This morning we worked with fruits and veggies in school. We talked about order (first, second,etc), "What's missing," and even alphabetical order. Here's our Doodle with his ever present "animal blankie-cape-tent," one of the perks to homeschooling! 

I haven't posted a photo of our eldest for awhile. He wouldn't appreciate the fact that his lips are all funky in this one, but he's such a handsome dude! 

Dressing differences...

On the lighter side of posting,

Last night I was setting the table and in doing so realized every member of our family has a different favorite salad dressing! As I was juggling all 5 bottles I mused... "Jake loves Jimmy's Thousand Island (the imitations don't compare), I'm a bleu cheese girl (the chunkier the better), Noah only likes Italian, Dawson only likes French and Ellie would eat Ranch on everything, given permission."

What about your families? (a deep topic, I know...)

Tagged!

Thanks, Tam!
First the rules:
If you've been tagged remove the blog at #1 from the following list and bump every one up one place; add your blog's name in the #5 spot; link to each of the other blogs for the desired cross pollination effect.
1. I Have to Say
2. Messages from Mama
3. Farkleberry Juice
4. Anderson Adventures
5. Doodles from the Dahls

Next: select four new friends or favorite bloggers to add to the pollen count. I can't remember who's already done this, so ignore it if you did. And, as always, if you're too busy or you just don't want to, feel free to abstain. I tag the following:
Ellie
(The rest of my blog friends would be tag-backs, so I will refrain)



What were you doing 10 years ago?
I was in the beginning of my sophomore year at UWEC with a psychology major, dating the wrong guy too seriously, and getting very excited to study abroad in Edinburgh, Scotland in the spring semester.

What were you doing 5 years ago?
I was at home with my 2 1/2 year old and 9 month old boys. We were living in Sand Creek and raising boys with the rest of the inhabitants (there were not many girls born in that village!). Life seemed really simple during that era.
What were you doing one year ago?
I was teaching first grade to our 6 year old, and had a busy 4 and 2 year old running about as well.

What were you doing yesterday?
We doubled up on kindergarten in the morning (anticipating caring for TWIN infants for the next few days!), then I tossed Bella and Doodle in the big stroller and walked to the library with them. It was a BEAUTIFUL afternoon... One of the last of summer and I relished being outdoors!

5 snacks you enjoy
1. Nachos with ALL the fixins!
2. Wheat Thins and Ranch dressing
3. Veggies and dip
4. Potato Chips and french onion dip (notice the dip theme)
5. Apples right off the tree

5 songs I know all the words to
1. Who Am I (Casting Crowns)
2. Sweet Baby James (James Tayor)
3. Closer to Fine (Indigo Girls)
4. He's Alive (Ray Boltz, Don Francisco- thanks to my kids obsession with it!)
5. My Kind of Girl (Collin Raye- Jake and I do a mean duet to this one!)

5 things you would do if you had a million dollars
("I would buy you a K car, a nice, reliant automobile!")
1. Pay off all debt
2. Buy Jake a big ol' truck
3. Travel 'round the world with my family
4. Help my parents retire
5. Install a hot tub (no, HAVE a hot tub installed!)

5 things you like doing
1. laughing with my husband
2. hiking with the fam
3. scrapbooking (this one withOUT the fam... well, without kids at least)
4. taking road trips (especially with a Cafe Mocha in hand!)
5. organizing

5 bad habits
1. procrastinating
2. chewing and biting not my nails, but the skin around them (I know, it's gross saying it, but I do!)
3. spreading myself too thin
4. letting too much time pass between visits with long-distace friends
5. overlooking ways I can help my husband

5 things I would never wear again
1. tight-rolled jeans
2. moon boots
3. doily-collared dresses
4. spandex
5. poofy sleeves

5 favorite toys
1. scrapping tote, and the organization it brings to a pastime I love.
2. digital camera
3. bike trailer/stroller
4. cell phone
5. computer

Last week we read the story "The Gingerbread Man." Yesterday we got to take it a step further and made gingerbread cookies. We talked about sequence, measuring, and following directions. What a fun treat! 

Say What!?

After receiving last month's electric bill (yikes!) I sat the kids down and reminded them that we need to work together to save money. We talked about turning lights off when we're done with them, so when I saw the basement lights on this morning I asked Bella to run down and shut them off.

She turned to me sweetly and said, "Cause we have to work together to save 'allestricy,' right, Mom?"

Yep, kind of.

Overheard

Maybe something is sinking in...

Bella to "Jakey" the stuffed animal(definately in a "mommy" tone):

"I love you sooooo much that I am not going to let you treat your sister cat like that! No hitting!"

My baby boy has a loose tooth! How can it be he's at this stage already? 

The best part of baking a cake...  

Catching Up

Wow. A week has already passed since I last wrote! We live a busy little life.

We've had a good week. I had a Saturday off and we all got to go to a dear friend's cookout! It was fun with the exception of our dear boundary-pushing Bella falling into the decorative pond... Don't gasp, her life was not in danger as she jumped in feet first. After many, many times of the boundaries being laid out for her, not only that night, but on previous occasions. I am so thankful for Dr. Dobson's "The New Strong-Willed Child"! It is so easy (in the present) to overlook the many, many times she pushes boundaries or tries to be the one in control of how and when things are done. I am really learning how manipulative the will can be, and how as her mom I need to stand firm, be consistent and show her that mommy is indeed in charge, however hard that is for her to swallow!

But I digress (We are having a good week!), We (Bella, Doodle and I) headed down to the farm early Monday morning and did a marathon spaghetti sauce day. We came home with 27 quarts and 20 pints of spaghetti sauce. (It's actually a "pizza hut" sauce recipe, but it has a great flavor we use it for everything from calzones and lasagne to spaghetti and pizza.) We also got to see Laura and Treston - oh, has he grown and changed!!! He's a sweetie on the move! His eyes have gotten big and dark... he's lookin' kind of like his mama! We took off from the farm at 5:15 am Tuesday to head to Mayo Clinic and have the rods taken out of Dawson's femur. The surgery went well, and aside from a little nausea the first evening and hesitation to use that leg yesterday, he's back to being a normal, metal-free child.

Usually fall is a return to schedule and routine in the Dahl house, but until this point, it really hasn't been that way. I just about get things in order and laundry caught up then I'm headed out (to Florida, then the farm) and have to start over again. I think we're finally getting to the maintenance stage- slowly.

Noah is loving school and adjusting well. He goes over with Jake in the morning and home again with him right after school. It's neat to see their relationship evolving and. They share the day at school... Something the rest of us aren't "in on" and I can see a new closeness about them.

I'll share a few photos...

This is the resort we stayed at this weekend! It was gorgeous! 

Here's the little "$5-from-the-curb" table. It's not done perfectly, but it was a fun find! I wish I had a "before" photo!! 

The beauty God brought forth out of our garden. 

Looking forward to routine

I am back, after a wonderful weekend away! HM and I had a wonderful weekend together. Aren't you thankful for the friends you can really be real with? We talked about wonderfully deep issues of belief and faith and working though tough stuff. I am so thankful for her and our friendship- It's our 10 year anniversary this month. Happy Anniversary, Hol!!!

I am very much looking forward to the routine of fall setting in. It's different having my big boy away (well, both of them, actually!), though he is "LOVING" school at the moment (let the newness pass and we'll see how he's really doing with it!). Jaker is steadily settling into a new role in the elementary school which is much more "shepherd-like" than his role at the middle school. He's busy, busy adjusting to the schedule and when he needs to be where to lead his kids. I think he enjoys it, though- the beginning of the school year (especially in a new place) seems to be a draining time for most teachers!

Doodle is doing fabulously with Kindergarten! I've really been enjoying the time with him. He goes in early next week to have the rods taken out of his leg, so pray that his recovery time is short.

Bella joins us in school, and could really be doing the same stuff we do, but I get a folder together for her each day with workbook pages in it. Today she had to cut out a circle, and did pretty normal 3-yr.-old cutting so there were straight cuts all around the shape. She held it up and said, "Mom, isn't this silly? It looks like a pentagon!!!" OK...

I'm thankful for the "simpleness" of our life, even in the busy times. God has been so good to us.

Working best under pressure

The clock is ticking and here I sit blogging instead of knocking things off the list before I head out tomorrow. Beans to freeze, Clothes to wash and other clothes to sort through, a checkbook to work with [again :)], etc...

My very best friend from college, HM, graciously invited me to join her this weekend on a get-away to Orlando! She has taken care of everything... All I need to do is pack (still working on that) and be ready to leave at 7am tomorrow. We are attending Paula White's "Satisfied Women 2005" retreat at the Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate. Please pray for HM, though. I know this all sounds way fun, and I pray it will be, but this weekend marks the 2nd anniversary of HM's parents tragic death. Pray that she stays migrane-free and that I can be the companion she needs. She has been so strong- and points only to the Lord for that strength, so pray that satan wouldn't be able to crack through the peace she's found in God this weekend. Photos to follow!

You officially started kindergarten today. Such a milestone with no turning back. Gone are your preschool days- a new era of your life has begun. For the next 13 plus years you will be in classrooms with various teachers and curriculums. I'll always be thankful that I am blessed with the opportunity to be your first teacher. Never forget my precious son that life's most important lessons are not learned in school, but in the word of God. Hide it in your heart. We will pray for you every day of your formal education, and trust the Lord to protect you and guide you. We love you so much, Doodle! 

Here is the landscaping my mom and I did this past weekend to replace the trees we lost in the storm. Mom assures me the plants will grow up and fill in that bed. We need to mulch and plant grass around it yet, but it was a fun project- Thanks, Mom!!! 

Crickets, consider yourselves warned! 

My family is visiting the farm again, and once more I am enjoying the sound of silence. I haven't heard anyone speak for 2 hours now, well, if you're not counting crickets (No, I am not camping out, THEY are camping in. With my "cricket bounty hunters" gone- I give the kids a nickel for every wretched cricket they smash and flush- the darn things are flourishing!).

Today was a putzing day... I caught up on the laundry and sat down to get paperwork taken care of. I prepared for soccer tomorrow night (my "I'll help out" in spring turned into a head coaching position this fall due to a lack of volunteers...ugh... Thankfully 4 and 5 year olds are usually pretty forgiving.), got a calendar figured out for kindergarten with Doodle (YEAH! We are starting Wednesday, Lord willing, when he gets back. I know he isn't as excited as I am!) and "reconciled" the checkbook. That last task is a bit tongue-in-cheek as the checkbook and I never seem to truly reconcile. Oh, we have a lot of the same numbers as we go along, but somehow we never come out with the same conclusion. Thankfully, most of our misunderstandings have been in my favor. I'll be the first to admit I don't have a true grasp on accounting. No major tragedies have taken place however, and I'll keep muddling through the reconciliations. I like to think of it as an opening for Gods provision. "Huh... This statement shows that I should have $200 more? Ok... Thanks, Lord!" LOL
Well, I'm off to bed. I've got a great pot of coffee set to wake me up in 7 hours and trim just begging to be painted in the peace and quiet. Tomorrow I'll post photos of Mom's handiwork in our front yard... We had so much fun!

The List

We've plunged into late summer projects at the Dahl house in full-fledged-flurry mode to get some things done around the house before school starts (a.k.a. reality sets in and Jake has to start working again to keep those checks coming). We've settled into a system that is working for now. Jake preps the paint sites and I just paint. He hates painting, and I hate futzing around with all the preliminary "sanding, scrapping, taping" garbage. So for now, it's working and jobs are getting crossed of The List.

We tackled two doors and door frames, and I am still working away at the table I found for $5 on the curb. It's going to be a beauty... I just wish I had taken "before" photos. Our hutch is rejoicing that its load will be lighter when the new table comes into play.

My parents are on their way up with gardening tools packed for a long weekend of resurrecting our yard. We hope to make a flower bed of sorts where the trees once stood... A project I am not willing to tackle without my green-thumbed mother. My thumbs are black and withered in comparison, and frankly when people say they "just love to get their hands in the dirt," I shudder. The only thing worse is dusty feet.

Mama and her sweet children... 

Our summer bumpkins. 

Jaker and I got away for overnight for our 8th anniversary. I don't think we've ever had a more relaxing time! We stayed in a B&B not far from home and enjoyed every minute! Here's the backside of the Inn, our room was way up on the third floor... the second gable from the left and the one just to the right of the chimney.

Our biggest boy taking the plunge into the next level of swimming lessons. Way to go, Noser! 

Doodle and his buddies on the last night of VBS (LOVE the belly on the right!!!) 

Up close and beautiful! 

The results are in...

... And we have two gift shops in town that are worth the gas to get there. Ok, if you're into knitting there's a neat new yarn and fabric shop, too, so three. This is of the grand total 7 that we went into. I did hear some good news that our cute tea shop in town was sold and won't be closing.

We had a fun day, our last stop being the local farmers market, which was a wonderful experience! There was beautiful produce, in a pretty setting and we ate well, too. We set our weekend agenda by buying a bushel of peaches. We're going to make and freeze some pies and can the rest.

Today is our last day of swimming. In the past, two weeks in a row of running to the pool has gotten very old- this year it just flew by! The boys have done great, and it's been fun to watch. They are both jumping from the board without flotation devices around their waists and their enthusiasm about it is contagious. Oh, speaking of the pool... gotta fly!

Exploring our Home Town

Today I am going to venture out and do something I don't often do. I'm even a bit ashamed to say it, as those who are very pro "shop local" will probably send the hounds out after me. My mother-in-law is coming to visit with her sister and we are going to go to the shops in town. I can honestly say that I haven't done this for a good four years when my mom visited and showed interest in doing the same thing.

Living in the up-north summer-tourist-ridden town that we do, there are quite a few small gift and craft shops around town. Most have a woodsy flair and only a few select ones have been around more than a season or two. It leads to variety- One storefront has changed hands three times since I last took my hometown shop tour.

Now, I shop at the local grocery store, for the sale items, or when I need something specific quickly. I go to the local hardware store when we need one specific thing. I have gone into one or two of the gift shops when I have needed a gift.
(Maybe that's my issue, at this point in life I really am a necessity shopper- for the most part). I love having things close and convenient. But there's a catch- I also love a deal, which draws me to the slightly bigger city to the north more often than not because I'm sure that their bigger stores translate into bigger savings. Is it always true? No. Is my time and fuel to get there outweighing the money I save by shopping there? Maybe.
I'll keep you updated to the results of our "day at the shops."

Here's our doodle at the very end of a long hang on the fireman pole. What a face!!! 

Here's a favorite Noser photo. He bought this buffalo tooth in Teton Village, and Auntie Cori helped him fashion this schnazy necklace. He wanted us to take a photo that made it look as though it were his tooth... I don't know if I could be so brave as to shove that wretched thing in my mouth. ugh... 

Here is a favorite photo from our trip! We were at a fun park- our favorite- right in Jackson. There is a stream running through the park, and as the temp was in the upper 80s and lower 90s, the kids were having a blast running through the stream. Bella got a muddy shirt, thus the topless photo, but the photo is priceless. 

So many prayed and asked about our sweet new neice, Eva Beth. She's here, and beautiful! The Ballowe clan (minus Scott) visited early last week. Here are the cousins, ages 8,7,6,5,4,3 and 2. What a treat to have them in Wisconsin! 

A photo summary of our July...

I'm finally getting around to post some of the 385 photos we shot while we were out west! Here's the month at a glance...





Motel pools are a great place to get the wiggles out before plopping the kids in the van for 10- 14 hours!




The kids were excellent hikers! This trail wasn't far from Jonathan and Cori's new house.



A family night of mini-golf was a blast- Dawson got a hole-in-one! We capped this evening off with Billy's Giant Hamburgers. Nothing says sleeplessness like a 1/2 pound burger before bed.


This was an evening we spent in Teton Village. We looked around, and right before we went in to eat at the Mangy Moose, Dawson fell into the creek and needed an emergency souvenir t-shirt.


This was another great hike we were able to do at Coal Creek. The kids kept us going strong. They didn't want to quit! Mama's so proud of her little hiking clan!


This was another visit to Teton Village. We went to an Indian Art fair and then watched an Indian Dance exhibition. It was beautiful- Notice the white girl out there... that's Cori who was chosen to join in the festivities. She was a very good sport!


We made another visit to the BarT5! One of the last evenings we enjoyed their covered wagon ride up to a chuckwagon dinner and cowboy music show. It's becoming a tradition the kids look forward to!


Of course one of the main reasons that we headed out west was to help Jake's brother and his wife with the building of their house. Here it was the day before we left. They got quite a bit of the roof together. We look forward to our next visit and being able to see the "Taj-ma-Dahl" in its completed state.



Ahhh... here was one of our last views of the Tetons for this summer. I snapped this through the windshield as we headed north into Yellowstone on our way home. What a gorgeous place to visit. I feel so very blessed that we got to spend as much time as we did admiring the beauty of these mountains!

So, there's a month in a nutshell. Lots of family time, Lots of loafing and getting to know our wonderful sister-in-law/aunt(for the kids and I) lots of building and bonding time for Jake and his brother, and lots of time in the arid weather away from Wisconsin's humidity and mosquitoes! It's good to be home, but we will hold fast to the memories we made in our summer out west.

Starting in with a bang, well, splash...

It's August! Which means summer is coming to an end. That's what skipping town for a month does... Make summer seem short. We got back, and launched in unpack/clean up mode (which may take most of this month) and lo and behold started swimming lessons Monday.
It's a whirlwind! Life, I mean. I know that you are as busy as you allow yourself to be, but I look at my life and wonder where to cut back. We wouldn't have to do swimming lessons- I admit that. Upon arriving home, however, I see 200 things that I really need to get to, and I turn into this "Major Mom" instead of the even-keeled woman I aspire to be. There's this closet to reorganize, photos to get in order, clothes to be gone through, a weekend family reunion to prepare for, trim work to paint, a desk I'd like to redo, a crater in our front yard to be seen to... The list goes on and yet I know at my root level I don't believe in cloning, so how will it ever all be accomplished?
One thing at a time, right?
Lord, please help me prioritize, because in the midst of all I see to be done I have three beautiful children that are growing up [without permission :)] before my eyes.