Wow, I apparently have lost a little track of time since I posted last!
So much has been going on that I guess I got lazy! Where to start??
Babies- We found out in November that we were expecting bundle of Joy #4. It was not a surprise as we had been trying but it sure was a happy day for us. I am now 30 weeks along and am growing another giant mcmahon baby. Hard to believe that we are so close to the end already. We know that it is a boy and we have named him Gabriel Christopher...We will call him gabe. Little Bro is getting very excited to now become a big brother and as he told me the other day, my tummy is getting big so Gabe needs to come out soon. :)
We had a busy holiday season with lots of family time and I got to turn another year older so that is always a good thing. In February Jeff and I went on a Cruise to the Bahamas....It was wonderful, Jeff is not a water person and so he was prepared for a boring vacation, but even he had a wonderful time. Beautiful islands, lots of sun, super fun tours, and the cruise had the most AMAZING food and staff...We had such a good time it was had to leave!
Remodeling- March brought around the start of the remodel of our second floor. We took our 100 year old farmhouse and gutted the second floor down to the studs...Wow what an adventure it has been. We had 10 kids with sledgehammers taking out walls, our whole house was shaking, but we are now 8 weeks later and we just got the walls completely back up and painted. Monday will bring new closets and doors and window trim. Thursday will bring new carpet, and Saturday new bathroom floors...But regardless the kids will be able to move into their rooms Friday and Saturday. They are all sooooo excited (me too!!)
Spring has sprung around the farm and Jeff has finally been able to get into the field a bit to plant, so that is good. But it can stop raining any time now and stay dry for about 2 weeks so we can get caught up to where we need to be.
Oh and if all that wasn't busy enough, we added a new dog to the family at the end of January. Big Sis fell in love with a puppy, and I am a wimp and let her get it, so we have a new daschund puppy named pepper as part of our family. She is the cutest little thing, but we are still struggling with potty training :(
So busy busy as usual at the McMahon Farm....I promise I won't let the blog go this long without another post.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Friday, October 15, 2010
Corn....Beans....Carpet
It has been a long time since I had time to sit and write anything on here...We have been so busy this fall, it has been crazy.
Big Sis is now done with cheerleading and has a couple of week break before she starts Dance Line, so she is enjoying not having any practice for a few days..
Big Bro is getting all geared up to take his friend to the homecoming dance this weekend and we got all his dress clothes lined up.
Little Bro is growing like a weed...Hard to belive in less than a month he will already be 3 years old...It is amazing how much happens to those kids in 3 years! We have all the supplies for his Bob the Builder party, including plastic hard hats for the littles to wear. Need to just get those invitations sent out and we should be good!
Harvest is going well. We are done with wheat, edible beans, soybeans, and have started on the corn. Traditionally the sunflowers are done before the corn is ready, but not this year, we have had such a nice end of September and beginning of October so it hasn't had a good freeze to shock the sunflowers into drying down. We also got our grain dryer installed and we are putting it to use drying down the corn.
House projects are on the agenda for the last month or so. New carpet is being installed in our living room next thursday and so we are painting the living room and dining room this weekend. I am excited, we have lived here for 8 years and have never done anything with the living room so it is time. Plus we got a bigger TV and a smaller entertainment stand, so now there is more room in our living room, which helps.
I am looking forward to the few months, lots of big things on the Horizon including having my massive family over for Thanksgiving. A trip to the Twin Cities to do some Christmas Shopping. Another trip to the Twin Cities in December to see the Vikings Play. And last but definately not least the hubby and I are going away on a 4 day cruse in January. I am very excited I have never been on a cruise before...It should be fun.
Big Sis is now done with cheerleading and has a couple of week break before she starts Dance Line, so she is enjoying not having any practice for a few days..
Big Bro is getting all geared up to take his friend to the homecoming dance this weekend and we got all his dress clothes lined up.
Little Bro is growing like a weed...Hard to belive in less than a month he will already be 3 years old...It is amazing how much happens to those kids in 3 years! We have all the supplies for his Bob the Builder party, including plastic hard hats for the littles to wear. Need to just get those invitations sent out and we should be good!
Harvest is going well. We are done with wheat, edible beans, soybeans, and have started on the corn. Traditionally the sunflowers are done before the corn is ready, but not this year, we have had such a nice end of September and beginning of October so it hasn't had a good freeze to shock the sunflowers into drying down. We also got our grain dryer installed and we are putting it to use drying down the corn.
House projects are on the agenda for the last month or so. New carpet is being installed in our living room next thursday and so we are painting the living room and dining room this weekend. I am excited, we have lived here for 8 years and have never done anything with the living room so it is time. Plus we got a bigger TV and a smaller entertainment stand, so now there is more room in our living room, which helps.
I am looking forward to the few months, lots of big things on the Horizon including having my massive family over for Thanksgiving. A trip to the Twin Cities to do some Christmas Shopping. Another trip to the Twin Cities in December to see the Vikings Play. And last but definately not least the hubby and I are going away on a 4 day cruse in January. I am very excited I have never been on a cruise before...It should be fun.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Feeling Blue
This time of year inevitably makes me feel a little blue, we are coming up on the 4th anniversary of my mom's death. Four years ago about this time we were all fighting our demons. My mom had incurable lung cancer and had gone thru all the Chemo that her body would allow, and it didn't help at all. She was in and out of the hospital and barely clinging on. I was trying to manage all the day to day aspects of her care, plus my own 2 kids, and a job, and hubby, etc...I was failing miserably. I felt such horrible guilt, while my whole focus was on making mom comfortable I felt like so many of my family were only focused on what we could do to make mom better, I knew there was no making it better, and I felt like a really horrible person for wanting it to just be over for her.
My mom was a very complicated person, on one hand the most loving and generous person you would ever meet, she loved her family, children, and grandchildren more than anyone could imagine, but she was never able to really be happy. I knew that she didn't want to go, but at the same time she was suffering so much. It took a very wise man (thanks Father Wilhelm) to make me believe it wasn't wrong for me to want her to pass. It was not from selfishness for me, it was for wanting her suffering to be over. We are now a year and a half past my father also passing from lung cancer. Some days it all still feels fresh and raw and horrible, and other days it is just okay. My mother was my best friend...I told her everything, so there is still not a day that goes by that I don't miss being able to share with her, and tell her about all the wonderful things that happen to me and the kids...I know she is watching and I hope she is proud. We have always said that drew was grandma judy's miracle baby, and every time he crawls in my lap and tells me he wuv's me, I know that her love didn't go when she did, that it continues in the heart of everyone who ever loved her, and even in one little boy who only points to her picture and said gmma judy!
My mom was a very complicated person, on one hand the most loving and generous person you would ever meet, she loved her family, children, and grandchildren more than anyone could imagine, but she was never able to really be happy. I knew that she didn't want to go, but at the same time she was suffering so much. It took a very wise man (thanks Father Wilhelm) to make me believe it wasn't wrong for me to want her to pass. It was not from selfishness for me, it was for wanting her suffering to be over. We are now a year and a half past my father also passing from lung cancer. Some days it all still feels fresh and raw and horrible, and other days it is just okay. My mother was my best friend...I told her everything, so there is still not a day that goes by that I don't miss being able to share with her, and tell her about all the wonderful things that happen to me and the kids...I know she is watching and I hope she is proud. We have always said that drew was grandma judy's miracle baby, and every time he crawls in my lap and tells me he wuv's me, I know that her love didn't go when she did, that it continues in the heart of everyone who ever loved her, and even in one little boy who only points to her picture and said gmma judy!
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Harvest Time
Well I have been MIA lately mainly due to harvest being in full swing! We have gotten a good start on our wheat crop and I can honestly say both Jeff and I are happy with the quality and quantity of the wheat so that is good. Little Bro has been in his element, with all of the trucks, tractors, and combines in full swing, he is having a blast. We usually take him out to the field a couple of times a day and he gets to ride in the combine with his daddy. He is getting brave now, he asks to drive the combine :)
Speaking of Little Bro, he has had a busy couple of weeks, we have been working on getting him toilet trained, and we are *almost* there. For the most part he does an excellent job, but every once in a while forgets what he is supposed to do. So it is nice not to have to change diapers anymore.
Big Bro and Big Sis are getting all geared up for the new school year it starts in 11 days. I don't think either of them are really all too excited to go, but we have registration coming up this monday so we can review what classes they are taking and such, I think we will be doing some switching with Big Sis, she is not happy with the class choices that she made this spring.
Today has been busy, but it is the first day in quite a while where I have been actually able to be home and not have it be 95* outside, it is nice and cool with a good breeze so I took this opportunity to make 3 dozen chocolate chip cookies and 2 loaves of banana bread. Hope they all turn out!
Speaking of Little Bro, he has had a busy couple of weeks, we have been working on getting him toilet trained, and we are *almost* there. For the most part he does an excellent job, but every once in a while forgets what he is supposed to do. So it is nice not to have to change diapers anymore.
Big Bro and Big Sis are getting all geared up for the new school year it starts in 11 days. I don't think either of them are really all too excited to go, but we have registration coming up this monday so we can review what classes they are taking and such, I think we will be doing some switching with Big Sis, she is not happy with the class choices that she made this spring.
Today has been busy, but it is the first day in quite a while where I have been actually able to be home and not have it be 95* outside, it is nice and cool with a good breeze so I took this opportunity to make 3 dozen chocolate chip cookies and 2 loaves of banana bread. Hope they all turn out!
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Vacation
Well we just got back on Wednesday from our summer vacation. We went on a tour of South Dakota. We started out from our house and meandered down to De Smet first, it is one of the homesites for Laura Ingalls Wilder. I have been reading her books since I was in second grade, and to this day still read the entire series at least once a year. I told Jeff that she was my imaginary friend and I spent lots of my childhood wishing I were her. We got to tour the origional Ingalls homestead area, her parents home, and see the graves of her family. It was neat. Some day I am going to get to Missouri and see her final farm there.
Next day we took off and headed to Mitchell, there was the corn palace, that was such a disappointment, but we got to spend some time swimming in the pool so that was good.
Next day we went to Rapid City and that is where most of our time was spent, we went and saw Mt. Rushmore, the Crazy Horse memorial, Bear Country USA, The Reptile Gardens...Went on the presidential Alpine slide, basically it is a chair lift to the top of one of the big hills, then you go down a big concrete slide in a scooter....I am terrified of heights so the ride up was pretty nerve racking, but the slide down was a hoot! I loved the beautiful scenery in the black hills, it is a world away from the flat land of our farm. I imagined what it would have like to have been a pioneer there.
We finally meandered to Bismarck North Dakota, and spent a night there in a neat hotel with a 2 story waterslide, that was really fun, and then headed home. So now we are just trying to get back into the swing of things at home. We should start harvest in about 2 weeks so lots of last minute preparations for that and I "think" our new grain dryer will be getting installed this week as well.
Next day we took off and headed to Mitchell, there was the corn palace, that was such a disappointment, but we got to spend some time swimming in the pool so that was good.
Next day we went to Rapid City and that is where most of our time was spent, we went and saw Mt. Rushmore, the Crazy Horse memorial, Bear Country USA, The Reptile Gardens...Went on the presidential Alpine slide, basically it is a chair lift to the top of one of the big hills, then you go down a big concrete slide in a scooter....I am terrified of heights so the ride up was pretty nerve racking, but the slide down was a hoot! I loved the beautiful scenery in the black hills, it is a world away from the flat land of our farm. I imagined what it would have like to have been a pioneer there.
We finally meandered to Bismarck North Dakota, and spent a night there in a neat hotel with a 2 story waterslide, that was really fun, and then headed home. So now we are just trying to get back into the swing of things at home. We should start harvest in about 2 weeks so lots of last minute preparations for that and I "think" our new grain dryer will be getting installed this week as well.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Home at Last
Here are some pictures from the lake...many more on FB but these are cute so thought I would share. I have always thought it was a little crazy how both for Jeff and I , going places is so much fun, but it is always just as fun to come home to our own house. We got back mid-afternoon from the lake and it was obvious to everyone that we were all really glad to be home. Big Bro and Big Sis disappeared upstairs to their space, Lil Bro spent most of the evening listening to his favorite movies and playing with his cars and tractors on the floor, and Jeff and I just relaxed.
Crops are looking decent, all jeff's hard work of spraying for weeds has helped clean up our fields nicely, and all of our wheat is headed out and some of the fields are already starting to turn from Green to Gold...that means harvest isn't too far away!
We had a great 4th of July at the lake, lots of swimming, tubing, paddleboating and sun! Lots of Good Food and family, couldn't have asked for nicer weather...well there was the 5 inches of rain on Saturday night, but we were snug in the camper so it didn't really bother us that much.
Got home and I am getting flowers on my tomato plants, and my corn is now knee high, my radishes are the size of big marbles, so that looks promising...oh and my blueberries are starting to turn blue on the tree...Little Bro is VERY excited about that.
Can't wait to see what we actually harvest from it.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Summer=Crazy
In our house nice weather equals craziness!! When the sun is shining that means that Daddy is absent and working hard, which means mommy is working hard as well making sure things are running smooth...not always and easy task with 3 kids, 8 animals, one ramshackle farm house, and a hired man. :) Some days I have time to sit and actually talk to my friends via email, and maybe read a chapter or two of a book, and there are days I am lucky if I get 5 minutes to go to the bathroom myself!
The last week has been action packed. Lots of yard work.. Got our lawn mowed again this week, which is no small accomplishment, it takes about 3 hours to get it all done on the rider, got my flower beds weeded again, and got a few more veggies planted in my garden and got that weeded as well. The garden and I are still in that hate/hate state...It still wants to grow grass and I want it to grow vegetables.
Got to spend some time with just the boys hanging out as Big Sis was gone visiting family. It is always interesting being the only female in a house full of boys!
Tomorrow am we are getting up early, packing up and hopefully going to be on the road by 10am to the lake. My inlaws have a camper across the road from my Aunt in laws cabin at a resort, and the kids and I love spending time there, we never seem to get there as much as we want, but try to make the most of the time we get there. Hope everyone has a great 4th of July and hope you all stay safe!
The last week has been action packed. Lots of yard work.. Got our lawn mowed again this week, which is no small accomplishment, it takes about 3 hours to get it all done on the rider, got my flower beds weeded again, and got a few more veggies planted in my garden and got that weeded as well. The garden and I are still in that hate/hate state...It still wants to grow grass and I want it to grow vegetables.
Got to spend some time with just the boys hanging out as Big Sis was gone visiting family. It is always interesting being the only female in a house full of boys!
Tomorrow am we are getting up early, packing up and hopefully going to be on the road by 10am to the lake. My inlaws have a camper across the road from my Aunt in laws cabin at a resort, and the kids and I love spending time there, we never seem to get there as much as we want, but try to make the most of the time we get there. Hope everyone has a great 4th of July and hope you all stay safe!
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