Kids pics...

 Yesterday afternoon we traveled to SD so the kids could have their "school" pics taken.  We used to do it at Sears but it is so much cheaper to find someone to take the pictures and then print them out on Shutterfly or something like it.  Here is a sneak preview of some of the other shots.  I have some ready to order for grandparents so you will get an updated picture soon. 

 She was too cute looking off to the side.  This isn't the pose I'm printing off but I loved it!

 We did the shot of the whole kids as an after thought because that isn't what we were aiming for but they were fun anyway.  Jordan ended up matching well, even though she didn't dress to have her pics taken since she had her grad ones done this year. 

After the kids pictures were done we headed further away to the brother of the person who took the pictures.  I left my two oldest girls there for the week. Annie had a baby last day of Oct.  (#6) and the girls went to be a help to her in someway.  It is so great to do this for others.  We had people do it for us and now we can pass it on.  Jordan stayed there a week last year and had a really good time.  Today, the other kids all helped each other milk and feed animals.  They really came together to do it.  We aren't going anywhere all week since I have the babies to take care of and no older girl to stay home with some of the kids!  Yeah!   I need a week of no running. 

Fun pics...

 Here's a fun family picture from Thanksgiving Day!

The two babies playing together.

 Lane just won't leave him alone. D. is all smiles and happy about it.

D. gets up but there is Lane grabbing his leg!

Baking...

  We've been spending the last three evenings baking Christmas goodies for 30 plates I've put together for the Farmer's Market.  The kids are worried they will all sell and they won't get to taste all the goodies.  We had a tea party today with the spritz cookies.  I'm pretty sure they won't all sell but it would sure be nice if most of them sold.  I have plenty of extra cookies to keep here in the fridge and freezer.  I've made 12 different kinds times about 8 dozen per cookie or more is over 1,100 cookies!!!  Wow!  It's been fun.

 Making little cracker looking cookies with cream frosting between them.  You prick them with a fork four times each to give them the cracker look.   I got these from a cookie exchange last year.

Cookie Turnovers

Spritz Cookies

Cookie plates in the fridge,  there are more than that.

An almost finished plate.

Happy Thanksgiving...

Happy Thanksgiving Day!  We are preparing Jordan's first place apple pie right now in preparation to our Thanksgiving Dinner.  The kids just finished their math lessons for the day!  I said they could either do it today or tomorrow so now everyone gets Friday off.  I really want to be done with math in April so we are trying to stay caught up!  :)  Poor kids!  They tried to tell me it's a holiday.  I said we are home schoolers, there is no such thing as a holiday!  They still get Thanksgiving Dinner :)   God's Blessing on this Day!

Someone who buys my pickled beets at the Farmer's Market called me a few minutes ago.  Her and her family had just finished their relish tray and she now wants to buy all of the pickled beets I have left!  She called me during Thanksgiving with her family just to check how many jars I would have for her and her mom!  How neat is that!  It surely lifted my day!  (She was thinking maybe we'd be eating them ourselves this Thanksgiving.  If I put a jar on the table today, I'm pretty sure I'd be the only one eating them, maybe one other person.)

Too cute...

This is a page out of Gideon's schoolwork.  I went to the chiropractor this a.m. and Jordan was checking over Gideon's work and found this.  He crossed out the word "hate" and wrote love.  

How cute of him to change that?!?!

Calling Jim..

I was deleting a comment from someone today and I looked at all my comments and found that Jim Russell had left a comment that I didn't see back in June.  I was super busy getting ready for the graduation party so......if Jim still checks this blog you can leave a way for me to email you and I will.  I am sorry I didn't get your message.  There wasn't a way to contact you through your comment.  Anyway, howdy cousin.