House of Brungardt

Travelling At New Year's

2012-01-26T13:22:00.000-06:00

On New Year's Eve, we travelled to my parents' house near Kansas City. My sister and her family from Texas were also staying there, so we got to spend time with them, too.

Grandma taught Catherine and my nephew, Andrew, how to play Yahtzee, while Dominic was building with Legos.

Yay. New clothes. Just what I wanted. (Boys!)

Two cuties: Anthony and his cousin, Matthew.

The boys played basketball. And no, no one got hit with the ball!

Grandpa was ready to block the shot.

I don't think anyone in the house stayed up until midnight. :) The next day, after Mass, we all went over to my other sister's house for a New Year's Day party. So we got to see everyone except my brother and his family who live in Iowa.

Is Grandpa reading or dozing off?

Patrick, my godson, is 10.

The little kids' table, clockwise from bottom left, Joseph, Isabella, Anne, and Matthew.

Another Christmas Party!

2012-01-24T14:52:00.000-06:00

A few days after Christmas, Dan's brother and his family came over for a little Christmas party.

Of course there were a few presents.

Anne and Catherine loved their stick horses.

Anthony was thrilled because this box had penguins on it. For some reason, he gets really excited when he sees penguins.

After pizza and presents, Dan's brother and his wife snuck off for a little impromptu date. We loaded up the two babies in the double stroller and took all the kids outside.

The kids amused themselves by throwing hedge balls into the pond.

Here's the line-up of ages: 10, 8, 6, 6, 6, 5, 4, 3, 22 mo, and 15 mo. And Dan doesn't even look frazzled!

Silly faces!

I'm coming to get you, baby!

Why does he keep kissing me?

Christmas Day

2012-01-23T09:50:00.000-06:00

After giving up on the idea of getting a nice picture for our Christmas cards, we were able to get a rather nice one on Christmas morning after Mass at our church. Hooray for spontaneous pictures!

The kids went to say hello to Baby Jesus.

Our Christmas ham dinner.

Dessert was a lemon pound cake.

In the afternoon it was time to try out all the new Christmas toys.

Daddy helped Anne get her balance on her new roller skates.

There was some of this as well!

Catherine is already pretty good on her skates.

Anthony figured out how to blow some bubbles.

Dominic tried out the scooter.

Joseph took his zoom copter for some test flights outside.

Anthony had a talk with St. Joseph.

Hey, Mom, he's about my size!

Christmas Eve Again

2012-01-21T05:00:00.001-06:00

So, we left off waiting for Christmas presents.

Anthony, being the youngest, got to go first. He was thrilled with his new puzzles and spent the next 15 minutes or so oblivious to anything else.

Which left the other kids to open some presents in peace!

Anne loves My Little Ponies.

The twins both got roller skates.

Anthony finally realized that everybody else was opening presents and his inner present-opening monster was revealed. We had to keep throwing presents at him to open, so the other kids could open theirs.

Catherine was very excited to get a new watch.

Sit 'n Spin, a blast from the past.

Our Superhero-loving boy got a Superhero cartoon DVD. Hooray!

Joseph shows off our family gift: a microscope set for school.

I actually got to open this one. It was in a bag, that's why.

Anne and Dominic play with their new toys.

Joseph and his Zoom Copter.

Christmas Eve

2012-01-20T11:51:00.000-06:00

The packages silently waited under the tree.

On Christmas Eve morning, the children were allowed to look in their stockings. Anthony was at first more interested in jumping and leaping.

Then he discovered there were things in his stocking!

Oh, wait, we have to pause to whack something!

Once Anthony realized there was chocolate, the game was over.

Our Christmas Eve dinner: Beef and Vegetable Soup with Homemade Bread. We ate by candlelight and Daddy read the Christmas story from the Bible.

These were dessert. Yum!

After dinner, it was time for more fun.

Anthony on Christmas Eve.

Catherine, Dominic, Anne, and Joseph eagerly await the opening of presents!

Celebrating A Life and A Recommendation

2012-01-19T12:25:00.001-06:00

Today we are celebrating and remembering the life of our sweet little Mary Joseph, who was miscarried 3 years ago this very day. Though her life was very short, we keep her memory alive by asking her for prayers every day, and talking about her, and looking forward to the time when we will get to see her again.

I also have a book recommendation. It is titled After Miscarriage: A Catholic Woman's Companion to Healing and Hope. The author is Karen Edmisten, a talented writer whose blog I follow. She has herself suffered multiple miscarriages and has written about the subject on her blog. Although I have not yet read the book (due to be released Feb. 13), I just know it will be great. There has been a definite lack of Catholic reading material concerning miscarriage. Here is the description from Amazon:

After Miscarriage: A Catholic Woman's Companion to Healing and Hope is a book about grief, healing, and hope after miscarriage. Not afraid to examine the raw emotions that accompany such an experience, the author tells women that they are not alone in reacting strongly, even frighteningly, to their loss and reassures them that hope and healing will come. Having experienced multiple miscarriages herself, Karen shares excerpts from her personal journals, as well as other women's stories, rich quotes about grieving and the healing process, and practical advice. A helpful resource section includes a wide variety of information from both Catholic and secular sources.

Mary Joseph, pray for us!

To Grandmother's House We Go

2012-01-17T14:37:00.000-06:00

Although we did not travel in a sleigh, there was lots of snow when we got to Grandma's house a few days before Christmas. Here we have only had a quarter of an inch, so the kids were extremely excited to see all the snow.

Watch out! I'm making snowballs!

Anne makes a snow angel.

Dominic after a ride down the hill.

Daddy gives Catherine a big push.

The kids were happily waiting to open some presents.

Dan's mom with Catherine.

Oh, what fun!

Our resident Superhero is thrilled with Spiderman pajamas.

That evening Dan and I took Anthony over to visit with Dan's sister and family. She is Anthony's godmother.

I can't let them see I like it, so I'd better just stick my hands in my pockets!

A visit to the outdoor nativity at the church.

Inside St. Fidelis Church.

Anthony checks out the nativity.

Water and Mud

2012-01-16T11:34:00.000-06:00

In December we had a lot of rain, which seemed strange after a very dry year.

Flooding in the back yard.

A flood stream going down to the pond. We haven't seen this in a long time.

After the flood, comes the mud. And what boy (or girl, for that matter!) doesn't like to play in the mud?

Look at those clothes! They were so muddy, they left the washer dirty after I ran the load. I had to wash the load three times in a row to get them and the washer clean!

Those boots are actually yellow.

If You Got A Somewhat Mangled Gift From Us This Year...

2012-01-15T05:00:00.000-06:00

...this is why...

...and this is the culprit.

Pre-Christmas Party

2012-01-14T13:31:00.000-06:00

Time to eat!

Table #2

Girl cousins

Boy cousins

I Found It Funny

2012-01-13T16:06:00.000-06:00

Earlier today I stopped to do some shopping with all five kids at Sam's Club. I got a cart, put Anthony in the seat and made all the kids hold onto the cart so we could go inside. As we walked up the parking lot aisle, I noticed a woman sitting in the passenger seat of a car staring at us. Her eyes were opened wide and as we passed by, I could plainly seeing her counting...one...two...three...four...and then her head whipped around to see if there were any more. She looked quite silly and I had to laugh to myself.

Real Life

2012-01-13T15:39:00.000-06:00

Okay, so one Sunday morning we attempted to get a nice picture of the kids in front of the Christmas tree.

Wait, let me fix something.

Two happy girls, one solemn boy, and one very unhappy little boy.

Now, we're waiting for the wee one.

Oh, dear.

"I do not want to be here right now!"

This was the best one we got, and we finally gave up. At least I can now look at these pictures and find it funny!

Our Christmas Tree

2012-01-12T11:29:00.000-06:00

On the third weekend of Advent we put up and decorated our Christmas tree. The four big kids and I worked on it while Anthony took his nap. We barely had enough time!

The kids took turns getting on the step stool to put ornaments up higher.

Catherine places an ornament just so.

One of the kids swiped the camera. I had to delete a lot of pictures but this one of Anne was funny.

Dominic's turn.

My four helpers, proud of their work.

I liked this picture that one of the kids took.

Joseph smiles for the camera.

Oh, Anthony was very excited to see the Christmas tree, and could not keep his hands off of it.

We ended up with 4 or 5 broken ornaments and many of the rest ended up on the top third of the tree. Several times I caught him standing on a step he had carried from the bathroom so he could reach higher.

A miracle: all five of them facing the camera, if not all looking the same way. You take what you can get!

Before Christmas

2012-01-11T13:43:00.000-06:00

A few weeks before Christmas, when the weather was nice, Dan got the outside Christmas decorations out.

Bringing a load from the shed.

Hold on tight!

The kids check out the reindeer.

Anthony was fascinated, especially when the reindeer's head started moving back and forth.

A few days later, when we had cousins here, Dan pulled the nativity over to the front of the house.

A few little munchkins hitched a ride.

Joseph, Mary, Baby Jesus, and the adoring children!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2012-01-10T13:43:00.000-06:00

Our family on Christmas Day after Mass.

I have a big backlog of posts to do, so watch out!

Been There, Did That

2011-12-20T14:28:00.000-06:00

Joseph, mischievously: Hey, Dominic, let's eat some Play-Doh and see what it tastes like.

Dominic: No!

Joseph: Why not?

Dominic: Because I did before and it's yucky.

Anthony At 21 Months Old

2011-12-19T15:05:00.000-06:00

You wouldn't think this cute little guy would ever cause any trouble, right?

One day, I was just getting started with making dinner, and the kids were playing a loud, rowdy game in the living room. I thought Anthony was in there with them, and then all of a sudden it got very quiet, as the kids finished their game. I said, "Where's Anthony?!" No answer. So I went looking for him.

I went in my bedroom to see this:

Then I looked into the bathroom:

And around the corner of the bed:

A few days later he got hold of some toothpaste and squirted it all over the bathroom floor. It smelled very minty in there for a while.

He climbs, oh does he climb! He climbed onto a kitchen chair, got on top of the desk in the kitchen, and proceeded to somehow open the very top cabinet and get out a bottle of vitamins, which he then opened and dumped out onto the floor. All that while I was changing a load of laundry.

He easily climbs up to the top bunk and throws things at the kids on the floor below.

Oh, and he can climb from a regular chair into his highchair, onto the table, back into the highchair, etc. Sometimes he sits like this:

He is so cute and funny and loving, though, it is hard to stay mad for long! He currently likes to play with blocks and build tall towers, he loves to jump off things like the coffee table, he likes the train track and trains, he likes to pretend with the little kitchen, he likes Hot Wheels, he likes to dump things out, draw on things with markers, take things apart, break things, destroy things, and of course, go outside!

Our sweet little Anthony

Shoe Storage

2011-12-15T10:21:00.000-06:00

Look at what Dan made for me not long ago:

Custom made to fit the space under the coat rack, this has solved our shoe clutter/storage problem. Each child has his/her own section and is responsible for keeping his or her shoes in it. Hooray for handy husbands!

November Catch-Up

2011-12-14T13:47:00.000-06:00

The kids and their cousins waiting for their concert to start.

This year the homeschool choir concert was held in mid-November. The little kids chanted the Our Father, then sang Father, I Adore You and Had a Little Rooster. These were followed by four songs accompanied with either rhythm sticks or egg shakers. The kids loved using the instruments.

The combined little kids' and big kids' choirs.

Together the choirs sang Oh, Susanna! and How I Love My America.

Close-up of the kids. Catherine and Dominic are in the second row and Anne is in the front row. There were 25 kids in the little kids' choir this fall, though not all of them sang in the concert, like our Joseph.

The weekend before Thanksgiving we were able to visit my parents. We had a nice visit.

The kids with my mom.

Catherine hugs my dad, thanking him for the birthday present.

Thanksgiving was spent here at our house.

The kids watch Daddy prepare the turkey for the oven.

What fun to rip up lots of bread for the dressing!

Our Thanksgiving feast!

All Those Girls!

2011-12-11T22:14:00.000-06:00

On Friday, one of my friends came over with her five girls to play. So the boys were seriously outnumbered, 7 to 3. The fun started out with a tea party, as you might expect. However, my friend and I were surprised to later discover the kids playing a rousing game of what they called "War." They divided into 2 teams and doled out all of the nerf guns, cap guns, pretend laser guns, bows and arrows, swords, shields, etc. that belong to the boys. I don't think my friend has too many of those kinds of things at her house! They all sure had fun, though.

After they left, I asked Dominic if he had a good time. He said yes, then thought about it some more and commented, "I just couldn't keep track of all those girls!"

Happy Baptism Day, Catherine!

2011-12-07T18:51:00.000-06:00

Here's our Catherine, learning how to knit. Eight years ago today she became a child of God!

On The Feast Of St. Nicholas

2011-12-07T15:03:00.000-06:00

Yesterday St. Nicholas visited our house and brought some of these:

And a new book to read:

We also discovered that it had snowed the night before and it was the first snow of the season to actually stick to the ground.

So after..

...we finally...

...found everyone...

...a hat...

...to wear,...

...and coats and mittens and snow boots,...

...the kids went out to play.

Anthony was trying to figure out what this stuff was!

It was only 8:00 in the morning, so it was cold! 17 degrees, I think! Anthony only lasted about 10 minutes, everyone else 15-20.

When they all came in, we had some hot chocolate and marshmallows. Mind you, this all took place before school started! Luckily, we can have a flexible start time. Good thing, too, because the snow was mostly gone by lunchtime.

Later, we read our new book, True Story of Santa Claus, a story about a boy named Nicholas and how he stays up to catch a glimpse of Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. Then when Santa comes he tells Nicholas a story about another Nicholas long ago. It is published by Pauline Books.

In the afternoon, we watched the DVD, Nicholas, The Boy Who Became Santa. This is one of those wonderful DVDs from CCC of America. We have five of their DVDs and they are really neat. You can find them at many Catholic online stores and probably at your local Catholic bookstore as well.

Disclosure: If you follow any of the links to Amazon and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission.

A Scary Gift

2011-12-05T11:43:00.000-06:00

This morning we were reading about the three wise men in school, and I asked the twins if they remembered what any of the gifts were.

Anne proudly said, "Gold, Myrrh, and Frankenstein!"

Miss Potato Head

2011-12-01T05:00:00.001-06:00

Catherine Is Eight!

2011-11-30T15:32:00.000-06:00

Catherine turned 8 on Sunday and started off her day with a breakfast of Pop Tarts, per her request. We all went to Mass, followed by donuts afterward. Then she got to choose her lunch. Leftover turkey sandwiches with cranberry sauce! That was easy. :)

For dessert we had cupcakes made from extra cake batter.

Then Catherine got to open a few presents. New books to read!

Roller skates! I think those have been on somebody's feet ever since Sunday. They are adjustable from size 1-4, so they should last a few years. Notice the blurry toddler in the back!

Catherine got Little House on the Prairie paper dolls, which she just loved, and she spent the next couple of hours playing with them. We've been listening to the series in the car when we go places and we are almost all the way through it.

Even the boys were interested in checking it out.

Later in the afternoon, cousins came over to play! Here is the dinner party, with a meal of fried chicken and kenebel soup.

Catherine with her birthday cake.

A close-up of the cake.

And one last gift to open, a potholder loom. Catherine finished her first potholder today!

The St. Louis Zoo, Too

2011-11-10T14:45:00.000-06:00

So, we waited for the zoo train and then got on board.

We took up three seats and right away Anthony started to "get" Joseph. This picture cracks me up!

The girls

The twins

The train was really neat, except the first train we got on broke down part-way to the next stop. So we got off and walked around. Here is the big male elephant.

The kids loved this cute "little" baby elephant.

Awwwww!

A stop for snacks and drinks.

Back on board the train (no more problems there), we rode through a few tunnels. Here's Joseph going through one of them. I think he was a little bit excited.

These two chimps were the funniest sight to see. They were carrying something and one got behind the other, and then they walked along in perfect step with each other. I wish I had gotten it on video, but I wasn't quick enough. Da doot da doo, da doot da doo...

Who's checking out whom?

This bunch is all tuckered out and ready to go!

The St. Louis Zoo

2011-11-09T20:26:00.000-06:00

On our trip to St. Louis in October, we had a free afternoon, so we went to the zoo.

The kids have only ever been to the zoo in Wichita, so it was fun to explore a new one.

We got to see the penguins really close up, which was nice. Anthony was very interested.

The St. Louis Zoo has free admission, but it costs a lot for parking, for the carousel, for the train, even to get into the children's zoo.

Of course, we rode the carousel anyway! :)

The kids loved the carousel!

The zoo was all decorated for Halloween.

And, of course, we had to ride on the train. I mean, look at that neat train. How could we not? :)

To be continued...

Never Thought I'd Experience One Here!

2011-11-07T14:51:00.001-06:00

What am I talking about?

An earthquake!

Here in Kansas we worry about tornadoes, hailstorms, windstorms, drought, flooding, lightning strikes, but I can say I have NEVER ONCE given earthquakes even a passing thought!

And yet, on Saturday night, we had just finished watching that crazy, but exciting K-State/OSU football game, where even with one second left to play, K-State had a chance to score to tie the game. I went to get ready for bed and about 10-15 minutes later (10:53 pm to be exact), it started.

I had just brushed my teeth and was about to open the door to leave the bathroom when I heard a bunch of rattling and banging. I thought to myself, What on earth is Dan doing out there?! In our bedroom, I was astonished to see two tall pillar candle holders and my jewelry box jumping around on my dresser. Dan was out in the living room and said it sounded like there were people jumping up and down on the roof and trying to break in the doors. In less than 30 seconds it all stopped and that was it. The first earthquake experience for both of us.

Later, we found out the earthquake was of 5.6 magnitude and was centered about 45 miles east of Oklahoma City.

Trick Or Treat

2011-11-05T15:00:00.000-05:00

Catherine, the Good Witch; Dominic, as Woody; Anne, the Princess; Joseph the Knight; Anthony, the Toucan.

Anthony would not keep the Toucan head up there for very long.

Here Anthony is about ready to start crying because somebody (probably me) put the hood of his costume back up.

Sisters

The Knight and the Princess

Trick-or-treating.

The four older kids were so excited to go out trick-or-treating. Anthony rode around in the little green wagon, eating as much candy as we would let him. Then he suddenly seemed to figure out that the kids were getting candy at these houses, and he started launching himself over the side of the wagon when we got to each house, so he could take his own little bucket up to the house to get candy, too. It was so funny. He was not afraid at all.

Pumpkin Carving

2011-11-03T15:56:00.000-05:00

A week before Halloween we went to the store to buy some pumpkins to carve. Dan had planted some, but they did not survive.

Dan bought a pattern book, but decided that in order to carve 4 pumpkins in one evening, he'd better simplify.

So he had each of the four big kids draw a picture of what they wanted their pumpkin face to look like, and then he drew it onto the pumpkin and carved it.

Here is Joseph with his pumpkin.

While Daddy carved, the kids began to show me their scary faces. Here's Catherine.

Anne just can't make her face very scary!

Dominic

Joseph

Anytime we ask Anthony to show us his funny face, this is what he does.

Anthony, of course, was right in the middle of all the action.

The girls loved to pull out the seeds and goop with their hands.

The end result. From the left: Dominic, Joseph, Catherine, and Anne.

Trip To St. Louis, Part 4

2011-10-31T13:57:00.000-05:00

On our last night in St. Louis, we ate at Mimi's Cafe. Anthony was a bit of a handful, like usual, mostly because he is just so active. I couldn't even get a picture of him that wasn't blurry!

The big three kids were all happily doing the little activity pages provided by the restaurant. Joseph colored pages as well, not quite as intently as the other three.

A picture of our typical breakfast at the hotel. We were very much the center of attention, as most of the other guests looked like they were staying for business. I think we saw one other family (with one child). It is weird to keep looking up and catching people staring at you.

Anthony "helped" Daddy load up the minivan for the trip back home.

Every time we go somewhere, Anthony wriggles and wriggles until he gets his arms out of the restraints.

This was our last stop on the way back home. It was very much needed.

I packed some bubbles along and had saved them until this stop, and let me tell you, they were a total lifesaver.

It was sunny, warm, and windy. Anthony got to run around in the grass, carrying his own container of bubbles. He was grubby from travelling and very happy to be out of the van.

When I have a chance, I will blog about our free afternoon when we were in St. Louis.

Trip To St. Louis, Part 3

2011-10-29T05:00:00.002-05:00

After our day of visiting with Sr. Mary Elizabeth, we stopped at Imo's Pizza for dinner.

The kids enjoyed our meal.

The people working there were very excited about the St. Louis Cardinals. At the time the Cardinals were battling to see if they would go to the World Series. (We are glad now that we didn't go to St. Louis the week after we did, because we would have been right in the middle of the World Series craziness!)

We went to the hotel pool all three days we stayed there. The kids loved it! Here are Joseph, Catherine, Dominic, and Anne sporting their goggles.

Anthony was a little scared at first, but he grew to love it, too.

Anne, practicing her back float.

Dominic lost his goggles the second time we went to the pool. When I went to get them from the lost and found, I asked for more towels and the guy at the desk said, "Oh, you're the one with all the kids!" I guess we stuck out a little. :)

Little Miss Catherine

Anthony mostly wanted to just go in and out, in and out, in and out.

Joseph had a blast in the pool, happily paddling around and doing the Nestea Plunge.

Trip To St. Louis, Part 2

2011-10-28T11:52:00.001-05:00

Sr. Mary Elizabeth gave the kids some saint items, which they loved.

I spent a lot of time outside during our full day of visiting at the convent.

Mostly because of this little guy. He got very disruptive inside, but he was perfectly happy walking around outside, looking for and squealing at the many squirrels.

It was nice walking around the long driveway.

Occasionally, Anthony would let me take him back inside to get a drink or a snack. Or to see Daddy. Daddy took him outside a few times as well.

Look at that face!

The big boys had to blow off steam, too.

They kept getting sillier...

and sillier...

...and sillier.

Sr. Mary Elizabeth and Dan. We had a lovely visit with her.

Trip To St. Louis, Part 1

2011-10-27T15:59:00.000-05:00

Two weeks ago on a Tuesday, we loaded up the car and took off for the St. Louis suburbs to visit Dan's sister, Sr. Mary Elizabeth, who is a cloistered nun.

On the way we stopped for a picnic lunch. We thought that rest stop was never going to come! It was worth it, though, as the kids could be outside and run around, most importantly Anthony. Notice he is not even in this picture. He was already off running around, playing in the leaves.

We all stopped to observe this frog(or is it a toad?) in the tree.

Back in the car, we finished the drive (It took 7 seven hours) and settled into the hotel. We went swimming and then went out to eat at Red Lobster. The next morning we drove over to the convent.

Driving up the long driveway to the convent. It felt like we went from summer in Kansas to fall in Missouri. The trees were turning colors there and it was especially beautiful in eastern Missouri.

Daddy and the kids going in the front door of the convent.

Dan getting the key to the guest parlor in the turnstile.

Anthony tried to go in through the door to the cloister!

In the guest parlor, we say hello to Sr. Mary Elizabeth, who drew back the curtains and is unlocking the bars.

The girls give Sr. Mary Elizabeth hugs and all the many pictures and notes they made for her.

Settling in for a nice visit.

We were able to spend a full day and then a half day visiting with Sr. Mary Elizabeth. Both days she graciously brought us a hot meal for lunch. Currently she is the cook for the convent, so she made the meals as well. (She's a good cook!)

Field Trip to Old Cowtown Museum, Part 2

2011-10-25T13:10:00.001-05:00

I think we spent about five hours at Cowtown. The first 2 hours were a bit busy because there were a lot of schoolkids there, but after that it was much slower. Here the kids all took a turn grinding wheat. They really loved all of the hand-on activities.

There was a display with bushel baskets of wheat, corn, soy beans, oats, sorghum, and milo that the kids could touch and examine. Then on the table behind were examples of products containing those items.

Here is my friend, with all of her kids. Doesn't she have her hands full? Ha, ha, just kidding. Between us, though, we have 9 children, so yes, we both have our hands full!

Anne plays in the wheat, while Anthony tries to get his little hand in there.

Of course, as soon as he got his little hands in there, he began "sowing" the seeds.

One part of Cowtown is a farm, complete with house, outbuildings, and animals. Here Anne got to be the assistant, pouring the corn into the grinder.

The kids intently watched the horse-powered feed grinder. Did you notice that my friend was smart, dressing her children in the same color shirt? I'll definitely have to remember that one!

Then back to the gunnysack swing, where Joseph got a turn.

And what a thrill to pet the miniature ponies!

Our field trip to Cowtown was a resounding success! I had never been there before and it was much bigger and better than I had anticipated. We will definitely have to go again next year.

Field Trip To Old Cowtown Museum, Part 1

2011-10-24T22:33:00.000-05:00

A little over two weeks ago, we went to Education Day at Cowtown, a nearby living museum representing life in the 1870s. We've been listening to the Little House on the Prairie series on audio CD for a while now, so it fit in perfectly. We met up with another homeschooling family, which was a lot of fun.

The kids got to sit in the desks in the one-room schoolhouse. Just like at home! :)

They all stood in line waiting for their turn on the gunnysack swing.

There was a display of Native American artifacts, as well as this little tepee, which the kids all loved. Some of them made Native American necklaces and ground corn between stones.

Taking a break on the boardwalk. We did not go into some of the buildings because there were so many and I had the stroller. But they did get to try turning the handle on the table saw at the carpenter's shop and watch a lady braiding rugs at another shop. We bypassed the undertaker's shop.

We stopped to listen to these men playing the fiddle and harmonica. A few of the songs we have sung in choir, which was especially fun for the kids.

In the area of games for kids, they got to shoot arrows, use slingshots (with real stones), throw beanbags, and spin a board wheel for a prize.

Most of the kids there could not shoot the arrows very far, but guess who got his arrow on the roof?

Catherine takes careful aim.

The bowling lane was set up in an alleyway and I think the kids would have stayed there for hours if we had let them. At least one person had to stand at the end of the lane to reset the pins and send the balls back down the grooved rail.

Catherine and Anne were so excited to be able to pet this horse. The lady seated there explained to them all about how women would ride sidesaddle. See the "Bowling" sign knocked halfway down in the background? Anthony did that. He'll show up in the second half of the pictures.

First Field Trip of the Year - The Zoo!

2011-10-22T15:43:00.000-05:00

We couldn't go to the zoo all summer because it was just too hot (We had 53 days 100 degrees or higher this summer, which was a record!). So we finally made it there at the very end of September.

Catherine was studying North America at the time, so she took her notebook and wrote down all of the North America animals she saw. Here, however, we are in the rain forest!

Looking at the vampire bats.

I tried to get all the kids to pose in front of the waterfall, but it just didn't work.

Joseph, Catherine, Anne, Dominic, and Anthony with the statue of the Grizzly Bear. We spent a lot of time going through the North America exhibit.

The kids all love climbing on the animal statues scattered throughout the zoo. Anthony got right in the mix on the tiger.

What fun!

It never fails. We go into the really neat Gorilla exhibit, and the kids make a beeline for the little hut in which there is a movie showing about gorillas. And in the next room over, four live gorillas are running around and playing right outside the windows.

Anthony was totally wiped out.

Catherine and Anne find a friend. We all had a good time and Catherine got quite a long list of North American animals, so the field trip was a success.

The New Swingset

2011-10-21T13:10:00.000-05:00

Here is our sad, old swing set, blown over yet again by strong winds. Bought about 5 years ago, it has been well used, and is now rusting and falling apart.

So one day, about a month or so ago, Daddy began to build a new swing set. Here it is in progress.

Now there are three swings that can go higher than the old ones. Grandpa got put to work pushing all the kids.

Anthony was insistent that he get to swing in the big kid swing, and he really held on well.

You can hear some loud squealing coming from our backyard whenever anyone gets extra-high pushes!

After Daddy built the swing set, he decided it wasn't as stable as he wanted, so he began to add on and make a playhouse, repurposing the rest of the wood from the horse stalls. Here it is partly finished. The old slide got put there so Anthony had a way to get down after he climbed up the ladder.

Here the roof is on (leftover material from the big shed) and a rope swing has been added.

And there is a pole to slide down. Whee!

Catherine testing out the rope swing.

The swing set/playhouse has gotten more additions since I took these pictures, so I'll have to do another post later!

A Milestone For Dominic!

2011-10-17T16:35:00.000-05:00

The before shot from a few weeks ago: notice the new tooth coming in behind the baby tooth.

Last night Dominic let me pull out the baby tooth, so he has now lost his first tooth! It had a very long root and the new tooth is already almost all the way in!

Funny Joseph

2011-10-06T13:51:00.000-05:00

Daddy And The Kids

2011-10-05T13:03:00.000-05:00

Fun With Hay Bales

2011-10-04T16:07:00.000-05:00

The kids were very excited to ride in the back of Daddy's truck to go pick up the hay bales. The rule was they had to always sit. And Daddy drove really slow!

Anthony was more than thrilled to ride on Daddy's lap and help drive out to the big field.

Anthony, in his big boots, showed Daddy where the hay bales were.

This year the field only yielded 30 bales, so Dan kept 10 and the farmer who baled the hay took the rest.

After Daddy tossed the bale in, the kids got to work, pushing the bale to the back of the truck bed.

Catherine's got a seat, now.

Anne and Joseph are ready to go get some more bales!

Sittin' up high!

It was tricky getting Anthony to stay still for a picture, so Dan stuck him in the corner, where he promptly took off for the end of the truck.

A close-up shot.

Anthony was all set to help Daddy unload the bales into the stalls on the side of the shed. He actually tried to help pull the first bale, grasping only a few pieces of straw. It was funny.

Anne loves to pose for pictures.

It's a tall stack of hay bales!

Time to sweep out the truck bed.

A Busy Day!

2011-09-28T09:52:00.000-05:00

One day last week, we had quite the busy day. I had four errands to run, all in the same area of town. This all took place after we did our morning schoolwork.

1) I went to get some blood work done to follow hcg levels after the miscarriage. When the lab called my name to come in, all the kids trooped in with me. The two ladies in there didn't bat an eye and didn't seem annoyed or anything! If you are ever nervous about getting blood drawn, here's what you should do: have a bunch of kids with you and make sure one of them is a squirmy toddler whom you have to hold on your lap and keep contained with one arm while they poke your other arm. I barely even registered that the needle was going in my arm!

2) I dropped off some 2 pocket folders at Kansans for Life. They collect them to make information packets, which they hand out to all sorts of groups. When there are good sales on folders, I always pick up a few extra, and then save them for KFL. This was my first time dropping them off, though, so I had a lot of them. I did not want to have to unbuckle Anthony when we got there, so I called them and one of the staff came out and got the folders.

3) We dropped off some electronics at A Better Choice, the crisis pregnancy center for whom I look at sonograms. There we did go inside, because I wanted the kids to see their really neat fetal models, The Touch of Life 1st Trimester Set. After we lost Teresa Marie (this happened when Mary Joseph died, as well), the girls begged to see her. Well, when the baby dies and then is miscarried weeks later, you can't really distinguish much. So letting the girls see was out of the question. It bothered me a little, though, until they got to see the Touch of Life models. They are detailed, with a life-like feel, and accurate in size. They have 7, 8, 9, and 10 week babies in a velvet-lined display box. The kids all got to hold the babies who were Teresa Marie's and Mary Joseph's sizes. They were enthralled, to say the least. Anthony kept saying, "Baby!" I think it really helped the girls, too, and they have quit asking why they couldn't see the baby. I'm telling you this because the ladies at ABC are so very nice and they would be more than happy to show these or any of their materials to your children.

4)I took all the kids to the doctor. Yup, I saved "the best" for last. Three of the kids (Dominic, Anne, and Anthony) got checkups, which I've now decided is the maximum I want to schedule for one trip. All five of the kids got flu vaccines, luckily 3 of them could get the squirt in the nose, but still 3 of the kids had to get shots. Unfortunately, Anthony was one of them, and he had to get 5 shots! He did okay for about the first 15 minutes in the exam room, then he was just mad the rest of the time, because he wanted out of that room! Everyone checked out fine, except it was something to see all of Anthony's scrapes and scratches, bumps and bruises all at once in the bright light of that room. He is quite the little boy.

Dominic got two shots and didn't make a peep, but poor Anne was crying and resisting, and I had to pick her up and put her on the table. Then she settled down so she could get her one shot in her arm instead of her leg. (I'm not sure why that is better, but I'll take it!) Then it was Anthony's turn. The nurse went out to get another nurse to help, and he just got even more mad waiting in the room. Then the nurses came in, and in that split second, when I looked away, Anthony head-butted me so hard in my face that it left a mark on his forehead, and I had a spot on my face that was sore for a couple of days. He was getting in his payback before he got his shots!

I'm sure the doctor's office was rather glad to see us leave. We made quite the commotion.

5) Then we were all very happy to go back home!

18 Months Old!

2011-09-26T15:21:00.001-05:00

Between our miscarriage and the internet outage, I have not been posting a whole lot lately. I neglected to post something when Anthony turned 18 months old, which happened 10 days ago. So here is a funny video of him, only 14 seconds long, to make up for it:

Happy Birthday, Dan!

2011-09-23T08:37:00.000-05:00

Dan with the kids in the garden.

Today is also the feast of St. Padre Pio, who is the House of Brungardt patron saint.

St. Padre Pio, pray for us!

Lightning Strike!

2011-09-22T08:55:00.001-05:00

Early Saturday morning, we were laying in bed, listening to a thunderstorm. The kids were all still sleeping, until there was a flash of lightning...

CRACK!!!

It was the loudest crack of thunder I've ever heard. The girls immediately came running from their bedroom and jumped into our bed. The boys soon followed.

After a bit, we all got up and we started looking outside to see what was hit. Nothing seemed immediately apparent. Eventually we discovered that our internet was not working. Then I found that the phone was also out, even though the electricity was still on.

After investigation, we found that our wireless router had gotten fried. Luckily we did not have our laptop plugged in, so it was okay. Looking at our surge protector under the kitchen desk, we saw that the top of the kitchen phone plug-in was popped off and the stuff inside had melted a bit. However, the phones in our bedroom and basement both worked, so we at least still had phone service.

We got a new wireless router and it hooked up okay, but we still did not get any internet. Living out here in the country, we get our internet through a radio antenna which is mounted on top of our house. An internet tech support person finally came out here yesterday and checked everything. The antenna was fine, but the surge protector mounted on the side of the house, through which the cable runs to get into the house, was fried. He replaced that, and hooray, we have internet access again! You don't realize how much you use it for all the little things, like checking the grocery ad and the library account and the bank account and so on, until you don't have it.

But, if you call my home phone, you will not be able to leave a message right now, because our nice phone system with answering machine, and two additional cordless handsets, is out and we haven't replaced it yet.

I am very thankful that no one got hurt, our house itself wasn't damaged, and nothing too expensive got fried. And hey, on the bright side, I got a few extra things done without the internet around. Like cleaning out a certain cabinet in our living room that contains some of the kids' toys and crafts, which was a total disaster. I don't have all my energy back yet, so I couldn't take full advantage. And wow, are there a lot of emails to catch up on!

A Vigil Kept

2011-09-14T14:24:00.000-05:00

On September 11, 2001, I was on an airplane for the first leg of my journey to Washington D.C. I had a layover in Atlanta, and as we neared, we began circling and circling endlessly. We started to wonder what was going on, especially when the pilot came on and merely said there was a delay before we could land. Then people started getting calls on their cell phones and around me I could hear snatches of one-sided conversations. "The World Trade Center has been hit!?!" "A plane crashed into the World Trade Center?!!" And so on. We finally landed and everyone got off the plane. I collected my luggage and was lucky enough to get a voucher for a hotel room. I took a shuttle to the hotel and got to my room and flipped on the TV. There I kept vigil all day long, watching the coverage of those horrible, nation-changing events.

Fast forward 10 years and what was I doing on September 11, 2011? Keeping vigil yet again, only this time for a very different reason. I was watching and waiting for the birth of my little Teresa Marie, who had died in the womb. All day long I waited and suffered, not able to leave the house, not able to go to Mass. Through the night it continued and into the next day.

On Monday, September 12, 2011, the feast of the Most Holy Name of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Teresa Marie Brungardt was born. Though her soul was already in heaven, we will celebrate September 12 as her birthday.

Teresa Marie, pray for us!

Celebrating And Mourning A New Little Saint

2011-09-07T14:27:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we found out that our newest little baby has died in utero. I was supposed to be 13 weeks along tomorrow. The baby measured almost 10 week size. I have had the feeling for weeks that the baby was a girl, so we have named her Teresa Marie. Teresa for Blessed Mother Teresa, whose feast day was Monday, and Marie for Mary, Queen of Heaven, whose birthday is tomorrow.

Mother Teresa is the one who said, "Saying there are too many children is like saying there are too many flowers." She was a champion for the unborn and for the helpless ones among us, so it seemed very appropriate to use her name.

When I think of our (now two) little ones in Heaven, I always envision them in the care of Mary, our Mother in Heaven. Both of our lost babies now carry her name.

Please pray for our family in this time of sorrow.

Archery Practice

2011-08-26T12:19:00.000-05:00

Catherine and Dominic practice with bows and arrows. Too bad all of the arrows and one of the bows have since been broken. :(

Cowboy Joe

2011-08-23T16:44:00.000-05:00

1st Day of School!

2011-08-22T15:16:00.000-05:00

Here were the kids this morning, all ready for their first day of school. As you can see, shoes and shirts are optional!

The twins at their table, ready for 1st grade!

Mr. Destructo, doing his thing. It was amazing how quickly he went around and got into everything. He made things rather difficult, at least until he took a morning nap. Morning naps for Anthony are not going away for a long time.

Joseph, the pre-K student and Catherine, the big girl 2nd grader.

As you can see, we aren't doing school around the kitchen table anymore. We have made the big move to the basement. I've got a new desk, too, which is wonderful. I think it is going to work out well. It was very nice not having to move everything on and off the kitchen table.

An Anne Milestone

2011-08-22T14:05:00.000-05:00

Before

Several days ago, Anne came to me and showed me that her loosest tooth was starting to bleed a little. I encouraged her to wiggle it around and try to pull it out. This she did, but she could not get it out. I asked her if I could try to pull it out and she agreed. I got a tissue, took hold of that tooth and gave a gentle yank. Much to her surprise (and mine, too), it popped right out! Talk about one excited little girl. Her first baby tooth is gone!

After

Culinary Adventures In Watermelon

2011-08-18T15:28:00.000-05:00

Here are some of the watermelon we have picked from our garden this summer.

So one day I went looking for watermelon recipes and I found Watermelon Pie!

It was very easy to make, required no baking, and everyone liked it. A perfect summer dessert. Find the recipe here.

Then the other night for dinner, I got even more adventurous: Minced Pork and Watermelon Lettuce Wraps. I didn't follow the recipe exactly, but they were pretty tasty. The kids all ate them, even Anthony! Find the recipe here.

Funny story: As I was making the above dinner, the kids were sitting at the kitchen table doing some art, and I told them the ingredients as I added them in. I got to Hoisin Sauce and the kids all yelled: "Poison Sauce!?!" Heh, heh, heh. Watch out if you come to dinner at our house. :)

17 Month Old Anthony!

2011-08-16T15:38:00.000-05:00

One of Anthony's latest things is putting on other people's belongings. Here he is sporting a pink ball cap (on backwards, that's how he likes them) and a pair of broken sunglasses. The kids thought this was hilarious, as did I.

Our funny Anthony. I don't know what he's got in his mouth, probably something he picked up off the floor. See those two teeth breaking through on the bottom? They've been causing me trouble for a while.

Anthony's current names for the kids:
Catherine - Ahbah
Dominic - Nuhnuh
Anne - Eeeeeee
Joseph - Zheezhee

He tells on them, too. If they do something he thinks is wronging him, he will come to me, point back in their direction, loudly say their name (as above), and jabber on "telling" me all about it. It's hard not to laugh.

Sauerkraut Making: Part Three

2011-08-15T11:16:00.000-05:00

Our first ever batch of sauerkraut sat in the fermenting pot for 3 weeks and 2 days. Since it had to be at a somewhat cooler temperature, we kept it in the downstairs bathroom with the door shut, which kept the room at 68 degrees. We had read that it can get stinky making sauerkraut, but we could not smell a thing using the fermenting pot!

Here is Anne with a bowl of raw sauerkraut. We put almost a gallon of sauerkraut straight into the fridge.

Catherine samples the sauerkraut.

The twins take a taste test.

Joseph likes it, too! All the kids liked it fairly well.

While Anthony was taking his afternoon nap, Dan and I prepared the rest of the sauerkraut for canning. Here is the setup. See the lobster pot of boiling water on the turkey fryer base? Dan figured that out when we did our first canning a couple years ago. It fits 7 quart jars, heats up quickly, and keeps the heat out of the kitchen.

We warmed up batches of sauerkraut on the grill burner.

Then we packed it into the hot jars.

After I put on the lids and rings, Dan put the jars in the boiling water for 20 minutes. Here are the 13 jars that this first batch made.

One type of Reuben sandwich we made: Toasted Rye bread, Swiss cheese, Tomatoes from our garden, and our Sauerkraut. Oh, were they good!

We've also done sauerkraut with bacon; sauerkraut with polish sausage, fried apples and onions; and sauerkraut on hotdogs. All of these were delicious. And a second batch of shredded cabbage is currently sitting in the fermenting pot, turning into more yummy sauerkraut. It tastes much better than the store-bought kind!

Making Sauerkraut: Part Two

2011-08-11T14:10:00.001-05:00

A very useful item for making sauerkraut is a fermenting pot, pictured above. This was delivered to our house one day earlier this summer.

One night after the kids went to bed, Dan and I got to work preparing the cabbage to go into the fermenting pot. Here is our equipment.

Some of the cabbages.

I washed them, peeled off the outer layers and cut them into quarters. Then I cut out the cores.

Dan used the mandolin slicer set on shred to get all the cabbage shredded. Much faster than shredding it with a knife!

Here's all the shredded cabbage, 18 heads worth. Wow, that's a lot!

Then working in 5 pound increments, we mixed in sea salt and caraway seeds.

After letting the mixture sit for a while, Dan put it into the big pot and tamped it down with this big wooden thing he made.

Here the pot is fully loaded with 25 pounds of shredded cabbage mixed with sea salt and caraway seeds. On top of the shredded cabbage are first a layer of cabbage leaves, then two heavy weights. On top of those went cooled salt water that had been boiled, to cover the weights by 1-3 inches. Then the lid went on and water was placed in the circular trough you see on top of the pot, to create a water seal so no air could get into the fermenting pot. Then it was time to wait for fermentation.

Stay tuned for the final installment, Making Sauerkraut: Part Three!

Sauerkraut Making: Part One

2011-08-10T15:54:00.000-05:00

To make sauerkraut, you first need lots of cabbages. Does this look like a lot? It's not all of them. Dan planted 80 cabbages this year, which was a first for the Brungardt garden!

One night the whole family went to pick some cabbages. Daddy found some big ones and passed them to the kids, who brought them to the wagon.

Here's Dominic, taking his job seriously.

Anthony thought it was his job to get in the wagon with the cabbages and inspect each one.

Anne counts. Seven so far, bring some more!

Okay, I think 20 cabbages should do it.

Daddy and the kids with their cabbage haul.

Say cabbage!

Then it was time to gather all the outer leaves to take them to the compost pile. For some reason Anthony always has to get in whatever it is we are using, in this case the wheelbarrow.

The girls thought they looked like big flowers. Catherine poses with her "bouquet."

Joseph shows off his Superman powers!

Stayed tuned for Sauerkraut Making: Part Two!

Some Current Produce From The Garden

2011-08-07T05:00:00.000-05:00

We've been picking peppers, a few tomatoes, lots of cucumbers, and some watermelon. Our garden is like the oasis in the middle of the desert. We went a whole month without any rain, so outside of the garden the grass is dormant and the cracks in the ground are so big that one day Anthony got his leg stuck in one and had to have help to get out.

At lunch time, I'll cut up a bunch of something and the kids will gobble it up.

I really should weigh some of the watermelon, because I bet I picked one that was at least 20 pounds.

This is often how the cucumbers get eaten. Many times the kids eat them right in the garden. I never knew kids could eat so many cukes!

We've canned one batch (12 quarts) of dill pickles and I've done 10 pints of pickle relish, so we've put all those cucumbers to good use. The squash, zucchini, and pumpkins got destroyed by squash bugs. Hopefully the tomatoes hang in there, so I can get enough to put in the freezer. But soon we will be eating lots of cantaloupe!

Chucky Was Fun

2011-08-06T05:00:00.001-05:00

Last weekend we started the twins' birthday fun early with a trip to Chuck E. Cheese.

The last time we went there we only had three kids, so none of the kids really remembered it much.

My memory was of yucky pizza, but the pizza has definitely improved.

We got 120 tokens with our meal deal and since each game costs one token, I thought we'd be there all night.

We easily made it through all the tokens, even before anyone got crabby.

I enjoyed watching the kids have a blast.

We may have started a new birthday tradition, though!

Dominic And Anne Are Six!

2011-08-05T14:20:00.000-05:00

We celebrated Dominic and Anne's birthday on Tuesday. Here they are showing off their nerdy sides.

This year I let the twins pick out the cakes they wanted rather than me trying to come up with something easy.

Dominic chose this scary dinosaur.

Right now Anne is into all things horse.

So she chose this pony. I checked out both cake pans at our library.

Blow out those candles!

My parents were able to come for the celebration.

If you can't read this, it's a game called Smath. It looks like a great addition to our school. It plays like Scrabble, only with math equations: addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.

Anne with her new little sleeping bag.

Dominic with a water rocket launcher.

Anne was so excited to get a new horse, with accessories.

Happy Birthday, twins!

My Little Rabbits Dig For Carrots

2011-07-29T05:00:00.000-05:00

What are these young gardeners doing? Digging up some carrots!

Look at that dirty baby! He won't keep his shoes on, so often I don't even bother, or else we have to hunt all over the yard for them. He's got tough little feet!

They picked a bucketful of carrots and most of them are good. Occasionally there is a bitter one. I don't even have to peel them, though, just give them a good scrubbing. The kids love to eat them.

Anne with her prize.

Book Review: How Do You Count A Dozen Ducklings?

2011-07-28T15:01:00.000-05:00

This is a cute, clever little picture book about Mama Duck and her struggles to keep track of her 12 new little ducklings. I could definitely relate as I have often counted my crew (1,2,3,4,5......1,2,3,4,5) when out and about to keep track of them. The clever part of this book is that it includes math in a fun way. First, Mama Duck counts them in groups of two, then the next day in groups of three, then four, then six. In doing so, she unwittingly outwits an old wolf who complains that there are too many ducks! Then an experienced Mama Duck realizes that 12 ducklings might be a lot, but "never too many." The last page shows Mama Duck sitting on her nest and it says, "And who knows? Maybe there will be even more." So this book has it all: cute pictures where every duckling has its own personality, a lovely theme of big families, and even math to boot! Definitely one to check out at the library if you have kids learning skip counting.

We Had A Good Green Bean Harvest

2011-07-28T05:00:00.001-05:00

Here is a picture of the kids cutting the stems off some green beans. Catherine got to use a sharp knife, but the rest of them used butter knives. I'm not ready for the boys to be handling sharp knives!

Dan had 13 rows of green (and yellow) beans. Here are the four different kinds. They did well, but it was hard to keep up with the picking. I did manage to get about 23 quarts in the freezer.

It Was An Earthquake!

2011-07-27T14:42:00.000-05:00

I came downstairs and found this scene, and when I asked what happened, Joseph said, "I was pretending that there was an earthquake!" We've told the kids not to climb on the train table, but evidently we never told them not to shake it!

Up To Our Ears In Corn!

2011-07-25T13:15:00.000-05:00

Dan planted the first two sets of corn to be a couple of weeks apart but somehow with the extreme heat, it all was ready in the same week. One evening the whole family went out to pick some of the corn.

Anthony was thrilled to have free rein of the corn rows and he gleefully went up and down, up and down. If he fell down, it did not matter, he just kept going.

He even helped carry some of the corn over to the big pile.

Catherine was pretending she had a corn silk beard.

Joseph, with his haul.

After picking, we all shucked the corn. The kids were pretty good at it, even though nearly every ear had a worm, or two, on it.

Over the Week Of Corn, we had 4 separate sessions of blanching,...

...cooling in the ice water bath,...

...drying,...

...and finally, cutting off the kernels. I ended up putting 35 quarts of corn in the freezer, along with 2 gallon bags of whole ears. I think we are stocked for the winter!

Of course, we've been doing lots of this, too. Yummy!

We have one more section of corn to go. It won't be ready for a few more weeks, though. We've gotten all this corn only due to Dan's diligence in watering the corn, as we've had very little rain this summer, in combination with extremely hot temperatures (so far, 30 days 100 degrees or higher).

I'm Not Crying. Really!

2011-07-22T11:31:00.000-05:00

I'm just chopping up lots of onions to put in the freezer!

I chop them up, then spread them out on a baking tray and place it in the freezer. Once frozen, I put them in bags and then back into the freezer for later use in soups, pasta sauces, chili, etc. If you do this, make sure you double bag them or you risk everything else in your freezer smelling like onions.

Our 4th Of July

2011-07-21T05:00:00.000-05:00

The evening of the Fourth of July we were back at our house, and the kids were very excited to watch Daddy shoot off some fireworks.

Dominic and Anthony sporting their red, white, and blue.

Yikes, look at that one!

In between explosions, the kids paused to look at Mommy with a smile.

Daddy had sprayed down the cement to cool things off a little and from then on, Anthony was obsessed with the hose. Especially since he could make the water come out!

Fun With Family

2011-07-20T05:00:00.000-05:00

Catherine with my niece and goddaughter, Emily.

During the 4th of July weekend, we were able to go up to first Topeka for a family reunion with my mom's sisters and their families, then up to the Kansas City area for my Dad's 70th birthday party.

The girls especially enjoyed the new kittens at my parents' house.

My Dad and Mom.

My parents with all 15 of their grandchildren. It was quite a feat to get them all in the picture.

There was a photographer taking pictures, so I just snapped these from the side. I cut Dominic in half, but you can mostly see everyone. Nine boys, six girls. The oldest is 10, the youngest 9 months. It gets a little crazy when we are all there. :)

Anne with her godfather, my brother, Eric.

Picnic on my parents' front porch. Anne, cousin Andrew, Joseph, cousin Thomas.

Catherine and Dominic dig in.

William and Patrick, the oldest two grandchildren. Patrick is my godson.

Grandpa was "surprised" with a birthday cake.

The birthday boy! He doesn't look 70, does he!

Hamburger Store WITH Playground

2011-07-19T05:00:00.000-05:00

One day I took all the kids to get the oil changed in the mini-van and we shopped for an hour and a half while it got done.

As their reward for being good, we got to stop at the hamburger "store" that has an indoor playground. This was very exciting to all of them because we rarely do that.

It was Anthony's first time there when he was mobile, so Catherine took him up to play in the tubes. He enjoyed looking out of the windows at Mommy.

The only hard part was that Anthony did not want to go down the slide so Catherine had to get him to crawl back through the tubes and down the stairs to get back to Mommy. Finally he got back down and had to refresh himself by swiping a drink of pop.

Sisters!

2011-07-18T14:16:00.000-05:00

Catherine and Anne share a room,...

...play together, imagine together, and just have fun together.

Most of the time they are best friends.

The New Craze: Basketball!

2011-07-15T15:49:00.000-05:00

Earlier in the month, our new basketball goal arrived and Dan put it together, with some assistance. Notice where Anthony is standing!

The hole is dug and ready to be filled.

"Here, Daddy, I've got the one you need!"

After pouring the concrete, Daddy smoothed it out, while carefully levelling the base of the basketball goal.

The goal is up, and the final touch is added: the net!

Joseph and Catherine tested it out. We had but one basketball (flat) at the time, so they had to use what balls they could find.

Dominic shoots while Anne watches. Did he make the shot?

Catherine's Garden Project

2011-07-12T13:39:00.000-05:00

Over a few days, Catherine took clipboard and pencil out to the garden, checked the tags, and then wrote down all the variety names of the tomatoes and peppers, next to their dots on the picture Daddy made. We have 12 tomato plants and 24 pepper plants, so it took a while. A great summer homeschooling project! And now I know which 5 pepper plants are the hot ones.

Surviving the Weekend

2011-07-11T13:18:00.000-05:00

Alternate title: Surviving record-breaking temperatures (109 Saturday, 111 Sunday) with an air conditioner only partly working.

Next alternate title: Surviving Anthony being sick, meaning extremely grumpy and keeping us up half the night (literally).

Next alternate title: It was a weekend of ice cream, popsicles, and picnics in the basement!

Final alternate title: Household Harmony Somewhat Restored; Air Conditioner Repairmen Arrives Monday Morning!

Anthony And The Slide

2011-07-08T05:00:00.000-05:00

Anthony...

...loves...

...to go down...

...the slide!

Yahoo!!

My Little Monkeys

2011-07-07T16:01:00.001-05:00

Joseph on the two-seater swing.

The boys

Anne pretends to be a bat.

Swingsets aren't just for swinging, you know.

Catherine does her part.

"Mommy, take my picture!"

More Mulberries!

2011-07-07T15:40:00.000-05:00

Mulberry Muffins - oh, so good!

9 cups of Mulberries turned into...

Mulberry Jam!

Another Tooth Gone!

2011-06-28T14:40:00.000-05:00

This makes five teeth lost.

After A Storm

2011-06-28T14:30:00.000-05:00

It was a wild storm that sent us scurrying for the basement and praying to our guardian angels for protection. When the worst of it had passed, we came out to see what had happened. Here's a picture of the tail end of the storm with the sunshine and blue skies following right behind.

Dan loaded up the kids in the garden cart to check on the yard and garden. They were excited by the unexpected ride outside - in their pajamas! No major damage was done.

At Least I Didn't Scream

2011-06-27T15:31:00.000-05:00

This afternoon, while Anthony was taking a nap, Catherine, Dominic, Joseph, and I went down to our woodsy area to pick mulberries. I wasn't paying that much attention where I was walking and all of a sudden I saw movement on the ground. Right before it zipped away, I saw that I had almost stepped on a snake! Granted, it was only a garter snake, but it sure startled me and I hollered out, "Aaahhh!" The kids jumped back, but I think only Dominic actually saw it. I didn't want to freak out the kids, so I acted like it was no big deal (and really, it shouldn't be), and we continued on our path. I must confess, though, my heart was pounding for a bit.

Swimming Lessons!

2011-06-24T16:33:00.000-05:00

For the last two weeks, I have been taking the kids to their swimming lessons. We opted for the Monday through Thursday, 10:30 am lessons, which seemed to work fairly well. Except that it seemed to eat up a lot of the day. :)

Look at those smiles! This was just before we left for their first swimming lesson.

The kids had not really even been in a pool other than a backyard wading pool for almost 2 years.

Catherine and her swimming instructor.

None of the kids had ever taken swimming lessons before.

Catherine, contemplating what she gets to do next in the pool.

Catherine was in the Youth Swim classes, for age 6 and up. She really tried hard and loved it a lot.

Dominic was in a class with five girls!

Dominic, Anne, and Joseph were all in the Kinderswim, for ages 3-5. However, they were each in a different group, which worked out fine.

Dominic's teacher looks a little pained. Did he splash her too much? :)

Dominic did well and gets to move up a level next time.

Anne patiently waits for her turn to get in.

Anne was a little more timid, but she tried hard and made good progress.

Anne blowing bubbles in the water.

I wasn't sure at all how Joseph would do, being newly turned 4 and without his brothers or sisters.

Joseph and his cute little class.

I needn't have worried, though, because he did great and got complimented on his nice manners and good listening skills!

I know this is fuzzy, but you can still see that big, happy smile on Joseph's face.

They are a bit sad that their lessons are over, and quite anxious to get back to the pool to practice what they have learned.

They each got to learn how to put on a life-jacket and climb in and out of a boat. Catherine is to the left in the boat and in the back of the picture you can see Joseph on the side of the pool.

And what about Anthony, you ask? He and Mommy got to hang out during the 45 minute lesson, and usually we sat on the other side of the glass, watching the kids.

Anthony ate a lot of snacks!

Twice I took Anthony outside to the water park to play during Toddler Time, which coincided with lesson time. He loved it, but I did not dare to even attempt to take pictures of that. :)

So to summarize: swimming lessons were a resounding success!