Funny...

This is my favorite quote of the week so far. . . tonight at dinner Paul asked the kids what they learned in school today.  Sarah muttered "I don't like Plato."  To which Jael raised her hand excitedly and announced, "I do!  I do!  I like play dough!"  Ha, ha.

Jam

After washing and destemming the grapes, they have to boil.

It's quite a process straining them! 

It seems like a small amount after the hoards of grapes we picked!

The kids were wanting to make grape juice or jelly with our concord grapes.  It all smelled delicious, but was a bit of a process compared to strawberry jam.  I think ours is really more a jam then jelly, as the cheesecloth didn't keep it all out.  I ended up blending it with the Vita Mix! 

Here's the question - is liquidy jam really syrup?  If so, we might have made grape syrup!  I think my pectin amount was a bit off ....

Double Digits!

Today our middle son, Jonathan, hit double digits!  He enjoyed the attention received during his birthday breakfast in bed.  Birthdays are enjoyed by all!

Isn't this a sweet shot of the oldest and youngest?  It's a joy to watch Sarah grow in those nurturing qualities.  Having a little one to tend to helps keep those selfish teen years at bay...

Jonathan enjoyed having his best friend, Seth, out to play for the afternoon.  He's Zumbuddy special!  (That's what he got for his birthday. . .something for Webkinz. . .)

We are blessed to have a clever, funny, handy-man, loving son!  We enjoy him and pray that God will use him mightily for His sake.  Happy Birthday, Boo!

Farm Fresh Pancakes!

Our friend, Ayemie, gave us these super cute and fun pancake molds.  Every farm family needs these!

Pancakes

2 eggs
2 cups flour
3 Tbs. sugar
2 tsp.  baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 1/2 cups buttermilk
4 Tbs.  butter, melted
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Beat eggs.  Add sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, buttermilk, melted butter and vanilla.  Stir until smooth.  Heat griddle and spray with nonstick cooking spray.  If you have molds, pour batter into the molds.  Flip.  Serve with butter and maple syrup.

Farm Pancakes

A cow, a pig and a chicken!

Chubby Bubbe

Jael loves to "hold" brother



The kids love this shot!



Joey is starting to stare at his toys.

Papa was asking about nicknames for Joseph Daniel.  He likes "JD".  The ones I hear the most are "Joey", "JoJo" and "Chubby Bubbe."  Sarah nicknamed him "Chubby Bubbe."  Here's a few pictures which help show why! 

Family Favorite

With those eye skills, of course he's a favorite!

A while back I wrote a blog about the sin of favoritism. . . but basically stated how the baby is always the favorite in our family.  So how perfect is this outfit Grandma found?  Funny, his Auntie Hannah also got him one a bit bigger, so he'll be able to sport his "family favorite" position all year before having to pass it on!

Something Missing?

Hannah and Bekah - gapless wonders!

Notice anything missing?!  Hard to believe that our little Hannah is old enough to lose a tooth!  Fortunately, another sibling was willing to pull it out!  I don't do teeth. . .yuck!  Sarah thinks her new calling is dentistry...ha.

Addendum...

Well, the day after the wonderful cleaning, I walked out in the morning and my eyes again filled with tears!  This time because of the amazingly streaked windows.  One child had shown much diligence and spent considerable time washing the windows - inside and out!  I wondered, what did they wash the windows with?  Milk?  Ah. . .training. . . it continues. . . Off to finish the front room windows. . .is it foggy today?

I had just talked with a younger mom the day before about teaching children to help and letting go of "mom" expectations. . . if you want the help then you have to let a few dishes break, clothes be folded (not your way), and dresser drawers be a bit messy, AND streaked windows. . .So humbling to eat your own words!

Paying off....

Today I walked in the door (from being gone all morning) and the house was immaculate. . .I felt like I might cry. . then I wondered why I had underestimated my children's abilities for so long!  Paul had invited a household of out of towners to crash at the house today before a wedding and I knew I was testing students in the morning and asked the kids to really make the place look nice.  What a blessing to see Sarah come of age and step up to hostess and organize the clean-up.  Blessed!  Finally, I'm enjoying some sweet rewards. . .

Vacation....

Joshua and Sarah flying out to Colorado!  Too much fun without Mom and Dad...

Sarah and cousin Emily from Washington

Well, we are in the final leg of our journey that some refer to as "vacation."  I call it a change of scenery!  :)Actually, it is nice to have a change of pace and enjoy extended time with family.  Sarah and Joshua were able to spend an additional week with Grandma and Grandpa enjoying some special time and sight-seeing in Colorado.  They flew out by themselves a week early and did we miss them!  The family seemed small without them.  We picked them up in Denver on our way out to the family reunion in Estes Park at the YMCA camp.  Here's a couple shots from Sarah's camera:

Cousins Elijah and Emily were also on the pre-vacation trip.  Josh enjoyed spending time with his older cousin.