Saturday was Chili Day at the farm

 David started things bright and early that morning.

 In a short time we were well on our way.

 When Remington wasn't guarding the kittens, he took a turn guarding the kettle.  The heat of the fire was the only thing keeping him honest at this moment.  If he could have gotten close enough, I'm sure he would have been sampling the goods in the pot.

Talk about perfect weather.  The day was beautiful!

Grace had to sweep the cobwebs from the barn off of her bicycle before she rode it.  Definitely not a problem they deal with in town.

 Remington staring down a kitten in the yard.

Meg giving us her best roadkill impersonation...

 

 20 gallons went in the freezer for later but there was plenty left for lunch and dinner too.

 

John and some high school buddies camped back in the woods Friday night.  They ran off about lunchtime to hit the corn maze down the road a few miles.  We took all of the kids and a friend of Emily's back to do the corn maze later in the evening.  This was the first year we tackled the maze in the dark.  It was definitely fun and slightly spooky wandering in the dark through the corn.  Luckily three iPhones with flashlight apps helped us navigate rather efficiently.  Given the limited battery life remaining, we were lucky not to spend the night wandering through the corn.  I wonder how long they wait to rescue lost souls at closing time?

Also done in the dark this year was our annual trip to the pumpkin patch.  Flashlights added to the fun.  Jack-O-Lantern carving is right around the corner!  Can't wait!!

One Day Old!

Look what David found in the barn Sunday morning!  They were just a few hours old at the time I took these pictures.

Baby #1

 Baby #2

Mom and babies are doing great.  Still waiting on the other two mommas to deliver.  

The kids didn't get to hold the babies since they were still trying to bond with their mom.  We will save that for another weekend.

Instead they spent the day playing with the kittens.  Yes.  We took the kittens to the farm this weekend. 

 

And NO to all you Simms men wondering if we came up missing any kittens when we finished cooking chili. 

Remington is still not sure what to think about these guys.  He spends hours staring through the kennel door at them even when they are sleeping.  And if they are out playing, he is right there in the middle of things watching out for them.

 

The kittens are not pleased with their designated guardian.  They spend a lot of time hissing and growling at him.

My Apologies

It seems we have taken crazy to a whole new level around here.  Nothing out of the ordinary going on, just a lot more happening all at once.  You know.  Four kids.  One mom.  Kinda makes the scales imbalanced.  Thus my need to apologize for a week of blogging silence.

Last weekend was fall break.  We had a blissful five consecutive days without the 5:45 wake-up call that I despise.

We spent the first few days of break camping again this year at Renfro Valley with Grandma and Grandpa.

Thank you guys for putting up with us and with the rain.  We had a great time and hope you did too.  I'm glad everything ended well and you ultimately made it home safely.

While camping, we learned about eight week old triplets waiting to be adopted.  They needed a foster family to care for them.  We agreed to take in all three babies.







Here Grace and Emily are holding two of the babies.

What's that?


Oh!  You thought I meant human triplets!  Thankfully no.  This fostering job involves four legged furry babies that, though adorable, can be locked in a cage when they become overwhelming to manage.



 They traveled home with us in deluxe accommodations.  First class cat travelers rode in our camper's shower.  See?

Well, most of the way they rode in the shower.  The last few miles were spent on the laps of my very excited kids.

I had hoped they would be placed by now, but no such luck.  We are on a waiting list with three different shelters.  Apparently it has been a busy summer in the world of kitty romances.

 Aren't they cute?  Please feel free to share our news.  I will happily skip the humane society and place them privately with interested parties.

Until they find their furrever home, we are enjoying our time loving on them and playing with them.  And if it has escalated our lives to new levels of crazy, you won't hear us complaining.  All you can hear are giggles and purrs.  That's pretty okay with me!

Fall Sports

Isn't water skiing a fall sport?  It is at the zoo.  

With so many activities associated with school and church now, we don't get many opportunities to hit the water.

 We did make it out one evening last week when the thermometer was still reading in the 80s for highs.
This guy learned how to ski.  He hit the water many times but kept on trying!  Way to go, Grant!

 This gal managed to ski too.  She didn't ski quite as far as Grant, but she definitely was up on two skis.  Good job, Grace!

The most fun though seems to be on the tube.  We spend a lot of time dragging kids up and down the lake.

 John likes the knee board too.  I wouldn't be able to walk after bouncing around on that thing, but he thinks it's fun.

 Probably won't get to ski any more this year looking at the calendar.  I hope I'm wrong.  It's one sport we all enjoy doing.