Too Cute....

My little guy, Caleb, said a funny thing last night. We were coming home from church and turned onto our driveway. He said "We're Hooooooooome!" Then he said, "it's gonna get bumpy. Hannah hold on. It will be bumpy when we go over the 'kittle katter.'" (He's talking about our cattle guards or stop-gaps). We passed over the "kittle katter" and started up to the back of our house and because of all the rain this summer there are quite a few ruts and the van has "bottomed out" a few times going over the ruts. He said, "Hannah hold on tight; it will be bumpy again. Hannah, hold ooooooonnnnnnn!" "Yay, you did it!" to Daddy who was driving.

(Guess it's time for Daddy to do some work on the driveway :0) ????)

Tree Farm Update

We have had quite a big loss this year on our trees. The Fir trees are evidently taking a beating because of the PH level of our soil. Before planting each year we had a soil sample taken and were told to increase our PH level, however, we are now finding out that the fir tree roots cannot absorb any nutrients from the soil at that high a PH. So,we've dug up over 200 fir trees (Fraser & Concolor). We planted them in pots to see if we could save them. We think the Fraser Firs will be a total loss. We might be able to save some of the Concolor.

David has decided to do some Fall planting this year. We're going to replace the trees we've lost with some other type of tree. So, he's working on some field prep today. We've decided that the mowing is too big a job! Oh yeah! He's going out today with his new backpack sprayer to kill all the grass and weeds in the area of the fields where we dug up all the trees. Then we will sow clover seed in the field when we do our planting this fall. The clover is a double benefit to the field because it will keep the weeds and grass from growing and it will add nitrogen back into the soil, which is something the trees really need. Also, we won't have to mow--Yay!! We're hoping that we've come across a good thing with the clover. We want to get some beehives this Spring and the clover will be a great source of pollen for the bees.

These are the Fraser Fir that we've potted. They were planted around the pond in the lower field.

These are the Concolor Fir. We had some of these in the lower field and some of these replaced the ones we lost from last year in the upper field.

We're trying to figure out how much Sulfur we need to put on the fields to bring the PH levels back down.

This is Ridah. He's a friend of ours who came to play with Caleb for the day. Hannah, Caleb and Ridah are helping Daddy mix the Round-Up to put down in the tree field. Actually, they are only helping him fill the bucket to mix it in with the water. He's keeping them far away from the actual poison, Loretta!!!

David with his new backpack sprayer--full of Round-Up. Wow, it's heavier than he thought it would be.

Ain't he proud--tools and equipment--all he needs to be happy! :0)

The bulge at his chest is the walkie that he wears down in the field, so that we can talk to each other. He's been playing with the sprayer all morning with it full of water; just trying to get a feel for the spray radius, etc.

Thursday Night at Nanny Boo Boo and Poppie's

Hannah used Caleb's train track pieces to spell out his name.

See the video below. It's Daddy and Caleb having fun. Well....I think Caleb is the one having the fun! :0)

Knitting!

Well, over this summer I spent a little bit of time and taught myself how to cast-on (Long tail cast-on or double cast-on) and how to do the knit stitch.

Click here for knitting help

I'm taking a beginner's class at our co-op this semester. I've had some minor questions and Bethany has been great to help me. Since I am a lefty, I think it's a little more awkward for me at first. But, I really am getting the hang of it. Hopefully, we'll decide on a project soon. But for now, I'm just knitting away! Here's what I have done since class yesterday.

Opening at Co-op

The Homeschool Fellowship we attend is a Christian Co-op. We have Opening/Announcements every week from 9:30 - 10:00. We take prayer requests and have a devotion and prayer before the start of classes. It's a great way to start our day together. We also say these pledges:

Pledge of Allegiance to the American Flag

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.


Pledge of Allegiance to the Christian Flag

I pledge allegiance to the Christian flag and to the Savior for whose Kingdom it stands. One Savior, crucified, risen, and coming again with life and liberty to all who believe.


Pledge of Allegiance to the Bible

I pledge allegiance to the Bible, God's Holy Word. I will make it a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. I will hide its words in my heart that I may not sin against God.

Co-op Pictures

I'm trying to do better. I took pictures during 2nd and 3rd period Silly Songs class and during the Irish Dance Class, 4th period, yesterday.

We're having fun! We read the book Pickles To Pittsburgh in Silly Songs class and then made pickle puppets and had a pickle taste test. The kids really enjoyed it!

2nd Period--Mrs. Loretta is reading Pickles To Pittsburgh....sequel to Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett

Will, Benjamin, Mackenzie, Hannah, Gwynne

Benjamin, Mackenzie, Hannah, Gwynne, Moshe & Micah

Katie-Marissa, Meghan, Ellen, Taylor, Ruthie, Ashley

(Can't remember name of girl in blue on left :0( ), Violet (red hair), Mallory, Veronica, Allie, Hannah,

Irish Dance with Mrs. Tracey. She's showing a video of the dances.

Ashley, Briley, Bailey, Taylor, Hannah, Mackenzie

Tippy Toes!

Fancy footwork! Way to go, girls!

1st Day of Co-op for the 2009-2010 School Year

Hannah, Caleb, Mackenzie and I started back to Co-op yesterday. We will go on Tuesdays every week from 9:30 until 2:30.

I am co-teaching a class called Silly Stories, Rhymes and Rhythm with Loretta Rhodes. We had a blast yesterday. We teach this class 2nd & 3rd period. 3rd period is all girls and it's amazing how the dynamics in each class are different. I am taking Beginning Knitting during 1st period and am an assistant in the Irish Dance Class during 4th period.

Hannah and Mackenzie are taking Gym class (1st), Silly Stories, Rhymes and Rhythm (2nd), Beginning Spanish (3rd) and Irish Dance (4th). They truly enjoyed their first day back. Caleb is in the Playgroup and there are ladies who rotate in and out throughout the day to watch all of the Preschoolers. He did well, I think. I know he slept through 4th period, yesterday.

Had trouble getting Caleb to cooperate for a picture :0)

This is the 2nd period, Silly Stories, Rhyme & Rhythm class.

And....I promptly put my camera away and did not take any more pictures at co-op {sigh}

Hannah's House Tent

On Saturday, Hannah Singleton came up and she and Hannah went on a building spree. They were carting tree limbs across the yard--building a tent. I did not take much stock in their building abilities and figured they would just be angling the limbs and stacking them, etc. to build their 'tent'. Well, much to my surprise Ms. Hannah knows how to build (she is in ROTC). I should have realized it would be a project at which she would excel. Here are the pics of Hannah & Mackenzie's 'house'. Notice that it's not Hannah S' anymore....:0)

If you will notice Hannah Singleton's ingenuity.....duct tape is holding it all together. Um....Randy, sorry--they apparently used the whole roll and it came from your house!

Oh, and Caleb is playing with his dump truck all around them....he's not allowed inside.

Flarp

Well, Nanny Boo Boo (bless her heart......and all her other vital organs :0) ) had a special present for Hannah and Caleb last night. I'm sure we will enjoy it for many days to come. Yep, you guessed it....it makes such a lovely sound that I was proud to add it to our collection of toys. It is so special that I actually got them on video for your enjoyment. So, watch and enjoy......and run out and buy some for your kids or grandkids! hehehe!

Cock-A-Doodle-Doo.....No More!

This morning, Hannah, Caleb and I went out to gather eggs and feed and water the chickens. We have 2 roosters and one of them has gotten quite confident and too big for his britches, if you know what I mean....all that struttin' around those hens. While we were out in the coop this morning 3 hens climbed up into the nesting boxes to lay eggs. Hannah wanted to stay and watch them lay their eggs, so Caleb and I went back into the house to wash our hands. Hannah came in a few minutes later just sobbing uncontrollably. The black rooster had evidently decided that he was big enough to take on Hannah. He plumped the feathers on his neck, got all puffed up and then started attacking her and trying to climb on her and push her down. She was quite traumatized! I got her all calmed down and said "Would you like to have rooster for dinner?" She said "What?" I told her that once Daddy found out what happened the rooster would be no more. She said "What do you mean?" I told her that Daddy would kill it for doing that to her. She was surprised and then a little excited that he'd do that for her, so we called Daddy and he said "yep, his end has come!!"

So, Daddy came home and asked Hannah if she wanted to shoot the .22 and she said "No!" So, in keeping with Dakota's desire to protect his sister, not to mention his overwhelming glee at the prospect of killing a chicken......he did the deed, with ONE shot!

The mean, old rooster is no more.....see the pictures below.

Battle-Ready Executioner, Dakota

The Mean-y, Poo Poo!

See the target on his back? hehehe! :0)

Warrior--moving in for the kill!

Dakota's sweet revenge on behalf of his sister!

Some say "revenge is a dish best served cold," but in this case a dose of 'hot lead' seems to have worked well!

Fun in the Pool!

Can you believe that it's almost mid-August and I just now got the pool out and cleaned up and ready for them to swim in? Poor Hannah, Caleb and Mackenzie! Believe it or not....they've never asked me to fill the pool. But, they sure had a good time in it today. It was a hot, muggy day--perfect for being in the pool. Wish we had a bigger above-ground version....well, sometimes! :0)

Family Cookout/A. Jeana's Birthday :0)

Friday night we had a family cookout at David's sister's house (A. Jeana & U. Randy). We also celebrated A. Jeana's birthday! It was great to see everyone, although we sure missed those who were absent.

Those who attended:
U. Randy
A. Jeana
Cayra
April
Chris
Stacey
Josh
Liz
Daniel
Baby Alex
Nanny Boo Boo
U. Mark
David
Dawn
Hannah
Caleb
Nick
Becca (Nick's girlfriend)
Chris Jensen
Zay Jensen

Those who were absent:
Paul
Courtney
Dakota
Bekah
Poppie
Shawna
Mike
Matt
Alisha