because I chose a different candidate to support than he did so he had Brody, Julia & Corbin while I took Sage & Celeste. Standing in line to get my ticket to vote I went up to the proper table & was immediately asked if I homeschool my kids. I looked around to see if that was a common question they were asking the other 16 people checking in next to me & noone was. They then told me that I needed to write a big H on my sign in sheet & head over to a new table to get special tshirts for my whole family. Now, I look down. I am not wearing my white tennis shoes, denim jumper & long braid that is typical of a homeschool mama. In fact, I'm looking pretty good for it being 90 something degrees, pushing a stroller, being 7 months pregnant, & only having my oldest son with me. Then, while I was at the fair, I expected to get the usual questions & odd statements about my pregnancy. But instead of the normal "You are huge." "You look like you're gonna pop any time now." & my personal favorite "Are you sure your doctor is right, you look like you're having twins." But instead I got, "When are you due? Do you homeschool?" I guess that because I am/will be any day now a mom of 6, that automatically means that I am a homeschooling mom. My friend Ruth put a very positive spin on it for me. She said that it was probably the way that I interact with my kids. I naturally just teach them in all circumstances & others notice that because it isn't natural for all moms to do with their kids. I guess I exude "homeschool mom". Interesting...
So, now I have 3 1/2 weeks until this baby joins in the chaos that is my home. I don't know the gender. Julia wants a girl really badly because then "it will be equal". I don't really have a preference except that it is really much more fun to dress a baby girl. I am very excited because I found the baby outfit that all my kids have come home from the hospital in (except Celeste). I couldn't find it even though I looked & looked for quite some time. I feel like Celeste kinda got jipped because she has no birth video & no picture in the treasured outfit. Jeremy thinks that it will only matter to me in the long run. I still feel like I should do something special for her but I don't know what. But I am definitely ready for this new one to make an appearance any time. We are doing something special with this birth that I haven't really made public so if you want to know what it is, you'll have to email me. I am very excited about it though.
I guess that about updates you on everything. Sage does get to go to an art class on all the Wed nights of October but other than that I'm kinda sticking close to home with no big plans. If I think of anything else I'll have to find time to type again sometime. I guess I'll post some pictures when Babe gets here so it won't be months away. Until then...
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