And then it was November....

As some of you may know.....our hard drive crashed...hard! We lost pictures, journals, papers, etc. I know we should have had them backed up...we just never got around to it. All is not lost, the memory on the hard drive is still there....we just have to get it fixed. But alas, I have not been on the blog in a while, so the crashing of the hard drive is not the only news that has not been shared. So forgive me if this is long...and sadly, without pictures...

In the last post I shared that we were on our way to Fair...one of the biggest and most stressful times of year for us. I am a 4-H leader and Rebecca is involved with different 4-H groups. So to say the least, we go a little crazy around fair time and when it is all over we take a great big breath and crumble on the couch. This year was a bit more chaotic...and we owe it all to a pig!

The plan for Fair time is to have everyone ready with their record books (lists their activities for the year, what they have done, what they have learned, what they will do differently...) Of course this is never, ever finished. So there are a ton of kids scrambling last minute to get their record books done. From my 4-H group, yes they all come at once for me to sign their book and help with filling in the activities of the year (a good group secretary helps, but I always keep notes too...just in case). And....Rebecca...we always seem to be finishing her book at the last minute. Really, it isn't entirely her fault, there is a lot that needs to go inside the book and you have to keep an accurate record up until the book is due, and well, this year, this year was our first pig....so yeah, the record book was terribly frustrating. But we carried on and finished it just in time. Then came Fair..(this could be a dirty word...) Dave was a ginormous help with Fair. He was right there to help with the pig...who was not as cooperative, and kind of a turd. Dave and Rebecca headed down very early to load "Coconut" up in the truck to deliver him to the Fair, he needed to be weighed and cleaned. Not such easy feats, really! Dave called me and had me come help them get the pig loaded, it really is a 3 person job. So with 3 sleepers in tow I joined them at the pig hotel to load said pig into the truck. Got him in and then headed to the fair grounds. Rebecca had to have him weighed...300 pounds! And then she had to give him a bath, because nobody wants to look at  dirty pig. Every morning she had to have him fed and his stall cleaned by 8. Each evening she had to feed him and tidy his stall after 6. She spent the entire weekend at the Fair with barn duty, food booth duty (for all her 4-H groups) and basic pig checking. Fair made for a very long weekend! Then there was the ever stressful (more for me) showing of the pig. Becca was fantastic! For her first year, having no idea what was going on, she was great, we were so very proud of her and all the effort she put into her project. She had to show her pig on Thursday night for market price, which we learned that the way it is judged is not necessarily the way the buyers see things... Then on Friday night she had showmanship. Both nights she had to lead her pig around the arena with a smile plastered on her face. She was great. The pig....not as great, he ran all over the place, but she kept a smile on :) so proud of her. Then came the big day...market day. Saturday was a long day of waiting and we all learned a few lessons, and when it came down to it, we learned that Becca must stay with her pig and not with her family...who distracted her from things. She barely made it to the sales barn on time. But when it was all over and done with she made enough money with the sale to pay us back for the pig, put money into savings and have enough to purchase her pig for next year...yup, she is doing it all again! I am so pleased that her experience was one that left her enthusiastic about next year. It was hard to sell her friend, a pig that she could lay down with and scratch his belly. But the lessons she learned through the process where priceless.

After our big debut at the Fair, the kids started school..that's right, Fair goes right into school here...no breaks. Rebecca is in the 6th grade, here it is the last year in Elementary...next year a big Jr. High gal! The twins are in the same class again this year, and this will be the last year. They are in 1st grade and their K teacher moved up to 1st, this was one reason we kept them together again. The other was that K was 1/2 day while 1st is all day and we though the transition would be better if they were together and we were right. The 3 older kids have been doing very well with school and though our mornings can be a bit of a challenge...we seem to be doing OK. *When it is Tim's turn to say the night time prayer he never fails to include..."Please help us to get up on time and help Aleyna to get dressed and ready so we can get to school on time and not be tardy..." the wording changes, but you get the idea.

Kaitlyn was able to start pre-school this year. With luck she was able to get into Head Start, and she loves it. It works out very nice for us because she is the only one at a babysitters when I am at work and then she is in school. I get off work at 3 and she gets out at the same time. This was a great blessing for us this year.

Things have been busy since school started too. We participated in soccer..and then it ended...phew. But boy was it fun to watch, and also to see how the kids improved through the season, Becca especially improved and she was awesome! Tim, well he is just fast and smooth, he reminds me of my brother Darrin, small and quick.

With Becca in 6th grade we have been active participants in the 6th grade field trip and fundraising. It has been crazy, and thank goodness our big part is over. We did the silent auction for the Harvest festival and we are done!!!!
We had a great time during Halloween. Party at the Church, Harvest Festival and then trick or treating on Halloween night. We have a lot of candy!!! Becca was a goddess, Tim was a ninja, Aleyna was a witch and Kaitlyn was a princess. The Church party and Harvest Festival were inside, busy and very fun. Halloween night....very, very cold and it rained. Thank goodness for friends houses that we could stop at and take breaks. Dave and Kaitlyn headed home but the rest of us stuck to the course of more candy and with some brave friends, stayed out until porch lights went off. Trick or treating in our town is a ton of fun...you know your neighbors and it feels like a old time Halloween. I know cheesy, but true.

And then it was November....

Things have not slowed down for us very much. Dave is just coming to the slow time of year for work, which means he is in the office more than out of it...I am keeping busy with work and the kids are looking forward to Thanksgiving break.  Before we know it Christmas will be here and we will be starting 2013. Time flies....





In other news..........I just had a hysterectomy. I did not get the smiley face scar that I wanted, but I suppose that I will get over it. :) This choice was the best one for me and for our family. I was struggling with a lot of crazy girly issues and things seemed to be getting worse over the last couple of years. So with the recommendation of a specialist, I had everything taken out. It has only been 3 days since surgery, but I am feeling pretty good, very sore mind you...but good. My parents took the kiddos for a few days and I miss them very much...but it was a good time to rest. I have heard from many women that having a hysterectomy was the best thing they have ever done and that they are healthier and happier because of it. I hope to be able to say the same things.
oxoxoxoxoxoxoxo