Sayings that keep us laughing........

..........and rather young.

2 yr. old hollors' out the door. "Be careful Twinsies, you hear".

Overheard Carter telling his twin Carrie, "I will get your Juice Plus for you. It says, Do unto others as you do to them, that means, I give it to you today and you can get your own tomorrow.

There are so many Aunts expecting babies almost at the same time, Carter (4) came to me and asked, "is Grandma having a baby too"?

Wayne took the twins over to Grandmas while he was washing slats, and Grandma wasn't there at the time. Carrie came home and said "Grandma was at a tea sewing with the ladies". (Really Grandma was at a Weight Watchers meeting ).

Life in General~

Twins......They think alike, almost act alike, sleep alike, use the bathroom at the same time, have their own language.Talk without actually speaking. *YES! It is scary*

I wish I would have taken the time to jot down everything they have tho't up to do...but then again, that would have been a book full by now! The latest has been to bury their money-your talking dollar bills in the pigpen and that would be without saying a word to anybody. Than Carrie stepped on a nail and while  I was taking care of that and putting her foot up to rest I decided it was time to go to bed, and which the twins tho't it a wonderful idea to tell big sister to go help them dig it up. It is a wonder the pigs didn't find it, as they are always routing on that one huge dirt/stump pile.
I have tried for the last several years to stay ahead of them on thinking up things to do, but I have only wore myself out...and have finally decided it isn't worth it! It is hard for me to fathom the thought of them turning 5 in December. They are good at their numbers, colors, some of their sounds....But they feed off each other, so why shouldn't they know all that ;)

Dakota....Mr. 7 yr. old loves being with the twins, he was only 2 when they were born, so that is all he has ever know, and thinks he is part of them. Having to separate him from the twins while he is doing his school work has been his biggest challenge. One that I don't know if we will win or lose! He keeps coming to me asking me, "when are we going to get some bread so we can  breed my dog?" Hmmm. We all just chuckle.

Annie....We call her our Annie Oakley. And that should describe her to the fullest. She can switch from playing dolls to shooting a toy gun in lickety split. I think her personality could have more laid back, but being number 7 in the bunch she had to let the others know where she stands, and she isn't quick to back down.

Now that concludes the rowdy bunch ;) Kayla, Austin, and Cheyenne are: Responsible. Courteous (for the most part ;) Step in and make the work fly, my moral support. Lots of unwanted situations in the past 11 months have given us lots of opportunity to cry together, laugh a little, and to create a great support team together! There is still so much to learn with raising children, whether it is tikes or teenagers. And some days I am not sure I am ready for that teenage 'thing'....

This crowd has learned how to eat me out of house and home. They stay hungry, and the main phrase I hear is "what's there to eat?" Sometimes I feel frustrated because, it really feels like  I can't fill them up E.V.E.R. That leads me to my thankful list:

19 bushel Yukon Gold potatoes out the garden this year. (sure it isn't quite that as of now)
4 bushel sweet potatoes
lots of Kohlrabi
lots of Rutabagas
Black beans
Kidney beans
and other beans
Green beans..

A wonderful man that loves gardening and seeing full can shelves.
That offers to take the little ones with him when he can and where he can. (I run for the fresh air alone :)
I am a very blessed Woman!

Well, off to help  Supervise the butchering of our first deer of the season! I am thrilled, my freezers have been so empty recently!

Later

House Keeping

 Cleaning isn't one of my strong points. Now don't get me wrong, I love a clean looking and smelling house. But to get there takes a lot of time and work. Today was a little different, I would have given anything to clean the house over snapping more beans. We are thrilled for the beans, but have now put 228 quart of green beans. We shouldn't run out! All was done in half gallons but the last 44 quarts, we actually put in quarts. We are calling it FINISHED!. Next in line to be picked and shelled are the Kidney beans, and white beans. Those look easier to do than our poor bug bitten green beans.

Today I baked bread, and hung out laundry, than helped with beans...It was a wonderful drying day for clothes. They not only dried quickly but, the breeze kept them from drying hard. 

Bathrooms are now cleaned, hardwood floor scrubbed, and we have a good start on the decluttering.

Guys are all out in the woods squirrel hunting, girls are riding bike, twins are riding the wagon down the hill, and I am enjoying the clean smelling house, along with some wonderful peace and quiet.

Death

Our family has experienced death this year in the way we never dreamed we would. It has raised discussions in our family that we normally would have not had to address.
February 27th I had a miscarriage. Since then, Heaven has been looked at in a totally different light. We have a little one there we want to go see. June came around and a little nephew was killed in an accident. Death and Heaven again became so real. But also started raising  questions in our children. WHY? If God is such a wonderful God, why did he allow this to happen?
After going through a really rough time these last 9 months, including a lot of depression, mental breakdown, lots of pain, I feel like I am finally pulling through, becoming stronger emotionally, mentally and physically. We do have another little blessing on the way.
Earlier this month we lost a special lady and friend who went home to be with the Lord. The children loved her, when Annie was born, she would walk down mornings and help with the house work. A real shining light. Last night Mommie (my Grandmother) died. Carrie (4) was comforting the others. Especially her twin. She would tell him. Carter, Mommie is better now, she can walk by herself. She is not sick. She is HAPPY!
I tell the children that the Lord allowed us to journey this road for a reason. Even though it is hard! I admit, I will never be the "Old Kristena" that I used to be. I feel like all the rough edges have been sanded down.

Till next time~

Kris

Long and Lonely Days

We haven't started crying the blues yet, but the tears are just a drop away from getting started.
Wayne left Sunday evening for a week in Philly. The children have done well, holding up under the pressure of the load around here. Chores, schoolwork, housework, and the mountain of things that have filled every available slot on our chart. And then the sickness to boot- Hands, Foot and Mouth. A very unwanted plague to have.
But today, we are all feeling just a mite short. The laughter is fast dying. Two little ones woke up wanting daddy now, and upset they couldn't even call him. The pressure of a tight schedule is starting to work on me. Juggling appointments. Fixing food for a funeral. Running errands. Tucking everybody in bed at night alone. Last night I laid awake till 2:30 am, and slept a little till 5:45 am. A short night it was. I am feeling tired, but  am waiting on a phone call to go pick up a load of Jam. Than it will be home, serve supper, and head to a viewing.
On a positive note.. Cows and pigs are still in pasture, they haven't tried getting out. Apples are all delivered, and We are back to cooler weather, from the high 80's last week. This is a treat, and we are once again running the cookstove.

Till next time~

Today was one of those days where I wanted to start the cook stove, put a big kettle of apple butter on and watch it bubble.  Lugging wagon loads of wood through the front door and on out the back, piling it high on the back porch. Knowing that the kitchen is the warmest place in the house. And most winter evenings are spent around the kitchen stove. We really do forget that we have a 'normal' range to cook on, come spring I find the children setting a small kettle of butter on a cold cookstove in hopes of melting it, or putting the kettle on to heat some water, only to forget it is out for the season. Now don't get me wrong, it isn't that cool out yet, but fall is really around the corner.

This cookstove is our main source of heat for our two story house minus the basement. Come January we run the heat pump on occasion- but very seldom. I am not one that enjoys Summer overly well, but I love Fall-Spring.