My Helper

 Having a good helper is every mom's dream right?  Today, I learned just how important a good helper can be in life.  I decided to bake some cookies for the kids for an after school snack.  The minute Harper heard the mixer, she came running.  Despite my telling her that it was just butter, she HAD to have a beater RIGHT NOW!  She could not wait.  She also devoured half of the dough before I could even think about baking the cookies.  So helpful!

 While I was doing dishes, and making dinner, Harper reported to me "I am being nice to Saigie, she colored with me."  Saige did not stay inside the lines very well, and we are now minus one orange marker because she ate the tip right off!  Thank goodness they were nontoxic and washable! 

Deciding it would be best if I sat Saige in the high chair, far away from Harper's coloring, I turned around to find her not eating the raisins that I sat on the tray, but a chocolate chip cookie.  Harper smiled and said "See momma, she LIKES cookies just like I do!" 
What a great big sister!

Tuba Boy

 Cam tried out, and successfully made Tuba player in the Jr. High band.  I asked him why he would want to trade carrying a trombone, which is pretty large, for a tuba, which is very large. 

 His reply.....tubas are way louder, and you can follow people around playing bom- bom -bom- bom with every step they take.  Of course....nothing to do with furthering his music education, or wanting to try to get into college on a music scholarship, or anything reasonable!  I wonder if he will miss his trombone after a couple of weeks of toting this dude back and forth?

 There was a bonus as  Jim, Colin and Cam were all seeing how many curls can be done with a tuba in a tuba case.  If he doesn't successfully learn to play it, at least the men in the house will have great biceps.

Saige has hit the stage of her babyhood where she crawls into places she cannot get out of.  Dining room chairs are like little prisons.  Sometimes she figures it out, but most of the time she requires rescuing!  I also think her hair is starting to look a little like Donald Trump? 

Happening now....

 Bam!  Just like that summer is over, and we are playing fall sports.  Cam (#55 in blue above) and Colin (#53 below) had their annual blue/white scrimmage on Friday night.  The jr high played first, and Cam played really well.  The high school then played, and Colin made some really awesome tackles.  He isn't the biggest kid on the team, but I wonder if he knows that?  It was fun to get to go to one place and watch them both play, this won't happen again this season, as the freshman team plays at the same time as the jr high.  It is the frustrating reality of having a lot of kids I guess! 

 We were exceptionally happy to see a rainy weekend.  I don't remember the last time it rained for an entire day or day and a half!  We desperately needed it and are feeling blessed!  The drought has been tough, and it has been sad to watch everything dry up! 

 Quincy has a pet snake (Bob) who lives in our flower bed.  He is faithful to be there every time she goes to check on him.  Where snakes don't really bother me, I am not a fan of keeping one in the house.  Quincy has been pretty bummed about my lack of love for Bob, and so we finally caved and let her get a Beta Fish.

 I tried to talk her into naming him something totally cool, like Alpha the Beta, or Omega the Beta, but she insisted on naming him "Bluey the blue fish."  So this is the newest member of our family.  So far, he has not caused us any problems, and is very quiet and well behaved! 

 Saige and Harper are getting used to the idea that the big kids are going to school and they are stuck with me all day!  Harper handled the first day back way better than I though she would. 

Harper has come down with impetigo again.  I am distressed to see it, and am hoping that our pediatrician will take mercy on me and just phone out the medication rather than forcing me to come to Topeka!

Mallory and Madison are enjoying their new jobs.  They told me that it isn't hard, except for learning all the names of both their co-workers and the residents.  I am sure that will come with time.  I am proud of them for taking on added responsibilities. 

First day 2012

 Today is the first day of school.  The kids hate this tradition, but that is exactly why I do it!  Torturing them is a fun past time!  They were all excited I think.

 Mallory - first day of her Junior year! 

 Madison - first day of her junior year!

 Colin - high school "fresh-meat" - he was pretty thrilled with me but was actually excited about starting school this year!

 Cameron - 7th grade - first day of Junior high school!!  He was pretty pumped up too - changing classes, and playing sports he thinks are going to be awesome! 

 Preston - 2nd grade - he has a teacher who I had in first grade and all of the older kids had for first grade as well.  He is pretty happy about it, and so are we - Mrs. Heffner rocks! 

 Quincy - 1st grade.  She wasn't sure she wanted to get up this morning, and was not real happy about getting dressed, but as the morning went on, she got used to the idea that it was happening with or without her happiness!! 

Sweet Summertime!

 We are trying to soak up the last few days of summer.  Quincy's  lemonade stand stretched into a second day.  Quincy had a few customers (aka neighborhood suckers) and even had to make a second batch of lemonade.  I was at work, and Mallory reported it was the easiest babysitting she ever did -- the girls were outside the whole morning!  Cameron made the second batch of lemonade.  For the record, unless you like 4 pounds of sugar in your lemonade, he is not the go-to guy for it!

 With the beginning of sports practices, the big kids have all abandoned the pool, leaving it for the little kids.  It has been fairly empty between the big kids being gone, and the cooler weather.  Of course, this hasn't stopped us from trying to get all the time in we can before it closes for the season!

Colin started high school football practice this week.  There is something that feels very wrong about taking him to the high school for practices.  But, I guess that is my problem to deal with!  He is having a great time, and says that there are more boys out than there have been for the past couple of seasons, he is hopeful that they will have some success this year. 
Cameron started Jr. High practices.  His team is a little on the small side, and he says he is worried about not having many kids to rotate in and out.  He is also having fun, and is hoping that they will do well. 

We also got all our school shopping finished, except for a couple pairs of shoes which Jim has graciously agreed to go after tomorrow.  I am pretty proud of myself, this is way unheard of in the prompt and early department for me!  All supplies are loaded in backpacks and labeled and ready to go - a full week early!  Quincy has not been very excited about going back....she doesn't seem to know who her teacher is (can't remember seeing her face before) and coupled with the fact that her BFF is doing home school this year, she has been pretty adamant that she is NOT going back.  After getting a few new things and a new pair of shoes, she seems to have changed her tune a little bit.  Isn't it amazing what a little retail therapy will do for a kid?

I am also proud of my oldest daughters, who managed to both get jobs at the nursing home up the street.  I hope that they will enjoy working up there.  The jobs are the same -dietary aides working in the kitchen.  It sounds a lot like what they do around here....and Madison said she told them so during the interview.  I guess when they asked for experience she said she cooks and does dishes a lot for a large family!  I guess it worked for her! 

The weekend looks fairly relaxed and easy going.  We are just going to try to enjoy our family for a few days before we  have to get back into the routine of school.  No matter how old I get, summer never seems to last long enough!

Big Girl

 Saige Grace is 9 months old today!  Needless to say, she is my sweet baby!  She is starting to really love her siblings, but still prefers momma!  She tends to be fine unless she hears my voice.  It frustrates Madison - she was fine until you had to talk in the other room!  :) 
Saige has 4 teeth, and is cutting a couple more.  She is scooting around the room now and can pull up.  She bites, and screams, but you would too if Harper was your sister! 
We love her like crazy!

 Quincy and some of her neighborhood friends had a lemonade stand tonight.  I found it amusing that Quincy charged her friends for lemonade--they all had to run home to get quarters!  Quincy even made Harper pay for her lemonade!  Harper was not amused and came in to tattle on her -- luckily Madison had a collection of change in her car, so Harper was able to get some refreshing, delicious lemonade!  The girls have proclaimed they will be back bright and early in the morning for a second round.  They were excited because it will be a hot day.....lemonade sells much better when it is hot!  Quincy thinks she will be able to secure the funding for his month's house payment.  She told me she would help me out!  :)

Fair Photos (more importantly its over!)

 The 2012 Overbrook fair was a success.  I judge success by the fact that livestock auction buyers showed up and purchased these hogs!  The kids had a great time!  We are very proud of the work that they put in!

 My sister bought the boys new shirts to show pigs in.  It was really nice of her, but when she bought them, it was 110 degrees and I was a bit worried about the long sleeves!  Little did we know, we would luck into some cooler weather, and on the morning of the pig show, it was actually a GOOD thing to have long sleeves! 

 Mallory had the reserve champion Yorkshire!  We won't mention that there were only 3 in her breed class.  I know that her pig didn't fill out the way we would have liked, but as pigs go, he is toward the top of the list of my favorites.  He just had a great personality, worked well for her, and had some funny quirks that made me overlook his devil eyes!

 Since Madison showed in Osage City earlier in the summer, she was free to enjoy this fair.  Well, she didn't really enjoy it, since she was stuck helping me with the little girls, but I think the little girls enjoyed hanging out with her during the shows and auction!  Of course, true to her self, Madison could not take pictures of the kids showing pigs without having Harper want her to "taka picture of Harper!" 

 Preston did a pretty good job of trying to handle his pig....especially when you figure it was a pig who outweighed him by about 200 pounds.  He had fun trying!  I was proud of his effort.  I was also proud of the older kids for jumping in and helping him.  It was really cool to see them teaching him the stuff they have learned.

 Colin won reserve champion intermediate showman.  It was a pretty close class, and he worked really hard.  It was pretty cool to watch him do so well. 

 Big old pig, little bitty boy!

 Cam helped show his friend's goats again this year.  This is his PLEASE buy me a goat look.  I would love to get some goats, but since it is against the city ordinances, we are once again having the real estate discussion!  Maybe next year!  This particular goat did win grand champion Pygmy goat and Cam was showing it when it won.  Of course he can take none of the credit for the goat's feeding or training, but it didn't stop him from bragging about showing the grand champion!

 Cam also had fun throwing candy off of the 4-H's parade truck.  From the sounds of things, perhaps a little too much fun? 

 The SFT Marching Band did a great job!  I haven't heard how they did in the battle of the bands this year, there was a band down from Topeka whose drum line was absolutely amazing.  Our band was amazing too, but I didn't see anyone of them standing on their heads while they played (no joke here). 

 Mallory made this "mail basket" for her desk.  I really love the colors.  The judge thought the corners could be sharper.  We tried it out though, and it does hold mail!  :)

It was a grand old time.  This old momma is happy to be done for another year!  I hope that the kids made some great memories....I sure did!