What A Big Mess!

I dropped a hot, fresh from the oven pizza all over the floor!! It landed topping side down. No hope for cleaning it off and eating it anyway. It was splatted everywhere. 4yo asked if he could pick up the olives. I considered it, but decided the floor wasn't clean enough. We brought Joey in hoping he'd take care of the clean up for us. Apparently vegetable pizza isn't his favorite.

Baby Bath

Baby Z finally has a belly button! It's a handsome one too. So tonight I gave him a bath with me. It was a little harder to do by myself but we managed. Too bad Honey isn't here. I would've had him take bath pics.

We took an herbal tea bath that a friend made for me. He was so soft and fuzzy afterward. So clean and baby-smelling. I put him in nice clean pj's and he nursed and went right to sleep. Ooohhhh, I could do this baby thing forever......

God is good!

My kids go through a lot of paper...I mean a *lot*! They draw, color, cut, and everything else. I've never had to buy this paper. I've always prayed for it. Years ago our homeschool debate team gave me paper. There was so much of it that it lasted for years. Once I got it at Office Depot b/c it was a damaged box or something. When I ran out of that, my next door neighbor brought me some paper out of the blue saying that they bought too much for their printer.

The last time I was running low, I started praying for it again. When I went to the library for story time the librarian asked me if I could use some boxes of paper. It had the old library's address on it and they couldn't use it anymore. Perfect! Thank you Lord.

I don't need paper now but I do need boxes. We looked into buying boxes but found they are pretty expensive. I started calling around and every place I've called has been more than willing to give me whatever I need. Sometimes they even carry them out for me. Yesterday the doorbell rang and it was more boxes. A friend brought me some and delivered them right to my garage. It's been so easy.

I thought of this today as I'm praying over our housing situation. If my Lord is faithful to provide for me such little things as paper and boxes I can certainly trust him to provide for me the important things. As He says..."your Heavenly Father knows you need them..." And I read this morning..."The Lord is your confidence."

I'm looking forward to seeing what He has for us.

PS> Cheer up Honey! I love you.

A Big Bust

My little boy had a bad night. Actually any night can be a bad night for him when it involves bedtime. He doesn't like to go to bed but usually goes without complaining. After he's all tucked in then his party begins. He sings, he talks, he climbs in and out, he may kick his feet on the wall, or jump up and down.

That's just what happened tonight. He was supposed to be going to sleep. I was upstairs packing when I heard the cry. THE CRY. The one that makes you drop everything and run down the stairs while your heart is thumping in your chest. I find him on the bed with blood running down one side of his face. I took him to the bathroom to clean up and see just what it was.

It turned out to be not much of anything. I little cut on his eyebrow that happened to bleed quite a bit. I washed him up and let him see it in the mirror. As it turns out he was jumping on the bed and hit his face on the wood part. His bigger brothers were there to give me every detail!

I put him back to bed and haven't heard a peep out of any of the boys since then. Lesson learned I think.

Today

We got to talk to Honey on the web cam today. That was fun. It was especially fun to see him laugh. I miss him. We all miss him. Today he has his cell phone and work phone set up and also his email. So now we have a few more ways to chat.

He saw a house across from the school that had a big yard. He said the house didn't look so great, but the yard did so he was going to call on it. I know he is discouraged about the housing. I just know in my heart that God has just the right place for us and will show us when the time is right. I spoke to the kids today about it and about being content with whatever the Lord gives us even if its a lot different than what we have now. #1 heard a story on the radio this morning about a missionary couple that bought their first house for $40. It had a dirt floor, mud walls, and thatched roof. They were thrilled with their first house. It was all a lesson on contentment. It fit perfectly with what God had given me to share with them today. God is good.

This place is a mess. More like a disaster. The funny thing is that I got all but one thing crossed off my to-do list today. If you don't put much on it, you stand a good chance of getting it all done!! Why didn't I think of that before?

Baby Z has had a lot to say today, if you know what I mean. He just wanted to be held most of the day and have someone to tell his troubles to. He's such a funny baby. He loves to be held but does not have a very cuddly body. He wants his legs straight out when you hold him. He sleeps on his back with his legs out and arms up over his head. I'm going to have to wrap him differently b/c he won't froggy up his legs very well anymore.

Off to pack a little and call Honey.....

Today

God sure knew what he was doing when he created the family with 2 parents. It definitely takes 2!

~3yo woke up *screaming* around 2am b/c he wet the bed. I took off his bedding and moved him into 4yo's bed.

~I decided to take everyone to church. I'm trying to keep things as normal as possible. I planned it all out the night before. We would go to the 11am service to give Baby Girl time to take a short nap. I gave the older kids a talk about staying with their buddies. We had full diaper bags. We would sit in the back so as to be able to leave easily if need be. This was all a bad idea! I can not even go into all the reasons that this was a bad idea. It was a huge disaster. I look back now and laugh (sort of) but it wasn't funny this morning.

~I went grocery shopping. I could not think about what I needed. I forgot my list. I left the whole store with something like 12 items total! I came home and still didn't have anything for dinner.

~I got a few boxes and packed some things today.

~I visited with a neighbor and showed her my new sewing machine that my mom gave me. That was nice.

~I didn't cry at all today!!

~I miss Honey. I don't have anyone to spend date night with.

~Baby Z is sleeping in Honey's spot. He's such a love! I could hold him all day and do nothing else.

~My big kids are such a help. #1 is making muffins for breakfast in the morning. That will be a great time saver tomorrow. I hope I am expressing to them how much I appreciate them and what a huge blessing they are. Right now I just think I'm getting through the days. I think they are too. We are trying to find our new rhythm with all this new stuff going on.

~After a bad day with LB yesterday, she has been a sweet and good girl today. I think she was tired or something. She wasn't herself. Today is much better.

~Time to join Baby Z in the bed.

The New Man Of The House

With Honey gone, our oldest son is the man of the house. He is filling the role well.
He is my help. He is quick to serve and quick to obey. He is seeing what needs to be done and doing it. I do not need to speak twice to him. I am so proud of him. His daddy will be too. Today he bought everyone lunch and snow cones. Sweet boy of mine.

We met a new friend in the neighborhood today. Alex came to play with 4yo. Alex is 4 too. He is an only child and wanted to ride bikes with us. As soon as my son saw him on his bike, he rode up and announced, "my bike is faster than yours!"
Well, not the best way to make friends. Alex was not easily offended and stayed around. I had to visit with my son.

A New Sort Of Day

Honey left this morning for CO. LOTS of tears all around. He's there now at his cousin's to stay until we sell this house and find one of our own. His leaving sure made this whole thing seem more real to all of us. I am now more ready to leave than I was before so we can all be together again. I got a few boxes today and am working on cleaning out more junk. The more junk I clear out, the easier it will be to pack, right?

Lord, please sell our house soon.

So this was my first day alone with all 9 kids. I really missed Honey's help! Whoever said "oh, what's one more?" was obviously supermom! So much crying and crying today. Finally after tea I broke down and cried too! It's a good busy though, I'm just a little overwhelmed at the moment. Baby Z is a dream, such a good boy. We're so in love with him! I've had him in the crib while we're downstairs. Baby Girl doesn't even mind. She just peeks at him through the bars and tries to reach him. When I need to put her down, I just sit her in the corner of the crib, pick up Baby Z, and she lies down in the spot where he was. I guess he keeps it nice and warm for her.

The weather is beautiful and we've been going on walks. I put Baby Z in his wrap, Baby Girl in the stroller and the boys ride bikes. It's a great time of year! I love this new wrap. Baby Z does too. He likes his body close to me but will not let me tuck his head in until he goes to sleep. I guess he wants to see what's going on!

Our Texas Adventure

My mom and step dad were giving us this really nice bass/ski boat. Honey planned on driving to TX with a couple of kids to pick it up and come back the same day. I suggested that we *all* go. That made Honey happy as he was not looking forward to being away for an entire day on the last week at home.

We planned to leave around 8am. Baby Z had had a bad night the night before and I was moving very slow the next morning. We didn't get out until about 9am. We made good time and only had to stop once on the way. The babies were quiet and we got to Mom's in time for lunch.

We had a good visit, picked up the boat, and headed to Dad's (about 20 minutes away) for a quick visit before going home to AR. We petted goats, met the new dog, hugged Gram, and were on our way. We were looking to be at home around 10:30pm.

As we were going home Honey was telling me that Dad and Step Dad both were telling him about the dangers of such a fast boat. Dad suggested that we sell it instead b/c in his words "it's the same as a hot rod". This got him to thinking about safety issues beyond drowning. It brought to my mind a friend whose son was killed in a tubing accident. Now neither of us are real sure about this idea.

We're well on our way when we notice the boat shaking terribly in the back. In fact it's shaking the whole van! Honey and oldest son pull it over and change the tire. We make bathroom trips while we're stopped and continue on. Farther along the way and BAM! A blow out in the other tire! We look back to see sparks flying in all directions.

Well we just used the spare so our only option was to put the shakey tire on the other side. This is no good b/c we don't know how long this tire is going to hold out. About this time Mom calls to check on us. Perfect timing. We explain the situation to her and tell her that we're looking for a Walmart to see if they have this tire. It's too late for the tire/automotive stores. They're all closed.

We find the WM but they don't have tires. What to do? We don't want to try to make it home like this. It's still too far. Mom suggests that we take it to the police station to leave it for the night since there is no way to lock it up. We tried that but the police didn't think it such a good idea and made it clear that they would not watch it or be responsible for it.

The next idea is to try to head back to Mom's while Step Dad looked for another spare to meet us along the way. We're about an hour and 1/2 away. Step Dad borrowed the neighbor's spare and just as we met ...BAM!! The shakey tire blew out too! Good thing they were there.

By this time Baby Girl is starting to come apart. She's tired and sick of being in the car seat. We make it back to Mom and Step Dad's about midnight. We have no clothes, no toothbrushes, and we're out of diapers. Mom was the picture of hospitality. Who could possibly accommodate 11 people on the fly? She did. She had enough pillows and blankets and everything. Honey slept on the couch with kids all over the living room. #1, Baby Z, and I slept in the guest room.

Early the next morning, Step Dad goes out to get new tires while Mom goes out to get breakfast and diapers. Tires changed, diapers changed, breakfast done and we try this again.

Interestingly enough Honey and I pick up right where we left off on our conversation about the boat, safety, and selling. Just then Dad calls. I talk to him and told him we were entertaining the idea of selling. Turns out that HE wanted it! So we turn around and take it to his house. The crazy thing is that he paid us for it....it was HIS boat to start with!! Something about that just isn't right. And we sort of traded boats for his smaller boat...more our speed.

So, basically we delivered that boat from Mom's house to Dad's house! Thankfully all was uneventful on the way to AR and we actually made it home. It was a crazy adventure.

I Packed Away My Maternity Clothes!!

That feels good!

Update on Baby Z

What a love he is! He is so soft and sweet smelling. Today he is wearing his new spider man outfit. Yep, they even make those in the newborn size. His brothers were thrilled. I call him "Spidey Baby".

He's nursing well and sleeping well and is pretty quiet when he's awake. He's staying awake more during the day. Last night was his best night ever. He still got up every 2 hours but would go right back to sleep. It takes about 35 minutes to feed and diaper so we're not getting much sleep yet. It's ok though. We got a new bassinet that belonged to my niece. It has buttons that play music, vibrate, and turn the light on. I've found that if he's whining in his bed before the 2 hour mark I can hit the vibrate button and he's quiet. It's sort of like the snooze button on the alarm clock and will usually give me another 15 minutes!

Honey and I were looking at houses online last night and found one we want to look at! YAY! It's a start. He only has one more week at home. Please pray for a buyer!
I am excited to see what CO will be like. CCU sent us beautiful flowers for Baby Z's birth. They have been very sweet and welcoming even though we're not there yet. I think Honey is going to love it.

He's Here!!

He is one handsome little guy too! Weighing in at 8.5 and 21 1/2 inches he is our biggest so far. We are all quite smitten with him.
It's good to be home.

Somethings are not taught

Well, it's official. My son (#6 the 4yo) is about the sweetest kid ever. It really makes me stop and think about how one becomes a sweet (thoughtful) person. I know it's not something taught. If it were, they'd all be thoughtful. My wife is one of the most thoughtful and caring around. Not all my kids consider things to do to be thoughtful as the need arises. #6 does though.

My wife is currently enduring labor pains. She was having one while #6 was doing his usual. (His usual is sitting EXTREMELY close to you and talking as much as he can) I was nearby and started the timer. #6 was probably too close and Mommy, even as sweet as she is, when having labor pains is not always herself. So, I recommended that he just hold her hand and rub it. Well, it was time for breakfast and all the kids boogied up the stairs except #6. He asked his momma what she was going to do...if she's going to eat...cause he wasn't going to if she wasn't. Momma and I just smiled at each other and I coaxed him up the stairs when he looks at me and says, "daddy, call me when she is hurting again so I can come and rub her hand"...

What a good boy.

Today's the day!

I think. My contractions are getting closer and harder (about 5 minutes apart) but not the too-terribly-bad kind yet. Obviously, if I'm doing this!

Honey will be nice and rested since he fell asleep on the couch at 7:30 last night watching Sesame Street with the little boys. Imagine, falling asleep during Sesame Street.

I'm ready for a BABY!!

Surprise for #1

One of her friends called me last week to arrange a surprise shopping trip for #1. I didn't even tell her sisters b/c I didn't want there to be any chance of it leaking out. So yesterday I told her that she ought to fix her hair b/c we might have some time to go to Thrift Town and look around. She finished school early and was ready to go...she loves shopping. The doorbell rang and there stood her best friends ready to surprise her and take her away. This is the kid that is hardly ever surprised by anything. She was totally unsuspecting!! It was fun to see her so taken off guard and happy. I can't wait to see the pictures. She had a great time. I am thankful for her sweet friends to do a special day for her before we leave.

House hunting

It's horrible. Every house I look at is somebody else's. I can't imagine us in it. This is our house. Not one of those. Even though I know we have to sell, I will be mad at whoever buys my house.

I'm the Winner!!

We had this huge bank of change in the closet. It was very heavy and we decided it was time to cash it in. Honey called everyone together to look at the change and guess how much it would be. Whoever got the closest without going over would get to pick a place to take everyone for dessert after soccer games tonight. I WON!!
We all went to Braums.

Happy Birthday 3yo!!

My 2yo is a 3yo today! What a delightful cutie he is....

~He pedals his bike and likes to ride on the street with his big brothers.

~He doesn't like to stay on the part of the street that I tell him to.

~His vocabulary is really increasing. He says different and funny things all the time.

~He has a little bit of a sassy mouth.

~He's been known to be a little too rough with Joey.

~He's left footed and right handed.

~He likes to do school but hates to color. He can recognize numbers and a couple of little words.

~He pulls the petals off the flowers and tries to put them back.

~He has the cutest smile and laugh.

~He has MY hair color!!

~He has given up his glow worm but still sleeps with his red blankey.

~He's easily corrected and hates to be in trouble. However, if you don't catch him....it's ok with him.

He's been asking to fly his Spiderman kite so we're going to try to do that today. Hope the weather is good for it. Since Honey is off work now, it'll be a fun day for him.

Here are his b-day meals...
Breakfast--macaroni and cheese
Lunch --macaroni and cheese
Dinner-- macaroni and cheese

My oldest son talked him into donuts for breakfast instead. I steered him toward cinnamon rolls, hoping to make them this morning and eliminate some sugar/white flour. I get up this morning to find I'm out of some key ingredients! So I'll buy them as soon as CV's opens and balance it with lots of fruit instead. Having 4 (soon to be 5) b-days in 3 weeks can really put you into sugar overload!!

We're still working on him to come up with something different for dinner. Having one meal of mac and cheese is more than enough.

Mrs. Dunwoody

I got a fun book at the library this weekend. I wasn't looking for it, but stumbled across it while looking for something else. It's titled Mrs. Dunwoody's Excellent Instructions For Homekeeping by Miriam Lukken.

It's a collection of timeless wisdom and practical advice from women of old. It's funny and sweet. My oldest daughter and I have had fun reading over it. Mrs. Dunwoody has opinions on not only housekeeping, but also things like taking care of the sick, hospitality, and so forth. There's also some old fashioned homemade cleaners and remedies of all sorts.

I tried one of her tips today and it has worked great. My room seems to be the catch-all of the upstairs. So after cleaning my room, I sprayed a little air freshener, and *shut the door*. Keeping the door shut means that nobody goes in there to plop on my bed or put something in my room, or anything else to mess it up. Whenever I've gone in there today, the bed still has no wrinkles and I can still smell the air freshener. Good tip.

Before we started our chore time this morning, I read aloud what Mrs. Dunwoody says about daily cleanup. I think it made it a little more fun (and more efficient). Besides, it's always better when someone besides Mom tells you how to do it.

Here's what she says from page 11...

I suggest that after breakfast, you should begin with the daily cleanup. Take a twenty minute walk around the house with a basket hung on your arm and a dustcloth in your hand. The basket, of course, is to gather up the small items that are out of place, carrying them with you until you reach the place where they belong. This saves endless trips back and forth from one room to another. As you go, you will gather up the jacket or shawl that was left on a chair, and carry it over your arm until you reach the owner's bedroom. Start in the living room, and wind up in the bedrooms, opening windows as you go to fill the house with wonderfully refreshing air, and making the beds as you come to them. Now you have a house in perfect order, early in the day, and you can move on to the major task for the day--laundering, marketing, the thorough cleaning of a specific room, or whatever the day demands. When you have finished your primary duties of the day, it is so pleasant to know that the house is already in perfect order, and you need only attend to your own needs or those of your family.

What NOT to say...

to someone that's in the last week of her pregnancy.....

You haven't had that baby YET?

Walk.

Hum, my kids were all 3 weeks early.

Why are you so grouchy?

Cleaning Out

We haven't started packing yet but I'm in the cleaning out everything phase. It's both frustrating and refreshing. Frustrating b/c we have SO much junk! Where did all this stuff come from? Then, what do you do with it? Would someone else want it? Should we try to sell it? Or is it just trash? How 'bout a garage sale? I don't know.

But when I do actually get something done and see the end result, I'm so happy with it. It looks great. Why didn't I do that before and why did I let it get in such a mess to start with? I tell myself that I won't do this in my next house! I guess we'll see....

I've learned something valuable. I like the idea of tackling a whole room at a time. However, that is setting myself up for failure. I started with the school room b/c it's a big room with a lot of stuff to clean out. What happened was that I just pulled stuff out and made a big mess. Then I was stuck in the decision making process and found myself paralyzed with not knowing what to do next. Of course I was called away to something else then forgot all about what I was working on before. The next time I walked into the school room....there it was, a huge mess still waiting for me!!

No more of that. Now I just work on a little section or corner at one time. One shelf, one small closet, one cabinet, etc. Slowly it's getting done. Slowly I'm seeing results. I love the little area of orderliness that it is. Now the trick is to keep it that way!! (Haven't figured that one out yet.) Little by little I'm hoping it'll add up to a cleaned out, easy to pack up house.

Cute stuff today

I'm praying with 2yo before bed tonight and he asked:
"Can we pray for Elijah to come out so your tummy won't be big and I can sit on your lap?"

4yo asked Honey what "worm" started with. Honey answered "W".
4yo said "YES! You got it right!"

5yo piped in with "Yeah, W like in waccoon."

Honey brought home the stuff from his desk. In his bag was a can of that silly putty that makes farting noises when you push it. The boys went wild! There was so much laughing and fun with that stuff. Boys just automatically think anything that toots is hilarious.

Happy Birthday #3

Tomorrow we celebrate another birthday! My 10yo son will be 11!
I feel sorry for anyone who doesn't have a son exactly like this one. He is so wonderful and loving and .....everything good. (really.) I remember when I found out he was a boy, I wasn't sure what it would be like to have a son since I only had girls before. But, oh my(!), when he was born I was sooo crazy about him I just couldn't put him down!!

Here's some other things about him.

He's a very huggy touchy guy.

He's the best tortilla maker in the house.

He just came in 2nd place in the latest tournament.

He's a big buddy to 6yo and is very helpful to him.

He likes to retell a story lots of times.

He's great at his school work. Especially math. He would be every teacher's dream.

He's very friendly and smiley and hardly ever gets mad.

He's working on his muscles. Very convenient for me b/c I rely on him when Honey's gone.

His allergies are driving him crazy right now. Oh, I hope Colorado is better for him.

He's very obedient and eager to please.

He's disciplined and good at following through.

He LOVES his baby sister. Since he was a very little boy he's always loved baby girls. He was too little to remember LB as a baby but has always loved our friends' baby girls.

He plays hard with his brothers.

He gets up at 6:30 (most of the time) to wake up Dad for Bible study.

Here are his b-day meals:
Breakfast : donuts
Lunch: mac and cheese then off for snow cones
Dinner: chicken alfredo, stuffed mushrooms, brownies

Happy Birthday #3 I love you!!

Know what we had for dinner tonight? Cereal and bananas. My dinner plans fell through. They weren't that great anyway. It worked. Everyone was happy.

We're working on sprucing up the house and decluttering. Whenever we replace something that looks nice I think "Why didn't we do this 5 years ago?" We're showing it on Thursday.

I'm almost done with the clothes exchange. We only have shoes left and making another trip up to the attic. I hope I don't have to redo it when we get to CO!!

A Timely Word

Last night at the high school fellowship the message was so timely. One thing he said was "Every day is another opportunity to grow in Christ".

Today someone said something thoughtless that hurt my feelings. It stuck with me for awhile and I just couldn't get it out of my head. Well one thought led to another until I was thinking just how irritated I was with this guy.

"Every day is another opportunity to grow in Christ". It came back to me. The choice was before me. I could continue to be held captive by these thoughts or cover it with love and forgive. I asked for God's grace to love and forgive.

You just never know how the Lord will use a word to help you along. This one sentence was just what He knew I would need today.

8 more days to go!

Hurry up Baby!!

Joel 2:11

"The Lord thunders at the head of his army, his forces are beyond number, and mighty are those who obey his command." Joel 2:11

Remember how the wars of old were fought with the king leading the forces on his horse and everyone behind him? That's how it is in the books anyway. Now we protect our president at all costs and he never sees the battle field. He gives his orders from afar and the troops are sent. If I were a soldier I would trust the king of old more than the president of today. I would like the idea of knowing that I'm not just sent to do his bidding, but that he himself is leading the way and knows the costs involved.

And so I like the way the Lord does it. How He goes before us leading and preparing the way. This verse sounds so powerful and aggressive. Forces beyond measure, just like the stars. "and mighty are those who obey his command" Mightier than the enemy, mighty in the strength given by the Lord.

This is our new memory/dictation verse. I think my boys will especially enjoy it.

For the past 2 days I have struggled with being grouchy and mad. Oh, I could give lots of excuses and each one sounds good...to me anyway. But, in my heart, I know that even if I can justify it my reaction does not please God.

I try to still be nice. And just when I think I'm succeeding, someone goes "What's wrong Mom?" WHAT? How do they know that something is wrong? It's usually #1. Nothing gets past her. I bark out some lame answer and go on. I'm still not sure why she would suspect anything b/c I'm being so nice. That makes me madder.

Then Honey has the nerve to notice! Humph. Apparently I'm not a very good actress. Doesn't he see that I'm being nice?

When I think back on it I'm glad they notice. I'm glad they care. I'm glad that Honey knows what I'm thinking w/o my saying it. What a neat thing a close family is. It's good to have all these eyes on me to keep me accountable. I'm glad they know my moods and quirks and countenances and I can know theirs.

It's hard to be mad long when I have smiling daughters and funny boys. And when the smiling and the funny outnumbers the grouchy and mad it's a VERY good balance. Today is so much better.

Fowls

Turkeys/chickens with bones are a mess. They always seems like a good idea at the time b/c of the price. Later on I always regret it. Yuck.

To Colorado for....."soccer!"???

It's funny how a rumor starts or the buzz of information spreads. So many times I have been on the rumor side or the buzz side spreading what information I thought I knew. Now, I am on the other end. It's really kind of funny to hear these things and tie them back to particular conversations or people that may have been privy to such things. I feel kind of like a detective tracking down where the informant is!!!

It's really funny to think that we would be moving for soccer. Not that we wouldn't but I think someone missed the point at one time. Let me see if I can help those that may have a hard time reconciling a move for soccer to understand some of our logic.

1. Soccer was the originator of the thought process and the beginning of our prayer about the move.
- Frankly, we have a lot to consider with soon to be 9 kids and higher education. We had been hoping that our kids would develop some skill, do well in homeschool, get a scholarship...badda bing, badda boom...college grad. Sounds simple enough, right? Then we thought about what our kids may have talent in. Boys - soccer, Girls - piano, dance ... That started us thinking about their options with those talents. How many schools in the area offer soccer scholarships for boys? Conway just ousted their program. UAFS might have one next year. Hendrix....Hum, that's about it.

2. What will our children do after they graduate?
- This is the big one...one of the pipe dreams that I (the dad, often referred to as Honey) have is to be an integral part of our kids lives as they become adults, have kids, and have their own lives. I am not one of those kind of parents that are waiting for them to get out of the house so I can get on with my life. I consider them a blessing that I want to help grow in the Lord and share what slight wisdom I have. Anyway, I was watching the news after the highschool football season ended. There was a young man on tv that was being interviewed. Hey, I knew this boys father! How proud he must be!! Then this young man said these words, "I can't wait to get out of Fort Smith and do something with my life". Now, I am not one that will tend to follow the beating of a single drummer unless I have been convicted of it myself. My current employer is the kind that, every year for Christmas, would give many folks the opportunity to work elsewhere. They also have been on the auction block, considering moves, laying people off arbitrarily, etc. This kind of environment really causes one to think of what they would do next. As I looked around for myself I came to a realization that, while there are jobs here, there isn't much variety, stability, or growth for the future.

Now back to what this has to do with my kids. Do you recall my pipe dream that I wrote about earlier? Well, that dream and Fort Smith don't really mix. And, yes, I know that no matter where I go my kids can and probably will move off. I just don't want it to be because I choose to live in a place where lack of opportunity is the reason.

There are other various advantages...a couple of our boys have bad seasonal allergies. Our hopes is that Colorado might not be as bad. The kids love the snow. The humidity isn't as bad there...etc., etc.

Primarily, it appears that through prayer my wife and I are aligned in this. Through prayer, the job availed itself and the interview timing. Through prayer we are asking for God's help with this.

So, I guess you can say it's because of soccer...but hopefully this helps folks understand our reasoning to some degree.

Big News!

We're moving to Colorado!! Honey just got a job at CO Christian University.

We've been looking for about 6 months or so. He's interviewed with CCU 4 different times over the last several weeks. His last interview lasted 5 1/2 hours! So they extended an offer on Monday and he has accepted. His first day to start will be April 30. That will give us time to get this baby here and work on some things on this end. The house goes on the market today.

He is excited about working at CCU. In all his interviewing they didn't ask him much about his technical skills. They were far more interested in how he came to know the Lord, how he spends his time, his family, his character. Quite a change from what he is used to now.

This is a huge step. Moving with 9 kids and having a toddler and newborn is going to be a bit of a challenge!! My mom has offered to help us pack and that will help. CCU is paying for the move and that is a big help too.

While we're looking forward to the new opportunities in CO, we are very sad to leave AR. This has been our home for 11 years and we have some sweet friends. That's the hardest part. There have already been A LOT of tears. I know there will be more. I'm also not looking forward to leaving our house. I love this house. I've painted my little one's hands and feet prints on the basement wall. I can't take that with me and I know that someone will paint right over it. I really thought we'd be here forever.

Well that's the story. I have much to do between now and then. I'm looking forward to most of this challenge. I'm trying to do a lot between now and next Sunday (Baby boy's due date). I want to be able to enjoy my tiny baby without thinking of cleaning out cabinets. I'm thankful for my big workforce too. I know that they will be a tremendous help!!

Please pray for the Lord to send us a buyer for our house and to go before us to show us the next one that He has for us.

Posted by Jeremiah 29:11 at 9:03 AM 0 comments

Friday

I love the feel of Friday. That feeling of the week being done and the weekend ahead. There's such freedom in the weekend without doing school. I usually have lunch with Honey on Fridays and I like Friday pizza night. We'll vacuum the house, pick it up and light candles. We'll watch Funniest Home Videos with the kids then they'll scatter to whichever beds or places they pick.

I have gone back to a cash budget. I like it ok. I should say that I like the freedom than comes with knowing exactly how much money I have left. As I was shopping this week I saw that whole turkeys were on sale for $.38lb. Now I am definitely NOT a fan of birds that still have their bones, but I thought the price was too good to pass up. Besides, Honey will be home to help me with it this weekend. If I had more freezer space I'd get another one. So we'll eat turkey all weekend and I'll freeze the leftovers to use in chicken dishes later.

The downside of a cash budget is that when you're out of money, you're out of money. I experienced that in the clothes category this month b/c we needed some of those 'personal basics'. That happens.

My big plans this weekend include getting baby clothes out and ready. I'm not ready to do the big clothes exchange yet but new baby clothes and Baby Girl's clothes will be pretty easy. The kids can help me. I don't remember what kind of baby boy clothes I have so it'll be sort of new to me. It's sweet to hear the kids ooohh and awww over teeny tiny baby clothes.

Baby Girl is officially walking!! Very shaky and unstable but doing better every day. She loves the praise we sing when she makes it across the whole room. She still prefers to be carried though.

My downstairs smells weird. I'm not sure what is up with that. I'm thinking of shampooing the carpet but I'm a little reluctant since it still hasn't rained much. I certainly don't want to redo it if it leaks again.

Time to get on with the day....

Time

How can it be Thursday already? It was just Monday! I feel like my life is flying by and I'm on roller skates. Perhaps it wouldn't be such a big deal if I could just remember it all. But I can't. I was going to write something in my prayer journal before bed last night when I re-read what I had written that morning. I couldn't even remember writing that and it was just from that morning! It could've easily been last month and I wouldn't have known the difference. That's a good lesson that I need to write more, it's my only record of what has happened. I hate that I can't remember these times b/c I can't imagine any time of my life would be better than this.

So I must ask myself if I am redeeming the time in a way that pleases God. I think of Moses and how his parents used those very early years so effectively to prepare him for a lifetime in the palace. Would my little boys be so well equipped? I don't think so. Seems like I spend most of my time just correcting and cleaning up.

And though it *seems* like I spend time in the Word with them, is it enough? Or am I concentrating more on the fleeting things of the moment? Do they see me relying on the Lord or managing in my own strength? With my older ones I worry if they will do well in school, are responsible enough to hold a job, or have manners that won't embarrass me. In light of eternity that is so trivial. Since time seems to be escaping me so quickly, I surely need to aim higher than this!

I've been praying and asking the Lord what else I need to do to redeem this short time that I have them. I need to teach them His Word, teach them to love Him and love others. The other things will come in time.

I want to be better at capturing the teachable moments of the day. Most of the time, I'm just not very creative. For the life of me I can not think of a Bible lesson that goes along with teaching my 4yo not to lick every fork before he puts it in the silverware drawer. But since Scripture is useful for ALL things, I know it's in there too. Just can't remember where it is!

Everyone is still asleep and the day hasn't officially started for them. I have a few short hours to make this Thursday one that will count. Lord, please show me Your way.

New Clothes!

Oh I like these sort of things...

I drop off 4 boys and 2 girls at soccer practice. That means I only have LB and Baby Girl. On the way home, we stop in at Thrift Town. Nothing for LB this time, but I got the new baby an outfit for $1.25 plus Baby Girl's Easter dress for $1.25. I love a bargain! I got 2 other outfits plus 3 little gifts for later. The total?>>>$5.25!!

Good news from Dr. Bell's office! 20% effaced and dilated to 1 1/2! Oh yeah! Maybe a March baby.....

Happy Birthday 6yo!

I'm a little late with this one. His birthday was Saturday but it's been kind of hard around here with sickness. So glad everyone was here for his big day. We didn't do anything big...just stayed home and enjoyed being together again. Honey was very sick the whole day.

This little guy is so special I just can't say enough about him. He was our miracle baby, our first born after a vasectomy reversal. We didn't know if we'd ever get any more sweet babies, and he was conceived right away! What a blessing. His pregnancy was the easiest one I ever had and I gained the least amount of weight. There are 3 1/2 years between him and LB and that is the biggest gap we have. Here's some sweet facts about our six year old...

A short time ago he prayed to receive Jesus as his Savior!! What could ever be better than that?

Every night he asks me to come and pray with him.

He tries very hard to obey. He is a pleaser and doesn't want anyone to be upset with him.

He's a great big brother and is good at encouraging the little ones at whatever they're doing.

Bedtime is always a huge disappointment.

He's learning to read and do simple math. He said that he wants to read so he can help me with the grocery list.

He loves story time at the library.

Spy vs Spy is his favorite game.

He follows in his big brother's footsteps and likes to work out with him, do soccer drills, sword fight, ....anything.

He can do lots of push ups and sit ups (the right way).

He is a soccer stud. Definitely an attacker.

His smile is gorgeous!

He loves drawing, cutting, gluing, anything crafty.

His b-day meals were:
cinnamon rolls
mac and cheese with punch
pizza
chocolate cupcakes with chocolate oreo ice cream

I think this year will be lots of fun for him. I anticipate some new things, like loose teeth and learning to tie his shoe. He might even get to play some traveling tournaments!

Happy Birthday Sweetie Pie!! I love you!!

SICK!

AUGH, I'm so tired of this sickness! Honey came home and was sick most of the weekend. It's not so easy to be sick around here with so much commotion going on. I've tried to keep everyone quiet. He's feeling better today. I'm praying we're finished with this!

The house is a wreck from vacation. Time to work! I sure hope no one else wakes up sick. I've cancelled just about everything on the calendar this week. We need some time to regroup and get better.

They're HOME!!

YIPPEE!! They got in last night around 7:30. Just in time to see all the little ones before bedtime. It's so good to be back together again.

I'm trying to talk Honey into blogging part of the trip. It's hilarious.

But today.....he's sick. He woke up this morning with the stomach bug that the girls had. We're just thanking the Lord for sparing him until now. I'm so happy that it wasn't in CO or as he was driving home. It's so much better to be sick at home.

Vacation Day #4

Almost there.

I read in a magazine recently that one of the marvels of motherhood is that the years fly by but the days drag on. That was true of today. I don't know why but we all just had a attitude of discontentment today.

One of my older son's friends came over to play with the little boys. I don't know what we would've done without him. The boys loved the company and the big boy play. He showed them how to make big bionicle spider robot guys and take the light saber to the next level. 5yo especially enjoyed him so much.

We colored eggs. They are very pretty. We forgot about one of them and didn't take it out until we were cleaning up. It's very very purple and pretty. That one is my favorite.

We played with playdoh, rode bikes, and I made some cookie dough for tomorrow.
It seems like we've been busy so I don't know where the boredom/discontentment is coming from.

In any case, tomorrow is the day!! They're leaving early in the morning and will get home late. 1 more sleep.

As I was doing baths tonight and getting Baby Girl out of the tub I remembered when my 15yo was the baby girl. She had the same dark hair and eyes. She also liked baths. It certainly doesn't seem like it's been that long. I miss her! It's true, the years do fly by.

2yo is almost 3

My 2yo is acting very much like a 3yo if you know what I mean. I've been all over this kid all day long. As soon as we finish with one problem, he starts another. Finally out of desperation/frustration I put him down for a nap. Honey, hurry home! This little guy needs some work!

We had this conversation today:
2yo said something disrespectful.

Mom: If you don't stop talking like that, you're going to find yourself in a lot of trouble. Your mouth is very sassy and you're becoming a smarty pants.

2yo points to his sweat pants: Yeah, like *these* pants!!

Big giggle from him as I roll my eyes.

Live from Colorado, Pt 2

It was #2's birthday yesterday. It was also my cousin's daughters birthday. I don't know what the official term for offspring of a 1st cousin is. Maybe second cousin?? I don't know but that's not what I am typing about. Basically, my aunt and uncle threw a little bday celebration for my cousin's daughter AND #2. They are so thoughtful. My cousin even pulls out this nice box and gives it to my daughter. It was so generous of him. He got her a backpack from the Adidas store with a couple of T-shirts in there. He was telling me how he would walk around the store earlier in the day asking her if she liked this or that...making mental note. Thing is, he was extremely thoughtful. Ask me what I got his daughter that just turned 5? Nada... It's not that I didn't get her anything that bothers me. It's the fact that I didn't even THINK about it. Had I thought about it, I would have. But, alas, I am reminded again of my serious imperfections! Lord, have mercy on me.

I have updated the photos with #1 and #2 skiing and pictures of my cousins cute kids...it's on the same link listed in the post from a day ago.... (down below)...

Vacation Day #3

There is so much more free time when there is no big school. The boys are just content to lounge around in my bed in the morning without a thought for anything else. It isn't until the evening time when they start to get antsy. But that's ok too. By then it's dinner, bike riding, bath, and bed. It's all been good.

Today we did the laundry and hung around the house until about 4:45. Then we headed to church for dinner. That will be the last time we get out I think. It's kinda hard.

I've been making homemade yogurt. It's so easy, I wish I had done it long ago. Now I have cinnamon raisin bread working in the bread machine to go with the yogurt and pears in the morning.

Good news/bad news: Baby Girl has been taking lots of steps today. I'm ready for her to walk BUT I'd rather her wait a couple of days so everyone else can enjoy it too. The funny thing is that the dog is teaching her to walk. He's just lying on the floor minding his own business when she gets up *walks* over to him and pounces on him in his sleep. She climbs all over him then crawls away for a little while just to notice him again and do the same thing. Now and then he would get tired of her and get up and move. That only gave her another excuse to get up and walk over there! Poor Joe.

The 2 big girls finally got to ski!! Yipee! LB was still sick and had to go back to bed this morning. This has been a nasty bug. Honey just called to say that she's feeling a little better this evening. I'm so glad. I'm sorry that she has to miss the skiing for this trip but he says that she is smiling and happy anyway. She's a good girl.

2 more sleeps!!!

Happy Birthday

HAPPY BIRTHDAY #2!! I love you and miss you. I've been praying that you get to ski today!!

Love,
Mom

To #2 from little brother #6
Hi, I hope you get a red present. Happy Birthday

From little brother #7
Happy Birthday.

From little brother #5
Happy birthday. I'm so happy that its your birthday.

Live from Colorado....

Here are the photos from skiing yesterday with No 3 and nephews: http://thetaggs.smugmug.com/gallery/2580455#135949186

note that there is the picture of a tan Lincoln Navigator. That is where the 2 sick girls spent the 4 hours while the boys were skiing due to being ill. :-(

Vacation Day #2

All 3 girls have thrown up today. None of them got to ski. #1 threw up before they left for the ski place so she stayed home (at the aunt's house that is). Our other 2 girls threw up along the way. Honey was the only adult with our son, his nephews, and our sick girls. This was a very bad idea. HELLO!? Why didn't we see this coming? He is being a good sport about it though. He didn't want to go in the first place and I'm glad for his good attitude. I'm trying to follow his example. The older girls are feeling better and just might get to ski tomorrow. It's not looking good for LB. She feels awful. I wish she were home.

On the home front things are good. The boys asked how many sleeps until everyone comes home. They miss them. 5yo thought he heard the garage door open and sent his brother to see if Daddy came home early. He is feeling so much better today and has been playing and smiling. He also got to talk to Daddy on the phone. It's good to have him back.

We went to the park with friends today. It was a good time. My friend also loaned me a book. Now I have something to fill up the evening. Thank you!

We rode bikes this afternoon. Then the boys unloaded the dishwasher for me and did their best to clean up the kitchen. They've been so good and helpful. Tomorrow we'll tackle the laundry.

I let Baby Girl practice climbing up and down the stairs today. She's not walking yet and is quite heavy to haul. I didn't realize how much the other kids carried her around. She took a few tumbles but enjoyed the new freedom.

Please pray that Honey doesn't get sick. He needs to drive home!!

1 Peter 5:8

1 Peter 5:8 "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour."

I do not think that this verse is to be taken lightly. The devil is a serious enemy and we must do all we can to be alert for ourselves and our children. Especially for our children as they are too weak and young to be alert for themselves. The call is a serious one.

I often find that I am not as alert as I should be with my children and find myself in a trap before I realize it. Too often it's b/c I don't want to hurt someone's feelings by rejection. That has to stop. The prize is too valuable to worry about something as trivial as feelings. Sometimes its b/c he is disguised in sheep's clothing and I am fooled b/c I trusted too much. What better way than to attack through a weak minded person that you think you can trust? Again, not alert enough. Again, putting my precious offspring at risk.

Honey described it this way....it is as though you've been given a rare and precious egg. The last one. It is your job to protect it. But people are running all around, stomping, and paying no attention.

Lord, please help me to be more alert and less concerned about being uncomfortable asking someone to step away from my eggs.

Vacation day #1

5yo and I got up to see everyone off this morning. I put him back to bed and all the little ones slept until 8am! Nice. We had a leisurely morning.

I did the Resurrection Eggs with them at school time. They loved those. I plan to do them everyday this week. It was almost time for lunch so I gave them a coloring sheet and set the timer for them to color for 15 min while I made lunch. With 1 min left to go 4yo is fighting with 2yo and crying a fit. 2yo colored on his paper and neither of them want to color anymore. I spanked both of them and gave them speeches about stealing and forgiving. I set the timer for 5 more minutes and told them they need to practice coloring *happily*.

I could tell that 5yo still wasn't feeling so hot. He was droopy and hadn't smiled all day. After lunch I put him and Baby Girl down for naps. He didn't like that idea. I told him to lie in his bed and rest and I would check on him in 45 min. If he was resting but awake I would let him get up. He was asleep in 5 min and slept 2 hours. It was obvious that both the little boys missed him today. He just wasn't himself and didn't play much.

I put the other 2 boys outside and left both downstairs doors open since the weather was sooo beautiful. They must have come in 25 times to tell me this or that, show me the snail, or ask for something else. Meanwhile I worked in the school room reorganizing it and listening to their chatter. Boys are BIG fun!

I took out 2 big trash bags of trash from the school room and you can't even tell. In fact it looks worse than before b/c I stirred up a bigger mess! I do this every spring. It's good to be in there again.

When the nappers awoke we all went out to the front yard to ride bikes in the street. We put Baby Girl in the stroller and took her and Joey for a little walk.

Back inside for dinner, baths, and a Scooby Doo. 4yo feel asleep on my bed.

Now everyone is in bed. 4 more vacation days left. I think Joey and I are going to watch a movie and make some juice.

Sick kids

What a weekend! Baby Girl started out with a fever and didn't do anything but cuddle and sleep and drink juice all day Saturday.

Later in the day #1 said that she felt sick. I sent her to bed. She threw up all night...ALL night long. She had some stomach bug with all the unpleasantness that went along with it. She finally stopped throwing up by Sunday morning and slept the entire day. She woke up at 7:30 Sunday night and thought it was morning.

I left #2 in charge during nap time yesterday to go to #3's championship game. She called me around 1/2 time to say that 5yo just threw up in the sink. sigh....
Well, she did a fantastic job. She got him set up on the couch with a movie, a bucket (just in case), and a big sports bottle of juice. She cleaned up the mess and washed up before she even called. She handled it like a seasoned pro. By the time I got home, he had thrown up 3 more times. BUT, every time he made it. He never missed.

When I got home I moved him to the floor in his room to sleep. He threw up in his sleep. I changed his bedding and he went back to sleep. Later in the night we moved him upstairs to the couch so we could hear him better. He fell off 2ice and never even knew. This morning he is better, but tired and weak. So is #1.

The worst part is that all the big kids left for a ski trip this morning. Since everyone seemed "stable" this morning we decided to risk it. I'm so glad that #1 packed ahead of time. We are praying for everyone else in the car. Being stuck in the car throwing up for 13 hours would be terrible. Meanwhile I'm at home with little ones hoping and praying that none of us get it!

Bad soccer weekend too. Sloppy play, lots of bad calls, injuries. In spite of it all we went undefeated to the championship and then lost 2-1. Disappointing. We should've won the whole thing. In any case, I had a great time watching my son. I'm sunburned.

So now, I'm sort of on vacation. That means no big school. Just preschool, which is fun. I've spent all week thinking of things for us to do. I want to make this a fun vacation for my little guys and keep them busy enough to not miss everyone so much.

The test

It's raining today! That means that we can see if what we did to fix the leak worked. So far it hasn't rained much. I hope it rains huge so we can really tell. So far we're dry. Yea!!

Happy Birthday #2 (sort of)

Well her b-day isn't exactly tomorrow. Her real b-day is next Wed but she'll be on a ski trip in CO so we're celebrating all together tomorrow. Today I took her brother and sister shopping. It was fun to shop with them b/c they get so excited about what to get her. Tomorrow promises to be a fun day.

Her meals are:
Breakfast: cinnamon toast coffee cake, deviled eggs, and strawberry juice
Lunch: Quiznos with Mom and Dad
Dinner: chicken spaghetti
Dessert: homemade oreo ice cream with extra oreos on the side (this kid has good taste!)

After dinner she wants to play Bump. It's a fun board/marble/card game.

Anyway, here are some things about #2...

I've seen the greatest maturity in her in the area of school work this year. Her spelling is improving! She is faster with her math and makes fewer careless mistakes. I've been able to add computer work to her schedule.
She is also less likely to cry over school work when she's had a bad day.

She just got another 'superior' at the piano festival. Only 1 more until she gets a gold cup!

This year she has gotten both contacts AND braces. Needless to say, her pictures look a lot different than this time last year. She has been very responsible taking care of both.

She's been able to babysit at home a little bit for short periods of time. She's done great every time.

She learned to crochet. She's made some cute things.

She loves to play hard but is learning to carry herself like a lady.

She doesn't like anyone to have to wait for her.

She is VERY dependable. I can count on her to do a job right.

Her heart is the Lord's. She is very compassionate toward others and takes praying for needs very seriously.

She loves animals and they love her.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEETHEART!

This morning

As the Scripture states: "you don't know what a day may bring forth".
This day has brought about trouble.

I got in a big fight with Honey this morning before he left for work.
Meanwhile the girls were fighting in their room, which made breakfast late since #1 is in charge of that. It also meant some extra time to untangle the mess and hopefully set things right.
Baby Girl is protesting her nap in a loud way. I *need* her to take a nap now b/c we're supposed to have lunch with Honey. If she doesn't take a nap, she won't make it that long.
#3 and I just got into an "issue" that left me thinking that we all need to go back to bed and start over! GRRRRR..... NOT a good start!

New jeans (again)

Since my last new pants didn't work out, I bought some new ones last night. I was wiser this time. In the dressing room I tried them on and bent over in all directions possible. NO BREEZE!! They are also the gigantic size so I guess these are keepers.

Here's a tip. If you decide to try pants on this way and you are as big around as I am, it is best to pick the biggest dressing room they have. Otherwise you're in great danger of bending over and busting through the door!! Why do they make those rooms so small anyway?

Children of the King

The Lord has given me a new word to use. It is Prince/Princess. If we are children of the King that would make us His prince or princess and in all ways we should act as such. I've been using this with my children as well as evaluating my own actions.

My 4yo is a very messy eater. I know he's only 4, but I do think he could do better. So I ask him, "Does a prince eat like this, or do you think he would be more careful at the table?" He always asks the same thing..."Is a prince a boy?" LOL. Well, he needs some more work.

I think of this as I get dressed. I hate dressing up and if I'm not going anywhere, I've been known to stay in my pjs all day. I've been trying to do better and to look decent whether I'm going anywhere or not. I have a husband that does not care at all how I dress and it would never bother him in the least if I wore the worst clothes in the house every day. However, I think....does the way I dress honor my King, or does it portray a spirit of laziness and thoughtlessness? Would a princess dress in this shirt that has paint all over it for 2 days in a row? I'm not saying that we should dress in our finest as we're scrubbing toilets and cleaning up milk but that, for me, I have to be careful to consider my thoughts behind my dress to evaluate whether it is honoring or lazy. I have a daughter that follows in my footsteps in this area so we're learning this together.

Ok, so a princess would not scrub the potty. BUT, a servant does. And there is no better title than to be a servant of the Lord. What a unique privilege to consider myself as both! I guess it's a balance that is hard to describe.

Today is potty scrubbing day AND it's time to get dressed. Wonder what I'll wear?

A Surprise!

My grandmother has a thing for purses. She loves them. She buys new ones all the time and every time I see her she's carrying a different one that I haven't seen. Every time she buys a new one she says the same thing, "I really like this one. I'm going to carry it for a year." Never happens. She always finds a new favorite. Whenever we shop, we always have to stop by the purses.

Several years ago we were shopping together and she bought us matching purses. Of course she didn't carry hers long but I carried mine for over a year. The strap broke and I took it to the cleaners to have it fixed. I carried it for a good long time after that.

Grandmother was visiting this week and we were discussing her new purse. She was telling me about all the purses that are piling up in her closet. She intended to take them to the seniors' center but once she started going through them, decided that she couldn't part with them! They were all her favorites! So funny.

Anyway, Grandmother told me of one in particular that she thought I would like and said that when she got home she would mail it to me. She didn't forget. It came in the mail today. Oh was she right! I do like this purse very much. It is so soft and is also REAL leather! It has that great leather smell. Ummmmm..... Most of my purses have come from Walmart so I feel rich carrying a purse that cost more than $9.99.

Inside the purse were lots of her watches and bracelets. LB loved that. It was fun for her to have that surprise b/c she was the oldest at home today. She gave one of the watches to her little brother since it was blue. He's never had a watch before, so he got a surprise too.

A Long Night and a Good Day

For the first time in a long time I slept through the night!! I woke up at 5:30 and felt like a new person. Ahhhhh......Thank you Lord!!

It was a good thing b/c I had much to do this morning since some of my family would be gone. I made a loaf of bread, granola bars, and cereal all before anyone even woke up. I also made their lunches to take with them. That felt so good!!

After they left, I started feeling like I needed a nap. But since I still have 5 kids and it was only 9am, that wasn't really an option. I decided to put Baby Girl down for a short nap and clean my room really nice. I watched a Rachel Ray while I worked. I wanted inspiration for tonight's dinner but what she made looked yucky.

Her nap didn't last long. I bundled up the boys and sent them outside. That didn't last long either. They were cold. While they were outside, I got LB started on cutting the squares for the quilt she's making. When the boys came in, the whole atmosphere of the house changed. Baby Girl was eating the dirt from our seedlings while the boys were cooking with the play food and making Super Shaggy sandwiches. I think she got used to the quiet even though it was less than 30 minutes. She said,"I thought this was going to be a quiet thing." Nope.

Lunch was left over soup and left over homemade ice cream (I got a new ice cream maker!).

#3 just called to say they won their first game! Yea!! He scored 2 goals. The next one is at 3pm. No pictures of this game. Honey said it was too cold. They are in NW AR so its colder there than here.

I read books to the little ones while LB cleaned up the kitchen. Now Baby Girl is down for a nap, the little boys are playing in quiet time, LB is working on her quilt, and I'm about to plug in my MP3 and work on dinner for tonight. It's been a good day.

Folding Clothes

I found a new way to pray for my family. Since I revamped our chore schedule, most of the folding now falls to me. As I fold someone's clothes, I pray for them. I folded 4 or 5 loads of clothes today and got in quite a lot of prayer time. I prayed for everything from character qualities and Scripture to potty training and fit throwing. Since it only takes a few seconds to fold any particular item, I got to pray for a lot of different things for everybody in a short amount of time. It sure made the task go by faster.

Aren't boys so cute? I had mine in my room with me while I'm cleaning up today. They are dressed in their super suits....that is feety pajamas with a belt around the middle and a sword stuck through it. They aren't much help with the cleaning. They are playing football with my slippers and shooting each other across the room with my hair scrunchies. When I pulled out my pants, my 4yo exclaimed "Whoa! Those are BIG!" Hum, I'm not sure if his wife will appreciate that one someday.

A friend of mine e-mailed the arrival of her newborn nephew today along with a precious picture. I wish it were me.

I found another pair of gigantic pants in the back of the closet today that fit!

I'm off to sit outside with little boys. The sun is so sunny!