June 30, 2016

Family Farm Family Day
(click here for today's pictures)
  • Today was the final day of Family Farm and I do believe that the girls would have slept through their last day of camp if I would have given them the option.  It took me a very long time to wake them up this morning and when I was finally able to quietly pull them out of their room, it was almost time to leave.  We made it though and the kids and Robby were able to leave in time to pick up Cash and then to church to drop of Graham and pick up the Pennington boys and then onto Holland Chapel.  Since this was Robby's day to work from him, he headed home and not to work which meant that his mileage for this morning was just 40 miles (we will need new tires because of this crazy week.)
  • Whitman woke up before Keaton this morning but I had already folded laundry and was working on making brownies when he knocked on his door.  He helped me finish the brownies and soon Robby was home and as I was talking to him, Keaton woke up and started to look for me.  They ate breakfast and then I played a game with Keaton thinking that after we spent some time together she wouldn't need to follow me around for the rest of the day-it did not work, she was still right behind me all day long.
  • I worked around the house, Robby did his work, work, Whitman played trains and watched movies and Keaton followed me for the rest of the morning.  During lunch, I read a few books to my little people and soon it was time to go and pick up the van.  Our big van had a few minor things wrong so Robby dropped it off yesterday but I had to have it this afternoon so finished or not, we picked it up around 2.
  • Then Keaton, Whitman and I headed to Malvern to see the end program of camp for this week.  We arrived early and walked up just as Cash was catching the largest fish I had ever seen.  The counselors were all even excited about his catch-the kids said that he caught "one eyed Jack."  Anderson was nearby Cash cheering him on as he reeled in his catch.  
  • We walked on and found Graham near the petting area.  Then we went a bit further and spotted Campbell's group leaving the rock wall area.  We never saw Reagan but we did walk towards the lake to watch the kids canoe and to see the zipliners fly over our heads.
  • Then it was time for the program-Whitman tried to be good but he is just couldn't.  He wanted to sit by Anderson and Cash but I had to get him twice since he was acting foolish.  After the program, I had to find everyone and did briefly loose Whitman (probably the most real time that I had lost him-he was just about 10 feet away from us in the petting area but still, imagine 250 kids, 75 parents and a host of buses around-my heart starts pounding again just thinking about it.)
  • Once I had retrieved everyone, I let them stay in the petting zoo for about 10 minutes and then we loaded up.  We stopped at a gas station in Bryant on the way home to buy drinks for everyone.  Ten kids in a gas station does draw a lot of stares!  We managed to fill 10 cups of icees, find lids and straws, pay and even leave the store without spilling a single drink-Success! 
  • Next up, we dropped off Cash and then took the Pennington boy's to their house.  Then we turned back around and headed home.  At this time, Camryn who was riding with us started to wonder why in the world she opted to ride with us and not the bus.  At home, we jumped out to change into swimsuits and then back in the car to finally arrive at the McGuires house.  If you were wondering, that trip was 110 miles for me!
  • Amber had lots of leftover hot dogs which we devoured and then the kids swam for a good while.  They were all pretty exhausted by the time we loaded up and headed home a bit after 9. Once at home, it was shower time and bed time-I am certainly hoping that the kids sleep for a good while tomorrow! 

June 29, 2016

Ready for another day at Family Farm!
(click here for today's pictures)
  • Day 3 of Family Farm and even though we had one extra camper, Camryn, at our house we were still a bit earlier than yesterday.  The kids are continuing to devour my muffins that I made the other day with Keaton and Whitman.  I happily pass them out but inwardly I hesitate since we had made those muffins for our first few days of school.
  • Keaton wasn't here this morning but Anderson was so noisy that before they left with Robby, Whitman came bouncing out of his room.  I really wasn't expecting him to be up at 7 and had hoped that I could sneak back into bed when the others left but that didn't happen.  Whitman and I ate our breakfast and then I folded laundry while he worked on his marble track.
  • I worked around the house for the rest of the morning and Whitman played trains and watched his kindle.  When it was almost time to go, I brought down Candy Land to play with Whitman.  He did play for a little bit but quickly bored with the game but we did manage to finish it before leaving to pick up Keaton.
  • Keaton had spend the night with her little friends, Evelyn and Izzy, and she had a blast.  The had "Papa Johns pizza" for supper.  Then they took a bath and decorated a cupcake.  The girls slept on mattresses in the living room and even watched a movie before going to bed.  I do believe that it was around 11 when they finally went to sleep and my goose is tired today.  This morning they went to a splash park and then ran through Chick Fil A before I met them at church to get my girl.
  • Then Keaton, Whitman and I went to see Beebee.  Pops was there and the kids were glad to see him and glad to see Beebee and her full candy box.  After we stayed a bit, we ran to the library which is always an adventure with Whitman since he has no volume control at all. 
  • We followed that stop with Nonna and Pops' house for lunch.  Whitman wanted to stay when I left so I certainly let him but Keaton wasn't going to leave me for any amount of time after being gone last night.  (The plan had been for me to have a dentist appointment today but it was cancelled this morning.)
  • Once at home, Keaton was tired, tired so I told her that she had to rest-with me on the couch or in her bed.  She wasn't too pleased about this but did eventually fall asleep on the couch.  Robby was home soon and gave her a drink and moved her to my bed where she stayed for a few more minutes before she went to work playing with her baby dolls.
  • Robby went to get the kids and Pops and Nonna returned Whitman.  I was heating up supper when the campers came home with their hands full of awards and their faces full of dirt.  We ate our supper and then the last half of the kids had their showers.  The kids had some time to watch tv while Robby and I sat outside for a bit listening to the birds sing.  Then we watched a bit of Ninja Warrior before putting all of our tired kiddos into bed.

June 28, 2016

Swim day for Keaton and Whitman!
(click here for today's pictures)
  • Family Farm day 2 and Robby and I did sleep in 10 minutes past our alarm ringing this morning and it definitely made a difference.  We were scrambling around this morning and barely got all of our people out the door in time.  Everyone had poptarts or muffins but today they ate as they traveled to pick up Cash.  
  • The Family Farm morning route is 4 Dennies leave here to pick up Cash.  Then at church Graham is dropped off and the Pennington boys are added.  Final stop is at Holland Chapel where all are unloaded to the Family Farm vans and the reverse happens on the way home-it is quite a haul but the kids are having a blast so it is worth it.
  • After they left, I had a few minutes to accomplish a few chores in the house before waking up Keaton and Whitman.  We loaded up and went to pick up Shannon from the car place and then dropped her off at her church house.  We then ran a few errands (Michaels and the Dollar Tree) then we made our final stop at the pool.
  • Keaton and Whitman were pretty thrilled that I got in the pool with them the first hour.  Seriously, the very first hour the pool was open-I got in with them.  I was the only other mother in that pool and should have won a prize.  We played and Keaton worked on her swimming.  During adult swim, I let them have their lunch which we had made the night before and they gobbled it up.  I have never seen him eat that much before...or even sit that still before (he must have been starving.)
  • After swimming for 2 hours, we headed home and Robby headed to the dentist.  He brought Keaton and Whitman along so they could play at Grannymom's house.  While they were not here, I stayed pretty busy here at the house and was just getting bored when they pulled in the driveway.
  • At that time, I was able to finally let Keaton do the one thing that she has waited to do all day long-pack her bags for Evelyn's house.  She quickly packed her bags and was so excited about her first little sleep over.  They had big plans for tonight-pizza, fruit, decorating cupcakes and playing in the water tomorrow.
  • We were home for just a short time when Keaton and I loaded up to pick up the camp goers.  Whitman stayed home with Robby and on the drive across town, Keaton used the rest of her words for the day on me.  This was a snippet of our conversation: Keaton-"Where did that wood go?" Me-"Remember, Bro. Dave came and picked it up a few days ago." Keaton-"Why didn't he wear his thing?" (while pointing to her face) Me-(after much confusion) "His microphone?" Keaton-"That girl that comes to our house to show us how to cook lives with him." (Louanne) And Keaton continued with "Wonder why his momma named him Brother?"
  • As we sat counting trucks while waiting on the others to arrive, we saw the church buses pass by.  Robby had made lemonade for me to pour when the first bus arrived and minutes later, I was passing out drinks as the kids loaded into the van.  A stranger kid even tried to get in the van-second time lately this has happened to us.
  • Then we were off to pick up Graham and he was mighty panicked when he didn't see any lemonade for him (I had plenty though.)  After we had arrived home, I was home for about 10 minutes and then I was out the door again-bunko night for me and sleepover for Keaton.
  • Super Dad already had supper ready and tacos were being served as I walked out the door.  The girls played xbox some and even went outside.  Then Robby suggested Sonic shakes so the kids quickly took him up on the offer.  
  • After Sonic, the kids all had showers and they were put to bed.  Tomorrow is day 3 of camp so these people all need their rest!

June 27, 2016

First Day of Family Farm!
(click here for today's pictures)
  • At 6:30, Robby and I headed upstairs to wake up our little camp goers.  The boys were quick to hop out of bed but Campbell and Reagan were a little harder to stir.  Keaton's head was hanging off of the bed so I did have to move her slightly but she didn't seem to stir.  Later while others were getting dressed, Robby saw her on the stairs and urged her to go back to bed for a bit longer which she did.
  • After everyone was dressed, they ate and then we sprayed them down with sunscreen and bugspray.  I don't really think that the sunscreen was that beneficial since it really probably only lasts a few hours which would be to around 10 and the sun probably isn't that strong then.  (Thankfully though they didn't come home burned or bitten at all.)
  • Robby first picked up Cash and then drove to church to drop Graham off.  The church only took first and second graders so Graham rode the bus with them.  Then Robby picked up the Pennington boys at church and dropped all off in Benton to ride the Family Farm bus.  
  • Keaton, Whitman and I had a busy day around here.  This morning when it was just the 3 of us, I had fond memories of how it was when there were just 2 little Dennies around here.  The day did start off well-we ate our breakfast, played a game, made a few batches of muffins to freeze, played another game and Keaton even made lunch for her and Whitman.
  • But by 3 this afternoon, I remembered very clearly why I have so many kids-the more siblings they have around then the less they need to be entertained by me.  I just looked it up and an average 4 year old asks 437 questions a day but I guarantee you that Keaton is way above average.  I did manage to get some things done while answering her questions, playing baby doll, playing another game, building legos, having a birthday party for a doll and coloring.  Whitman watched his kindle some and played trains but for the most part he was right beside us all day long.  I will tell you though, I am exhausted-it is tough playing all day long.
  • Robby came home with the campers and they had all had a wonderful day.  Campbell met new friends and was very pleased with her 1st place in horsemanship.  I was very glad that Graham had a buddy, Noah, to sit with on the church bus.  Anderson had a great time and as always is a man of few words but I was able to pull a few facts from him.  Reagan was completely worn out but had a wonderful time as well.
  • Surprisingly the kids were not as hot and stinky as I thought they would be when they arrived home but before I could tell everyone to put their shoes up, Graham was climbing into the shower.  Everyone showered and then we began supper.  
  • Months ago, I bought 120 pounds of potatoes and tonight I finally cooked them all (ok, it probably wasn't 120 pounds of potatoes but was a lot for us Dennie folks.)  Robby cooked some chicken and everyone was happy.  After supper the kids vegged out on the couch while we cleaned the kitchen and packed their lunches for tomorrow.  
  • We put everyone to bed around 9 so they can rest up for tomorrow.  And then Robby and I plan to check out our possibly melted ice cream from last night-cross your fingers that it is salvageable...or maybe Chef Shuttle delivers ice cream!

June 26, 2016

Excited about the next day -- off to Family Farm!
(click here for today's pictures)
  • Keaton didn't sleep too well last night since her tummy was a bit uneasy.  Not really sure why but I would have to assume that she swallowed way too much lake water yesterday.  When we woke up, we thought that she might be good to go for church and then we scaled back and decided that maybe she could go but just stay with us but after she ate a cracker with her laying on the bar, we sent her back to our room to lay down.
  • Robby, Keaton and Whitman stayed home today-Robby was the one to skip church since I had to teach Sunday school, Keaton was the one not feeling well and Whitman staying home made it a bit easier for me.  We were there in time and were able to see the grands before sitting down for church.  
  • When it was time for pick up, I sent Anderson to the other side of the building to pick up Campbell and then he hurried back to do the last activity in our Sunday school class.  Reagan's teacher sent her over when their class was done so I sent her to get Graham.  After all of my class had been picked up, we headed to Grannymom's house for lunch.
  • While we were at church, Robby cleaned our bathroom and shower and folded mounds of laundry while Whitman watched a few movies and they also watched a bit of the church service.  Keaton slept the entire time that we were gone-she was making up for her lack of sleep the past few days.
  • Grannymom had lunch and the kids ate it and gobbled up Robby's favorite dessert before migrating outside to play.  Robby and I ran to Home Depot to return one thing and to buy hooks for my new kitchen letters.  Then we picked up our people and headed home.
  • Once at home, I unpacked the car while Robby helped the kids divide up and put up their laundry.  When that was accomplished, we took lunch orders for the Family Farm going kids and made their lunch and stuck it in the fridge.  We prepared the kids snack for this afternoon and put Whitman down for a nap.  That boy used to fight us like mad during naps but now he is just as happy as he can be to rest.  Robby and I were just able to nap for long enough for us to wake up ready for church tonight.
  • Tonight was hymn singing night and I also let Keaton stay in church with us.  Since we arrived a bit later, I ended up way too far away from the boys and was not able to whack them on the heads like I wanted to.  Anderson got up to use the restroom and then Reagan did too-my gracious!  I asked when we walked into the door if any needed to but only Campbell and Keaton did-I explained that they may not ask me to get up in church again for a year.  Keaton, by far, won the Dennie kids behavior competition during church tonight.
  • We were home feeding the kids supper when the Wilson's text.  So after the kids ate, we loaded up our frozen pizza and Sunday ice cream and headed over there.  We ate our pizza and passed out ice cream to the kids.  We sat around and talked until too late and then loaded up my tired kids to put them into bed.
  • Around 11, when Robby and I were sitting watching foot network and playing on our computer, Robby jumped up and shouted "the ice cream" and ran out the door.  Now, I also become very excited when I think about ice cream but this was a bit extreme even for him.  Then, I thought he was talking about the ice cream that we took to the Wilsons.  Now, I also would have been disappointed if our ice cream would have been left at their house but this was a bit of an extreme reaction for this.  Finally, I realized that our ice cream bin filled with an assortment of ice cream treats and our blessed oreo ice cream was still in the back of my van.  It was a sad sight but hopefully some will still be salvageable-we weren't expecting to have to have an ice cream funeral tonight but that we did.  It was a sad, sad night but maybe some diet coke will make things better.   

June 25, 2016

Super Fun Day at the Lake!
(click here for today's pictures)
  • It was pretty late last night when the kiddos were finally asleep but we still knew that they would be up pretty early and they were but not nearly as early as I would have expected them to be up.  (Though I had no idea that Robby had already fed 4 of them while I was still in bed snoozing away)  
  • Before too long everyone was awake, fed and in their bathing suits.  The kids were super excited but since we aren't really lake people, they had no idea at all what to expect.  The dock was just down the road and there was plenty of room to play.  
  • After everyone was life jacketed up, the girls went out on the boat and the boys stayed back at the dock.  At the dock, the kids used part of a boat slip to be a balance beam.  There were 2 big kayaks and 1 little one along with a paddle board.  They also had a huge floating water mattress thing and fishing poles to catch fish.
  • When the girls arrived back, the boys left on their boating adventure.  Robby went on the second run with the girls and I went on the second run with the boys.  The McGuire girls loved speed when they were on the tube and couldn't get enough.  Reagan and Campbell managed to stay in and loved speeding through the water on the tube.  Little Keaton just went on the tube the first trip.  She rode with Laynie and I don't think that she was too crazy about the ride.  Completely opposite of Keaton were the boys.  They loved tubing and couldn't get enough.  They never got tumped but I do believe that if they could have rode in the back of the tube all the way home tonight, they would have.
  • There was a bit of a problem with the boat but it happened at lunch time, so Amber, April and I ran back to their house to pick up lunch.  We had all of the sandwich fixings for lunch and brought them to the dock to eat.  Everyone ate lunch and then it was round 2 for the boat.
  • When everyone got back from the boat ride, we started packing up to head back to the house and then the Dennies started packing up to head back to our house.  We had planned on staying for supper but realized that it would just be too late to pick up Whitman and get our people home, cleaned and into bed. 
  • After loading up, we drove home stopping only three times (compared to yesterday's 6 stops).  Today's stops were for ice, gas and supper so they were all pretty quick stops and we were at Nonna's house to pick up Whitman by 9.  Whitman had had a wonderful time and hang on to Nonna's leg for dear life so he wouldn't have to go home with us.  Once we were home, he stayed in his car seat and told Reagan that Daddy was going to take him back to Nonna's house.  That didn't happen because his momma put him into his bed!
  • The kids rotated through the showers as Robby unloaded the car.  We put everything up during their showers and soon everyone was happily resting in their beds.   We all had a wonderful time and my people can not wait to go back.

June 24, 2016

Spending the nigh on the Lake!
(click here for today's pictures)
  • This morning was the last day of VBS, water day for the big 3, pies in the face to watch, a night at the lake for all but Whitman was was looking forward to a night out at Nonna's house.  Needless to say, I had some pretty excited kiddos who were up early, early this morning.  Whitman did help wake everyone up this morning when he went up to the boys' room and dumped out a box of Lincoln logs so he could stand on it and turn on their light so he could play his trains.
  • We had our breakfast and finished just in time to put up laundry before heading out the door.  When my job was over, I picked up Keaton and Campbell who had just finished seeing the preschool pie in the face and we also picked up Whitman and then went to see the Barnes get a pie in their face.  Overall, the VBS kids donated over 2,000 bucks to buy medical supplies for Belize and Honduras.  
  • We were walking to the car when my big people told me about snow cones out front so we drove around there and all had a snow cone before picking up a pizza on the way home.  Once we arrived home, the first order of business was cleaning out the car and then lunch.
  • The kids helped clean up their rooms and then all packed for our night at the Pennington's house.  Then they had free time while I packed for myself and cleaned the kitchen.  We finally loaded up after 3 and our first stop was at my folks house to drop of Whitman. 
  • Whitman saw his bag today in the mudroom and noticed that I had not packed all of the stuffed animals from his bed and went to fetch them and add them to the pile himself.  He was pretty excited about his night out or maybe he was just excited about getting to take his trains and train tracks with him (he never really gets to take his train tracks anywhere).
  • The first stop of the trip was Chickfila for milkshakes and then Robby ran into Walmart and then Home Depot to find a part to fix his magic movie box.  Then I ran into 2 stores looking for an atlas which they did not have (not because we needed one but just because we wanted to have one to plan our trip with) and finally I went into Walmart to return something that Robby bought on his first Walmart stop and to pick up that elusive atlas.  By this time, we were close enough that we didn't even have anytime to look at the atlas to work on our trip planning.
  • Once at the Pennington's the kids gave us a tour and we unloaded our bags.  Jaymie had made some bbq which we all ate for supper.  The grownups sat inside and the kids sat outside.  Then the kids watched a movie while the adults sat outside and talked.  The evening seemed to fly by because the girls are now all sound asleep in the media room and the boys are in the boys' room.  We are about to call it a night because I am sure that it will be an early morning!

June 23, 2016

(click here for today's pictures)

  • Well, we did it!  We had toast today!  Now, I will say that since Robby was working from home today, he was able to help serve up the toast for us.  I was still scrambling trying to get my girls' hair done-seriously, God knew that we would never be anywhere on time if I had 6 girls.
  • We were on time again today and my big kids are in such a hurry to get to their classes that they speed walk down the hall to check in.  Campbell was also excited today and walked herself to class-it was water day for her little group and she was thrilled with this.  Keaton helped Whitman put in his offering outside of his classroom today and then they both went to class happily.  
  • Things were splendid today until I went to pick up my Whitman.  He happily helped me gather his papers and then went back to the now empty offering bucket.  His "coins" weren't there anymore and he was devastated.  He did not want to leave without his "coins" and cried and cried. I tried to explain that the money was so boys and girls could have medicine and that didn't work.  I tried to explain that the money was for Jesus but that didn't work.  I tired to explain that the money was an offering but that didn't work.  I finally just promised him more coins when we got back in the car.
  • Once everyone was in the car, we headed to Pops' house to eat lunch.  Nonna had lunch ready for us and the kids gobbled it up before we changed our clothes and loaded up for the pool. Graham was so tired this afternoon that he didn't even want to swim but he did manage to swim for a good while.  We just stayed for 2 hours and then we headed home.  
  • I had big plans for the kids to help me pack and clean when we came home but they were so tired and pitiful that I thought they just needed some quiet time.  So they all rested while watching a few movies and playing their kindles.  They ate supper and then everyone was full of energy when they saw the neighbors outside.  
  • Pops came to stay with my tired kiddos while Robby and I ran to the store and Keaton went to a playdate with her friend Evelyn.  They had lots of fun-painted, played outside, popped poppies and put stickers on paper!  (notice all of those Ps-I worked hard on that!)  Robby and I did some speed shopping at the grocery store-2 buggy fulls!  That is probably why we should not go to the store by ourselves!
  • Back at home, Whitman and Pops had been watching movies inside while everyone else was playing outside with the neighbor kids when we arrived home.  By the time we had unloaded the car, the neighbors had to go in and the kids started cycling through the showers.  I told the kids to pull out their clothes for tomorrow and then they could get into bed or help me pick up around the house (I had no takers for picking up!)
  • Tomorrow is the last day of VBS and all of my people are excited about the day.  Will be a fun day!

June 22, 2016

(click here for today's pictures)

  • Day 3 of VBS and still no toast.  I know, if I were to get up just 5 minutes earlier I would be able to stick some toast in the toaster but it just may not happen this week.  After loading up and leaving this morning, we drove on to church.  I have been arriving around 8:30ish each morning and when I get there each day, the front of the parking lot is crazy full-like cars parked in every single spot and even parked crazy.  Then I drive to the back of the church house and the place is deserted.  
  • When everything was over today, I picked up the littles and we sat in the sanctuary and watch the ending of today's VBS with the big kids.  The kids were pretty excited but when Paige told them the offering totals the place erupted...the boys are way, way ahead of the girls in their giving to the Honduras and Belize mission trips.
  • Reagan went home with Ava this afternoon and they went swimming and then for snow cones.  She had lots of fun and was pretty tired when she made it home this evening.  The rest of us headed home and as I was mentally trying to decide what we would eat for lunch, the boys asked if we could go to Burger King.  Um, sure. Nuggets for everyone except Graham who is a hamburger and nugget man.  They must have been starving because they begged to eat on the way home and they gobbled their food up before we even arrived home.
  • This afternoon was pretty quiet.  Around 2, I decided that Whitman (and I) needed a nap so I got his milk and was putting a pull up on him for naptime.  He plainly told me that he needed his robot pajama pants and pajama shirt and obliged.  But that is just how tired we all are-tired enough that you need to put on your pjs before taking a nap!
  • Around 5, the kids saw the neighbors outside so out they dart.  They played with them until I called them in for supper-pork tenderloin, beans and rice.  And as soon as the last bite was inhaled, the kids were back outside.  Robby and I also went out and worked in the garage the entire time the kids were out playing.  
  • When they came home, neighbor man walked down to tell us that he had given the boys 5 dollars for helping out.  We had seen them helping but I am sure that they didn't do 5 dollars worth of helping.  I am sure that some of their money will go to further increase that boys offering total.  
  • We were outside until almost 9 so when we came in, speed showers were given, teeth were brushed, laundry put away and clothes laid out for tomorrow.  Once everyone was put to bed, I started on making 2 batches of cookies for this weekend and then it will soon be our bedtime!

June 21, 2016

(click here for today's pictures)

  • Day 2 of VBS and goodness gracious if I had this much trouble getting out of the door this morning then how in the world will we still be able to get there on time for three more days? I probably should just go to bed right now but that isn't going to happen.
  • I had big plans for us to have toast this morning but that didn't happen so it was just pop tarts which could be inhaled while I read our chapter of the Bible for the day or they could finish it in the car.  Right now though getting the kids to get in the car is fairly easy-we are listening to a pretty good book on tape and the kids are loving it (I am too).  It is over 10 hours of cds so that will keep us busy for a few more mornings of VBS.
  • Today at VBS the big 3 all came home with cute little canvases with painted trees on them and a plate that is a dry erase board.  They are neat but not really sure where we will put all of this.  Whitman pottied in his class (woohoo) and even was able to take home a little beach ball.  Campbell was cute in her Angry Bird hat-it was hat day for the big kids so she joined in.  And Keaton was super proud of all of her crafts that she made.
  • When VBS was over, we went to Nonna and Pops' house to eat lunch.  The kids gobbled up everything that Nonna put in front of them.  At 1ish, Anderson and I ran to the endodontist for his second check up with her.  So far things look good but we will have to return in 6 weeks and then again in 3 months for follow up visits.
  • On the way home, we ran by the library and then on to Nonna's house to pick up everyone else.  Once we made it home, Campbell laid down on my bed, Graham spread out on the floor with a blanket and Reagan cozied up on the couch.  My people are tired, tired!
  • We didn't really do too much this afternoon and when Robby came, we had our supper and then all migrated outside.  The excitement tonight was the kids getting to help the neighbor kids catch 3 of their escaped chickens.  And after Robby finished mowing, we played our first game of kick ball and had ourselves a blast-a hot, sweaty blast but a blast nonetheless.
  • Once inside, it was showers for all and then bedtime-day 3 tomorrow and maybe we will try toast again for breakfast!

June 20, 2016

(click here for today's pictures)

  • Today was the first day of VBS so I was the first one up.  When I walked into the living room, I just saw one head on the other side of the couch and I assumed that it was my early riser, Graham.  I walked a bit closer and I saw that Anderson was the one up and not his brother.  I asked where Graham was and he said that he didn't know.  Seconds later, we heard him stomping on down the stairs.
  • After they had their clothes on, they went back to their kindles and I worked on getting the girls and Whitman ready.  Once everyone was ready, we had cereal for breakfast and then loaded up for church.
  • We did leave a few minutes later than I had planned and followed a slow car down the road but I still arrived at church about 10 minutes earlier than I had to be there.  But when I pulled into the parking lot, there were so many cars and people pouring in that I was sure that I had already miss the start of VBS.  I was a bit glad to see that I had not missed anything and we still had plenty of time to find the kids' classes and find my class.
  • Whitman walked right into his class which was good but it would have been wonderful if he would used the potty in his class.  Keaton so enjoyed herself and came out of her class with her hair french braided and continued to talk about her 2 snacks that they ate.  Campbell was happy that I was one of her teachers (though I only saw her for about 20 minutes-I am doing kindergarten crafts which means I sit at one table in one tiny chair and make the same craft with a table full of kindergartners 5 times in a row.)  Graham had fun-as he always does.  He always seems to enjoy things like this.  Anderson went on and one about game time and even told me the same story 3 different times.  Reagan was pleased with her class but she was a bit bummed that none of her buddies were in there with her.  Overall, everyone had a great time and our hats and offering is laid out for tomorrow.
  • After I picked everyone up, I text Grannymom to see if we could change clothes at her house (I always would prefer to not have to change clothes in the pool bathrooms) and she offered to make us sandwiches so I certainly took her up on that.  The kids ate and changed their clothes and then we picked up Cash to play with us at the pool.
  • We only stayed 2 hours and it was probably a good thing that we didn't stay too long-my Keaton sat by me the second hour and Graham came and asked that we not go swimming during Family Farm week (he thought that he would be too tired).  The kids swam hard so it was a pretty quiet ride on the way home.
  • Once at home, we emptied the car and the kids watched tv for a while before heading outside.  At one point, they all came inside and their little faces were so red-so, so red that I was offering my water to everyone who passed me by.  
  • When Robby came home, we had supper (still eating those potatoes I bought with Pops-I definitely have gotten my money's worth out of that purchase).  Then we kicked the kids back outside until we cleaned the kitchen and then started on showers.  
  • We let everyone have some ice cream and then it was bedtime-Robby said he felt bad sending our tired kids to bed when it was still light outside but I didn't at all!

June 19, 2016

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  • Unfortunately, Father's Day breakfast is not as elaborate as Mother's Day breakfast around here.  I had planned on baking some cinnamon rolls (from the can) and was only able to cook 1 of the 2 cans because one had exploded in the box.  That meant that everyone could have 1 cinnamon roll and that isn't even worth the effort.  Robby even ended up passing pieces of his out to everyone as I tried to hurriedly heat up pancakes and pass out a poptart or two to kill hunger until lunch time.
  • During all of this, Robby did open up his Father's Day gift.  His main gift (that he had ordered himself) did not arrive in time but no one seemed to notice with all of his other goodies.  Reagan had made him a cute mustache painting, Anderson had made the card, Graham had painted a tie, Campbell had created a silly face creation for him, Keaton had made an I love Dad sign and Whitman painted a picture.  I hope that Robby has some room on his desk for all of his Father's day gifts.
  • Church and Sunday school this morning where more gifts and papers were made for Robby.  Then we headed over to Nonna's house for more Father's Day celebrations.  Graham and Anderson had been so excited about the ice cream cake that was for dessert.  Anderson had even told all of his Sunday school class about the ice cream cake.  It was as hard as a rock when Pops tried to cut it, I tried and of course was not able to make any progress at all.  So I passed it to Robby and he was able to slice pieces for all of us but probably aggravated his wrist during all of the slicing he was doing.
  • We gave Pops his Father's Day present and after a bit of playing, we headed home.  Robby's favorite part of today was probably the awesome Sunday afternoon nap that he had (I did too!)  The kids cooperated and I only hopped up once when Keaton volunteered to pour milk for everyone (she probably could have done it too but I didn't want to risk it).  Everyone ate their candy bars from the little lady from church as their snack.
  • We picked up pizza and headed to Grandpa's house.  We ate supper and Grannymom had a lemon pie that Campbell thought was the best thing ever.  Then the kids played games until it was time for us to head home.  At home, we worked on straightening the house and then we are such softees that we let everyone (except Whitman who was in trouble for pottying in his pants) stay up and watch the final NBA game.  Graham was happy with the win but Anderson was not.  
  • VBS is in the morning so as soon as the game was over, the kids were ushered upstairs and to bed!

June 18, 2016

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  • Graham and Anderson were the only ones who were hungry this morning.  Whitman didn't really care and Keaton slept until we were already passing out breakfast.  Robby helped everyone get breakfast and did auction off the 2 leftover honey buns-the going price was cleaning 2 potties for 1 honey bun.  The boys both took one but we told them that their payment would be required another day.
  • Soon after breakfast Robby, Keaton and Anderson went to the grocery store and then picked up Reagan from Grannymom's house.  Meanwhile, Whitman watched his movies and played trains.  Graham also watched movies and played the xbox.  My Campbell helped me prepare the ice cream and cookies.  We even painted some outside and before I knew it, she had ridden off to the neighbor's house and there she stayed until almost time for us to leave.
  • When Robby came home, he made the ice cream with help from Anderson and Whitman.  Keaton and Graham rode down the street and at one time Keaton came home telling us that the neighbors were "going to get the things that make milk."  We were pretty surprised that they were getting cows but anything seems to go out here (at one time we had 2 different neighbors with toilets in their front yards!)  Later we asked Campbell about where the cows were going to go in the neighbor's yard and she said that it wasn't cows, it was goats. That does make a bit more sense.
  • The afternoon seemed to fly by but that might be because we didn't heat up lunch (leftover fish from last night) until 3.  And a bit after 4, we loaded up for Anderson's Sunday school party.  He has a small class so only 3 other kiddos were there but with our kids and the McGuire kids, it was a bit party.  We had hot dogs, chips, popsicles, cookies, watermelon and ice cream.  It was lots of fun and the kids all came home pretty quiet-which meant they were tired!  After showers, everyone went on to bed since tomorrow is another big day!

June 17, 2016

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  • Friday morning and I had to wake up my girls to eat breakfast.  We had cinnamon rolls for breakfast and I do think that is the only reason that I was able to convince them (especially Reagan) to come down the stairs.
  • After we ate our breakfast, the kids started on their school.  Anderson started division with 3 digits (488/2).  Dividing with 2 digits wasn't a problem for him and even though I covered the 3rd digit up with a post it note until he was ready to work with it, with all of his crying and groaning you would have thought that I was making him do school work in the middle of summer!
  • We then went outside to fill out a worksheet about a tree and also one about clouds.  That didn't take too long so we spent the rest of our time working on Father's Day presents.  I should have been working on my project but I was overseeing the kids all painting with a zillion colors of paint.  Even Whitman got in on the act today-Reagan is really my only kid that I can leave unattended with paint.  Anderson doesn't paint-he is more of a card maker.  Graham is just as bad as the girls-everything he does is fast and messy.
  • I didn't give the kids lunch and instead just passed out packages of crackers as we headed to see Beebee.  She was happy to see us and we gobbled up all of her candy.  The kids spent most of their time watching Whitman use Beebee's grabber to take their shoes off and hand them to her.  After Whitman was able to return all of the shoes to everyone, we loaded up for the pool.
  • I knew that we were going to only be at the pool for a bit less than 2 hours.  We were going to leave in about 30 minutes when the lifeguards blew their whistles.  Then they shouted "lightening" and the weather was dark far, far away.  The lightening would mean at least 20 minutes out of the pool, so we loaded up and headed to Tropical Smoothie for a free smoothie.  The kids were very pleased with their drinks until they tasted them-it wasn't too great of a commercial for them since 5 out of 6 Dennie kids didn't like theirs.
  • We then dropped Reagan off at Grannymom and Grandpa's house for the night.  They had plans to go and find some excitement and we headed home.  Our plans changed slightly on the way home and ended up eating catfish with the Wilsons.  We ordered way too much food but it sure was delicious.  Then we stopped at the store for some speed shopping while picking up some ice cream for dessert.
  • We didn't get in to late, late and the kids went right to bed.  Robby really encouraged everyone to stay in bed until after 8-it won't ever happen! 

June 16, 2016

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  • I kind of feel like this is the last week of summer around here (it really isn't though) because next week we have early mornings with VBS and then Family Farm the next week.  So we are certainly enjoying sleeping in and I certainly do not feel guilty about it at all.  It was close to 9:30 this morning when we finally started on breakfast.
  • After breakfast, the kids did a tiny bit of their school and we worked on science before starting work on our Father's Day creations.  Keaton, Campbell and Graham had some painting to do outside and Reagan was working on making another ice cream picture to give away as a birthday present.   So there was lots of painting happening in the driveway and it was crazy, crazy hot outside-so hot that I would have happily loaded everyone up and taken them to the pool.
  • Robby did load everyone up (well, most everyone because Reagan stayed back with me) and they went to pick up some lunch.  They seemed to be gone for a very, very long time-even with Reagan here, it was too quiet.  I am going to be in big trouble the week of Family Farm when just Keaton and Whitman are here-I will be pretty lonely.
  • Our afternoon was fairly uneventful until I did notice the preacher man outside loading up wood into his truck.  Robby did go out and help and soon the girls were outside too.  They stayed outside until 8.  Robby did eventually join them and he mowed.  I stayed inside some and worked but then I migrated outside to help pick up and help Anderson do some painting (I am not sure when we all became so crafty.)
  • We all came in and showered off before having a smorgasbord of leftovers.  I do believe that practically everyone had something different to eat for supper.  We then let Graham and everyone else stay up a bit longer today so he could watch some of the NBA game on tv and then it was bedtime!

June 15, 2016

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  • I woke up this morning with Whitman knocking on his door for me to let him out.  I then put him in bed with me and he laid there eerily still until I finally decided that we should get up and start the morning.  I told him that he should go and play with his trains and he ran down the hall.  A bit later, Robby was telling everyone bye and he found Whitman laying on the steps.  He was then acting pretty pitiful-we thought he might be a bit warm so when he said that he wanted to eat, so we ate.  Once during breakfast, he put his head down on his stooI so by this time, I was pretty concerned.  I fed him everything and anything that he would eat (pop tarts-wanted them but didn't eat them, milk-drank it all up and asked for more, pancakes-saw the boys with them and asked for them and gobbled them up and even coke-cried for a good 10 minutes because I didn't pour it into the same cup with his milk.  But after breakfast he was back to his fussy old self and all was well.
  • The kids helped me do a few chores and soon we were loading up to go to Nonna's house.  Anderson, Keaton and I didn't stay too long there and headed to the dentist.  First up was Anderson for the refixing of his teeth.  He is not phased at all by any of this dental work (has never had to have a shot or anything) and is just a bit annoyed by all of it.  And I guess that he is a 9 year old boy, because he sure doesn't seem to mind at all how his teeth look-in or out!
  • They were finishing with him when they called Keaton back.  She doesn't know that you are supposed to be scared at the dentist so she had no concerns at all.  They put her in the chair and gave her some laughing gas and that baby didn't move at all.  She did answer all of their questions and didn't even flinch when he gave her 2 shot before starting to work.  I assume that the laughing gas was working very well because she would occasionally lift up her arms into the air.  
  • When we left, Jolley said that he would have been a pediatric dentist if all kids were like my two.  We headed to make a quick return and on the way, we constantly reminded Keaton to not bite the side of her mouth since everything was still asleep (notice her crooked smile in one of the pictures from today).  Anderson really enjoyed watching Keaton try to drink from my water bottle while in the car-she just dribbled water all over herself since her lips were still numb.
  • Then we went to pick up Reagan.  She had a big time at Kennedy's birthday party.  They rode miles and miles on their bikes yesterday and today, watched a movie and ate lots of yummy food.  The highlights for Reagan was judging the girls' dance competition (Kennedy won with Kaleigh in second place) and then painting a really neat ice cream picture.
  • We made it back to Nonna and Pops' house just in time to eat lunch and the kids all headed outside to play in their sprinkler for a bit before heading to swim.  Campbell could have stayed at Nonna's house in the sprinkler all day long and her favorite thing to do was washing the van with the sprinkler.  
  • We met Sara at the pool and the kids played there until almost 5.  I was a bit anxious about Anderson losing a tooth or two today in the pool but his new dental work stayed in and all was well.  Keaton is doing well with her swimming ("well" is used very loosely-she can do pretty good swimming from me to the wall but sometimes she just tries to doggy paddle and sinks slowly under the water)  Whitman will now try to put his head under the water and will just paddle his arms as fast as he can.  It is pretty comical to watch-after Anderson watched him for a minute and then said "make him stop, Momma!"
  • We unloaded the car at home and the boys and Reagan took showers while Keaton and Campbell went outside to play.  Robby came home and started on supper about the same time that Reagan and I left to help decorate for VBS at church.  Reagan was able to help some but then she did sneak off to the playground.  
  • Everyone at home had supper, showers and then settled into watch a movie-we even let them stay up until almost 10.  What are we thinking?  They had a good evening though and relished getting to stay up so late-only thing is, the later they stay up then the later we stay up!

June 14, 2016

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  • The morning started off busy-we did a few chores, had breakfast, some kiddos did a touch of school, Reagan packed, we loaded up and soon we were on our way to pick up Alyssa Kate and then to drop off the girls at Kennedy's birthday party.
  • Alyssa Kate walked out of her door and I immediately noticed what we had forgotten and at the same time, I heard Anderson calling me from the van shouting that we had forgotten the present.  Thankfully, Robby was still at home so he was able to bring the present to us and then we were on our way to the party.
  • On the way, Alyssa Kate said that they were not doing any school at their house right now so imagine all of the complaints, moans and groans that I heard about that.  I had to gently remind my people that they are not doing that much school (like maybe 2 times last week) and only had to do 2 things this morning.  They will thank me for this someday-possibly.  Or maybe they will never thank me for this.
  • After dropping those girls off, we headed home and the kids started watching a movie.  It wan't too long until Anderson bounced in saying that his tooth fell out.  This is a common occurrence around here so he didn't seem to concerned nor am I.  It will eventually be fixed permanently.  His dentist had already text to see if it held yesterday and I wrote him back to see that it was out again.  He will join Keaton at her appointment tomorrow.
  • The afternoon was pretty uneventful around here.  Keaton and Campbell were within 3 feet of me the entire day but the boys, who seemed to fight every second yesterday, were buddies today and played handball upstairs until they were both completely soaking wet with sweat.
  • I worked a while making chicken spaghetti-it is our go to meal but we were without our normal precooked chicken and without our cream of chicken soup so I had to earn my keep as the Dennie chef tonight.  And I did-it was pretty good and tasted the same as usual.
  • After supper, we headed outside-I worked on cutting out things for vbs and the kids helped return the neighbor's dogs.  Everyone was hot and I was eaten up by mosquitoes by the time that we came inside.  We had showers and then bedtime for all!

June 13, 2016

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  • Graham was awake early this morning but the other boys didn't wake up until much later and even later to wake up were the girls.  That was fine with me because I was moving pretty slowly this morning as well.  
  • After we ate breakfast, I let the kids do whatever they wanted.  The boys (Cash and my boys) worked on a big car track downstairs and then they eventually went upstairs to play on the xbox for a bit.  The girls joined the boys occasionally but for the most part they played their kindles, colored and watched their cupcake show.
  • I am not really sure what I did all morning long-possibly fold laundry, vacuum and constantly cleaning up after the kids.  Around noon, I started on lunch and then we loaded up for another dentist appointment.
  • First we dropped off Cash and Whitman at Grannymom's house and then it was time for the 5 big kids to have their teeth cleaned and for Anderson to have his front teeth fixed again.  All went well except little Keaton has a big old cavity.  We will get that fixed later this week but Anderson's front teeth were fixed today-twice actually.  One of them, Jolley wiggled so hard that he knocked it out so he did it once again.  Hopefully these teeth will hold the boy for many, many years!
  • Then we picked up the others and headed home.  Once home, we worked on chores for a good while and then Robby arrived home with pizza for supper.  The kids ate supper while Robby started on his evening project-removing more lint from the dryer.  
  • He had bought a new tool to help remove the lint and did it ever!  We thought that Robby had gotten a lot of lint out of the dryer the other day but that was only a drop in the bucket compared to what he removed tonight.  He also worked on the dryer upstairs but most of his time was spent downstairs and he also had some issues with the washer and also a bit of problem with the gray water.  
  • All of this let to a short night for us.  The kids did play outside so this meant that they had to have showers and then they stayed up as late as they could.  I do believe that they were trying really hard to be quiet so we would not notice them and put them to bed while we were busy de-linting the house.  
  • We eventually noticed them and they were put to bed but the de-linting continued for another couple of hours.  Here is my public service announcement for the week: if you have not cleaned your dryer vent lately, you need to ASAP!

June 12, 2016

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  • It was a bit different waking up this morning with no kiddos in the house.  We slept as late as we could this morning and then jumped up and quickly got ourselves ready for church.  On the other side of town, Dana was not laying in bed until the last minute since she was busy feeding, packing up and getting all of the kiddos ready for church this morning.  
  • When we arrived at Dana's house everyone was dressed ready and their bags were packed.  We might just let her have the kids every Saturday night.  We had both cars and I filled up the back of Robby's car with all of the kids bags and then when we arrived at church, the car seats from the van were also shoved in the back of his car.
  • I did manage to snag a verse from Philippians today-my bit of money helped translate one verse of the book of Philippians into a dialect spoken in Jharkhand, India.  You always hear of people that do not have a copy of the Bible and we can't imagine that but there not even being a Bible in your own language is just unimaginable.  So we had a small part in getting the Bible into the hand of everyone which was a definite highlight of the day.
  • Robby drove our van to help chauffeur Reagan's Sunday school class on their class outing.  They went to eat pizza and then had a tour of a fire station.  The highlight was getting to slide down the fire pole-Robby even joined the 4th graders and went down the pole (how often do you get to do that?)
  • Meanwhile, I met Grannymom, Grandpa and Dana for Sunday lunch at the park and then the pool.  We ran to Grannymom's house to change first and then met up with everyone else.  Grannymom had lunch and soon we were swimming away.  The weather looked threatening but it held and the kids were able to swim until time to leave...I probably could have stayed a few minutes longer but since Whitman had been crying for about 30 minutes, I thought it was time to go. 
  • It is definitely summer time and we have been staying up late, late around here and that combined with partying at Dana's last night, my little boy was tired, tired and it showed.  He usually falls asleep on the way home but he didn't this afternoon so he was put to bed.  I had stopped making him take naps since he would climb out of his bed but he did fine today and since he really, really needs a nap maybe I should start that back.  Wonder if I could start back naps for everyone?
  • We were all home for a bit of the afternoon and then we loaded up to grab supper and pick up Grannymom and Grandpa for the Flag Day concert by the Wind Symphony.  It was a perfect evening for a picnic supper and some music.  They were passing out ice cream when we arrived so we had some of that before eating our hamburgers.  The Corvette club was also there so the kids all picked out their favorite cars.  Just as they were playing their final song, it started to sprinkle.  Whitman didn't want to get wet so he saw a gazebo across the parking lot. He started telling me that he wanted to go under there to stay dry and before I realized it, he was going under there to stay dry.  I caught up with him and we stayed dry together for a bit before joining the others.
  • Once we came home, everyone had showers and then it was bedtime-we haven't heard the girls yet but the boys still seem to be going strong.  Cash is spending the night with us so the boys are all in the bonus room but we still hear them up there.  Hopefully they will rest well tonight...and sleep in!