Fashion Show and 4,000 miles

This summer I was cleaning out a certain closet upstairs. A closet that everyone seems to open the door, throw something in and quickly close it. A catchall full of useless detritus. 

 I found a whole stack of Sean's old rowing paraphernalia. I was complaining about all the stuff and made the flippant remark that Sean couldn't even get into any of the clothes anymore, why oh why must we store it?

 What ensued was laughter and a spontaneous modeling show starring Sean!
Alas, he fit into every single thing in there, with room to spare! Mind you, not that any of the Olympic uniforms will ever be seen in public, but they could.

 We also found his WWU Letterman's sweater. It was a fun walk down memory lane, with lots of stories the kids and I had never heard before.

As of this week, Sean has ridden over 4,000 miles on his bike since last September. He began riding his bike as a means to save some gas money. However, he really enjoyed the challenge and the fitness. I confess, I was a bit disappointed that he was seeing such great weight loss and fitness when it seemed like I was really trying and he wasn't doing anything but riding his bike to and from work. 

As a runner, I always looked at bike riders as sort of 'weak' I mean really, how hard is it to get on a bike and pedal. That is until I began riding with Sean. Ignorance is bliss. No wonder he is in such amazing shape. He rides a single speed fixed gear bike. That means that he must always pedal (no coasting, even downhill) and he can't ever shift. Sometimes, he rides uphill with just one foot. I tried that once just to see how hard it was. I have regular pedals and wear my running shoes, Sean has clips on his bike shoes and is attached to his pedal. I felt like an idiot. 

I am not sure how he logged 4,000 miles in 12 months including the few months that he took off due to freezing rain, snow, ice and pitch black. I have a whole new respect for bikers, especially single speed bikers that I happen to be married to. Thank you so much Honey, for your sacrifices, commitment, and example of steadfast determination. I admire you. 

And So It Begins...

This week marks the beginning of a new homeschooling year. Yesterday we began a new program called, Classical Conversations. The children go once a week for tutoring and the rest of the learning and teaching happens at home. 

I new we needed something different after all the struggles last year and this seems like an answer to prayer. I always say, "Be careful what you pray for." 

I know this is going to be difficult. I have more accountability, the children have more accountability and there is much more writing that we have ever done before. Not to mention, the Latin! I plan on learning a lot and covet prayers for my patience and grace as we go through these growing pains. 

I also began my twice daily Lovenox shots this week. This is a medication that I must take when I am pregnant to help prevent blood clots. For some reason it was emotional for me to start. Not because it hurts, it does not feel good but I have felt much worse, but I think because it means that birth is that much closer. I struggle with anxiety surrounding the actual birth much more these past couple of pregnancies. After I finally worked out the dosage with the doctor ( I had to hang up on him once because I had a child with a minor head wound that was bleeding profusely) I felt like I could breathe easier.

We started cutting our logging truck loads of wood this week. We got 5 cords or dry moved and ready for use and over half the load bucked, split and some stacked. I had some very hungry, sore and tired people on my hands. I feel a sense of security about knowing that I will be warm this winter. I almost am looking forward to cozy fires and reading books ~ Almost. I am not quite ready to say good bye to the warm sunshine. 

Sean and I have ridden the past couple mornings in the fog. I have to say it is not a beginning that eagerly anticipate. It sure was nice this morning when the sun (behind all the clouds) came over the horizon and lit up the sky.

My garden is in full bounty and begging me to can. I managed 21 pints of blackberry jam, 7 pints of balsamic fig jam, a dozen pints of rhubarb jam. Up next: green beans, corn, and peas.
Last week we managed  hike a Baker, a trip up to Canada, dentist appointments for all the children, a potluck and orientation for Classical Conversations, a fabulous party with some wonderful homeschooling friends and a Doula Client meeting.
Maybe I am ready for fall and life to slow down a little. 

Fair Announcement

All my children were together on Friday. We have all been here all week, but with the busyness of everything we were hardly ever in the same place at the same time. 

 My momm and my mother in law were helping with food, laundry, driving, cleaning, and watching the littles. So when we were at the fair, we weren't necessarily all together. Add to that, Sean went on a Tuna Fishing Charter so he wasn't even there for 2 1/2 days.

 I had a great idea to get all my children with their Grandmas.  Just to keep it straight I gave them all birth order numbers. My momm said, "Wait, You and Sean need to get in here with your children."

 I said, "OK, but wait! I need to add another number if I'm in the picture."
Maybe not the best way to announce the arrival of baby #8, but I did not know who to tell when. Because when you tell the children it goes viral.

 2 minutes after we told the children and grandmas some fellow 4H moms came out and congratulated us! I asked how they knew so quickly and they said that their son was watching and texted them!

 When someone asked Ian if he knew why I was holding #8 He said, "Yes, It's because Mama is younger than me!"

 Taylor's excitement was so fun! I think everyone else was in shock! Aaron was grinning ear to ear and told EVERY.SINGLE.PERSON he knew. It went something like this:
Aaron skipping up to Jake, "My mom is having a baby!" Turn and leave to go tell the next person.

 We are thrilled, I fell so blessed to have the privilege of being pregnant again.

God is so good.

North West Washington Fair Day 1

Our first day at the fair proved to be a success! We started with Poultry Vet checks, since I got the time wrong and they wouldn't accept the birds yesterday. 

We headed out this morning with what was supposed to be 12 birds in the BRV (Big Red Van). I looked around and did a mental check as we were leaving the driveway and asked Erik where his show chicken was. 

Aaron's livestock Check In

He got extremely frustrated with me as I had already sent him back inside for his Country Partners T shirt, then again for his water bottle. He replied, "Do I have to get everything?" Yep Buddy, you need a show bird in order to show a bird.

Erik's Livestock Check In

 We made it, passed vet check did weigh in and headed to the Dairy Barn. The boys were doing Start to Finish, where they take a calf that has never been worked with before and do everything working as a team and show the calf at the end. They get judged on how well they work together and how well their calf does.
Half way through I got about 6 calls and texts saying that they were calling for my boys to show poultry. I had talked to the judges and ran over to make sure it was still going to work. Thankfully we worked it out and they gave me a 15 minute warning. I went and got the boys and somehow Erik got Clear Kote on his arm, which was burning and itching, so we found WD40, and nail polish remover and got it off, changed, headed over to poultry. Did fit and show, got 2nd place and ran back to finish Start to Finish where they got 3rd overall.

Ian loved these tires!

During lunch, Ruby opened her container and spilled the entire contents all over the ground. Of course, it was major drama with lots of tears but we managed.
Geaba helped us locate some of our projects that we entered, we can't wait to find the rest. We brought the girls home and bathed them, read to them and put them in bed. Sean and Grandma stayed at the fair with the boys and Taylor so they could finish their barn duty.

My prize winning beans

I was pleasantly surprised that most of my entries won first premium, with the exception of my zucchini muffins that got 3rd. But I couldn't find my green beans. I looked everywhere and finally found them in the Best of Fair Display cabinet. Yep, I feel sorta like Almonzo Wilder and his prize winning pumpkin. My beans. I grew them, picked them, snapped them, then canned them.

I love this boy

Aaron is so easy going. He has the most tender heart and a love for small children. He is compassionate, funny, and pretty laid back. He is much like a large puppy who doesn't know how much space he takes up  but since he is so kind, you don't really mind that he is taking up so much space. Just keep him fed. This was his outfit for the day, with the exception of showing, and he liked it.
I like the life my children are living.

"Big Hill"

Anyone who knows me, knows that I am really a big picture kinda girl. I love to go do things and often plan without a whole lot of though behind the details. 

Calvin, Ian, Erik, Aaron, Ruby

It was a gorgeous day, and I really wanted to go for a hike, but did not want to drive too far. I looked up some local hikes and found one not too far away. It was called Big Hill. In my mind 'Big Hill' means that a hill, not a mountain. It was also rated 4 star. To me, 4 star is a fabulous hotel. Something beautiful and to be desired. Apparently the star rating for hiking is a bit different than for hotels. A 4 star hike means DIFFICULTY. 

Erik eating sardines and pickles for lunch

 I guess that is common knowledge among hikers, I just missed that memo.
 I invited a friend with 4 children to go with me, on the hottest day of the year, to Big Hill and off we went. I was even more thankful for our Ergo as the hike proved to be too strenuous for Liberty. Ruby was able to hitch a ride on some of the boys some of the time.

Some of my girls

 Taylor really is a get her done kind of girl and doesn't waste time getting there. Her and a couple of the older children said they would wait 'up ahead'.
Ian was constantly looking for photo opportunities. and is the "protector of the littles". It's pretty funny to hike with children. I just keep plodding along where they run ahead, stop, wait, lag behind, climb a rock, climb a tree, slide down a hill, and run ahead.

Aaron, Ian, and Calvin

 Going straight up hill with a 30+ pound girl on your back does make your calves shake and burn, in case you wondered. We kept going up and up and up. Finally all the food we brought was gone, all the water was gone, all the little kid energy was gone, and the big kids were gone.
I waited in this small patch of shade while my friend went up ahead to find the older children. We waited a long time, a very, very long time.

Liberty and Ruby in the only shade we could find. 

I don't think we will have that problem again. We discovered that it was a 5 mile round trip hike with a 2,500 foot elevation gain. That's 1,000 feet per mile! On our way home we crossed a bridge and spotted a perfect swimming hole. I quickly pulled over and we all jumped in! Incredibly cold but refreshing. We missed the Personal Fitness meeting for Scouts, however, I think we got it covered. 

Shockingly, the children all begged to do it again! When clarified, I realized it was the swimming part that they wanted, thankfully, not the hiking part. 

We have returned to our swimming hole many times this summer. Now it's one of my favorite happy places.  

Time To Make A Little Noise

The blog has been super quiet for 3 months! I know because I was reminded by a friend. It's not that nothing is happening, it's that I don't even know where to start when I get so behind. My goal is to make a little more noise here, so at least I know what we have been doing. 

Erik leading our 4H club in the Lynden Parade

 We are in full swing Fair Mode. This is the last week to get things turned in prior to the fair, the last week to get the animals ready, have them make weight, clean clip and groom them. We have to get the labels made for all our still life exhibits, and finish up the last minute decorations.
One girl in our rabbit division just found out she is deathly allergic to rabbits. Her mom was in charge of the rabbit barn decorations. Now, I am in charge of the rabbit barn decorations! What?! You never noticed decorations in the barns!? That's OK, I hadn't either.
Next time you wander through the animal barns at the fair, take a look. A lot of time, effort and creativity goes into those decorations.

Liberty, Ruby and Willie (formerly known as Lilly)

 We feel like 4H provides our children with some wonderful opportunities and life lessons. We recently participated in one of the local parades and brought several of our animals to be on the float or walk alongside the float.
Taylor had to be there early to decorate and I really did not want to spend more time than I had to, so I agreed to bring her lamb to the parade. I mean, How hard can it be? She gave me his halter and a Rubbermaid tote to put him in in the BRV. In theory this should work. I put him in the tote along with 5 of my other children and he promptly stood up and cleared the tote completely when he pooped all over the van. When we arrived in Lynden the closest place we could find to park was 6 blocks from the float. What Taylor forgot to tell me was that David, her lamb, had never walked with a halter before. He just follows her around. Think Mary and her little lamb. He doesn't follow me. We had 2 rabbits  a lamb, 5 children and 6 blocks. I proceeded to pick him up, which many people walking by thought was "so cute"! He looks little but must weigh at least 75 pounds. Then he pooped on me. I had to cross 4 streets keeping track of my children, not dropping the lamb, and trying to keep Liberty from grabbing the part of my skirt with lamb poop on it. I wasn't having fun yet. I also drove by what looked to be a promising garage sale but opted not to stop because I didn't think we would have time.

Princess' mug shot for her Dairy Certification

When we finally arrived my arms were shaking and I was really looking forward to putting the kids on the float and going to watch the parade with my friends. Our 4H leader had a different idea. I was supposed to ride on the float to keep my kids safe. *sigh* put on a happy face and wave. I can do that. It was discovered that the tractor pulling our float wouldn't start, so they jump started it and could not turn it off for fear it would die again. I had the joy of sitting for 45 minutes waiting for our turn in the parade, breathing tractor exhaust, with lamb poop on me and children eating way too many lollipops (I think they were supposed to throw them).
When my mom commented that I must really like parades,  I could only laugh and say that I do it for my children.

Biking Galbraith Mountain

Just after the first bike repair

 Our Boy Scout Troop planned to go Mountain Biking and I thought that it sounded like fun! That, and Sean's bike is a road bike so he couldn't go, and we have one certain boy that needs parental  supervision especially on an activity that involves risk.

Good Samaritan, fixing Erik's bike

 A very good choice. Erik wanted to go with the experienced older boys that were going on a much more difficult trail and I refused to let him go. About 20 minutes into our mountain biking adventure Erik's derailleur broke on his bike. We were not exactly sure what to do with a broken bike, 6 boys, and no tools at the top of a mountain (I don't think the 10 essentials include a wrench). When all of a sudden a lone mountain biker came along and improvised one of his tools to fix Erik's bike. Erik profusely thanked him (which was a nice change of pace from his previous bad attitude about going on the 'easy' ride). I breathed a prayer of thanks for God's continued provision and faithfulness in providing for all things.

Nathan at the top of the mountain

 One of the boys had not ridden very much and his bike weighed about 97.6 pounds. I ended up pushing his bike up the hills then running back down to get my bike. I'm not sure how high Galbraith Mountain is, but at times it felt like Mt. Everest. When the time arrived to go down, it was so.much.fun! The boy with the 97.6 pound bike did not use his pedals, AT All!  He used Fred Flintstone techniques to slow down and stop. I brought up the rear and had to really watch to make sure that I wasn't going to plow right over the top of this poor, very sore boy.
Erik's derailleur kept falling off. If you have ever heard the Bible verse, "a fool gives full vent to his anger" That Proverb was clearly illustrated on the mountain. Surprisingly, I just sat back and watched. I did nothing. He figured it out. The absolute worst part of the whole thing was when Erik and another boy stood at the edge of a cliff on a rock with a shear face. I freaked out appropriately, then we were all back on track.

Bellingham Bay in the rear, just before sunset. 

I had another moment of panic when I realized it was getting dark, I couldn't see very well, had no idea how much farther we had to go, my phone was almost dead, we were all covered in mud and I had an overdue client. 

One of the boys, from up ahead yelled for me to,"Step on it, Mrs. Carolynn!" I heard them hooting and hollering as we went down, so I stepped on it! Right around the corner was a 90 degree turn with a mud pit at the bottom and a wall of mud on the other side. I opted to go up and over the wall of mud and stop myself gracefully with a beautiful 40 foot cedar tree. 

We were much later returning than what was expected and I did get a call from a worried Scout Leader I assured him that we were having a wonderful time, but I had absolutely not a clue where I was. After running 5 miles with a friend in the afternoon, running another 1 1/2 miles with the scouts for their Personal Fitness Merit Badge, and then pushing the 97.6 pound bike up a mountain, running back down the mountain to get mine, and back up again I was overjoyed when we finally got out of the woods (literally) and headed down the pipeline to our meeting place! 

The boys loaded our bikes (Alleluia! I have arrived!) enjoyed some s'mores around the campfire, headed home, showered, and hit the sack at 11:30! 

When can we go again?