{Real} Family Pictures

I think the last time I took a "nice" picture of all my kids was when I had....two kids. 

Here was an attempt at only six of mine and, well, it's typical.

Changes on the Homefront

Things have been quiet here on the blog

even though things been anything but quiet here in our life.

In September our 18 year old nephew Noah moved in with us.

Christopher turned 10.

Linnea turned 15 and I didn't get any pictures. *sigh*

We had our annual family hayride at my parents' farm.

We had our 19th wedding anniversary.

The boys played a ton of football
and we drove to a lot of games.

In October my baby Cece had her 1st birthday
and started walking.

Linnea began to participate in a choir comprised of all homeschooled students that meets once a week.

Isaiah's football team had an undefeated season record.
We made it to every game, sometimes driving some pretty big distances for this farming family.
They won their section championship and made it through to the semi-finals for our state.

Linnea is going out for basketball this year and practice will start soon.
I'm excited for her but will miss her in the house knowing she will be gone often
for practice and games.

Starting in late July/early August, I got "promoted" to work in the barn.
haha.
I do the morning milkings now because Dennis has a job in town.
During football season, I also did many of the evening milkings so that we could be on the road as soon as Dennis got home from work.
I used to milk all the time up until Andrew was born so it's not exactly new to me
but Linnea and I have had to really work hard to keep the house running
with me in the barn every morning.
It took some adjusting for everyone
and the boys and I have admittedly butted heads a few times on a few things
but all in all it's been a very positive thing all the way around.

Andrew became a teenager last week
aaaaaand I didn't get any pictures on that day either.
He is really growing up in so many ways.
Today I heard him moving cows in the pasture and thought his voice is sounding more like Dennis' now.

Abram is adding words to his vocabulary daily.
He took his time speaking, but has a lot to say now!
I'm always a little sad when they change the sweet way they say some of their words...
He used to pronounce his name "A-mum" to "A-bwum"---still super cute, but I get nostalgic about stuff like that.

THM (Trim Healthy Mama) is still going well.
I highly recommend it.

I don't know how much total weight I've lost because I've been gaining
some in preparation for Baby #12 who is due to arrive in March.
(the farthest "down" I got was 65 pounds lost)
I have felt quite well this pregnancy, the only "ailment" being fatigue.
I don't know that I can blame that entirely on the pregnancy, though,
as there are several other factors in my life that are likely contributors.

I appreciate all the "checking in" since I've been posting so rarely.
I'm still here...just a tad busier and away from the internet,
perhaps a bit more guarded with what I say.

I cannot quite wrap my brain around the fact that we are almost to double digits in November.
I love the changing of the seasons and I find things to look forward to in each one.
Right now, I am enjoying the coziness of sweaters and multiple cups of tea,
kids with cheeks rosy from the chill wind as they play outside in the dusk before supper,
the quietness of the barn in the mornings
and the brisk wind that dries the clothes so quickly on the clothesline.

County Fair

I actually remembered to bring my camera along to our county fair this year.

I am finally getting around to posting these pictures.

Elijah showed this little Holstein-Jersey crossbred calf.

 Ruby was so excited about showing this little Milking Shorthorn this year;

it was all she could talk about for weeks.

Then, the morning of the dairy show, all her confidence dissolved in a puddle 

of uncertainty and we were left with this face.

The picture didn't focus correctly, but you can still see what I mean.

She settled in after just a bit of time in the ring.

At her age, 4Hers are required to have an adult with them in the ring.

I have several to choose from, haha.

Nathaniel was Ruby's adult.

(It does sometimes feel weird to me that I have "adult" children...)

 Mr. Christopher had a round of anxiety to begin with as well,

and it was my fault.

His white show pants somehow got left home; I still don't know how it happened

though if I were a betting woman, I'd say it had something to do

with the number of 4Hers I have showing, the number of cows to milk at home before the show,

the number of children I have who are not yet old enough for 4H,

and the number of miles we live from the fair grounds.

It seems likely, anyhow.

 Isaiah has a special affinity for colored breeds of dairy cattle.

This little shorthorn earned him a trip to the state fair.

 Elizabeth 

 Ivy 

 Abram

 Isaiah and Linnea each showed a Jersey

 These two little boys were too stinkin' CUTE.

Abram is in the gray shirt and Colby is in green.

Colby's mama used to show in our county, too.

Full circle...

 Monkey see, monkey do.

 One of my favorite pictures.

Andrew with his dry cow, Ingaborg.

 Monkey see, monkey do. :)

 4H friends!

 Linnea showed Grandpa Wayne's horse Princess.

Between the dairy show, the horse show and the sheep show, 

she kept me moving.

 Cece likes to do "SO BIG".

 baby teeth...

 Christopher and Elijah enjoyed watching the horse games.

Isaiah and Linnea each went to the state fair,

Isaiah with his heifer and Linnea with her sheep.

Only eight months until we do it all over again!

The Wedding

Linnea was a bridesmaid in a friend's wedding last month.

I brought my camera but only got some pictures after the ceremony.

It wasn't until I sat down in the pew that I actually took stock of my situation;

I brought seven children ages 9, 8, 6, 5, 3, 2, and 10 months to a wedding 

where there would be no other adult or teen who could help me.

I sort of broke out in a cold sweat,

then reminded myself that I had put on my big girl pants and that I could do this.

I had to.

*gulp*

This was taken as the newly married couple exited the church.

Elizabeth wanted to stand next to Linnea, of course.

For the next week and half, Elizabeth told anyone she could that Linnea got married.

It was her way of saying "Linnea was in a wedding" but

three year olds have a way of losing things in translation.

 Those lashes!!!

 The bubbles were a lot of fun for my crew!

 Abram, like a moth to flame, was drawn to the black dirt

next to the sidwalk.

In light khaki shorts.

Obviously.

 Christopher was an excellent helper to me.

 Elijah

 These lovely ladies...

Cece and Linnea

 Our dear friend Amy was also in the wedding.

I love how this picture turned out of both of them.

 Ivy and Ruby wanted to each take turns with 

Linnea's bouquet.

This boy, though.

Can you stand how cute he is?!?!

FOOTBALL!

If you know my kids

you know that football is an all-consuming pastime for them.

Since the little girls have watched the older kids do this literally all their life,

Ruby, Ivy and Elizabeth were very excited to actually be allowed to "play" the game

as opposed to being shooed from it.

When Elizabeth plays football,

she mostly just stands in the midst of the action and yells, "hut!!".

Ruby loves all things "boy-ish" (that's her word, not mine)

and has slowly earned her way into their world over the past months.

Christopher has been growing like a weed and his pants no longer cover his ankles.

(He's on the right.)

Ivy determinedly kept up.

Her hands were cold, but she wasn't going to stop long enough to grab some gloves.

Her understanding of the game is basically this: 

Run. 

From one end of the "field" to the other.

This guy, Elijah, has grown tired of the assumption 

that football was only Christopher and Andrew's thing.

Noooooosir, he likes football just as much as they

and he is ready to prove it this year!

Um, so, yeah.

This is pretty much what she wears every day.

Her hair is usually done, but she had taken it out by this time in the evening.

Abram is in the fun stage of just running around in the midst of the game

wearing all the appropriate gear. :)

Here he is feigning a play in which he was "tackled".

The older kids are always very tolerant of the younger ones when they play football,

as long as the little ones are not purposely sabotaging the plays

or crying over every unintended minor collision.

He righted himself soon enough,

applying his own helmet tap.

He's a good sport that way...

Ivy and Abram 

"Readaaaay.....seeeeeet.........HUT, HUT!"

but "running" is a slow thing when your boots are four sizes too big.

This kid cracks me up.

He kept returning to the line,

ready for the next "play".