Land of McGovernville

We attended our churches Harvest Festival this past weekend.  The kids loved playing games and eating junk food until they were grouchy and tired.  Toward the end of our evening there, I finally allowed the kids to jump around the bounce house.  When it was finally the kids turn Vinccent chunked his shoes and jumped right in.  Kenniston started to take off her shoes, then I looked over and saw her taking off her fairy princess costume as well.  At first I stopped her, embarrased at my naked daughter (ok, so she did have her tights on), but then I thought about it.  I was worried that she might rip her dress and it wasn’t even Halloween yet.  So after second thoughts I let my oldest daughter go in with just her tights on.  She was as happy (and naked) as a jay bird. 

Over all the kids had a blast.

Don’t worry folks, there won’t be any pictures for this post. 

I am back at it again and I am LOVING it!  What you might ask…swimming!  Many of you may not know that years ago my mom and I did the Danskin Triathlon.  At first I wasn’t sure about it, but after completing it I realized what an accomplishment it was.  I had been in several 5Ks and 10Ks, but up until then, never a triathlon.  Over the last 5 years I have slipped out of such activities and have really felt it.  I miss biking, jogging (you didn’t actually think I ran did you?) and most of all, swimming.  Don’t get me wrong, I have been swimming in the last 5 years.  In fact, I took the kids almost weekly to the pool here on post.  I just haven’t been with out a child in tow. 
Today that changed.  Our local YMCA opened up slots for 450 military families to join their facility FOR FREE!  I have been wanting to join the YMCA here so I could start training to do another Danskin triathlon in 2 years.  What a blessing!!  Tonight after my Bible study my girl friend, Amy, and I went swimming.  Granted we spent only 20-25 minutes swimming actual laps, but it didn’t matter.  I was swimming laps again.  In the “adult only” lane.  I was using a kick board and not looking around to make sure a child was being safe.  I was able to concentrate on my kicks and strokes again.  Have I mentioned it was amazing?  Oh, and I haven’t even gotten to the best part.  After wards guess where I spent a good 15 minutes?  In the hot tub.  Oh wow. It feels so good to be back in the saddle again!

Move over Martha, I am trail blazing behind you in the kitchen sista!  I have been one home cooking, fall loving, apple butter making woman and I am on fire, fire I tell ya! 

Last week it was pumpkin butter. Yesterday it was whole wheat pumpkin muffins and spinach muffins.  Today it was apple butter.  We picked the apples when Nana was here.  Who by the way gave me a hard time about the amount of apples we picked.  Let me just tell you dear Nana, out of those 20 or so bushels we 4 or 5 left!!!!  Only 2 were bruised or went bad but the others have all been consumed or used (in said muffins or apple butter).  So last night I started the apple butter.  I started with a large crockpot of peeled and sliced apples.  I added almost 4 cups of sugar, several dashes of cinamon (I could have measured but that would have made too much sense), a few dashes of nutmeg and maybe 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla.  I heated the crockpot to high and left it there until I went to bed, at which point I turned it down to low.  Every time I woke up to nurse a baby (all 4 times) I smelled the fanstastic aroma of apples and cinamon.  Truth be known, I am not a big fan of either one.  I don’t care too much for candles with the smell.  Something about the real thing though, something about the warmth of a crockpot full of real cooking apples, sugar and cinamon just smells so wonderful.  It made me want to cuddle up with a big blanket and watch movies with those I love most.  Ahhh.  So, I woke up to the amazing smell and after feeding kids breakfast (pumpkin muffins and vanilla yogurt), nursing babies, changing babies diapers and clothes, then putting the babies down for nap and having a little math lesson with the big kids I finally got around to finishing up the apple butter.  I put small batches of the mix into the blender and mixed it until it was creamy and smooth.  The big kids grabbed a spoon and had to try it (again and again..don’t worry, they used a clean spoon each time!).  Once I finally go the courage,  I finally, for the first time EVER, canned some of it.  I did it!  I canned something!  I was so nervous, I thought for sure I would mess it up.  I have to admitt, it was easy.  I put the apple butter into the jar, put the lid on (after soaking the lids in a simmering bath for a while) and put the lid on tight.  I let the jar with lids get all happy in a boiling water bath for around 20 or so minutes.  I removed the jars and made sure the lid didn’t give (which would mean the vacuum seal did NOT work).  Viola, canned apple butter! 

Here are a few pictures of the progression from Tree to Jar.  I wish I would have gotten pictures of Vincent helping me wash the apples, oh well, next time….

Oh the joys of nursing twins!

Most of you may not know that for a brief time I taught Music and Movement classes when we lived in New York (before Vincent was born).  On  a bad day I had around 4 or 5 kids show up, but on a good day I had at least a dozen.  Anyway, today we were a tad off our usual routine and the kids brought out instruments while the twins were awake.  I began to realize that I had enough kids to make an entire music class!!  Wow! 
I am thankful that all the kids seem to have an interest in it.  As a family we are fairly creative.  The kids can pick and chose thier clothes every day, art is a regular activity (in fact today was our art play group that we host), and you never know when Daddy or I will bust into some sort of crazy song.  I guess it should be no surprise that my kids are creative. 
Here is a pick from today’s music time.  Note the plastic straw in Kenniston’s hand.  It is a “microphone.”  The plastic reusable bowls beside Ruby, drums.  The metal measurig spoons Ruby is holding, “shake shakes.”  Yeah, they’re pretty creative alright!

Here we are 7 months after the twins birth and it still amazese me how the big kids can correctly identify the twins each and every time.  I realize one is a girl and the other a boy, but (especially at birth) a baby is a baby and unless you are thier mother they all look pretty much the same.  I thought for sure the big kids would have a hard time identifying the babies, or at least they would have to think about it.  Even in pictures Kenniston can identify the twins.  Today while looking at some babies in the bathtub from months ago, she got them right each and every time.  I guess siblings have that extra bond.

It’s an emotion. 

• Sometimes around here it’s eeeEEEEEE as in “I love it, I am so excited.”
• Others its eeeEEEeeeEEEeeeeeeeeEeeeEeeE, that time it is a happy little silly song.
• Then there are times it is eeeEEEEEEEeeeeEEEEEEeeEEEEE. At that point it is sad and somewhat whiney. As in “Mommy can you please get this hair brushing session over?”
• Often we hear eeeeeEeeeeeeeeeeeee. That one is a simple hum along to my play time kinda thing.

As I have mentioned before, we are a fan of Trader Joe’s.  For those of you that haven’t had the chance to check out this awesome place, let me tell you a little bit about it.  It is a reasonably priced natural/locally grown type grocery store.  Think Whole Foods/Central Market/Wild Oats with reasonable prices and smaller.  The nearest TJ is about 20 minutes away so we only go there about twice a month or so.  We buy most of our groceries there, especially our produce and the occasional meat products. 

So as I mentioned we go there about twice a month and have been going since last fall or so.  Seeing how small this store is, we have gotten to know some of the employees.  There is one hippy chic who has dreads and is pretty funky.  There is a spunky little blonde lady who always comments on the kids.  I could go on, but instead I willl just say they are all extremely nice and helpful.  Nora, is our favorite.  When my wallet was stollen she was my cashier.  She did not rush me, in fact she said she would do anything I needed her to do.  She has remembered us every time.  Tonight when we were in line she walked over to us and said “you guys probably want to get out of here soon, let me take you over here.”  After chatting a while, she said “hey, isn’t that Jack and Ruby?”  She remembers us every time!  She told me she thinks about me a lot and was hoping my wallet issue would be resolved.  She is always so sweet to us. 

Well, we put it off long enough.  Today was a beautiful day and Brian got off early so despite my nasty cold/flu/mastitis we decided it was time to take the kids to the pumpkin patch.  Thankfully there is a quaint little family run one that is just a few minutes away. 

Once we got there the kids were only interested in rolling the pumpkins.  They didn’t realize that they got to pick one out.