Happy Harvest 2013

The prophets teach us to grow a garden and since we've moved to Indy (11 years now - WOW!) we've had a garden. Some years are better in the produce section than others. This year, I planted peas, beans, tomatoes, broccoli, peppers, cantaloupe and cucumbers. Last year, with the months long heat wave and water restrictions, we didn't get too much. This year is much different.

Cucs, broccoli, lemon boys, cherries and peppers.
YUM!!!

I took cucumbers for lunches on a regular basis.
A little ranch dressing and I was set!

Cucumbers anyone? Really, they won't all fit in the fridge.
I took some to work and we shared with friends.

Kids devouring the first canteloupe of the season.
We were all SO EXCITED! After working outside for a few hours,
this was a tastily refreshing treat.

The neighborhood planted some grapes about four years ago. I got a Facebook message that the grapes were ready to be harvested so I went over one afternoon and with the help of the neighborhood drunk, picked two walmart bags full. It took me a few weeks, but I made...

HOMEMADE concord grape jelly. I think in total, I made 12 pint sized jars. Two we gave to Pat and Suzanne in the neighborhood, who gave me the heads up. We finished our store bought jelly and have started into the first jar. Neta has it everyday on her sandwiches.

With our abundance of tomatoes, I've made quite a few jars of speghetti sauce as well. I won't have to buy speghetti sauce until a few months into next year. YEA!

I'm grateful for a garden, for the internet that finds recipes for me within moments, and for a friend that years ago taught me how to can. Follow the prophet and you'll be blessed!

First Day of School 2013

Nate and Neta started school before Xela, Aurora and Graigry. Neta said she was excited and Nate said he was a little nervous. He has a teacher that is new to the school, so we'll see how it goes.

Day 1 School Year 2013-14

Nate heading into 2nd Grade

Neta ready for 1st Grade

After much research, discussion and visits, Eric and I decided to put the three oldest in a nearby Catholic school, Little Flower. There was already one church family that sends their children there. Eric visited with the principal at Little Flower and with the Turners (one of our church families) and we made the move. They started on August 14th, two weeks after Nate and Neta,and they have LOVED it. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the year goes.

The classes just had elections (there is only one class per grade, except in 4th grade - Graigry's grade). Xela and Aurora both gave a speech to plead their cause for being elected this past Friday (8/30/13). By the end of school, Xela was elected 8th Grade class Vice President and Aurora became the 7th Grade Class representative for the Student Council. They are excited.

Like I said earlier, we'll see how the rest of the year progresses! I'd have a picture of them, but Eric took them to school and forgot to do that important piece of chronically family history. ;)

CCHA Summer Swim Party

Work has an annual Fun in the Sun swim/bbq party. This year it was on July 27th. The kids LOVE it. When we left last year's event, as we were driving home, the kids asked, "Are you going to be working there next year so we can go again?"

They started asking about this year's party in March. Finally the day came. It was a little cold, so not many people got in the water, but being the fish that they are, mine did.

Before swimming and food, there were some games, an obstacle course of sorts and my kids got totally into it, as you'll see from the pictures below.

Neta's whipped cream face.

Xela tossing bean bags into a basket before...

digging for Oreos buried in whip cream.

Nate goes all in looking for Oreos.
(I LOVE this picture! No fear; all about the Oreos!)

Got it!!!

Mommy even whip creamed her chin,
successfully grabbing an oreo.

Water balloon toss is always a blast.

Xela tosses the balloon to...

...Mommy who throws it back.

Just like last year, the toss turned into fight rather quickly and the two coolers of water balloons disappeared. Next year I'll have to bring three coolers. Food was great and plentiful. We swam and jumped off the diving boards until nine o'clock and then headed for home. The kids asked the same question as last year. If I'm still there, then yes, we'll definitely go play!

Florida Trip - On the Way Home - Lincoln's Birthplace

We had talked about stopping at the Walkers, but then, as it would be around 2 am, Eric decided to just push through. We took turns driving, Eric doing the majority of it because he is better at staying awake in the middle of the night.

Last time we were coming back from Florida, we stopped at Abraham Lincoln's birthplace, which is in Kentucky, but they were closed. We got there around 8 am, right before they officially opened. The park gate was open, so we found a parking spot and broke out the cereal boxes and milk and ate out on the curb.



Enjoying being out of the van & breakfast, until...

A park ranger pulled up half way through the kids and I eating and told us we shouldn't be eating here (in the parking lot, really?) because this is considered holy ground (you haven't been in a car for 12 straight hours buddy!). We picked up our cups that weren't already in the trash and went back to the van and finished eating in there.



...we're told we can't eat on "holy ground."
Good grief!

When the visitors' center was open, we went in for the self guided tour. It started with a video about Lincoln's parents and the set up for Lincoln's birth and then a few minutes of his childhood, before he moved to Indiana.

Here are a few other photos from the morning.

Playing with Lincoln Logs in the visitors' center.

Walking up the stairs to the birthplace memorial.
If I remember right, there is one step for every year of Lincoln's life. 

Inside is a replica of the cabin where Lincoln was born.

Nate & Neta pose for a picture, taken by Aurora.

At the natural spring where Lincoln and family
would have pulled their water.

Last time we stopped by, and we couldn't get in,
we took a picture of the kids on the sign.
I had to do it again, just to see how much they'd grown.

Amazing, isn't it?
They grow up way too fast.

We got home between noon and one, unpacked and then just unwound and relaxed from our vacation. The rest of the day seemed to take a really long time, but that sometimes happens when you're going on little sleep. I was glad we got home on Saturday, so things not only got reorganized, but we had Sunday to relax as well, so that on Monday, when reality hit me (more than everyone else who were still at home), it was rested and ready to face it.

We're hoping to get back to Florida before the end of the year, but we'll see how it goes. We've GOT to get that dump duplex finished and have the funds to do so. According to several "favorite things" sheets that I've read from the kids, Florida is their favorite place. I don't blame them. :)

Florida Trip 2013 - Day Five

DAY at WEEKI-WACHEE STATE PARK

 

 We spent the majority of the day at Weeki-Wachee State Park with Uncle John. I had told the kids the night before that we were going to see real mermaids. Nate and Neta looked at me with that "Really, Mom. Do you think we're that dumb?" and then say "Mom, mermaids aren't real."

 

"These ones are," was my reply and then they would turn their head with a repeated look. "You'll just have to wait until tomorrow and see!"

 

Protecting Aurora's beautiful face with some sunscreen,
while we wait for the gates to open.

So after another wonderful breakfast and packing of the lunch, we headed out. It is a "beach" with water slides and tubes on one of the fresh water springs in the area. They have a mermaid show and a Little Mermaid show with "real" mermaids. The kids played in the sand, played in the water (which felt a little cooler than in the boat the other day because of the cloud cover, but once you got all in, it wasn't that bad), went down the slide one time (line got too long), picked up shells, swam with fish in the spring and then saw the mermaid shows and an animal show.

Ready and waiting for the animal show.
We saw two turtles, a snake and an alligator.

If you even meet an alligator, don't zig zag.
They will see you better that way and they can run 30 mph.

Nate and Graigry making sand circles.

 

Neta plays a little in the sand before getting into the water.

Five little faces playing at the park.

Shell hunting

"Look how many we found!"
Then they had to put them back because
creatures were living inside the shells.

Neta is so good at smiling for the camera,
as soon as she sees that it's pointed at her.

Nate playing in the sand
where his body could warm in the sun,
while keeping a cool balance with feet in the water.

He liked seeing how far he could swim
under water until there was no water left.

Wet butts!
Mommy looks like she has a CTR shield or
a mustache across her backside.

There was a spot where you could take a picture of yourself with a mermaid tail. Sooo....

of course we had to take pictures of each of the kids, except for Graigry, who REFUSED to strike the pose.
 

 



Mermaid Aurora

Merman Nate, King of the Sea

Miss Mermaid Neta
reverently taking  her turn with a tail.

This was at Dad's request.
Mom took the shirt off to make it look more official. :)

Prince Eric swimming with Ariel
in the Little Mermaid show

We thought Ursula was great,
especially when she popped out of a door
above the stage unexpectedly and scared us all.

After a long, fun day, we headed back to the house around four o'clock. I'm just going to say the following pictures is what exhausted looks like.


Red faced Nate didn't last long in the car.

Sisters snuggling silently
after a wonderfully water filled day.

Graigry crawled into the tent
Uncle John & Aunt Diane had set up inside as the boys' room.

 Kids all slept while dinner was getting ready. We woke them for food and it didn't take too much to get them back to bed at a relatively decent hour, for a vacation schedule. We all had a great time!

On Friday, we packed up and headed out around 6 o'clock pm, after kids got in their last swim in and we helped Aunt Diane clean the bird cages and clean up the rooms. It's always hard to leave Aunt Diane's and Uncle John's home and we look forward anxiously to our next visit, which is hopefully sooner than later.