My Birthday 2010

Because my birthday fell on a Sunday this year, Dale took me out the day before. We first took Kenzie and a friend to a birthday party. While they were there, Dale and I went to what has become my favorite restaurant, Red Lobster! I had the Cajun Chicken Linquini Alfredo, too many biscuits and shared The Chocolate Wave with Dale for dessert! YUM! Dale had the Shrimp Linquini Alfedo.

My morning was spent working at my Dad's house with my three brothers. While they went through the basement, I went through dresser drawers. I found the biggest treasure of all... old letters written to my father from his father, his brother, his adopted sister, his future brother-in-law and best of all, love letters from my mother! Can't wait to continue reading them! During the Boy Scout fund raiser auction, I won a made-to-order birthday cake. My friend Alicia was the one that donated her services. I told her two weeks ago that I won the cake and would love to have it for my birthday. Alicia is so busy... three young children, a husband in the Bishopric and in nursing school and she starts working this week, I hated to remind her of it, so I didn't. Well bless her heart, she remembered!!
As are all her cakes, it was delicious!! I had to put two slices in the freezer for a rainy day, and in case my kids eat the rest before I get any more!

When we got home from church Kassie found this baby squirrel that she says walked right up to her.

After supper the kids found another one too. I had them take the two squirrels down the road a small piece and put them near the woods. I'm so afraid I'll run over them since they wouldn't stay off the driveway. Hope they found other squirrels to hang out with!

Well, another year gone, another year older. I'm now without both my parents, my oldest child is a senior in high school, my youngest goes to Kindergarten next year and I still haven't beaten my addiction to food! On the bright side, I have three wonderful brothers, the best of friends, seven beautiful children and a devoted loving husband. I also have the gift of the gospel of Jesus Christ... truly I am blessed!

Oh, that Brady!

During last year's school year Brady had oatmeal for breakfast each morning. Sometimes his oatmeal was plain, sometimes he added other cereals or fruit, sometimes he ate the instant oatmeal with different flavors, etc. Whatever else was in the bowl, it also always contained oatmeal. He got out of this oatmeal habit over the summer, but with school in session again, he started it back up. On the morning of school day number two (yesterday) he informed me that the oatmeal from yesterday gave him terrible gas. He said oatmeal does that to him, but once he gets used to eating it every day, it will no longer have that effect on him. In the meantime he said he would just take this bottle of liquid antacid with him to school! He placed the bottle in his pocket and proceeded to walk away as if headed to the bus!
Of course, he was joking... what a nut!! He is his father's son!

Kaden's turn

Kaden watched as each of his six older siblings got to go school shopping and enjoy a lunch out with Mom. It got harder and harder on him to watch me leave the house without him. I had to have one of the older children hold him back kicking and screaming as I pulled out of the driveway. On the first day of school, Kaden finally got his turn. He picked McDonald's so he could also play in the "fun land". All he wanted to eat was french fries. After that he was ready to play... or so he thought. As it turned out, McDonald's "fun land" wasn't so fun after all. It took a great deal of convincing on my part to get Kaden to climb through the structure, and even more convincing to get him to go down the slide. After the second time down the slide he was done, especially since I wasn't willing to climb or slide with him.
I think if Kaden would have had a friend there with him, he would have enjoyed it more. Maybe next time.

"I feel so alone!"

This year Kenzie rides the "late bus" by herself. She was feeling very alone this morning!
I never received a postcard saying when Kenzie's bus would arrive like I did for the other children. It was so late, I was beginning to wonder if they knew they were to pick her up!

After 15 minutes of standing, she had to sit down to wait for the bus!

Finally! With the oldest six at school and Kaden still sleeping, I had almost an hour to myself. I wasn't sure where to begin! I had a short chat on the phone with Dottie, folded some laundry and did a little decluttering. I also started writing the thank you notes to those involved in helping Dad through his illness, death and his funeral service and burial. My goal is to write some each day until I have them all done. It's hard. Writing those notes is emotional, my heart aches and the tears flow. I miss my father.

First five before seven

There was a sudden silence in the house after the first five of my seven children got on the bus this morning shortly before 7 am. I'll be thinking of them throughout the day, hoping all is well. Avery and Bryson both woke up in tears claiming to have not slept all night! I told them that was normal first-day-of-school jitters. After breakfast and showers, they seemed fine.
Avery

Bryson

Ashton and I found this skirt for Kassie yesterday at Kohl's while school shopping. (On clearance for $8.00) She loved it, and had to wear it on the first day!

Brady refused to take a lunch today, saying he didn't know anyone in his lunch period. Last year he didn't eat lunch for two weeks before becoming comfortable with the new school year. I couldn't even convince him to take a protein bar.

Here's Ashton sporting one of her "new" outfits from a yard sale! I actually found seven shirts to match this one pair of shorts, and she loved all of them! Her "new" Billa Bong back pack was a bargain too for only .50 cents! The Converse sneakers were something she just had to have when she saw them at Kohl's. They were on sale for $30. Not a bargain in my book, and she didn't need them, so she had to help pay for them.

Here they are, my first five before seven.

Waiting for the bus.

Couldn't help but take this embarrassing picture!! Aren't pictures of your children getting on the bus only for the elementary grades? LOL! I'm sure I'll hear about this when they get home this afternoon. It didn't help that this was also garbage day, so that's in the picture too!

Time to get Kenzie up and ready for her bus coming around 8:15 am. Look for pictures of her later!

What's for lunch?

Tomorrow's the big day! Back to school, and back to packing seven lunches each morning, (the six oldest children and Dale.) Here's Kassie's request for tomorrow... peanut butter between rice cakes and a banana.

I started a back-to-school tradition last year of taking the children out to lunch on the day we do their back-to-school shopping. This year Avery went first and picked Taco Bell and Rita's. Next was Kassie and Bryson. They agreed on China Inn for their meal. Kassie then had Rita's for dessert while Bryson chose a fruit smoothie at McDonald's. When it was Brady's day he couldn't decide between KFC and Best Wok, so he did both! Today it was Ashton and Kenzie's day for shopping and lunch. They decided on a new place next to the Food Lion in McSherrystown called Chicken Aflame. The food was delicious! If you live locally I suggest you give it a try! The serving portions were large, the food tasted great and the prices were very reasonable. They also chose fruit smoothies from McDonald's.

Everyone has their school supplies in their back packs and their outfits picked for tomorrow. All that's left is receiving their back-to-school Priesthood blessings from Dale. We'll do that tonight. Kaden has been asking for his school supplies and his lunch out! I suppose he and I will do that tomorrow. His pre-school doesn't start until October, nothing wrong with getting an early start!

The Eyler Family Reunion 8-22-10

Yesterday we attended the Eyler Family Reunion in Rocky Ridge, MD. Before we started holding the reunion here, we held it at a park in Taneytown, MD where I provided children's games. With the reunion held at Rocky Ridge, there is no need for children's games because the park provides enough fun of it's own!

The main attraction is this large wooden slide. We had heard that someone recently received a large splinter from using the slide, paramedics had to be called! We feared the slide would be closed! We were thrilled when we pulled into the parking lot and saw that it was open!

Bryson and AshtonKenzie

Kaden

My niece Jennifer and her youngest son Logen.

Kaden enjoys the horse swings just as much as the giant slide!

Brady

Kassie

Kaden and Ashton on the large merry-go-round.

Brady has a talk with Nan Nan, Dale's mother.

Kassie and Nan Nan discuss art and music.

Brady has a chat with Uncle Jesse, the brother to Dale's father.

At the end of the afternoon while cleaning up, Dale's Aunt Rosy gave us the leftover foods she had brought. She said it was only her at home and it wouldn't get eaten. It was the same for others who also gave us their food! I came home with more food than what I brought... lots of hot dogs chopped up into a special sauce, 13 hot dog rolls, 77 hamburger rolls, pasta salad, two packs of unopened cookies, 34 Little Debbie snacks, and lots of individual serving size bags of chips! This Wednesday when school starts I'll be packing seven lunches a day, I now have a good supply to get me started!

More work at Dad's

Today Ashton and Avery went with me to Dad's house where we met up with my two older brothers Mike and Dave. Ashton and Avery spend three hours matching Dad's Ertls with their boxes, and the job is still not done! I spent a few minutes going through some kitchen drawers, but most of our time was spent cleaning out the garage, carrying things down from the garage attic, burning papers and boxes in the burn barrel and piling larger burn items into a pile at the edge of the garden to be burned later. I found a bag of letters written to my grandmother back in the early 20's when she was still single. I brought them home to go through. They should be interesting to read! Next Saturday we meet at Dad's again. Our plan? The basement!

Just me and Dale

On Dale's last day of vacation (Friday, August 20th) before beginning his new job, we decided to spend some time together, just the two of us. We started out at TGI Fridays for lunch. We both ordered the all-you-can-eat soup, salad and bread sticks with free appetizer. The salad was nothing special, but everything else was DELICIOUS! I really liked my tomato and basil soup. The bread sticks were good, but became REALLY good dipped in my soup! The appetizer was homemade chips with dip... yummy! After lunch we drove to down town Gettysburg and walked the streets of town stopping in the little shops and museums. I especially enjoyed the scrapbooking store, and found a few bargains there! By late afternoon we were hot and thirsty, so we stopped at McDonald's. Dale tried a strawberry banana fruit smoothie and I got a diet soda. After that it was more walking, and a yard sale before going home. What an enjoyable afternoon! Dale and I got to talk without interruptions, walk without being held back and just enjoy each other's company!

A day at the Fair

As a child my parents took us to the fair each summer. My father would enter produce and flowers from his garden under the names of my brothers and me. My children have never been to the fair. Since Dale had off work this week, the week of the fair, we decided to take them.
There was a man on stilts at the fair when I was a child too!

Kenzie, Ashton, Kaden, Kassie, Dale and I took a wagon ride while Brady, Bryson and Avery walked the fair grounds.

Bryson gets his gear on.

Bryson, Kenzie and Avery spent some of their own money to climb the rock climbing wall.

Kenzie wore flip flops to the fair so she and I switched shoes so she could climb the wall.

Avery, waiting his turn.

A large chunk of our time was spent watching the horse pulling contest. Kaden was bored with that after ten minutes, so we had to take turns walking around the fair with him.

After a couple of hours Uncle Sam traded his stilts in for a monkey. The monkey took a quarter from Kaden's hand, gave him a high five and "kissed" him on the nose!

I ran into Mr. Carver, a friend of the family that I hadn't seen in many years. I also ran into my mother's cousin and his wife, Mike and Lisa, who I also have not seen in years. The fair seemed much bigger to me as a child, perhaps it was. It was still enjoyable. On the way home we stopped at McDonald's to get ice cream cones. We had already spent enough money at the fair, so decided to save a little by getting our evening treat elsewhere.