Screaming Fits

It has been one of those weeks, and yes I realize we still have another day left !
We start school in 10 days and I have tons to get done around the house. I haven't even written out any "plans" for my two big girls so that they have syllabus to follow. I have  a lot to do still.


I also have a deep freezer to defrost and clean thanks to my toddler boy who dumped melted ice cream all over the inside. I can't even describe the mess in that freezer. (sigh)

The real kicker around here though is this guy...

 He has been running a low fever and cries, oh how he cries. I feel two top teeth pushing through...poor guy. poor me as well..my legs ache from holding him and carrying him so much. If I set him down he will cry and scream. If I pick him up....

 He pops that finger in his mouth and chews.

 What did I say? Teething some ferocious teeth!

 Again, I put him down so I could peel some carrots and give my hip a break....

 He rubs his eyes......

 Wait for it..............

He's down. He has learned to throw a fit this week. Screaming fit, no less!

Gosh, what do I do when I ache all over and function on less than 4 hours of sleep a night? What do I do when there are projects and chores all over begging to get done and I have the school start date looming over my head. How will I get ANYTHING done when I am having difficulty just getting a good meal on the table? Oh, I have been here before. With 7 kids I have had my share of bad baby teething, throwing a fit, nothing will help but constant nursing days. Here's how I do it:

Do what's next. That's it. I Just do the next thing that MUST get done. Tonight it was dinner.

 Homemade chicken noodle soup. It was delicious too. So there is my advice for the weekend...especially to myself. This sweet baby will not be fussy and needy forever, so in the meantime everything gets put to the side until they MUST be done. Now that the night is here and teeth have been brushed, there will be bedtimes and then I have a date with Tom Selleck. Okay, I really have a movie with him in it and I intend to watch it tonight and give my body a break from lugging around my baby samurai for a bit.
Ibuprofen for my legs and hips....CHECK!
Soft couch with pillows....CHECK!
Redbox rental with Tom Selleck......CHECK!
Icecream with cherries and chocolate..........DOUBLE CHECK!

If I am not back before the weekend....enjoy yours! I will see you next week with happy pictures of my baby and his new teeth!!!

Grounded

Grounded, as in I really, really need to get this place and my bootie organized. Seriously! We start school in 2 weeks and once that begins all bets are off!

Yep, we have been in the pool. We have also been lounging beside the pool.

 Okay, it's not fancy but it holds everyone until we have a deck next year. The hens are hanging around for one reason and it's not because they love us so much.

 We have a few snacks to munch on between swim sessions.

 Some among us are intensely reading school books already (yay!).

 Others are trying to soak in extra sun and sleep. (Wish that were me!)

Some of us are just plain weird.

Speaking of weird, I cleaned up my bee hive equipment and in the process came across some stored hive bodies that were housing some wax moths. That's NEVER a good thing.
 I will have to burn and destroy the frames, but I decided to first lay them out near the burning barrel so the hens could feast on larva and moths. The bees got to rob the frames of what honey was left.

 The bees cleaned off the frames of honey in a couple of hours.

 This is wax moth webbing and waste and larva.........NASTY!

The hens had a great, protein enriched meal.

Finally, today we had a day at home so I could catch up on laundry. I plan to spend this week sewing and catching up on unfinished projects. I cannot sew in a house with laundry piled up everywhere. It's a crazy personality trait I have. At any rate, my laundry is caught up, or as caught up as it will ever be with 7 children.

Fletcher was a fussy baby today, I blame his teeth. There was one person who made the boy happy though....

Grandma played with him out on the front porch this evening and he was soooo happy. She also held him for me so i could try and snap a few shots of my hummingbirds. The birds are very difficult to snap a good shot of but it was a fun challenge! I will leave you with those pictures and wish you a fun and happy week! Enjoy these last few days of summer!

Believe the Unbelievable

We woke this morning to cooler weather and exhaustion. Cooler as in it got down to 65 last night and exhaustion as in we had a very busy weekend.

 We celebrated Zebulun turning three years old. It was a family party, as all of our parties are, but they are also the funnest and the most low key.

 Indiana decided that these dirt/worm cups would be the perfect dessert instead of a traditional cake. I let her make them and Zeb loved them!

 Un-wrapping gifts is a new experience for Zeb since he is so young. Let me say that it took a LONG time to get the gifts opened:-)

 As with all the birthdays around here, there were several gifts made up by siblings. How sweet that the girls wrap up their own toys to give another sibling. Here Indiana gave Zeb a stuffed frog and her favorite sleeping t-shirt as well as a light saber.

 We splurged and got Zeb a jeep to drive around the yard. After only a few crashes he got the idea of how to steer and go forward and reverse.

He had lots of help out there while learning.

When we were completing all of the millions of requirements for adoption through DFCS, we had to put those safety latches on all of the cabinets. See how well they work? Fletcher has discovered the kitchen cabinets and also how to open them, despite the efforts to stop him. Way to go DFCS with your regulations to keep kids safe!!!! :-)

 You can't tell by this picture but Fletcher has been a pill these last 2 days. P.I.L.L!
I blame some top teeth coming in, but who really knows? I know that his bath was one of the very few times today that he did not fuss, so baths were extra long tonight. Of course we have been swimming so much that I sort of figured an after dinner swim was equal to a bath. Right? Well, they got REAL baths tonight:-) This baby has learned to stand up and turn the water on, the cold water. It makes him very happy.

Something that makes me happy, besides 20 minutes of NO crying baby, is a new dress. This one from ModCloth I really love. Comfy? Yes. Vintage? No, but it's made to make one think it is vintage. Check them out if you are in a Leave it to Beaver fashion mood, you won't be disappointed. **High heels are not required!**

Is it just me or does everyone get a crinkly forehead at this age? Yes, I am raising my eyebrows, but sheesh..... I must find better pictures to snap during bathtime.

MUCH CUTER! :-)

It's so easy sometimes to forget how much fun it is to dream or to imagine what's out there in the big world. Sure it's stressful at times and there are days when I have to almost crawl to bed from exhaustion. Then there are days like today when a little one brings in this yellow feather that they found on a  walk outside. I know that it is from most likely a yellow finch. I even explain that it's from such a bird, BUT the little girls have a different theory. They believe it came from a parrot. They have a theory about the parrot that lives in the woods here in Georgia, and so a parrot feather it will be. I am a little envious, secretly. There are days I would love to concoct my own story about something magical and mysterious. Maybe  the dogs are REALLY barking at a unicorn that lives across the creek. She's an old, wise unicorn and knows the secrets of our forest. She's also friends with the yellow and green parrot who watches over the buried treasures of the forest. Ahh.....sometimes we should still believe the unbelievable.

Here's hoping your week is FULL of unbelievable stories:-)

Hillbilly Country Club

Welcome to the grand opening of the Hillbilly Country Club where the new swimming hole is the featured amenity for the remainder of this very hot, southern summer!

 The water is crystal clear and warmed up by the sun! There are beach balls to play with! There would be balls like the one pictured, however the bulldogs found it fun for playing!

 There is lots of room to play with friends and family!

 There is also a pituresque view of the flowers blooming in the expertly groomed gardens nearby!

 The pool is also strategically placed within full view of the outdoor movie screen! A new deck will be built just in time for next season as well! Please also take notice of the environmentally friendly towel dryer, aka the deck rail. We don't miss ANY details, do we?

Your children will love you forever for allowing all day play in the cool water while the unfortunate government school counterparts are working away all day at a desk.

 "Thanks mom and dad, you're the BEST!"

 "I am so lucky to have such great parents!"

 "I think I might chill here all day until a movie starts!"

We even have helpful, seasoned swimmers to assist your 3 year old with his swimming technique!

 Do you need a comfy chair to relax in? Well, we have that too!

 Sit down and relax!

If you get sleepy, we have a nice soft bed inside waiting for you!

 The pool is opened all day and into the night! Dad's have been known to take a dip after rigorous weight lifting sessions. Head on out here to the 30 acre farm and see what fun we have and please...enjoy these last few weeks of summer!

******WARNING: Membership into the Hillbilly Country Club will most likely result in loss of productivity and chores. You will most likely swim all day with breaks for meal preparations only. We are NOT responsible for such laziness, but rest assured that your children will love you for it!*******

******Warning #2. We are not responsible for what wild antics the full moon will cause this weekend either, but we hope it's great fun!*******