The Lastest and Greatest

It has been awhile since I updated our blog.  Here are a few things that have been going on in the LaFroth household lately:

Archer
Baby Archer is trouble, trouble, trouble! 

I truly adore him, but I have to remember to remove the dog bowls when he is awake or I'll find him eating dog food and swimming in the water.  I have to remember to close the bathroom door or I'll find him splashing in the toilet.  I have to clear all horizontal surfaces within his reach or he'll clear them for me.  I have to be sure not to leave a glass of water sitting within his reach or it will be dumped.  Anything that can possibly be dumped will be dumped.  I have locks on most of my kitchen cupboards and drawers, but the few that aren't locked are quickly emptied.  He was sick this past week and I felt so bad for him, but I must confess I enjoyed him cuddling with me a little more than usual.  He actually laid his head my shoulder a few times which he hasn't done once since his fever broke!  He is busy, busy, busy and leaves a tornado in his wake!  In spite of the messes he makes, I love watching him explore.  He smiles all of the time and always makes me smile too.  His latest accomplishment is walking.  Here is a little video clip:

Tanner
Tanner had a birthday!

He is 5-years-old now and I can hardly believe it! For his birthday breakfast he requested crepes, bacon, and juice. As usual, we brought it to him in bed. You can see my big kids had just rolled out of bed themselves.

Love the hair!

He had corn dogs and cupcakes for lunch and we went to Chuck E. Cheese for dinner. It was a happy day! 

Tanner is such a pleasant child and I'm so thankful for him. He is going to preschool at 4 R's right now and I can't say enough good things about that place. He will be in kindergarten next year. I asked him if he wants to go to school or do kindergarten at home like the big kids. He said he wants to do it at home. I'm so glad because I would sure miss him if he was away all day.

Valentine's Day
One year, we made a turkey for Valentine's day and it made it into a photo book.  Now my kids just assume I'm going to make a turkey every Valentine's day!  Well...going out to dinner with my husband while someone else cooks and cleans up sounds a little more appealing, but it's fun to celebrate V-day as a family too.  My friend gave me a recipe for "bacon-wrapped turkey."  What a combo!  She said she put the bacon on a plate and served it on the side of the turkey at the table.  Well...the bacon never made it to our table.  You can see my kids picking the bacon off the turkey right out of the oven! 

I remember my mom making pink mashed potatoes and pink bread one year for Valentine's day.  I was planning to do that too, but I got so caught up in the turkey that I forgot.  It was a yummy dinner even with white mashed potatoes. :)




Tubing in Manufactured Snow
We took a field trip to Massenutten to go tubing.  We did not get any significant snow this year which was such a bummer.  Luckily, they manufacture snow at Massenutten so we were able to do a little tubing anyway.

The upside: You don't have to climb up the hill after you go down. You ride up on a ramp.
The downside: It goes very slowly and takes a long time. Once you get to the top, you have to wait in a line before you get to go down.

The slow ride up.

Waiting in line to go down.

We had a lot of fun together.  I love family outings because they are a break from the norm and they take me away from all the work that surrounds me at home! :)

Gettysburg
We went to Gettysburg last November, but I am just now getting around to posting pictures. 

Our first trip to Gettysburg was a couple of years ago.  My children loved running around and climbing on the rocks, but they didn't really appreciate the historical aspect of it.  This time we prepped them for a different experience.  We studied the Civil War in our history club; we watched several movies including "Gettysburg;"  the kids picked out their favorite generals and loved "re-enacting" at home; we bought a CD to listen to in the car as we drove around that would tell all that happened at each battlefield.  It was the perfect set-up for a grand historical experience.  Did we have it?  No, not exactly.  The kids really just wanted to play with stuff at the store and get to Little Round Top so they could climb around on the giant rocks.  They didn't care about the battlefields or history, but I guess I can't blame them.  They are kids after all.  Truth be told, even I got tired of the slow pace set by the CD.  We had a great family outing anyway and still want to go back! :)

Cousin Kyle came too and the three cousins had a great time.

The Joy of Feeding My Family

For awhile now, I've been trying to increase our family's vegetable intake in major ways.  This past week, I stepped it up even more and made a bunch of vegetarian dishes.  For my carnivorous family, this hasn't gone over well.  My hubby will eat whatever I make, but the kids are another story.  Most of the time, they turn up their noses and eat bread.  A friend shared this wonderful recipe for Spaghetti Squash Lasagna, and Jason and I really liked it.  The kids wouldn't give it a chance.  Well, I made the lasagna Friday night and still had extra spaghetti squash to do something with.  Tonight I made a "Sweet Spaghetti Squash" recipe with raisins, maple syrup, and spices. My husband told the kids he would make them a cake if they tried one bite (might as well negate our healthy foods with cake, right?).  They were scared, but they really wanted that cake!  Kayla and Tanner decided to go for it.  They declared it wasn't good after one bite, but at least they could swallow it!  Hunter DID NOT want to try it, but he really wanted cake and he had a lot of peer pressure from his siblings.  He finally decided to do it.  How hard could one bite be?  I should say that he is my pickiest eater and has the hardest time with textures and mixed foods. He is a big meat eater and likes everything plain. Well...he put the bite in his mouth and immediately got a distressed look on his face. I could see him trying to swallow it, but he kept gagging and his eyes were watering. He would calm himself down and try again, but the same thing kept happening. He finally gave up and ran to the sink where he puked it up along with his entire dinner.   Zheesh! Now you know why I don't force him to try things at other people's houses. I know it won't go well and as embarrasing as it is to have my son eat nothing, it is far worse to have him take a bite and throw up!

So, I'm going to keep making veggies for Jason, baby Archer, and myself to eat.  Maybe the other kids will eventually come around.

Who wouldn't want to eat this?????

Pioneer Trek

Meet the Kettle family, about to begin their journey on the Oregon Trail.

For the past few years, we have been part of a history club.  It has been our favorite homeschooling group.  Each family reads the assigned history chapters at home, and then we get together to do related activities.  In December, we read about Westward Expansion and the Oregon Trail.  My wonderful friend, Stephanie, planned a reenactment for the kids in the "prairies" behind her home.  It was one of our best activities yet!

First, everyone drew a slip out of a hat to find out which character they would be in the Kettle family.  Then they were given a map, and off they went.  Along the trail, there were markers with instructions they had to complete before they could go on.

 Archer Kettle in the covered wagon.

 Pa (Charles Kettle) tries to fit in with him, but it is a tight squeeze.

 The cover doesn't last long.

 Tanner Kettle climbs a tree to scope out the trail.

 A blizzard hits the Kettle family!  They cannot see because of the snow flurries.  They have to hang on to ropes in order to find their way through the blizzard. 

 Food supplies are running out.  Only flour and water remain.  They mix it together and make a meal.  Everyone has to taste it.  YUM!

 Next challenge--there is no firewood to be found.  Everyone needs to search the area for buffalo chips.

 Tanner is tired of searching, he stops to rest.

 Timmy, the oldest and most helpful son, hurts his leg when it is run over by a handcart.  He must ride in the wagon the rest of the way.  Not only does the family have to pull a heavier load, they have lost the aid of this valuable family member.

 Tragedy strikes again.  Ma and her son, Billy, have frostbite on their toes.  Their toes must be amputated to keep the frostbite from spreading.  Ma and Billy have to walk on their heels the rest of the way.

 The family is completely out of food.  If they don't have success hunting, they will starve.  Everyone tries to make a hit.  (If they hit the target, they receive beef jerky).

Only Timmy, injured leg and all, has success hunting.

Ma finds it hard to walk without toes and sits down to rest.

The hardships of the trail are over.  The Kettle family has reached their destination.  They are ready to begin their new life in Oregon territory.

Jason made a video of the trek.  Here is a one-minute clip with some highlights: