Lately

Ivie turned 7. We our celebration was all her ideas...Chinese food eaten with chopsticks and lemon cupcakes. She finally got her American Girl doll! She worked and worked to earn enough to pay for half. What a girl. She chose "just like me" doll, which looks nothing like her, but she was very specific in what she wanted....Red hair, freckles and blue eyes. Her name is Kate. I love Ivie's unpredictable ideas!

When I only had one or two children, I always let them cook with me and we made marvelous messes. Now that we have reached a chaotic number of children, the cooking experiences are fewer for the youngest ones. But this day I had Norah help me make bread, then she played in the flour for at least an hour...measuring and leveling, scooping, spilling, looking for the hidden treasures Mom hid in the flour. She had a ball and I felt like a good mother. And the mess was ALL worth it to have her happily busy for a whole hour!

Norah takes really great pictures of random things. Here is Jane clutching a can of Spaghetti-os, licking her lips at the thought of eating such a delectable meal. Norah and Jane almost live on Spaghetti-os...at least for lunch, which kills me. I'm 'from-scratch' kinda gal, but the ease and simplicity of a 3 minute meal is just what we need sometimes.

Every one of my girls have sooner or later taken an interest in clothing. Suddenly clothes are more than bits of cloth that cover one's body. Jane is there and walks around with 1, 3, or 5 articles in her hands until she convinces me to just let her wear them. Here she is sporting jeans, 2 skirts, a onsie, 2 shirts, and one around her waist.

Another self-chosen outfit. Go Jane!

Caleb and Wes went to Arkansas to hunt with my brother and his son. Caleb got 2 deer, all by himself! He was so proud, and so was his daddy. His Uncle J worked hard to make it a good first hunting experience, and it was! Caleb has big plans to hang the antlers in his grandparent's cabin, where they are sure to draw plenty of attention. I'm glad he isn't asking to hang them in my living room.
The whole idea of hunting and killing things isn't my favorite thing, but I'm happy for the time my little guy spent with his Dad, Uncle and cousin creating memories. Guaranteed Caleb will remember this for a long time to come.