Peaches in Quarts and a Bun in the Oven

On Thursday, I got a good deal for peaches at the grocery store (.50/lb) and bought 25 lbs. That night, Stuart and I taught the kids how to can them. It was a lot of fun and we canned 16 quarts. I'd like to get more, but that sale is over. I'll be looking for deals on apples and pears next.
On Friday, we took the boys on a field trip to the Air and Space Musuem. There are more than 300 aircraft there. The most impressive in my mind was the Air Force 2, otherwise known as Freedom 1 because it brought home the hostages from Iran in 1980. I remember seeing it land on the news back then, so it was cool to see it in person. Stu and the boys were fascinated by all the planes and missiles etc. I enjoyed watching their reactions.
On Saturday, we relaxed. I have a sore throat and so does Diane, along with a slight fever and runny nose. Stuart did take some of the boys to play paintball in the morning. In the afternoon, I took enough tylenol to feel well enough to run errands. I then went to the Dollar store and bought 7 pregnancy tests.
This morning, while the family was still asleep, I took those tests and sure enough, they were all postive. I wrote a note to Stuart, quoting Psalms 127:3-5 and showed him the tests when he woke up. He was as happy as I am. We are so thrilled and feel so blessed by the Lord to send us another one of his choice spirits to love and care for on this earth. We pray for his guidance in raising our children and providing for them. We definitely need a new van now and probably a new house too.
~Heidi

1st month of Homeschool complete

Well, I can hardly believe that we have completed our first month of homeschool. My biggest problem is there just isn't enough time in the day to do everything I want with them. Once we finish our PE in the morning and get dressed, it is 9am before we start our scripture study, then finally we get to our academics at 9:30 or so. We usually work hard till noon, then slow down until it is time to pick up Elijah from kindergarten at 1:45pm. We have learned a lot though. I like the constant review of the basics in math and grammar.
Diane got her driver's permit last week and so I let her drive around as much as possible. She also got a small part in her school production of Romeo and Juliet. Between that, piano lessons and practice and homework, she is pretty busy.
Greg and Eli started Karate lessons 2x a week. Chad is taking gymnastics lessons too. We have decided to have Chad take an on-line science class through the district. Greg is going to go to the elementary school 1x a week for an after-school science program there. He also is taking piano lessons once a week. Jake hasn't found the right extra-curricular activity yet, but we'll keep looking around. He does keep busy with Boy Scouts.
Today we celebrated Greg's 9th birthday. His aunt and cousins came down from Gilbert to eat dinner and cake with us. We decorated the cake with a paintball gun and target. Tomorrow the older kids are going to play paintball early in the morning with Stuart. They really love this new hobby of theirs! Meanwhile, it's all I can do to keep the house clean!