It's Only Been Five Days

But there is SOOOOO much to post! Let's start with a few random tidbits and some blina ;)

Once we got the fridge up and running, we realized we have a lot of eggs . . . sometimes 25 chickens can surprise you :) Graysen said, "I think I want waffles--actually, can we have blina?" I told him we would see if Grandma J was up to making this family favorite once she arrived at our house for the day. As if she would ever say no, lol! I washed two dozen eggs, Graysen cracked two dozen eggs, Grandma J blended two dozen eggs, and then she taught Caelan how to pour and flip the blina batter. Usually Gabby is the co-blina maker, so it was great that Caelan got to learn!

It takes awhile to get through all that batter in thin splashes, so the kitchen filled and filled with young men and Auntie Z eagerly awaiting the chance to dive in and eat! Caelan offered a tutorial for Noah as this was his first blina experience. You would not believe how quickly that big stack of yum disappeared! I saved back just enough for Buck to have some for breakfast :) 

Between final prep for the graduation party, we finished my swing! Isn't it cute? I sewed together three deck chair cushions, cut the velcro back straps off of the original cushion and sewed them onto the new trio. I also quick-stitched and then iron-on patched the tear in the back of the swing's base. Buck and I both tried cleaning off the lichen that has grown in the open spaces, and then we carried it up the hill and adjusted the chains to the right height (he still needs to cut off the excess). Caelan spent most of yesterday up on the swing, letting the chickens eat bugs and free range. Amazingly, she was in the shade the whole time! I am pretty happy with the results of everyone's efforts. Yay, swing!

You can see the hard work Graysen has put in on his tree house, too! He's getting close to getting it finished--the roof went on yesterday, and he's got the saw out again this morning :)

Getting everyone in the same place at the same time for a meal is a pretty extraordinary occurrence! I managed to find an hour in the middle of the week that everyone could be back from some events and delayed on heading out for the next round, so Grandma J could take us all out to dinner. With finals week at college, youth group events, Bible study, concerts, and all the other things . . . it was nice to sit for a second and eat a meal together. 

In the above picture, Grandma J made my day a whole lot easier by picking up pizzas before the kids' spring choir concert! I've been waiting for my NGF to post her amazing photos of that event, because I got pretty much none during the performance. That happens when three tall guys sit in the rows in front of you :) Oh well, it's about the music, and I did get to hear all of that!