Aryana Joy Age 2

Two years old. The years can fly by, even as the days seem long, so it seems a little strange to think that she turned two in April.

Aryana is a dainty little thing at barely 20 pounds, but there is a whole lot of person in that little body!  She is very verbal, the most verbal any of my kids have been, knocking big sister Briana out of that status.  Over and over again, people look at me in surprise at her sentences and say she sounds like a three-year-old.

She is definitely a mommy's girl, needing to be near me every moment, even to the point of yes, still having her time in momma's sling.  Perhaps that is part of why she loves playing mommy with dolls and stuffed animals, wearing them in her little sling.

She also loves to be outside and play with all the animals, from baby lambs to baby chicks, cats, dogs. . .she doesn't care. It's so cute to see the lambs following her around.

She is absolutely the most "MORNING PERSON" I have ever met.  She gets up in the 5 o'clock hour every morning and is just the happiest person you have ever seen.  She sleeps great, goes to bed willingly (with her little dog "Rosie"), she is just ready to go in the wee hours of the morning.  Someday I am going to use this to my advantage and she can make breakfast for the family while I sleep until 7 am.  wink

All settled into her "big girl bed", moving from the crib to a toddler bed.

HAPPY, HAPPY second birthday, you precious little cutie.  You are aptly named as joy simply emanates from within you.  May you trust in your Heavenly Father as the source of Joy throughout your life.

The Apple Saga

We tried something new this year.  (Surprise, surprise--you DO know my husband, right?!)  We have five apple trees and this year was a bumper crop year.

What does one do with all these apples?  Well, the kids invariably grab one to snack on as they play outside, we serve them raw at mealtime, and we make applesauce, fried apples, apple pies and apple crisps to eat with our meals.  Then we can applesauce, can apple butter, can apple pie filling, and freeze apple pie slices.  

 

Next you take apples everywhere you go, giving them to any sucker friend who will take some.  Then you send an appeal through your local homeschool group for someone, anyone, everyone, to please come and get some apples.  You get rid of bushels and bushels of apples this way.  But the trees just keep producing.

Finally you borrow an apple press and make gallons and gallons (and gallons) of apple cider.  It's great fun and the whole family plays along. The simple process involves gathering apples, then chopping the apples in one machine before pressing the apple pieces in the final contraption.

Yum, yum, it really tastes quite delicious--so apple-y!  As for the rest of the apples?  They are rotting on the ground as they fall providing a great feast for all the buzzing insects gathered under the trees.

Unless you would like to come and gather some.

Life Skills

Destry has been gaining more life skills this fall in addition to his academic studies.  In addition to the large 2-car garage, our property had an old single garage which the previous owner said he would likely just tear down if he were keeping it.

We found the extra space convenient, however.  It's nice to be able to park the car in a garage (especially when there is snow and ice in the winter) and we have a plethora of bikes, scooters, and other outdoor toys that needed a home.

So we decided to fix up the garage as a learning project for Destry.  He had to start by completely stripping the roof, both of shingles and the sheathing because there were holes completely through the roof.

Then he and Alan put on new sheathing to give the roof a solid base.

The little ones really wanted to help.

They at least thought they were helping, whether they were or not.

Destry completed most of the work himself.  Alan showed him how to do each new part and helped him finish the cap before rain was expected, but Destry really gets the credit for this nice new roof.  It looks so much better and will last a good long while yet.  Best of all, Destry gained new skills and experience he will take with him whatever he does in life.

 A coat of paint, some new window panes, and we have a nice little garage and a job well done.

Three Little Pigs

No, there's no big bad wolf.

 But we do now have three little pigs named Toot, Puddle and Snuggle.
I wonder if other people do this.  We've once again named our pigs after characters in picture books.

While all the kids enjoy feeding the pigs, it is primarily Easton's responsibility to daily carry them their corn, feed, slop, and water.

He also bears the ultimate responsibility of making sure both latches are securely fastened so the pigs won't escape their building.

 Sometimes he is generous enough to share the joys of scooping. . .

 and carrying the feed. . .

 and pouring food. . .

 into the appropriate dish.

Alan's initial reason for getting the pigs was so he didn't feel so wasteful by simply disposing of our scraps.  We have a compost pile started, but that's just not as beneficial in his mind as fattening hogs for the freezer.  I'm not going to complain when I'm eating all that yummy sausage and pork chops.

Fun With Daddy: Weekly Wrap Up

Alan's job blesses him with several days of vacation time so he has been spending a little extra time at home.  The little ones have lots of fun with Daddy.  He just plays differently than Mommy does.

For example, he came up with the bright idea to build a play course for Easton's hamster.  I don't even know how long they spent designing and building this mess of blocks and cardboard tubes and then allowing the hamster (Fluffy, aka Chum and also "Hamstey") to make his way through it.  I do know, however, that the poor hamster slept really hard when he was placed back in his cage!

I thought Easton's play-by-play account of the obstacles was pretty cute!

 Alan was also the origin of this great new game--rolling pin bowling.  All you need is several empty milk jugs, an old rolling pin, and a creative daddy.  They spent a good half hour with this game and followed it with milk jug soccer.  I'm sure grateful for our nice large basement area for crazy play like this!

 Easton also had a friend over who shares his love for Legos.  They spent a couple focused hours building an alligator.  I was impressed with their diligence and attention span.

Even more than they enjoy playing with Daddy, the little ones are especially fond of working with Daddy.

 Here they are getting a pen ready for. . .

 three little pigs!  The little ones already have the piglets named:  Toot, Puddle, and Snuggle.  (All names of pigs from picture books in case you haven't figured that out.)

 We will be getting them tomorrow and the kids can hardly wait.  They're already claiming rights to feed them and Daddy is teaching them how to make sure the door is secured by shutting BOTH latches.

I thought it was really cute the way Tyrell pulled (and Daddy pushed) when there was only one brick in the wagon.

But once it was loaded, Tyrell "helped" Daddy by giving him a little push.

I'm not sure how much help the kids were with the skinning, stretching and drying of coon hides, but I snapped this shot as he was moving them anyway.  Trapping season is his favorite season of the year!

 What was really entertaining was the day Daddy helped with the fun craft idea we got from Aunt Marcy.

 The kids had a great time,

 and coloring with permanent markers was a rare treat,

 but there might have been a limit to the patience quotient.

 Their pictures were cute, but not quite as cute as Marcy's.  I think we'll have to try this one again!

 As for the big kids, school continues clipping right along.  It's just not terribly interesting to write about their experiences in algebra 2 and geometry, chemistry, or driver's ed (although I perhaps should write a post compiling all their fun stories from that last one!).  We're studying the age of revolutions in history, The Scarlet Letter in literature, and currently learning about opera in their music appreciation class.  Fascinating stuff, but I don't get a lot of pictures.

Briana, 4H Treasurer

We did, however, have our first 4H meeting after the installation of new officers.  The president was on vacation with her family, but pictured you'll see Briana, the treasurer, on the right with her friends Amanda and Amber who are the secretary and vice-president.  Being treasurer is providing her with a great opportunity for leadership and service as well as some money managing life skills.

Briana also gave a presentation to her club this week in which she reviewed the delightful book, Do Hard Things by Alex and Bret Harris.  She did a great job and is proving to be a "chip off the old block" with her gift of gab in public speaking.

It's been another incredibly busy week and I, for one, am THANKFUL that next week will be a short school week!