Wordless Wednesday - iPhone edition

Sweet Corn Season

 Living in Nebraska we have a lot of corn that grows around us. The silly thing is though not much of it is edible straight off the stalk. The last few years we have known a local grower of sweet (edible) corn and have been fortunate enough to get enough corn to freeze for our family. This year the grower we usually get it from, didn't plant much and what little he did plant has dried up with the drought. I didn't think we were going to have enough corn to eat a few meals let alone freeze. I'd decided we would just buy frozen in the store, and not eat it as often.  

Thankfully my dad was talking to a woman he works with and they had 4 whole rows they were just going to "feed to the squirrels" if we didn't come get it! I jumped at the chance, and headed out with the kids to pick corn! We ended up with 5 big tubs, and 2 coolers full.

 Dad was also awesome enough to let us have it all because they had some left over from last year. I about cried at the thought of shucking it all myself with the kids. Dad stepped up again though and offered to help! I was so thankful!!

Addysen just hung out while we worked on shucking corn!! 

 

The biggest game came when grandpa was cutting off the excess. He would get the kids with the corn, and they would move. Finally it got to the point where they were done and complaining so dad moved over. Goofy kids followed along with him and still let him get them. 

Dad's dog Baxter was all about helping, and babysitting.

My grandpa even stopped by to say hello and get some fresh sweet corn. My grandma passed away just a week prior so he brought us over some of the cards to read from friends and family as well.

First Day of School 2012

It's that time of year again where I send my babies off to school. This year Dahrran will be a 4th grader....someone PLEASE tell me where the time has went! He hit a growth spurt shortly before school started, and is now wearing size 14 pants, 10/12 shirts, and a 7 (yes I said 7) shoe!! In a few short months I fear we will be able to wear the same shoes.

MacKenzie is going to be a 2nd grader this year and couldn't be more excited. Sadly she is still able to wear most of her clothes from last year, and her sister will pass her up in no time. Poor girl will be short like her mama!

Kaitlynn started the 4 year old preschool class this year. This means that she is home in the mornings, and goes in the afternoons. It was a bit of an adjustment for her to not have to get on the bus with the big kids this morning. When it came time to go to school she informed me we NEEDED to go about 20 minutes before it was time. We also "probably missed my bus already!"

Sweet Addysen doesn't quite know what to do with all the quiet time. She has been talking lots, and getting an interrupted nap!!

Addysen's Baptisim

Not many people know this. It took us a long time to conceive Addysen. There were times where I had given up the hope of ever having a 4th child. I thought we would always be a family of 5. This was something that had weighed on my heart heavily. I have this thing with odd numbers you see....and being a family of 5 was killing me. But really, I felt like we weren't complete. Something Someone was missing.

Shortly before we found out we were pregnant, we had decided to go down the foster care/foster adopt path. We were just starting to get our ducks in a row, and had the chance to go to an informational meeting on getting started. Something in my heart told me we weren't quite ready just yet, and so we decided to hold off on going to the meeting and would attend the next months'. Just a few short weeks later, and I found out I was pregnant. I'm one who believes God has a plan for us, and this was his plan. Three long years of waiting and we were finally going to add to our family.

During our TTC journey I'd grown closer to finding my faith. It has been a long path over the last 10 years. Joel is Catholic, and I was raised in a Presbyterian family who really only went to church on major holidays. The journey to figure out where I fit in has been a tough one. I finally had decided I was ready to become Catholic, and raise our children the same way. It's such a blessing to be able to see our children grow in the love and faith of God.

The day of Addysen's baptisim was a beautiful day, we had all of Joel's family and some of mine present. Joel's sister and brother-in-law are Addysen's godparents and I'm so proud to call them my family as well.

Summer Ball Fun

It's no secret, when summer hits here, that we can be found at the ball park 4 nights a week for the months of May and June. Joel and I coach the boys 9 and under baseball team and MacKenzie is a part of the girls 10 and under softball team.

This year was a great year for MacKenzie's team. They only had one loss and were League and Tournament champions! Such a great group of girls, and an awesome coach as well.

 

 Dahrran's team on the other hand had another rough year. But they are all still young and learning! They did win one game this year and it was the best game ever!!

We love spending our time at the ball field and helping our children grow and learn how to play together as a team! It's such a joy to watch them grow as the year goes on.

Hello everyone, I've decided to get back into the blogging routine, and hope you'll follow us to our new home! We're keeping the same name, just changing our address so it fits a bit better!!! Be sure to follow us on www.amongthemess.blogspot.com . I'll be updating lots of our fun summer adventures soon!!!

Welcome!

If you're here you've made the switch with us! It's been so long since I blogged that I just decided it was time to start fresh with the correct blog link. Hopefully someday we'll buy our own website, but until then here we are!!

If you're new here, Welcome!! Thanks for stopping by, we're anxious to get started blogging again as well as documenting our lives! Here's a little bit about us!

Joel & Amanda: We began dating the last day of Joel's senior year in High School .  Joel had been asking me out for years and I'd always said no. Finally I emailed him and asked him to go out with me. Later that summer, we found out I was pregnant and expecting a boy! Things could've gone so many ways, but I'm thankful for everything we had that summer. Joel went off to college, and I completed my senior year in High School (pregnant and all!). After graduating High School, we moved in together while Joel completed his degree. 

I've been a SAHM for the last 9 years and have loved almost every minute of it! We got married in 2004, bought a house in 2005 and added to our family since! Sure the last 10 years of togetherness have had their ups and downs, but we've persevered through and work on our marriage daily.

Dahrran: An average 9 year old boy who has started to eat us out of house and home. He loves legos, tractors, and anything farm related. One of his biggest loves is John Deere and even got his wish to have his room painted yellow and green this last year!


MacKenzie: 7 going on 17, and always a joy to be around. She can be such a lover and at the same time such a drama queen. She is for sure our strong willed child. She loves all things purple, has a large heart for Horses, and is an avid reader.


Kaitlynn: Such a tall girl for her age. She is almost 5 but just about as tall as her older sister. She loves all things Hello Kitty, loves her baby sister, and all babies in general. She is such a sweetheart and loves to cuddle and give kisses.


Addysen: Our newest addition. Having a baby in the house again is such a refreshing joy. Born the smallest of all our kids, and with the most hair, she is such a pleasure to enjoy. She doesn't mind trying out all the different types of cloth diapers her mom puts on her!


Our family also includes 3 pets! Jackson our 8 year old chocolate lab, Izzy our 3 year old Schnauzer, and Telly our 6 year old "fat" cat!


Thanks for coming along our ride as we try to get through the every day life as a family of 6!