Last Sunday: Making jam and bread. Every few days the schools give out a mass quantity of something that has been donated to them. Several times it's been swiss cheese, once it was 4 cases of 18 count yogurt, once it was corn on the cobb, you get the picture. Last week it was 2 cases of strawberries (20 lb packages) and dozens of blueberry pints. So we ate as much as we wanted, froze some for smothies, and made jam with the rest. And of course you have to have homemade bread to go with all that jam. I made strawberry jam, strawberry with flax seeds, blueberry, and mixed berry. The kitchen got hot and crazy but I love storing our own food so I was happy.
Monday: The pediatrician is open so I took 3 kids for wellchilds. I poked my head out into the hallway and saw the three of them doing eye tests and were so cute.
Kaitlyn about to get her ears pierced. She didn't want to pay the $40 Claires charges (minimum) so she bought a kit for $5 with her birthstone earrings and we did it ourselves.
Marking her ears.
Opening the disposable kit.
Done! We marco-ed it to our family so we didn't get pictures or a video but it was pretty easy. We just didn't know how to get the kit to let go of her ear but we figured it out. :) Glad my daughters were all there to help and see it. It was really fun and we'd definitely go this route next time.
Tuesday: Thomas got a really nice award from his orchestra teacher. It's hard to read unless you click on it, but I was so happy she picked him over all of the kids in all of her 3 big orchestras as the standout musician. Being a homeschooler in a public school orchestra isn't easy. Way to go Thomas!!
Last dinner with all 10 of my precious children.
After dinner we had a photo shoot but I'm putting them on a different post b/c they're on Madalyn's camera. But here are the ones I took on mine.
Tilly was being really silly and Kylie was trying to capture it but the camera was just zooming in and out trying to focus so she never did get one before Tilly left, but at least I got these pictures of the moment.
Madalyn was having him make silly faces.
Waiting in the high council room for Kylie to get set apart.
Packing all night! Can't believe we're doing this again.
Late that night her missionary portal finally was updated to show her new assignment. It's all of Western NC and a tiny bit going up into VA, a little over the TN state line, and a little going down into SC. Her first area is in Burlington, to the top right of the map in NC. It's in the Greensboro stake.
Saying good night on our last night together.
I'm going to miss my missionary so much. I'm so grateful to have had a few extra months with her home and not in school. I'm so proud of her for leaving the comforts of home behind and going out to teach the gospel. I know she'll do great.
Wednesday morning we took her to the airport. We said good bye in the parking garage and then I walked her in to get checked in.
Off she goes through security.
Madalyn, Spencer, and Thomas visited cousins in Springville so after the little kids were in bed I had Lexi all to myself. We looked at scrapbooks of when we vacationed in Western NC, reminisced, and told stories from my book of a girl hiking the Appalachian Trail. We shared popcorn and wrote in our journals and had a really good night.
Thursday morning: As I left to go out biking and walking Andy was so cute waving goodbye to me, the only child up.
Talea playing with Ruth.
Every morning we eat breakfast outside and watch the house sparrow parents feed their chicks inside this hole.
In the afternoon we found one of the babies had fallen out.
Lexi scooped it onto a paper towel and we got it onto a spoon and put it back inside the hole. It was pretty fun to rescue a baby bird.
Friday: After an early dinner I went for a hike to take a break from all the lesson planning I've been doing every spare minute of my day. There was a storm but I skirted the worst of it and enjoyed a beautiful hike.
Are these bluebells? They're pretty light in color but still beautiful. The whole meadow was covered with them.
This stream had bunches and bunches of water celery growing. I haven't seen that before.
Saturday: Finally some rain!! It's been the 3rd driest spring on record. Yuck. We love rain.
Today: Makenna hanging out reading on my bed while I was bathing the little kids.
It was 100 degrees on Friday and today is only in the 40's and 50's.
Hail! We love good storms.
Talea helping me make pumpkin rolls with the last of the pumpkin puree in our freezer from last fall. With the stormy weather we made pumpkin chili with our zucchini, tomatoes, peppers, and pumpkin from last year. Janet gave us beef from their neighbor's cows and someone else gave us okra so it was a tasty hearty homemade soup on this cold day.
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