A visit with Babo

Last week I was in downtown Florence and found myself with some extra time so I dropped in on Babo (Grandma).  We had a nice visit and I was glad she recognized me with the beard on my face.  We talked about many of our usual topics such as the number of children I have, the price for catholic schools and then back to the number of children I have.  It was a very nice visit and I enjoy spending time with her. -- Adam

Picking out a Christmas Tree

It was about 60 degrees today and slightly damp when we picked out our Christmas Tree.  We first went to three stores to get colored lights, then went down to Covington to see Sarah finish her first 5K.  After a lunch at McDonald's in Burlington, we arrived at the Boone County Farmer's Market to get a Christmas tree from Kinman Farms. 

 

We had a nice time picking it out and an even better time decorating later.  When everything was said and done, we concluded the evening with hot chocolate and candy canes before watching a few Year in Review videos.  Good times...

Santa Claus in Burlington

Tonight we went to Burlington to visit with Santa Claus. We've been going for at least 4 years. Santa was indoors this year due to the rain, but we still had a nice time.
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Dr. Sabrina

We have noticed that Sabrina has a certain knack for animals. Here she is using a stethoscope to give Stella a quick checkup before leaving Thanksgiving dinner.

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Scouting for deer

This morning the kids don't have school because of the presidential election. So, we are out in the woods scouting for deer instead. Seems to be a great way to celebrate the constitutional amendment on the ballot preserving hunting as a right in Kentucky.

There isn't much scouting going on since the kids are more interested in eating the snacks we packed. But, this is hopefully a good memory for them with their dad.

So far, we have been stared down by a mama cow, chased around the field by 2 donkeys, nearly hit a 6 point buck on our way to the farm and heard several turkeys in the roost. Oh yeah, and we've consumed some water, rice krispy treats, a fruit roll-up and some cookies. Good times...

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Caption Contest

So, what do you think is happening in this photo? Any caption ideas immediately pop into your head?

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Wool Fest 2012

We didn't get to Wool Fest last year ... but we certainly made up for it this year.  We all had a good time looking at the crafts and animals in Pendleton County. 

We learned that they play mostly Gospel music on the large stage if you attend Wool Fest on Sunday's.  In the past we've heard more bluegrass.

Takin' it to the streets

 We went to this quaint town in Bracken County for a little Sunday getaway.  Ice cream was served and all had a good time. 

Oktoberfest 2012

We went to St Tim's Oktoberfest tonight w/Granny and Grandpops. After eating some German cuisine we went to the rides. After the slides, we grabbed some Holy Donuts and headed home.

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Sabrina Ballerina

On Tuesday, Adam took off work to spend time at home helping get the house ready for sale. (More on that later.)  Because Annette is the superior painter in the family, Adam took Sabrina and Molly to Sabrina's dance lessons. 

Here are a few of the shots Adam snapped. 

Ice Cream Cone Consumption

Its ice cream night at Howardland. Molly demonstrates how to eat the cone starting at the bottom. She was following Clara's lead. Sabrina works slowly thru her cone while Christopher celebrates being finished first. Good times...


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Starting Second Grade

And here's a photo of Christopher on his first day of Second Grade.  As soon as he met his teacher, Ms. Kelly, he told her about his missing tooth. 

Back to school!

What you see if a young kindergartner preparing for her first day at school.  What you don't see is the tattoos concealed by her socks. 

Lucy by window light

Annette caught this photo of Lucy hanging out by the window a few weeks ago.  She's tall enough now to pull herself up to see what's going on outside.

First Day of School

Here's a quick snapshot of Christopher and Clara going to school this morning. This was snapped as we were sitting at a red light.

Clara is officially in Kindergarten, and Christopher is in second grade. Everyone did exceptionally well so far. More photos to come.
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Horses at the Fair

On Monday night, Sabrina, Molly, Lucy and I went to the Boone County Fair. Sabrina wanted to see horses so we dropped by the under 6 Western Horse Show.
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More finger food

Lucy can eat refried beans all by herself. She doesn't even need a utensil!
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Another Chalk Fest Photo

A friend at the Chalk Fest snapped this photo and sent it along.  Here I am with all my kiddoes.  They got up from their nap a little early so I decided to take them up the Chalk Festival without their mom.  Let’s just say for $4 in water, $1 in chalk and $11.50 in cupcakes … peace can be purchased.

Lucy eating finger food

Here's a photo of Lucy eating some finger foods.  We brought up the high chair from storage downstairs.  She'll be using a fork before too long...

Sidewalk Chalk Festival 2012

We went to the sidewalk chalk festival today in Burlington.  We had a good time eating cupcakes, drinking water, playing in the park and drawing on the parking lot.  Considering that there isn't any rain in the forecast for the next 5 days in Burlington, these works of art may be up for a long time. 

Here's a photo of the kids marking the combination of sidewalk chalk with ninjas.  Christopher's red ninja drawing is at his feet.

Think she's telling us something?

Many mornings Molly gets sprung from her crib and then makes a run to jump under the covers in our bed. Do you think she's trying to tell us something?

Pez Lessons

Annette took some time after dinner tonight to teach the kids how to load up their own pez dispensers. (Ignore the laundry in the background. We usually do.)
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PJ's and Penguins

The kids popped a squat on the driveway on Tuesday night after spending the evening @ Granny's. In their pajamas they waited patiently for the Ice Cream truck to travel by on the off-chance their old man would spring for a treat. The juxtaposition of pajamas on the driveway during daytime was more than I could handle.

Why penguins you ask? Because they call the truck "Pat Penguin" after the Kona Ice mascot.

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Bedtime

Adam here - I have to put down all 5 kids tonight since Annette's at class.

So, I recruited some help. Christopher is reading to Clara and Sabrina while Lucy is munching on books nearyby. Good times...

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What do you say?

Sabrina insisted this morning as I was leaving for the office that I come back to her room. And I'm glad I did. As soon as I entered the room she jumped up on her bed, struck a pose and said, "Say cheese animals!"

Cute...
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Christopher turns 7

7 years ago Annette and I welcomed our first baby into the world.  And now, we're talking with a fully functioning child who is officially able to brush his teeth by himself.  My how the time flies.

Christopher had several friends over for his birthday on Sunday.  The boys made some "battleships" for the kiddy pool using a roll of duct tape and recyclables.  Then, they took a few steps back and "bombed" the battleships with water balloons.  We had ingenuity.  We had water balloons.  We had carnage.  A great time was had by all. Christopher is second from the left and Clara is furthest to the right. 

Here is a photo of a happy 7 year-old boy with his water balloon. 

And here is a photo of a boy opening presents while being surrounded by other boys.

"Can I help?"

When you get bigger, Sabrina, then you can help Mama do this. But for now, you have to go to bed.

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Helpful painters

Clara and Sabrina came to Katie and Paul's house to help paint their foundation this morning. Giving a 3 year old and her 5 year old sister paint brushes to help out on a house is usually not wise. We found that asking them to paint inside the basement window well worked great.

In this photo Emily's the supervisor.
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Fireside chat

 Christopher, Clara and I went on a campout with the scouts this weekend.  Here the two are enjoying a moment by the fire.  My allergies kicked up overnight making the next day less pleasant, but I'm grateful for the moments we had together. 

Harvest Meal

Last night for Father's Day we ate the turkey that was harvested on April 15th. And that prompted a question... Could we have an entire meal made with ingredients from hunting success and our garden?

We're working on the menu now. I suspect it will include deer chili and zucchini chocolate bread.

Here Molly is tending to the garden. We're just glad she's not eating much dirt anymore. (Sorry if the image is on its side.)
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Cub Scout Campout

We had a great time on the campout this past weekend with Christopher's Cub Scout Pack.  We learned how you can make breakfast, lunch, dinner and even dessert using a foil pack.  Christopher and Clara were in great spirits throughout the weekend.  I'm hopeful that will continue as we enter Vacation Bible School Week.  Annette and I have another name for VBS week, but we won't get into that just yet. 

Here's a photo from Saturday night by the fire ring.  Good times!

 Another photo near the fire ring on Saturday night.

Breakfast was eggs, hash brown and sausage - all in a foil pack.  (We learned the difference between a flat pack and a tent pack ... and yes, there is a difference.)

Camping Adventures

Clara, Christopher and Adam have spent the last 2 nights camping with the Cub Scouts. Clara was a workhorse with gathering firewood and Christopher makes a mean 'Smore.

They've gone to bed late for the past two nights and have been playing very hard during the day. These puppies are tired and having a hard time getting up in the morning - but who can blame 'em!
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Laundry Basket Time

Every kid needs a little bit of time with the laundry basket.  Here's a photo of Molly showing Lucy the ropes...

Will it float?

While Annette rested in the afternoon, Adam employed a little bit of creativity with the kids on Memorial Day.  Using the recycle bin, a roll of masking tape and Molly's new pool, he created a game for Christopher and Clara.  The object of the game was to build something using the recycled materials that would float in Molly's pool.  Later we added weight to see how many rocks the new boat could hold.  Christopher is proud to report, "I got the most with four rocks."

Workin' at the Car Wash

Clara and Sabrina decided on Memorial Day that they would use Molly's new pool to wash some of their "cars." 

Christopher reads

Last night, we were able to convince Christopher to read an "Olivia" book to his two younger sisters.  He did a great job and we're very proud that he's able to read to them as a first grader.

What are you going to be when you grow up?

Clara has told us from time to time that she'd like to be a construction worker. And other times we've heard her say she'd like to be an artist.

But after seeing this photo, do you think she could be a fire fighter?

Hanging out in the backyard

 Four of the kiddos are just gathered at our home in the backyard eating ice cream and making observations about life around them.