One week into our lives of crazy busy but fun!!

Let's start off this crazy picture blog with what these to were up to this evening. Horse playing the house.....which for those of you know me, I don't like it to much in side the house. But I looked away this time. But before I did that I snapped a couple of pictures for you.

Daddy & Trinity
So after all of that....silly kids...including my hubby. This blog just has more pictures of this last week. We went a Fall Festival that I have wanted to go to for a long time, at least three years. Autumn is my favorite time of the year so doing this was on the top of my list for this last weekend. Although it was a bit warmer then I wanted it to be. But still we got what we wanted and that's all I can ask. Watching the smiles on the kids' face when picking out their pumpkins and all the ugly gourds (to use as decorations back home). The kids had a lot to say about them. Then looking at all the Apples on trees and already boxed up for us. Which is what we did. Like I said it was pretty warm. But before we did this family fun day on Green Bluff we had to get through the morning of getting 3 girls ready for Cheering and then pictures so there are some of those pics on here as well. And of course there are pics of schooling, science was the big picture taking subject this week. And having our Art class out side was fun too. Then a couple of pics of the boys doing some of the chores. I hope you enjoy the pictures of our family and what we did this last week and pretty much everyday!!

Started filling up the wagon that Zachie and Sierra fought over almost all day long.

Our wagon in the beginning, before all the pumpkins and gourds and two huge boxes of nice Crisp Apples.....yummy. My first Apple Pie and Apple Crisp is on its way.

Zachie had a hard time finding his perfect pumpkin, I honestly think he just wanted to touch each and everyone of them. But at least daddy wasn't far behind to help him out.

Sierra big ol' one. Good job girl on carrying all by yourself to the wagon.'s

Savannah trying to find the biggest pumpkin she could. It's a unwritten rule in our family that the bigger the better.

Sierra (close), Savannah (middle) & Trinity (lastly) on the wagon ride before taking off.

Daddy and Zachie hanging on before we take off. By the way it was in the mid 80's when we went on this Fall Festival trip, we didn't think it was going to be this hot......we were all wiped out when it was done.

Tristian picked the last seat on the Wagon ride which meant it was the bumpiest....hang on son!!

and Zachary is wondering what he is suppose to do and what can he get into while the girls do their foo foo stuff......come on already aren't we done yet?!!

Sierra just before warm ups.....it was still a bit chilly out this morning....brrrr

Savannah being silly any chance she can get!

Here is the whole cheer squad the Sr's and Jr's Cheerios

10/10
Sierra all about her when the camera is on. She loves cheering and I can see it in her future for next year too.

Trinity the Captain her first year and has done a great job for starters.

Savannah during her Cheer pics this last weekend. My pretty girl who has been sick a lot this year but that hasn't slown her down one bit.

Socks is really really really wanting to go outside with the big cats. So since he can't because I won't let him or his brother Ozzy out he just hangs on the

screen door and dreams.......

Laundry day is never fun and I am kind of embarrassed to show this pic but yes this is our piles and baskets and how we get it done. Thank you boys for all the help.

You did great!!!

Zachie doing his chores for that day. He loves these animals, a matter of fact we were driving in town and he saw 2 different cats walking down the road and he wanted so badly to have daddy stop and pick them up too...."oh no Zachie they have a family here," daddy says.

Trinity & Sierra had Science today and it was all about mass and matter for the little one. And then using a microscope to see things that way. Well to say the least, Dad loves that kind of stuff so that lesson took a bit longer so everyone could look through and find things. We ended up moving that outside as well. The weather has been perfect for schooling outside so we had to take advantage of that while we can.

Sierra and her scale





and here is the boys....one helping the other one....until he begins to stare off into space.

It was a beautiful day out so we decided to do our Art project outside in our front yard. They all love finger painting.

A week in review w/o pics

As another busy week comes to a end. I sit here and think about all that has happened this week. The kids have had a very busy full week with school, church, cheer leading, youth group, swimming, weights and last but not least doctors appointments.

This week Sierra in Math re-capped counting through 100 x 2's, x 5's & x 10's. Also learning whats greater than, lesser than and equals. She has been doing great with them all. She also has started her Handwriting Without Tears "My Printing Book". Which she absolutely loves!! Learning all the vowels and letter sounds in Language Arts. History/Geography has been combined this last lesson, learning about the 7 Continents and Archaeologist. I know there is other things we've gone over but that's the short version. She has really began to love Sunday School as well and looks forward to every weekend for that. Sierra has also been working hard at cheer leading practice as well, they have already cheered at their first game and they will march in their first parade this next Saturday.

Savannah has been working her little butt off in Math and has been doing GREAT!! Her goal is to be in 5th grade math by the end of this school year she is well on her way. She is also taking Spanish, and a writing class which she really enjoys. I even set up a blog for her and Trinity but they have yet to write anything in it. We'll see how that goes they always tend to get excited about something new then they get a bit burned out. She has also started helping in the little kids' Children's Church on Sundays. Anywhere she can help teach she will always be at home. As for her and her health. She had a doctor's appt this last Thursday with a Ped. GI Specialist in Spokane and he has ordered some more lab work and ordered a Upper GI test to be done. We get that done this week. He believes everything should be ok with it and believes she has a condition called, "Abdominal Migraines". Thanks to me her mom she gets migraines basically, but her nervous system is a little different and she get severe tummy/rt. side pain. And these can be brought on by over stimulation, anxiety, just plain exhaustion can do it too. So as we monitor that more the doctor thinks that when she gets older that she will probably have full blown migraines like myself. And since she doesn't have as he calls it "episodes" daily or more often he is planning on treating her when she has a episode/attack which has been every 6-7 weeks. So with new medicines hopefully that will keep her out of the hospital and we will be able to control her pain better at home. Prayers would still be very appreciated. As we still have this procedure this week to get through.

While schooling Trinity she is doing great too. She is very independent and gets going on what she needs to do for the day, for the most part. She is really liking her Life Science class and Music. She is of course doing her regular every day classes as well. Her cheering has been going very well, and she loves being Captain!! The older three kids have joined a local youth group last week and they all love it. She is very excited to see friends from town plus a family that we knew in the small town before we moved here goes there too. She has something going on every day of the week and is go go go. I first worried about schooling the kids at home because of them not getting the socialization skills but shoot they socialize more now then they did while in a public school.

Tristian well he's just a growing 14 year old young man with a lot of testosterone. Schooling is going ok. He gets the most frustrated with himself. But that's ok don't we all at some point. He is taking a lot more actual on line classes with a teacher on a the same time so he can get extra help. He got a bit behind this last year so we're hoping to get him caught all up. He also has been going to the youth group and seeing his friends and making new ones, which is great!! While the girls go to their cheer leading practice he works out in the weight room and does a lot of swimming. He is going to be dog sitting for some friends of ours for 1 1/2 weeks or so. So that will give him some to do. He is the type of kid that we needs to be doing something or he just gets bored really quick. The big news for him is that this next Saturday he is going to his first big dance " Homecoming Dance " with his girlfriend Morgan. We have gotten most of his outfit this last weekend and will be getting a couple more things this week. He is so excited and yet so nervous. It's really kinda cute!! He said to me the other day..."Mom you're not going to cry are you?" Why would he even think that.......LOL That's my baby and he is growing up so quick and growing up to be such a good respectful young man. I will definitely have pictures in about a week of the dance, when I update again.

And as for Zachary he is doing absolutely wonderful....no really he has been. This kid is so crazy and funny that he keeps us all on our toes. We have been working with him in his big school book. It seems like he just can't get enough of it. Whenever one of the other kids are doing school, he has to be doing school. We also will put a movie on for him to mellow out so we have some quiet time for the kids to learn. It can get quit noisy in the house when the weather is not so nice out and we're all stuck inside. Zachary has also been going to bed a bit earlier then before. With quiet time and a book and if he behaves then he gets some music too. Oh and the blessings of having three sisters in cheer leading means lots of cheer practicing for him. He's their fill in where ever they need him.....got to love sisters.

As for Dave and I we have been ok, I should say I've been better off this last week then Dave. He is going to be having Carpel Tunnel Surgery (we find out when this week), and then he needs some dental work that's going to cost a pretty penny. But we will get through all of this as we always do. He has been helping me out quit a bit with the schooling stuff. We lean on each other when it comes to that. I thank God for him each and everyday even though at times I know he doesn't think so. I love you honey and thank you for everything you do!!!

End of week 2

As we just finished up week two of homeschooling I look forward to start the new week refreshed after a great weekend. I have felt good but a little overwhelmed since starting school this year. But with time things have gotten so much better. We all have our routine, the night before I print out every one's assignments and get them in their own folders. So in the mornings the older kids get started on their schooling after breakfast and (normally) their beds made but that's no guarantee and that's ok. We have schooling 7 days a week for the most part, the weekends everyone does Science together that's the big difference. Besides that Tristian, Trinity & Sierra have on 3 to 4 subjects a day with History every Wed-Fri. And Savannah has a bit more just because she chooses to do more then she needs to. She is determined to be in the 6th by the end of the year and is well on her way there!!

Also this week we had the girls first football game where the Cheered. They all did an amazing job. Trinity ended up getting picked from the coach as Captain this year. She is so excited about that. They have increased their practices during the week to give all the girls more time together, so that should be fun! I also got my hair cut this week after almost one year. It's basically the same cut as I got when my sister and I were in Detroit, it's just a bit shorter then I would have liked. But it will grow back out.

We also had a new visitor this week. This little or should I say big guy like about 35lbs big showed up in our driveway while the boys were getting ready to walk to the park. So all 7 of us walked down by the tracks and watch this Porcupine until it disappeared into our property. We all thought it was really neat to see. For a matter of fact I have never seen a live one before, only on the sides of the road dead. Of to the joys of living in the country. And as a side note.....we had to keep the dogs inside for a while cause they both wanted to play with it so badly....it on the other hand didn't really want to.

The older 3 kids have started with a new Youth Group this week. It's great for them to see some of their friends from town that they knew from school last year. They are having a Mud Bowl Football game in a couple of weeks that Tristian is super excited about. I will definitely have pictures of that! Some more big news this week was that Trinity finally got her braces off!! It has been nearly 3 years that she has had them on. Boy she is excited to have them off and be what you would call "normal". We also did some plum picking in our backyard this week. I thought the kids were going to turn into plums themself!

And then today we ended the week with a perfect day at the Southern end of Lake Coeur d'Alene (about 10 miles for our house) having our Baptism Service along with a potluck. We couldn't have asked for better weather either and yes dad got to go and he was on call but didn't have one call during the couple hours we were there. That's a big YEAH!!

On to the next week.......