It has been so busy around here as of late. I got the privilege to stand up in a good friend's wedding this past weekend. The bridesmaids and the bride stayed overnight in a cabin at Wabasis Campground the night of the rehearsal. It was a lot of fun to have one more girls night before Tara got married. Her wedding was on a Saturday at a church out in Rockford and the reception took place at the Wabasis campground activities building. I'm so happy for Tara and Jeff! I hope the Lord blesses them with many happy years of marriage.
Blueberry harvest has also begun this past Monday. Ross has been working very long hours. The beginning of harvest seems to always be the hardest. They run what they call the fresh line. They harvest some fresh berries and bring them to the shed to be cleaned and be sorted through on a conveyor belt. A few workers stand on either side of the belt and take all the bad berries off the line and the berries continue on the belt and they get put in clear plastic boxes. Our brand is Natureripe. That's right, I'm advertising. Best berries you'll ever taste. When they run fresh line, Ross will start around 6am and come home between 7-10pm.
As I mentioned, Ross is working..............A LOT! And as I said previously it's been a busy week. The twins started out the week with a bang. They both caught a good cold. A cold for us means respiratory treatments. The boys have asthma and Reed has it the worst. I took them both in on Monday to the doctor. Luke checked out fine, just continue to do the respiratory treatments. Reed, not so much. He ended up with an ear infection and needed to be placed on oral steroids to help him breathe better. So that was Monday.
Also this week, Reed is starting to phase out of taking naps. Of all weeks, I wish it wasn't this week, but it is. At first I thought it was because of all the albuterol treatments. Albuterol treatments make kids hyper, but I didn't give him one today and he still insisted on not taking a nap. I've had a very stressful and rough week.
One morning this week was so rough that I couldn't take it anymore. I took all of the kids out for a walk. Leanne and Clay rode bikes and I pushed Alli and the twins in the double jogger stroller. Ross came home during this for lunch to find breakfast still out and the floor littered with pretzels and animal cookies. He doesn't get upset about it either. He just says to me "that bad, huh?"
Ross hasn't been able to come home for dinner because he has been so busy at work. I made salad last night with chicken strips on it along with beans fresh from the garden (we have beans coming our of our ears here). The kids LOVED it. Even my picky eater Clay had two helpings of it. It's been hard to eat dinner and manage all the kids myself. We ate outside last night and I was having trouble keeping the twins in line. My fist mistake was having them sit across from each other and not on either side of me. It was going well at first until Reed started to chuck his beans at Luke. Luke, of course, was egging him on because he was laughing and so were the rest of the kids. By the time I got over to Reed to put a stop to it, Luke started chucking his beans. The boys were basically having their own food fight and the older 3 thought it was hilarious. I did not think it was funny at all. It was an exhausting dinner hour. It's so much harder when Ross isn't here to help me. I didn't realize how hard I lean on him until he wasn't here.
We're only the first week into harvest with at least 5 more to go. I'm hoping that once the boys feel better we'll be able to get into a better groove. This has been the hardest start to harvest I have ever had. It can only get better, right? I'm so thankful that Ross has a good job and he loves what he does. In the grand scheme of things, harvest is only a few weeks out the entire year. Happy harvesting!
Wassink Family
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Monday, July 15, 2013
The next little houdini strikes again!
Dear Reed,
I love you very much you silly little monkey. I need to start out by saying that first. However, I'm not in love with your recent stage of pulling off your diaper. I really thought I had you diaper proofed when I had put you down for your nap today. You took such a good nap too! All that playing outside this morning with the hose and in the sandbox must have worn you out. Let's not forget the good bath you took with your bestie, Luke. I thought I had you in a fool proofed outfit. I didn't think you could figure out how to take off a one piece short/shirt combo with snaps at the shoulder, but you proved me wrong. Did you see the surprise look on my face when you saw me walk into your room? You sure are cute, but I didn't expect to see you naked as a jay bird. I found your outfit on the outside of your crib and then of course next to it your diaper laid with little brown pebbles scattered everywhere. When I looked into your face, I couldn't help but laugh. Your sweet impish grin had said it all. But my dearest Reed, you're teaching your brother some naughty tricks too. But at least Luke had the common sense to leave his diaper on. Mommy truly loves you so much Reed, but if you wouldn't mind, keep your diaper on please! I'm really not ready to potty train you!
Love,
Mom
I love you very much you silly little monkey. I need to start out by saying that first. However, I'm not in love with your recent stage of pulling off your diaper. I really thought I had you diaper proofed when I had put you down for your nap today. You took such a good nap too! All that playing outside this morning with the hose and in the sandbox must have worn you out. Let's not forget the good bath you took with your bestie, Luke. I thought I had you in a fool proofed outfit. I didn't think you could figure out how to take off a one piece short/shirt combo with snaps at the shoulder, but you proved me wrong. Did you see the surprise look on my face when you saw me walk into your room? You sure are cute, but I didn't expect to see you naked as a jay bird. I found your outfit on the outside of your crib and then of course next to it your diaper laid with little brown pebbles scattered everywhere. When I looked into your face, I couldn't help but laugh. Your sweet impish grin had said it all. But my dearest Reed, you're teaching your brother some naughty tricks too. But at least Luke had the common sense to leave his diaper on. Mommy truly loves you so much Reed, but if you wouldn't mind, keep your diaper on please! I'm really not ready to potty train you!
Love,
Mom
Sunday, July 7, 2013
All things twinnish
My twins have been a unique experience for me, especially since I had 3 single children before them. Ross and I were commenting on all the things that are so twinnish that Luke and Reed do. The following are just a few glimpses on what Luke and Reed are like.
It's absolutely adorable to watch them eat. We have them sitting together at the same end of the table using seats that clip onto the table. They have just started using forks and spoons and it's not unusual for them to feed each other. One opens his mouth while the other scoops food onto a fork and shovels it into his brothers mouth. It's a hit or miss situation but they enjoy doing this for each other.
Most mornings, after breakfast, my boys get extremely crabby and so I break out the granola bars. I have always split one in half and given each boy a half. Luke is starting to get sick of granola bars so I give Reed both halves. Instead of eating it, Reed will go after Luke with what's supposed to be Luke's half and tries to force him to take it. It usually results in Luke crying in the end because he doesn't want it.
They have also started playing together a lot better lately. They used to grab each other's faces and pull each other's hair, I'm so thankful that that stage has ended. They play with everything that is a non toy. They touch none of their toys that they are supposed to play with. Instead they love the baggie drawer, the dishwasher tabs, toothbrushes, can't forget to mention toothpaste, and like I said everything non toy. They love to play in their closet. One will be in the inside of the closet and the other will be on the outside of it and they play peek-a-boo. They recently have gotten into the habit of taking all their clothes out of the dresser drawer too. This happens the most when one twin is in a time out in his crib and the other isn't. The little rascal who is not in the crib will take clothes out of the drawer and toss them into his brother's crib. They think that is so much fun!
That brings me to this week. This week Reed had a fever and was down for a nap. Luke was pretty upset that the door to their bedroom was shut. He sat outside of the door crying and hitting the door trying to get to Reed. They are lost without each other. Today was the same situation. Luke caught what Reed had. Luke was down for a nap and Reed laid on the outside of the door pounding on it and not knowing what to do without Luke. I love how they miss each other.
Another example of their twin behavior is what happens at lunch time. If one is done with lunch first I'll get that one down for a nap while we wait for the other one to be finished eating. It's not at all uncommon to hear shrieking from them. One does a high peal shriek and the other one answers back until they are both in their room together for naps.
It was also pretty cute today when Reed hurt his foot playing with Alli's Barbie car. Reed was on the floor crying and Luke came over and moved the Barbie car out of the way and then came back with a potato peel (I was peeling potatoes and sometime my peels go flying) to comfort Reed. It melts my heart to see that they care about each other.
It has been one of the most amazing experiences to be a mother to these twin boys. Both of them are pure boy to the bone and are often mischievous. They both have taught me so much! A lot patience is practiced in this household. I love those curious little monkeys!
It's absolutely adorable to watch them eat. We have them sitting together at the same end of the table using seats that clip onto the table. They have just started using forks and spoons and it's not unusual for them to feed each other. One opens his mouth while the other scoops food onto a fork and shovels it into his brothers mouth. It's a hit or miss situation but they enjoy doing this for each other.
this picture is from winter but this is how they sit at the table
Most mornings, after breakfast, my boys get extremely crabby and so I break out the granola bars. I have always split one in half and given each boy a half. Luke is starting to get sick of granola bars so I give Reed both halves. Instead of eating it, Reed will go after Luke with what's supposed to be Luke's half and tries to force him to take it. It usually results in Luke crying in the end because he doesn't want it.
They have also started playing together a lot better lately. They used to grab each other's faces and pull each other's hair, I'm so thankful that that stage has ended. They play with everything that is a non toy. They touch none of their toys that they are supposed to play with. Instead they love the baggie drawer, the dishwasher tabs, toothbrushes, can't forget to mention toothpaste, and like I said everything non toy. They love to play in their closet. One will be in the inside of the closet and the other will be on the outside of it and they play peek-a-boo. They recently have gotten into the habit of taking all their clothes out of the dresser drawer too. This happens the most when one twin is in a time out in his crib and the other isn't. The little rascal who is not in the crib will take clothes out of the drawer and toss them into his brother's crib. They think that is so much fun!
That brings me to this week. This week Reed had a fever and was down for a nap. Luke was pretty upset that the door to their bedroom was shut. He sat outside of the door crying and hitting the door trying to get to Reed. They are lost without each other. Today was the same situation. Luke caught what Reed had. Luke was down for a nap and Reed laid on the outside of the door pounding on it and not knowing what to do without Luke. I love how they miss each other.
Another example of their twin behavior is what happens at lunch time. If one is done with lunch first I'll get that one down for a nap while we wait for the other one to be finished eating. It's not at all uncommon to hear shrieking from them. One does a high peal shriek and the other one answers back until they are both in their room together for naps.
It was also pretty cute today when Reed hurt his foot playing with Alli's Barbie car. Reed was on the floor crying and Luke came over and moved the Barbie car out of the way and then came back with a potato peel (I was peeling potatoes and sometime my peels go flying) to comfort Reed. It melts my heart to see that they care about each other.
It has been one of the most amazing experiences to be a mother to these twin boys. Both of them are pure boy to the bone and are often mischievous. They both have taught me so much! A lot patience is practiced in this household. I love those curious little monkeys!
Thursday, April 25, 2013
The art of dressing
Most days I wear sweats and a sweatshirt, no make up and my hair thrown up in a pony tail. When I wear my sweats, which are uber comfortable, I don't hold my children at arms length. I let them come to me, boogers and crumb covered face, and let them give me a big, squishy, rub their face in me, hug. And yes, I do end up covered with their slimy crumbs crushed on my sweatshirt, but hey, its a sweatshirt. The art of dressing comes in to play when I have to go somewhere. So I shower in the morning and blow dry (gasp-I never have time or desire to do this anymore) my hair. Then I even plug in my curling iron and curl my hair. Slap on some make up and get semi dressed. You read right, semi dressed. I'll usually have a pair of jeans on and a tank, but not my shirt I plan to wear. I get the twins out of bed and give them their breakfast semi dressed. It's when I'm in the home stretch that I put on my good shirt. My arms may be freezing, but at least when I get to that special destination I'll come clean with no boogers and crumbs smashed to the front of me. So right after I get every ones shoes and coats on I'll quick run into my room and throw on a clean shirt. One final check in the mirror to make sure that no cereal is stuck in my hair and off we go. I'd much rather wear my sweats everyday so I can snuggle and embraced my booger crumbed coated toddlers, but once in awhile it's nice to get dolled up and go out.
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Dear Librarian, from a very blessed mother
Dear Librarian,
I started out today with gumption. I was going to take the twins and Alli to Kohls and then to the library. I did my hair, I put on jeans, and I even did my make up so I wouldn't scare anyone by the haggard look I have without it. Shoot, I even put a sweater on instead of a sweatshirt. I was stylen'. Look out here I come. I got everyone ready and into the car. I did notice that the sky was getting dark, but we were off.
My first stop was Kohls and by the time I got the twins unbuckled and into the stroller it was raining, not sprinkling, but raining. I got Alli out of the car as quickly as I could and we ran into the store. We pretty much looked like drowned rats. So much for doing my hair. I bumped into a few elderly ladies who oohhed and aahhed over the twins, made my purchases, and we were off to come see you. Well not personally you, but the library.
I just have to say that when we came into the library, a little disheveled, you were so nice to us! I was so focused on my task that when you said "wow, your twins have grown" I really didn't think about it. We truly enjoyed picking out books. But what really made me feel so good was when you, dear librarian, came back up to me and told me that I was a good mother. And when you told me you could tell I nurture my children, my heart soared. When you went back to work, I remembered you. I had to tell you you were great to us last year when I made a stop in the summer. When I asked if you remembered us and you said you did, I couldn't believe it. We only came twice last summer. Although, if it was the time that I got stuck in the doorway with the double jogger, I'm sure I wouldn't forget that either. It was so refreshing to hear you say that you liked seeing well behaved bigger families. So I'm writing this to say a huge thank you. Your encouragement to me was beyond all measures. So thank you, thank you, thank you.
from a very blessed mother
P.S. You are now my favorite librarian
I started out today with gumption. I was going to take the twins and Alli to Kohls and then to the library. I did my hair, I put on jeans, and I even did my make up so I wouldn't scare anyone by the haggard look I have without it. Shoot, I even put a sweater on instead of a sweatshirt. I was stylen'. Look out here I come. I got everyone ready and into the car. I did notice that the sky was getting dark, but we were off.
My first stop was Kohls and by the time I got the twins unbuckled and into the stroller it was raining, not sprinkling, but raining. I got Alli out of the car as quickly as I could and we ran into the store. We pretty much looked like drowned rats. So much for doing my hair. I bumped into a few elderly ladies who oohhed and aahhed over the twins, made my purchases, and we were off to come see you. Well not personally you, but the library.
I just have to say that when we came into the library, a little disheveled, you were so nice to us! I was so focused on my task that when you said "wow, your twins have grown" I really didn't think about it. We truly enjoyed picking out books. But what really made me feel so good was when you, dear librarian, came back up to me and told me that I was a good mother. And when you told me you could tell I nurture my children, my heart soared. When you went back to work, I remembered you. I had to tell you you were great to us last year when I made a stop in the summer. When I asked if you remembered us and you said you did, I couldn't believe it. We only came twice last summer. Although, if it was the time that I got stuck in the doorway with the double jogger, I'm sure I wouldn't forget that either. It was so refreshing to hear you say that you liked seeing well behaved bigger families. So I'm writing this to say a huge thank you. Your encouragement to me was beyond all measures. So thank you, thank you, thank you.
from a very blessed mother
P.S. You are now my favorite librarian
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Ten Little Chicks
We went to TSC this past week and bought 10 new baby chickens. They are adorable. We are trying a few new varieties. Ameracanas, Isa Red, and Leghorns. The Ameracanas lay yellow, blue, and pink eggs. The leghorns lay white eggs and the Isa Reds lay brown. We already had 4 chickens that are full grown and the kids love to play with them!
Now Clay and Leanne have been hanging out in the garage to play with the baby chicks. I find them laying down in the wood shavings playing and talking to the baby chicks. They have come up with some different names for all of them. Some of the names are Lightning, Yak, Hunter, Chipmunk, Carter, Zack, and Cow (otherwise known as Blackie).
I took 4 of the little chicks to school Tuesday to visit the kindergartners and 1st graders. The kids loved them! The chickens were passed all around. There was a lot of giggling and squealing in both rooms. Most of the kids liked to hold them, and only a few wouldn't pick them up, but they were all happy to pet them! I think the chickens were a bit relieved to go back home to their makeshift coop.
The kids learned a few lessons today regarding the baby chicks. One, we must always ask daddy before feeding them and two, the chicks need to be bigger and more grown up before being introduced to the bigger chickens. A child, who will remain unnamed, decided he would feed the baby chicks. He had mountains of food laying by the chicks. If the chicks get too much food they will trample it down into their wood shavings instead of eating it. Not to mention the fact that chicks have a certain type of feed until they are older. So we were not certain what bag the unnamed child grabbed his food from. Then the unnamed child informed me that he took one of the big chickens and put it by the baby chicks. He took him out when he realized that the big chicken did not care for the little chicks. We are uncertain if the adult chicken would harm the baby chicks because they were not born in there coop. Chickens have a pecking order. One chicken is the leader and then they sort of have a line up in the group. So when getting new chickens we have to introduce them slowly to the older ones. They may decide to not lay eggs for awhile otherwise. We had, a few months back, an animal get into the chicken coop and it plucked out feathers from the back end from one of the chicken and ate some of the eggs. The chickens wouldn't lay well for a couple of months. Instead of getting five eggs a day, we were thankful for one or two eggs a day. Now they have settled down and they are producing a lot more for us.
Chickens are very interesting and entertaining animal to have around. They are great and useful for so many things. Ross just said the other day, "God made chickens for man's use. Not only do they lay eggs, and provide meat (well not these, unless we put it in a slow cooker for a week. They would have very tough meat) they also keep the yard low on tics and unwanted bugs." We are thankful for our chickens.
Now Clay and Leanne have been hanging out in the garage to play with the baby chicks. I find them laying down in the wood shavings playing and talking to the baby chicks. They have come up with some different names for all of them. Some of the names are Lightning, Yak, Hunter, Chipmunk, Carter, Zack, and Cow (otherwise known as Blackie).
Leanne with a chick
Clay with a chick
Older 3, Allison will pet a chick,
but she will not pick it up. The kids call
her a "city girl" not a "farm girl"
Luke and Reed checking out the chicks
The chicks better get used to being handled.
I took 4 of the little chicks to school Tuesday to visit the kindergartners and 1st graders. The kids loved them! The chickens were passed all around. There was a lot of giggling and squealing in both rooms. Most of the kids liked to hold them, and only a few wouldn't pick them up, but they were all happy to pet them! I think the chickens were a bit relieved to go back home to their makeshift coop.
The kids learned a few lessons today regarding the baby chicks. One, we must always ask daddy before feeding them and two, the chicks need to be bigger and more grown up before being introduced to the bigger chickens. A child, who will remain unnamed, decided he would feed the baby chicks. He had mountains of food laying by the chicks. If the chicks get too much food they will trample it down into their wood shavings instead of eating it. Not to mention the fact that chicks have a certain type of feed until they are older. So we were not certain what bag the unnamed child grabbed his food from. Then the unnamed child informed me that he took one of the big chickens and put it by the baby chicks. He took him out when he realized that the big chicken did not care for the little chicks. We are uncertain if the adult chicken would harm the baby chicks because they were not born in there coop. Chickens have a pecking order. One chicken is the leader and then they sort of have a line up in the group. So when getting new chickens we have to introduce them slowly to the older ones. They may decide to not lay eggs for awhile otherwise. We had, a few months back, an animal get into the chicken coop and it plucked out feathers from the back end from one of the chicken and ate some of the eggs. The chickens wouldn't lay well for a couple of months. Instead of getting five eggs a day, we were thankful for one or two eggs a day. Now they have settled down and they are producing a lot more for us.
Chickens are very interesting and entertaining animal to have around. They are great and useful for so many things. Ross just said the other day, "God made chickens for man's use. Not only do they lay eggs, and provide meat (well not these, unless we put it in a slow cooker for a week. They would have very tough meat) they also keep the yard low on tics and unwanted bugs." We are thankful for our chickens.
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Twin on a Mission
Ross said today "Reed's mission in life is to follow you around and get into things you leave unattended" after he watched Reed get into a cabinet that I forgot to clip the safety lock on. The twins are now 18 months and they are very curious little fellows. Mainly Reed is the more curious of the two. We thought Clay was a mischievous little boy and Reed has him beat by a mile, and the fact he has a partner in crime, Luke.
The following are a few glimpses of my twins on a mission:
The other day I gave them each a piece of banana for breakfast. I must have missed some of the banana during clean up. When I walked by the kitchen register I found mashed banana in it. Like Reed try to grate the banana. He also did that with a cracker on my bedroom register. It wasn't crumbs when he was done but cracker dust.
I have a drawer in my kitchen where I keep all of my sandwich bags, gallon bags, saran wrap, etc. They LOVE that drawer. Reed is usually the first one to pull it open, but Luke is right behind him and they have a baggie party. We do have a safety lock on it but it was placed just slightly lower than what it needed so they can get it open.
The other cabinet they love is the cabinet under the sink. The dishwasher tablets, dish soap, and a trash can is in there. We have a lock on the outside of it, but if I forget to lock it for even a second they are in there. The last couple of time, thankfully, they were more interested in pulling out the dishwasher tablets than the trash.
I'm always looking to make sure that the toilet lids are shut and the doors to bathroom are shut. But on occasion, I don't catch when one of the other kids are done using the bathroom and they accidentally leave the lid up. If the twins even see the bathroom door open they are in there. If the toilet lid is up they're splashing around in it. Reed now gets up on a stool and pulls open the toothbrush drawer and gets toothpaste out.
The bathtub is a highlight for them too. If shampoo is on the side of it, they either try to open it up or they push it over the side into the tub. I have found their snacks in the bottom of the tub because chucking snacks down there is way more fun than eating them.
Then there is the issue of the stairs leading down to the basement. Leanne's room, Clay's room, a toy room, and the family area are down there. I don't mind that they go down there if I'm down there watching them. As they head down, I usually shout out to one of the kids to shut all the doors so they are secluded to the family room. It goes awry when one of the older kids accidentally leave the basement door open and the twins sneak down there. I usually find them in Clay's room playing with his small legos. If they get into Leanne's room they get a hold of her CD's. They know they're not supposed to go in there. When they see me coming they give a sly grin. Such cute naughty little faces.
These two definitely keep me hopping through out the day. It's a constant minute by minute getting them out of stuff. They are quick little buggers. I love those twins. They are too cute even if they do get into everything and anything.
The following are a few glimpses of my twins on a mission:
The other day I gave them each a piece of banana for breakfast. I must have missed some of the banana during clean up. When I walked by the kitchen register I found mashed banana in it. Like Reed try to grate the banana. He also did that with a cracker on my bedroom register. It wasn't crumbs when he was done but cracker dust.
I have a drawer in my kitchen where I keep all of my sandwich bags, gallon bags, saran wrap, etc. They LOVE that drawer. Reed is usually the first one to pull it open, but Luke is right behind him and they have a baggie party. We do have a safety lock on it but it was placed just slightly lower than what it needed so they can get it open.
The other cabinet they love is the cabinet under the sink. The dishwasher tablets, dish soap, and a trash can is in there. We have a lock on the outside of it, but if I forget to lock it for even a second they are in there. The last couple of time, thankfully, they were more interested in pulling out the dishwasher tablets than the trash.
I'm always looking to make sure that the toilet lids are shut and the doors to bathroom are shut. But on occasion, I don't catch when one of the other kids are done using the bathroom and they accidentally leave the lid up. If the twins even see the bathroom door open they are in there. If the toilet lid is up they're splashing around in it. Reed now gets up on a stool and pulls open the toothbrush drawer and gets toothpaste out.
The bathtub is a highlight for them too. If shampoo is on the side of it, they either try to open it up or they push it over the side into the tub. I have found their snacks in the bottom of the tub because chucking snacks down there is way more fun than eating them.
Then there is the issue of the stairs leading down to the basement. Leanne's room, Clay's room, a toy room, and the family area are down there. I don't mind that they go down there if I'm down there watching them. As they head down, I usually shout out to one of the kids to shut all the doors so they are secluded to the family room. It goes awry when one of the older kids accidentally leave the basement door open and the twins sneak down there. I usually find them in Clay's room playing with his small legos. If they get into Leanne's room they get a hold of her CD's. They know they're not supposed to go in there. When they see me coming they give a sly grin. Such cute naughty little faces.
These two definitely keep me hopping through out the day. It's a constant minute by minute getting them out of stuff. They are quick little buggers. I love those twins. They are too cute even if they do get into everything and anything.
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