ralphie.

kaden, our first grader, had to make a

recycled robot for a project.

i put matt on task, and this is what they came up with.

meet:

 ralphie the bucking buffalo

it's much more creative than i could have come up with for sure.

i told matt he's on "project duty" from now on.

he didn't think that was going to work. :)

a tractor ride.

so matt needed my help today.

while he hauled manure, i had to stand guard at the fence to make sure the cows didn't get out.

so the girls got to have a ride with dad, which is kind of rare.

(excuse campbell's hair...my girls are driving me crazy with their bangs.

we are growing them out, and while i can't stand them in my face,

they don't seem to mind them in theirs, and take out their barrettes

before lunchtime...driving me bazarre.)

so in between watching the wandering cows,

checking in with some girls on my cell phone,

reading my magazine, and

watching the girls...

i got to see our goat "colorful" have triplets.

i missed the first one...

she is white, and had her own sac.

but the next two, are brown, and were in the same sac...

so does that make 1 fraternal, to the identical twins?

i don't know, but it was pretty cool.

it's pretty amazing. this whole birth thing.

farm kids do have an advantage, that's for sure.

i was trying to explain it to the girls...

(not in-depth, just how amazing God is to orcastrate the miracle of birth)

campbell doesn't understand. :)

not to mention i got to watch matt and jon pull out a calf

yesterday morning.

(thankful it wasn't me having to help. i did have to help him pull one

out when i was very pregnant with calli, and it was *not* fun,

or smart on my behalf).

now...i have seen calves being born before, and even being pulled

before...what i am having a hard time with was that

my husband,

gave this calf CPR.

(funny part of the story is that the calf really was dead.

there was no heart beat, at all)

i know it's money and all,

but *REALLY*

don't we draw the line somewhere?

should i be drawing that line for him?

and he wants me to kiss him?

ugh. it's all i can think about.

*YUCK*

guess i'll get over it.

but ewww.

and in more exciting news:
2 of our puppies opened their eyes today.
they are soooo cute.
2 weeks old on friday.

oh happy day!

sleepover.

the thing is when you have 4 kids, you can have a sleepover

anytime you want.

you don't need to invite anyone over to have a night full of chaos. :)

so we had a sleepover this past weekend, and these were the

shots before bed, right after baths.

it did get a little bit crazy.

i heard kaycee say,

"now let's pray, so you girls can settle down over there.

dear Jesus...

thank you for dying on the cross and saving us from our sins.

thank you for all the new life that we are seeing.

thank you for this beautiful world you created.

and i pray for the poor people too.

amen."              ~kaycee, age 6.

easter 2011

happy easter

~2011~

 take one.

take two.

take three.

another day. that's all.

we actually dyed eggs yesterday. i was trying to figure out if it was really worth all the work. i guess it was? :)

 

my garden.

isn't it beautiful?

my strawberries are slowly taking over the whole thing.

thanks to our kind neighbor who came up and tilled it for me. :)

thanks jay...*really* appreciate it!

and then they had my kids down to play *today*.

they had so much fun.

next time, our turn? ;)

so...can't wait to plant my garden.

ohhh. sigh. what to plant?

(ha. i plant the same things every year...all easy stuff...)

tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, cucumbers, pumpkins...you get the idea.

i got this sign~age from an uppercase living party a couple weeks ago

and *finally* got it hung today.

pretty easy.

i think i like it.

very true around here.

did you notice all the clean laundry on the floor?

a different pile was three times as big last night,

and my precious mom stopped over~on their way home from anthropolgie~

and *folded* it for me, while we were at an easter dinner.

talk about sweet~

and a *total* blessing...

all i was starting to think about by 8pm,

was having to come home and feed the puppies and fold like

10 loads of laundry.

thanks mom. *huge* act of service there. :)

 so...now i am totally and completely wiped.

i got a lot done today.

but not near my list.

didn't i tell you i was done with "lists"?

i hate them.

still have that pile of laundry to fold

as well as iron the easter clothes for tomorrow,

but i am thinking the ironing will wait til morning...

and the rest of the list will just have to wait til monday.

wish the clothes would.

but...

the puppies are fed.

yay!

sleep good.

lunch.

yesterday i ran out the door to go get kaycee off the bus,

and campbell started throwing a fit, that she wanted to come...

so...i said, "why don't ya start lunch for mommy"

and closed the door. on my way.

so...while i was waiting for kaycee to get off the bus...

i might have been gone 5 minutes...

(and matt was in the office on a phone call...)

campbell made some lunch.

seriously?



there were two eggs missing from the carton, and the pan.

i later found all the towels she used to clean them up.

guessing they fell down the front of my stove...

as i later found evidence.

no one even ate them for lunch.

she is my lovee who loves to help me.

thanks campbell.

maybe next time you can come with me to the bus stop. ;)

2011 puppies.

our chocolate lab, millie, has been having puppies all afternoon.

yay!

off to do more "puppy having" watching.

we are up to 9.

:)

this is her second litter. her first litter she had 15.
(5 brown, 5 yellow, and 5 black) mostly females.

our guesses as of earlier in the week:
(i thought she was huge)
matt: 9
missy: 13
kaden, kaycee: 12
campbell: 100. :)

at 8:18 pm we are up to 11.
only 3 girls so far.
(5 yellow, 3 black, and 3 chocolate)

at 11:19 pm we are up to 12.
hopefully the poor girl is done.
she's tired...and so am i. :)

will have to post some pics tomorrow,
when my official supplement schedule begins. :)
nighty-night.

p.s. we made it thru the first night and didn't "lose" any.
that is a big deal. the first week is crucial that millie learns not to lay on any...
we have 13 total.
(5 yellow, 4 chocolate, and 4 black)
10 males. 3 females.

millie is being such a good mommy this time around.
i mean really.
i just sit and watch in amazement and try to explain
what a miracle birth and life really truly is
to the kids...and hope they GET it.

God is so amazing.
Even my dog and puppies.
the goats and their kids.
the baby rabbits that were in my kitchen a couple days ago.
the baby kittens.
the peeps.
he is using all this *new* life to GET me...again.
(or maybe it's just because i am pregnant and feeling these animals
"pain" a little more "real-ly")
but i don't understand how others can just think
science simply explains this.

i am we need *faith* to help explain it all.
but *really* people...

kaycee's book.

so kaycee, 6, is in kindergarten, and loving it.

she is very creative.

she spends hours a day coloring.

she likes to "teach" campbell, 4,  how to read and write right now,

and thinks she wants to be a teacher when she grows up.

she is a pac-rat. in a very, very bad way.

she enjoys reading, and writing, painting, crafts...

she is very different than her brother in this way.

she doesn't really want anything to do with sports.

much more of an "arts" kind of girl.

here is the latest book she painted:

pocudot (polka dot).

sunset.



Hret (heart).



waw (wave).

 

flower dezin (flower design).

Hret dezin (heart design).

Frat bol (fruit bowl).

 

dezin (design).

flower.

i throw a ton of stuff away. it gets crazy.

all the girls in this family just color and paint and create so much ~stuff~.

okay. off to do dinner and homwork with kaden.

happy rainy night. ~mk.

driving lessons in the rain.

who could ask for a better afternoon to learn to drive our new toy?

he did take out the bucket once...only sloshed out the water...

i told him i would have probably taken out the garage,

and not to worry...

and if that doesn't interest you

maybe this will...

just a few hours old. one of  ~adorable~ twin goats born this morning.

(be on the lookout...i think all of our 12 goats are pregnant)

poor little guy is apparently hungry, and momma just doesn't care. ;(

the cat dragger arounder. ;)

this poor cat. she had kittens a couple weeks ago,

and calli will not give her a minute's peace.

do you see that?

yeah...that above?

it says only 97 days to go.

that's only a teeny bit over 3 months until i can meet my

new precious peanut.

it always goes so fast.

that gives me enough time to:

a) get my flower beds in order and mulch.

b) plant my garden and well...garden.

c) finish the boova hut...i can't wait.

d) get bigger and TAN.

e) get kids rooms moved around and maybe painted...again??

f) get pics taken of the kids and maybe me.

g) spring clean.

h) paint all my flower pots, and plant them with fun stuff.

i) take care of puppies and sell them (they ~should~ be born this week).

j) finish up Good News Club.

k) have a yard sale?

l) get the baby's room ready...and maybe paint it? ;)

~i think it's time we have a pretty nursery here, what do ya think?~

m) go on field trips with my kids...dinner theatre and the ZOO.

~we have NEVER taken our kids to the philly zoo...i can't wait.~

n) paint some furniture.

o) paint some signs.

p) sew. sew. sew.

~was working on some cute burp rags yesterday~

q) make some more pins and headbands.

r) fit in a beach trip.

s) sit in the sun. sipping on lemonade. reading a magazine or watching

the kids play. not doing ~anything.~

t) fit in LotS of hubby and kid time before our life changes

drastically again. for the better of course. but still...changes forever.

u) purge this house. organize. and get rid of.

v) was thinking i would have a couple things. hmmm.

good night.

random.ness.

a post of random.ness. that is what we will have today. because i don't feel like doing laundry. i made the girls bring it down. and here it sits. and well. i don't feel like dinner either. cereal? hmmm. we'll see.
                                                  
first of all. one of my friends is having *twins*. i cannot believe it. matt said that he thought i must have said on the phone *oh my word* about 20x. ooops. but really, it was totally an "oh my word" moment. she has 5 boys. the oldest is 8 1/2 years old. see. i told ya. *oh my word*. excited and terrified to pieces for her. ;)

a twinge of sadness as i think of the little twins that were ~once~ growing in my sister in law. oh we do not understand the mysterious ways of the Lord, do we?

secondly...did i tell you that i am an understudy of the krazy coupon lady? i totally am. i went to the acme yesterday (my new favorite store because they ~double~ coupons up to $0.99...um. yes. fabulous) and my bill was $77. and i paid $27. yep. you heard me. i have a ways to go, but really, i was hugely proud of that. i am saving up for a *house at the bay*. i am ~inspired~ so watch out. great things *can* happen when i am inspired. and girlfriends, can you imagine how much fun we could have at *my* bay house. huge.huge.huge amounts of fun. i got some cereal for $0.67 a box, which totally beat the $1.50 boxes i got at BBs the week before. and they were STALE. i had not gotton stale cereal at BBs in a really, really long time. i was ticked. so ticked that i am using coupons now at the real stores. ha.ha. ;)

so...that's why we can afford to have cereal for dinner. we love cereal here. ;)

i also must say that i got this 'gene' honestly. i can remember going to the Super Fresh with my mom growing up. the Super Fresh was in Coatesville, and we went there about once a month because they even doubled $1. coupons. and my sister and i could walk up and down the cereal aisle, coupons in hand, and get all the cereals we had a $1 coupon for. it's hysterical now, when i think about it...and my mom feels bad about some things like that when we were growing up, but i tell her, that i am choosing to have 5 kids, i am choosing to do the same things with my kids. and now look, my kids can only pick out cereals that are on sale, AND i have a coupon for, so we can get them for say...$0.67. that's the choice we made ON PURPOSE, rather than having 2 kids and eating cereal that's not on sale. :) there ya have it.
                               
and. hmmm. i am huge. no lie. i just am. no shocker. this is just how i get. i like totin' babies around inside. as long as i can feel them kickin' inside i am allll good. however, it ~is~  a shame people have to tell you how big you are...as if you don't already know. disclaimer: no one has told me that YET but i anticipate it anyday now. it's okay to hurt my feelings. ;)
                                              
oh. and did i tell you that i am soooo impressed with Octorara Primary Learning Center's reading program? Kaden was in the Title I reading program, because he was struggling a bit, and now he's not in Title I anymore. he went from a level 4 in mid-october to a level 16 currently. they test all the time. he's now on his 3rd reading teacher/class. i understand that most elementary schools do not switch teachers for reading, but i am so astounded by the level of help they get these kids so early on...and grouped with kids on their reading levels, in 1st grade. yippee to that. i have *nothing* but good things to say. and you should hear my man read now. it *almost* brings tears to my eyes. i *hate* to see kids struggle, especially my own, it's been so good, and the best part...he doesn't even know that he was struggling. that's the best! ever. and there is nothing to say he won't rejoin Title I again next year, (because i am not sending him to school over the summer. which they are recommending. i am just NOT. that's all.) it's all good. he is *loving* school and i love to see it. love it.

i will say that i will be less than impressed  as they are moving towards an all day kindergarten program for next year. devestated in fact. but...i am not in charge. and my voice is not very loud. ;) and i guess i am just very blessed that 2 of my children got to utilize the 1/2 day program, just like i did as a kid...
                                                                 
                                     
and i am thinking critically a lot over the things of my I Peter Bible study. learning a lot about suffering, and submission, and being saved, and always being saved? and it's really a lot to boggle a christian girls mind, ya know? we are also doing the Truth Project in small group right now, and i am ready for it to be over. it's kinda deep, and he has a lot of good things to say, and think about, but like i told pastor jon over coffee this morning, at my kitchen table, i am the kinda girl, who is okay with saying that i have faith in God, that he is who he says he is, and his Word is what it says it is. That is good enough for me. all done. ;)

okay. puppies will be here before we know it. anyone want a puppy just in time for summer. we will have them. again. will keep you posted. but millie is bigger than me, and she had 15 puppies last time. whew.

the end. ~mk.

we are SUNK.

did i mention that i loved the new urgent care?

so much that i took campbell and calli there

THIS EVENING.

yep.

and my suspicions were right

~again~

it's so hard to be me, being right all the time.

ha.ha.ha.

matt is laughing hysterically right now.

;)

campbell was positive for strep.

calli has a nasty ear infection

and

probable strep, (although they did not test her)

so...i guess you should stay away from here.

i am guessing that kaden started it all over a week ago,

and i never took him,

and so, now they all have it.

he's not really looking all that great again either,
and now matt and i think we have sore throats.
isn't it funny how your mind plays tricks on you?

oh well.

how do ya know?

so...maybe you should buy stock in urgent care?

this mommy's day.

was hoping to do something fun with the kids today
as they have off ~again~ for an inservice day. ;)
(i am not complaining, i really do like when they have off...it just seems
like they just had an inservice day).

anyway...

started with a solo trip to a few grocery stores

to see how much $$$ i could save. ;)

(was totally inspired by the krazy coupon lady the other day on the
nate berkus show...cut someone's bill from $400. to $39.
i am NOT kidding. this lady rocks.)

was gone 1 1/2 hours.
(and did save some mad money by the way.)

walked in the door to my calli

who is 2 1/2 years old
(and proving to be my most nixy kid yet)

overflowing milk into her cereal bowl

 and milk crawling off the table in every which way and direction.

kaycee...who was apparently supposed to be watching calli

(while matt was at the chicken house)

was commode-side vomitting.

so...unloaded groceries and decided to take kaycee

to a new urgent care facility in Gap we had gotton a flyer for.

(matt had to leave for the office...so i had 1 1/4 hour window of opportunity to get moving without having to take the other 3 along...)

so glad i did.

her strep test came back

~positive~

in an instant.

poor peanut.

~background was kaden was home sick last week with cough, fever, and sore throat. kaycee started not feeling well tuesday night, with fever and cough. stayed home from school wed. wed. night started complaining of a sore throat, sent her to school thur., seemed to be doing better, did not have a good night last night overnight, and when i came home to see her puking, decided it was time to get her out of here...on another side note, calli was also up several times in the night, pulling on her ear, so i suspect maybe i should have taken her too, but we will try an all natural home remedy for ear infections first~

so...here's to hoping my other 3 don't get strep,

as well as the other 16 children we exposed last night at small group,

as well as her whole kindergarten class yesterday.

yikes.

now i am going to prop my feet up in front of the tv

and chow down on some leftovers

and an icy cold ~coke~ cause it's my favorite.

all because i want too.

my life is grand. i know.

happy snowy rainy day.

what's up with that anyway?

p.s. and now i am feeling a little bit guilty about calling calli 'my most nixy kid yet'. that ~may~ not be true. who is to say that i am not just way more busy now, with 4 kids, in a 5 yr. span, than ever before in my life...i would have ~never~ thought of leaving a 2 1/2 year old kaden or kaycee with a 6 or 7 year old babysitter, even if it was just for 10 minutes, while i had to run down to the chicken house to check on something. you know? and i am probably going to give both my sister and my mom heart attacks in saying that...but first, my mom forgets what it's like to live on a farm, life is just very different, and you won't really understand unless you are living it out, and well...meg...she just won't ever get it. ha.ha.ha. ;)

and...i did love the new urgent care center for what it's worth. granted it is brand-spanking new, just opened sat. so everything was crazy clean, we walked right in...took a little longer than usual because i had 3 pages of paperwork to fill out, but they saw us quickly, with a super nice, cute physician's assistant, who even gave me amoxicillan right there, so i didn't even have to go to the pharmacy. sorry dr. kochel...but for strep, they got ya beat. big time. :)