Family Fun

We finally got everyone settled down for the evening, which seems to be quite a feat in our family. The twins are always a challenge, just trying to get them both in the same place at the same time, but they are nothing compared to the other four, the oldest two of whose energy levels spike at 10:00p.m. and who usually drag Abe and Eden into the fray. As the noise ordinance goes into effect out in the community, the Bloomquist household is booming! Fred, who seems to be the only one who has established a healthy "Word of Wisdom" sleep pattern, usually just gives up after Lily and Sophie are down and tucks himself into bed while I try to wrangle the wild herd. Mission accomplished!

Two months ago, Lily and Sophie started noticing that they didn't have an official F.H.E. assignment on Monday nights, like everyone else did, so we put our heads together to see if we could come up with 2 more assignments that we could rotate through the family. We came up with "Hero Award" and "Challenge". Whoever has the latter assignment challenges the rest of the family to do something for the week that will improve us . We just got through experiencing one of the nightly rituals that has been created from that. On Sophie's week she challenged all of us to keep our rooms clean and made a big smiley face that passes from room to room. If you discover it in your room, you can't pass it on until your room is clean. If you get caught with it in your room at family scripture time then the family gets to choose a silly song for you to sing. If you have it two nights in a row you have to sing and dance. Jordan and Abrahm just finished singing and dancing "Once There was a Snowman/Once There was a Baby". There were very good sports and we all had a good laugh watching Jordan curl up on the floor like a baby. Some of us have sung, "I'm A Little Teapot" and "Popcorn Popping", but our favorite by far is "Skida marink A Dink A Dink". Every once in a while, Jordan will have a friend over when F.H.E. starts and it's always fun to see their reactions to the crazy side of the Bloomquist family. We have such fun!

It is once again that short season for finding a good book and curling up with it. Abrahm is finished with soccer, and Jordan is done with cross country and we have a reprieve until Track in the spring when Jordan, Mikaya and Eden will all be gone. It is November and so it is time to read the Hiding Place again. This year I think I will read it aloud to my children, and then I will try to find a good Dickens book that I haven't read, unless anyone has any great suggestions for me in good adult or juvenile literature.

We continue to be blessed in so many ways. We went out to the church orchard on Saturday because it had been announced that they would be selling apples for $8 a bushel. We had enough money in our budget for a bushel and a half. When we got there they were completely sold out. They didn't open until 9:00, but by 7a.m. they had people lined up in their cars clear out to the main road. We didn't get out there until noon. The man apologized and said all that he had left were a few bins they were going to feed to the horses, but we could have as many of those as we wanted free of charge. They were nice apples, just small, and we filled 3 orange crates that he said would last through the winter if we kept them in the garage. I thought of Becky and her "the earth is full..." scripture. Jordan is going to make us apple pie for his F.H.E. dessert tomorrow night.

I am looking forward to spending Thanksgiving with some of the family. I loved what Logan said on the Cousin Connection blog about Thanksgiving making him think of long tables and pickles. Those are farm memories. It will be fun to be celebrating there again this year.


Abe and a team mate watching from the soccer sidelines.


Abe pondering deep thoughts on the soccer field. Sometimes those deep thoughts were interspersed with dandelion picking, or winding himself up in the goal net.




Abe in action.