We were gone all day today.  We left this morning and dropped Sloan, Jett and Judd off in Greensburg with Papa Bob and Grandma Ann.  Saige and Jaide went with Clint and I to Pratt.  Saige had to have labs done.  We didn't tell her that is what was happening until we were walking into the lab.  She cried a lot during the process, but as soon as he was done drawing her blood, she was smiling.  She is a tough girl.  Clint held her other arm and torso and I held her legs with one arm and Jaide with the other.  Jaide started crying when Saige was crying, but as soon as Saige was smiling afterwards, Jaide was smiling too.  We let Saige pick where she wanted to eat lunch and she picked McDonalds, so that's where we went.  We ran a few errands then went back to Greensburg.  We all went to the soda fountain and got ice cream then went to visit Aunt Stacy at the Big Well.  This evening we went to the school and watched Jessica play in their summer volleyball league.

I had a hard time having patience with the four sassy and disobedient preschoolers today.
Here is proof the whole day wasn't awful...

Early this morning it started raining.  Beautiful rain with some lightning and loud cracking thunder.  Surprisingly, it didn't wake the kids up.  We got 2.10 inches.  I got up and made coffee and coffee cake for breakfast.
For lunch we had fried chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy.  Jett, Saige and Sloan aren't fans of mashed potatoes, but the rest of us like them.  Saige does like gravy and will dunk her chicken in it.  After lunch we went out in the big pasture to look at the ponds.  The boys built some "fishing poles" out of random toys in the house and they wanted to take them with us so they could fish.

Saige liked me spinning her around in the water

"for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills." Psalm 50:10

Like my clean house?
The boys were pretending to be drummers and the girls were the audience.

Sloan was playing outside and came into the kitchen and told me she caught a "fwog" (frog).  She asked me if I wanted to see it and I told her that yes, I would come outside and see it.  She said, "No, momma it's right here" and she pulled the frog out of her pocket.  I got her a jar and poked holes in the lid and she carried the frog around all day in the jar.  Here she is on the porch holding it in her hand.

Tonight we went to Kissel's shed to have supper and get together with friends.  I took this picture of the kids in front of Kirk's corn.

Jaide is changing so much every day.  She is babbling a lot.  Mostly it's "ba, ba,", but I think she is trying to say "da, da" too.  My floor is not near clean enough for a baby that is crawling and pulling up on everything.  The kids leave pieces of paper, play-doh and everything else on the floor that I can't seem to keep picked up.  She is, and has been for quite some time, in the hair pulling phase.  She is constantly pulling my hair all day long.  She is starting to let other people hold her a little, but still strongly prefers me.  I think she'll turn out just fine.

Tanner and the boys came over to visit today.  We went out in the big pasture to see if the ponds caught any rain.  When we got .6 last night, about 5 miles east of us got 4 inches and 7 miles north and northwest of us got 2-5 inches.  On the other hand, just 4 miles west of us only got .3.  The rain has been very spotty this year, but at least we are getting something now.  I'm thankful for what we got and there is actually some grass growing in the pastures now.

Judd, Wyatt and Jett rode in the back of the Ranger and had their own little conversation the whole time.

After I got Jaide down for a nap, I took the other 6 kids out to swim.  And yes, the kids just wear their underwear to swim.

Today was the last day of cutting, so the kids and I got to go to the field and ride along for awhile.  They took turns riding with Kirk and Stephen on the combines and also with Clint on the grain cart and truck.  Rain was coming in this evening so they were really pushing to get finished (We got .6 at home tonight).
Clint was home by 7:30 tonight.  The kids loved wrestling with him and snuggling with him before bedtime.  We have barely seen him in the last week and a half.  He has been getting home at 3 or 4 am and then leaving by 8 or 9 in the morning.  I'm thankful for his hard work and thankful for the great people he was working with/for.
Our cutters finished yesterday and left this morning.

Gayla took this picture of the 7 of us in the tractor/gain cart from their combine as they were unloading

my failed attempt at getting a picture of the kids after their baths/showers.  It was Saige and Sloan's turn to take a shower tonight and Jett, Judd and Jaide were in the bathtub.