a small vent

why am i considered intolerant because i refuse to send my children to public school?

too cool for school!

so esther thought she was too cute last night & quite frankly she is always too cute! she was up late last night... like up until about 10:30PM. that's late for her. but she wasnt ready at the normal 7-8pm bed time. so she stayed up & was completely pleasant the whole time. i mean, look at her.....who wouldnt want that little cutie up with them at night keeping them company??

Levi

this is Esther's twin. seriously Levi's profile is identical to Esther's.
the picture below is what makes him not identical to Esther.

now i'm just very anxious to get him here and hold him.

happy faced pumpkin & boy!

well we carved up the pumpkin. and when i say we i mean WE!! notice all the little sweet heads together. i really think this is my most favorite picture of all time with my children all together. cant see their faces but they are all looking & busy. to me this is the epitomy of homeschooling....of learning together....working together. they all had a ball & took part in it. now if you know me...you know we dont have a lot of these types of moments as i am too OCD to allow this kind of "learning". it's too disorderly & chaotic...but today i did good!

so this is my happy boy with his happy faced pumpkin. i am so not big on halloween (actually i despise halloween except for the dress up & the candy)...but we DO NOT carve out jack o'lanterns as a rule at our house. but i figured it wasnt halloween & it wasnt a jack o'lantern...it was just a happy faced pumpkin to my boy. nothing spooky about it. and in a week the happy faced pumpkin will probably be food for my pig & goat.

and seriously i couldnt resist. i had to put this picture on here. people can not believe when they hear that elizabeth gives us attitude...MAJOR ATTITUDE....and most of the time...over nothing. i'm not really sure what this particular attitude issue was over but i decided to snap a picture. she, of course, wasnt pleased when i told her that i was taking the picture to show people when they didnt believe me when i told them she gave attitude. oh well. i'm sure it wasnt the nicest thing i could have done but oh well. i did it. at least she's not giving me one of her looks that i'm surprised hasn't killed me yet! oh my sweet elizabeth - i love you so much! you remind me of myself at your age. and i'm surprised i survived!

so now i will leave you with a song & a picture.

Cowboys ain't easy to love and they're harder to hold. 
They'd rather give you a song than diamonds or gold.
Lonestar belt buckles and old faded levis,
And each night begins a new day.
If you don't understand him, an' he don't die young,
He'll prob'ly just ride away.

Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys.
Don't let 'em pick guitars or drive them old trucks.
Let 'em be doctors and lawyers and such.
Mamas don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys.
'Cos they'll never stay home and they're always alone.
Even with someone they love.

Cowboys like smokey old pool rooms and clear mountain mornings,
Little warm puppies and children and girls of the night.
Them that don't know him won't like him and them that do,
Sometimes won't know how to take him.
He ain't wrong, he's just different but his pride won't let him,
Do things to make you think he's right.

Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys.
Don't let 'em pick guitars or drive them old trucks.
Let 'em be doctors and lawyers and such.
Mamas don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys.
'Cos they'll never stay home and they're always alone.
Even with someone they love.

pumpkins!

well the harvest is in full swing here!  actually it's mostly over here @ our house as i just told clay he could mow the garden under except for the pumpkins & cucumbers. but the pumpkins are starting to come in. this is the first one & asher has been waiting on pumpkins. he is wanting us to carve a smiley face in it. he is very happy. it weighs as much as he does...actually more. so i will help him carve this & i will make a pie or two! i have never made a pumpkin pie or actually had pumpkins grow well so this is a bit exciting for me as well.
and i dont know what you think, but my baby boy surely does look like a big boy up on his pumpkin in the last picture. it makes me want to cry because he is growing up so fast. i guess it is a good thing with a baby coming, but it still makes me sad. he has been my baby boy for so long. i never want that to change. boys are awesome!