There's Just Something About Food

On Saturday, this guy got hankering for some good food.  He found a really great recipe for blackberry rib sauce, and was all over trying it out.  With ribs already in the freezer from a good deal a while back, he was in business.

Shortly after the cooking was over and we were beginning blackberry rib bliss, this guy came home from being a pioneer for 3 days with some of our homeschool friends.  We got to hear some of his stories in between bites.

When that was gone, it was proposed that maybe s'mores were in order.  That was quickly seconded (and thirded and fourthed...)

(Hello chickens in the background!)

In the picture below you can see our favorite s'more method.  Those Keebler striped cookies with the marshmallow are much easier and in my opinion better than the traditional graham cracker and chunk of chocolate.  The chocolate is well-spread and melts nicely, and the cookie breaks without being getting really crumby.

This is my favorite picture of the evening.  Looking at the picture above, I was sitting in the chair next to Jamie with Isaac on the grass between as, as you see him above.  While I was getting pictures of everyone, I turned the camera to get him but couldn't see what I was getting very well.  After taking this, I pulled my phone up to see if it took very well.  Jamie quickly started telling Madeleine to get her s'more away from Isaac, but apparently his quick little fingers had already grabbed enough to get marshmallow.  By the time I turned again (seriously, seconds), it was on his hands, shirt, and blanket.  I ran in for wipes, and by the time I got back his pants were involved too.  I love the pre-chaos captured here, with Madeleine's hand tempting him with the perfect s'more.

Today after church I asked Adam what he wants to eat this last week before he heads off to camp again.  After dutch oven cooking on the pioneer trail, dutch oven potatoes topped the list.  Knowing today was probably more low-key than the rest of the week, we dove into that and had most of the pre-cooking preparation done when Jamie got home from after church meetings.  He quickly set us straight on the appropriate dutch oven potatoes recipe ingredients, and the men folk got to cooking.

Delciousness again.

This picture is actually after that meal was over and the dutch oven berry chocolate cobbler was about to be partaken of.  Melanie has the serving spoon at the ready.

Multiple times both evenings the words "wholesome family recreation" came to mind.  It's lovely sitting around a campfire or a dutch oven, filling our tummies with great food, laughing, and sharing that time together.  An important piece of what helps "establish and maintain" successful families, but so simple.

Repentance

Carolyn was making muffins when we heard a SNAP.  I turned to see what it was, and she was holding a spatula in two hands, broken in half.  She felt bad, but I told her I've broken several in my day, so no worries.

Adam wasn't nearly as forgiving, telling her she got it all over the place (mainly where the top of it fell on the counter).  Then he realized a little drip had flown across the counter and got on his iPad, and started to tease her about it.

"Well Carolyn," I said, "I guess you should go over and give him a big hug and kiss so he knows you're sorry."

She grinned and started heading over.

Adam has a deep fear of sisterly physical contact (and motherly for that matter), so he quickly picked up a chair to block her and started shrieking, "You've repented enough!  You've repented enough!  Go make your muffins and give service to the world!"

One of those moments I wish I could have had on video, but without that, journaling will have to suffice.

Food Quest

Yesterday Jamie mentioned being on a quest, though he didn't say for what.  A bit later I learned it was a quest to make some delicious salsa.  I do believe he succeeded.  (Thanks Pioneer Woman.)

He's a great food quester.  At least to my tastebuds, he's already achieved amazing brisket and pulled pork, and being married to him, I thankfully get to partake every time he does.  There is always excitement in the air when he's on a quest.

A few years ago my quest was to make good bread.  Previous attempts had failed, even with tried and tested recipes.  I studied bread like crazy, and can now make a really good batch of rolls.  And yet, just like hitting the same note on the piano gets old after a while, most of the household seems bored of those rolls.  They eat them like crazy straight of the pan, but cooled off and in the bag, they usually end up sitting for days.  I need to start trying some different recipes again.

My biggest food quest right now is for delicious chocolate chip cookies.  This recipe is my latest favorite, although for some reason it doesn't seem to make as many as this one (also excellent) or others I've had around long, even when the ingredient amounts are similar.  Maybe I have more cookie dough thieves (including myself).  Almost every day I think about wanting to make chocolate chip cookies, but I know I eat a whole bunch (cookies and dough), so I can't do it as often as I'd like.

These are my favorite chocolate chips.  I am very happy to eat them straight out of the package.

Check out the amazing variety of cookies at Sally's Baking Addiction.  You could spend a whole lot of time trying out all the varieties she makes!

Millions of Kids, Interest

Madeleine - "That would be great if we had a million boys and a million girls!"  (She paused to think for a moment, then stated very matter of factly.)  "That would be a lot of kids to get doing."

We got bank statements in the mail, and all the kids were comparing their savings and noticed the interest.  They've been joking about those getting a penny every month, and weeping and wailing about those getting more (like a nickel - LUCKY!).  We talked about interest and how that works (Khan Academy has videos about it!), then Sammy made this very insightful statement:  "There's interest, and pinterest.  Satan has sinterest."  What a clever, funny boy.

And Then There Were 7!

(Here I go again - wrote most of this up 3 weeks ago!)

When we walked into the hospital room this is the first thing we saw.  Jamie said his heart melted, so he had to take a picture.  His first ever diaper!  :)

But there's a funny story about that picture.  Jamie went to take it and the camera turned off.  I told him that's why I brought extra batteries, so he put in the new and tossed the old.  Went to take a picture again, and the camera turned off.  I then got told that I apparently grabbed already used batteries, but I told him I pulled them straight out of a pack of batteries.  He handed me the camera so I could mess with it while he headed off to do something for a minute.  Took pictures just fine for me.  ???  When he walked back in the room he sheepishly admitted that he figured out what the problem was - he was pressing the on/off switch to take the picture instead of the take-a-picture button.  Oops!  Made for a great laugh.  He posted something on facebook, a note to self to push the correct button.  "Screamed the batteries in the garbage can!" I added. We were laughing so hard about it all we were both wiping tears away.

We were ready for a boy or girl!

It was our doc's day off, so she popped in multiple times and hung out with us quite a bit.  This is our 5th baby that she's delivered.  We're lucky that our doctor is also a friend.

I brought a couple movies we could watch, the main one being "Pure Luck," our standard labor movie (it's quite the experience trying to laugh while having contractions), but this time around we didn't ever turn it on.  Jamie and I both had books and sat in there reading the whole time.  The nurse kept coming in and commenting about how calm I was and how quiet the room was.  She would crank the pitocin a bit more and come back expecting something different, but I was still reading away.  Not saying I'm tough or anything.  Guess it was a really engaging book?  ("The Seer and the Sword," and yes, I do recommend it.  Similar to "Goose Girl" in some ways.  I finished just before baby was born.)  Eventually the doc got involved and started cranking the pitocin even higher, but things still weren't affecting me as roughly as she thought they should be.  "I AM having a contraction!  Right now!"  Not long after that it was time to call for the epidural which does move everything faster for me.  The doc left for just over an hour, and right before she came back I had the nurse check and we were definitely ready.

The proud dad!  What a blessing to have had this experience with him 7 times now.  All those babies don't remember those days, but I do.  For the record, my second favorite moment (second only to finally getting to hold the sweet little person we've been waiting and waiting to meet) is always just before each baby makes their entrance.  I look up and dad has tears in his eyes, and I know then that the time is very close.  Love that moment.

A few pushes later, and our 8 lb. 4 oz., 21 inch long bundle of sweetness was there!

It was so fun calling up the kids to let them know.  Before the evening before, the only one besides us that knew it was going to be baby day was the doctor.  Just before Adam went to bed we told him, since he would be in charge the next day.  In the morning before leaving for the hospital Madeleine was awake (she's an early riser), so we woke up Melanie to be with her and told her where we were going.  

The kids were all home together, hanging out since that morning waiting to hear the news.  Jamie handed me the phone, and when I told them they have a new baby brother they cheered and cheered.  Madeleine, who was the biggest "it's a girl!" team member, but she very happily told me multiple times during the next few days that "It's okay that our baby is a boy."  She looooooves him.  When he was 4 weeks old she told me, "I thought our baby was a girl!  But I looked in the window (hospital nursery window?) and he was laying there."  She flopped onto her back, then continued, "He was saying, 'It's so hot in here.  Why is it so hot in here?"  :)

That night he was born while I alone cuddling our new baby boy (I love and cherish my quiet time the first night when I can soak my new baby in), I pulled up Jamie's facebook page to see what he had said about the baby, and noticed a family picture.  Almost startled me - it wasn't right!  It had suddenly and sweetly become so outdated.  Wonderful how quickly someone so new and little can become so big and important.

This was just a bit before bringing him home.

Crazy children (Sammy loves to pose)  :)

Crazier children

At over two weeks old he started to get left alone for a *little* while.

But early on, he always had a friend right with him.

I'm glad that even my big toughy enjoys his cuddle time.  He was having a rough time on some of his schoolwork one day and I offered to see what I could do to help him out.  He finally obliged, but I told him he needed to hold the baby while I did it.  Immediately, the stress was gone and he melted.

Dad usually has to wait his turn with all the other hands clamoring to hold him.

I love seeing him get his cuddle time too.

I feel so incredibly blessed!  Many times the craziness and difficulties get the better of me, but many many more times I can hardly stand how wonderful my life is.  I have excellent, intelligent, creative, crazy children.  Every day I do my best to not ruin them by getting in their way too much. 

I'm also married to a great man who loves me and blesses our home.  I deeply appreciate his patience (yes, that's not a typo) and his ability to take one-on-one time with our kids doing things like going to the store and involving them with cooking (two activities I should be better at but am always in the "let's get 'er done!" mode instead of the "let's have fun together!" mode).  I love it when he tells me about a great book or a great talk he knows I would enjoy.

Especially right now it's such a special blessing to have another baby in our home.  Trying, trying every day to soak in his priceless babyhood.  I know from 6 other experiences that it will be gone far too quickly.  Love you sweet boy!

My Guys

 What starts out as a simple dish washing partnership . . . 

. . . can so quickly turn.

Not sure what he was doing with the Nestle Quik container.

I love moments like this.

And this.

And this.

And this.

And seeing them doing cool things.

They have a great example.

Even when he doesn't want me to take pictures for proof.  :)

But those things lead to incredible pictures like this, probably my new favorite.

I sure love all my guys.

August Zoo Day

Adam has stopped being compliant when I'm trying to take fun pictures of the kids.

But hey, I got his back!

 Lunchtime

They have a new water area put in this summer, but since we don't like fighting the crowds during that busy season, we didn't have any idea.  The kids had a blast with the jumping water fountain.

Sam was the best at catching it right in the chest.

And the face.

The little girls spent most of their time on the slide and tip toeing through a little wading area.

And yay!  I was officially there!  :)