Fire Station Field Trip

Year two of homeschool is progressing quite well if I do say so myself. Both Annie and Elias are slightly ahead of where they need to be which makes me feel much more at ease for when the baby comes. In addition to be super star students this year, we also are more adventuresome! We have many during the week, day time activities including our new field trip coop we joined! Its a pretty simple set up, each member plans( at least) one field trip and you look at the ones that are planned and rsvp to the ones that interest you. Naturally, I am planning the police station tour which isn't scheduled until the spring but we went on our first one of the year last week!!!! Brandon was thrilled to hear that we would be touring the Grand Forks Fire Station. 

I had fully planned on taking all four kids by my pregnant self, at the last minuet Brandon decided he could stay up and come with us and it was a good thing he did, Samuel HATED it, which of course made Brandon very happy. The tour is basically what you would expect. It was less hands on then I think we would have all liked, it would have been cool to play in the vehicles longer or put on some of the gear but it was still fun none the less. The kids got to see the fire men get dressed, hear the sirens and ask lots of questions. They climbed in a truck and got to see lots and lots of equipment. I'm not sure why Samuel hated it so much, I think he was just scared and overwhelmed but he didn't disrupt the tour too much and between Brandon and I we managed it just fine and fun was had by the rest!

We decided to throw caution to the wind and we went to perkins for a muffin...which turned into everyone ordering real food at 10:30. It was a very early very unplanned lunch but yummy and fun!

I wasn't really sure if the kids had enjoyed the field trip, but given that they have been playing fire man NON stop since then sooo I think its safe to say they LOVED it, sorry Brandon!

Hey, at least here they had on police tops too:)

Our next planned field trip is to the Pumpkin Patch which I am SUPER excited about!

Pregnancy Update 29 weeks

29 weeks

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 29 Weeks

Size of baby: According to babycenter.com BabyE is the size of a cauliflower

Total Weight Gain/Loss: + 22 lbs 

Maternity Clothes: Yes Please. I love them...if you didn't figure that out by now

Gender: Baby Boy!

Movement: For sure! Before I just felt little kicks and punches and now he is starting to roll across my stomach! I guess he is getting bigger( but hopefully not 10lbs big like Elias, or even 9 like Samuel)

What I miss: The ability to exercise without feeling like putting on my shoes was the exercise!

Sleep: Really well as long as the boys don't keep waking up at the butt crack of dawn!

Symptoms: Nothing really, third trimester is treating me really well so far.

Cravings: Just my morning dose of caffeine

Best Moment this week: Having Annie and Elias really feel the baby kick and punch. Their little faces are so excited when it happens. I am also really excited we have decided on a name!!! Just kidding its hopeless, I am out of options.

What I am looking forward to: Finishing the nursery!!!! It is sooooo close I can't wait to see it finished!

New Cuisine

The last month or so I felt like I had really fallen into a rut with meal planning. Over the course of the last 9 years I have cooked my moms classics, random recipes I found online, we did e-meals for awhile but even after all of that, I still felt like I was making the same thing over and over. Enter pintrest. The most wonderful terrible place online! In addition to looking for new things to make for breakfast/lunch/dinner, I wanted them to be healthier and to me that meant containing less processed foods ingredients. Brandon is in a constant battle with his weight and I want to help him win that battle at the dinner table. 

I am also cooking for 6, or 7 or even 8 depending on if Jordan or Kellie happen to be here for dinner, so I wanted lost cost meals as well. After literally HOURS on pintrest week after week, I have complied quite the list of yummy new recipes. I deleted the ones that sucked( um quinoa pizza bites, I'm talking about you),but all the ones that remain on my pintrests boards I have tried and are super yummy. Almost every single oven baked one I made in advanced over nap and stuck in the fridge until dinner time, so even working parents can make these! Anyways, I thought since I am super awesome I would share some of these with the world, and save you hours of your life! I am far to lazy to attach pictures so you will just have to use your imagination :)

One skillett italian sausage pasta 

30 minuets, 5 ingredients, super yummy

Tater Tot casserole

No condensed soup used and so so so delicious, I prefer it leaps and bounds to the traditional recipe, although this one isn't too different!

Green Chicken Enchilada Casserole

This is so much healthier then my usual enchilada recipe. No cream cheese or heavy cream and equally delicious.

Chicken Parmeasan Pasta Bake

Not super "healthy" but much better then a version I used to make so we shall call it a win!

Lasagna Roll Ups

SO SO SO SO SO SO SO GOOD!!!!!!! I have a delicious recipe from my mom for a really cheesy lasagna and now I actually prefer this...hands down. So much less fat and calories, did I mention is was amazing?

Homemade spaghettios

A lunch time favorite. I usually make some meatballs with it and call it a very successful lunch. This has been one of our favorites for over a year now. so yummy!

Baked Ziti

If you can't tell, we really like pasta and Italian foods, this was a much lighter version to the one I usually make and once again, I now prefer this one. 

Slow cooker Beef and Bell Peper I can't do chunks of beef still ( the ex vegetarian in me just can't handle it) and the kids didn't really love it either but the normal adults all thought it was super yummy.

Slow cooker quinoa enchilada bake

We made this on a Friday when we don't eat meat and it was scary at first but once it was ready we used it as a dip with some homemade tortilla chips and oh my my was it amazing!

Homemade hot pockets

Another win, they taste like the regular ones but way less stuff I can't pronounce and actually cheaper 

Homemade granola bars I haven't done the calories on this but they are amazing and much cheaper and with how fast my kids plow through granola bars, they are so worth it. 

Homemade soft pretzles

Stop what you are doing right now and make these, right now. NOW!!!!

Sweet and sour chicken I didn't try this but I was told it was devoured and amazing and told to make it all day every day, so I think that means it was good. 

Have I mentioned we like cheese..and pasta, yum... 

I have made a lot of salads that are pinned but those are boring, although good, but a salad is a salad to me. Now a healthier cheesier pasta, that's exciting! Anyways if you make anything I suggest the pretzels or the spaghettios or the sweet and sour chicken, then again I have the taste buds of a child so...

French Fry Feed

Since I have stopped coaching, I have pretty much stopped attending all festivities associated with various athletic events. The exception seems to be our annual french fry feed which is held during potato bowl week. There is a factor in town which supplies all the french fries to McDonalds and they donate pounds and pounds of french fries for the public to consume....for free...YUM! Even though Brandon's schedule is crazy now, we decided we wanted to try to go still. Kellie and Jordan were over to help feed the kids dinner ( and get Elias from basketball). The timing worked out great and as soon as Brandon got home from teaching, we were pretty much able to head out. When we got there, we saw the biggest lines I have ever seen, and this is coming from someone who has been to this even about 15 times! We thankfully found the last line which was the furthest away from the parking thus( in my opinion) the shortest line. It moved quickly and the kids kept us entertained by talking, trying to run away and creating super hero scenes.

We got a few baskets of french fries and sat down for a bit to enjoy them. The kids ate their fair share, but no one ate more then Samuel. He didn't really like what we had for dinner and must have been starving or something because he was just shoving fistfuls of fries in his mouth! After the stuffing of fries was completed, we headed to the stage in time to hear a couple of the coaches talk and catch up with a former cheerleader who was there( we checked out the cheer and dance teams as well!) We were at the feed for about an hour, then we headed home. It was a fun evening and Brandon and I were glad to have Kellie and Jordan on hand to help entertain the little during the waiting!

The French Fry Feed is always on a Thursday with a pancake feed, parade and big game on Saturday. Kellie got tickets to the pancake feed through work and asked if we wanted to go. Brandon was working so Kellie and I braved the crowds and took the kids. They all did great! Even with all the syrup and learning how to drink out of school milk cartons, we still managed to leave the tables not a total disaster. The kids were well behaved and all was peaceful, until Samuel decided it was time to leave then there was really no stopping him.We threw plates away, chased him down, wiped off the table, chased him down, shoved the last bites of pancakes in mouths, chased him down. Finally he got his way and we were all ready to leave, bellies full of yummy pancakes!

Kellie and I even managed to convince Brandon to watch all four kids in the evening( usually the most challenging part of the day) so we could catch some of the game! Its always a little bit odd sitting in the stands having nothing to do with the event. After being on the sidelines and in tune with every time out and little thing happening for SO long, it is also really nice to have zero responsibilities! It was enjoyable for awhile but after the halftime show we called it good. All that waking up early and eating pancakes had caught up to us and we were tired! 

As I pulled into the driveway, I got a text from Brandon saying Samuel had pooped in the tub. Naturally, I backed the heck out and drove away as fast as I could before anyone could see me. I drove around for about 7 minuets before returning home JUST as Brandon had finished cleaning up the mess. I thought I was so clever and just kept giggling I had to disclose to Brandon what I had done.Luckily he thought it was funny and I got out of cleaning up poop! A great day all around.

Nursery Project 4

Words can not express how happy I am to have this project done! When I decided to recover the rocking chair, I thought it would be quick and easy and look great. I was wrong in pretty much every area! I started with several dirty pieces of cushions and fabrics, see how pretty:) I tore them apart at the seems and kept the fabric so I could make new "patterns" with the old coverings. Then things got hard.  Up first, was the ottoman cushion. My thought was to make everything washable, thus it all had to have a way to go on and off. Every piece got a zipper which made getting the fit perfect all that much more difficult for me for some reason! The ottoman had piping around the top that I tried to recreate and it just didn't go well, at all! Long story short, I made the covering too small and had to cut down the size of the cushion and now parts of the ottoman show but it is what it is! Next was the arm coverings and seat cushion. These were easy to do and I thought turned out quite well! The best two pieces by far!

Lastly I made the chair back cushion. I went to lay out the fabric to cut the pattern and I was definitely short! I headed back to the store only to find out the fabric was seasonal and discontinued!!!! I had half  of a rocking chair recovered, what was I going to do!! The nice lady at Joann's told me if I had my receipt( which thankfully I did) I could look up the item number online and reorder. I was able to get the rest of the fabric super clearance online PLUS free shipping!!! Score! Onto the chair back. You see, the original covering  were all factory made and sewn and looked wonderful with pretty seems and what not, my little machine just could not handle it! I tried, I somewhat succeeded, I got creative ,I got mad, but in the end, I ended up with functional( but not super pretty) new coverings. For the back, I used all the old padding and stuffing and recreated the general outline of the original back, then created a cover that I could just slip on and off for easy washing. All in all the chair was my greatest challenge and if I ever decided to redo the fabric again, I will just buy all new cushions and start from scratch! The good news is the chair only cost me about $16 to recover :) That's a winner in my book! 

Note to self, don't let the kids play on and around the chair right before you take the big "after photo!"

Road Trip

A couple of weekends ago the family made plans to pack up and head to Bemidji for the day to visit Grandma and Jeff! The kids had all been sick and thankfully were feeling much better by the time Saturday rolled around. The same could not be said for me! Being pregnant and sick is such a double whammy. You have a crappy immune system and on top of that you can't take any of the good drugs to help you get over it. After careful thought, I decided to stay home ( I mean really who wants to ride in a car with someone who is coughing so hard they vomit, not pretty). I was sad to see the van pull out for what would surly be a fun day at the lake, but I was very happy I got lots of pictures of all the happenings!

The kids got to Bemidji just in time for lunch( Samuel even napped for a tiny bit on the car ride). They had a quick lunch of sandwiches, played for a little bit then hit up the beach! Annie found a tree to climb, which of course I would have never let her( when mom's away!) Samuel sat and played in the sand as usual and Elias spent most of his time in the water. Benjamin wasn't too fond of the water but eventually warmed up to it and all had a merry good time.

There was water toys, snacks and lots of adults to play with. Everyone had a great time but eventually it was time to head back to Jeff's.

Jeff found a bunch of toys from when his boys were younger, and the kids had a wonderful playing with them ( and Daddy, Uncle, Grandma) until dinner. Everyone ate then headed home around 7.

It was a long day, but all the kids had a wonderful time, so did the adults! Hopefully next summer another illness doesn't ruin my beach fun!

Quarantined Kids need fun too!

It is no secret that our first week of school was a pretty miserable one. The schooling itself went great but every one was sick, crabby and just generally miserable. To make matters worse, it was the last week of summer for the neighborhood kids and they were outside playing while we were stuck inside. I had intended to have the kids outside during recess and after they were done with school but they were just too sick! 

This is where Brandon and I disagree. I know you can't avoid germs and I'm not trying, I just think when you have a child who is so visibly sick with a running nose that won't stop, sneezing constantly and the cough of a smoker, that child doesn't need to go around other kids. I kept my kids quarantined inside for 4 days and only let them out once their sicki symptoms reduced greatly. In the meantime, Brandon felt sorry for the kids. We did let them play in the backyard when they were up to it, but I shooed neighborhood kids away if they tried to join us. I didn't need to infect the neighborhood so their kids would miss the first week of school!

Brandon was out back watering the yard and decided it was a perfect hot day to get our sick kids soaking wet. They had a blast! I think Brandon may have been having a bit too much fun, check out his facials!!! He is such a nurturing father. 

This one is my favorite, Poor Benjamin was on the receiving end of this, good thing they love their daddy and playing water games with him, or this could be considered cruel!

I am pleased to say our house is illness free, for now! Also as a disclaimer, if your kids are sick, I don't mean a sniffle or a cough every once in a while but I am talking needing many tissues, constant cough and or a fever, they aren't stepping foot in my house:) Being sick and pregnant is hard enough, having four kids who are also sick is downright miserable!

August Cell Phone Pictures

Our last month of summer was a fun one! Lots of park trips, time with friends, water fun, school and activities. There was also a healthy mix of Uncle Jordan/kid time and lots of family fun. 

 The world is a gym to annie

 Benjamin is still obsessed with the ice bucket challenge

 Elias discovered a love for Geo-caching

 We had an impromtu breakfast to Perkins after dropping Elias off at school

 New dress up clothes for annie

 Final softball game until next year, when we have 5 kids to tote!

 Garage sale at Grammy's meant play time for Benjamin and Samuel 

 Splash park fun 

 Farmers markets

 naps with daddy 

 Pool fun

 so much ice cream 

 Elias started OT again

 Benjamin and Samuel finally like each other!!!

 Summer LEGO club 

 Crazy kids waiting for To-Go at Olive Garden

 Park with friends

 BACK TO SCHOOL 

"Recess" Trips to the park with friends