Valentines Suprises!!!!

The young boys created a valentines day love note for me with red marker on the couches and tv downstairs today while I was teaching school to the girls.
Thank goodness for stain remover!!!

Catch Up Time

It has been a while since I lasted posted. We have been busy schooling, playing, cooking and hanging out on these COLD days!
We are 20 weeks into our curriculum and it looks like we will finish up in May if all goes as planned. Schooling is a bit challenging with the little guys distracting us but we are adapting each day. We have been studying American History, learning about each state, Eli Whitney, Daniel Boone, the Explorers.... We have found that taping the weekly spelling words up around the house in various places leads to a new way of learning and better results on spelling tests for Aubrey! We have enjoyed having an art curriculum inter twined with our lessons and we have seen the benefits in the girls doodling and crafts.
The girls got their ears pierced for a Christmas present and they are looking forward to switching their earrings out for the first time this week.
Elijah has discovered The Last Avatar and really enjoys running around the house acting it out. He is really looking forward to spring and riding his bike he got last last year. He is a great big brother to the little boys and has enjoyed their maturing and joining him in his play. He has resumed sleeping in his bedroom on the top bunk after a long time of sleeping anywhere except his bedroom to avoid being woken up by the little guys.
Amittai continues to show us his love for music as he regularly strums his pretend guitar and sings. He loves to snuggle and always wakes up happy. He likes to pretend he is sleeping when I try to take him out of his care seat and does not crack a smile. His ability to speak and communicate expands rapidly daily and he amazes me as he puts together sentences like, "No Ry Ry Hit Me".
Orion continues to show us his physical talents as he climbs and falls. He is always "exploring" and quickly finds things to play with that he should not. He recently learned hydrogen peroxide does not taste well and does cause vomiting and you should not run with a toy screw driver in your mouth because it can cut the back of your throat. He has moved into sleeping in the bottom bunk bed and loves the space and comfort. He spends most of the day in a superman cape with a sword or gun in his hand or in the back of his shirt.
We are looking forward to warmer weather, planting a garden and finishing some landscaping work this spring and summer.
Pictures to come soon!

So Darn Cute

Birthday Season and the Start of School

Well it is birthday season around our home. We celebrated Anika's 8th birthday a few weeks ago. She enjoyed eating sushi with daddy when they went out the night before her birthday (a family tradition) and the staff amused her by making her stand on a chair and dance while they sang "Happy Birthday".
She spent a very fun overnight with Auntie Shana and Uncle Scottie and suprised us with "fake" glasses she picked out while they were shopping. They look adorable on her but we are hoping her eyes stay strong and she will never need "real" ones!
Elijah is preparing to celebrate his 4th birthday this weekend. He does not know it yet but he has a new bike coming his way! He is enjoying learning his letters and writing them during school time. We has demonstrated he likes to write with both hands spontaneously and appears to have equal ability writing with both. We are encouraging him to continue with both if he chooses. It will be intersting to see if he starts prefering one more for writing as his writing develops.
Aubrey has joined Anika this year as I group teach. She does her own math but everything else is the same. She loves the hands on activities and has really made the most of the great weather, playing outside any chance she gets.
The babies (I often wonder how long I will call them that) keep us very busy. They move from one activity (or one mess) to the next. They both love to pose for pictures lately which makes taking them easier and they turn out adorable!
Ty entertains us with his love for music, playing the guitar and dancing. His smile just melts my heart and he calls me "mom mom" which is about the cutest thing I have heard. His language is rapidly developing, today he said "smoothie" in his own cute way. He loves hitting a ball off of the tee and has a natural swing.
Orion climbs everything, loves to play with any ball and is really into turning anything he can into a gun with his "bew bew" shrill. The number of bruises he displays at the end of each day has gotten fewer througout the summer. It definately is not due to lack of action, it must be better protection with each fall!
We enjoyed a family weekend in Red Wing in September and completed a 3 mile hike with the kids just before it began to rain. We started a landscaping project that is a lot of work but is turning out nicely. We will complete it in the spring. Shawn is gearing up for hunting season and continues to work hard in supporting our family. I have had the opportunity to do a few vaccine presentataions recently and assist a few new moms with postpartum issues. Shawn and I have been finding a little time to go on a date a few times a month and are looking forward to resuming our workout program next week.
Look for pictures in the next few days!

Updates

Life has been busy around here, imagine that!
We celebrated Aubrey's 6th birthday at the end of April with family and friends. She is really enjoying her new "girl" bike from Grandma and Pa.
The babies and I went through a sudden unplanned weaning about 3 weeks ago and everyone has adapted well, even me!! Although I am not sure what is going to happen with my hormones not nursing or being pregnant for the first time in 8 years!
Speaking of the babies, they have some new tricks up their sleeves lately and are usually working in tandem. Check out this picture that happened as I was tending to one of the older children:


Orion has taken his physical talents to a new level as he now dropkicks a ball and dribbles a soccer and basketball. He never ceases to amaze me as last night in the tub he climbed on the ledge while holding onto the safety bar and immediately proceeded to have a BM, this follows his technique last week where he shot to a standing position in the tub to have a BM. I wonder what this means for potty training???
Amittai entertains us with his fake laugh and his constant chatter. He has decided he LOVES milk and asks for it all day. He has also decided if he raises his hand and says "me" when I ask a question of anyone, he will get milk. He is adorable!!

Elijah has decided he wants to start doing school so he has been enjoying practicing writing his numbers on a wet erase number book and singing letter sounds. He loves being outside and is looking forward to this weekend when the rain is supposed to stop and warmer weather should arrive.
Anika and I had some "mommy time" this week when she accompanied me to a local high school for two presentations I was giving. She was amazed by the number of kids in the lunch area when we walked in and she was even asked a couple of questions by the students.
Both girls have been enjoying their time with the piano and amaze me how quickly they learn and sit down to practice randomly.
Shawn's new clinic space opened last week and he is enjoying the fresh environment. Now the search is on for the right people to join them and fill it.
More to come later...

Stream of Conciousness

You have to love a boy who last week jogged (seriously!) to the park and back and yesterday rode his three wheel bike to the park and back and cheered himself on each time chanting, "Go rocky, go rocky or go rocket, go rocket"!!

I am still processing a comment I recieved from another woman Tuesday night, "you look 10 years younger than you did the first time I met you, its like you lost 10 years". Most of the time I am told and feel like I look much younger than my age, especially when they find out I have 5 children!!! That must have been a bad day when she first met me!

Over the weekend Shawn had a few injuries to his fingers while working on the new office and required bandaids. He was not happy with our selection at home and started thinking that we should probably have a better selection on hand since it is spring and we have 5 children, three who are boys. So the other night he sent me to the store with orders for sushi, for him, and a bunch of first aid supplies so we can "be prepared" (he was kicked out of the boy scouts but learned something!).
I am now blaming him for the events that occured within 3 hours yesterday.
Orion, the ball freak, wiped out of the driveway while trying to pick up a basketball, which he just carries around everywhere and will not substitue with any smaller ball that would be easier to carry. He got a large bump and bruise on the left side of his forehead to match the one on the right side from bumping the table earlier in the day.
Elijah wiped out while playing basketball and did a really good job skinning up a large area near his elbow requiring very large bandaids and a sucker!
Anika wrapped up the evening by wiping out on her bike and taking a gouge out of her knee, bleeding a lot, telling me she is shaking, I directing her to sit down so she does not pass out as she is freaking out because blood is pouring down her leg immediately. This required a lot of cleaning, discussion about stitches and then Shawns handywork to butterfly the wound.
I am glad we were prepared!!!