Amy Mumford and I had a blast decorating Caleb's new conference room/ library.  Need help decorating? Amy's website is http://amystageright.googlepages.com/

Family Life has been broadcasting on aggressive girls going after pre-teen and teenage boys.  I have found that to be our experience with a middle schooler and want to recommend the article on it. 

Last Monday, Caleb happened to go out to the barnyard moments after our first calf had been born.  He sent up flares, so to speak, and we all ran out there with the camera.
The calf is all wet here having just been "borned" , as the boys say.
So cute!

It's name is Samson.
Nursing the first time


And here are our goats:
Their names are Muncher and Fireball.

Finally, here is my view from my computer desk. 

I'm always asked variations on this question and I never know how to answer.  Here is a picture of life with 5 boys:  We came home from church yesterday with 4 or 5 palm branches.  The boys pulled all the leaves of all the branches and spread them all over the living room floor.  Then they turned the branches into swords and fought with them until they were pulverized.  That is what it is like.

Here is proof Q is a real two year old:
He found an open bag on Hershey's Kisses and went and got the nursing stool by my rocking chair, carried it over to the table the bag was on and started eating,  When I discovered him (I don't think he'd had more than one or two), I told him no and took the bag and put it on top of the fridge.  He cried and wined.  He then carried the nursing stool over to the fridge (these stools are only a few inches tall) and tried to reach the bag.  I told him no again, (he's crying all the time) and picked him up only to have him start hitting me and yelling, "Mama!  Mama!"

His class at church has a sign outside the door which reads "Terrific Twos."  Apparently someone of his brothers has read this sign to T (age 5) because on Sunday when we picked Q up, and he happily ran out to us laughing, T said, "He's always happy when he comes out of Amazing Twos!" 

We now have three Herefords!  Two are pregnant.  Here are the answers to the most FAQ:

1. They are for beef not milk.
2. We are going to butcher the non-pregnant one and then use the calves that are not yet born for beef also. (It sounds better to say "butcher" than "kill" for some reason.
3. We will have a bunch of beef to sell.
4. The mom cows will then be used to have more babies next year.
5. We will probably use artificial insemination, not a live bull.

Yesterday, I was completing my Aldi run with four children, I realized at the checkout that Q had a dirty diaper.  I asked the checker if they had a changing table in their restroom- no.  I did not want to put him on the floor.  (NOTE to all business owners who want to attract parents of small children:  Please install a diaper deck in the restroom.)  I took the kids and the groceries out to the van and began to change Q on the floor.  The temp outside was 22 degrees.  But Q did not grumble or complain about the arctic air on his bottom.  I reached for the wipes I keep in there and they were frozen solid.  I tried to pull the top one off to no avail.  I mulled over my options.  I live quite a ways from Aldi but I have several friends in the area- one who would surely be home with her littles napping and have wipes.  I called her.  No answer.  I packed everyone else up and drove to another friends house who probably wouldn't have wipes, but would be homeschooling.  Bingo.  Little Q got his diaper changed with wet paper towels and he was cheerful the whole time until it was time to leave- they had a double trike thing that he desperately wanted to play with.  So the moral is, always bring your wipes inside when it is below freezing.

On another topic, my dear cousin-in-law and college cohort has started a blog here.  Check it out.

Read a good article on Christmas by our friend Tony.

our playmobil nativity scene


our kids' stockings


Our nativity scene on the piano

the kids use this to countown daily to the big day


our Christmas books


our Christmas Cds

I can see from the comments from my last post that I need to explain a little more about Aldi.
Aldi is an international supermarket chain that began in Germany in 1913 and in the US in 1976. 

Reasons I love Aldi:
It is small so I can get my large shopping done in much less time than it takes at any other store.
My bill is much lower than if I bought the same things elsewhere!
If I have a question about where to find a product, I can always find an employee who actually knows the answer.
Aldi does not provide free plastic sacks.  I hate throwing those things away so I end up saving them and reusing them at Aldi.  Reduce Reuse Recycle!  Even with shopping at Aldi, we always have too many of those sacks so I'm glad to not bring home new ones but to use the ones I already have.
The carts are extra large so I can fit lots of stuff in them.
They carry mainly their own brand of everything so there is no time wasted standing in the aisle wondering which aluminum foil is the best deal.  There is only one brand- and it is the best deal!

Some things you must be aware of before shopping there the first time:
►They only take cash or debit.  No exceptions.
►You must bring a quarter.  To use a shopping cart requires a quarter inserted in the slot near the handle.  Then when you return a cart at the conclusion of your visit, you get a quarter back.  (It will not be your same cart or quarter.)  Here is a tip:  Save a quarter in your vehicle somewhere just for the purpose of Aldi shopping.  I often see people wasting their time walking around the parking lot asking people to trade them a quarter for two dimes and a nickel or some such equivalent.  Also the cashiers will do the trade, but be prepared! Think ahead!  You need a quarter so always have one in the van and then put it back in its spot at the end of your visit.
►Be prepared to box up or sack your own groceries.  When all the kids help it goes fast.  I usually make some kids sack with me and another kid is in charge of taking care of the baby (or toddler as he is quickly becoming.)
►Be prepared with your leftover sacks from other stores or to buy sacks from Aldi.  Paper sacks = 5 cents, Large Plastic= 10 cents and Insulated Plastic for cold/frozen foods are $1.  (I always take one of those with me because it takes about half an hour to get home and get my cold stuff in the freezer/fridge.)
They have limited hours. Here are the hours of the store I shop at: Monday-Friday 9am - 8pm, Saturday 9am - 8pm, Sunday 10am - 7pm.  I used to love they they were completely closed every Sunday but a couple of years ago they added the Sunday hours.  Try to avoid shopping there on weekends- the lines can be very long.
►Try to only shop there when you have a lot to buy.  It is much more time efficient to get a lot of groceries once or twice a month that to get a few things every week.

Here are a couple of links to check out:
http://aldi.us/us/html/company/company_what_is_aldi_ENU_HTML.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aldi

http://www.moneysavingmom.com/2007/11/input-requested-is-aldi-worth-trip.html