The river was one of our favorites places to go and get away from the heat. It’s not really much of a river though. When it rains it’s more like a flash flood, roaring over the banks and though all the brush. But then after a few days, it’s back to more like a stream. Eric has heard that some of the water that runs through this particular stream is contaminated. However, we didn’t know this for months as we swam in it. No one ever got sick after we swan there. So I always just remind the children to swim with there mouths closed and no drinking the water. The temperature was not that warm, maybe low 70′s, but that did not stop my boys. Or Maryann. But my other 2 girls hung out by me in the sand and played. And no one got sick this time either. 

 

A ball the boys found in the brush.

Drawing in the sand

wishing she could get out and play

a huge log Ben found. 

It was bigger than him.

Maryann is right behind the boys when it comes to playing in the water.

We started out with just a diaper and progressive to a naked little boy.

I laid her down near Laura. When I looked down at here, this is what she had found!

Guess she had been tasting it to.

The boys worked on a bridge to get Laura to the other side of the stream. 

the water seemed to dance with sparkles

 ~cheryl

part 4- the biggest ball ever/fun with friends.

Since I have so many pictures from our trip, I am going to post a few days at time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We stopped in one morning at our fav restaurant for breakfast. You can get the “World’s Biggest Pancake”

for $3 and it feeds all the children. One word…WOW!

Waiting for the pancake.

Josh always keeps us entrained!

 

After breakfast we set out for a hike.

let the jump shots begi6n!

 

 

Big brothers make it a piece of cake getting to the top!

my boys are always prepared..

pretending to get shocked from the electric poles.

 

I sure do miss seeing these mountains out my kitchen windows.

part 3 next..the river..

~cheryl

 

Some of you have wondered where I have been this past month. Very few posts and pictures. And the rest of you know exactly where I was. I am very careful to protect our family on this blog. I almost always post retro active to each activity we do. I know there are crazy, horrible people out there and I don’t like the idea of someone I don’t know figuring out where I am going to be with my children.  With that said, and my family safely back home again, this is the story of our latest adventure…

It was January when Eric came up with the idea. I am a girl who loves the sun. I love everything about it. The warmth, brightness, and happiness I feel when I am basking in it’s warm rays. But we live in a place where it rains…ALOT! And because of the rain it is a beautiful place to live. Lots of trees and green pastures. Clean air to breath and big rainbows and waterfalls. But I get tired of the rain. I miss the sun. Really, really miss the sun. I miss southern California where we lived for 4 years. I miss my friends and our church. I miss the restaurants and stores. So, my very in touch to my needs husband, suggested that I go spend a month back in sunny So Cal. I was shocked….thrilled…and very excited at the mere suggestion of this trip. We bought a travel trailer a few months ago, so we decided that Eric would drive our family down and set us up in a RV Park, and then fly home. The children and I would live in our trailer, doing school in the mornings and spending the afternoon and evenings playing at our favorite park and visiting our friends.  Eric would fly down on the weekends and spend time with us and then fly home to work during the week. 

So the next few hundred pictures are of our month in Cali. We played to our hearts content. We stayed on top of all our school lessons. We lived in a 32 foot trailer for 4 weeks. All 8 (or 9 when Eric was there) of us. In a trailer park that had RV spots in the back corner and no internet. I can now officially add “lived in a trailer park” to my list of places I have lived. Ha! The sun shined bright and warm. We were loved on daily by all our friends.  I even got to go shopping with one of my girlfriends in downtown LA while another girlfriend graciously watched 6 of my children. It was an absolutely fabulous trip!

 

Our home away from home

 

View from our trailer

One of the boys decided to throw oranges and watch them explode against this storage unit.

I made him wash the oranges off, which left scrubbie marks. Not sure which was worse…

the entrance into the trailer park

driving down the road to “our “place

I sure have missed the palm trees

hanging out in the trailer

 

One of the first stops was our favorite playground

because of this merry-go-round. 

some children do better than others on it..

the view from the hill the playground sits on

with 5 children who all love to have there picture taken, especially

action/jump shots, it keeps me busy at the park.

She looks like she’s hanging doesn’t she…

 

but she’s not!

this shot was Laura’s idea.

my toes have really missed being in sandals!

always so creative in there play!

We were given money at Christmas for a treat at an Ice Cream Parlor. The children chose Cold Stone

after a hot afternoon at the park.

I even called up our babysitter we use to use and secured her for the evenings that Eric would

be in town so we could go out with friends. Three nights out on the town on a row…WOW!

Thanks Lindsey…You are amazing!!!

part 2 coming soon…

~cheryl 

 

We have had alot of snow this year. Or so we think so. We have the best property for sledding. Hills everywhere. Even the road running along our house is a giant hill down and then up again.  And when the road is ice with snow on top, there are no cars that will take a chance driving. They would just get stuck in the bottom. All of these pictures were taken by Eric. I was sleeping. Julia had a really bad cold for about a week, and I was very sleep deprived. So Eric bundled all the older children up and took them outside to play. Toffee, our dog, loved the snow. I think she looks part wolf in these pictures. But she’s not. 

Spider web with snow caught in it

the bee hives

notice our van on the bottom of the hill, it would not make it up the hill because of the ice

sledding buddies

here, Michael is attempting to snowboard…

and here, Michael is wiping out!!

 

Toffee

~cheryl

We have these very special people that are a very special part of our family. Eric and I knew them before we ever even got married. They were a part of our wedding, and then later when Laura was born, they were a part of the special time of her birth and then baby dedication. And over the years, God has blessed our lives with each other. They have filled a void that has ached to be filled. They bring love and laughter to our family. And we bring love and laughter to theirs. 

So for years, every few months, we get a special visit from Grandpa Luke and Grandma Beth. They spend a whole day flying over 3000 miles just to come love on our family. They have been here to celebrate birthday’s, New Years, Graduation, even a few new babies. They have watched our children so Eric and I can take off for a weekend getaway. They know how to load up all these little people into our big van and head to a favorite park.  Gabriel’s middle name is after his Grandpa Luke. And all the girls share Grandma Beth’s middle name, Elizabeth. 

We love them. Very much.

Their last visit was about a month ago. So I am a little late posting these pictures. Grandma Beth brought pocket watches for the boys and wrist watches for the girls. So we decided to do a fun “old fashioned” photo shoot. I dug through all our clothes and came up with some fun stuff. The boys really got into dressing up like cowboys. 

Oh, and I almost forgot. Grandma Beth has bought each of girls an American Girl Doll. Yes, even me. The one I dreamed about having as a child. But Maryann did not have one of the big girl dolls, just one of the baby ones. Yet. She has been dreaming about Felicity for months. And so this Christmas, Grandma Beth and Grandpa Luke got her Felicity. But, where it all went wrong was almost disastrous. This was the last year AG was selling Felicity. So Beth ordered her months ago. Or, so she thought. She had all the packages shipped directly to my house and I put them all up on the shelves without even opening them. Them when she got here, she went through the boxes. No Felicity. Double check. Still no Felicity. She had accidently ordered the wrong thing. And that day was the very last day ever that you could order her…if she was still even available. So after a few panicked phone calls to AG, Felicity was on her way to our house the next day. At this point, Maryann knew now that she would soon be holding her beloved Felicity in her arms. 

She arrived minutes before we started our staged photo shoot. And she was lovely as she looked in the magazines. And Maryann was head over heels in love with her.

Here are pictures from our “Time” photo shoot…and the arrival of Felicity.

~cheryl

 

I love you little Jules~

~cheryl

This last weekend we worked hard outside in our yard. Planting all those thousands of bulbs that I bought last fall. Digging big holes and planting fruit trees in our orchard. I think the children picked apple, pear, plum, peach, cherry and asian pear trees. The boys hauled firewood from trees that Eric had fell. I learned how to drive a tractor. We tore out some old pipes and put in new ones down by the creek. All the children were out there with us. The sun was shining and it felt warm, especially with all the work we were doing. Even little Julia joined us. I put her in the stroller and parked her on top of the hill by the chickens. She could watch them or watch us in the orchard. She loved it. 

Friday evening Eric worked on burning one of the huge piles of yard trash. The children were all busy playing nearby. We brought out lawn chairs and roasted marshmellows. The sky was so clear and we could see thousands of stars. It was so beautiful. 

Everything about the whole day was fun. Working hard togeather, playing togeather and eating togeather. Everything except…

 

the POISON OAK

that Michael, Josh, and Maryann got into. All of the children know how to identify poison oak by now. This place was commercial grade poison oak when we bought it. It was EVERYWHERE. But Eric sprayed and sprayed and got a really good kill on most of it. But there are still a few places that he needs to spray next spring. But the problem with poison oak is that in the winter, all the leaves fall off leaving just these sticks coming up out of the ground…that are loaded with the oils that cause the reaction. So pour little Maryann, Michael, and Josh played with it as swords and ran through it. But Eric and I had no clue. Josh used the bathroom in it. And now has poison oak in places that make him a very very miserable little boy. And then there is Maryann. Because her hair is always falling in her face, she is always pushing it back. Which meant that everytime she did this while playing in the poison oak, she was wiping the oils across her face. 

On Saturday when we woke up, she had a slight redness to her face. It almost looked like maybe a reaction to some makeup or lotion that maybe she had got into.  And since we had no idea that they had been playing in the poison oak, we never even considered it.

And then Sunday came…

 

And then Monday…

 

Which I immediately called our Dr to see if we could bring her in. Her right eye was completely swollen shut and she could barely open her left. She was crying because it itched and hurt. The office had just had a cancellation and so I took her right in. Her Dr assured us that with a script of steroids, she would be feeling better by that evening. And he was right. We are now on day two of the meds and she is almost back to normal. 

Eric thought she looked like a little chinese girl, and decided to find a chinese name for her. She was thrilled with his idea and now only wants to be called by her new name, Meihua. In fact, when we went to pick up her prescription, the pharmacist asked which one was Maryann, to which she replied, “My name is not Maryann anymore, it’s Meihua.” So I had to explain to her that only to Daddy was she MeiHua, and to the Dr. and pharmacy she was still Maryann. 

Eric and his little MeiHua (pronounced Me-How, meaning beautiful flower in Chinese)

~cheryl

 

Maryann has so much fun dressing up. And now that Jules is a little bigger, she is Maryann’s new dress up friend. Maryann will go through Jules closet, find the dress she likes, and change her into it. This was their “matching dresses” as Maryann informed me.

Pretty Girls

 

And Jules is also one of Gabe’s favorite playmates too. He got the car for Christmas, and loves to push Julia around in it. The girl is going to have no fear of speed. I often have to remind the older boys to drive her slower. They like to stick Gabe and Jules both in the car and race them around the house. 

 

Eric brought home a couple of boxes of citrus from work. It was to help support a local fundraiser. The children and I love it. All the oranges, tangelos, and grapefruit their little hearts desire. This is how they like to eat their orange slices!

I am always trying to be creative in ways to deal with tattling. It happens in this house every day. So a few weeks ago, I was reading a magazine and a mom had wrote in how she handled it. She required that the child bring a written paper explaining what happened. Then she would address the problem. I liked her idea, so I implemented it immediately. I called all the children and explained that from now on, if they felt that something needed to be brought to my attention, the older ones would need to write it all down and the younger ones would have to draw a picture and explain it to me. 

So for about two weeks, not a one of them has felt it was worth their time to write or draw anything. When they would come running to me, I would just look at them and say “Go write/draw it for me”. And they would leave and never return. Now of course this does not apply to anything that is an emergency or needs my immediate attention. Like Gabe cutting up one of his good shirts. Or Josh burning matches in the bathroom and then putting them out under the water. But we went over this when I explained the new house rule to them.

So yesterday, I was folding laundry and Maryann came screaming and crying hysterically. I reminded her that she needed to draw Mommy a picture. (She is always very dramatic in whatever the situation. Not sure where she got that from. ) She turned and ran away. A few minutes later, Laura came and asked why Maryann had locked herself in Eric’s office. I made a mental note to check on her as soon as I finished folding the laundry. 

But I never had to. Soon she came back to the laundry room with a piece of paper with a drawing on it. And with the biggest tears and saddest voice she said… 

“This (pointing to the big round shape with jagged teeth and big eyes on top) is Michael. This (pointing to the oval shape with eyes and mouth on the bottom) is me. This is Michael jumping on me. This is me very sad that Michael is jumping on me.”

I try to act mature and grown up at times like this. Because I am the Mommy and she is my little girl. But no matter how hard I tried not to laugh, I just couldn’t help myself. I’m not sure even why. Maybe it was the silly drawing, that was so clearly portrayed. Those scary looking teeth and bugged out eyes. Maybe it was her utter despair and my lack of sleep for the last 15 months. Whatever the combination was, I laughed. Not at her really, but just the whole situation. Here was my 4 year old girl with this fabulous Veggie Tale drawing of how her big brother had pounced on her. The first of my children to feel the need to tattle so bad that she had spent time to draw it all out for me to see. 

I sat her on my lap. We went over the picture a few times. Talked about everything that had happened. I asked about the scary teeth and crazy big eyes. She started laughing a little. Then I called Michael in. Who immediately wanted to know what was on the paper I was looking at. So I explained it to him. Pointed out him in the drawing. And then pointed out Maryann. My mouth was twitching the whole time and Michael and Maryann were soon laughing with me. Michael apologized to Maryann for jumping on her and Maryann assured him it was all ok and that she forgave him. She asked him not to do it anymore and Michael agreed.

And then they were off to play again. I took the picture Maryann drew and after taking a picture of it, I tucked it away. I want to keep it to show her someday when she has children. And we can laugh again at it together.

~cheryl

I have been slowly working away at my kitchen. It is taking me so much longer than I had thought. Isn’t that the way it always goes? Since we have decided to wait to start remodeling, which would incorporate moving the kitchen to the other side of the house, I am just working on making the kitchen a prettier place. Because this is the room that I spend the most time in. And I love looking at the walls and and cabinets, the art and finished touches that makes a room feel warm and inviting.

So the plan for the kitchen is similar to that of the nursery.

1. Repaint cabinets black with leftover paint from nursery and then distress (instead of replacing cabinets)

2. Paint walls (with leftover paint from other rooms downstairs)

3. Paint table, chairs, and bench black (with leftover paint)

4. Paint all trim a bright white (leftover from nursery)

5. Make valances with some fabric I bought on clearance from Joann’s for $1.00/yd.

6. Keep flooring the same. I like the tiles. Except that anything glass breaks when it hits the floor. 

So far I have painted most of the walls. Painted one wall of cabinets and distressed one section. Painted the bay window trim. Designed the valances and then showed Laura how to sew them. She did great finishing up the job for me. Eric and I painted the table and chairs last weekend. Eric made the table for us before he started dental school. A friend gave us a round table and 4 chairs. The table was too small for our family of 6, so Eric bought a piece of plywood with oak on the top and made a huge oval table that clamped to the small round one. We used this all through dental school. Then at our last house, we used a smaller table in the kitchen and the children ate at the island on benches because there was no room for the table he made in the kitchen. Then in this house, we needed the table again, but no longer had the small round table to attach it to because we left it behind when we moved from California. So he found some old chunks of square wood in the shop and cut up table legs out of them and attached them to the table. The chairs that had come with the table had all fallen apart, so this past summer I picked up a couple of chairs at garage sales for $1.00/chair.  Eric had made the benches a few years ago to fit our growing family around the table. 

I am reupholstering 2 of the chairs. They were dirty and old and gross. I had found a bunch of muslin Pottery Barn pillow and chair covers this fall at a yard sale. I really had no clue what I was going to do with them, but they were 10 cents a cover so I bought them and tossed them in my box of fabric. So when I started digging through to see what I would use for the chairs, that fabric looked perfect. I bought some of the thick plastic to protect the near white fabric on a kitchen chair with 7 children using it to climb on, eat on, and maybe sometimes sit on. 

Here are a few pictures of the before and the progress so far. My goal is to be finished by the end of March….

BEFORE

Cutting a hole for my fridge. 

 

 

 

Sanding down chairs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is a receipt from some Christmas Clearance I bought at Joann’s.

Everything was 90% off and then an additional 15% on top of that.

Spent $20.24 and SAVED $ 192.08.

This is how I decorate for Christmas on a budget!!