Jubliant band

In addition to the garage sale we had a very busy week. Mallory's 8th grade advanced art class hosted an "art jubilee" where all the projects that they have done this year were on display (and the other grades' were on display as well, but the feature was the the 8th grade). We took some photos, but some didn't turn out very well. She made a cardboard cake - she was very proud of it and I do think it turned out pretty good. She also had several paintings and some pattern drawings...I know she really enjoyed this class and is turning out to be pretty artistic!

The same night as the jubilee, Colin's 6th grade band had a concert. Again, I am blown away by their band director and what he can accomplish! They sounded awesome - and I would have not guessed this is a beginning band - they even played "Funky Town" - and it sounded awesome - people were dancing along in the audience!

We also took Harper to her 4 month check up - where our doctor told me I could start her on cereal (I just smiled and shook my head). She seems to be growing well, and is very healthy! We probably did some other stuff this past week too, but since I am in a fog, I can't remember what it might have been!!

Its my blog and I will rant if I want to

This is my new dining room set that I bought at a friend's garage sale this weekend....notice that it is already sufficiently covered in 'stuff' - after spending the past 3 days setting up and running a garage sale for the 4-Hers I think we will try to clean tomorrow!

I officially have worked my last garage sale - ever! Kudos to those of you out there who are patient enough to put together, run, clean up, sort, price, and then haul off your 'things' but to me, really folks, I am more of a thrower-away, give away, or donate to Goodwill sort of a girl. Yes, the 4-Hers did make some money to go toward their camp expenses...however when I figure what I lost in time at work, what I spent on concessions because we spent 2 days straight there in the concession stand, and the fact that another garage sale had a table and chairs that I fell in love with and bought, I am in the hole I think! And there are other issues for me as well....this particular sale we asked for donations - and donations we got. Used underwear? REALLY? Old shoes? HUH? Holey old sweats? UUGGHHH! And they still want to charge for these things. And then there is the issue of cost - why in the world would you buy clothes at a garage sale for the same price you can get things on clearance? Is it the thrill of the find? Is it that you see old classmates when you are out there looking at the city wide garage sales? Is it that I am ultra cheap? Is it that I enjoy going into a store where things are sorted by price and size and I don't have to dig or look at all? EXPLAIN IT TO ME! Suffice it to say I learned a lesson and am complete on this part of the journey!!!!

Harper is no longer the baby of the family!

Welcome to 4-H hogs 2010! Colin got a Spot -(the black hog). Cam got a blue butt (yes that is the technical name for it) - white hog with the dark rear end - he is naming his hog "Barack OBacon.

Mallory got a York - which is the solid white hog. Madison is getting a Duroc, but he is having a small medical issue and won't be delivered for a few more days!

You might notice Quincy "Princess of the pigs" in the pen - a lot. I had to drag her away tonight - she has already claimed Cam's little hog as her own! I think we are going to purchase a hog with a bum leg for her and Preston to raise. We won't be telling her that he will be in the freezer at the end of the summer...when we were picking Godmothers for Q we hit the nail on the head - this girl will make Grace so proud - I kept smiling to myself about that as I watched my daughter hugging and scratching pigs and claiming them for herself!

working all weekend

We had one of those weekends where you meet yourself coming and going. Jim got up early Saturday morning to open the tree dump and help with the PRIDE's city wide branch clean-up. I got to be on ball practice duty, with both boys having practice in 2 locations at almost the same time. Luckily I have a friend who I grew up with who has boys the same ages as Colin and Cam (and are the pretty good friends with our boys). So I had some help with getting everyone back and forth! While I was driving Cam and his friend to their practice, my phone rang. Work crisis - landowner locked out of his pasture - and he had cows out. So I had to drop boys and fly to Auburn. I got back in time to pick up kids from ball practices and I sat all the kids down and described the desperation I was feeling at trying to get the house work caught up, lawn mowed, garden re-tilled so we can plant the tomatoes and peppers I bought on Friday, laundry caught up and whatever else. Luckily I must have sounded sad or mad enough that they all pitched in and we got all the stuff on the list accomplished in record time! I then enjoyed going to margarita night with some friends from church!

After church today we had time to burn some large trees on our land that had died and had been cut down some time ago. The kids had a really good time roasting hotdogs and marshmallows and hanging out. Preston even proclaimed that our pasture is the greatest place ever! While Jim and the kids were working like slaves cleaning up branches I attended a PTO officer meeting. I am rather proud that I will not be serving as an officer next year. I will still donate my time, and help with some committee work, but I won't have near the commitment that I have had for the past 2 years! When I got back I took the kids to build their pig fence because we are getting a delivery tomorrow! My mom then helped Mallory cut out all these flower parts for her final art project for school - mom got one of those fancy machines! The girls and mom were having a great time seeing all the stuff it could do. Unfortunately, we will be having to do all that work again because Mallory dropped her envelope with the parts in it right at the same time that Quincy dropped her bottle of water! Timing was horrific! I wish I could say that our week looked a little calmer, but it is just not going to happen!

This kid is killin me!

It is really not news to say that Quincy doesn't know a stranger! How could she considering that she has been dragged to every event under the sun starting a minute after she was born? Yesterday I had the satellite guy here and she was chatting away with him. I am sure he was not overly excited to continually answer her non-ending stream of questions, but he was humoring her (what choice did he really have?). I had to laugh out loud when I heard her ask him "do you poop your pants?" He said - well no, I don't - do you poop your pants? She then says "of course not! I am a big girl!" Take that world - this is the child my parents wished off on me!

Lovin' this 4 month old!

I think it is totally safe to say that we are all in love with this little girl! At 4 months, she is a ray of sunshine and dripping with baby sweetness! Unless she is hungry, she is always so happy! She loves her brothers and sisters - they are the funniest people ever! She is also pretty popular among the neighborhood kids, and her sibling's friends! She is rolling over, trying desperately to sit up, don't even think about trying to hold her like a newborn baby - she sits herself right up...she will have none of that! She wakes up extremely happy in the mornings, which makes her the odd man out around our house! She is sort of sleeping through the night, only waking up once or so. She is fond of her swing and likes to bat at the toys on her exer-saucer and bouncy seat. She also started eating rice cereal this week, although she doesn't seem impressed with it yet! She was at the doctor's office last week and weighed 14 pounds 2 ounces. I can't believe how big she is already!




Madison and Mallory watched Preston and Quincy this evening while I was at Colin's ball practice and Jim was at Cameron's ball practice. They took some hilarious photos of them with Quincy's new Harley! I am not sure if this was them being sweet, or the beginning of a fist fight! They tend to be hot and cold that way all the time!


Madison wiped out at track practice. This is her self-portrait of the worst of her knees. I smell scars in her future. They look awful and she is walking pretty stiffly! She has a meet tomorrow afternoon, I hope she will be able to move her legs!

And just in case you wondered, the boys next door did find their turtle! Colin and Cam were over there for a long time after school today...and I am not sure who found him but he is now safe and sound in his cage again! They offered the boys $ for helping, I used it as an opportunity to tell them that we help our neighbors when they need us without compensation for it! They might have been disappointed, but then I pointed out the Bible says so - that usually shuts down any real arguments in a hurry!

Later that day - -

I did everything I could possibly do to keep Quincy 'quiet' today. I do mean everything-movies, TV, Popsicles, sitting outside quietly on her blanket in the yard, grandma showed up with coloring books and new crayons, we tried reading stories, I tried letting her help me bake some cookies. By 4:30 this afternoon I was out of tricks, and finally decided when Bev (our next door neighbor) showed up with a ride-on Harley Davidson motorcycle that was left from her grand kids it was completely, and totally pointless to try to contain this little wild woman any more! Surely if she feels good enough to be up running, she is well enough?

My heart was really touched today too, when Mallory and Madison's friend showed up with a stuffed giraffe for Quincy. This friend is really one of the sweetest, gentlest kids I have ever met. She was so worried about Quincy! Of course when she got here and Q was running all over like a mad maniac, she was less worried, and happy to know that she came through everything just fine!

Also, for today - Preston got in trouble at preschool. He wasn't following the rules and had to be told several times. Nothing too major, but when we were trying to talk to him about it, he looked at us and said "I am just a little kid, I am not in control of my behavior yet." Wow! How could we not have realized this?

Money making idea - helping the neighbor kids locate their missing turtle - ooops I mean tortoise. Apparently the youngest one was trying to fashion some sort of a leash for him and before he could perfect it, the turtle escaped. Colin and Cameron were over there from the time they got home from their religion ed class until I forced them to come in because it was too dark to see. They are planning to get up early to go back before school and look some more....the youngest brother was in so much trouble by his older brothers for losing the turtle he has offered a $35 reward for its safe return!! That is an enormous amount of money on the line - Cam is pretty sure he will find the turtle in the morning!

And in case anyone was still questioning it, spring is officially here. I know because tonight my phone rang off the hook and my calendar is now full of baseball, softball, and t-ball practice schedules. Quincy is getting in on her first year of action. She has her cletes all laid out, and can't wait to get her t-ball shirt! She has been waiting for this moment for 3 whole years now!