Pumpkin Patch 2011

The boys and I went to the pumpkin patch a while back, and what a great time we had! There were many new things to do and try and play with, so the boys were nearly beside themselves trying to figure out what to do first. We ate hot dogs and cotton candy (two huge no nos at this house except about once a year) they went sliding down the hugs slides on burlap sacks, frolicked in the sunshine and came home happy with their choice of pumpkins. Derek liked the Hamster Wheel, the slides and the tricycle track the best. Pat picked the tractors that he could climb up and pretend to drive, the slides and the ducky game, mostly because he likes to get wet. David liked the hook on a wire that you had to swing up onto a hook (and he was quite good at, as well) the slides and the gerbil tunnels. I thought the tractor tire tic-tac-toe game was quite clever and I also enjoyed the Mystical Grove (a shaded tunnel that has misting hoses in it...get it? MYSTICAL??) Anywho, at the end of the day, we came home tired, a little sunburned and a lot happy with our day.
PS> Jodi has my camera right now, so I'll have to add the pics later, but I wanted to get this posted while I had a chance : )

Happy Birthday 'Shua!

I'm not AS late with this one, but still tardy. Happy 23rd Birthday 'Shua! We didn't get to spend the day together, of course, but we did have a nice chat. I am so proud of him and Lauren doing so well up there in IL. Working hard, loving each other and enjoying their families up there. It's good, even if I do miss them terribly. Hugs to you, Young Man. You deserve every bit of happiness you can find. I love you!

Fall Into Reading Question 2

How often do you re-read books? What does it take to make you re-read?

Oh goodness, I DO love to reread some of my books, over and over again. At my house, books are friends and you wouldn't just have tea with a good friend and then never do it again, would you?
Although, let's be honest, some books are a one time read, and some should have never been read at all, but most are worth at least a few reads, and some never grow old. For me, this is what makes the cut over and over again.
~ The Bible: NEVER grows old, and the Lord uses it to teach me new things each time I read it. As 2 Timothy 3:16 says, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. AMEN and amen.
~Anything ever written by Janette Oake, Al and Joanna Lacy, Lori Wick, Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins, and several other Christian fiction writers. Just makes the story come alive and become part of you.
~Informational books about parenting, family, homeschool, homesteading, marriage, and the like.
Books that make me laugh.

This is in response to a series over at www.callapidderdays.com Come on over and join us as we Fall Into Reading

Fall Into Reading Question 1

How much do book reviews influence your decision to acquire and/or read a book?
~ Not much I suppose. I don't know those people writing them, so their opinion means little to me. And quite generally, I don't even read them, so even less influence. I read the blurb in the front page or the back and decide if it looks good or not.

This post is a response to questions being asked over at Callapidder Days' Fall Into Reading Series. Join us!

Homeschooling Updates HERE

Just a reminder. If you are looking for a homeschool only post, check out www.homeschooledhooligans.blogspot.com That's where I put them, when I remember to write them : )

Starnes' Boys Pictures

James and Titus love to come hang out on Game Night. We have a ball all playing together. Patrick is a favorite playmate since he's so fun! In fact, one of Titus' first words was PAT : )

Enter the Starnes' boys: Superman and Mr T. Love the hat, Mr T!

Camping is the BEST. THING. EVER!!

A few weeks ago, we took the boys camping for the first time. Yes, we've slept in tents in the backyard, in the LR, in our bedrooms, and even in friends' backyards, (and for a short while, Patrick 'lived' in one in the house) just never in the wild. D and P were just about old enough to take 'real' camping when we were expecting DT, so we had to wait another several years so he was old enough. Anywho, we've been saying we want to go for a while and just haven't gotten around to it. SO, we just up and decided to go as a fun way to kick off David's birthday. We packed and drove up over the Organ Mountains, and drove way into the Aguirre Springs Park and found a cozy little campsite away from the other people there, and made camp. 2 tents, a newly formed fire rock ring, lots of collecting firewood, and tons of schlepping bags and coolers up a hill, we were ready to do some camping. Later that night as we sat around a fire of glowing embers, while clutching gooey S'mores and laughing together, I thought to myself, "Now I know why people pack up, leave town and go camping. Because THIS is a good as it gets. No electronics to distract from conversations, just family, beautiful nature and plenty of time to enjoy them both." The boys just loved it and are already pestering about when and where we can go again. They played capture the flag, followed hiking trails, chased bugs and lizards, laughed and whispered in their tent, got to eat HOT DOGS, and discussed the best way to make the perfect S'more. Dan and I enjoyed the quiet night without computers, TV, garage projects, or dinner dishes getting in the way. There really IS nothing like sitting around a campfire laughing and chatting with those you hold near and dear. I could wax eloquent about it for far too long I am sure, but I'll just suffice it to say that we are hooked and will definitely be doing it again soon. I'll add some pics for you to enjoy and you too, can feel like you went camping with us, without the lack of running water part : )

Blessings,

Kristy

October Catching Up Post

Goodness, has 3 weeks gone by AGAIN without a single post? Phew, life gets busy here at the Man Crew house sometimes and living life is more important than blogging. Anywho, just a quick recap of the last few weeks. Let's start with...

GREETINGS FROM SUNNY AND WARM NEW MEXICO. We're still enjoying upper 80s and low 90s temps most days, but truly enjoying low 60s for the overnight hours. Great weather!

• Dan is still looking for work, although he's staying busy working on projects with friends, helping people move, hanging out with the boys, and enjoying some extra sleep here and there.
• David turned 14 on the 3rd of October. Where DOES the time go? He enjoyed his birthday game night, and we went camping the weekend of his birthday.
• Pat is getting so tall and is already looking forward to his 13th birthday that is rapidly approaching. He's really missing James and Titus each day now that they aren't coming as often. His drawings are getting better, and he's loving our weekly trips to the library. He always checks out his fill of cartoon books, plus 1 educational book (per my request) 2 movies and 1 CD so he can get to know some new music. He's such a creature of habit (little like his mama that way)
• Derek is really liking school. We're making crafts, writing letters and sounding out words. So. Much. Fun! He's busy as usual with riding bikes, enjoying game night, jumping on the trampoline, chasing his brothers, playing with the cat, and just being him : )
• I finally got that rest I've been wanting. Spent last Saturday evening at the ER with what I thought was appendicitis. Turns out, thankfully that it was *just* a viral infection that was making my lymph glands in my abdomen swell and mimic the symptoms of appendicitis. So I got a lovely script for some Vicadin and spent the next two days laying on the couch drooling on myself. Dan and the boys took excellent care of me, cleaned the house and kept everyone fed and happy so I could rest. The next few days were led mostly from the couch as well, and I've now got 'real world' experience that school can be done from the couch, instead of just a hunch : )
• I also talked just this week with a dear 'old' friend (like from high school days) that I recently re-discovered on FB, and she called this week and we laughed about old times, where life has taken us and how it rarely becomes what we think. GOOD TIMES, what a wonderful time of catching up it was.
• My parents are COMING!! They've been saying for years that they're going to become snow birds and stay the winters here in NM, but it's just never panned out. This year seems to be the year, and even though it's still 2 months away, I find myself stopping at least once a day and thinking aloud, "They're coming! They're REALLY coming!!" Not only for my own enjoyment of course, but for the kids, they miss PaPa and Grma so much, and can't wait for them to get here.
• Game Night lives on. Some weeks we have 8, sometimes 20 and no matter how many we have, it's always fun. Uno, Farkle, Skip Bo, sometimes Chess, Bananagrams, Fluxx, Phase 10, Spades and a few random others grace the tables. We eat veggies with dip, chips with salsa, bean dip or cheese goo, cake if it's a BIRTHDAY Game Night, and laugh ourselves silly. It's great!

I think that's it for major updates, and I'll post some pics soon. Thanks for the love.

Blessings,

Kristy and the Man Crew