GGYR Pumpkin Patch

I took my Lil' Pumpkins to the Galloping Grace Youth Ranch Pumpkin Patch.  We had a blast.  In addition to being a fun place to play, and a great place to buy pumpkins, it is a fundraising event for the Ranch.

The entire patch was grander this year!  There was so much to do, and lots of fun to be had.

The corn sandbox is a hit for kids of all ages.  Jersey #2 is pretty sure you can never out grow it...

Our two youngest spent an incredibly long time dressing the scarecrows.  There was one point where I had to actually pry them away from that area, so that they could actually pick out pumpkins.

I caught Jersey #2 and Jersey #3 playing on the tractor tricycles, which were marked for toddlers and preschoolers only....

I marched my little criminals to the large sign that clearly stated they were too tall to ride....

Those tractors are great fun.  Jersey #4 and Jersey #5 really enjoyed them.

I even caught Jersey #1 measuring herself to see if she could ride.  She was quite shocked to learn that not only was she taller than the ruler, but she was taller than the pumpkin at the top of the sign!

The live animals were fascinating to Jersey #5.  Chickens, goats, and turkeys, oh my!

Jersey #4 preferred the Mr Pumpkin Head table...

The Pumpkin Patch gave me plenty of photo opportunities.  I put my camera through a workout.

At the end of our trip, we shopped for the perfect pumpkins.  

Jersey #3 decided to put the pumpkins through a physical test, before choosing the best one.  His pumpkin was certainly going to have to be tough enough for wrestling for football... 

I usually tell the kids they can pick the largest pumpkin they can carry on their own.  This time, I gave in and let them put their pumpkins in a wagon.  They were cool wagons...

The GGYR Pumpkin patch was so much fun this month, that we can't wait to visit again when the lot is transformed into the Christmas Tree Corral.

The Home Team Restaurant

I've been told that there is a transition point where a family becomes a large family.  It is not necessarily a matter of number of members of the family, so much as it is a change in mindset.  At some point, reconciliation occurs, and you realize that your family size warrants living in an atypical fashion.  

For the longest time, I have joked that "it took 5 to take me down."  I took that quote from a friend.  I was lamenting to her about how challenging life seemed after Jersey #5 was born.  My friend joked that it took 5 to take me down, where most folks only needed 2 or 3 to take them down.  She meant it well, and it really cracked me up.

The truth is that I really struggled to adjust to life with 5 kids.  I did not want to let go of my expectations for how our life should go.  I expected to be able to continue enrolling the kids in all sorts of sports and activities, and be on the go.  I did not dwell too much on the details.  The problem was that things just did not go as smoothly as I expected.  We started running late all the time.  There never seemed to be enough time, energy, money, or motivation to keep up the pace.  Jersey #2's heart surgery adventure certainly slowed down the pace of our life.  But, my mind had not yet reached that point of reconciliation that our family was just going to be different.

Oddly enough, I passed that turning point a few weeks ago when I was shopping at Sam's Club.  Yes, I do the majority of our grocery shopping in bulk, at a warehouse store.  It turns out, Sam's Club sells a slew of items intended for restaurants.  I once bought a package of forks there, because we kept running out of forks.    I recently decided to also buy a pack of spoons.  Who needs a pack of 30 spoons?  We do.

While wandering down the aisle where the restaurant pack of spoons is located, I came across a stock pot.  I stopped and admired it.  Wow!  It is bigger than my crock pot.  Imagine how much soup or chilli I could make in that!  We might even have leftovers for a change!  (My children thought I was losing my mind, because I was getting so excited about kitchen cookware). 

Next to the stockpots were half-sheet pans.  

And, that is when it hit me.  

All this time, I have been trying to cook with normal sized pots, and quarter sheet pans.  All this time, I have been trying to live as if our family was typical.  It was not working.  That cookware was not getting the job done.  We are not typical.  We are large.  

The game is played differently in a large family.

I came home that day with a 2 pack of half sheet pans, and a 24 pack of restaurant tumblers.

The Referee laughed at my assessment of our situation, but was not phased.  He said that it is as if I am feeding a whole restaurant anyway.  So, it just makes sense to have that size cookware.

The next morning, I made biscuits from a can.

I was thrilled that all 8 biscuits fit on one half sheet pan.

  I loaded up both half-sheet pans with biscuits and put them in the oven...AT THE SAME TIME!

I cooked breakfast in ONE swoop!  (I used to cook biscuits in shifts, with quarter-sheet pans and a pizza stone.  It was time consuming and frustrating).  

I am pretty sure I heard a choir of angels singing in my kitchen, as I realized the freedom that just came from having the right size cookware to feed my large family.  

I still smile when I remember how we were able to all sit at the table and eat breakfast, together, because all of the food was ready at the same time. 

Next, I've got my eye on that stockpot...

Cheerleading Boss

Jersey #2 and Jersey #4 are enjoying Cheerleading this flag football season.  Both love the spotlight and pom poms.  

Jersey #4 has really surprised me with the way she will stand right in the middle of the gym, in full view of all the fans in the stands, and soak up the attention.  Typically, she is not a very friendly child, so I did not expect her to enjoy the crowd like she does.

It turns out that Jersey #2 is actually really, really good at cheerleading.  She has a gift for rhythm.  She loves the beat, the music, the routines.  She loves to be loud.  She loves attention.  As much as I would prefer my daughters to play the sport, rather than cheer for it, I have to admit that Jersey #2 is a natural cheerleader.  I am starting to think we may want to seek out a gymnastics, dance, or drill team for her.

This season, the cheerleaders learned a little dance to perform at the halftime show.  The dance is a series of ripple steps, set to an 8-count beat.  Every 8 counts, the pom pom motion changes.  The coach was wise enough to position the younger girls in between the older girls, so that the older girls could keep the routine in place, even if the younger girls changed motions on their own schedule.  Jersey #2 was slated to be the last in the ripple line, because she could hold the count and position, in spite of what the younger girls around her were doing.  

It was going very well all season....

Until this week.

Jersey #4 does not grasp the 8-count beat or the ripple concept.  She is convinced that her big sister is delayed on following the motions.  This week, she decided to become vocal about it.  During the performance, she stood next to her big sister, and watched her every move.  

As the other girls changed their pom pom position, Jersey #4 changed hers too....then she called to her sister to let her know that she was out of line.  She wanted her sister to change her pom pom position immediately.

 

Jersey #2 was not phased by her bossy little sister, and kept the beat instead.  I am so thankful for that level of maturity in her, because it would have been totally embarrassing if my girls had ended up in an argument in the middle of the half time show.

We attempted to explain the routine to Jersey #4 a couple more times that evening.  She refuses to believe that Jersey #2 was correct in her delay of changing position.  

AWANA Tales

Our children have a lot of fun at AWANA each week.  It is a great program.

This week, we had an eventful evening at AWANA.  It started out well.  The theme was "Double Friend" night.  Kids were encouraged to bring a friend, and also to dress alike with their friend.  Jersey #1 coordinated outfits with a friend of hers from church.  Jersey #3 dressed up his little brother (Jersey #5) in identical clothes, to get credit.  It helps that they already look alike as brothers.  Jersey #2 had the most fun of all, because she had the opportunity to dress alike with her best friend.  We had coordinated a playdate that afternoon, and the girls pieced together matching outfits and pigtails for AWANA that evening.  They had a giggly blast!

From there, my evening at AWANA went haywire.  I assist in the Cubbies class, so I was there with Jersey #4 and Jersey #5.  Much to my surprise, Jersey #5 decided to plant a big kiss on a little girl in Cubbies.  Mouth to mouth, with the full "smack" of the lips afterward.  It was so surprising that another Mom in the room did not have time to compose herself, and accidentally said, "aw, how cute!"  That prompted my little Romeo to attempt a second kiss...which I managed to thwart in time.

I don't know what I am going to do with this child.  From the time he could walk, he has been distracted by pretty little girls.  He would toddle over to a little girl in a stroller and smile at her, or do something silly to make her laugh.  The day he dropped himself to the ground, just to get a little girl to giggle, I knew I was in over my head.  

Thankfully, Jersey #5 managed to keep his lips to himself for the rest of the evening.

Then, right at the end of AWANA, Jersey #3 injured his foot in the gym.  I still haven't gotten the full story out of him, but it sounds like there was some goofing off involved, right before the closing program.  Jersey #3 hurt his ankle.  He pampered it as if he could not walk.  His teacher even hunted me down to tell me about it, because Jersey #3 said he was in such bad shape he wanted his Mom.  Jersey #3 dragged himself, on his bottom, across the gym, to line up with his class.  He was sitting on the floor with his class by the time I made it to the gym.  Coincidentally, just as I was approaching him from behind, his teacher announced his award.  Without hesitation, Jersey #3 jumped up from the floor, and ran to the center of the gym, to receive his award.  

I know my jaw dropped, because I was just that stunned and amused.  The AWANA Commander caught sight of the look on my face, and did his best to stifle his laughter.  I said, "Wow, I guess he is all better now!"  

Later, in the hallway, the AWANA Commander joked that it is amazing how fast kids heal these days.  

Every time I think about the drama of Jersey #3 and his injured foot, I just shake my head and chuckle.  

Children have such a way of humbling us.

Fangs

Jersey #3 is missing all 4 top, front teeth now.  

Unfortunately, they did not come out by natural means.

He knocked them loose in a bicycle accident the summer after he turned 4 years old. 

3 fell out early on, leaving 1 tooth that made him look like Larry the Cucumber from Veggie Tales.

That lone tooth started wiggling loose a few months ago.  It recently started dangling by a thread.  

We had to convince him to just let me pull it now, because his gums were getting all red and angry.  I was starting to fear he would end up with an infection, because his gums were not looking good.  The wiggly tooth seemed to be agitating them too much. 

The Referee held Jersey #3 in his lap, to comfort him.  I took a wet paper towel and used it to get a grip on the tooth.  It was dangling so loosely that just holding the tooth was more than it needed to snap free.  There was no blood.  

At first, Jersey #3 was upset, saying he wasn't going to be able to eat apples now.  (Apples are his favorite food).  I explained to him how he would still be able to eat, even with missing teeth.  He calmed down quickly.

Within minutes, he was smiling and admiring his fangs, which are more visible now.  He said, "Cool!  I look like a bat with these fangs!"  

The permanent versions of those top front teeth are not even due to grow in until closer to 7-8 years of age.  They are slow growers anyway.  Much like baby teeth cutting through for the first time, the permanent versions are expected to take even longer to grow in for Jersey #3, because the baby teeth came out sooner than expected, and the gums have healed.  The permanent teeth are going to have to cut through the healed gums in order to emerge.  This process could take a while.

Typically, the two front bottom teeth are the first to fall out naturally, sometime between 5-7 years old.  The dentist has already warned us that those teeth are already loose for Jersey #3.  They are even moving in his mouth, and starting to turn inward.  It is going to be interesting to see what his smile looks like, as teeth start to fall out the natural way too.  

The good news is that he will have less teeth to brush and keep clean!

Plumbing Problems

We discovered this note on the bathroom door...

It appears we need to work on the toilet....and our spelling!

A Messy Visit

Today, I received a surprise visit from a friend.  My house was a wreck.

The children started off the morning roller skating and riding scooters through the house and out the back porch, and around that loop again.  Discarded skates and scooters were everywhere.

They followed that up by building forts with pillows and blankets across the living room.....which they promised to clean up the moment they were finished playing there.  Didn't happen.

Oh, and let's not forget the bowls of cereal that were still sitting on the dining room table, because I have done THAT good of a job of getting the children to clean up their spots when they are finished eating.

Let's just say that we were not ready for company.

Oh well.

My friend and I stood and chatted, since there was not a cleared spot to sit anywhere.

She admired my dining room table.  I could not bring myself to discuss how much we use that table for everything from meals to homeschooling, to serious conversations....because that the moment it was leveled in dishes and cereal boxes.

A good hostess would have offered a drink.  Coffee?  Tea?  Nope.  I had milk and water, so I didn't even pretend to be a good hostess.  I am pretty sure that there was not a clean glass anyway.  I was kicking myself for not tending to the dishes first thing this morning, like I told myself I would do when I skipped them after dinner last night.  That'll teach me!

At least the kids were clothed!  No naked children running around at that moment.  I'll take that as a success!

Thankfully, my friend finds my life to be entertaining.  She did not make a single negative comment about the mess.  She just admired the kids, had a nice chat, and went about her business.

I have dinner dishes to wash tonight.  I am tired and thinking about leaving them for morning....

Do I dare tempt someone to drop by tomorrow too?

On second thought, maybe I will stay up a little later and go wash those dishes.  I've had enough embarrassment for this week.

Crock-pot Yogurt

I am feeling mighty proud and domestic this morning.  I have accomplished a great feat--I made yogurt in my crock-pot.  

I started with 1 cup of store-bought yogurt (with live cultures and all), and a half-gallon of milk.  Who knew it was that simple?  By this morning, I had about 10 times the yogurt I started with.  Incredible!

The process is very easy.  There are many recipes and blog posts with pictures on the internet that showed me how to do it.  

1)  Pour a half-gallon of whole milk into the crock-pot and cook it on low for 2.5 hours.

2)  Turn off crock-pot and let milk stand for 3 more hours.

3)  Mix 1 cup of yogurt with 1 cup of the milk in the crock-pot, and return the mixture to the crock-pot.

4)  Wrap crock-pot in a blanket or large towel and let it sit overnight (or 8-10 hours).

The next morning, the crock pot is full of yogurt. 

Yogurt should keep in fridge for 7-10 days.  Be sure to save 1 cup of yogurt to culture the next batch.

The next step is to sweeten it and serve it up in ways the family enjoys.  (Some folks eat plain yogurt, but we prefer sweetened).  I added honey to one bowl of yogurt, and The Referee liked that.  Jersey #1 said it needed more sugar.

I added mashed bananas to the honey-yogurt bowl and Jersey #3 thought that was wonderful.  Bananas really sweetened it and added texture.  Half of us like chunks of fruit in our yogurt.

I took a few spoonfuls of the store-bought yogurt and added it to a bowl of the crock-pot yogurt, to add some sweetness, and texture, to help the younger kids adjust to the change.  Crock-pot yogurt is not as thick as store-bought.  Basically, it will fall off the spoon.  Gelatin can be added if that is an issue.  Two spoonfuls of store-bought yogurt mixed in was plenty enough to please my cautious preschoolers.  They gobbled up the yogurt mix, and said it was yummy.    

Yogurt is a major staple in our household.  Finding a way to make it at home, for a fraction of the cost is exciting.  The preferences in level of sweetness and texture vary widely in my family.  So, I am thinking it is going to be best to make the plain yogurt in the crock-pot, and add texture/sweetness upon serving.

I am sure I will keep busy finding more and more ways to use my homemade yogurt in other meal recipes.

Next, I need to find an easy way to make granola to go with the yogurt...

Keeping Dentists Employed

We had a race of the loose teeth this week.  Both Jersey #2 and Jersey #3 were trying to wiggle loose teeth out of their mouths.  Jersey #2 won the race.  Her tooth came out with ease.

Jersey #3 is working on the last remaining top tooth in his mouth.  It is not really time for that tooth to come out.  It wasn't time for the others to come out either, but he took them out with a bicycle accident.  The lone tooth stood its ground for a long time.  But, it appears to be losing footage now.  Jersey #3 wiggled and pulled, but it was just not ready to let go completely.  So, now, he is left with it dangling by a thread on one side, hanging crooked in his mouth...

These jack-o-lantern smiles just crack me up.

I am hoping that laughter is the best medicine, because I can also see that we will be making quite an investment into braces and orthodontics in our future.

Our family's dental genetics is a dream come true for the dental industry.  I am pretty sure that when my children smile, dentists see dollar signs on those crooked, mismatched, groovy teeth.  When our pediatrician asked if the kids see a dentist regularly, I joked that our family single-handedly funds our dentist's summer vacations.  

3

The baby of the family is 3 years old today!

He has enjoyed this weekend of celebrating his birthday.  He is our birthday caboose, so it has been a long year of celebrating everyone else's birthday, until it was finally his turn.  He is absolutely thrilled by the attention.  Today, he told me is was ready to turn 4 next.

His birthday party and birthday cake were a hit...

It was a Veggie Tales theme, which made for some pretty colorful frosting.

It is hard to believe that this child is already 3 years old.  Does the baby of the family grow up faster somehow?  It seems like we just brought him home from the hospital...

True to his easy-going personality, Jersey #5 had an easy-going entry into the world.  He was a delivery after a previous cesarean, so we had the big decision of whether to VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) or have a repeat cesarean.  The surgeon did not give us a specific recommendation, saying that due to my various circumstances, I was at equal risk for either choice.  The surgeon told me to trust my gut feeling, and he would respect that decision.  We landed on the decision to schedule a repeat cesarean in the final week, and then allow labor and delivery to progress naturally if I went into labor naturally.  It seemed like the best of both worlds.  Unfortunately, things did not go either way.  My water broke in the wee hours of the morning that I was scheduled for the cesarean, but there were no contractions.  Premature rupture of membranes.  We waited 7 hours and still not a single contraction.  Not even a twinge.  Actually, upon investigation, not only was my cervix not dilated or effaced, but it was not even pointed in the down position.  Hmmm.....that made us wonder if Jersey #5 had any intention of leaving the womb that day.  

He was forced out by repeat cesarean, which went as smooth as could be.  He was calm tempered, and didn't seem to mind the transition to the world at all.

It turns out, Jersey #5 is our mellowest child.  He was a very content baby...

He was a happy-go-lucky toddler...

He does look for mischief from time to time...

And, he is always dirty....

Jersey #5 is a hard-working fellow...

And he LOVES to ride horses...

Happy Birthday Jersey #5...