Happy Birthday Mark!

He got sang to early on Sunday night with yummy cupcakes and then last night we had kabobs on Jonny's new grill and ate a yummy black forest cake. Isn't this a cute one of Ali? His birthday candles got lost in translation so he got one big fat one!

When I grow up...

Having recently moved, I now live closer to Annette and yesterday took advantage of it to spend some time with her (which I discovered I missed). It was good to sit together and smile at babies (little and not so little anymore), watch a good movie, and fold clothes (it's never ending for some I hear- I'm not looking forward to never ending- I am just fine with mine once a week). We also went to Mimi's for a very yummy lunch after picking up Jer from school. It was a good thing that it wasn't very crowded because we ended up with screaming, tired babies (the chocolate milk drinker wearing a new fashion statement- striped brown and white shorts!) I had fun. What I wanted to share was what I learned about the other kids still at school. I think it can be very telling to hear what kids want to be when they grow up and also how that changes as they do or don't. Alec wants to be a doctor, Taylor wants to write novels, Seena wants to be a nurse/mom like her mother, and Roman wants to own a car wash (you know, like the kind in that shark movie- I've actually never seen it). I think there was also something about heavy machinery for Roman, but I don't remember that. Have your children shared with you what they want to be when they grow up? Do you remember what you wanted to be when you grew up? (that is of course if the aforementioned has occurred)
-Elisabeth

criss cross apple sauce

Behold the mighty fishermen! Wait! this are the applesaucers! That sounds kind of out of this world doesn't it? Nana picked some of her many tasty green apples and Isa came over and cooked them and squished them. I got to help a little. I loved that sqisher that when turned warm sauce comes out one end and all the skins and seeds com out the other! There are still more apples so if you bring your jars over before I do you can get some too. Harvesting apples truly is a sign of the coming fall.

Summer is now done and school is going to start this week. Darian and Wade will be ready, they have been working hard at home school all summer. One of our recent projects was learning about the Huichol (WEE-chol) Indians of northwest Mexico. We learned that they are famous for their brightly colored yarn paintings. These paintings tell stories about their history and religion. A yarn painting is made by pressing yarn into beeswax that has been warmed by the sun, we used glue. Both boys thought hard about the symbols they wanted in their design. Darian is working on a sun with bows and arrows surrounding. Wade has candles, fire, sun, a flower as well as arrows.

We are all excited for school to begin. Darian and Wade have been practicing getting up on time and getting the animals fed and taken care of as well as making a lunch before 8 AM. The bus will come at 8:25. They are doing better and better every day. I am supposed to be practicing getting up with them, to make breakfast and see them off. I am not doing so well. I drag my self out of bed at 8AM. I will do better this week.

I am trying something.