Me and the 2 little ones have been haunted by this sight for the last few days.  Well, actually it's been a waste basket at the least full of snot rags per day (note my description of used tissue here). Nobody likes the sniffles but in my opinion this has gone on too long! 

I cannot remember the last time I was feeling under the weather let alone having 2 of my little ones not feeling well right along side me.  Come to think of it...I don't believe that's ever occured.  I just don't usually get sick! 

And any one who knows me, knows I HATE getting sick and that I have a difficult time in dealing with those who are.  So you can just only imagine how much patience I have had in dealing with my daily duties around the house and with the kiddos with not feeling well.

But then...enters my hero!
Chris was so generous and sweet that he let me sleep for a few hours without interruption.  And to top it off...I awoke to a clean house!  Floors were mopped, dishes were done & the main bathroom was clean.

But that's not all.  You see, he had already worked a full day, then came home took care of me, all 6 kiddos, cleaned the house plus made it to his business meeting that night...oh, & did I mention he made sure to stop by the store on his way home to grab me some gatorade?  Well, he did.

I cannot be more blessed than to have a man like him!  I love you hunny!

I'm not sure about the rest of you but I am really anticipating eating Thanksgiving turkey.  Not just the trimmin's but TURKEY.  I must be needing the protein or something.
Instead of having sugar plums dancing in my head...I've got turkey breasts, turkey legs, turkey sandwiches, turkey tacos & even turkey casserole parading past my eyes. 
Anyone else out there having the same dreams?
Perhaps it's the fact that we are planning on attending 2 Thanksgiving dinners this coming week.  Or perhaps it's the fact that turkey is where it's at baby.  
(My hubby, Chris would disagree with me right about now...he is salivating for some of my sister's ham...she cooks a Mean Ham!)
So fire up your grill, warm up your oven, throw some coals in your pit or heat up some oil...We're havin' Turkey tonight!
...or atleast sometime this week.  :)
Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!

I just finished the above book & was thrilled to be able to have got a sneak peak into the eyes, ears & mind of an adult who dealt with & grew up having Asperger's Syndrome like my 16 year old son, Dylan.
   
What is amazing is that the author, John Elder Robison adapted himself without having a clue to his disability since his diagnosis didn't come until he was in his 40s.

Through the author's experiences within this book, I have gained a better perspective to how my own son views his world and how others (including myself) have interpreted him & his actions ~ which are nearly never positive.  In doing so, it has allowed me opportunities of acceptance & understanding to his sometimes upsidedown, backwards & yet strangely straight forward reasoning.

If you are wanting to know more about Asperger's Syndrome (or Dylan for that matter) this is a interesting as well as entertaining read.

I am now looking for a book the author read called "Thinking in Pictures" by Temple Grandin that sounds interesting.
Temple Grandin herself is an Apergian not to mention a very intriguing woman.

When we found there was FREE admission to the Science Center on Monday, boy were we excited!  But that meant we would have to opt out on our monthly History Party co-op.  And we were pretty excited about that too!   

You see, we are studing about Ancient China
and
we had planned on teaching our friends how to use chopsticks.

Some of the things that we found most interesting in our studies of Ancient China were:
The Binding of Feet
Chopsticks
The Food
How Silk is Made & Was Discovered
No Forests so No Fuel
(which meant they had to chop up their food very small to cook it since they had only small fires)
Their Clothing
Where and How Rice Grows & is Harvested
The Different Dynasties

So you can see our delimma. 
We have been leading-up to this History Party All Month and then WHAMMO we are struck with a FREE deal that comes by only...well we're not sure really how often but, we know a great deal when we see one.

So...we put it to a vote.

The deal is if they choose the Science Center then they are to get their morning routines done, leave the house clean & pack for the day.
(lunch & diaper bag)

Well, here it is after 11:00am and still their morning routines are not done.
Looks like we will be staying home kids and working on some
well needed housework & packing before our weekend get-away to Temecula, California for Aunt Christine's wedding.

The Primary put on a wonderful program this past Sunday.   Everyone was a bit concerned whether or not it would be pulled off well since the recent changes our Stake underwent with going from 9 Wards to 5.  Part of the reason why we didn't send out invitations to family/friends this year...just unprepared & without enough time.

We ended up having 3 of our 6 children in the Primary Program this year.  Dyson is in Sunbeams (his last year), Dagyn is in CTR 5-6 (her last year), & Devyn is in Valiant 9-10 (his last year).  All three of them did such a wonderful job.  Dyson had a bit of stage fright when it came to saying his lines but he did an excellent job at his favorite song..."I am a builder, working at home to build my family.  And I will do the best that I can to serve my family!"  I'm holding them all to that!

Throughout the program, Dyxon kept wanting to go up to sit with Dyson.  I'm thinking to help him out & to show him it's not so bad/scary!

On a side note:  The Primary had their Activity Day the day prior which included a practice for the program, treats & a game.  The kids had a ton of fun!  They played this fun balloon game where you tie a small balloon to your shoe/ankle and run around trying to pop someone else's balloon by stepping on it.  Our kids just decided it was just as much fun to run around twirling theirs in their hands.

Next year we will have 4 in Primary (Dyxon will be joining them in Sunbeams next year).  We cannot wait for next year's Primary Program!  Hope to see you all there next year!...granted we don't undergo any more changes. ;)

When looking for a cute, creative & interactive way for our family to do a "thankful" craft for the month of November, I came across this...Thankful Tree over at Roots and Wings Co.

For more information on "how-to" make this fun craft, pop on over to see just how Katrina puts this together.

 

I am a little late in getting this posted but better late than never, right?

I know I'm a little biased in the matter... But isn't he the cutest & happiest baby ever?!

We are so blessed to have this little doodle bug in our lives.  He is such the farmer boy around here.  Grandma Carol often says he looks and acts like his great-grandpa Billy, a farm boy too.  His appetite is NeVeR satisfied and he is always up to mischief.  Yep.  And you could say he holds his own around here despite the fact that he is the youngest of four brothers.

He is very protective and always looks out for his baby sister (as well as his big sister, who he adores) and can often be found holding Denym's hand guiding her back to his Daddy and me.  He is such the gentleman.

He is ever-loving and has a heart of gold.  One could not deny that he loves his Heavenly Father, Jesus and family.  He often volunteers for the family prayer around here.  In fact, even when it isn't his turn you will often hear his faint echo of those who are giving the prayer.

He is a great climber too and enjoys spending time with his Daddy.  Daddy is very proud!  Since he has a love for food, he also enjoys being in the kitchen, just like his Daddy.  I believe when his siblings are all grown & gone, he'll be the one staying home to help out around here.  His Daddy & I would love that.

Just take a look at what we mean when we say he is "The Cutest lil' Doodle Bug!"

When Doodlebug was little he would allow us to put him down for naps or bedtime without any fuss as long as he had his 3 B's.
What are the 3 B's you ask? 

Blanky
Binky
and Baba

An accomplishment Dyxon acheived prior to turning 3 was becoming potty-trained.

He then decided that he must help his little baby sister with her potty-training.  Here he is reading a story to his baby sister while she sits on the potty seat.  I had come into the room when he was helping her take off her diaper & announced he was helping Denym go potty.  Way to go BIG GUY!!!

A little 'birthday cake' conversation.
Me:  What kind of birthday cake do you want Dyxie?  Rainbow sprinkles..., Chocolate..., Vanilla...?

Dyxon:  Vanilla.

Me:  Do you want sprinkles on it?

Dyxon:  yes.

Me:  Do you know what vanilla is?

Dyxon:  no.

Me:  It's a white cake with white frosting (I am presuming here that he wants the vanilla frosting too)  Are you sure you want a vanilla cake?

Dyxon:  I want chocolate, chocolate, chocolate cake.

Me:  Ok?...Does that mean you want chocolate chip, chocolate cake with chocolate frosting?

Dyxon:  yes.

Me:  Do you still want sprinkles?

Dyxon:  yes.

Me:  Rainbow?

Dyxon:  yes, with cuppycakes.

Me (thinking):  phfew...glad that's over with...now on to the EASY part:  Baking.

Happy 3rd Birthday BiG GuY!!!! 
Here's to another year of mushy kisses, mischief & messy faces!

I've included a little slide show of some of Dyxon's highlights over the past 3 years...Enjoy!

I came across this really cool , fun & free program to design my family's silouette (see below).  These can be custom designed for anyone's family. 

You want one...(I know you do) just click the link below the pic.

Chris & I (dead center) surrounded by our 1/2 dozen deputies.

And here's another...it really shakes too!  Give it a try...

This is a wonderful idea!  Thank you Donna!

I love it when I come across the solution to my problem and all I had to do was to move my fingers across a keyboard.  A few clicks & clacks of the keys and I came across this:  The Daily Dozen.
A baker's dozen (actually) on setting up structure to a homeschool day all while incorporating the same methods we have adopted & begun applying.

Drum role please....and here, ladies & gents, is the Daily Dozen:

Daily Dozen:
I. Anchoring – Devotions; scripture study, discussion, scriptural vocabulary building, hymn singing, scripture/quote memorization, scripture episodes, Jubilee devotionals, Sunday Gospel discussions, Church Meetings, Family Home
Evenings, and church activities.
II. Duty Calls – Citizenship and Patriotism; pledge, song, study of patriots, quotes, and documents.
III. Currents In Time – Current events- your children are part of history!
IV. It Came To Pass – History; biographies, history and Book of Centuries
V. Wisdom In Action – Hygiene, Fitness, Nutrition, and Healthy Lifestyles
VI. Publish It – Writing; calligraphy, copy work, correspondence, journals, family history research, personal histories, creative writing, commonplace books, writing books and articles, etc.
VII. Simply Science – Science; nature study, gardening, astronomy, nature walks, experiments, nature notebooks, science logs, weather stations, etc.
VIII. Math Matters – Math; history, manipulations, memory work, practice, life experience, and math narration (demonstrating and sharing the concepts that they have learned).
IX. Heart Sense – Cultural Refinement; music study, art study and lessons (apprenticing me in my studio), study other cultures (and their language),
refinement (or grace- etiquette and hospitality), practical arts (sewing, cooking, cleaning. etc.), poetry, literature, creative writing, drama, concerts, plays, etc.
X. Speaking Up – Speech; recitations and memory work, colloquia, narrations, presentations, talks, Stepping Into Character, etc.
XI. Margins – Time and Resource Management; keeping on top of their own commitments, planning, goal getting sessions, and tracking their own money.
XII. Family Work – Stewardships, Family Work, Family Service, Relationships,Family Council, Sunday recitals, Family game night, Family Activities.
XIII. Baker’s Dozen – Gospel Principles (on Sunday ); Core Knowledge (E.D. Hirsch), we just read it aloud to find things to spark imagination.

Milk does make StRonG BoNeS!!!

This is our new buddy...Mr. Buddy Bones.  He emerged from a few milk jugs this afternoon.

He has now made himself at home with the rest of the Halloween decor.

And what about the spiderwebs you may be asking yourself right now...well, here they are:

Not exactly what you were expecting?  Let's just say, I wasn't either.  

Oh what little webs we weave...
In this case one little angry boy with a little angry rock was weaving this one in my double-paned glass door the other night.  

Where is the little boy who wove this web? 
He is now fast asleep in his bed!