Apples

 

The smell of apples and cinnamon on the stove  Ah... delicious.  A family from church gave us a large box of apples, this wasn't the year to get lots of preserving done so I was thrilled to receive these.  Apple sauce.. because it's easy and you don't need to be precise, because my days are filled with interruptions from my little ones this is something that can sit on the stove as long as I need. That's an essential to the kind of cooking happening around these parts lately. 
Three apple pies came from this box as well that we were able to share together in the evening of a chilly night by the fire.

feeling fall...

         Oh, that autumn light. Am I the only one trying to savor every autumn day? It's bittersweet, this fall light and the changes it brings, watching the colorful leaves flutter to the ground reminds me that nature's cycles are mirrored in our lives. Autumn is a time for letting go and releasing things that have ran their time but  there's comfort to be found in it, too. ~deep breath~  And so,  I follow it, and photograph it, and bask in it when I can.
With the changes in light I find I'm in need of a little blog break as we transition seasons and all that comes with that.
Be well, friends!

September dance..

  This time of year is like a delicate dance.... The September dance. . These babies of mine are getting older but not just the twins all of them. Their interest in the world beyond our doors increases, we find ourselves looking at the calendar each night, chatting and devising a plan of attack for the day that follows. Dance classes, gymnastics, homeschool coops, teenage work schedules, PT/OT medical appointments and the list goes on and on.....with a home and small farm to manage it adds up fast . My head spins a little trying to find our balance and grove... I bet you all feel it. Back to school ( I know some of you have waited weeks for this), back to work, back to it -

As I embrace all the exciting new things ahead for all of us this season, I gently remind myself  to breath and love these little people in a way that no one else can. That in fact, this is my job as Mama to stay strong and steady, to breathe deeply, to walk slowly through these wild and full days. To be the anchor of home.

These days.. these amazing glorious days... I will one day wish for them back. .. The messy pile of books read, the art made, the paint dried on the table, dolls, blocks played with and nine children snug in bed sleeping soundly under one roof.

 

Homeschooling, unschooling, deschooling, back-to-schooling - whatever it may be

It's that time of year when summer starts to fade and the morning greets you will a frosty chill. Where every morning you do a dance of should we light a fire or throw on another layer?

 Im slowly putting together our fall schedule of classes and activities. It's a full schedule with teens middles, littles and babies. Like most changing seasons it seems impossible to avoid the busyness as they grow. It's all good - a pleasure, really - to watch it all unfold. 

This week was our official back to school week, once again as we opened fresh packs of pencils and markers I was reminded of this lifestyle we live.... To allow our natural family rhythm to lead us.
Our morning starts with a warm breakfast and animal chores to follow. There is wood to be chopped and stacked, books to be read, soup to be made... and then of course medical appointments to make it too.  As I sit here with my steamy hot tea and a baby bedside me playing with lids I breath a deep breath of contentment. We are home.

This Girl

     This girl is so full of life. She is beautiful and confident that she was born a real life princess. She prefers to wear dress-up costume dresses rather than real clothes.
She recently fell in love with a dog named Simon, after the children's encounter with a cougar we had been discussing the idea of adding one to our little farm but it needed to be the perfect fit. Last week we took a road trip up north to visit a very dear friend of mine and Hannah told her Auntie Katie  "I really love your dog".  I was surprised when she responded with "you can take him home if your mommy says it's OK." The rest is history :) Meet Simon.

August Hobbies

                     Waldorf Gardening has been our thing this summer.  Every little piece is hand crafted. Zachary made this tiny chair and mail box. When I saw how much fun he was having I jumped in and hand painted the rock mushrooms.  It's enjoyable to sit and craft as babies nap and work our imaginations together. Natalie's creative juices got flowing when we were invited to my cousins baby shower. We had a couple packages of diapers that didn't fit the twins anymore so she got busy.

Rhythm

 We are loving these longer days, soaking up as many daylight hours as we can. Our barn project is getting closer and closer to completion. I love the way the boys have worked along side Chris reminds me of how the Amish do it with their children. I am sure lots of precious memories are being built in their minds.  I am enjoying the gentle rhythm of the last couple weeks. After every hospital stay it solidifies how precious time with our children really is.

There is so much negativity all around us lately in the news, so we have decided to have a media free summer. My little guys 9 and under will have no screens at all, while I will allow my older 3 sometime as needed. It's amazing the different rhythm this brings. I'd really like my children to see more of the beauty that is around them and the beauty in people. Protecting little ears from negative talk or coarse joking.

The babies continue to melt us all, I have waited a long time for them to be able to play together. I can't express the joy this bring to us. Our children all reach a place in our hearts but having a child like Henry reaches places you didn't know exist.  I am so in awe that I was chosen to be his Mama.

This Week in the Garden

I made it down to the garden a couple times this week, I must say I am finding it really difficult to stay motivated to get down there with the babies. I want to take advantage of having our nurse snuggle the twins and use that time to get my hands dirty. 
Our beans are coming up nicely but unfortunately either Greta the goat or deer have ate my strawberry plants.  I collected raspberry leaves to dry and my tea again this summer.
Chris and Austin are making progress on the mini barn.  He has done an excellent job with taking down our old barn and salvaging the wood to build our new one. The new one will house the goat, rabbit, and the new baby chicks.
Speaking of the chicks they are growing fast!  They are still in the cute faze but that will quickly change.

Chicken Chat

 Forty-two chicks joined our little homestead this week.  I was away with the babies in Children's hospital when Chris got the call to come pick them up.   I know many think we are nuts, who adds this many birds in the mix of all our crazy?! Well we do. We do because life is going to calm down one day. And we still need to have fun and I can say that we enjoy it so much sharing our days with these little critters, we are grateful to them for the work they do on our land while they are with us. 
 These little ones are visited many times a day, by children eager to feed, water, hold, and watch these little fluff balls. They get taken on 'field trips' and are snuggled up lots even I can't resisted them. :)

 We just spent the last 48hrs inpatient. Henry's vomiting has his team very perplexed and worried.  It's hard.. It's hard being mom and trusting the professionals to figure it out. Did you know a Mama's heart can physically hurt watching your baby?   
There are never words to write about Henry's health, it hurts too much. It's too sacred. 
While we were in the hospital Chris stayed home with the children and got the garden planted!  Oh I love that man. He watched me attempt over and over all week to get it done.

Our Plans and then What Happens

     Oh my goodness! There is so much going on around here right now, I must confess that I'm having a hard time keeping track of it all. I bought a brand new dry erase board for the refrigerator hoping it would help us keep our days straight. Every morning with the babies in-between us and the house still quiet Chris and run through our daily plan.
You know how it goes, you have a list of things and ideas you want to accomplish and then life happens. I had grand plans again of being the garden and on my way down to my raised beds I fell in a nice big puddle.  So I hauled the babies, the IV poll, the pump, the stroller and headed back up to the house.  By the time I changed, changed babies finished a phone call with Children's Hospital  the horses we board arrived.  Chris and the kids managed better than me today and got more of the barn took down,
For all of the chaos and wildness and busyness that is going on around me is good. It is full, yes....but it doesn't need to be resisted,  it's beautifully full of family, and passion and life. There are children with hammers creating space for baby chicks. There is work that I truly love doing. There is...each other. And well, in the moments where it's tempting to feel overwhelmed by it all, I am mindfully stopping myself. And remembering that I can instead just soften into the joy, for that's really what all of this is. It changes everything, that shift in thinking. From overwhelm to fullness, from chaos to abundance.   We are lurking on another surgery for Henry after todays talk with Children's, I remind myself that sometimes our baby steps look like they are steps backwards but they are steps towards healing.