~The Last of the Racing~

 We are thinking about letting Nathan race next year... that is a scary thought!!!  We want to give him a lot of track time before we actually get to the track.  He loved driving around out back. 

 Aaron and Kiersten wanted him to get a checkered flag:-)

Jordan had several races through October 20.  Those races are all at night and it gets late and cold.  I went to most of them, but I wimped out for the last two.  One week was freezing cold.  The last week was a Friday and Saturday night race.  We had a lot of rain and the track was terrible.  They ended up not racing Friday  night because it was too wet.  That made Saturday an all day event... 9:30 am til almost midnight.  Jordan did well for his first  really big race.  There was 60 cars in this one!  He started in the d-main and made it up to the c-main... but didn't place high enough in that one to move up again.  He was a little disappointed but he had fun.

This is what Kiersten and Nathan generally look like at the end of the race:-)

Done til Spring!!!

~Last Quarter Midget Race & Expo~

Our last Quarter Midget Race of the year brought mixed results.  None of the boys won the Winner's Classic race.  Jordan and Eric did win thier fun race though.

Kiersten is making sure Aaron is ready... she gave him a thumbs up and knuckles:-)

Jordan and Kate are often neck and neck racing.  They decided to switch cars for the fun race.  They were passing each other in every corner!  So fun to watch!  Kate finally got a lead and Jordan just had to wait for her to make a mistake so he could get around her.  She spun with only a few laps to go... giving Jordan the win.

We enjoyed the pig road and bbq chicken... every family brings a side dish.  The weather was just beautiful for racing!  We did our final pack up and said our goodbye's til the banquet sometime this winter.

We went straight to another track.  Jared and Aaron were involved in an Expo race at the big track.

The cars looked so tiny going around the big track!  Jared lead his race for awhile and stayed in the top three until the last lap.  He did so good!  He finished 5th and got a great trophy!

Aaron was in a different class and from the green flag you could tell something was wrong with his car.  He was slowly working his way to the back of the field.  When he came of the track we found out why... his whole steering system was loose.  Poor guy!

It was a long day... but a great day!  Some family met us at the small track and some friends met us at the big track. It was a great way to end the season!

~First Big Race~

We got home from our field trip in time to unpack and repack... I also needed a quick nap and a shower or I wasn't going to make it through the day!

The car was just about together but everything still needed to be loaded up.

 I couldn't get into the pits but enjoyed watching them get things ready from the bleachers on the other side of the track.

The car wasn't running right at all.  A few men that heard it said it sounded like a fuel problem.  Sure enough!  From taking it apart, painting it and putting it back together there was junk in the fuel line.  The guys spent time that week cleaning it out and Jordan was able to run the next Friday.

The schedule for a few weeks in September was crazy.  Leaving the house at 5 on Friday and getting home after midnight for Jordan's races and leaving Saturday morning at 9:30 and not getting home til 5 was wearing me out.  We were getting most of our school done but one day a week I was crashing.  Once the quarter midgets were done (Saturday) it got a lot easier!

~Field Trip~

I scheduled a field trip in September to one of our local historical places.  The problem was it was the same day Gregg took off to finish putting Jordan's new car together to race that night.  Of course, the older boys wanted to stay home.  Sigh... well, I decided to let them stay home if they did their school work without me.

I took Eric, Nathan and Kiersten and we had a great time!  I am really used to having the helping hands of the older guys, but we managed just fine.

Civil war encampment

 Glass blowing

 Nathan made this rope... Eric made one too.  We waited in line for over an hour to do this!

 We bought some burgers and fresh milled cider for lunch.  We watched people spin wool, make paper, paint and cook.  We sampled some honey and sauerkraut.  Nathan bought a walking stick with an antler tied to the end.  We also got some antlers for our dogs to chew and some homemade soap!

 We had a great day together but had to head home for the next part of our busy weekend!

~3rd Birthday~

My little princess turned 3 in September!

 I wanted to get her a doll house this year.  There are sooo many different kinds.  I finally settled on Cocalico Critters.  Instead of a house I found this cute car and camper!  She and Nathan have played with it for hours at a time!  I am hoping to find a house for Christmas!

 Since she didn't know what kind of cake she wanted, we decided for her... She steals mints and gum so we knew she would like anything minty.  Of course, she likes chocolate...

I found this cake on pinterest and it was a big hit... and boy was it sweet!  She loved when we all sang to her!

I didn't have time to make her a dress, so we went shopping for one... and since her birthday was on a Sunday, she was overjoyed to wear it!

~60th Anniversary~

We began September with an Anniversary celebration!  My Grandparents have been married for 60 years!

My mom and dad hosted the party. The kids went swimming and my brother made some really yummy grilled chicken!  It was a beautiful day!

 Jared taught Nathan how to swim with goggles and how to go underwater a few weeks ago while the two of them were visiting grammy for the day.  Nathan is in love with the pool now!

Kiersten enjoyed playing with Paige (her cousin) even though she wasn't sure about being in the pool.

~14th Birthday~

Jordan wanted his standard birthday meal... cheese steak and chocolate cake.

 His birthday gifts were mostly homemade from his brothers.  The brothers were so anxious to give him the gifts:-)  They even did two scavenger hunts for him.

The only thing Jordan really wanted for his birthday was to race... a big car... a 600 Micro...it goes fast!... you have to be 14 to drive one.  We got a bigger car for him and he set to work stripping off stickers and sanding it.  It took longer than he expected and he never wants to do it again... but I think it was good for him:-)  The car wasn't painted and put back together in time for his birthday but he did get to drive it two weeks after that.  He has a lot to learn but is having a lot of fun!

Since he could not race the night of his birthday we let him choose the agenda.  We could watch the race, go to the church function or stay home.  He chose the church function and we all had a nice time.

~August Racing~

 We spent a lot of Saturdays at the track... my family loves it!

 Kiersten took her own bottle of Gatorade one week... she drank it all!

 The kids enjoyed a fun wing race one week

 I even got to drive Jordan's car after the racing was done one week!

 Jared had a week where he won in both classes!

 Jordan is getting anxious... the end of the month he gets to drive the 600 (a bigger car with a wing).

My girl makes friends where ever she goes.  She loves going to watch the boys race!

~Salads~

Well, I think I'm back online:-)

Every month I think I'll start blogging and every month life just kinda takes over!

Catching up from summer posts...

I had a play date at a friends house in August.  She made sandwhiches for the kids and told me to pick a salad out of her fridge.. pick a salad!?!?! ok.

Oh my!  I was totally delighted to open the fridge and see a dozen mason jars filled with all kinds of different salads.  She and her mom make 24 every week for 4 adults and do a wonderful job!

I decided to give it a try.  My first few weeks I put salad dressing in the bottom then veggies that won't mush next it was other veggies, cheese and I topped it with lettuce.  She put a little baggie with croutons or nuts in the top but I skipped that since I eat all my salads at home.  It was so fun opening up the fridge and pouring my salad onto my plate!

I tried the next few weeks to just do the salad and add the dressing later... since I'm always home anyway.
That worked wonderfully as well!

It is so nice to have them ready made.  I ate a lot more salad this way and only made one mess. It was fun filling my jars once a week too.  The only downside is that my fridge is always so full... It is hard to fit 6 mason jars in there!