in other news. . .

Summer is flying by way too fast for my liking.  I can't believe it's already July. 

We've been having fun at the farm, and the girls especially like to visit the woodwright shop where the shopkeeper has promised to teach them how to carve their very own wooden spoon.  Claire is loving to play up in the attic of the farmhouse and talk to everyone who comes to visit, sometimes even leaving with a visitor family to continue a tour.  We have to keep an eye on that one, I tell you.  She is the talking-est girl I ever did see (I think I just made up that word).   In the farmhouse, we cook lunch on the wood burning stove, and when visitors come they like to see how it works.  One story that often gets told is how the families used to use the warming oven in the top of the stove to keep premature babies warm.  Claire must have been listening, because last week she was in the summer kitchen talking to a group of visitors when she pointed to the warming oven and said, "And that's where we cook the babies!"  A few gasps were heard, of course.  Historical education at its' finest!

Tonight, the girls are walking lambs.  I stayed home with the "littles" to get them down for an early bedtime.  Of course, I'm really broken up about that.  This year the girls (and their dad) have their eye on the state fair, which means they need to start walking two lambs at a time.  Needless to say, I'm thinking that will be real interesting.  More to come on that later (with pictures if you are lucky). 

Kate turned ten last week.  Holy cow, my babies are growing up.  More to come on the birthday celebrations too.  I even did something crazy and threw her a birthday party, a first for Kate.  I'm a really awesome mom like that- my kids are pretty much decided that they will probably only have one friend/birthday shindig in their careers.  Well, we'll see how ambitious I am, but we sure love our Kate.

Last but not least, Claire cut her hair again the other day.  Yip, she's kicking my pants that one is.  I had taken the older three to see Romeo and Juliet (which they said was "awesome, but it would be better if they could just speak in English).  When I returned home, Courtney mentioned in passing that the scissors and multiple chunks of blonde hair on the table were due to Claire's most recent adventure (we have them daily, trust me).  The best part is that, after she cut it, she came to Courtney, hair in hand with the scissors behind her back, telling him, "Dad, some of my hair just kind of fell off my head".  Ohhhhhh, Claire. 

I live in a circus.  Life is good.