Happy Birthday, Jack

On Saturday evening, the blogger celebrated his 17th birthday! For his birthday dinner he chose steaming onion soup, topped with toasted french bread and sprinkled with mozzarella cheese. For desert he had spice cake, with a rich caramel frosting. Are you hungry yet?

Jack has been such a wonderful brother, and we're all certainly glad that he is part of us!

He has his moments of teasing too (many of them), but what would a brother be, without teasing? It's all part of the package! And here he is, ladies and gentlemen...

From A-B-C to Algebra

Isn't this "fall-is-almost-here weather" super? It is perfect for walking, and outdoor activities. I think this is my favorite time of year. Cool enough to slip into a sweater, but not exactly COLD enough to need a coat.
By the way, this is Kaity posting again, not Jack.
These first weeks of school have gone really well for everyone, and we are still "surviving" the more scheduled layout that we're trying this year.
Thought I would post a few pictures of the kiddoes. I have been able to work with Mindy this year, which I love.
I enjoy working with the little guys. They come up with some of the most interesting questions, sometimes school-related and other times having nothing to do with it whatsoever!
I think the redheads are especially amusing at times, because of the abundance of exuberance they seem to possess. :)

Mindy, studiously preparing her next term paper.

-

Lizzie, taking on the challenge of Algebra.

One of Emmy's favorite places to

study and read is her bed.

Mindy asked me the other day, "How long will it be until

I go to college?"

Here is Eli, helping Aiden out with some Bible memorization.

Operation: Flooring

Recently my mom decided that she wanted the old carpets that we had been using for years to be removed and burned due to the large numbers of stains and spots on them. So like good obedient boys Rick and I pitched in, not knowing what was in store for us. We peeled up one corner to make sure that the wood flooring underneath was good before we tore up the whole carpet, and it looked fine. As we proceeded to rip the carpet up I looked down and said, "what's that?" There on the nice wood floor a bad spot was revealing itself as we pulled the carpet back in the shape of a LARGE rectangle. So we had a brainstorming session, "What should we do about the spot? tile? new carpet? a large rug?"


We didn't decide right away but since we already had the carpet most of the way tore up we had to finish so out to the burn pile it went.

Eli was a big help with carrying out the leftover junk that was laying around.

"The Spot"

Then the "real" work began. For any of you that have ripped up old carpets, you know what I am talking about...staples, and those long carpet bars that are nailed tightly in all around the edge. :O) I am talking about hours and hours of work!! But with all the siblings pitching in and some good music on...it didn't seem to take long at all!!

Here is a pic of an interested bystander.

As if the living room wasn't enough we did the dining room too!! And Rick and Dad stayed up till four o' clock in the morning laying tile!!



All in all though, it was a very good feeling when we had it all done, and the new flooring was all laid. It was kind of neat to see our two main rooms dowstairs changed from old and worn out to a fresh and new look. And we finished the floors just before we had some company over!!

Here is a picture of the new rug the Mom and Dad found at Lowes on clearance.

My first car...(For "real" this time)

Yes...this is my beauty, my baby, my one and only set o' wheels!!

Yes, I know....beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but you have to admit, this vehicle is a very versatile automobile with the choice of either housing two bench seats for passengers (very important in a large family like ours) or removing the seats for a wide storage area for tools. (Important to me :o)

Truly this baby is worthy of the title "Mother of All Mini-Vans" with it's large hydraulic rear loading door and powerful 6-cyl. engine. One more reason for it to be called "Mother of All Mini-Vans" is because.............

It's OLD ENOUGH to be the "Mother of All Mini-Vans" :-) JK!!

I like my new van, but when I first ran a check over it to see what needed to be fixed and refilled, I was surprised at my findings. Nothing major though,...I just had to: refill the windshield wiper fluid, change the oil, get the transmission flushed, vacuumed and spot removed the carpets and floor mats, wash and waxed the outside, have a welding job done on the driver's door that wouldn't latch, spray odor eliminator throughout the whole vehicle, clean the inside of the windows and all the vinyl and rubber inside, refill the power steering fluid and brake fluid...etc

So now I am ready to hit the road with my very own car, although gas prices make it a little less desirable to go take a cruise "just for fun" nowadays'

The college man - home for 3 weeks!

Hi folks! This is Kaity writing in today. The usual blogger is out, and he gave me his official stamp of approval to post.

Ahhh, we have enjoyed having Rick home for awhile. He leaves again tomorrow, for Pensacola, FL, to begin his sophmore year at Pensacola Christan College.

He has kept busy and active here at home... doing everything you can imagine and more. It has been so great! Too bad there isn't a way he could be in college AND home at the same time. We relish these school breaks!

There is no doubt in my mind, that I was placed under the best older brother on earth.

We weren't sure how Connor would adjust to Rick, after not seeing
him for the first 8 months of his life, but he just adores him.


Rick and Emmy, snapped at the house, right before heading to church.



Ah yes, the carpet crew.... posing with Eli and Luke.


Singing together.... and Rick getting dramatic! ;-)

Well, that's all for now. Have a lovely Labor Day weekend!