Saturday at Albrquerque Aquarium

Last Friday my husband suggested that we go to the Albuquerque Aquarium Saturday and do some shopping. I am not one to make sudden plans, but I liked the idea and set to work getting things ready. We left home at 6am – a small miracle for a family with four young ones! We got to the Aquarium by 10am and spent a few hours looking at the fish and taking photos. It was fun to listen to the comment of the kids. It is amazing what they come up with. Abby told me that the mouth of the rays looks like a zipper.

After the Aquarium we went to the Botanical Garden which had an area for kids. It had normal garden items made extra large so you felt like an ant walking through the area. The kids were slightly scared at first. There was a dragon statue at the entrance and a large bee that buzzed when you passed it. But they soon got over their fear and were climbing on everything.

Beth had fun running around. The wheel on my stroller broke so we didn’t have a stroller to keep her strapped in. She loved the freedom.

After that we went to a surveyor’s store for my husband, then on to thrift stores to get clothes and books. We also stopped at a used bookstore, but I didn’t buy anything.

Birthday

It is hard to believe how quickly a year passes. My little baby has turned one! She is not little anymore and she loves to be down to explore. She still snuggles with me in bed at night, but is busy keeping up with the bigger kids during the day. Here are recent photos of her and the family party we had Saturday.

First Egg

I was very excited to find a fresh brown egg in the nest box this morning. I have missed fresh eggs ever since the dogs killed my hens. My chicks are now old enough to lay!!
We used it today to make cupcakes, and it had a double yoke - twins! Now I need a rooster.

The Egg

The Hens - they look too much alike to name them all, but a few do have names.Their home that my talented husband built

Something to laugh about

Kids say the cutest and funniest things sometimes. I love listening to my kids. They have a great imagination.

Recently during Bible time when I was asking for their prayer request here is what they said. Josiah said to pray for baby Hailee (an 18m old from our church that is in the hospital). Robert said to pray for a bigger van and for us to have more kids to fill it. He still wants a boy baby! Abby wanted to pray for everyone to have more babies. .

Later that day at lunch time I went around the table asking them what they wanted to plant in the garden next spring. Robert said, "Carrots and corn." Abby said, "I want peas and watermelon." Josiah quickly added, "Spam and eggs!"

Christmas photos

Beth was laying on the floor playing with someone's toy. She was very content just laying there on her back so I took her picture.We opened our presents on Christmas Eve. I helped the kids buy little gifts for each other. They had a lot of fun buying and wrapping gifts, and it gave me some one-on-one time with them. Grandma brought gifts the day after Christmas.We spent Christmas day with my sister and some friends in Colorado. Aunt Becky went sledding with the kids. Her husband drove the ATV and pulled the sled. Robert rode once, but Abby kept going over and over again. They finally bribed her to quit by telling her there was hot chocolate inside.It was very beautiful and snow covered there.

It may be a while before I blog again. I feel like I have nothing interesting to share and I should be busy with the kids and housework instead of wasting time on the computer.

Thanksgiving

We had a good Thanksgiving. We have so much to be thankful for. At the top of our list is family, friends, home, Bible, and salvation.
We stretched our celebration out over three days. Wednesday I cooked a big meal while the guys (Gabe and Rueben) were at work, and the kids were coloring turkeys or playing computer games (after finishing their chores). We ate our thanksgiving meal Wednesday evening before going to church. We have done it this way for several years, and I really like it. In past years we have done different projects or gone hiking, if the weather is good.
Thursday we had a nice home cooked breakfast and then headed out to the Bisti Wilderness to go hiking. The weather was cool, but when hiking in the wilderness that is a very good thing. The sun was very bright and the kids soon took off their coats. The kids hiked for about two hours, and Gabe and Rueben went a little further before returning to the van. We had dinner at Gabe's mom's house, then came home and played games like Dutch blitz.
Friday we went in to town to check out some of the black Friday deals, but soon gave up, too many people for my liking. After lunch of turkey sandwiches we went to the Four Corners. We had read about it in a library book, and the kids wanted to see it.

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Elisabeth with potatoes all over her face.Starting our hike in Bisti WildernessBeth enjoyed the ride!

Nice photo of Rueben!This is what we went to see.Exploring the badlandsThe kids found a bit of snow on the northside of the hills.Four Corners

I hope you all had a good Thanksgiving as well. We set up our Christmas tree and the kids are now all excited about Christmas.

Organizing and controling the toys

Have you ever noticed that toys seem to multiply as the children grow. The toys get smaller and have more pieces, too.
A few months ago my husband pointed out that the toys were taking over the house. He was right. They would take out all their toys at the beginning of each day and then whine and complain when it came time to clean up. My husband wanted to get rid of the toys. That thought crossed my mind a few times, but I resisted the urge to throw everything away. I do purge the toys from time to time. I also have noticed the most popular toy is usually new or the one that they haven't played with for a long time.
I attacked the problem with an idea I got from “Managers of their Home” by Steve and Teri Maxwell, which I purchased from Titus2.com. It was suggested to get out only one kind of toy for a certain length of time. I sorted all the toys one day during nap/quiet time, and then put the containers up high, very high – Abby likes to climb up to get things.
I get down one box for them to play with at a time. Sometimes I let the one who finished his/her chores first chose the toy for the day. If they come and say they want a different toy, I make them clean up all the pieces to what they have out, then I put it up and get a different one down. They learn quickly. They now come and tell me, “We picked up all the cars. Can we have the people?”
This has greatly cut back on the toy clutter. We still have some toys through out the house, but it is much easier to pick up since they are not ALL out.
I am constantly looking for ideas to better organize my home and my life. I get so much more done when things are in order.

Let all things be done decently and in order. - 1 Corinthians 14:40