FIELD TRIP!!!!!

Today was FREE day at the Field Museum in Chicago. We decided to go now because most school children wouldn't be having a field trip so early in the year. We were right! There was hardly anyone there.

Just outside the parking garage, a wall of water:


The field museum:


Elyse was afraid the tusks would fall on her:


Elyse stirring the pot:


How strong are you?


Is brother stronger?


Samson's twin:


With all his might:


Change for the tolls?


One handsome boy:


Charlie bit me:


The trip scared him senseless (old glasses):


Old glasses:


Walmart called and said the kids glasses were ready for pick up. After the field trip, we stopped by the house to pick up capris that we needed to return. Then we headed to Walmart so the kids could see the light.

New glasses for Elyse:


New glasses for Zachary:


For you sports people that wear glasses, you know how banged up they can get. We decided if it was pretty cheap, we would get Zachary a pair of athletic glasses. They were dirt cheap, so we got him a pair. Here he is trying them on - sorry about the blurry picture:


Of course, he wasn't ready for me to snap the picture:


But, I snapped away anyhow. His team colors are red & white - these will match perfectly. Hopefully, we won't have smashed glasses and cut up face this year. We'll see!


We need to work on peaches again tonight. Oh boy!

NEWEST OF THE NEW!!!!!

Second update in two days - not bad for me!

What do you do with THREE bags of peaches?

You make seven (7) quarts of jam and four pie fillings.

Three quarts of jam were already in the freezer when I took this picture:


This is how many we have left!


Right now my back and legs hurt to much to continue. We are taking a break! After lunch, we will start (yes, I said start) school. Then I will finish the rest of the peaches after that. Maybe even after dinner tonight. Who knows! Any helpers want to stop by - just come on!

PIG, PEACHES, PETS & PEOPLE!!!!!

We arrived at Emily & Dan's on Friday night around 6:00. After dinner, we started chopping veggies, making "Beans With a Kick," buying ice, etc.

Dan, Art & Zachary stayed up all night to cook the pig.

Saturday morning, Zachary came in to talk to me around 6:00 a.m. He decided to sit on the bed while he talked. Next thing we knew, he was snoring away. He woke up three hours later. When he came down for breakfast, he wondered how it happened that he had a bagel in his hands. He was totally out of it.

Emily worked hard putting leftovers away.


Two pets that joined in on the activities: Zelda


And George:


One handsome s-i-l after a hard night of cooking a pig, and spending the day entertaining family & friends. A well deserved nap!!!!!


One of our handsome sons:


Since Dan & Emily didn't get ready for church on time, they decided to go peach picking with us. The peaches were cheap (65 cents a pound). We picked three baskets full, D & E picked two baskets full. Our pickers:

Elyse:


Dan-O:


Dad (Tim):


Zachary & Emily:


And, yours truly:


Elyse broke out in a rash from picking the peaches:


Our car was a little over packed, so some of the peaches got smashed. They are still good for peach jam - which we are making tomorrow. We will freeze four peach pie fillings and make one pie to eat tomorrow. The house smells so good!

The reason we don't have any pictures of Luke's family, is because we forgot to take the camera out at the Pig Roast. We also didn't get any pictures of Betsey & Micah (but you can tell they were there because we somehow got a picture of Zelda).

FIRST DAY!!!!

Today is the first day of year 21 for our homeschooling. After breakfast, we start with Bible. Dad prints the chapter we are going to read that day. We read it, talk about what we see as significant and then have a prayer time.

Two handsome men:


Two lovely girls:


We took a long time getting the school room ready. We had new books to organize and put it in the owner's desks. We had tons of books to try to sell - which we did sell some and made a little money. Since Zachary broke his collar bone, he was sleeping on a lawn chair. We had to remove that, straighten up his room and get his real bed ready for him. The whole room got a thorough dusting and vacuuming and we were ready to begin.

Our first day:


Two children aren't too happy to start school, but start we must and we did. We had a rough beginning, but we are bound and determined to have a better year than last year. We already have a few field trips lined up. Watch for future updates and pictures.

Hope you are having a great day too!

WHAT DO YOU THINK?????

For two years our living room looked the same. If you know me well, you know I can't stand that. The only way the carpet under furniture got vacuumed, was to rearrange the room. That means...

I decided we were ready for a change (and a serious vacuum cleaning, ha!). I need your opinion, what do you think of the new room? My partner in crime is on the stairs.


Another view:


The problem is the lamp by the little couch. The cord has to go across the floor. I KNOW someone (probably me) will trip on it and break the lamp. Other than that, what do you think?

Now we have our landlady's furniture marks on the carpet, my furniture marks on the carpet from the first arrangement and we are now making third marks with this arrangement. I can't seem to get them out of the carpet. Oh well, it isn't my house, right?

Edit: I want you all to know that my vacuum cleaner was completely overhauled by my loving husband. It no longer smells like my granddog. Dad found a broken piece inside, replaced it and now we are sucking up the whole carpet, and children, not just the dust/dirt.

THE DROWNED RAT LOOK!!!!!

Every day Zachary takes a bike ride. Sometimes 20 miles at a time. Today, he decided to ride a shorter distance (thankfully). After he was gone about 30 minutes, it started to rain. Then it started to down pour, with lightening. Then the hail came. Dad decided to take the car and go look for him. While Dad was out looking, Zachary came in. You can't really tell from the picture, but he looks like someone dropped a 500 gallon bucket of water on him.


The last few minutes of his ride he walked because he couldn't see well enough to be riding his bike. It would be nice to have windshield wipers on our glasses for times like this, ha!

THE UNVEILING!!!!!

Four weeks ago today, Zachary broke his collar bone. He has been in an immobilizer since then. The doctor x-rayed his shoulder today and gave him the o.k. to take the immobilizer off for good.

This is how he looked for FOUR weeks:


The bone is healing, but not all the way healed. We go back in three weeks. Zachary can start using his arm, but NO CONTACT sports or anything that would allow him to fall on his shoulder. We showed the doctor his huge sore on his elbow and knee and asked him, "You mean contact sports that cause sores like this?" The doctor rolled his eyes and asked how Zachary got them. Yep, that is what he meant by NO CONTACT sports. But, how can you keep a good boy down? The scrapes were made at youth group (it is hard to stay out of the action when you are only 13).

Heading toward freedom:


A little more freedom:


Almost there:


Freedom at last! Notice he is making a muscle (jokingly).


Zachary has lost strength in his arm, but hopes to get that back up to par by basketball season. Today he has started playing his computer games with TWO hands. He can only lift his arm shoulder high - he says it is too heavy to go any farther. There isn't any pain - PTL!!!!!

Now all we need to do is strengthen that left side.

TERRE HAUTE!!!!!

The point in going to TH was for Danni's wedding. Erin was in the wedding. Elyse & I watched Bristol during the festivities. The wedding was held at Rose-Hulman in the same place that Erin's wedding was held - brought back many memories for Erin.

Doesn't Erin make a beautiful bridesmaid?


Elyse, Bristol and I stayed at the motel most of the time. We walked to Bob Evan's for lunch (quite a hot walk - 91 degrees). We also walked to Steak & Shake for a treat that evening. Bristol was a champ all day. At night, she didn't want to go to sleep. We thought she missed her Momma. When Erin walked in the room, all was well. After a few minutes, Bristol decided it was safe to go to sleep because her Momma was there.


Some of Tobin's kin came for a visit. Carol, Kayla, Rosemary & Fauneil met us at the motel. Kayla went swimming with Elyse and Bristol. It was great for Erin & Bristol to see them.


Elyse loved make ponytails in Bristol's hair. Bristol was very patient with her doing it too.


Erin & Bristol fly out today! It was a great weekend!