Good-bye summer!

Well... it's been a while and I was asked when I was going to post again, so here I am. We have been so busy lately it's nuts! After George and Rebecca left I had a week before Chantelle and Austin came for convention. They were here for 3 days before leaving for 5 then Austin was here for another 3 days and Chantelle stayed for another 2 weeks. We had such a good time, we hated to see it end, but yet, it was nice to be just our family again and get into the swing of things.

We have started school again, and it's going OK. Some days are better than others, but the biggest thing is we're getting Caleb's allergy meds switched to something more natural and the adjustment has been a little rough. He learns quick though and when he can focus on his work, is a joy to teach. He seems to do better after the littler kids have gone to bed and it's just me and him working together, so that's what we try to do, as much as I'd love for him to be able to do it during the day, we do what we gotta do. Caleb has started catechism and is enjoying learning it, and he learns the stories very well as his reading lessons tend to correspond with what he's doing in catechism and I try to read the corresponding story in the Bible story book for devotions at breakfast.

Daniel has also been doing school and is LOVING it! He does really well and is learning to be a little more careful when he does his work instead of rushing through and having his pages a mess when he's done. I usually have to tell him it's time to stop, or he'd keep going and going... kinda like the Energizer bunny. lol He is our logical thinker, and is constantly coming up with logical answers for problems of all kinds. Some work out, some don't but we usually get a good laugh from what comes out of his mouth. :)

Lucas isn't quite as interested in school work, which is fine. He Loves to ride his bike all the time, or just play by himself. He does really well on his own in the sandbox and you will hear him talking to himself quite often. He is improving in his speech to the point that most people can understand him better, unless he's really tired or hungry as he tends to get a little lazier then, but we are so thankful to have made it through since he had his ear tubes put in without any ear infections! YAY!

Kimberly is growing up SO fast! She loves to draw in her coloring book while the boys are working on their school work and is constantly talking. She has shown a couple times that she's starting to get interested in potty training, so we'll be getting that worked on soon. She even peed in the potty a couple weeks ago! Hasn't done it since, but hey, it's a start! She loves to love on Matthew, and likes to wake him up when he's napping, she just can't wait to play with him!

Matthew is now 7 months and just over 20 pounds! He has not started solids yet, but he's thriving on mama's milk and is developing ahead of the curve. He loves to hear himself talk,  and distinguishes between Mommy and Daddy, even calling us by our names... So cute! He has learned to sit by himself and will play that way, or he'll army crawl across the floor picking up every tiny piece of anything to see what it tastes like. He seems to really like leaves from the deck... lol He is not sleeping through the night but we have been trying different things to get him to wake up a little less. I try not to complain about it too much as this baby stage is gone so fast and I do enjoy nursing him when everyone else is asleep and it's just me and him.

I have been busy keeping up with laundry, housework and schooling. I started cloth diapering this summer and LOVE IT!!! I'm so glad I started and really have not looked back at all. My kids enjoy diaper changes now and I love the smell, feel and looks of the cloth. There's nothing quite like a batch of fluff right off the line... Yes, some might call me weird, crazy or crunchy, but I don't care, I have friends and family who love me anyway! :)

Peter has been crazy busy still! We are SO thankful for God providing him with so much work that he never has to ask himself what he's going to do that day. This summer has seemed so long because he's been working "summer hours" since April and there doesn't seem to be an end in sight. Usually by this time of year some things are winding down a little, but nope, not this year. Most nights I'm happy if he's able to be in the house after supper before 10. He makes a conscious effort to be in for supper and about an hour or so after to help with the kids getting ready for bed, just so he can actually spend some time with them. He also tries to take one or 2 boys along with him when he can, and they think it's great! I keep telling them that next time it's my turn to go, but they don't let me... ;)

Anyway, this post should satisfy any curiosity about what we've been up to and whether we're even still here! LOL I'll try post more often, but can't guarantee that it'll be anything too regular.