Summer is my favorite!

We are halfway through summer!  Technically, summer only began 9 days ago on June 21st and shouldn't end until September, but here in Missouri school gets out near the end of May and starts back up mid-August which means our family only has about 6 weeks left of summer. 

June was so busy for our family that the month flew by.  I worked a lot more hours than normal at the library because Matt was off work and could take care of things at home.  It was so strange for me to work four 8-hour days in one week!  It gave me a good understanding of how Matt must feel being away from home all day and how good it feels to come home.  I just wanted to come home, eat some dinner with the family and then REST after a long day.  Of course, it never happens that way with 5 kids in the house and each of them have several questions for me and there are diapers to change and sheets to wash and chores to do, etc, etc. 

Working so many hours has also made me more grateful for the AMAZING husband I married.  What I have always appreciated about Matt is how he never criticizes me if the house isn't tidy when he gets home from work or if dinner isn't ready he doesn't complain impatiently but instead happily waits for it to be ready.  He never judges me; he is always supportive.  But the first day I came home from working an 8 to 5 shift and dinner wasn't ready when I got home (and I was so hungry for dinner!), I was so angry and disappointed that I cried!  Matt had left a few minutes before I got home to attend a Boy Scout meeting and do the grocery shopping in St. Joseph.  As I ordered kids to tidy up the house and pacified Klaus who was as hungry as I was, I had to look around for something to fix and then get it ready.  I certainly was NOT patient or supportive.  What an eye-opening experience it was for me in terms of recognizing personal faults and being even more grateful for a loving husband.

On top of working a lot of hours at the library this summer, our family has started Harvesting Heroes, a simple business opportunity selling produce and baked goods at a local farmers market.  It takes up our Fridays and Saturdays; and with Sundays being full of service in our church callings, we feel like we're laboring all weekend too. 

So far, our family business has not earned much in the way of profit.  We certainly won't be earning the $2,000 we were hoping to earn to pay for our family vacation at the end of July.  However, our kitchen has been full to bursting with extra produce.  We have chopped and frozen trays of peaches, mangoes and strawberries.  We have so much zucchini and yellow squash, cucumbers and tomatoes that we are eating healthier than we ever have before!  Every day I cook meals and make salads to try to use up the veggies and still we have boxes and bags full of more.  What a blessing this is for me and my vegan family!  The other day I harvested 14 pounds of lettuce!  Do you know how long it takes to wash and dry and bag 14 pounds of lettuce?!  It was ridiculous and hilarious!  There were pieces of lettuce all over the kitchen! 

I am so happy that my garden has been successful this year.  We've had peas, lettuce, spinach, mustard greens, collard greens, kale, swiss chard, carrots, and radishes.  The potatoes and green beans are now coming on!  The squash is growing, the tomatoes are blooming, the cucumber vines are climbing up the trellis.  Just being in my garden and witnessing the process of growing food brings me so much happiness.  I am a wannabe farmer.

Summer has brought with it our first sunburn of the year.  Poor Felicity's shoulders were so badly burned one day (I just completely forgot to put sunscreen on her!) that even after the first skin peeling, her skin underneath was redder and sorer than before.  And silly Mommy tried to help by lathering them with aloe vera gel with lidocaine.  I didn't read the part of the bottle that said do not apply to raw skin!  Felicity was crying, I mean really crying in pain, for several minutes about her shoulders burning with the aloe vera gel while I was busy cleaning up a nasty, poopy Klaus mess.  Finally, I could help her get the medicated aloe vera gel off and put some of the natural gel from the actual plant on her shoulders which didn't hurt. 

We've had a few tick bites this summer but what's been worse this year are chigger bites.  I counted 36 just on my midsection this morning.  These are like mosquito bites in that they are itchy and red, but multiply the annoying symptoms by 7-10 days!  They are itchier and redder than mosquito bites.  Sometimes they itch so bad I can't fall asleep!  The kids and I have used up a bottle of hydrocortisone cream already.  Kian came home from Boy Scout Camp with so many bites (and his might have just been mosquitos, I'm not sure), that after he put the cream on each of them he looked like he had measles!  In addition to the bug bites, I think Felicity had a few spider bites the other day as well because three bites on her leg were swollen and hard. 

Along with the sunburns and the bug bites, we've had rashes as well!  While at a friend's house last week, Ella got hungry in between meals and decided to find a snack on her own.  She munched on some berries (she called them nuts) that she found that looked like unripe grapes from a vine in our friend's yard.  She shared them with her friends too.  The next morning all of the kids woke up with full body rashes, most prominent on their cheeks!  The rash resembled poison ivy and was itchy that first day but over time has slowly resolved.

This summer is busier and this summer is itchier than previous summers, but summertime is still my favorite!

5 Quick Things About the Family Since it's Almost Midnight Already!

1. I'm on a gardening kick.  I wake up thinking about gardening.  I fall asleep thinking about gardening.  I dream about earthworms.  It is my passion.  It's one reason I am alive.  I LOVE GARDENING!

2. Abby plans to make lemonade and homemade bread to sell at the market stand our family plans to run this summer as a family business to earn money for our family vacation.  We hope to sell surplus vegetables from our garden and fruit and veggies from the local Amish auction. The two favorite names for our business so far are: Harvesting Heroes and Galactic Gardeners.  Which do you like best?

3. Kian loves to knit.  He learned how to knit at co-op and he really enjoys it!  He can earn one homemade loaf of bread for every two dishcloths he knits for me.  A win-win!

4. Matt is the best husband in the world.  We are more in love with each other now than we were 12 years ago!  He thinks I'm the best, but he's actually the best!

5. I'm taking all of the kids to the pediatrician this week for physicals and immunization updates.  If you know me well, you might know I haven't done immunizations for five years.  Why all of a sudden?  It just feels like the right time, that's why.

Thanks,
Rhyetta

Klaus is now 2 years old!!

Here's a video of Klaus' recent birthday celebration.  He is now 2 years old and saying new words every day.  Today's word was "Abby!"  He's always called her "Ella" in the past because Ella was easier for him to say.  How exciting for Abby who cares for him so lovingly, especially in the early morning hours when both of them are awake and Mommy wants to go back to bed!

Lunch Time with the Littles

For some reason, I usually end up sitting at lunchtime with Ella and Felicity with Klaus in the high chair.  Maybe Kian doesn't like what we're eating for lunch or isn't hungry yet.  Maybe Abby grabbed her food quickly and is back absorbed in a book she can't put down. 

I don't usually enjoy eating lunch with the littles.  I prefer a meal with family members that know how to stay seated more than 30 seconds at a time.  I prefer to have a conversation where we all can share what we've learned that morning or what we plan on doing that afternoon.  With the littles, our conversation is more like this:

Ella: "My green smoothie looks like boogers!"

Felicity:  "Ha ha ha!!  Boogers in my cup!"

Klaus:  "Mo!  Mo!  Mo!  Mo!"

The conversation only gets worse from there.  And all throughout the disgusting discourse, in the background I hear Klaus yelling at me to get my attention, "Mom!  Mom!  Mom!  Mom!"  Or, "All Done!  All Done!  All Done!" 

All I want to do is sip my smoothie in peace after my very busy morning.  I usually leave the table and eat my lunch standing up in the kitchen, trying my best to ignore them.

Today, however, lunchtime was fun.  We had an interesting conversation (which met my requirement) and it was entertaining for the little ones too.  As Stephen Covey would say, it was a win-win situation.  Our topic of discussion:  pea-bo. 

Pea-bo is Klaus' word for peanut butter.  He loves pea-bo!  Today when I offered him some of my pea-bo sandwich, he gladly sang at the top of his lungs, "Pea-bo!"

That set Felicity laughing, her big belly laugh that comes all the way from the bottom of her gut and which makes me smile just hearing it.  Then one of us (who started it anyway?) came up with the idea of applying imaginary pea-bo to body parts.  "Pea-bo dripping from your hair! Ha ha ha!"  "Pea-bo coming out your ears!  Ha ha ha!"  "Pea-bo in your diaper!  Ha ha!" 

Before the conversation got out of hand, I redirected our peanut butter exclamations to items in the house.  "Pea-bo in the toaster!" I declared.  The girls laughed.  "Pea-bo in the toilet!" Ella contributed and Felicity laughed. 

Here are some of my favorite places for pea-bo that you have probably never thought of!  We were laughing and enjoying ourselves the whole time!

Pea-bo in the bathtub!
Pea-bo down your back!
Pea-bo in the backyard!
Pea-bo in your underwear!

"Pea-bo in the pantry!" Ella exclaimed.  "Wait a minute, Ella, that's where the pea-bo actually goes!" 

Christmas-time is here

Since today is December 1 and Abby has been playing Christmas music since Thanksgiving, it is only appropriate we got out our decorations. Now, all we are waiting for is the ultimate Christmas decoration...SNOW!

 

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A Hike of Consequence

When we started our family hike last Monday evening about sunset, Matt and I were looking forward to a quick excursion for the whole family to get some exercise out of doors and enjoy the beautiful fall colors around us. We had come to this state park several times over the past few months and hiked the shorter trails: a half-mile, then mile-long hikes, and even a mile and a quarter hike the last time we visited. They had always been quiet (except for the exuberant shrieks coming from our five kids), peaceful and enjoyable. With Klaus riding in a carrier on Matt’s back, Felicity was the youngest hiker of our group at age 4. She tired after awhile but I could always coax her to the end of the trail by praising her excellent hiking skills and observing the natural beauty around us.

Last Monday’s hike was not peaceful, restful or enjoyable, however. Last Monday’s hike turned out to be scary, dark, physically exhausting, emotionally stretching and much longer than expected.

We knew when we started we didn’t have time for the longest trail at 1¾ miles long. The sun had already set but there was a lot of light left in the sky. We were all excited to get going and we did not study the trail map as closely as we should have (and when I say “we,” I mean me!) Matt didn’t even look at the map. He was trusting us to take the appropriate trail and was busy cleaning up our picnic dinner of BBQ veggie pizza (no cheese).

When we passed the lake and read the trailhead sign, I got it into my head that we wanted the blue trail which was 1.25 miles in length. I showed Matt the longer trail at 1.75 miles. “We don’t want that one,” I said. I knew our daylight hours were limited but we were all full of energy and eager to start. I thought our trail was a simple, quick circle--a loop with a shortcut that led around and right back to the lake. We’ll be done before dark and get the kids home and to bed.

We walked. The kids shouted with joy to be out of doors and expending energy. They ran ahead, looking for the blue trail. We frightened a nest (or roost?) with dozens of large birds as big as eagles it seemed to us directly overhead. Their giant wings flapped noisily and we all stopped to watch them in wonder. We later found out they were turkey vultures. It was awesome! The reds, pinks, oranges, yellows and browns of the autumn leaves were just gorgeous.  It felt great to be visiting our park in a new season. The last time, a few weeks earlier, every leaf was still green!

We hiked on and on, Kian in the lead, Abby and Ella close behind. Felicity held my hand and I talked with her to keep her mind off of the exertion required. Matt brought up the rear with Klaus on his back. After some time (Why were we still on the red trail? Where was the blue trail we were looking for?), I turned back to Matt and offered, “Maybe if we don’t find the trail in five minutes, we should just turn around?” But he didn’t concur. He was silent on the matter. I figured we had already come this far. It couldn’t be much farther on. It couldn’t!

As we hiked on and on, I observed the light fading. I urged the kids to keep up the pace. We were in a race to reach safety before the sunlight faded completely. Kian kept a fast walking pace. We hiked on. There was no turning back now. We surely had come far enough on the trail to get back faster by continuing ahead.

We found the blue trail! I figured that meant it was the shortcut and we’d be back at the lake in 10 minutes. “Hooray!” We continued hiking the blue trail. The light was dimming. I told the kids how great it was that we had good night vision because we were using it! It was light enough to see but all of us could feel the impending darkness and Matt went to the front of the group to set an even quicker pace. I was in the back now with a whining 4-year-old. Not only were her legs tired but she had to use the bathroom. I knew that stopping for even two minutes would lose us precious moments of daylight so I urged her forward, pulling her along, using a lot of strength in my grip. She tripped often but with my tight grip, she never got hurt. I offered her a ride on my back to keep up with the others and give her a break.

It was dark enough now that Matt and I knew we would be hiking in darkness before reaching the lake. Oddly shaped branches seemed to reach out to grab me. Poky-needled vines clung on to our sweatshirts. A broken tree trunk with a bent limb closely resembled a scary animal! I was getting spooked!

With the very last rays of sunlight we hurried on, all of the kids worrying some. We reassured them. We encouraged them. I sang to Felicity to keep her mind off her worry. Matt said Klaus was falling asleep in the backpack. I tripped on something. I couldn’t really see the trail anymore and Felicity flew off my shoulders but thankfully landed square on her feet. No harm. I got up and we walked on.

Why was this blue trail so long?! We were walking so much further than we had before. Something wasn’t right. When we passed the familiar shore of a dry riverbed, I wondered if we were going in circles! I mentally reviewed the landmarks in case this were true (this of course was before it was pitch black).

I offered up a prayer that God would help us get back safely. I did not want to stay overnight on the trail with five children! It was going to dip down to the 40s or 50s tonight!

At this point, Matt pulled out his cell phone from the backpack. Oh joy! He could use the light from the screen to search for the colored flags on the trees of the trail to see if we were still on the right path. You couldn’t see anything with your own eyes now except for a faint outline of the person in front of you. I didn’t want to get left behind! I called ahead for everyone to stop while I finally let Felicity relieve herself. I figured it was dark enough now that it didn’t matter if we lost two minutes!

Why were we still on the blue trail?! Up ahead, Matt questioned the kids about the map. It was no use asking me, I was completely lost. Kian and Abby told him what they remembered, which way they thought we should turn when we had a choice, etc. They were right every time! What navigators! What truly amazed me was how Matt was able to figure out where we needed to go when we came to a fork in the trail because he hadn’t even looked at the map! I looked at the map; I chose the trail; I was completely lost. I never said this out loud, however. I always spoke very positive words about how brave the kids were and how completely safe they were in Mommy and Daddy’s care. Felicity and Ella really wanted to break down and cry but we just kept moving and didn’t give them the chance!

It was very dark. I had no idea where I was stepping or if I was even on the trail. There was no moonlight. It felt strange and unnerving. Having the cell phone was such a relief to me. I knew if we were lost, we could call the police and they could check a map and lead us on the right path or actually come with flashlights and rescue us! Matt used the cell phone to light the trail immediately in front of and behind him so we all huddled close to each other to best access the small amount of light it provided. We finally found the red trail again. I questioned Kian’s photographic memory as to how much further we had to walk now that we were back on the red trail. He approximated we were 75% through. We walked and we tripped. We hiked and hiked further. Finally, we recognized the turkey vulture’s nest because it smelled like bird poop. That meant we were almost to the lake!

After what felt like hours of walking, we crossed a bridge and got to the lake! When we came out of the woods and saw the reflection of the stars on the lake, we all smiled with relief! And then we observed the stars above us and they were magnificent! It was only just after 8:00 pm but the stars shone radiantly. I wanted to stop walking and just look at the stars but Felicity wanted to actually get in the car so we continued.

We studied the trail map sign by the light of the cell phone. We took the trail we weren’t supposed to take! We traveled over 2 miles! Matt taught a mini-lesson about how important the light was in getting us home and what the source of light really was but the kids were so talkative about the whole ordeal they couldn’t stay quiet enough to listen attentively. The lesson I learned was to always bring a cell phone on a hike! We all felt the tingling euphoria of safety when we got back into the car. What an adventure! Now that we were safe, it was kind of fun! A 2-mile night hike with 5 children was not our intention when we started, but it was memorable and exciting. We all talked about it on the ride home.

How thankful I am for my wise husband and protector and the excellent navigating skills of my two oldest children and the courage shown by my two others. We offered a prayer of gratitude when we arrived home.

My Talented Girls

Felicity reciting a poem she learned along with her sisters, Ella and Abby. Ella recites the same poem below.