Shark Bites, Bear Attacks and Children Under Five

{this moment}

2011-08-19T08:56:00.002-05:00

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Visit Soule Mama for more {this moment}s or to share your own.

Zoe's Room

2011-07-25T15:40:00.004-05:00

...and a couple cute pictures of our baby.

These pictures are the other project I mentioned I was working in the last post. These bird pictures completed the wall space in Zoe's bird themed room. They were super easy and also very cheap to make. I think the cost under $10 for both of them, maybe even closer to five. I bought the canvases when they were half off at Hobby Lobby. That made them $4 for both of them. Here is the link where I got the idea and the directions. I do have to say that my new favorite thing to craft with is Mod Podge.

I'm not sure I have posted photos of her room before, so I thought I would post the other walls too. I've not been into themes with the other kids, so it has been really fun to do it for Zoe. The other kids even comment on how Zoe's room has birds all over it. Next on my list to get for her room are a vintage bird cage and a bird house or two.

Homemade Skirts for the Girls

2011-07-06T16:17:00.003-05:00

I haven't been around the blog much at all lately. With all of the kids home for the summer, it seems that the time is just flying and I can't find a minute to sit down and much less to sit, think, and write. I've pretty much resigned myself to the fact that I will get back to writing and blogging once school starts again.

For now though, I had a few hours available last week and I found this super easy pattern for skirts. So, I thought I would try my hand at making skirts for the girls. I am not that great of a sewer yet, but this pattern was so easy and it explained things really well, although I did have to ask a few instruction questions to engineer daddy. I seriously made two skirts in a couple of hours and they cost about $5 for both of them. I found this lovely fabric at Hobby Lobby. They have some gorgeous fabric right now. I think I will be going back and getting more fabric for skirts for school.

I thought I would share a few of the things I am working on right now. I am also working on a project for Zoe's room and I will post pictures when it is done too.

Mid-May Daybook

2011-05-17T08:09:00.005-05:00

Outside My Window... the sun is shining beautifully, another gorgeous day. We're looking forward to enjoying it.

I'm Listening to... Diego and the chatter of my youngest three as they eat breakfast.

I'm Wearing... pink dingy t-shirt, yoga pants and my hair is pulled back into a pony tail (it is finally long enough and I sport this do often).

I'm Grateful for... the sunshine after a rainy weekend and our small group friends.

I'm Pondering...

"I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken."

--Psalm 16:8

Just this verse may have to be another blog post.

I'm Reading...

Don't Make Me Count to Three by Ginger Plowman (so good, I highly recommend it. Its one of the best parenting books I have read.)

The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns (I'm rereading this one with a group of friends. We are doing a book club on it over Facebook. It is pretty neat since we are all spread out across the world.)

I'm Thinking... Thursday should be fun as Steve has taken the day off to stain our deck. My mom will be here and so I will probably help him. Redoing our deck has been a huge project for Steve. He has already spent around 13 hours on it. It will be so nice when it is finally done. Hopefully we can knock it out with two of us working on it.

I'm Creating... a plan/schedule for the summer since the kid's last day is next Wednesday. I know I have to have plan so they don't get bored and pester each other therefore driving me crazy.

Hoping and Praying... for our good friends who lost their mother (in-law) yesterday. They are in our thoughts and prayers continually.

Around the House... a bit of spring cleaning here and there. We are getting an egress window put into our basement so we can move the two oldest boys to the basement bedroom. This should give all of the boys a bit more space.

From the Kitchen... menu...done, groceries...done. Now I just have to do something with the brown/black bananas sitting in my fruit bowl.

Weekly Menu...

Sunday - Egg burritos

Monday - Roast, mashed potatoes, peas and crusty bread

Tuesday - Chicken Fajitas with fresh, homemade guacomole

Wednesday - Grilled Pork Chops, Cheesy Potatoes and brocoli

Thursday - Brats, chips and fresh fruit

Friday - Homemade Pizza or Pasties my mom is bringing

Saturday - Hot Dogs

One of my favorite things... my cup of coffee in the morning, especially when I get to drink it all.

A Few Plans for the rest of the week... all about the deck. Hopefully by the end of the weekend, we will have it mostly completed. My mom is coming tomorrow. Leah's kindergarten graduation is on Thursday as is Andrew's last Chorus concert. It is going to be a busy night.

Picture thoughts...

This is the water slide the kids came up with on a hot day last week.

Bedtime

2011-05-06T10:49:00.000-05:00

Look what we found when we went up to bed the other night...

Apparently, Nate thought this was a better place to sleep than in his bed.

Pillows

2011-05-05T10:33:00.002-05:00

I found this fabric at the fabric store a couple of weeks ago and I fell in love with it. When I bought it, I didn't have any idea what I would use it for. I just knew I wanted it for something. The other day, I was out walking and I noticed a couple of houses had benches on their front porches and they had decorative pillows on them. It then occurred to me, my answer was PILLOWS, for the chairs on my porch. And since I'm not the best at sewing yet, pillows would be something easy for me to do.

That afternoon, I got to work. I measured, cut and pinned. Once the kids were done with homework, I sat down at the sewing machine to do the sewing. Just as I started, Cason showed up and asked if he could help. He reminded me that grandma told him he was a better sewer than I was. How could I say no to someone with such claims. Let me say that he did an excellent job. That night I ran to the store to get the stuffing. I stuffed them that night and sewed them up tight yesterday.

This is what my porch looks like now. A bit more decorative for summer, I think. Thanks for your help, Cason. We make a great team.

St. Louis

2011-05-04T15:46:00.000-05:00

St. Louis, Here we come!! Two vans full of us. We decided to take a road trip to St. Louis at the end of the kids Spring Break. We invited Grandma, Papa and Uncle Mark to come along. The more the merrier and a merry time we did have.

Busch Stadium, where the St. Louis Cardinals play

Since it wasn't raining and the weather was perfect, our first stop was the St. Louis Zoo. We've been wanting to visit this zoo for a while now. We have heard it was really nice. It is also FREE which is a HUGE plus when you are paying for nine people wherever you go. We had a great time there and spent until dinnertime exploring and viewing all of the animals. Did I say the weather was gorgeous?

For dinner we ate at the Cheesecake Factory. It was yummy, but would have been better if one of the kids didn't get sick as we were sitting waiting for our food. :( That evening we took the kids swimming for a while. I'm sure they would all say that was their favorite part of the whole trip. Funny how kids are.

The SEVEN of them

Zoe

Taking a wee rest

Checking out of the hotel. Mind you, we only went for one night and this is what luggage looks like for nine!

After we checked out of the hotel, we did a bit of shopping at a mall close by. We had a birthday present to buy for daddy at the Apple store, his birthday was that day. We ate lunch at the mall and then headed down to the St. Louis Arch (aka The Jefferson National Monument Memorial).

We left St. Louis around five to head home. Thankfully, we beat the storms and tornados. About an hour and a half after we left, tornados hit St. Louis pretty badly. God was watching over us and we didn't run into any storms on the drive home. We all had a great time and it was fun to do the trip with Grandma, Papa and Uncle Mark.

Dad, Leah, Tristan, Anna, Grandma and Uncle Mark were the only ones brave enough to travel to the top of the Arch.

Daddy and his brown eyed girl

His Love Compels

2011-04-25T14:20:00.003-05:00

For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

2 Corinthians 5:14&15

On this Easter Monday, I meditate on how loving our Father is that he would send his Son as a sacrifice for me, for us, for you. It is His love that compels me to list the blessing that he has so lavished upon me. Not one of these gifts compares to the sacrifice He made to call me his own. And, so I continue to count my blessings...

(#'s 21-30)

* God's great love for me in that He sacrificed his only Son for me.

* Watching the kids have a joyous time roller skating.

* Passion for God poured over from others.

* Quiet afternoons

* Sundays

* Listening to the chatter as they happily play together.

* The coolness after a storm.

* Time with family on Easter Sunday.

* Walks at dusk.

* Baby's first steps.

Easter Daybook

2011-04-24T21:04:00.003-05:00

Outside My Window... its dark out as we put a close to this Easter Sunday.

I'm Listening to... silence, ahhh.

I'm Wearing... my pjs I'm ready for bed.

I'm Grateful for... time with family today and most importantly, God's great love for me that He would sacrifice his Son for me. Inconceivable, really.

I'm Pondering...

"Then He opened their minds so they could understand the scriptures." Luke 24:45

(from our Easter sermon this morning)

I'm Reading...

Don't Make Me Count to Three by Ginger Plowman

I'm Thinking... of lists; things to do, things that need to get done, etc. I just need motivation to actually write them down.

I'm Creating... nothing at the moment, I take that back... a blog post. That is a lot since I haven't been here in a couple of weeks. Sick kids, Steve out of town, kids on Spring break, and a little family trip to St Louis, these are most of my reasons for my absence. All of these, plus a little writers block. What would you like me to write about? Ideas? Please?

I'm Hoping and Praying... for more consistency in my prayer and Bible times this week, for a wonderful time with a good friend from high school, motivation to get things done around here.

Around the House... tomorrow is cleaning day, before our friend arrives. I will also need to fit grocery shopping in too.

From the Kitchen... I feel the need to bake, but then I would eat it and I have not been eating well the last few days, and I feel it. Also, the Easter candy has been hidden away (they really didn't get too much, but I still have to put it up or I have a few that would eat it all in one sitting.)

Weekly Menu... ummm, this is one of those lists yet to be written. Maybe in the morning.

Sunday - Beans and wieners, pb&J, cucumbers, grapes, and melon

Monday -

Tuesday -

Wednesday -

Thursday -

Friday -

Saturday -

One of my favorite things... a nice, quiet walk by myself after the kids were in bed.

A Few Plans for the rest of the week... spending time with our friend, Kindergarten round-up on Thursday, oh yeah, and the Royal Wedding on Friday. I will be home in front of the tele on Friday :)

Picture thoughts...

Andrew in Oliver

2011-04-13T08:24:00.003-05:00

A couple weeks ago, Andrew's fifth grade class put on the musical Oliver Twist. Every year the fifth grade classes at his school do a play. This one was picked just before Christmas. The kids had to audition for parts. They sang solos and read lines. Their class, also, did all the work from the parts, lights, sound, set, programs, etc. They all worked so hard and they did an excellent job.

Andrew played the part of Mr. Bumble, the mean orphanage runner. We weren't sure how Andrew would do in playing the mean part, since he always has a smile on his face. He did great though. He even had the opening lines of the play which added a bit of pressure.

I've been waiting to post this because I wanted to put a clip of Andrew singing his duet. But, since we still haven't gotten around to it, I wanted to post this anyways.

We are so proud of Andrew and the courage he had in doing Oliver. He and the entire fifth grade did an excellent job and they have a lot to be proud of.

Project Simplify #4 - Refrigerator/Pantry

2011-04-01T08:28:00.006-05:00

Well, another week and I'm a bit more organized. This week's task for Project Simlify (the refrigerator and pantry) was pretty doable. I broke the areas into a couple different projects to make them fit in during my days. When I had a half hours or so, I would get to work.

On Wednesday, I conquered the refrigerator. It desperately needed it as the last time I completely emptied it and cleaned it was when we moved in a year and a half ago. Every few weeks or so, I do wipe down the shelves, though. I even had a little four year old helper and her help was greatly appreciated. She is a hard worker and she did an excellent job.

On Thursday morning, I cleaned out the pantry. I got a couple bins from Walmart to better organize the shelves. As time goes by, we'll see how the arrangement works. A bit of trial and error so to say. Later Thursday, I did the other two cupboards. I put the bottles away, since the baby is now off the bottle. I also cleaned out old spices and began a new shopping list.

As I make my way through the house with Project Simplify, I am finding myself being filled with motivation and working on other areas of the house as well. I worked a bit in the garage the other day too. I hope to finish that tomorrow. I love a good challenge. How about you?

Pantry before

Cupboard #1 before

Cupboard #2 before

Frig before

All of the food out of the frig. Notice my little helper in the background :)

Ahhh, a clean refrigerator...how refreshing.

No more bottles or baby food

Pantry after

Cupboard #1 after

Go here to see how others organized and cleaned out their refrigerators and pantry.

Last Week of March Daybook

2011-03-29T08:30:00.000-05:00

Outside My Window... can you believe it, it's snowing? Where did our nice spring weather go?

I'm Listening to... Dora and my little ones eating breakfast, plus the washer and dryer running as it is laundry day.

I'm Wearing... black yoga pants, long sleeve gray t-shirt. It is cold once again.

I'm Grateful for... meaningful conversations with my mother-in-law after the kids are in bed. It is rare because the kids are usually around.

I'm Pondering...

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given

to you as well. --Matthew 6:33

I'm Reading...

One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp

I'm Thinking... of my to-do list for today...dinner in the crockpot, laundry, three kids baths, vacuuming the upstairs...

I'm Creating... clean and organized spaces throughout my home. Want to join in check outProject Simplify on Monday.

I'm Hoping and Praying...

*wisdom

*for strength to continue in seeking God.

*for God to reveal his will in a few areas.

*for some warmer weather.

*no cavities today at the dentist for the two oldest.

Around the House... this week for Project Simplify the challenge area is the pantry and refrigerator. I have been hoping this would be one of the areas covered. Both of mine need it desperately. It will feel good once they are all cleaned out. The upstairs needs some cleaning too (vacuuming and dusting). I also have five bags of kids clothes that I need to get back into the right bins in the basement.

From the Kitchen... I've got a serious craving for some baked goods. I'm thinking I'll be making some cookies or cookie bars soon.

Weekly Menu...

Sunday - Leftover pizza, peanut butter and jelly, fruit

Monday - Steak and ale pie, mashed potatoes, broccoli

Tuesday - Chicken tortilla soup, corn bread, salad

Wednesday - Tacos, applesauce

Thursday - Oatmeal pancakes, bacon, fruit

Friday - Homemade pizza

Saturday - Taco salad

One of my favorite things... climbing into bed to freshly washed sheets.

A Few Plans for the rest of the week... laundry, cleaning, dentist appointment for two, girls night out with small group, planning out next months budget.

Picture thoughts...

Looking for the Lovely

2011-03-28T11:30:00.000-05:00

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy -- think about such things.

Phillipians 4:8

We live in a broken, a fallen, an ugly world. We all have bits of ugly in our own lives...short tempers with our children, hurtful words, kids fighting, tiredness that causes crankiness. Then we turn on the news...more ugly...earthquakes, wars, accidents, murders, sin. The list goes on and on.

It is easy to get wrapped up in the ugly of the world and of our own life, to go over and over it in our heads... to worry about it, but the Bible says we are to think about things that are true, noble, right, pure lovely, and admirable.

So choosing to see the beauty around me because "every good and perfect gift comes from God" (James 1:17) I continue to count my one thousand gifts.

(11-20)

* birds singing in the early morning

* great fellowship with great friends

* friends who sharpen us

* notes from my seven year old during church saying, "you are pretty."

* Zoe

* the river as the sun reflects on it

* wisdom imparted to Steve just when needed

* beautiful warm weather

* playing outside

* warm, hearty meals

Project Simplify #3 - Toys

2011-03-25T08:24:00.005-05:00

I have to admit this one was a bit overwhelming for me. At Simple Mom this week's challenge also included kids clothes. The fact that I have seven kids each one of those challenges, toys and kids clothes, could possible take me weeks to conquer. At the beginning of the week, I wrote out my priorities regarding this weeks challenge. This is what I came up with...

1. The Game Closet

2. The Girls bedroom

3. The basement toys

I had to make it attainable or I would have given up and gotten nothing done. For all of these areas, I focused on toys and not clothes. That challenge is for another week.

Game closet before

and after

I forgot to take a before picture of the basement, but this is the pile of broken toys or unwanted toys to get rid of.

Basement after (although we still need to get rid of more toys)

It is hard having kids in so many different age ranges. That just equals more toys.

The basement girls dress-up area

I didn't do as much as I should have, but I got a few areas of the house picked up and I feel good about that. The secret is to make your goals attainable, so as not to get overwhelmed. Another project successful. I can't wait to see what next weeks challenge is. Go here on Monday and join me. You can also go here to see how other people organized their toys and kids clothes.

March Daybook

2011-03-20T20:36:00.003-05:00

Outside My Window... the door is open as it is still in the 60's at 9 p.m., gorgeous Spring day.

I'm Listening to... the dryer and traffic on the highway and other than those, silence...ahhh!

I'm Wearing... my pj's

I'm Grateful for... a great season of Upward basketball for Tristan. We had his awards ceremony tonight. Upward is such a great program. We now have three boys who want to play

next year.

I'm Pondering...

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given

to you as well. --Matthew 6:33

I'm Reading...

One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp

I'm Thinking... we've had a very busy weekend, but the weather has been wonderful. We had great fellowship with friends last night and we ended the weekend with Tristan's basketball awards ceremony and dinner out with the kids. The kids have been great this weekend. We are so blessed, I love our kids so much!

I'm Creating... clean and organized spaces throughout my home. Want to join in check outProject Simplify on Monday.

I'm Hoping and Praying...

*wisdom

*for strength to continue in seeking God.

*for God to reveal his will in a few areas.

*for Cason as he gets his braces off tomorrow. He is really sad to get them off.

Around the House... getting the house back in order after a busy weekend. We are also in process of making a home office in the nook in our bedroom. We need to do some organizing and moving of things. I also need to go shopping for a dest chair.

From the Kitchen... with all this gorgeous weather we've been having, the grilling begins :)

Weekly Menu...

Sunday - out for Mexican... Yum, Yum!

Monday - Pesto Chicken Pasta, veggies, rolls

Tuesday - Chicken BBQ's on a bun, chips, salad

Wednesday - Grilled Pork Chops, cheesy potatoes, veggies and salad

Thursday - Steak & Ale Pie or stew, mashed potatoes, veggies

Friday - Date night (***wink, wink - mom)

Saturday - Pizza with friends

One of my favorite things... Seeing my kids smile and enjoy themselves.

A Few Plans for the rest of the week... two orthodontist appointments, getting my hair done, Andrew's Fifth grade musical (Oliver Twist), finish finding his costume, and my mom arrives on Thursday. A busy week, but it should be fun.

Picture thoughts...

Signs of Spring

2011-03-19T10:58:00.000-05:00

For us one sure fire sign of Spring is new sidewalk chalk. We headed off to Walmart today to get some, as requested by the girls. They spent the rest of the day coloring and drawing. Zoe and daddy even joined in on the fun.

Project Simplify #2 - Paper

2011-03-18T08:59:00.005-05:00

This weeks challenge room for Project Simplify is Paper. You know those piles you have laying around the house. Thankfully, this one wasn't too hard for me. I dislike having piles of paper sitting around, so I tend to keep things cleared out. I try to get rid of junk mail as I bring in the mail each day and I also try to pick up kid's art work daily. I also cleaned out the kids school papers a couple of weeks ago. So my job wasn't so huge this week, but still rewarding.

This week I tackled our "to file" folder and the magazine rack. I also cleared out a cupboard that has kids craft supplies in it , but I didn't get any pictures of that. I sent old magazines to the recycling bins and it only took me 10 minutes. I like these short quick jobs which make things look tidy once again.

The filing took me around an hour. This is usually a job I save for Steve to do, because I don't like it and it is hard for me to find the time to actually do it. I think he was relieved that I did it for him. What a way to serve my husband :)

Boys, Boys, Boys

2011-03-16T20:18:00.004-05:00

You can tell you have boys in the house when you find things like this

This is one of my knitting needles with a pen taped to the end.

My best guess is that it is a spear or an arrow.

and this...

A squirt gun with a flashlight taped to the top.

laying around the house. As you can probably guess, we go through

a lot

of tape in this house.

Beginning to Count My 1,000 Gifts

2011-03-14T21:18:00.004-05:00

Well, here I begin to count my 1,000 gifts. Ann Voskamp in her book One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are gives the challenge to create an attitude of gratitude, by counting the gifts/blessings God has given us and/or the ways we see God in our everyday life.

Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world. --Sarah Ban Breathnach

I know from my own life experiences that those are the times in my life when I focus and look for God working around me, I see less of my own problems and I see more of God.

So in an attempt to see more of God and less of me I begin counting.

#1 Sweet conversations with my 6 year old daughter on God's forgiveness

#2 For a husband who is sensitive to what is going on around the world

#3 Homemade chocolate chip cookies (and milk)

#4 Naptime

#5 Dinner already made

#6 The baby saying "back pack"

#7 Opportunities to help

#8 Other moms willing to help

#9 A clean and organized closet

#10 Five kids and one baby playing nicely at my feet at the dentist while I had my teeth cleaned

Mid March Daybook

2011-03-13T20:26:00.004-05:00

Outside My Window... its dark since it is 8:30 p.m. It is amazing the difference one hour makes with the time change last night. It has been the weirdest day. Two kids wouldn't nap and I am exhausted. I'm looking forward to bed tonight.

I'm Listening to... the dryer and the chatter of three boys in bed whose bodies are telling them its only 7:30. They need sleep though!

I'm Wearing... my pajama bottoms and my black shirt from the day. I only was able to get halfway changed :)

I'm Grateful for... my husband who occupied the two little ones who didn't nap this afternoon, so I could nap.

I'm Pondering...

"Growth demands a temporary surrender of security." -- Gail Sheehy

I'm Reading...

One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp

I'm Thinking... tomorrow is the day I start counting my 1,000 gifts from Ann Voskamp's book. I've been meaning to for weeks now. I even have new journals to begin. I am just having trouble writing down number one. I'm weird like that.

I'm Creating... clean and organized spaces throughout my home. Want to join in check out Project Simplify on Monday.

I'm Hoping and Praying...

*that the baby sleep all night as she is coming down with a cold or something.

*for strength to continue in seeking God.

*for God to reveal his will in a few areas.

Around the House... the house needs an over-haul after the long weekend with the kids home. Monday's are glorious for getting back into routine. I thrive on routine.

From the Kitchen... we made a fresh batch of Chocolate Chip Cookies with M&M's in them this afternoon. Come to think of it I think I might be hearing them and the milk calling my name right now.

We stopped at the grocery store on the way home from church so I could run in a grab something for lunch. While I was in there, I planned the weeks meals in my head and grabbed everything I thought I would need. I think I got everything I will need.

Weekly Menu...

Sunday - Reuben's & Grilled cheese for the one's who didn't want Reuben's (this was Steve's request)

Monday - Penne Pasta, Salad, garlic bread

Tuesday - Lime Chicken Tacos, chips & salsa, grapes

Wednesday - Hamburgers on the grill, roast potatoes and veg

Thursday - Chicken Fajitas

Friday - Homemade Pizza

Saturday - Chicken BBQ's, chips, fruit

One of my favorite things... sharing heart to heart with my husband.

A Few Plans for the rest of the week... cleaning tomorrow and working on Project Simplify toward the end of the week. I don't think we have any appointments this week, but one could possibly pop up with a sick baby. We are also excited to have friends for dinner on both Tuesday and Saturday. It is so good to connect with friends.

Picture thoughts...

Project Simplify #1 - My Wardrobe

2011-03-11T08:14:00.006-06:00

I didn't think I would be able to do it, but amazingly enough, I did. Simple Mom is doing 6 weeks of simplifying and organizing your home one week at a time. Each Monday they announce the hot-spot to work on that week. They give you advice on where and how to start and also which supplies to have handy.

Week one -- My wardrobe, clothes, shoes, purses, accessories, etc.

I wasn't able to touch a thing until Wednesday night after the kids were in bed. I had a bit of energy so I started in the closet. After only about 45 minutes, I had finished the closet. I tend to keep up on getting rid of clothing I don't wear. I purge a couple times a year. I think this is why it didn't take me too long.

I am also not a very sentimental person and I don't usually hold on to things just for the meaning. I really thought because of these reasons this job would be easy. I did come across a stack of sweaters I have had for years. Some of them were even from college. Every time, I cleaned out my clothes, I would keep them saying I would wear them in the cold of winter when in actuality I haven't worn them in probably 5 or so years.

You see one was a sweater I got just after my first daughter was born. I felt so good wearing it, especially after wearing maternity clothes for so long. It was even pink, my favorite color and a color fitting since I just had our first baby girl. I wouldn't have thought I would have any emotion over my clothing, but alas I do. I connect different parts of my wardrobe with different memories. I have to tell myself that just because I get rid of a piece clothing because I haven't worn in years, I am not throwing away the memory I have while wearing it. Plus, if it was something I truly loved than I have a picture of myself in it, like one of me wearing that pink sweater while holding my sweet baby girl on Valentine's day.

As I was cleaning piles of clothes out of my closet, I mentioned to Steve that I think I have less clothes than most women. He corrected me and said I probably have less than most men. I am not really a clothes horde and I really try to only buy things if I feel good in them and if they are a good price.

Purses and shoes

Hanging clothes and skirts

Sweater pile (I cut this one more than in half)

T-shirts

I started on my dresser on late Thursday morning and was able to finish it in the afternoon with some help from a couple of little helpers.

Underware

And now for the after photos... (after filling 5 bags with clothes, shoes and purses to give-away)

Nice and tidy

Oooo, it feels so good. I'm looking forward to seeing what Monday's hotspot is and wondering if I'll be able to stick it out.

*I even motivated Steve and we cleaned out his clothes last night. One more large bag outa here!

Jonah Bible Activity for Preschoolers

2011-03-02T20:30:00.007-06:00

Last week as four of mine were at school and the baby was napping, I wanted to spend some time with my 3 and 4 year old. As I thought about what we could do together, I remembered how we used to play Jonah and the whale (big fish) with the older boys when they were little. I decided it would be a fun activity to do with them, plus it would teach them about God's will for us.

I told them to get their Bibles. They both ran and found their Bibles, actually they each grabbed two, and then we met on my bed. I hadn't had a chance to make the bed yet that morning so we snuggled up together. I then proceeded to find the story of Jonah in each of their children's Bibles. Then I read the story from each of their Bibles, not all four, but just one for each of them. After I read, we chatted a bit about how when Jonah didn't obey God he got swallowed by the big fish. It was then as Jonah was in the belly of the fish that he needed to ask God to forgive him for not obeying and then the fish spit him out.

Next we did a fun activity to make the story more real and fun for them. We pretended we were Jonah and that we disobeyed God. I then lifted the covers to the bed (our big fish) and we crawled inside. We talked very briefly about how dark it was and how we knew we had sinned against God by not obeying him. We said a quick prayer like, "God please forgive me."

Then we threw back the blanket as the big fish spit us out.

They absolutely LOVED it and we played it over, and over, and over again...until mommy had enough.

I just thought I would share a really simple, yet fun way to teach God's truth to your preschoolers.

On Seeking God

2011-03-01T22:37:00.008-06:00

Recently, Steve and I seem to have quite a few things we are seeking God for answers and direction in. During this time we have been more diligent than ever in praying and fasting for God to give us wisdom and for him to reveal his will for us. And, yet we still wait.

Towards the end of last week, I found myself getting frustrated that I haven't been hearing God give us any answers. I felt like, "Come on God, you know we've been seeking you and your will. You know our hearts and that we want to do and be a part of your plan and yet you remain silent."

I took some time on Sunday and again on Monday afternoon to pray, journal and read the scriptures. Now that I reflect back on those times, I believe that God has spoken to me. He was telling me that the answers to all of my questions for him are very small in the big picture that he has for me/us and that if he answered even one of my prayers, then I would possibly cease to seek him.

Steve and I were discussing this just this evening. Yes, we do have things we desire answers for. But maybe, just maybe God is remaining silent so that we will seek him and not give up in seeking him. One of the scriptures I read yesterday is Matthew 6:33-34...

"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow..."

In these verses, I found what we believe is God's will for us right now. That is to seek FIRST him, his kingdom and his righteousness. As we do these with perseverance without giving up, fixing our eyes on Jesus, he will answer us in his time. He knows our hearts and the very best way to reveal his will to us. He knows when is the right time, so that after he shows us the answers we so long to hear, we will continue to seek him and not stop just because he answered us. The biggest plan he has for us is for us to know him and to be like him. One way we know him is to SEEK him.

So right now, we

SEEK.

Last Day of February Daybook

2011-02-28T21:58:00.000-06:00

Outside My Window... gray and gloomy after last night's big thunder storms.

I'm Listening to... Dora on TV, Anna and Nate playing Legos, and Zoe chatting while eating her breakfast.

I'm Wearing... once again my uniform...gray long sleeve T-shirt, black yoga pants and slippers.

I'm Grateful for... a good nights rest

I'm Pondering...

"Growth demands a temporary surrender of security." -- Gail Sheehy

I'm Reading...

The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns

One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp

I'm Thinking... today is a new day. Lots and lots of things are on my mind. I crave someone to talk through things with, but just this morning, God reminded me that I don't need anyone else, I just need Him. That He is more than enough for me. Lord, today when I feel like I need to talk with others, help me to come to you FIRST!

I'm Creating... a pretty big to-do list for the week, plus a grocery list and a list of meals for the week.

I'm Hoping and Praying...

*Health for our family as we were hit with a stomach bug on Friday. Everyone seems well,

but that God would protect those who didn't get it.

*For God to reveal His will for us in a few different areas.

*Wisdom

Around the House... getting closets organized this week, only our is left to do. It is a tad overwhelming.

From the Kitchen... I am working on my grocery list and will head to the store either tonight after small group or tomorrow morning. Because I haven't gone yet, I still need to decide what we will eat tonight. I am getting tired of the same old things. Oh yeah, I am making Carmel Chocolate Fondu for small group tonight.

Weekly Menu...

Monday - ?

Tuesday - Ham, Cheesy potatoes, veg

Wednesday - Hot dogs in crescent rolls, french fries, salad

Thursday - Lentil Curry

Friday - Tacos, applesauce

Saturday - Frozen Pizza

*the order, or even menu, could possibly change, as I not completely satisfied with it yet.

One of my favorite things... fresh beginnings on a Monday morning.

A Few Plans for the rest of the week... groceries, girls haircuts on Wednesday, Kindergarten registration on Thursday plus the usual cleaning, laundry and hopefully to get some motivation to get some organizing done.

Picture thoughts...

Super Bowl

2011-02-16T21:19:00.006-06:00

The Super Bowl was a couple of weeks back and I thought I would share a few photos. Since we have moved back to the USA , the boys are loving football (American football). They all have their favorite teams and they all love playing, especially playing with dad. This winter they have cleared out a large space in the basement where they have their own field. They have named this game basement football. They are down there most nights playing. They are always looking for an audience, but mom and grandma's don't give in anymore. They are really rough and someone usually ends up crying. I've deemed basement football, Dad's territory.

This year the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers played in the Super Bowl. Cason is our die hard Packers fan. You can see from his jersey and the fact that he got green and yellow rubber bands for his braces the last time he went to the Orthodontist. Andrew is a Chicago Bears fan, so the game two weeks earlier was more fun for both of them. The Packers and the Bears played each other in the playoffs to get to the Super Bowl. Needless to say, the Packers won. Since the Bears weren't in the Super Bowl, Andrew cheered for the Steelers, just to go against the crowd. Although, Uncle Mark cheered with him as the Steelers are his favorite team.

For the Super Bowl, we had a bit of a party...lots of snacks, two grandmas, one grandpa and one uncle. We did end up making the kids go to bed before the game was over since it was a school night, but we did record it for them. They promptly got up the next morning and finished the game. Cason ended up being a very happy camper since the Packers won the Super Bowl this year.

It was a great night and great to see the boys so excited for a game and so dedicated to their team.

Leah is Six !

2011-02-11T09:13:00.009-06:00

This week we celebrated Leah's sixth birthday. It is so hard to believe. She is our "holiday" girl, so we had to be extra careful to make her day special. The day before we made pink cupcakes for her to take to school for her birthday. She really enjoyed decorating them with sprinkles. Another special thing for her birthday is that my mom was here to help celebrate it with us.

Leah decided that she wanted to buy a cake for her birthday, instead of me making one for her. So after she got home from school that day, we headed off to the grocery store to pick out a cake, as seen below. After we found her cake, I decided it would be fun to take her to McDonald's for lunch. She loved it.

We also told Leah she could pick what we would have for dinner. Her choice was macaroni and cheese, chicken breasts and I added broccoli to it. It was an easy and kid friendly.

Leah is turning into such a young lady and we are so proud of her. On her birthday, we celebrate Leah and are so thankful God chose to bless us with our first daughter. Happy Birthday, Leah!

My big Birthday Girl

Leah showing off the castle she built with her grandma. Thanks, Aunt Laura, the crafty things were a hit.

A Winter Daybook

2011-02-08T15:29:00.005-06:00

Outside My Window

another cold, cold day, but the sun is shining beautifully!

I am Listening to

The kids and grandma playing Old Maid

I am Wearing

I actually put real clothes on today (I had to run into school to drop off cupcakes and go to the book fair with Leah). Wide leg jeans, brown belt, brown longsleeve t-shirt and my slippers (when I go out, my dark brown Uggs)

I am so Grateful for

*my very generous in-laws

*time with my mom

*a box of new crayons

*a sweet little girl who is 6 today

*easy dinners

*the end of homework time

*the sunshine

*good books

*forgiveness

*reconciliation

I'm Pondering -

"Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time.

Vision with action can change the world." --Joel Barker

I am Reading -

The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns ( a life changing book and oh, so good, so good that I don't want to finish it as I feel like I will forget about all the meat therein).

One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp (another life changing book, have to read it slow to soak it all in.)

I am Thinking

It is so great to be healthy again, or at least mostly. I still have a cough, though. I haven't been here in

a couple weeks due to Strep Throat striking me and the boys again.

I am Creating

a couple baby gifts for friends, pillows to decorate the girls beds (at least I hope to, the fabric is

all washed and ready to go. Now for time to sit down at the sewing machine. It probably won't

happen until the end of the week.)

I am Hoping and Praying

HEALTH for the rest of the winter. To seek God consistently and to know His will.

Around the House

Birthday for a special girl today. A little Valentine's decorating.

From the Kitchen

Monday - Chicken soft tacos, grandma's homemade guacamole (yum!)

Tuesday - Macaroni and cheese, chicken nuggets, broccoli (birthday girls choice)

Wednesday - Spaghetti, garlic bread, salad

Thursday - Chop Suey, Rice, salad (grandma's cooking)

Friday - Homemade Pizza

Saturday - Chili (possibly)

One of My Favorite Things

Children's excitement for their birthday.

A Few Plans for the Rest of the Week

Birthday plans today. Annual check-ups for the baby and the three year old tomorrow. Shopping

with the little ones and grandma and some sewing at the end of the week.

Picture thoughts

Zoe's First Birthday

2011-02-03T10:24:00.010-06:00

I really don't know where the last year has gone to. It feels like I have just blinked my eyes and my baby is one year old. Zoe is such a delight to our entire family. It is rare for her not to have a smile on her face. She eats absolutely everything, which is such a relief since her bigger brother Nate will not touch a vegetable. She is also quite the comedian at the table, able to get everyone's eyes focused on her and laughing at her. We often time have votes while we are at the table and the kids raise their hands with their opinions. Well, Zoe can now be found raising her two little hands along with the rest of them.

Zoe isn't walking yet, but she is beginning to push things around the house. She got a little baby doll stroller/walker for her birthday and she is constantly pushing it around. She just stuffs her baby in and off she goes.

Zoe is also quite the daddy's girl (more than our other girls have been). When he walks into the house and she hears his voice, she crawls quickly to wherever he is. If he doesn't pick her up immediately, for instance if he goes to hang up his jacket, she breaks down and cries hysterically. She acts as if he has just broken her little heart. It is priceless.

Since it was a snow day and mom wasn't feeling all the way better from Strep, we decided to do Birthday Pie!

I don't think Zoe minded one bit!

Peaking into the empty box from her birthday gift

Now that she is one, she has a new trick...Climbing. Oh, dear!

Pushing her baby around

Throwing a fit/tantrum when daddy didn't pick her up as soon as he walked in.

Snow Day(s)

2011-02-02T14:03:00.011-06:00

It begins - February 1, 2011

Snowmageddon, Snowpoclayse and Blizzard 2011 are a few of names they have come up with for the storm that went through our area yesterday, last night and into this morning. We had a potential for up to 22 inches of snow before the storm was all said and done with. Needless to say, school was closed yesterday and today. Yesterday morning, I was wondering if they shouldn't have had school since it didn't start snowing until around noon. Very quickly, though, I realized why. Once it started, the snow was coming down anywhere from 1-3 inches an hour. Steve, thankfully, left work around 12:30 and made it home safely. He said conditions were pretty yucky with a few white out conditions.

The kids played out in the snow most of the afternoon. The snow and the wind were blowing like crazy, but they loved it. After dinner and being begged much by the kids, Steve went out and played with the kids for a bit. That is until they heard the snow thunder, or Snunder as Steve likes to call it. Then it didn't take them long at all to come running inside. The lightning and thunder was crazy. You would have to see it to believe it.

We all went to bed listening to the wind and the snow howl against the house, all the while praying for no power outages.

Out our back door the morning of February 2, 2011

A snowdrift bigger than Leah

As the kids woke up this morning, they rushed the the patio door and pulled back the curtain to see how big the drift out the door had gotten. The drift had gotten to at least 3 feet high. They quickly ate their breakfast and they were out the door once again to play in the snow. After a bit, Steve headed out to begin shoveling the driveway. He spent the next 2 1/2-3 hours out there. Thankfully, one of our neighbors let Steve use his snow blower, but it was still slow-going. The plowback at the end of the driveway was as wide as our van is long and it was just over Steve's knees in depth.

Not just snow, but wind too.

Zoe keeping nice and warm eating her birthday breakfast, while the others play outside behind her.

Nathanael had his go too, he didn't last out very long.

The snow is a tad too deep for a little guy.

As I sit and type, the snowplows have gone through the neighborhood a couple more times and Steve is back out there clearing the plow back. I've been wanting to get out there so badly today and help, but I was diagnosed with Strep Throat again on Sunday and I still don't feel well. So my job, during these snow days, is to keep everyone fed, to hang up all the wet outdoor clothing, to watch from the window and to care for the little ones. This isn't too bad though, I am staying nice and warm.

Cason working hard shoveling the plowback.

Cason's tunnel

Steve snow blowing

Our town has come in with a total of 14.4 inches. This is a pretty significant amount for this area. I don't ever remember getting this much here. Records were broken. This is definitely one winter and storm we won't forget. The kids are in Snow Heaven. Now we just have to wait and see if there will be school tomorrow. I am pretty sure there will be, if not I better come up with a plan to keep the seven busy so they don't get too bored.

The mailbox before

and after

Tristan standing above the mailbox

Still working hard

I began writing this blog earlier in the day today. We just found out a couple of hours ago that school is once again canceled for tomorrow. We are supposed to have some very cold weather too. I don't know how much the kids will be outside. I need to get myself all geared up with some plans so we all don't go nuts. I think we will maybe make cookies, play games, read some books and probably watch some tv. Hey, we've got to make the most of our snow days!

Tristan and Basketball

2011-01-28T10:21:00.004-06:00

Tristan is quite the energetic boy and he loves any sport with a ball involved. Since it is winter and we stuck inside quite a bit, he needed someway to release some energy. We signed him up for Upward Basketball. It is a Christian program that helps kids learn the game of basketball, while using Bible memory and devotion time to teach the kids about God. We had the program recommended to us by quite a few friends. They practice on Friday evenings and have games on Saturday mornings.
His team has been practicing for about four weeks now and they had their first game last Saturday. The whole family attended, even grandma, grandpa and uncle. It was so fun to watch the first and second graders learn/play the game. Tristan did really well, too. He scored 4 of the teams 7 baskets. He was quite proud of himself. At the end, he said, "I like basketball better than soccer." This melts my heart, because I have a great love for basketball, also, as I played through high school.

Daybook

2011-01-24T14:33:00.007-06:00

Outside My Window

Another cold and dreary day.

I am Listening to

The dryer as the towels, dry and one son doing his homework. The others are either napping

or downstairs watching a bit of tv.

I am Wearing

gray longsleeve t-shirt, my yoga pants and slippers

I am so Grateful for

- We all seem to be on the mend. It helps that most of us are on antibiotics.

- naptime

- quietness

- God's Word

- A warm house

- time spent reading with my little ones today

I'm Pondering -

"Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevail."

Proverbs 19:21

I am Reading -

The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns ( a life changing book and oh, so good, so good that I don't want to finish it as I feel like I will forget about all the meat therein).

Organized Simplicity by Tsh Oxenreider (also, so good and very practical)

Somewhere to Belong by Judith Miller

I am Thinking

I should get dinners started and try to coax my 7 year old to do his reading. Why does

homework time have to be so difficult?

I am Creating

I'm not really sure. I need to finish a baby hat that I've been working on. Then, I hope to make

my older girls each a hat. I got some pretty yarn this weekend. I also still have to make those

baby doll slings.

I am Hoping and Praying

HEALTH for the rest of the winter

Around the House

The kids bedrooms need some serious attention. If I can get up the motivation toward the end

of the week, I need to sort and organize in there. The main floor will get cleaned tomorrow.

From the Kitchen

I did the grocery shopping this morning with the three youngest. They were so good. I did bribe

them with donuts, though :)

Monday - Baked potato bar, salad and crusty bread

Tuesday - Chicken Enchiladas, corn

Wednesday - Roast, mashed potatoes and veg

Thursday - Taco Casserole

Friday - Homemade pizza

Saturday - ?

One of My Favorite Things

snuggling with my older boys

A Few Plans for the Rest of the Week

Getting the house back in order and still to work family goals and vision for the new year.

Picture thoughts

We had quite the rivalry in our house yesterday

A New Day

2011-01-21T15:03:00.008-06:00

As I pull back the curtains early in the morning, I see the snow gently falling on the trees and the ground. As I look to the back yard, the ground is covered with a NEW, FRESH blanket of snow. It is absolutely beautiful. I realize then, that not only is there fresh, clean white snow covering my yard, but what it covers is just as wonderous.

I am reminded that it is a NEW DAY!

You see, after every new snowfall at least five of my little ones head out to explore, build, play, and roll in the new softness that awaits them. This also means for days or weeks after that, until we get more snow, my yard has tracks, roads made from shovels, partial forts, and toys scattered throughout it. At times, I look out and think it's not pretty anymore. Most of the time it looks quite messy, actually.

As I pulled the curtains open today, it was as if God was whispering to me in the new snow. He was reminding me that it is a new day. That the messy things, the complicated things, the challenges I have faced during the week or even just yesterday are all erased, just as the snow covers the tracks in my yard.

In the stillness and the quiet, I whisper a prayer of thanks to God for making all things new in his time.

This is Our Life...

2011-01-19T20:51:00.003-06:00

Right now!

Isaiah 40:31

...but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

I have to admit,

I am WEARY.

I am tired.

I am overwhelmed.

I am helpless.

But, My God is NOT!

Because of His great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.

Lamentations 3:22

Another day proves another visit to the doctor's office. This time for Zoe. She came down with a fever in the middle of the night. Since she has been exposed to Strep, I needed to take her in for a test since she is just a baby. Thankfully, her Strep test came back negative. The doctor gave her a good look over though and it turns our she has an ear infection.

Since we were in the doctors office and I had Nate with me, I asked her to check him too. He hasn't had the Strep yet. He hasn't been sick, sick, but he just hasn't felt well. She looked in his ears and he, too, has an ear infection. I'm so glad that I took them both in.

More antibiotics for our family.

Let's see that officially makes it, four on antibiotics for Strep, one on antibiotics for Pink-eye, two taking eye drops for Pink-eye, and two on antibiotics for ear infections. That just leaves Steve and Anna, but Anna finished antibiotics for an ear infection just last week.

I need rest.

I need to fill myself with the promises of God.

I need his strength to get through this, because on my own I can't!

I am so thankful that I have a God who LOVES me!

Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him.

Psalm 62:5

A January Daybook

2011-01-17T14:26:00.006-06:00

Outside My Window

its a cloudy, rainy/snowy kind of day.

I am Listening to

the kids with all their giggling and conversation making new Wii characters. Everyone is off today for Martin Luther King Day.

I am Wearing

Jeans, my new black belt, a black longsleeve t-shirt and bare feet.

I am so Grateful for

the fact that we have medical care and treatment so accessible.

I'm Pondering -

"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase." ~Martin Luther King, Jr.

I am Reading -

The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns ( a life changing book and oh, so good, so good that I don't want to finish it as I feel like I will forget about all the meat therein).

Organized Simplicity by Tsh Oxenreider (also, so good and very practical)

Somewhere to Belong by Judith Miller (my fiction fix as I have been sick)

I am Thinking

a nap sounds good, but I will probably just end up reading my fiction book the rest of the afternoon instead.

I am Creating

Still thinking of what I will create next, maybe baby baby slings for the girl's dolls.

I am Hoping and Praying

*that I can go with Steve to small group tonight, its been ages since I have been.

*for no one else in the family to get Strep Throat.

*to be feeling better as Steve heads back to work tomorrow.

Around the House

a good cleaning needs to be done tomorrow once everyone is back to work and school. Not much happened over the weekend with mom being sick.

From the Kitchen

Thankfully, I planned our meals for the week and got out to the grocery store before I got sick on Saturday.

Monday - Tuna noodle casserole for kids as mom and dad hope to go out before small group

Tuesday - Tacos, refried beans and applesauce

Wednesday - Chicken and Rice Casserole, salad, veggies and maybe homemade bread

Thursday - Baked Potato Bar and salad

Friday - Sloppy Joes, french fries, and fruit

Saturday - Pizza night or out

desserts and snacks to include: homemade cookies and chocolate souffle

One of My Favorite Things

hearing the kids playing and getting along.

A Few Plans for the Rest of the Week

Getting the house back in order and still to work family goals and vision for the new year.

Picture thoughts

Our Big Three Year Old

2011-01-14T10:17:00.004-06:00

On Christmas, we celebrated Nate's third birthday. Nathanael is such a good-loving little boy. He is pretty laid back and so happy. He goes off and plays by himself in the basement for hours. He also makes it his goal, while he is down there, to dump each and every box of toys. The next time I head downstairs, it looks like a tornado went through. The other kids don't like that he does this very much, because they are the ones who we make clean it all up.

His birthday and Christmas gifts pretty much consisted of trucks, tractors and cars. It made this little boy VERY happy.

Here, one of the boys put dish cloths in his shirt to be like football pads. This is the face and the growl he thinks football players do.

One of the funniest things he does lately is tell everyone how old he is. For example, someone will ask him how old he is and he will respond, "ten." We then tell him, "no, three." Just the other day, we asked him and he responded, "ten!" We said, "ten?" He then said, "no, probably eweven." He cracks us up more than we can count everyday and we are blessed by him.

One Of the, I'm Sure, Many Things...

2011-01-13T20:59:00.009-06:00

(this photo is from back in the Spring when the entire family minus Steve and Z were treated for Strep Throat)

...no one ever told me about having a large family.

Sickness

You see in a large family when one person gets sick with something contagious, like let's say Strep Throat, a cold, or the stomach flu, it gets passed from one person, to the next person, to the next, and so on. By the time everyone has had the sickness and been treated for it, the cycle begins once again. It then makes its way back through the family again. Sometimes, it changes from Strep, to the stomach flu, and then on to Pink Eye. It is even conceivable to think that we could have everyone sick with a different kind of bug all at once. God, have MERCY, please!

We had Strep throat go through just before Christmas. All of the boys were treated and the girls made it out safely. This week already, I have had one daughter in to the doctors for a nasty ear infection on Saturday. The other daughter had a fever last Thursday and Friday and stayed home from school. She was fine over the weekend and on Monday and Tuesday. On Wednesday, morning she kept saying she was cold. I thought she was just trying to get out of going to school. After I helped get her dressed, I took her temperature...101.4 degrees F. She got to stay home. After a while of her laying on the couch, she threw up. It was then that I knew she had Strep Throat. I called the doctors and got her in later that morning. She tested positive for Strep. If my doctor had not been a man, I probably would have cried. All I could think is here we go again. My mind then begins to fill with the steps we have to take to keep this from spreading and to get rid of this bug.

Number 1 - Stop at Walmart on the way home from doctors. Pick up prescription, Tylenol, Ibuprofen (lots of it). Recently I decided that when I buy Tylenol to always buy at least two bottles at a time. We go through it rather quickly.

Number 2 - We have to make sure no one shares cups. Everyone uses their designated color.

Number 3- New tooth brushes all around, but we can't open them for 24 hours.

Number 4 - No sharing chap stick.

All of these are hard when you have a three year old running around drinking from everyone's cups and chewing on everyone's tooth brushes.

When they/we get sick, I have to switch into survival mode. I need to do what comes next. I need to love on my sickies and show them I care. I can't be worried about tomorrow or who will or won't get sick. Heaven forbid it be me, although, secretly I do sometimes wish I would be the sick one so I can hibernate to my bedroom for a whole day. Not sick enough to be paralyzed, but just enough to nap and read ALL DAY LONG.

I do have to say that I love Winter, but due to the fact that our family is sick ALL winter long, I'm having second thoughts. Everyday, I need to remind myself that my God is Healer and my God is Protector. My prayers are filled with those cries this winter.

Everyone's bottle labeled with their initial so we can keep them straight

A New Year Daybook

2011-01-10T13:05:00.006-06:00

Outside My Window - its cloudy as we await the coming snow storm. Dare I say "Snow Day" tomorrow?

I am Listening to - the dryer with a load of towels in it and little girls drawing and cutting.

I am Wearing - my uniform (black yoga pants and a grey longsleeve t-shirt) and purple slippers - my all-time favorite thing to be wearing.

I am so Grateful for - the opportunity to be a home with my kids, taking the time to paint my little girl's finger nails, napping babies, and quiet.

I'm Pondering -

“God is looking for people through whom He can do the impossible.

What a pity when we plan only the things we can do by ourselves.” -A.W. Tozer

I am Reading - The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns ( a life changing book and oh, so good, so good that I don't want to finish it as I feel like I will forget about all the meat therein).

Organized Simplicity by Tsh Oxenreider (also, so good and very practical)

I am Thinking - five minutes will have the boys bursting through the door and it will be homework time, I'm not really ready for this today. Lord, help me get through it!

I am Creating - a fleece and flannel baby blanket for Z.

I am Hoping and Praying - for my two children who are really disliking school right now.

Around the House - everything is pretty tidy as we have a man coming to take appraisal pictures (for our refinancing) in a few minutes. A thorough cleaning needs to be done, though.

From the Kitchen - I planned our menu today, now just to get to the store.

Monday - Poppyseed Chicken, veggies

Tuesday - Taco soup with corn bread

Wednesday - Spaghetti with homemade sauce, garlic bread, peas and salad

Thrusday - Cheeseburgers on the grill, cheesy potatoes, veg

Friday - Quesidillas and chips and salsa

Saturday - Pizza night

also Peanut Butter Swirls sometime soon to fix my craving :)

One of My Favorite Things - cloudy, dreary days with nowhere to go.

A Few Plans for the Rest of the Week - groceries, cleaning, making a baby blanket, working on my blog by getting a new template and working family goals and vision for the new year.

Picture thoughts:

Things We've Created This Break

2011-01-04T17:22:00.011-06:00

With the kids off school for Christmas and lots of company, we tried to keep our hands busy. Following are some of the things we've created over the break.

Lethal Peppermint Chocolate Cake

for a very SPECIAL BOY'S SECOND BIRTHDAY on Christmas!

Felt Tic-Tac-Toe game, thanks to my sister, Laura, for the great idea, the help and the motivation to actually get it done.

Lace Snow Flakes (the kids made these)

Knitted hats (again thanks to my sister for the idea and the use of her nifty looms). We now have our own looms and I'm sure there will be plenty of hats going around.

Cason just finished his today and he is so proud.

And last, but not least...

***MEMORIES***

My Englishisms

2010-11-11T14:34:00.003-06:00

We've been back in the US for one year now. I find it quite funny that I still use some proper English terms. I have had two incidents recently where I have used the English term for something, and the person I was talking to didn't know what I meant. The funny thing is that when I used the words, I couldn't even think of the American word for what I was trying to say.

A couple weeks ago, I was talking to a friend about an issue my mom has with her foot. I said that she was taking physio for it. As I said it, I realized it was the English term as my friend looked at me with questioning look. I continued to try to explain what I meant, but I couldn't think of the American word for the life of me. Finally, she said, "physical therapy"? "Yes, that's it!"

The other incident happened yesterday as I was driving through Starbucks for a coffee. I asked for cream on my mocha. It just came out that way and I assumed everyone knew what cream was. The person who took my order said, "whipped cream?" And, once again I was like, "yes, yes, whipped cream." I didn't even think that, to Americans, cream is thick milk for coffee.

It is good to know that I am not completely Americanized again!

My Laundry Philosophy

2010-11-09T16:05:00.005-06:00

I've never been one who likes to do laundry every day. Doing a load or two a day would kill me. It wouldn't be from the washing part, or even folding for that matter. I feel like I would always have baskets or piles of clothes lying around that need to be put away. That would drive me mad. Because of this, I have days planned out for each set of laundry. This way I am not doing laundry every day of the week. Now mind you, as my family has grown, so have the number of days it takes to get the laundry done.

I guess you could say that my laundry schedule starts on Sunday night after the kids are in bed. I grab the towels, as well as the garbage, since Monday morning is garbage day, out of the kids bathroom. I bring them down and throw them in the washer. They take a couple of hours since I wash them on sanitary wash with extremely hot water. Monday then leaves me to the rest of the towels in the house and sometimes a set or two of sheets.

On Monday night, I sort all the kids clothes. This ranges from 4 to 6 loads depending on the season. In the winter it is more, I have a whole load and sometimes two of just jeans. I love the summer loads...shorts, dresses...a lot less clothes to wash, fold and put away. After the kids clothes are sorted, I bring them down and throw in the first load. This is usually jeans, because I know they are easy and quick to fold first thing in the morning when so much is going on. On Monday night, I sometimes have time to switch loads too. This really helps to stay on top of it all on Tuesday.

These photos are of my laundry room on Tuesday, toward the end of the day. I just have the girls load left to fold.

Tuesday I continue to work on the kids clothes. The order of the laundry goes from jeans, to dark, to medium, to whites and then finally on to the girls clothes. I leave theirs for last so I have all the boys done and put into baskets by that point. This way I have room to fold theirs. After the clothes are in the baskets are done, they placed at the bottom of the stairs for Steve to carry up for me. The older three boys all put their own laundry away on Wednesday. I am working on the girls putting their own away. I put the younger one's away on Wednesday morning.

A side-note on the laundry, when each load is done, I stand and fold it right then and there. I don't save it until later, having 6 loads to fold in the evening would stress me out. I used to do it that way, but that has changed as our family and our laundry has grown.

Wednesday and Thursday are my off days, unless it is sheet week. I hope you are not too surprised or grossed out, but I only wash sheets every two weeks. I do ours a bit more often than the kids. I just don't have the time to keep up on it more regularly. Getting two cribs, three twins and one double and one queen made again in the evening takes a good bit of time.

On Friday morning, I sort Steve and my clothes. We usually have two loads, one dark and one medium. I wash our whites with the kids whites on Tuesday. We put our clothes away sometime over the weekend.

And once again, I take the weekends off from laundry unless something like towels, rags or rugs needs to be washed.

You may be wondering about ironing. Well, I iron about once a month or so. I just hang whatever needs to be ironed in the laundry room closet and wait until there is enough in there to make it worth the effort. I buy wrinkle free shirts and pants/trousers for Steve and pull them right out of the dryer when they are done. It is very rare that they need to be ironed.

Well, I think that is my laundry schedule in a nutshell. I hope this is helpful to someone out there.

Our Weekly Schedule

2010-11-09T15:30:00.003-06:00

Well, this is at least my schedule for keeping house. I've pretty much run on the same schedule for years. Running a household of a large family is a lot of work, therefore for my sanity I need to have a plan. Some weeks don't go as planned and wrenches are thrown into them (ex. sick kids, doctors appointments, long weekends, etc.) These weeks tend to throw me off, and I get a bit frazzled and stressed. Life does happen and wrenches are thrown in quite often, so I need to remember that the plan is a tool and not my master. God is my master and He will give me the strength and motivation to face whatever challenges the weeks bring. What helps me to get back into the groove is knowing the plan for the rest of the week and catching back up. As soon as I am back to the plan, I am a much calmer momma.

Monday - laundry (I'll post my laundry story in the next blog.), cleaning main floor of the house for small group on Monday night (vacuuming, dusting, mopping, and cleaning the main floor bathroom, also a quick pick up of the basement if time is allowed), sorting the kids clothes (This happens after small group and after the kids are in bed. I throw in the first load too!)

Tuesday - Kids laundry (more next post), this takes up most of my day

Wednesday - upstairs cleaning, bathrooms, vacuuming (main floor again too)

Thursday - things that didn't get done earlier in the week

Friday - Laundry (mine and Steve's clothes), vacuuming main floor and a quick wet mop to be ready for the weekend

Saturday - the weekends are for projects around the house and the yard (mowing, weeding, organizing, cleaning kids bedrooms, etc.) and for running errands (For the most part, during the week I am at home. I do run out and get groceries, but don't do any other shopping. There just isn't time in the day.)

Sunday - Day of REST (nap for momma)

I think I could probably do a couple more posts on dinner and on getting groceries. I think I'll save those for another day. Next up, I'll work on our laundry routine.

And Their Off...To School That Is

2010-08-20T15:56:00.003-05:00

Backpacks packed and ready

They are a little excited, can you tell?

They were excited to get back to school. I went with Leah on the first day. She only went for an hour. After a bit of time, the parents had to go to the gym to hear from the principal and get other information. Leah cried when I had to go, but after that she was fine. The next day she was so excited to ride the bus with her older brothers. She didn't even want me to walk her to the bus stop. I did assign one of her brothers to be her "buddy" for the day. He would help cross the street, find a seat on the bus and also get her to her class. For the first week or so, we changed boys each day. She loved having the special attention from her older brothers and I think they enjoyed taking care of her.

The kids are loving school and mom is enjoying the quiet around the house.

School Supplies

2010-08-16T15:06:00.004-05:00

This is what school supplies for four children looks like. I can't even imagine the amount, much less the cost for school supplies for seven.

Last week we sorted it all out and got their backpacks all packed. Here are the proud four with a little sister peeking in. They head back to school tomorrow . I have a feeling it will be bittersweet for all of us.

You're still the one

2010-08-16T15:00:00.003-05:00

Happy 12th Anniversary, Steve!

I ADORE You!

Potty Training Advice

2010-08-13T10:03:00.002-05:00

A friend of mine asked me to write tips I have on potty training. I have been thinking about it and pulling ideas together in my head. At first I thought, I don't have any advice because it doesn't always happen when or how I would like it to. I have learned a few things about potty training though and I do have five who are potty trained. So, we've done something right.

Facts I have learned about potty training:
1. Girls train earlier than boys, sometimes as much as a year earlier in our case. Girls seem to care more about this sort of thing. They want to be grown up. Little boys are too busy playing to care or notice they have to go. Plus they really don't care much if they pee themselves. The girls don't like it so much.

My oldest daughter trained at just before 2 1/2. My middle son was torture to train and he didn't do it until he was 3 1/2.

2. They get it and it clicks when THEY are ready, not when when I am ready. Unfortunately, even after training lots, I forget this and try to pressure them to train. I so wish they would do it on demand and it would only take a week, but that has not been the way it has happened in our family. Each child is totally different, just as they are in everything and have trained differently. My most recent, youngest daughter, didn't even know what to do on the potty. She would sit on it all the time and say she peed. But, she didn't do anything. I left her be and didn't pressure her anymore and then a few months later I walked into the bathroom upstairs to find her pooping on the potty. From that point on, she figured it out and she did it. I loved it with her, because I always have found it easier to train for pee. This time, she was trained the other first.

3. Just as with any other tool for parenting, you will finds various opinions on how and when to potty train. Please remember that you are the parent. You know your child and your circumstances best. Don't feel pressured from others, do what is best for your family.

Tips:
1. Buy lots of extra underwear, even old ones from garage sales or save hand-me-downs. Often one would poop in their underwear and it would gross me out so much (mostly I would have been pregnant) that I couldn't get myself to clean them out. I definitely wasn't about to slosh my hands around in the toilet to clean them. If I had old ones, I didn't feel bad about just throwing the they yucky ones in the garbage. This took a lot of pressure off me and has been so worth it.

2. BE PATIENT - they will get it eventually. Maybe not in your timing, but they will.

3. If it leads to stress on you and them - STOP! Try again in a few weeks or months. Sometimes, they just pick it up on their own without any pressure, like my daughter.

4. Don't feel pressured to have your kids potty trained by a certain age, because they are all different.

Hopefully, this has been helpful to someone. If you have a tip on potty training, leave a comment.

*This is a repost from last year, but since we are going through this whole potty training process once again, I thought I would share. I find there principles still applicable with number six, who is a boy and also training at 2 1/2 years. When they are ready, they are ready.

Zoe - 6 Months

2010-08-12T14:48:00.000-05:00

I can't believe she's half way to a year.

Zoe sits and is just starting to get up on her knees. I don't think it will be long before she is going places. She does scoot herself around on the floor, only it is backwards. Today I caught her saying "babababa."

I absolutely LOVE this age. She is so much fun!

Zoe has been eating two meals of baby food too. She loves her food. She is ready for the third, but I am waiting until the kids start back to school next week so we can get in a normal routine.

Her smile makes me wonder if I smile with my mouth wide open too!

The Girls Room

2010-08-11T14:24:00.002-05:00

Since we moved in, the girls have still been in their little toddler beds. They filled them right up from top to bottom. We want to get them bunk beds, but bunk beds are not at the top of the list right now. We had an extra double bed in the basement, which Steve's parents gave us. The plan was to use it for an extra guest bed as we already have another down there too. A couple of weeks ago, I decided to move it up to the girls bedroom since they are outgrowing their toddler beds and they have been insisting on sleeping together in those tiny, little beds.

I'm so glad for the help from my boys. We hauled the double bed...frame, mattress and box springs up two flights of stairs. It was a lot heavier than I thought it would be. My sister recently gave me some extra Duvet covers she had and one of them was pink and it matched their room perfectly.

I am so proud that I gave the girls room a total makeover in a couple of hours and I didn't spend any money. I am planning on making them some new curtains this fall or winter. I just need to find the perfect fabric.
The girls just love their new room and they especially love sleeping snuggled up together.

Holiday in Lower Michigan

2010-08-03T14:08:00.006-05:00

We were so excited when we heard that our friend from high school, Sherwood and his wife Areli were going to be in Michigan from Guatemala the same time as us. It has been a couple years since we have last seen them. (They came to visit us in England.) We made plans to get together with them. On Friday July 2, we drove over to Kalamazoo where Sherwood was working for the week. We made it out of my mom's with only three kids...Andrew, Anna and Zoe. We enjoyed a nice dinner at an Irish Pub with Sherwood and Areli. It was so nice to chat and catch up.

After dinner we went back to their hotel so Andrew and Anna could swim a bit.

Andrew took this photo of Sherwood, Areli and Steve and me.

I can't get enough of this picture. They are both so proud. I love it when we mix it up a bit and take different sets of kids with us to do something special.

This is the best photo I have from the Fourth of July. We had a cookout at my mom's some of my Aunt, Uncles, cousins and their kids came. This is the second cousins playing together.

My Aunt Anne called to see if she could take the kids for a ride in her convertible. Three of them were thrilled to join her. I bet this was a highlight of our vacation for them. This is the first time they rode in a convertible and they LOVED it. Thank you, Aunt Anne.

Look What Came in the Mail

2010-07-29T14:00:00.003-05:00

The other day we received a package in the mail and just look what was inside... these adorable headbands. These girls have the most awesome, creative and cool Aunt in the whole world. My sister just whipped these up one day.

We just want to say, "THANK YOU, AUNT LAURA. We love you!"

Aren't they adorable?

Da UP!

2010-07-24T08:24:00.007-05:00

From Wisconsin, we headed up to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan making our way over to Mackinaw City for a few nights. A few hours into the trip we stopped to get subs for lunch and then found this nice roadside park right along Lake Michigan to have lunch at. The kids were once again in the lake. This time they were trying to catch minos.

On the way to Mackinac where we both grew up, we stopped at my dads so the kids could see his little cabin. They loved the openness of the country and called his cabin a Lincoln Log house.

Getting ready to cross the Mackinac Bridge.

In the middle of the Mackinac Bridge about 100 feet from the water.

At the laser light show in Mackinaw City.

Heading to Fort Michilimackinac

The kids with a guard after the musket demonstration.

Nathanael wanted a picture with him too. He was so proud.

Papa and the kids climbing the fort wall.

Our colonial family (notice our little dog).

The family with the Bridge in the background.

Enjoying the biggest ice cream cones the kids have ever had!

Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse

Once again, playing in the water. This time it was in Lake Huron. Lake Huron is on the right side of the Bridge and Lake Michigan is on the left.

Papa and a happy little Zoe

Couldn't resist this cute one of Anna.

Trip to Wisconsin

2010-07-23T20:36:00.006-05:00

Back at the end of June, we decided last minute to take a week vacation. We were already planning on spending the weekend of the Fourth of July at my mom's house in lower Michigan. We threw in a trip to Wisconsin to my sisters and a trip to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan a week earlier. Today, I'll start with our trip to Wisconsin.

We arrived late on Friday night. On Saturday, we ventured out to downtown Appleton to the Farmers Market and for a picnic lunch. The rest of the afternoon was spent with the kids in the kiddie pool and Laura, the babies and I heading to Target.

Nora and Zoe

We also celebrated Annaliese's fourth birthday. Since we travelled on her birthday, we did it a day late with her cousins. She called her Aunt Laura a few weeks ahead of time to ask her if she would make her a princess birthday cake. Her creative, awesome, Queen of all parties, Aunt Laura came up with a Princess Crown Cake. Anna loved it, as you can see in the pictures.

Anna was a little embarrassed by all the attention with everyone singing to her.

The cousins doing their traditional funny face picture.

On Sunday, we took a trip over to Sheboygan to catch up with friends from college, The V's. They live yards from the beach of Lake Michigan. Needless to say we spent the day at the beach, catching up, and eating. A wonderful time was enjoyed by all at the V's Villa. They are the best hosts and so very gracious to accommodate six extra adults and eleven kids.

This is what the dads do at the beach.

This is what the kids do at the beach.

This is what Nate does at the beach.

I think we are still finding sand in his body cavities.

This is what the babies do at the beach.

This is what the moms do at the beach.

Our family and the V's

Nora and Zoe in their Bumbo seats. Zoe's is brand new. We got it the night before for our trip. Poor little Nora, she couldn't keep her eyes open. All the commotion over the weekend wiped her out.

Thoughts and Dreams on Blogging

2010-07-12T15:00:00.000-05:00

On request by many, I have returned to blogging a bit. I know I haven't been here very much since before we moved back to the US. I haven't even blogged our experiences on moving. I really need to sit down to work a little on those experiences, but for now I am going to do a little here and there. It will probably mostly be about our family life, the children and hopefully move a little more toward inner thoughts and feelings. For a while now, I have had thoughts running through my mind about what I should write about, but have been overwhelmed by the vast amount of information I desire to share. Being overwhelmed stopped me from sharing anything at all. Recently, I decided to no longer let that stop me, but to just blog, even if it is small...baby steps.

I have so much I want to share and sometimes struggle with the right words or the right timing. The past eight months have been hard on me and our family. The move back to the US was harder than any of us could have imagined. I am still struggling with all of the emotions due to the move. I miss our life in the UK. I miss our friends, our church, the culture, etc. My desire is that as I sort things out in my head I will blog them as I feel ready to and as the thoughts come coherently. (So far, none of this post is coherent in my opinion. I just hope I make some bit of sense.)

What I do know is that I love to write, I want to share our experiences from the last 10 or so months, but also that I have seven kids and it is hard to find the time to sit down to write. I'm gonna try, because how ever hard, sad or joyful the last eight months have been I want to remember them.

Zoe Is Five Months

2010-07-11T09:23:00.003-05:00

Zoe turned five months on July 2. She definitely had a rough start in our family. She has been the fussiest newborn we have ever had. Once she hit four months, though, things got much better. Now I look and she is already five months and I wonder where the time has gone.

Yesterday, she tried rice cereal for the first time. I actually cried, because this means she is growing up. She isn't a little newborn anymore. She is rolling all over the place and I know soon she will be moving everywhere. Zoe is well loved and gets lots of attention from all of her siblings. She even cries when she is left alone in a room because she is used to all the chaos and noise.

One thing I do know after having so many babies, is that they grow way to quickly. I know that I need to enjoy everyday with her and cherish every moment, milestone and memory. It may have been hard the first few months with her and she will continue to be lots of work with less sleep for me for a while longer, but I know it will only be for a season and I want to embrace it all. Because before I know it, she will be ten just like her older brother, our first baby.

Her first bite of cereal.

She loved the cereal after a few bites and ate a whole bowl full.

Trying out her new Bumbo seat

Leah's Lingo

2010-07-08T22:15:00.003-05:00

The girls recently learned how to wrap a towel around their hair. Their grandma taught them and they think it is really neat. Today, Leah wrapped Nate's blanket around her head and came up to our friend Lois. Following is their conversation.

Lois: "Why are you wearing that on your head?"

Leah: "I'm a weenie!"

Lois: "A what? What's a weenie?"

Leah: "Yeah, you know like from Aladdin. The one that comes out of tea cups."

Lois: "Oohhhh, A Genie!"

Leah: "Yeah, a genie!"

The Girls

2010-06-26T09:33:00.000-05:00

Here are some random pictures of the girls. The were all taken within the last week. (See Glenda, I'm working on being back).

Best Friends

Swim Lessons

2010-06-25T06:00:00.000-05:00

The kids just got done with two weeks of swimming lessons and they all absolutely loved them. I did too. They each had their own teacher (life guards) and all the kids had their lessons at the same time. This is especially great for someone with seven kids. We all went to the pool and I walked around with Nathanael and Zoe while all the kids had their lessons for half an hour. On the last day of their lessons, they got to go down the water slides. The pool has three more sessions of lessons through the summer. I think I might sign them up for one more session at the end of July. It gives us something to do, teaches them a valuable skill and lets them enjoy time at the pool.

Rolly Zoe

2010-06-23T15:29:00.004-05:00

A few weeks ago, around the time when Zoe turned four months. She surprised us all one evening as she rolled over for the very first time. She is one antsy little girl. Zoe is one who will be up and running with the rest of them before we know it. She keeps her eyes and smiles on her brothers and sisters at all times. They don't intimidate her or over-stimulate her. They make her laugh. I am glad for this since she is number seven. Zoe is a joy and adored by all.

Introducing the Newest Member of Our Family

2010-03-03T16:23:00.003-06:00

Zoe Elisabeth

Born on February 2, 2010

At 11:17 a.m.

8 pounds 7 ounces

20 inches long

Zoe has been well welcomed and adored by the rest of her siblings.

Look Who's TWO!

2009-12-26T15:13:00.004-06:00

Once again, along with Christmas we were able to celebrate another special day in our family, Nathanael's second birthday. We celebrated after dinner with both sets of Grandmas and Grandpas. He loved tearing into more presents. The other kids think it is no fair that he gets to have his birthday on Christmas and get even more presents. I don't think it is something to be jealous of. He doesn't get anything the rest of the year. Bummer! Since he is still young and doesn't have much of an opinion, what we have been doing, by having a birthday party on Christmas night, works well for us. When/if he starts to get bothered by his birthday on Christmas, we will change things.

I just love this little pose!

Tearing into some pressies!

Enjoying the first licks of his birthday cake. He was adorable trying to blow out his candles. He tried, tried and tried but finally gave up. He just looked up at me as if to say, "this is too much work."

We are so blessed to celebrate another year of Nathanael's life. It was also neat to be able to celebrate it, along with Christmas with the rest of our families.

Leah's Lingo

2009-10-05T07:37:00.004-05:00

I found the girls playing in their room this morning.

Leah says to me, "I'm playing I just had a tiny baby and I am in bed."

I look over at her and she is tucked right into bed with her baby doll tucked into the baby bed pulled right up to the side of her bed. Gee, can you tell we have brought a few babies home from the hospital? BTW, Anna was ironing baby clothes at the time. Girls are so fun and they play so differently than boys.

Grandma and Aunt Laura's Visit

2009-09-05T11:54:00.006-05:00

Just a few highlights from our visit with Grandma F and Aunt Laura. We visited Warwick Castle on the first Saturday of their time here. Unfortunately, we forgot our camera that day. We had a great time and especially enjoyed our dinner at Nando's in Coventry.

The above photo was taken at Burghley House. We spent the day there walking, picnicing and playing in the water at the Garden of Surprise.
Mom, Laura and Nathanael enjoying our day out to Cambridge while the rest of the kids were at Holli's. We had lunch at the Slug and Lettuce (a chain restaurant/pub in England). Thanks again, Holli!

Mom and Laura 0n the bus in Cambridge

Our day out to Stamford on Cason's birthday. These pictures are of us stopping at Bean's for our hot chocolate and milkshakes.

Mom, Laura, Andrew, Cason and Nathanael (sleeping) on a bridge in Stamford.

Mom and Laura by the train at Kings Cross in London for our girls weekend.

Me and Laura in front of a monument at Kensington Palace.

Me and Mom on a bench at the Cath Kidston store in Covent Gardens. Such a lovely store. It was hard to make final decisions. I did come away with a really nice bag and matching wallet.

Mom and Laura in front of an English phone booth.

The kids and grandma being silly on their last night here.

All of us (minus Steve) before they left bright and early the next morning. We had such a great time with them and are so happy they were able to make it to visit us one last time.

Cason Turns Eight!

2009-09-01T03:21:00.005-05:00

This stylish dude turned eight way back on August 21 (see how behind I am.) Cason was able to have a bigger birthday party than usual as grandma and Aunt Laura were here visiting. We once again gave him the option for what he wanted to do for his birthday dinner go out or eat in his favorite food. He chose to eat in. He wanted grilled chicken with Peri-Peri sauce from Nando's. So that is what we did. We ended the meal with a confetti cake with homemade butter cream frosting. He was thrilled.

His birthday was on Friday. For the day, we took grandma and Aunt Laura into Stamford to the market. We did a bit of shopping, had lunch and then stopped off at Bean's (the best little coffee shop) for milkshakes for the kids, hot chocolate for mommy and Aunt Laura and coffee for grandma. After our little treat, we had to make a secret stop for a surprise for Cason. We headed to the music store where we bought Cason his birthday present - a 3/4 size red,acoustic guitar. He was so surprised. He left the store carrying his guitar in his case all the way to the car as proud as can be. He had asked for an electric guitar for his birthday, but mom and dad wanted him to learn on acoustic first and thankfully the man at the music store agreed.

Everyone waiting for birthday cake.

The happy birthday boy and two proud sisters.

Cason with his remote control Hummer from Grandma and Grandpa S.

Cason with his very own personalized picture from Grandma F.

Blowing out the candles.

Cason, we hope you had a great birthday. We love you so much. You are such a hard worker and a great helper. We hope you have fun learning how to play your new guitar. Love you, honey!

Lost Teeth

2009-09-01T03:02:00.004-05:00

Two weeks ago, Tristan lost his first tooth. The kids spent the day at my friend Holli's while my mom, sister, Nate and I went to Cambridge for the day. While he was at Holli's, he pulled his first tooth. Tristan didn't tell anyone and Holli saw later in the day that he had lost it. She asked him why he didn't tell anyone. He said he didn't want her to take his tooth. He kept it tucked safely in his pocket all day. He was very excited to put it under his pillow that night and even wrote the tooth fairy a note asking how big she was. He got a nice note in reply saying she was about 12 inches. He went around all day asking people how big they thought the tooth fairy was and then telling them the correct size. I love six year olds!

Three days after that he lost his second tooth. This time he wrote a note to the tooth fairy asking if he could keep his tooth. She gladly left his money and his tooth.

A Bit Behind

2009-09-01T02:58:00.002-05:00

Sorry, I am a bit behind in my blogging. My sister and mom we over visiting for 12 days and we have been busy getting things sorted for our trip back to the US next week. We will be in the US for two weeks. We look forward to our time there, but know it will be a very busy time.

I will try to slip in a few blogs here and there when I get a chance before then.

London

2009-08-12T08:45:00.000-05:00

We've been wanting to get the kids back down to London so on Saturday, August 1, we headed down on the train. Our first stop was the Tower of London. Above is a picture of Steve with the kids in front of it. One of our first stops once inside the Tower was to get some lunch. We are all in better moods when we have full tummies. Then we were off to see the Tower.

Mommy and Nathanel eating fish and chips for lunch.

Leah at lunch.

Cason at lunch.

After we finished lunch, we headed outside only to find a sword fight going on. This is a picture of us watching the fight.

Andrew in front of a very old castle wall.

Leah happily riding on daddy's back.

Steve and the kids with the Tower Bridge in the background.

A very nice, American gentleman offered to take our picture. I think it came out pretty well.

Mommy and most of the kids with a guard in the background.

Nathanael watching the guard.

We have to admit, the Tower of London was not our favorite castle (we like Windsor and Edinburgh Castles much better). We did however really like seeing the English Crown Jewels. It was incredible seeing videos and pictures of Queen Elizabeth's corination and then seeing the amazing jewels.

Cason on the Tube (the underground).

Tristan on the Tube.

Dad and Andrew on the Tube.

Our next stop was Hamley's, a huge toy store. I think we may have been a little nuts to take our kids there, since it is such an incredibly busy store. It wasn't too bad and we even got out of there without buying anything. We did buy the kids a small item back at the Tower of London earlier, so they didn't even ask at Hamley's.

Leah in front of the lift(elevator) doors in Hamley's .

Annaliese feeding Nate some ice cream at Nandos (a delicious Portuguese chicken restaurant)

Nate after eating a bite of ice cream. I think he may have had a brain freeze.

Cheesing it up for the camera.

Annaliese eating her ice cream.

Picture of us in Piccadilly Circus before catching the tube back to the train station.

Patiently waiting to jump on the tube.

Enjoying some guy time on the train ride back to Peterborough.

Impossible to Get the Perfect Picture of 6

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Take 1!

Take 2!

Take 3!

Take 4!

Take 5!

But I was finally able to get these good ones!

These were all taken at the end of July at Bourne Woods. The one at the top of our blog page was the best one in my opinion. It is neat how the pictures show all the kids personalities though.

Lego Land

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On Monday, we surprised the kids with a trip to Lego Land. We didn't tell them where we were going. I truly think we may surprise them like this more often. That morning they were calm. If they would have know where we were going, they would have been bouncing off the wall. It was so fun too. They had no idea, until we were driving in the drive of Lego Land. Cason looked around and saw giant Legos. He said, "Hey, I think we are going to Lego Land!" They were thrilled.

For those of you that don't know, Lego Land is an amusement park centered on Legos. They also have stores spread out through the park, so we didn't leave without buying some Legos. It is a nice amusement park for our kids. It isn't too big and our kids were able to go on most of the rides. Steve and I both admitted, though, that once you have been to Disney nothing else compares. Disney just rocks. Lego Land was fun, though and the kids had a great time, so that is all that matters.

A picture of most of us and the Lego family near the entrance to Lego Land.

Andrew and Cason on their first ride.

Daddy and the girls on their first ride, Sky Rider.

The girls, Tristan and Dad racing Cason and Andrew in a fire truck game. You can see Andrew and Cason in the background, spraying water.

Mommy and Nate in the hot air balloon ride.

Tristan driving a Lego boat.

Mommy, Leah, Anna and Nathanael watching the boys ride the Lego boats.

Our family riding a fairy tale ride in Duplo Land.

We all enjoyed another day out as a family.

Visit to Windsor

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It has been a few weeks ago now, but I wanted to document our trip to Windsor. We left on a Sunday morning, skipping church and headed down to Windsor. It is right outside London. The drive took us a little over two hours. We headed straight to Windsor Castle. We went there last summer, but that was when President George W. Bush was visiting the Queen at Windsor castle. So, obviously the castle was closed that day. It is such a beautiful castle from the outside, we wanted to go back and tour it. Windsor castle is one of the homes of the Queen.
They had free audio tours and kid ones too. That is what all the kids are holding up to their ears in the above picture. The girls just thought they were phones and had conversations on them the whole day. It was pretty funny. Andrew listened intently through the whole tour. (I couldn't even listen that long.) When we finished, I asked him what he learned. He said he learned that when you listen to someone talking for two hours it gives you a head ache. I told him he didn't have to listen to all of it and he said, "he didn't want to miss anything." The facts and such he picked up from that tour are amazing. He has taught me a few things.

We were able to see a huge doll house that was given as a gift to the Queen's grandmother sometime around 1912. The detail and intricacy were amazing. One of the workers in that exhibit came up to us and was telling us about the doll house and how everything in it works. It has running water from the taps, and the sewing machine, lights, etc. all work. It was incredible.

We also saw two giant (by this I mean girls size) dolls that were given to Queen Elizabeth and her sister Margaret when they were children from France. They came with a whole wardrobe of clothing, accessories, boxes and even a little car. They were gorgeous as well.

Steve and a tower from the castle

Whenever we visit castles, the boys search out the canons. They love canons, the bigger the better. They also want their picture taken with them.

Mommy and the girls

Mom, Tristan and Nathanael watching the armed guard across the courtyard.

After we left the castle, we stopped for some yummy ice cream before heading to our hotel for the evening.