Thanksgiving 2010

We are thankful for so much but I wanted to say I am very specifically Thankful for family that is close.. close enough to give a helping hand, close enough to share their home with, close enough to play with. It has been a huge blessing to have Ginger and Greg so close and so willing to open their home to us so we have a base from which we can work on our house on. Dan spends many nights there and occationally we all will join him for the overnight.  The cousins are close and enjoy the time we spend together. I think the whole thing has brought brothers and sister-in-laws closer. It has been one of the biggest blessings this last year. (above Ginger just got the girls matching dresses from Lands End. She bought the largest size for Liz and the tiniest size for Sophia). (second: Will was having asthma and Cooper was overtired and hungry)



(dress up with all Auntie Gingers Thrift Store finds!)

Boo Boo

Applesauce Time!

The Day after Cooper's Birthday Party (his real Birthday was celebrated at Lisa Baffa's house while we were house sitting [See fall pictures]) we made applesauce all day! It's a LONG day and even Longer when You are the momma to a 1 yr old who wants to get into everything! -But it is all worth it in the end and a very important part of the Rosenquist year. To Quote Liz "Its almost more as important than Thanksgiving in the Rosenquist Family!" Cooper got into the 12 # bag baking soda/ The 5 Gal of applesauce once or twice/ The vinegar bucket/ And several Cupboards. But who could be upset with this face!

Our Cooper is ONE!~

This year the "sheepie cake" meant a bit more... We actually talk about the sheep everyday now and Cooper and Aliza love to check on them when we are at the farm often!  Every child of ours has had that as their 1st cake. Fankly this year I would have prefered buy a cake from the store but I knew I would regret it. Whip Cream frosting with a bit of fructose and mini marshmellows. Cooper seemed to love it and was proud of his messy face that told the fate of the piece I gave him. That's OUR BOY! I am so glad GOD gave us such a happy healthy baby. Such an easy going nature. What a gift you were to all of us!

What a nice Autumn.. what a great week!

Classical Conversations Year 4!

We are in Minooka this year. This is the first year that we have reapeted the material in a cycle. Cycle 2 was where we started and Mrs Leni was Xanders teacher back then and she is this year too! We love her!
Josie is doing her "first official year". Mrs Kaz' is her teacher.  Aliza comes along with us and is learning to be obedient and quiet. :)
It was fun to get ready for the year. The usual polo shirts and homemade skirt for Josie and tan pants for Xander. We are learning lots. Aliza loves to sing the songs with the big kids and will be heard singing latin congagations to her babies and such just like Josie did 3 years ago.
Grandma Betty takes care of Cooper at home while we are gone but now she has hurt her elbow so I am not sure how we will rearrange things. 2 babies is asking a bit too much in the back of a very small classroom.

We love classical conversations. It pushes up to progress every week even when we have a hectic (school is not convenient) week.

Little Things of the Everyday

We love our 2nd hand Stroller from our neighbor and our little red car that Aliza loves to ride around the 1 mile block at Grandma Betty's. The big kids often opt to ride the scooters and we often see the train. Aliza begs to see the train! she keeps up without problem with the little car Mrs Temple gave us. (the big kids actually ride it too!

We love bath time in the sink at Grandma Betty's. Often after supper the baby ends up in there because he is covered in food and I turn around to see Aliza stripping her clothes off as fast as she can getting her stool and  saying "I take bath too!"

We love time with Daddy and the occational Movie we watch with him. "How to train a dragon" was a hit all around. Dan is home a little less because of the work to do at the farm. A night or to a week is all we get him some weeks.
We love our Grandma Terri Pajama's.  Cooper loves his nuk as much as Aliza loves her thumb. (in picture she just took the thumb out of her mouth to smile for the pic.)

Soccer --- #3 Orange Tigers

Xander has really enjoyed playing Soccer at the Christian Youth Center this fall... 8 weeks. It's mostly a mommy thing with the kids (because Daddy is building our new homestead).  I am proud to say this (sometimes) exausted Mommy hasn't missed practice or a game yet. Wed practice and Sat 10am games. Its fun because we get to see our freinds the Larsons (Ellie and Grace are Josie's friends and Nathan (most of the time) :) is Aliza's ball buddy.) This family has been fun to get to know and Xander is so glad Mr Larson is his coach!
The Larson Boys work well together- Caleb, Seth and Noah are the best on the team. Now I must toot my sons horn too.. Xander scored the tie breaking point  in the last few min of the game last Sat. "and the crowd  (or at least this mommy) WENT WILD! " That is so far the only game we have won as a team. I am proud of him!

Cooper is walking!

I never know exactly when to count the first step but Cooper made his first step into his Uncle Gregs arms the night we got the llama.. and he had been walking with his walk toy quite a bit before then. Tonight he repeatedly stands and walks a few steps and bends down to pick up a heavy toy and takes a few more steps and and boom on his bum he goes. He reguarly walks 7 or 8 steps at a time now. :) Where did my baby go?

and one Llama !!!!

 
HERSHEY What a pretty boy you are! The idea is that the Greg's dog, LADY will keep the coyotes at bay outside the fence but the llama should protect the sheep some if the coyotes get into the fence. He is so sweet... his name was buddy and we decided to rename him because he is all brown and chocolate colored. All the kids want to led him and he tolerates it mostly.. now if the sheep will accept him... they still are a bit crabby with him (especially IKE)

Sheep!

We are going to try our hand at raising a few sheep.. yes to eat.. and a bit of wool maybe. This was a very exciting day and makes the trips down to the farm now really special because these are "our sheep" and No one loves them more than I and Aliza. They came home from Portage Wis. in the back of Greg's Pick up truck. And with the help of the 3 strand fence Dan strung and a car battery and jumper cable thingies to connect the two we have a pasture full of our first 14 sheep. the ram IKE... the two favorite friendly ewes are Amber and Mona (both Hair sheep) Wendy and Dolly are our older wooly ewes. Appache is the hair sheep that is tri colored and 1/2 Painted Desert hair sheep.
I LOVE IT .. My Husband is quite a well read up - and good shepherd already! they are his Thing but I am really enjoying them too!

Perserving the Harvest

This summer we had it easy.. we canned  things Daddy bartered or bought at farmers market. Dan took Xander every week to farmer's market to squeeze and sell Lemonade. Xander made change and took money. There was lots for Xander to learn and he came out of this season with a good deal of experience. Dan would catch his mistakes and they both had a good time on Thurs... well all except the getting up at 5:30 in the morning. :)  Josie wanted to go badly but was allowed to go only twice.  

We canned peaches and tomatoes, froze some apple sauce, sour cherries, and peaches too. We made some meat relish and the applesauce is still yet to come (Lord willing)! In the picture Xander is holding 2 quarts of peaches and Josie and Aliza are peeling tomatoes after I blanched them. If you look closely you can see not only the tomatoes (2 T of lemon juice with them) in the jars ready for the canner but also the coffee filters with the heirloom tomato seeds.. that is a huge experiment this year and I am not sure at all I have done it successfully. But we tried and will see!  Booboo can walk and keep up with his little, walk-behind toy... he is such a big boy and has learned not only to come up the stairs with ease but to turn around and come backwards down the stairs! I am scared to let him come down on the big run of wooden steps but he handles the 6 stairs into the apartment fine now! :) He has already taken his first steps too! What a boy! He stands frequently now and will even pick up a toy on the floor and stand back up without sitting down. Soon nothing will be stopping him.

Josie's First Big Ride ----Briggs, Joliet- New Lenox -Mokena -Frankfort, IL

Well we decided to do it! The bike ride we have hoped to do all summer. The cooler weather was here and the wind was not to bad. Dan brought us in the Box Truck to "Somewhere around Briggs St" in Joliet. This was exciting because we were sitting in the box truck "BOX" on the floor with babies on our laps and the bikes in front of us. We could see the shadows of all the leaves and branches above us on the wooded drive. We were quiet because we could picture Dan having to come along side a police car with his windows rolled down and him hearing various kids talking and laughing knowing that there were no children in the cab of the truck. :) I  nursed Cooper quick and changed a diaper on the short ride and took off maybe around 9am. We peddled hard and mommy ended up with the backpack full of water and the bike cart which seems to get heavier every year. (or is that with the addition of every baby?) Anyway- we made it all the way to Frankfort for ice cream.  I seriously considered calling Grandma Betty to come and get the little ones but I dropped my phone and it needed to be re booted before I could make a call. We arrived back into her yard a little after lunch and if you can see in the pictures I ended up giving the two babies suckers to pacify them. I could smell grape sucker all the way home as I kept reassuring the crankiness I heard behind me: "We are almost home" . We cut through the high school parking lot where we had to unload the bike cart and take it off the bike to get it through the narrow man gate. When I got off the bike I saw where Aliza's sucker ended up... and some of the reason for the crankiness.  It was in Booboos hair! and poor cooper was slipped as far off his seat as he could go but rewarded my efforts with a hug grin.  I pulled the purple, sticky offender out and though I got a hairy sucker back he didn't cry. They were happy to be home. So were we all I but I am glad we went. We hope to go further this year yet. We will see. :)

Kendall County Fair

A good Sunday at the fair. The girls got their face painted, Xander earned a stuffed animal with a dart game and we all opted for skillets (at our favorite pancake restraunt near our old house) and McD's Icecream instead of fair food this year. As our numbers in the family go up so do the  prices on funnel cakes ($5 ea)!

Planning a new place to call Home...

This summer has been full of trying to figure out where exactly in Dwight, Il  we will live. We are watching craigs list for everything from sheep to windows and firewood. Its fun to dream even if the dream is limited with space and funds to raise a new place. I think we have settled on a 30X32 foot flat in the back of a workshop that Dan will be putting up. Its funny but I am excited about the concrete floors and being close as a family as there will not be much room for being unsocial. :) The plan is on paper and I am excited about the next (living a bit simplier) chapter in life with my husband and kids! Dan will get a Permit to start building next week hopefully!

Josie turns 6

Josie can swim in the deep end now without fear. I am amazed how calm she is in the water even when she gets swamped with a wave and she is on her back. Cooper and Aliza are both able to dunk under with mommy without crying. we try to do this about 6 times as we swim. we all go to go to the Dwight pool to wrap up Josie's Birthday party and grandma and grandpa decided to come which was a special treat. here she is with sidekick Becka.
Birthday parties at auntie gingers are always full of little treasures passed on .. Johnnie giving a favorite bug and Becka a favorite pencil and Tori a few buttons from her collection... and its always full of much laughter and noise. :D
The day of her birthday she had cupcakes daddy bought her.