To Bide Time

Some picture fun! Gavin was in his happy little Gavin world, Ivye was a little hot, cranky and mad over not being able to ride paddle boats with Grayson, Graham kept abandoning his post and I wasn't supposed to be in the pic at all. I sat laughing at the absurdity of it and the people taking pics of us taking pics. Crazy absurd chaos. Oh the stories pictures will tell as they all grow. I'll miss these days with them. Clock be kind and slow a little.

 My riding buddy....and his two unseen buddies that sat beside us.

He's at the top.

...and so is he!

 Seriously can't remember what I've posted and if this ever made it into a post. But it's so cute! He's got on a hand towel.

Baby A in all of his Baby A'edness freeing himself from the baby proofed status of the house to let himself roam free in the great outdoors.

Yep...he made it. Over and over and over again.This is where he spent the entirety of his day at the playground. Up the ladder, down the slide, up the ladder, down the slide. 

He dressed himself.

 They're new snacking habit. Packets of dry oatmeal!!

When in doubt....don't ever juice an entire pomegranate....rind and all. Ever. If you don't know what to do with one....just refrain from juicing at all. This is titled the Don't Ever Make Again Juice. It was awful. And then I puked.

And when there is no playground...just grab a kid!

Birthday dinner!

8 years old. It doesn't seem possible. They could not wait for this day to arrive. After eating cake they both hurriedly retrieved the scale with assurance knowing they had reached the grand milestone. No carseat age! To their utter dismay they did not miraculously go from 50-80 lbs overnight. Sitting at 55.6 and 49.2 they were informed they still have another 25 and 30 lbs to go before riding free. Though entirely disappointed they still managed to have some massive fun celebrating.

One day I will get around to writing their birth story on here. It's one worth telling.

Breakfast! The peach was substituted for a tomato and I added ginger that didn't make the pic. By far one of the best concoctions. I couldn't stand the thought of the peach after I took the pic. Nasty.

October Baby movie night! It thrilled him as much as it thrilled non chick flick husband. Definitely a girl movie worth seeing!!

Fresh pineapple, coconut, banana smoothie. You've gotta really want some coconut to put the real deal in there. But it was worth it.

My little morning bird. Pulling up to a sitting position, maintaining it without help, and crawling at record speeds now. There is nothing sweeter than being greeted by this little man.

This is written at 4:07am. I will blog again....someday. Until then pics and some boring notes to go with them with have to suffice. 

Day 3: Reboot, Recipes and Random Pics

So...I'm thinking this is not half bad! It's not strictly juicing but, mostly juice along with veggies to snack on and grill or bake for dinner. so there's some substance to it all. Most amazing results so far would be the healing already taking place. Admittedly, I was seriously skeptical. I knew we'd feel better...but I didn't really think in terms of healing diseases....such as eczema. Tanning has eliminated most of it but the few stubborn, deep stops remaining on hands were proving painful and water induced. As in, my hands will never be out of water as they need to be to heal until kids are no longer little. So, that part was looking a little hopeless. Resignation to live with the few spots still left was reached. When I say I have eczema it 's not just the little nuisance type. It's the in your hair, on your feet, and all over your hands painful kind.  And no amount of melalueca, steroid or anything else was controlling it. All the info you ever wanted about my personal life, huh???

So it is that, as of day 3, the finger of it still remaining is completely healing and greatly shrunk in size. Kinda wish I'd taken pics now. Didn't quite think in terms of anything like that taking place. Still hurts and is sore, but swelling has decreased and I can actually bend it and I have some definite range of motion now. And I can hold a pen and pencil! Making progress in areas I never really thought about it!

As for allergies, reaction to mold has not lessened any. Not sure it ever will. But...ability to cope is being strengthened. After 21 months of living with no smell or taste those senses are beginning to return in small increments throughout the day. Kinda weird. After continuing to work out excessively while sick with a sinus infection that turned into bronchitis when little twins were 3 months old I ended up with rabdo. It was later believed that concoction of Benadryl, excessive exercise regime and upper respiratory infection created quite the setting for body being overtaken with what happened.

And I am just fully aware this is the most boring post ever...but I find the the juicing results, so far, to be a little bit interesting. Little bit of a science experiment going on around here.

But, since having had rabdo and all that occurred when babies were 3 months old, I lost both taste and smell senses and never regained them. We were told they may never return until I have sinus surgery again, and, even then, ENT could not promise anything. According to medical profession, this was part of the "deterioration" predicted. But, as of this morning, I have tasted pumpkin coffee and all juice so far. Smell has also returned and seems to be a bit in hyperdrive. There have been a few brief periods in time over the last 21 months that it would briefly return, as in...just enough to get a little taste of a bite or whiff of a  smell.....but, it would just as suddenly vanish as well. So, be interesting to see if it lasts. So far, I've had taste and smell since waking at 6:30. Who knew what a straight vegetable diet could do! Pretty impressive....if it lasts.

And....5 lbs down. As of now, assuming that is merely water since no person can lose 5 lbs in 3 days unless it is water related. I've definitely peed enough to lose 5 lbs in 3 days. I know......just what you really wanted to know.

So, science lesson of the day....figuring out exactly why, after a lengthy 21 months, my taste and smell have returned with a strictly vegetable diet. And no...I have no plans of conforming to vegetarianism. Thinking that if I do a juicing meal replacement twice a day and then eventually throw in a decent Paleo dinner.....I may be on to something. Let the pumpkin candles burn!!!......just not on the stove.


I had every intention of taking pics every time I put this thing in motion and documenting the different colors. So yeah....I've done it once so far. But it's a cool green! And yes...children are drinking everything I make. They're quite amused by the foreign fruits and veggies now taking up residents within our home. Our frig.....pretty much looks like a garden puked in it. We now place bets on what produce will be the next to roll out and greet you upon opening it.

To even further the benefits...I have put healthy back into full swing. Kids got spinach chicken spaghetti for dinner last night. And yes...I cooked it. I just told them it was regular spaghetti that had been colored for fun. Green spaghetti is way more fun to eat than the plain kind. All but one were of the exact same mindset! It consisted of throwing together 2 lbs of spinach spaghetti noodles, 1 lb of shredded chicken, 2 cans of organic cream of mushroom and 1 can of cream of chicken soup, a lot of whole milk, and 1 lb of colby and mozarella mix cheese. I didn't bother putting it in the oven. Just heated it all on the stove until the cheese melted and they had a good dinner. Served with steamed zucchini, squash, broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots. And....they ate it!....except for picky 12 year old who could happily live on Dum Dums and Blue Bell her entire life. Needless to say....she went hungry until breakfast.

 Mean Green Juice

My juicing companion. Looks a little statuesque.

And....the result!

Dinner.....roasted and stuffed acorn squash! Stuffed with sauteed onions, basil, and portobello mushrooms in olive oil. I was more than a little sick of being in the kitchen by that time so chefly husband sauteed the stuffing for me. I was kinda done at that point. So sooooo good! Or maybe it's just cause I haven't tasted in 21 months. 

And life beyond the Breville. My cold, rainy day, errand running, hot chocolate loving buddies. This is some pretty sweet and humorous company sitting right here. And son....did you wanna straw there in your cup???? My opinion....looks a little like husband I sitting right there together. Can't quite beat having one of each of you. And, from the looks of it, the next little duo is shaping up to do the exact same thing.

My new dream! 450.00 OBO on craigslist in the town right next to us! It can sit on free craigslist pallets in basement! Pretty awesome! Says it's in great running condition with 3 yr old compressor. I am in love. 

 So proud of their new basketballs. Craigslist resulted in 2 little tikes basketbell goals. One smaller for indoors, one larger for outdoors. Too little to join the big guys on the street they spent the majority of their day crying att he gates. As of this picture, they are two happy little basketball playing campers. They sleep with their balls every night. 100% boys. I'm fairly certain I have never in my life slept with a ball.

 Birthday love from the mail lady. 20.00 to each boy resulted in some impressive military gear. As a result, they now spend their days defeating the unseen foe.

 Tis the season to be pumpkin!! I didn't give up my morning cup of coffee with creamer in the juicing experiment. However, I generously donated the 3 remaining muffins to kids. The clear, unsweetened, pumpkin syrup.....still haven't figured out what to do with that stuff.

So...brand new dryer to us, only 4 years old, newly serviced with papers...still failing to dry. This is exactly how we burned the other dryer out. This is our lovely dryer vent that we have not been allowed to touch. Handyman husband finally cut slits in hose to at least allow increasing condensation, that resulted in standing water, to drain. The dryer has become a bit of a steamer, rather than a dryer. It took no less than 3 cycles per load to dry on high at the longest setting.....til we burned it out. Landlord stubbornly maintained dryer functionality...or lack thereof, had absolutely nothing to do with vent hose. Lint was so thick within hose mold had successfully taken over the inside of the hose as well. In all of my infinite handyman, household knowledge and out of some mounting frustration with it all when new dryer failed to dry even after 3 cycles...I saw fit to remedy the situation. It worked!

Old hose vent system

 From ceiling on left to outside wall on right

And...my solution!!! Hoping heat will vent straight down now and help dry the leaks and mold growth. Nothing like killing two birds with one stone!

What vent now heats. Black on base of staircase, base of wall, and on floor would be.....mold!

Stripped bare. All the loss. In all of my minimalism I have parted with absolutely everything in life, except 4 childhood sentimental keepsakes. My Granny made dolls, handsewn over months for each grandchild. I kept my brother's and mine. Yep...she made him a doll too...only grandson out of 6 grandchildren so he got one too. He never played with it so his boy doll quickly became the fraternal twin of my girl doll. I also kept 2 others...beautiful, lifelike newborns  that I nurtured for years. Boy/girl twins that I saved for months. At the time they were high end, difficult to find, French dolls. And they are still the prettiest dolls ever made. Of course, I saved for two and they were boy girl twins. Think God was preparing a little girl heart for what He had in store for her childbearing future. In all of the basement ruins...lay these 4 dolls. So, as compassionate husband and I unearthed the last of boxes we found these that had been submersed in water for weeks...only sentimental things in life left. Only 4 pieces of childhood remaining now lay in ruin. And so I cried, and I cried and I cried, spent the next day being wholly and totally pissed off at both landlord...and some more at God....as this is so obviously a plague. At the time of box placement it was the only high spot in basement that had always remained dry. Boxes were neatly stacked after they had been dried out and all clothing washed. As soon as boxes were placed there...water began to spray there also. And so I spent the entire night crying over the loss and wondering what in the world I have done so wrong to deserve the hell that is being rained down. So now here we sit...3 days out of my absolute meltdown...and life is good once more. Not sure if they are even close to salvageable. But in the grand scheme of life...they are JUST fabric and plastic DOLLS. And life goes on. So I went back upstairs, held my real life babies and my real life two sets of twins and regained some perspective....again. So...we move on...with one less box and 4 less dolls!

 Side note here.....pictures do not even begin to do the damage justice. The mold is so thick in some places that it stands out from everything and has some fuzz going on. Some places on basement floor on blanketed in fuzz. Powerwashing with bleach seems to keep it down now...but not entirely at bay. Point of this...not really even sure....other than to be able to see some of the damage. Which, in essence...is...wait for it.....

Yes!!!

More griping!

Anyway...dealt with it and have moved on. But...some of what life entails right now...as we deal with basement one last time. Everything has now mostly been hauled off and taken away to dumpsite. What is left to go through has been raised on free wooden pallets....once again....gotta LOVE craigslist here!! Once that is conquered the basement will be completely empty and relegated to 1500 sq ft of absolutely useless space since mold conditions make it an unsafe playspace and it has proven to be way too wet even when not raining to store any type of anything down there.  But it feels good to know what we own is now completely housed in 1500 sq ft and not one inch more! We have now successfully taken minimalistic to a whole new level. 13 people and all possessions within. That, my friends, is quite the feat and a noteworthy accomplishment!

And the recipes so far.....

Apple-Carrot-Beet
2 apples
4 carrots
2 Beets
2 handfuls of spinach or kale (I alternate or do a handful of each)
1" ginger root

Juice and drink!


Great Green Blend Smoothie
2 handfuls spinach and/or kale
1 banana
1 apple
1/2 pear
10 strawberries
1 cup coconut water (the fresh water/milk within a coconut)

Liquefy in blender. (NOT juicer)

Purple Power Juice
6 cups red and black grapes (I did 3 of each)
1 apple
2 2x2 pieces ginger root
1/2 c blackberries

Juice and drink!

V28
3 large beets
2 med carrots
2 stalks celery
4 tomatoes
4 cups Parsley

Juice and drink! (It calls for 12 red radishes and 1 jalapeno, ribs and seeds removed, but I cut that crap out)

Mean Green
1 cucumber
4 celery stalks
2 apples
a ton of kale
a ton of spinach
1/2 lemon
1" ginger root

Juice it!

The Gazpacho
4 tomatoes
1 lg cucumber
2 celery stalks
1 sm red bell pepper
1/2 sm onion
2 cups parsley (you have to for the onion I'm assuming)
1 lime

Juice it up!

Blackberry Kiwi Breakfast Smoothie
1/4 lg pineapple
1 cup blackberries
1 Kiwi
1 banana
1/2 pear
1/2 c fresh coconut water/milk
1 bunch mint (about 30 leaves)

Blend in blender...not juicer!


Minty Fresh Berry Juice
2 cups blackberries
2 Kiwis
16 strawberries
2 cups mint leaves

Juice!

Sunset Blend Juice (due to name I made it to go with dinner)
1 lg sweet potato
1 med/lg carrot
1 red bell pepper
2 lg beets
2 apples
1 orange

Juice it!

And lastly for now...

Roasted and Stuffed Acorn Squash

Printable version here

1 medium Acorn Squash
1/4 tsp sea salt (more for taste if needed)
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper (more for taste if needed)
6 Tbsp olive oil, plus extra for brushing
1 lg Portabella  mushroom, chopped
1 sm onion, chopped
2 tsp fresh sage

Preheat oven to 450.
Trim off each end of squash and split lengthwise. Scoop out pulp and seeds, discard or preserve seeds for roasting later. Arrange cut sides down on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Roast squash until flesh is tender and edges are golden brown, apprx 23-35 minutes. Remove from oven, flip halves over and set aside.

While squash roasts , heat olive oil in medium saucepan on medium high heat. Saute onions for 2 minutes or until onions become translucent. Add mushrooms, sage, salt and pepper. Saute for 5 minutes or until mushrooms begin to soften. Fill squash halves with sauteed mixture and bake for 10 more minutes.



And I have no time to reread this for typos and errors, forgotten words, and sentences that don't make sense. I'll come back to it. For now...ignore it knowing that we're out playing in 67 degree weather at the park!

30 Days of Juice: The Journey to Wellness

I'm taking the plunge. We knew moving up here I'd probably be sick a lot. With allergies so severe I was told after my first sinus surgery, at the age of 22, that by the time I reached 26 I would be hospitalized 6 months out of the year. The predictions were dire, stating that already recurrent breathing problems would grow worse and dependency on an inhaler, breathing treatments, and epi pen would be my new life. While that has proven to be far from the case we also knew moving to the allergy state would not aid my cause any. Far away from desert, dryness and not much of any living vegetation in any sense, to every species of tree, plant, flower and grass that exists, along with mold that accompanies so much moisture....doesn't bode so well for the allergy sufferer...to put it in the mildest sense. Immune systems of all are continually at war with basement blanketed in mold. Attempts at controlling growth have been somewhat successful, but it has become a rather losing battle. We are realizing that due to severity of flooding mold will never be rid in its entirety until leaks are controlled. It looks as though we're here for the long haul so it is time to rise up and make the best of it all....immune systems included. I've just decided I'm really tired of feeling like crap....and I can help myself out more than a little. I know what to do. After years of following Weight Watchers, then switching to Paleo eating habits once WW began to fail at getting results, and committing to a healthier life I know what healthy eating entails. But sometimes...depending on your circumstances....it's just not enough.

I don't have a ton of weight to lose. I could stand to drop another 10 or so lbs, but, overall, I really am pretty content with where I am. I know that much of my actual scale weight right now is due to working out and staying active. It is true that muscle weighs quite a bit more and in working out I tend to pack on weight rather than lose it...though inches fall from body. So, the scale....not my motivation in this deal...though it can be for many people wanting an extra boost in that area. I wouldn't mind a few more inches though. The fire that fuels this passion is health, energy and wellness I do not possess right now, nor do our children. I'm ready to feel good again. I'm very ready for them to quit coming down with absolutely every single thing that goes around. And to juice is to feed body every nutrient in which it's currently deficient and watch it work like medicine. I know this well, as we have experienced first hand the benefits of having juiced before. I just slacked off....and we haven't done it since moving here. And it's ridiculous to go to church one time to come home sick and be out for the next 6-8 weeks...only to start the whole vicious cycle all over again. Thankfully, errand running outings do not ever really result in sickness..but the church thing....I can put money on at least 3-4 being sick by Thurs after attending church the previous Sun. And the endless rounds of it working its way through everybody begin.

So, beginning Monday, I begin the 30 day juice journey and children begin absorbing nutrients in liquid form that their bodies....and my sanity....desperately need right now. We busy ourselves today with locating a "juicing frig" as our rent one is so small it barely holds 2 days worth of food for the family. It will never hold enough to do even a day's worth of juicing full time. Children absolutely love juicing also, which means we will be making weekly trips to Farmer's Market and buying most of our produce in bulk.


Running and P90X will once again take priority over other activities in the day. When in a constant state of never feeling good it becomes easy to put it on the back burner until a better day comes. But, after almost a year here, I am learning that there is no better day on the horizon. I either take the initiative and overcome or continue this cycle infinitely. I have run and P90Xed, as it is the only way I can ever manage to get back into shape and remain that way after a baby, but the consistency of it leaves much to be desired right now. Children have begun joining me once more. I run, they run also or bike alongside, depending on the day. Their PE is once again incorporated into my workouts. It keeps them away from the allure of screens, builds up both mine and their endurance to conquer the tougher places we have planned to visit, and is something each eagerly anticipate every day...which means LOTS of accountability for me.....about 11 times the accountability of any average person, I am thinking. It is worth it to run just to silence the endless barrage that numbs all thought processes completely..."Are we gonna go run???", "Mom, when are you gonna go run??", "Is it time to run yet? You said you'd go today", "May I go?? May we go right now, please???", "I wanna run in the rain again and it's gonna stop..so we need to go now. Please!!" Onslaught only hushed by the sheer act of getting out there and completing it. For information about P90X see sidebar link. For information on how to begin running, even for the person that has never taken a first step in that direction, see also link in sidebar. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. How true that is.  Couch to 5K is also an amazing resource for going from sedentary to runner. None of these are paid endorsements. It is simply what I have found that works for me, our family, our health and the body that has born 11 children.

And for the many FAQ's that are asked when the juicing topic is brought up....

I will attempt to post recipes we are using 2-3 times a week, though depending on time availability it may be whittled down to a once a week recipe post.

Yes, the children choose their concoction, make their's and absolutely love it. I usually buy much more vegetable bulk than fruit and we throw in one apple per juice load to sweeten it up a bit. Overall, the goal is to refrain from them preferring only fruit and turning down the veggies. I have found the secret to be keeping an entire frig stocked full of colorful fruits and veggies. The more colorful,  the more enticing it seems to be to all of them. We usually tend to stick to the concept that we eat the fruit and juice the veggies. It works! Potato chips with lunches or hot dog/hamburger meals are rare, as set out huge vegetable trays with dip instead. So, their palate for veggies is pretty good and it's certainly nothing new to them. Overall, we juice about 90% veggies and 10% fruit for them. With it being a 30 day juice fast for me I plan on trying out many new recipes. But, children tend to drink it better if they choose what goes in their own and have the fun of juicing their own cup.

We use a Breville Juice Fountain Plus - Model JE95XL.  I love this juicer. It came highly recommended by my brother, who has tried many different juicers. Pulp is so dry it crumbles and is excellent for composting. I've never tried any other juicer for which to compare, but I'm entirely satisfied with our Breville. We also have a Vitamix, which people confuse with a juicer. It does advertise that it can juice but it is not a pulp extracting juicer, but rather just purees absolutely 100% of everything. My experience with it has been really pretty disgusting. It is more of a green, thick slushie rather than juice. I'm sure it's nutrient content is amazing...but I couldn't stomach the texture of it. Nasty.

I bought our Breville off of Ebay for a fraction of the retail price. If you find yourself desiring one I highly recommend searching craigslist and Ebay for a refurbished or gently used model before paying retail for brand new. Many people buy them and use them like a treadmill...once or twice and then it sits for a year collecting dust. If buying one used, it is entirely helpful it if includes the collection cup and the special brush, as washing the filter is best done with the brush that comes with it. Otherwise, you'll be standing at the sink for a very. long. while.


Breville Juice Fountain Plus- Model JE95XL-- 2 speed Professional Juice Extrator

Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead is by far one of the most excellent resources for information about juicing.....benefits, his personal journey, the life changing benefits he discovered, the many that benefited from it all, and massive amounts of information. It can be found on Netflix and youtube. Below is the trailer for the movie. Definitely something worth watching and something every person needs to see at least once in their life. The website allows US residents to watch the movie for free via computer. "Read Joe's Blog" link takes you to a community full of ideas to improve health and life. Recipes found here on his blog.

And so it is that our family is on the road to wellness, despite the toll that mold and allergies are taking in our new environment. May we know health and be able to return to church once more....without coming home with every bacterial and fungal activity that lives and thrives on the premises.

Now Back to Your Regularly Scheduled Programming

With rant over...at least for now....or until the next hot flash hits....we resume lighter, more melodramatic free topics once more.  

Outside my window....

the ending of a day that was all of 76 degrees.

I am thinking....

that hiking days have returned with the beautiful weather and babies are not so little anymore. They both completed 4 miles of hilly terrain on foot before growing tired. It didn't require slowing the pace all that greatly either. I think they ran the entire way, except for the frequent bending to add to their growing pocket rock collections.

I am thankful.....

for 13 amazing years with my husband, best friend, companion, lover, comedian, admirer and so very much more. I wait with excitement to discover what the next 13 years hold for us. The best is yet to be.

I am wearing....

stretchy yoga pants and a t-shirt. Sexy, huh?

I am hearing.....

Free. Zac Brown Band. Need I say more?

I am pondering....

a little bit of everything. One of them being....the fact that the dude that invented Liquid Nails has obviously never been acquainted with a hammer and nail. Product review....if you ever need a piece of crap to stick to something....buy yourself a hammer...or better yet, a nail gun....and beat the crap out of it....or just start shooting. It definitely beats standing there holding it in place for hours upon hours waiting for the drying process to occur. Liquid Nails. Yeah...it's definitely liquid but there ain't much nail thing going on behind that one. 

Second, of many...scouting son's ability to mountain bike 50 rainy, soggy, muddy miles through the mountains on the AP Trail last weekend. Out of an elite group of 10 that were chosen to participate in the 50 miler, he swiftly became leader of the pack. So very proud of him....his leadership skills, his self discipline, how well he has learned mind over matter, his determination, his character, his compassion for others as he considers those following, his humor and so much more. We are blessed and so overwhelmed by the gift of each of our children are. It's an amazing thing to watch each of them grow.

I am reading...

about to start "How to Win Friends and  Influence People". A must read according to my brother. I need all the help I can get.

I am wondering....

why, when I bring up google on our big computer, the word "google" is already automatically entered into the search bar. If I wanted to google "google" I probably wouldn't be using google to google it. 

I am hoping....

to never, ever have a basement ever again. Ever. 

I am going.....

to not think about Verizon or anything phone related for a very long time.

I am noticing.....

that we have now officially heard it all. Realtor with potential farm house on 14 acres called to update saying the 2,000 sq ft 3/2 home was too small for our family. According to these people, the size of our family is a fire hazard due to "occupancy limitations" and creates a liability that insurance company will not cover. I promptly and politely called BS on it. We currently occupy 1500 sq ft in which both landlord and we, as renters, have insurance policies. Even with excellent references and proof that we will leave property in better condition than when first occupied...it's a no go. Shocker. May the search continue. But.....fire hazard??? Seriously??? Surely you people can come up with better than that.

I am remembering.....

that as I tackle the basement for the 4th time and we empty it completely.....as it is now a useless space it its entirety......it is a gentle reminder that, despite all the loss, we are rather weightless at this point. And weightless feels pretty good. There is nothing being drug around like a boat anchor. At this point I am rather certain we could live out of a bus....and have given some amount of thought to to that very thing. If we could put creativity in motion I am not opposed to just living in a home on wheels and traveling the world over. What better way to learn than experiencing and living it all.

On my mind.....

that as we near a year here in this new part of the world I will not doubt the goodness of God. I have two living, breathing, walking, talking testaments of His great goodness and one crawling one that is now on the move constantly. After burying a sweet tiny boy and being told we would probably never have more I stand in awe of His goodness. After ending the year of '09 and now having endured so much here I still maintain that He is good and His mercies endure forever. I will continue to sing of His love. Isaiah 40.

Life....

It's time for pumpkin again! Errand running husband's surprise for me upon his arrival home. Ignore the aesthetically unappealing tv in the background. ...and chairs....and white table....and really, just entire background in general.

 More of our "Where Your Treasure Is" journey. So....we now have a fan...and a light! No more changing diapers by flashlight! And finally some air movement. I am in love...both with handyman husband and fan.

Paprika mohawk. This was not self inflicted, but a direct product of the adventures of Baby A. They're just old enough now to figure out how to frame the other.

Nothing like a good paprika rub.

13 years! There is an anniversary blog post coming. It's only been in draft form for 2 weeks now. 

Ok...so if you ignore the forced smile, eyes being focused on neverland, and awkward posture ...it's not bad. I really do know what to do with my arm most of the time. But, I really seriously love this picture of adoring husband. I tried cropping my google eyed self out but it made him so huge the whole thing turned to pixels. Anyway, I'm pretty head over heels in love. And yes....I really do tower 3 inches over him.

Sweet merciful crap, Baby A. He doesn't ever stay out of anything.....ever.

When house grows hot and bedroom is the only cool place in house. How to successfully fit 11 kids in 11 sq ft.

Big brother/little brother.

 Something that actually blissfully captured his attention for 10 entire minutes. As a side note....they are naked most days now as we work on potty training. He now pees consistently in the toilet but we have yet to master the art of pooping. It'll happen. It always does. Until then I'm thankful he sees fit to hold onto it until a diaper is back on. And no...that is not a turd under the table.  Baby B...he has yet to get the hang of any of it. He'll follow suit soon. They're not even two yet. But, making progress! In the meantime...Baby Einstein saw fit to keep him out of crap for 10 entire minutes!

She's growing up way too fast

While watching the Bates on TLC they have seen one too many commercials for Abby and Brittany, the conjoined twins. This was their version of experiencing conjoined twinship. I think they laughed for 2 entire hours as they tried to master life from one shirt. The rest of the family was entertained by their antics for just as long. 

Yet more neighbor love. Thanks to sweet couple with only one grown son they stopped by one afternoon and generously offered children their basketball goal. With great thanks children now fill street with activity. It still kind of amazes me to see a street filled with children and know absolutely every one of them are our's. That's a ton of kids.

Attempting to blog and greeted by some 1 am visitors.

Where's Waldo? Somewhere buried within this pic are two little boys. Can you find them?

 Not exactly what we had intended to drop money on....but so grateful that when something entirely quits we are provided for in every way and funds were available to purchase a new to us functional one. I LOVE craigslist here. We have yet to buy anything new, minus a few yard tools.

And more kids join the late night/early morning party....and we laughed....a lot.

.....coffee run at 1 am celebrating the cooler nights.....

It later updated to a chilly 57 so I guess the hat was warranted.

 Sooo....to amuse ourselves we spent the entire nigt taking pics of ourselves with phone and computer. I've never heard so many giggles...then ended up making a cookie and coffee party out of it.

As if sheer suspension wasn't enough, some grown people saw fit to rock, jump and swing it creating quite the ultimate suspension experience for the rest of us. Thought it was quite fitting we captured the sign in the pic with us. Yes....raising our children well. See this sign kids...well, this is how you do exactly that.

Blurry but funny and so typical of the many conversations that take place throughout a day.

Waiting for the slower ones to catch up

Picnic-ing half way through the day. 

Trying it on for size. He'd been begging all day.

Little bird baby with his "please more" face.

Amusing them with husband's eccentric hiking attire....and no, I did not wear this around all day....or any of the day, for that matter.

Attempting to unstick the football. It worked. 

So much to see and experience. I love these days.  There is nothing in the world that can rival watching your children discover life....and this is certainly the place to do it.

Look who's on foot these days! 

Outdoors...the world's biggest playground.

Last leg of the day. They almost completed one entire portion of the hike on foot.

One more "Treasure" project down....about 9,891 more to go! It IS cute though...and totally beats rotted boards falling off of it. 

Soooo....let's just add some more crap to the house! Yay! Unpacking for the 3rd time. Salvaging what we can from basement.