Snapshots: May and Some of June

Things around here are winding down...or up...I can't really tell which way they're going.

The kids will finish up school this week.  Praise the Lord!  This mom is ready for a break!  I think the kids will enjoy some extra free time as well.

As we have relaxed our daily schedule quite a bit, the Crew has had plenty of time to perfect their paper airplane making abilities, have lots of water gun fights, and attempt to dig giant holes in the front yard.

Naturally, we also have many appearances of soldiers (from both the past and the present), pioneers, and various community servants.

During one of our many trips into town for doctor appointments, the kids and I took a quick side trip over the mountains.  Before moving to Virginia I had discovered a discount grocery store, but with our current location it has been impractical to make a trip there.  After some inspiration from another blog I just had to go.  We stocked up on a lot of pantry items and paid about half the price we would at Walmart.  I really can't wait to go back!  I know...life changes when you're a mom to a handful of kiddos!

We have enjoyed several family hikes over the last few weeks.  A trip to Shenandoah National Park was especially exciting when we saw several deer within just a few yards of us.  One fawn even walked within an arm's length of Claude and the kids!

Claude's parents visited us a few weeks ago.  Too bad we ended up with a stomach virus while they were here!  Why these things happen, I have no idea.  But we all made it through...and then everyone came down with a cold the following week.  Gotta love living in close quarters with a bunch of kids.

 
Joshua, Hannah, and Abigail participated in the Awana program at our church this winter and spring.  It was an adjustment for us to get used to driving to and from church twice in a day, but so worth it!  They had a blast, memorized a lot of scripture, and have been encouraged in their walk with the Lord.  They had a big party, store to spend their Awana Bucks, and their last awards ceremony last month.  They can't wait to start in the fall when Jeremiah gets to join them.

 
We have seen more and more wildlife in our yard this spring.  There is a rabbit that has been spotted several times in the morning and around dusk.  The kids spotted something black, larger than a squirrel, and smaller than a deer.  It could have been a shadow.  They are having fun dreaming up all of the different kinds of animals it could have been.

They found a turtle who lived in the front flower bed for a few days before taking off into the wild of the front yard.  And Joshua also spotted a deer bounding out toward the road during a thunder storm last week.
 

The weather is getting warmer.  I'm getting more and more pregnant, if that's possible.  And we're ramping up for the arrival of Chew Crew 6.  35 weeks and counting.


It could be soon.  It could be more than a month from now.  The suspense is always a bit too much for me.  But how much more exciting does life get?!

Well, it can always get more exciting when chocolate pudding is involved!

Snapshots: Camping

I'm not exactly the "funnest" mom on the block.  When it comes to special outings and little extras I just don't do very well. I enjoy spending time with the kids, but the days are full of meals, dishes, laundry, schoolwork, diaper changes, and discipline.  Of course, they are also full of cuddles, laughs, funny things the little guys say, and interesting conversations with the older crew.

In an attempt to be fun and spontaneous, I planned a little escapade for last weekend.  Claude was out at a 50K, camping overnight in the little van so as not to miss an early morning start.  I thought, why not take the kids camping while he was away?

Before you start thinking that I'm some kind of super mom, just check out our campsite.

Our very large toy room (soon to be occasional guest room) seemed like the perfect spot for our 9 person tent.  Of course, it had to actually fit.

Which it did.  Perfectly.

We started our campout with a rousing game of Memory.

The kids were bouncing off the walls (literally...if they could defy gravity they would have been up and down and all around the walls and ceiling).  The excitement was extreme, and they didn't even know that we were sleeping in the tent.  They were wired from a day of merely playing in the tent.

I went for easy, camping kind of food - hot dogs and frozen peas (still frozen) served in coffee filters.

*Note: Coffee filters are my new favorite way to serve everything from hot dogs and sandwiches, to popcorn and pickles.  Try them.  They are awesome.  Cheap.  Compact in the trash.  No washing necessary.

Next we enjoyed S'mores, which I made in the oven.  Half a marshmallow, two pieces of chocolate, and a two graham cracker halves.  The kids each had about three, but even with that their sugar intake was significantly less than if we had used full marshmallows and twice as much chocolate.

Everyone thoroughly enjoyed them.

Here are a few of the messy faces.

While the older three kiddos watched "Milo and Otis" (which, by the way, scared Abby immensely), I sat upstairs to monitor the little guys.  They did well, but boy did they blow a lot of raspberries before they finally conked out.  My lips were tingly and then numb just listening to them!

And then, before I knew it, everyone was sound asleep.  One was even snoring.  One claimed to have stayed awake the whole night.  :)

And then Rachel woke up three times in the night.

And then she cuddled with me on my mattress and we slept for a while.  And then she woke up, walked all over the tent, and brought things to drop on my head.  And then she toddled down the stairs with me at 5am because I finally caved and decided to give her a bottle of milk.

We slept beautifully after that.  :)

And then the morning came and with it the metldowns and grumpy attitudes I had feared.  Saturday was a bit rough and I was so glad when Claude walked through the door!

We had fun.  Made some memories.  And learned some rules about tent dwelling.  Now that we've had a practice run maybe we'll attempt a "real" camping trip!

Snapshots: Games

Joshua and Hannah finished their first ever standardized tests this week.  Praise the Lord!  As a special treat (and since we had the tests scheduled all week and managed to complete them on  Wednesday) we took Thursday and Friday off from school.  The kids enjoyed free time and playing outside, and while it rained yesterday afternoon we played some games.

Rachel wandered around scavenging for stray popcorn.  She found more than her fair share!  She also rummaged through the fruit drawer and rounded up all the oranges her little arms could carry.  I am convinced she would eat all that we would peel.

Jeremiah played along and turned the same two tiles over each turn until he finally got a match.  Some of his older siblings were quite generous and donated their matches to his cause.

The kids usually get pretty upset if they don't win.  Maybe it was having unlimited popcorn to snack on and being able to enjoy a piece of candy, but they didn't seem to mind when I won.

 

And, as things usually go, moments after snapping these photos the entire fun operation came to a screeching halt.  The older kids were on a sugar high, the younger kids were crying, and the middle kid was coughing, sniffling, and starting to feel pretty terrible from an oncoming cold.

Such is life with a crew of littles!

Snapshots: Playing Catch Up

We haven't updated much about the general comings and goings in the Crew.  Things haven't been out of the ordinary, but they certainy have been busy.  I can't quite imagine what things will be like with another Crew member in tow this summer.  For now, the five little guys running around here keep Claude and I on our toes and ensure that we fall asleep without difficulty at night.

Here are some photos from the past month or so, just as a bit of a catch up on what we've been doing recently.

Working backwards...here's what we did today.

Ice cream for lunch.  :)

Don't tell Rachel she missed out on the ice cream.  She has no idea!

Our church hosted a 5K to raise money for a girls' home in the Dominican Republic.  The entire Crew was supposed to participate, but with a few of us being sick, Hannah and I went on our own.  It was a fun way to kick off a mother-daughter day.  :)

Last Friday we did the big seasonal clothing switch.  We have been working on acquiring all that each child needed for spring/summer for a few weeks.  It was so much to keep track of that I was having anxiety dreams over it - even with my master checklist!

Praise the Lord, the final clothing items arrived just in time to put away the old and take out the new.  But by the end of a long day, I could hardly stand on my feet.  Joshua was sick that day, so these guys were my clean up crew - chocolatey faces and all!

Hannah and I may have walked a 5K, but Claude ran about 20 times longer earlier in March.  We hung out near the finish line, played on the playground, and ate candy.  :)

The kids were pretty excited to see the sun set and watch the stars come out while we waited for Claude to finish.  Here they are, enjoying some rest while Dad is slogging away in the mud.

And he did it!  100Ks!  Joshua is wondering when he'll run 100 miles...

We had quite a bit of snow in the late winter.  The kids loved it!

Claude and Jer built this snowman just after the last (Lord willing!) snowfall of the season.

There was plenty of shoveling to do.  Since Claude never did get a snow day, we had a pretty long driveway to clear with each storm.

 

I recruited a new team of kitchen helpers.

I have to watch these three.  They all like to taste test, especially Rachel.  Just this week she shoved her face into a measuring cup of cocoa powder.  I don't think it feels great going up the nostrils!

Hannah and Joshua helped sew some wash cloths.  They are begging to do more on the sewing machine.

Snapshots: Visit with Gramma

I'm sure she's ready to be back in her quiet house, but we sure have enjoyed having her here!

Thanks for coming, Mom!