The challenge for Sarah and I today was to figure out how to distribute 9 young children between the two of us at Dairy Queen without attracting undue attention.
All nine were thirteen and under.
The majority were 7 and under.
To be precise, we had a 13 year old, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, and two 4 year olds. :D
They were all from either our immediate family, or the Walkers.
They all needed a watchful eye. ;) The answer?
"Um....Sarah....you take four, I'll take five."
Sorry to disappoint you, D.Q., but we *aren't* the Duggars. ;)
We divvied `em up and trooped into Dairy Queen and actually got everyone seated, and waiting fairly quietly for their ice-cream with very little incident beyond Benj jumping up to catch a stink bug, Bekah pointing and yelling at a lady in the parking lot, a rather earnest game of "Rock, Paper, Scissors", and a short rodeo of chair-rearranging. :P
Of course, taking the 7, 6, and 4 year old gals to the bathroom was an adventure. They were fascinated by the motion-sensor-paper-towel-dispenser thingy. Abby let 5 feet of it run before she found out how to rip it off! :P
But over all it was a lot of fun, and a success. We didn't leave anyone behind....or did we? ;)
And you know what game Sarah and I got everyone to play on the way home? "Silent Mouse". We are rather clever, aren't we? ;)
Showing posts with label the walkers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the walkers. Show all posts
And So We Part. (A whole 1/6 of a mile!!!)
Hey Everybody! As most of you read below, the Walkers have now moved into their mobile home! It is small, but new and cozy, and I think they'll love having their own space! ;) We have had so much fun together! Here are some of the things we learned to love and do together in a home of 21 people!
Take walks and scare each other in the dark
Put on crazy talent shows
Play midnight volleyball
The proper way to catch a goat
That 21 people really can fit together and live in harmony (mostly. The three yearolds got to eachother's nerves the last couple of weeks)
Stay up WAY too late laughing, and realizing that the Walker sense of humor runs scarily prevelant through us older Heff.s
That an additional older boy (Matthew) is handy as a "Go-fer", an escort, a polka and waltz partner, and for extra laughs
And many more things! I am not adventerous enough to try to link all these topics. Nevertheless, I have written about all of them (?) during the past 10 weeks, so take a look! :)
Here are some surprising calculations;
We have used 4,410 styrofoam plates during meal times, *ducks from enviromentalists*
Jeremiah has single-handedly (almost) washed 13,230 plastic cups
We have used 13,000 plastic utensils
We have drunk over 100 gallons of iced tea (we're southerners. Sorry!)
We have eaten app. 210 different meals together
We have run 490 loads of laundry, and we girls have hung up at least 245 of those loads.
We have collectively eaten 480 hotdogs during this time. (Okay. I didn't eat them every time we had them. But they feed hungry masses of boys pretty well. Now we can all go on a liver detox! ;)
We have bought enough groceries for 4,410 hungry people.
Sound crazy enough? :) Life's good! -Rachel
Take walks and scare each other in the dark
Put on crazy talent shows
Play midnight volleyball
The proper way to catch a goat
That 21 people really can fit together and live in harmony (mostly. The three yearolds got to eachother's nerves the last couple of weeks)
Stay up WAY too late laughing, and realizing that the Walker sense of humor runs scarily prevelant through us older Heff.s
That an additional older boy (Matthew) is handy as a "Go-fer", an escort, a polka and waltz partner, and for extra laughs
And many more things! I am not adventerous enough to try to link all these topics. Nevertheless, I have written about all of them (?) during the past 10 weeks, so take a look! :)
Here are some surprising calculations;
We have used 4,410 styrofoam plates during meal times, *ducks from enviromentalists*
Jeremiah has single-handedly (almost) washed 13,230 plastic cups
We have used 13,000 plastic utensils
We have drunk over 100 gallons of iced tea (we're southerners. Sorry!)
We have eaten app. 210 different meals together
We have run 490 loads of laundry, and we girls have hung up at least 245 of those loads.
We have collectively eaten 480 hotdogs during this time. (Okay. I didn't eat them every time we had them. But they feed hungry masses of boys pretty well. Now we can all go on a liver detox! ;)
We have bought enough groceries for 4,410 hungry people.
Sound crazy enough? :) Life's good! -Rachel
A Title Tale
Greetings to all our fair followers! (Or if you'd rather, "dashing followers" pick and choose! ;) How are you all doing today? We are well. I just got finished cleaning carpets on my hands and knees with a scrubby brush. Can you imagine the songs I hummed while doing it???
("It's a Hard-Knock Life" [Annie] and "Sing Sweet Nightingale" [Cinderella]) Interesting proceedings hmmm? Anyway, that was extremely dull to read, I have no doubt. The Walker's mobile home is safely stowed away upon the footings poured for it. I hear that in 2-3 weeks they'll be able to move in! (At least, that is what is expected)
I realized that Sarah and I never did do a post about our bedroom furniture! :) Oops! If you care about it, tell us. If you don't, just know that it looks pretty, and we are enjoying sleeping on a real beds now! (Leah just said we did do a post about it. Did we? Gracious! I hope we didn't! If we did, just lock me away in a lunatic farm till I get over it! :) Okay. So. Last night, Daniel and I had a funny conversation that got me thinking: What if someone made a story entirely of the titles of famous books, partnered with a few other words, and some little ones like "A, and, the, etc."
Let me try for a moment and let's see if it works!
"The Scarlet Pimpernel, at The Sign of The Beaver, Kidnapped David Copperfield, and had Great Expectations to take him to Treasure Island. So Tom Sawyer and Pollyanna dived 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea To Kill A Mockingbird, but instead killed Moby Dick.
White Fang, The Last Of The Mohicans, sent a letter saying "As You Like It! Much Ado About Nothing!" to Emma who posessed great Sense and Sensibility, though she was sometimes blinded by Pride and Prejudice. Emma lived in Cranford during times of War And Peace, with her husband Ivanhoe. The Wives and Daughters named Elsie Dinsmore and Lorna Doone, along with The Lady Of The Lake, went Around The World In Eighty Days.
Dr. Doolittle, (a Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur's Court) after much Persuasion wrote The Federalist Papers for Peter Pan. By the time it came to Middlemarch in The Secret Garden, The Count of Monte Cristo had sent out The Three Musketeers from his Bleak House.
Crime and Punishment followed. The Brothers Karamazov burned The Pickwick Papers, and wrote The Anti-Federalist Papers. It's only Common Sense that The Wind in The Willows whispered, "The Red Badge of Courage" to Oliver Twist. And that, Silas Marner, is The Tale of Two Cities of the Wuthering Heights."
So. Whadya think? That was so much fun! I just sat there thinking up names of books, and then when that was used up, I peeked into the back of a Bantam Classic book and chose out of the list of classics! Yay! That tickled me pink! :) -Rachel
("It's a Hard-Knock Life" [Annie] and "Sing Sweet Nightingale" [Cinderella]) Interesting proceedings hmmm? Anyway, that was extremely dull to read, I have no doubt. The Walker's mobile home is safely stowed away upon the footings poured for it. I hear that in 2-3 weeks they'll be able to move in! (At least, that is what is expected)
I realized that Sarah and I never did do a post about our bedroom furniture! :) Oops! If you care about it, tell us. If you don't, just know that it looks pretty, and we are enjoying sleeping on a real beds now! (Leah just said we did do a post about it. Did we? Gracious! I hope we didn't! If we did, just lock me away in a lunatic farm till I get over it! :) Okay. So. Last night, Daniel and I had a funny conversation that got me thinking: What if someone made a story entirely of the titles of famous books, partnered with a few other words, and some little ones like "A, and, the, etc."
Let me try for a moment and let's see if it works!
"The Scarlet Pimpernel, at The Sign of The Beaver, Kidnapped David Copperfield, and had Great Expectations to take him to Treasure Island. So Tom Sawyer and Pollyanna dived 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea To Kill A Mockingbird, but instead killed Moby Dick.
White Fang, The Last Of The Mohicans, sent a letter saying "As You Like It! Much Ado About Nothing!" to Emma who posessed great Sense and Sensibility, though she was sometimes blinded by Pride and Prejudice. Emma lived in Cranford during times of War And Peace, with her husband Ivanhoe. The Wives and Daughters named Elsie Dinsmore and Lorna Doone, along with The Lady Of The Lake, went Around The World In Eighty Days.
Dr. Doolittle, (a Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur's Court) after much Persuasion wrote The Federalist Papers for Peter Pan. By the time it came to Middlemarch in The Secret Garden, The Count of Monte Cristo had sent out The Three Musketeers from his Bleak House.
Crime and Punishment followed. The Brothers Karamazov burned The Pickwick Papers, and wrote The Anti-Federalist Papers. It's only Common Sense that The Wind in The Willows whispered, "The Red Badge of Courage" to Oliver Twist. And that, Silas Marner, is The Tale of Two Cities of the Wuthering Heights."
So. Whadya think? That was so much fun! I just sat there thinking up names of books, and then when that was used up, I peeked into the back of a Bantam Classic book and chose out of the list of classics! Yay! That tickled me pink! :) -Rachel
Home-grown Talent Show.... :{
So, what is the newest amusement for us around here? What would you say to a talent (or rather, untalent) show? Yep. That is what we girls have been doing in some of our spare moments. It is really not as grand as it sounds- at all. We gather up the Walker girls and ourselves, and head out to the front lawn where everyone does whatever they can think to do.
Really! It is so much fun! I'll give you a peek into one of these shows...
Abby and Bethany stand up and blush, then argue about the words to the "Matchmaker" song. Finally, Bethany begins singing, but Abby stops her, and they start over. Stop again. Start again. Finally, I herd them off the stage and put on the next act: Anna and Emily singing some song. They forget the words and shrink back to their seats. Sarah and I give a despairing smile to the others as we realize that we'll have to carry the show. I get up there and recite "The Highwayman" in a fashion that would make Anne Shirley proud. Sarah and I sing "By the Light of The Moon" ala Fred and Ethel Mertz.
Then Gracie and Bekah get up there. Grace giggles while Bekah runs around singing "Mary Had a Little Lamb" at the top of her lungs. Literally, just those five words. She can't remember the rest. We shoo them off by politely clapping, and then I get back up in front of everyone and sing opera. :) Or at least, my version. It is composed of mostly imitating the lady in Anne of Green Gables, and finished with a warbling "O Promise Me" song, sung purposely to make the little girls crack up. At last we begin to try to be serious. Abby and Bethany take turns jump-roping for us. Then they do a "Virginia Reel" while either Sarah or I sing "The Maid That Sold Her Barley" for accompaniment. Leah may go shyly up and perform a little song, and Anna or Emily will try singing "Come Thou Fount", but get embarassed halfway and go sit down.
Sarah and I are at it again with "Carolina in the Morning" (with a dance) or "The Old Kent Road". Then, our girls sing "Be Thou My Vision" in three part harmony. The only people left to clap by this point are Bekah and Grace who have been yelling the whole way through.
I send Leah to bring the other girls back. We are finally all seated, and Sarah and I finish our little show with "Angel of Music" from "The Phantom of The Opera".
By the end we aren't sure if we have any talent, but we have had fun and have spent a profitable 1/2 hour spending time with each other! -Rachel
Really! It is so much fun! I'll give you a peek into one of these shows...
Abby and Bethany stand up and blush, then argue about the words to the "Matchmaker" song. Finally, Bethany begins singing, but Abby stops her, and they start over. Stop again. Start again. Finally, I herd them off the stage and put on the next act: Anna and Emily singing some song. They forget the words and shrink back to their seats. Sarah and I give a despairing smile to the others as we realize that we'll have to carry the show. I get up there and recite "The Highwayman" in a fashion that would make Anne Shirley proud. Sarah and I sing "By the Light of The Moon" ala Fred and Ethel Mertz.
Then Gracie and Bekah get up there. Grace giggles while Bekah runs around singing "Mary Had a Little Lamb" at the top of her lungs. Literally, just those five words. She can't remember the rest. We shoo them off by politely clapping, and then I get back up in front of everyone and sing opera. :) Or at least, my version. It is composed of mostly imitating the lady in Anne of Green Gables, and finished with a warbling "O Promise Me" song, sung purposely to make the little girls crack up. At last we begin to try to be serious. Abby and Bethany take turns jump-roping for us. Then they do a "Virginia Reel" while either Sarah or I sing "The Maid That Sold Her Barley" for accompaniment. Leah may go shyly up and perform a little song, and Anna or Emily will try singing "Come Thou Fount", but get embarassed halfway and go sit down.
Sarah and I are at it again with "Carolina in the Morning" (with a dance) or "The Old Kent Road". Then, our girls sing "Be Thou My Vision" in three part harmony. The only people left to clap by this point are Bekah and Grace who have been yelling the whole way through.
I send Leah to bring the other girls back. We are finally all seated, and Sarah and I finish our little show with "Angel of Music" from "The Phantom of The Opera".
By the end we aren't sure if we have any talent, but we have had fun and have spent a profitable 1/2 hour spending time with each other! -Rachel
A Peek Into WalkHeffitopia! ;)
Hello! I thought that I, Rachel, would give you guys an update on how things are going in a house of 21! The truth is, things are going alot more smoothly than I ever hoped! This is such great blessing and an answer to prayer for us! I guess we are entering into our third week now. This week we'll be getting 40 chicks, and planting our garden. We'll have lots of help, and lots of little hands to squeeze the chicks and lots of feet to step on our rows. ;) Gracie and Abby still have not learned all the way, and neither have some of the youngest Walkers! :) Hope we don't have any casualties! The girls separated the goat kids from the Mama today. Sad to hear them crying out so pitifully!
Today we had a family meeting- the main thing the Mamas decided we need to focus on for this week (especially middle and younger children) is "Please, see the need, meet the need, without being asked." As the oldest daughter in our family, I naturally do this, and so do Sarah, Matthew, and Leah. It was cute to see the reaction of Jeremiah (6) who totally missed the point of the phrase and said excitedly, "Yeah! Like when I didn't ask and I went into the chicken coop!" (as if that was what we were all aiming to do! :)
We have had alot of fun having the Walkers here! So far, in two weeks we have fixed 721 plates of food, and spent 300 and some hours together! :) There are always enough people around to do a dance, take a walk, or play volleyball. Last night, we did all three actually! Matthew and I did an impromptu waltz in the dining room, (always teach your cousin to dance! :) then Sarah with Matthew, and Daniel and I went on a walk down our pitch-black road. We were full of hijinks and abundantly merry spirits, so Daniel and I spent our walk throwing things into the bushes along the road and scaring Sarah! :) When we got home, Uncle David suggested, (Walker blood, that!) that we set up lights and play volley ball. So we took a ladder and a work light, balanced it carefully, and played a silent game of volleyball in the half-light. I provided comic relief! It was so funny how many times I played a "Lady Tippings" as we say, and touched the ball with just the extreme tips of my fingers!
Well, I'm almost off to check the mailbox, (dreadfully deserted these days! :[ )
Here is the verse we posted on our wall this morning, that says perfectly what we must focus on during these weeks: 1 Peter 4:8-11 "And above all things have fervent love for one another, for `love will cover a multitude of sins.' Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. As each one has received a gift, minister to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen."
The part that got me was about speaking as if you were speaking the oracles of God. I am a girl who likes to talk. Believe me. I love words in any way, shape, or form. I have been thinking lately, of the percentage of my speech, what amount of it is speaking as if I was speaking the oracles of God? Not enough, I'm sure. Oh goody! A challenge! This week will be full of them, I have a hunch, because I am also re-reading "So Much More" by Anna Sofia and Elizabeth Botkin, which is a very eye-opening book.
What is it that some man said? "A ship at harbor is safe. But that is not what a ship is made for."
So be it. Whoever said being a Christian is dull? Obviously, they haven't tried it! :) -Rachel
Today we had a family meeting- the main thing the Mamas decided we need to focus on for this week (especially middle and younger children) is "Please, see the need, meet the need, without being asked." As the oldest daughter in our family, I naturally do this, and so do Sarah, Matthew, and Leah. It was cute to see the reaction of Jeremiah (6) who totally missed the point of the phrase and said excitedly, "Yeah! Like when I didn't ask and I went into the chicken coop!" (as if that was what we were all aiming to do! :)
We have had alot of fun having the Walkers here! So far, in two weeks we have fixed 721 plates of food, and spent 300 and some hours together! :) There are always enough people around to do a dance, take a walk, or play volleyball. Last night, we did all three actually! Matthew and I did an impromptu waltz in the dining room, (always teach your cousin to dance! :) then Sarah with Matthew, and Daniel and I went on a walk down our pitch-black road. We were full of hijinks and abundantly merry spirits, so Daniel and I spent our walk throwing things into the bushes along the road and scaring Sarah! :) When we got home, Uncle David suggested, (Walker blood, that!) that we set up lights and play volley ball. So we took a ladder and a work light, balanced it carefully, and played a silent game of volleyball in the half-light. I provided comic relief! It was so funny how many times I played a "Lady Tippings" as we say, and touched the ball with just the extreme tips of my fingers!
Well, I'm almost off to check the mailbox, (dreadfully deserted these days! :[ )
Here is the verse we posted on our wall this morning, that says perfectly what we must focus on during these weeks: 1 Peter 4:8-11 "And above all things have fervent love for one another, for `love will cover a multitude of sins.' Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. As each one has received a gift, minister to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen."
The part that got me was about speaking as if you were speaking the oracles of God. I am a girl who likes to talk. Believe me. I love words in any way, shape, or form. I have been thinking lately, of the percentage of my speech, what amount of it is speaking as if I was speaking the oracles of God? Not enough, I'm sure. Oh goody! A challenge! This week will be full of them, I have a hunch, because I am also re-reading "So Much More" by Anna Sofia and Elizabeth Botkin, which is a very eye-opening book.
What is it that some man said? "A ship at harbor is safe. But that is not what a ship is made for."
So be it. Whoever said being a Christian is dull? Obviously, they haven't tried it! :) -Rachel
In Which We Open A Boarding House
This spring weather is not good for me! ;) I find myself in a very lackadaisical mood, little prone to turn to anything productive, and perfectly content to sit out in the bright sun or wander on a little walk. Indeed, I'd turn into the "Wandering Jew" (only I'm a Christian) if I wasn't quite so scared of the dogs at the next farm over! :) They are awful beasties! Which leads me to my next rambling thought: Licorice, our blasted dog ate a whole chicken breast off the counter, leaving us with almost-not-enough for dinner! If dogs didn't have such short memories, I would have cuffed her on the head next time she came inside! ;)
We are entering cleaning projects, because starting on the 19 or 20 of this month, our cousins, The Walkers are moving in with us temporarily. We are living together until they get a septic system and well, and can move their new mobile home onto this land, while they build their final house! Exciting forward motion! So, please pray that all the details will fall nicely into place. There will be 16 children and 5 adults, including Grandma June, so rather a full house! (12 kids under the age of 12 by the bye!) But I have, over and over seen God using our big house for exercising hospitality! Since moving in, we have had a family of 6, twice living with us for a week, then in the summer hosted a reunion with 4 different couples staying a week, The Laundry Fairies and 4 nieces and nephews for a few days, (twice) our attic used for 4 different family's storage, and hosting our homechurch of 100 or so all through the winter. (Among various other things) I love all the ministry we've been able to have! But the Walkers and our family would appreciate prayer for working out details and merging two hectic family-schedules into one home for 4-6 weeks! Thanky Kindly! -Rachel
We are entering cleaning projects, because starting on the 19 or 20 of this month, our cousins, The Walkers are moving in with us temporarily. We are living together until they get a septic system and well, and can move their new mobile home onto this land, while they build their final house! Exciting forward motion! So, please pray that all the details will fall nicely into place. There will be 16 children and 5 adults, including Grandma June, so rather a full house! (12 kids under the age of 12 by the bye!) But I have, over and over seen God using our big house for exercising hospitality! Since moving in, we have had a family of 6, twice living with us for a week, then in the summer hosted a reunion with 4 different couples staying a week, The Laundry Fairies and 4 nieces and nephews for a few days, (twice) our attic used for 4 different family's storage, and hosting our homechurch of 100 or so all through the winter. (Among various other things) I love all the ministry we've been able to have! But the Walkers and our family would appreciate prayer for working out details and merging two hectic family-schedules into one home for 4-6 weeks! Thanky Kindly! -Rachel
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