Life Lately...

 Just throwing in some pictures of our life lately...trying to get better about not waiting so long in between posts! 

We had such a pretty rainbow one morning, I couldn't help but get the kids for a picture

Fire Safety week at school. Our local firefighters are amazing; they come to the school and teach the kids about fire safety and do a ton of activities with the kids. 

School pictures came in and my kids look so old! 

Mel and I ventured to the Barbie movie over fall break and had the best time. 

The boys loved snacking on our leftover popcorn... 

Taking care of the chickens...on this particular day, the kids were "tagging" the chickens so we can identify each of them better...

The boys went to their first cub scout campout this weekend and had a great time....they made caramel apples, did leather stamping, played human foosball and ventured through a trail to the campfire. They stayed the night in our tent and then came home early the next morning. They had such a great time, they are already talking about the next campout. 

While the boys were camping out, Mellany and I were watching Father of the Bride while snuggled up with Winston.  An absolute perfect night if you ask me!

Mellany #12!

Our sweet girl is TWELVE! I don't feel old enough to even have a 12 year old! Mellany has really changed a lot this past year in all aspects, and middle school has just been the icing on the cake with "aging" her. It has been a tougher transition than we had anticipated but she is really killing it and we are so, so proud of her! 

Here's a little bit about our Mellany:

• Mellany's favorite subject is still art! Drawing is her absolute favorite, but loves any medium. She won the Cargill calendar contest again this year and was so proud to be on the cover of the Battle Ground Elementary/Intermediate yearbook last year! She is really missing having an art class this year but is hoping to take a few side classes in the community to get her "fix" Her current favorite thing to draw are Anime characters. 
• One of Mellany's strongest subjects in school is math and her least strongest continues to be reading. Though she will take any opportunity to read a graphic novel! She would say that her favorite class in general is social studies; she really enjoys her teacher in that class. 
• She still loves outer space and wants to be an astronaut when she grows up
• She really loves staying home by herself whenever she can. She loves the peace and quiet
• Mellany is really responsible and independent. She doesn't really need help getting breakfast/ready in the mornings anymore and after school she tackles her homework and getting ready for bed mostly by herself.
• She loves having one-on-one time with John and I. Even though she's 12 now, she still loves to snuggle and just needs a hug every now and then. She's had a lot of "big" emotions develop over the past year and thankfully, she has come to us and we've been able to talk through all of it with her. 
• When she goes to bed she still loves for John to scratch her back.
• She loves to cook. Her specialty is (still) pumpkin chocolate chip muffins-she can make them all by herself now (including putting them in the oven and taking them out)
• She really loves when her brothers let her "lead/help" them. She loves playing with the boys, but most of the time she can be found playing/drawing by herself in her room or the basement. (with the music blaring)
• She is soooooo good at trying new foods! You can usually tell when she doesn't like something but she does a great job at trying to keep it to herself that she doesn't like it when in public or at friends houses. 
• Her favorite sport is dance! She made the Battle Ground Middle School Dance Team this past spring and is loving every minute of it. She decided to not try for the studio team in addition to BGDT but may try both in the next year or two. She has loved her new team and the performances they have done. They just finished up the football season and are heading into basketball performances and competition season. She's learned so many new styles and techniques and we continue to really enjoy watching her do something she loves so much! She just truly shines when she performs! 
• She has decided she is ready to put away her American Girl dolls and Barbies. I knew this day was coming, but it still hurts my heart. She will still play them at times when the younger girls want to, but for the most part even then, she kindly says no thank you.  
• Mellany continues to be one of the most friendly, caring and kind 12 year olds I know. She has a true love for people. She will talk to anyone, is really good about noticing if someone might be feeling left out and truly cares about others!
• Her wardrobe choices have changed dramatically! She is wearing denim now and has chosen lots of shirts to wear that aren't just regular t-shirts and hoodies! I am still baffled by the change from yoga pants and hoodies 24/7!
• She is about 50% homebody and 50% extrovert and loves to get out....She loves to go shopping, go to the movies, paint at our local pottery place, eat out....but at the end of the day, she wants to come back home (just like her mama!)
• We get the occasional attitude but as soon as I point it out, it goes away. 
• Her current favorite movies are the Harry Potter Movies, but she is also starting to watch more adult type movies like Hocus Pocus for example. We watched the Barbie movie a few weekends ago and Father of the Bride this past weekend and she really both of them too! She has also really enjoyed watching the series "Heartland" and that's even one that I don't mind watching too. 
• Mellany loves to shop! Clothes shopping is her favorite but she also loves finding fun accessories and new cosmetics. She is always happy to go along with me to do some shopping. 
• She's so helpful--and even does things without me asking her to help.
• She loves to accessorize, especially with her earrings. I'm pretty sure she wears a new pair every day. The dangly earrings are her absolute favorite. 
• She has loved walking to and from the bus stop by herself this year...something about it is pretty "freeing" for her I think and makes her feel a bit more grown up.

12 Year Wellness Exam

Height: 5' 5.9" (She's in the 99% for height!)

Weight: 111 pounds

Mellany's 12 year checkup went great! Dr. Fahler asked her about school, eating, friends/neighbors, screen time, athletics, nose bleeds, personal hygiene and they could have chatted forever. Overall, Mellany is completely healthy and we are beyond thankful for a clean bill of health!

Celebration

For her celebration this year, Mellany wanted to go shopping with her bestie! So, we did cake and Papa Johns pizza on her actual birthday and then a few weeks later had Charlotte spend the night and we headed to Indianapolis for Cheesecake Factory and some serious shopping! The three of us had a blast! 

Charlie#7!

Our baby boy is officially 7!!! This year was his golden birthday and he couldn't have been more excited about turning 7!! 

    Here's a little bit about Charlie:

• Charlie has no problem "hanging" with the big kids and even sticking up for himself when he needs to.
• He loves school and his teacher this year, but really misses his kindergarten teacher Mrs. A. He walks by her room every day to give her a hug on his was to class. 
• When Charlie gets in the car at the end of the school day, he immediately starts telling me every single detail.....from who didn't follow directions, to what Mrs. Baker said to the kids when they didn't follow directions, to how great lunch was, etc. etc.! He vomits it alllll out.....and I absolutely love it! 
• He loves to be silly and tell "jokes" and he is actually really funny. He asks all the time: "Mom, am I funny?" 
• He loves to tell all of us that he loves us and he loves to give hugs. He loves for us to snuggle with him on the couch and lay with him in bed till he falls asleep. He will always hold my hand when we are walking together and loves any kind of one-on-one time he can get. His love language is definitely physical touch and quality time right now. 
• Charlie is loud....when he laughs he is loud, when he cries he is loud, when he talks he is loud....you will never have a problem hearing what he has to say
• Food makes Charlie really happy though he has gotten more picky over this past year. He loves McDonald's chicken nuggets and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches the most. He also enjoys a spoonful of peanut butter while I'm making sandwiches. He really is pretty consistent on what he likes to eat on a daily basis....cinnamon bread for breakfast, pb &j or chicken nuggets for lunch and then pizza for dinner. He really dislikes trying anything new....but he does ok with having 7 bites at a minimum. 
• He loves to watch Star Wars and loves the Top Gun and Back to the Future movie 
• He loves tractors, trucks and any kind of construction equipment
• Charlie is a huge helper and loves to have a "job". Whatever job he is given, he really does well too!
• He loves to be outside! He loves to help John with anything....driving the tractor, yard work, tinkering in the barn, etc. 
• While driving, he will point out every single tractor, truck, lawn mower, semi, dump truck, excavator, etc. etc. etc. along the way. There is no such thing as a quiet ride with Charlie. He also asks thought provoking questions that sometimes I don't even have answers to.
• He is wearing size 7 clothes but really prefers just walking around in his underwear.
• He is very kind to Winston and loves to walk him on the leash. He's even taken him outside by himself a few times.
• He really loves riding his bike to the neighbors house to play
• His favorite snacks are goldfish, pirate booty, clif bars and peanut butter granola bars
• He really only likes to drink water and apple juice
• He really enjoys playing just about any sport: baseball, flag football, ninja class....he loves to compete and has a blast playing with friends.
• He can read very well!
• His favorite songs are "Fishing In the Dark", "Highway to the Danger Zone" and "We Ready" 
• He loves listening to music on the radio and wants to know the name of each song too. 
• He wants to know about everything....he is curious about life and wants to see it all
• Charlie can very clearly tell you what he wants/needs and can explain himself very well
• His pout is seriously cute (and he knows it)
• He is genuinely kind....he is constantly giving out compliments that are 100% sincere. And is even very interested in how someone is feeling about a situation 
• He speaks very well. He has quite the vocabulary, he can say his words clearly enough for most to understand, and speaks in complete sentences.
• If he isn't at church or school, you will see him wearing a hat 
• He is very kind hearted and just wants everyone to have fun.  If he gets in trouble or upsets others he starts crying and runs to his room. 
• Charlie is very outgoing around familiar people, but when in front of people he doesn't know, he is extremely shy
• He loves to dance! (He's got some rythm too!)
• Board games are an absolute favorite for him and he's super competitive 

7 Year Wellness Exam

Weight: 49.82 lbs

Height: 4' 1.4"

Charlie's appointment went great! He and Dr. Fahler talked about eating, personal hygiene, school, sports, screen time, friends, playing outside and Dr. Fahler had a really good laugh when Charlie called him "Darth Vader" again this year. It was another year of great growth and for that I will always be thankful!

Birthday Celebration
Charlie wanted to have pizza and invite his buddy Griffin to Malibu Jacks, so that's exactly what we did. We opened presents and ate pizza and cake at our house and the boys played their hearts out. It was a perfect celebration! 

Time Slow Down

Every time I sit down to write a blog post, I tell myself I need to be better about posting pictures and writing more often, but goodness, time goes so fast when you've got 3 kids and their activities, plus a house on 10 acres with a dog and 8 chickens, and a husband who travels pretty frequently, etc etc etc!!! And before you know it, a month has gone by and I haven't even given the blog a single thought. I'm so thankful for all that we are able to do and provide for our family but fall break can't get here soon enough! We are ready for some down time with nothing to do! 

Here are pics of all the things we've been up to! 

Charlie got a football kicking tee for his birthday and as I was coming home one day, I saw him in the front yard practicing. 

Mellany got a Stanley cup as an early birthday present from Gammy and it aged her about 10 years

We got our first eggs!!! Johnny is on cloud 9 and is giving out a few free samples to let friends and neighbors know that we have some....He checks the coop every morning and every afternoon and has truly enjoyed taking care of them. 

We ventured to Noblesville with some friends for a night with Jason Aldean and had a blast! Dad and Teresa came into town to visit us and watched the kids while we were at the concert and sadly I have zero pictures of their visit! 

It wouldn't be a blog post without finding a picture that a kid took of Winston on my phone. I don't blame them, he's just so cute!

Picture day!! It looks like she took the clothes right out of my 6th grade closet....haha!

For John's birthday, we got him a Solo Stove Firepit....it has been a huge hit when we have the time to use it. 

Mellany's dance team had a fun night at our local pumpkin patch

More eggs and samples!

Charlie's class took a field trip to the Indianapolis Zoo and we had a great time. His favorite animal were the sharks but his second favorite experience was the dolphin show....my favorite is always the penguins!

Brad and Amiee and their kids came to visit on a perfect fall weekend and we are so sad they couldn't stay longer! We ventured to Fair Oaks to see the cows, pick apples, experience the rope course and eat all the food!! The guys headed to the boys' flag football game while the girls stayed home and a ton of time was spent playing outside and mingling with our chickens. We can't wait for the Jones crew to come back and visit again!!

(Winston was on Finntin duty...)

Johnny had a class field trip too and for his trip, we got to tour Purdue Athletic Facilities and visit the Neil Armstrong building to build and shoot rockets. Talk about the best trip for our 9 year old boy...it was fantastic!! 

Our favorite 6th grade dance team girls getting ready for their halftime football performance. It was breast cancer awareness week at school so they were all decked out in as much pink as they could find!

The boys had their last flag football game this past weekend and it was a chilly one! But they still had fun and I'm a bit sad they won't ever play flag football together again.  I have really enjoyed getting to watch them play together on the same team these past two years, and I think they have loved playing together too.

The boys had a Cub Scout  meeting this week and it was their Bobcat Badge ceremony. They earned their bobcat badge which means I got to paint their faces and they got to paint a bit on mine too. I was completely shocked but they boys thought it was the best thing ever!

Cheers to lots of fall fun and a long weekend coming up!!