I wanted to upload some photos from our little gingerbread house party. The first is ours and the second one is made by the other family that came. We had a blast. Maybe next year I will attempt making my own from scratch but this year was a no go for that!

Some pics of Summer and Alex as well as the tree in front of our house. It just looked like was CG or something.

Here is my latest basket

And here is some of our Christmas pics.

Picture updates! Here is Jason and Toby when I cut their hair the other day. Too funny

We had a good day yesterday. We went to the bookstore, Target, and Joanne's. I got some more fabric-Yeah!! We decided that we will go to the Mil's for Christmas but we are going to celebrate ours here before we leave. That way, we can still make it special. I wish we were closer so that we wouldn't be put in these situations. Everyone gets their feelings hurt no matter what decision we make. I don't understand why they just can't make their own decisions and THEN if someone wants to be including, great. Why does their christmas have to revolve around everyone else. I get that its family time but when you have a large extended family, people have to take that into consideration. Today I will likely finish another basket, wrap presents, and clean. We also need to cook for the week. So, today will be filled with necessary duties. Hopefully we will still have a good time though!

I haven't been posting as uch because I have been trying to go to bed later and wake up later. Jason is usually on the computer at night so I haven't had a chance. Well, Thanksgiving went fine. We stayed home because Toby came down with a cold. Unfortunately, this will effect our plans for tomorrow. We won't be able to have church. It's so frustrating but I guess 'tis the season, huh. The vacation time that Jason has taken off has been nice. We were able to talk about a lot of things. Today we will probably go to the new bookstore. I will also work on my baskets. I have another project I want to start after this that I am excited about. A friend of mine showed me how to let Kaitlyn begin her own quilt so I am letting her do that and she uses the scrap material from my baskets. It works really well! Gotta go, hopefully today will be fun and relaxing!

Here's Alex this morning.

This weekend was great! We had a blast Saturday and Sunday. Saturday we went to the bookstore, fabric store, and out to eat. Sunday we had church here and then went to hang out at the farmers market and walmart. We had such a good church service here. It's so nice to be able to talk about what you read instead of listening and believing everything you here from one person! Oh, I also finished my sewing project. It didn't turn out exactly as I would have liked so I will be making some changes next time. Here is a pic.


This was right after breakfast and I didn't wipe the table down so excuse the crumbs :) Here are a few pics of summer saying cheese.

Yesterday was not a great day but I did get a couple of things done. I experimented with the soap, turned out smelling and looking ok but now I need molds for it. I was thinking of making the molds out of polymer clay. It may be too time consuming though. I also started sewing my basket that I would love to turn into a christmas gift. Unfortunately I have some learning curves to overcome so it isn't going as fast as I would like. What is a row in terms of quilting?? I have no clue so I am headed to the internet to find out today. Oh, as for the biscottis, I made them but they turned out more like a cookie so I am going to try a different recipe next time. On Tuesday we had a family come over during the day and we had a great time. I really enjoyed talking to this Mom. She believes in many of the things I do so it was nice. We were supposed to sew but I kind of messed things up by not having everything together so we decided to just chat. Today we are going to park day with some other homeschoolers. We always enjoy ourselves there. I am so glad it's Friday(how many times have I said that!). I can't believe Thanksgiving is next week! Before you know it I am going to be 27, and have a 7 and 6 year old!! Birthdays are coming quickly...

Here are some cute recent pics.

Sunday was great. We went to the bookstore early(9:30) and stayed until almost lunchtime! I can't wait till the new Booksamillion opens up down the road, then it won't be such a drive. We went to Michaels as well. I bought some stuff to make soap with(yes the easy way!. I really want to make it from scratch but I am starting simple. I just bought the base, coloring, and scent. You basically heat the base in the microwave and then add everything you want to it and pour it in the mold. If this works out I might try to make some all natural things and then give some as christmas presents. I am also planning on making biscottis for everyone. I am going to start today. I am thinking about taking pictures along the way(just for you Susan!) Jason is off work today so I don't know what the "schedule" will look like. I am still doing school with the kids though. I want the time off for the holidays! I have been thinking about changing some things with the curriculum. I feel like they would read more if they were able to pick from a group of books. So, I am still going to do the core Sonlight curriculum but I am going to let them choose what LA(language arts) books they would like. We will likely do one week, they choose, the next week, I choose from the leftover sonlight la books. I was going to upload some pictures but my camera is out of batteries so I will have to wait till they charge up!

I had so much fun yesterday at the garage sale with my friend! Her husband was so kind and he took some of the kids so that we could go and look around. The kids got to play with her kids and they really enjoyed themselves. Later we went to a park. We had such a good time hat I wished we had brought our dinner as well! I have some pictures that I will upload later. Today we were going to have church with another family but one of the boys came down with something. We were dissapointed because we were really looking forward to it but as we know all too well, you never know whats going to happen from week to week!! We will probably still have a service with the kids though. Tomorrow Jason is supposed to have the day off so I am looking forward to that! I don't know what we are going to do but I am sure it will be fun!

Well, Wednesday didn't go as well as the rest of the days this week but I can surely say that overall, this week was great. Today is park day and I am looking forward to it. The weather is supposed to be great and hopefully the company will be too! I am in the process of making bread right now to take with us for a snack. I just can't bring myself to give the kids junk. That would set the weekend up to be a nightmare. On a positive note, we are studying Ephesians for church. It was really nice to talk to Jason this morning about it. We don't usually talk that much about history in the Bible. Usually it is about our beliefs and what backs up those beliefs. He is so smart. I honestly don't know how he remembers everything he reads. At times, I think he has a photographic memory but I know he doesn't. :) I am so blessed to have a husband that seeks after God. I can't tell you how excited I am about studying with him. We haven't done this since we dated!

I had a really good time last night at mothers night out. My only regret is that I wish I could stay later. It's always nice to come home too though. I got in the bed late last night despite my efforts to leave MNO to get to bed. I had drank some Earl Grey tea at MNO and that kept me up. I didn't even think about it at the time. So today I am suffering from it. The kids are tired today as well. I think I am going to make everyone go down for a nap. I don't know why I can't bring myself to nap. I feel like I am going to miss something if I go to sleep.

What a great week. I think the difference is our attitudes. I am trying to CHOOSE to be positive for Jason and in the process, I am actually FEELING positive. Initially I was trying to be a better wife. When he calls home for lunch sometimes, maybe more than sometimes, I act/feel tired or stressed. In fact, looking back, I acted more stressed out than I think I was. Wierd huh. At any rate, I decided to be more positive on the phone and when he is home. It has really made a huge difference. Last weekend I really tried hard especially. Sunday he said, you know, for the first time in a long time, I feel rejuvenated and ready for the week. Things are finally starting to get better. The funny thing is, is that nothing really changed. We are still where we were a week ago. The only difference was our attitudes. Amazing. I really encourage everyone to give it a try, even for a couple of days. I desire to be a Proverbs 31 woman and I think having a positive attitude and being a supportive wife are characteristics of that woman. There was one other thing that we did Sunday that may have helped rejuvenate us. We had church at home with another family. We really enjoyed it. I am looking forward to next Sunday!

Toby's B-day Pics

Yesterday was a blast. We didn't do much but it was very relaxing and rejuvenating. Mom, Grandma and JD came over and we had a good time. I made pizza and pockets for everyone and they turned out to be a hit so I was happy. Last night I put together some tuna salad and I am going to put that in Azumaya wraps for today. I think I might make some with cheese and ham. Yesterday I learned somehting quite funny. My Grandma and Great Grandma used to have chickens and when they wanted to kill them they would pick them up by the neck and "ring" it. It would break the chickens neck. I guess that's where we get the pharase "I'm going to ring your neck!" I do remember seeing them cut the chickens heads off and hang them on the clothesline. All the kids would just dance around them like no big deal. My Papa used to raise chickens just for pets! My Mom had a rooster for a pet too. How wierd is that. Maybe that's why I have such a strong desire to have a small farm. It must be in my blood! I do remember that Papa and Aunt Peggy both had gardens. I used to want to help but they wouldn't let the kids mess around with it. Well, I need to get off of here so that I can get ready.

Well, everyone is back together, thank heavens! I really do so much better with all my kiddos with me! Yesterday was a great day, despite being at home all day. I might take Jason to work so that he can pick up the other van and we can have a car. We left the van at his work when we picked up the kids. If that's the case, we will probably hang out until lunch. We will see. We did not do halloween this year. We weren't back in time from picking up the kids to go. I must say however, that this will be the last year we even think about doing halloween. I think I want to start celebrating Reformation day instead. What a WONDERFUL day! It is the same day as halloween for those of you that don't know. Check out the history of it and ponder it's importance!

Halloween

Do you celebrate Halloween? Do you know what it stands for? Most Americans do not!! Check out http://www.family.org/topics/a0017957.cfm They say that they take a middle of the road approach but they have some links that can help you decide if you want to support it. On another note, we are picking up Toby and summer today. The girls miss them terribly so I think we are going to wait to let them stay at Emily's. Charlotte REALLY missed them. She didn't know what to do with herself. Me too for that matter. We went to mcdonalds yesterday and the girls had fun. School was easier but not by much. Charlotte is still coming down from her sugar rush so the last two days have been hard with her. I really need to be better about giving her sugar! I still haven't recieved picks from Allen on the birthday party but when I do, I will put them up. I have started on a GI diet. Not to lose weight, but to feel fuller. It's not like those low carb diets that mess with your heart. This is really healthy eating. I am praying that it will be good for my body and it will have a good reaction to it. I am drinking alot more teas than I used to- green tea especially. Did you know that studies show that drinking 5 cups of green tea increases your metabolism? Today I have to clean up and take a nap! I didn't sleep well last night.

Today should be interesting. Emily has Toby and Summer so I will get to spend a little more time with the oldest. The weekend was great with the exception of some well meaning family members comments about our fertility. We had Toby's birthday party at Gattitown and he loved it. I was plesed with how everything went. After that I went to a family get-together that proved very emotionally challenging. These things are always this way though. I guess I should prepare myself before hand but usually I go into it thinking that maybe this time its different. Anyway, I will post some pics later of the b-day.

This coming weekend we are going up to visit family. Today is our last day before we have to start preparing so I think I am going to take the kids to the bookstore and then to a thrift store. I need to pick up something for Toby's birthday and I don't want to spend alot of money. If I don't find anything there, then we are going to get him a castle-$40. I can't believe my little guy is going to be 3! Here is a picture of them this past weekend at the zoo.

I'll just finish updating on the weekend. Saturday we went to the zoo. It was great because they had all the boo in the zoo stuff up. Nothing was lit but we still got to see everything. I can't bring myself spending $5 a child to go get candy. We are going to anderson this weekend to a pumpkin patch so I hope the kids take that as their "halloween". We bought them costumes and this is how it's broken down. Kaitlyn is a bride, Charlotte is a princess, Toby is Mr. Incredible, and Summer is a princess. They look adorable. I am planning on getting some pictures this year! Yesterday and today have been really nice. We have taken the week off of school so I am catching up on some things. I finished my MOTH schedule and sewed Kaitlyn a skirt today. We made some beds and a "bridge" out of craft sticks and hot glue. They had fun with that. I am expecting to be able to go to MNO tonight so that will be nice. I have found a tea I really like. It's Earl Grey. It has a flavor I really didn't expect-YUM! I am trying to cut back on my soda and this is a great substitute. I haven't had soda in a week! Oh, one more thing. My FIL sent me a letter in the mail that said he donated 2 bible in my name!! How great is that. That REALLY made my day.

The weekend was great, really relaxing. We even had a mini service here at the house with the kids. I haven't found a devotional that I like so I thought we would begin Pilgims Progress. The kids really enjoyed it. We then listened to some worship songs. I have been thinking about something to do for Russian Missions. I am going to start an apron drive. I want to collect as many aprons as possible, I'll set a number later, and I am going to send them with love to the Russian Women. I am encouraging Aprons with scripture on them. I think this would be a fun thing for some of the older girls that are homeschooled. I think I might have the people who I am going to send them to but I need to read up on them a little more. Why you ask? Because they have very few things, in comparison to us, that make them feel feminine. I remember when I went that all the women we met up with, who were in charge of a daily household, wore an apron. I am going to start on mine soon. I will update on the weekend more a little later.

Jack of all Trades

I really believe that I fall into this category. With the exception that I am not a jack of all trades, just many. I cannot seem to get myself to focus on one thing. I love sooo many things! I want to learn and master all of these things but I just don't have time. How do you keep your focus on one thing long enough to master it? For those who are like me, how do you find the time to do all the things you want to do? I think my desires should have been dealt out to at least five other people. Why God decided to pack them into one person knowing that she could never possibly learn and do all, I will never know. I realize that this "season" of my life greatly inhibits these things and so I will have to put off a lot. It gets very frustrating though. Today we are trying to get back into the groove of things after a visit from my Mom yesterday. It feels like a Monday! Thankfully the calendar proves otherwise.

Life as a song

Have you ever heard this phrase? It seems that I have somewhere but not sure exactly where. I have been trying to further my skills in music. I was reading about the comfortable notes in a chord or scale. Take for example the key/scale/chord of C. The basic chord of C is made up of 3 "comfortable" tones. All other notes within are considered "uncomfortable". Does that mean that songs should just be made up of "comfortable" notes? Of course not. We have the "uncomfortable" notes within it to change it, make it interesting, and exciting. This is how life is I think. It wouldn't be very interesting if things were always "comfortable". Even God calls us out of our comfort zone to do work for him. I hope I remember this next time things start getting uneasy!

Being sick and school update

Yuk! I can't stand being sick. This past Saturday I was up all night and it was not fun! Thankfully Jason was able to watch the kids on Sunday and I stayed in bed all day. I can't tell you how much I missed my family! I couldn't hug or take care of them because I didn't want to get them sick. It's amazing how one day without them reminded me of how much I ENJOY them! I thought about taking this week off from school but I am not. I want the time off for holdays and such. So, we are entering our 10th week of sonlight and everything is going really well. I have not had any major problems with the girls understanding math or language concepts. It's been great having 2 children that read! it hit me the other day that Toby will be 3 in 2 weeks! One more year and I will start him on 100 easy lessons- if he's ready of course. He has already shown interest in reading. As for Summer, she is doing pretty good. I can't wait till she can express herself a little better. She gets so frustrated not being able to tell me exactly what she wants. She is one of those babies that would benefit from sign language. My nephew learned sign language when he was younger and my sister said it was really neat. He just turned a year but he could communicate long before that. I have thought about doing it with Alex but I doubt I will have time.

If Today was my last day...

I don't know why but I was thinking about this today. What would I do if today was my last day? I have thought about this periodically through my young life and it's changed as I have aged. When I was around 12-14 I thought I would spend all day witnessing. Then I hit 15 and thought I would spend all day eating. Now it has completely changed. One of the first things I would do is call my Mom and sisters and tell them I love them and ask them to come see me. Then, I would get on the phone with my Dad and StepMom and say "See, I knew I would never see you guys. This is what you get for not coming to see me or my family, ever. I still love you though." (This is NOT a rant on my Dad or Stepmom, I am NOT mad at them. I think I would be though if I were going to die without seeing them. Besides, I don't think they would really care at that point. It would be more for me than them.) Then, I would spend all day with Dh and my children. I would cherish everything I heard, touched, and smelled. I would then get on the video camera and talk to them each individually and tell them how much I loved them. I think we need to think about this every now and then. Our days are numbered. Do we sulk on it? No. it's only for evaluation purposes. I know some people might think this is an awful thing to think about. But, it's too late by the time you need to think about it. The biggest change that I need to have, based on my thoughts here, is that I need to cherish my children and Dh. Everything about them from the sweet and stinky baby smell to the active little kid mess-ups. They are precious, eternal, and sooo special to me.

Song

Here is a recording that I did really fast yesterday. It needs polishing but it is a beautiful song. This song is for all the girls out there. We are "beautiful" because God made us!http://www.captivatedminds.com/beautiful_take.mp3 It might take a minute to download but be patient

Quoting

I don't know why but I thought I would comment on quoting. Have you ever been envious of those people who quote just the right thing at the right time? What about those blogs or articles that quote scripture. For some reason I look at these people in awe. Is it that these people are so smart that they memorize all this scripture? Wow, they must be REALLY spiritual, right? It hit me today that I feel inferior, I am not as well taught in biblical matters so I shouldn't be going around quoting scripture. I realize that this conclusion is completely unfounded. God gave me the same book he gave everyone else. Sure, I don't study as much as I should, but he reveals things to me just like he does to other people, right? God's word is always worth quoting(in context of course), no matter how dumb you think you are.

Public displays of affection or PDA

Have you ever heard that term outside of public school? What does it mean? Does it mean the loving hug from your little kid or the groping affection of two highschool age kids? I realized today as I walked through the bookstore that the bad version of PDA is everywhere. It's not so much done by the people that pass you by, but its everywhere! How you ask? Look at the magazines at the grocery store, the covers on books, pictures plastered on the mall walls. How in the world can we set a Godly example for our kids when the media has determined that they will teach them how to look and act? The only solution is to basically stay clear of places like that. You may think I am crazy, how could anyone NOT go to the mall? What does it offer you? Something to do? Go to the park, play a game with your kid, go sit them down and TALK to them. Find out where they are in their head. When they get a little older, old enough to start training their thoughts and actions, teach them to CHOOSE to turn away from those things, pictures, books ,etc.., that turn their mind to mush. Easier said than done. I think that if your kids see you making changes, even if you fall, it sets a better example for them than seeing your face plastered to some obscene magazine. Do you really want your little girl strutting her stuff down the beach in some of those almost naked bathing suits? I am sorry to go off on a rant but it just gets to me, the shear disrespect for the human body that most people have. It's not ours. It was bought with a price. This is a topic that I have thought alot about in the last year and my opinions and convictions are changing gradually, for the better. It's amazing how God changes us. I can't imagine who I will be in 10 years!!

MNO

Last night was a lot of fun. We had a mother's night out at Atlanta Bread Company. I had a blast. It's so nice to talk with the other moms. Julia was there as well so that was a nice suprise. She is a mom that lived near me when we lived closer to town. I really hope she continues to come up this way because the whole family misses her family. Yesterday was a much better day. I tried not to think for most of the day. If I started thinking, I would end up worrying. Did I ever mention that I am a worrier? I have a hard time "giving it to God" as most christians will say. I have successfully done that upon occasion. Most of the time its right before bed, so that I can get to sleep. I try to imagine how it will be when I get to heaven, not having to worry about the every day little things anymore- just peaceful. That puts me to sleep pretty fast. Well, today is midweek and I can't wait till the weekend. We don't have any plans but I just can't wait to be able to spend some time with Jason. I think I might take the kids to the bookstore today. We will see. Until another day...

Old Poems

If you have ever written any poems, songs, etc.. and looked back on them years later, you should try it! I just read some of my old stuff and I have to say, some of them are confusing. When I wrote them I knew exactly what I meant and I didn't think anyone would have a problem understanding them. Boy was I wrong! I barely understand them now. It does bring back old memories and feelings. Some good, some bad. There was alot of stuff I wrote to Jason that was sweet and "profound". Then there are the writings of your typical teenager, depressing and too deep, if you know what I mean. I have never been good at writing happy poems. Maybe I will post some things on here one day. I thought about recording some music on here. Can you tell I am going through "finding me" stuff? It' s really easy to lose yourself when you have so many people to take care of. You forget your loves. When we went to a new church last Sunday, it brought back all those feelings that say "I need to sing". For those of you who don't sing, you wouldn't understand. But, for those of us who enjoy it, it is so soothing and "completing"- if that is a word! I got out some tracks today and practiced, man does it feel nice! I am supposed to go to a mothers night out tonight. There are several ladies that I really enjoy talking to so I am looking forward to that. I do stress over it though. I HATE the feeling that you want to "fit in". That highschool feeling. At least as adults we get to choose who we hang around with. We are not forced to see the same people everyday, well at least that's true for those of us who don't work.:)

Thankfully

Its Friday!! I am so ready for the weekend. My Mil is supposed to come down and bring the rest of our stuff from the storage building. The girls will be ecstatic because their bikes are in there. I am praying Jason and I will get some time to spend together as well. That would be awesome. The past 2 weeks have been very tough. I haven't been dealing with anxiety as well as I normally do. I think I know why though. I was reading that taking Sam-e in high doses or over a long period of time can actually cause anxiety. I am going to try and lesson my dose a little and see if that helps. I have taken a break from helping Jason with the site but I will soon start back. I don't think I posted about it but I have been getting back into the 3d stuff. I really enjoy it but I find it frustrating when I am working and the kids need this or that. It's almost better if I don't do it just because it causes extra anxiety. I really WANT to though. I guess I will just have to learn to balance kids/work etc.. Life is always a learning experience I guess, especially with 5 kids! I am going to try and upload some pics this weekend but no promises....

well

I finally got the video to working. I encourage everyone, record yourself. See what others see. Today has been tough though not lost. Last week was the hardest week I have had in a while. We tried to recover over the weekend but today proved that I need more than a couple of days off!! We are trying something different. We are cooking ahead on the weekend so that there is minumum cooking over the week. I think this will help out alot with our stress. I am having more palpatations than ever lately. I don't know the cause but I am not to concerned with it. I definetly do NOT want to spend money on it when all they are going to tell me is to slow down. Now is not the time. I am going to take some video of the kids and upload it within the next day or so. Here's to just another manic monday.....

Pics of the school room

I thought I would upload some pics of the school room. I am still working on getting that video to work. So, here is where we "usually" do seat work like math and writing. We do bible, read alouds, and sometimes history outside on the screened in porch. LA is usually done inside on the couch or floor. I use the whiteboard ALOT. It keeps
the littles from grabbing at me so that I can teach the oldder ones! You can see on one of the pic that I use a kitchen rooling cart as my desk in this room. Itworks great! That small desk is there for my son Toby because he felt left out.

First Video?

http://www.captivatedminds.com/sept192006.swf
See if this works

Video

Ok, I am thinking about adding some video. It would just be me talking mostly. We got a new camera so I want to play with it....

Lose to Invest

I know the title sounds confusing so let me try and explain. Americans believe that investing is putting something into something else which produces something better than the thing you put in. All of this is supposed to be done with minimal effort. They believe that because they are “smart” it should come easy and quickly. Wrong! Even “smart” people have to sacrifice something to get something. Now, there is upon occasion blessings that come from the Father that we have nothing to do with. Being born into wealth, being very fertile, and being a genius(one that has knowledge above what can be taught). Nobody can really brag on those things because it has nothing to do with any sacrifices that person made. There are many things in our lives that could be called investments, though I don’t think most people look at them that way. For instance:
Spending time with your spouse
Raising your children
Teaching your children
Reading an educational book
Late nights working on a home business
Cleaning your house
Exercising
Eating right
Let’s try to make some investments today!

Why we shouldn't plan beyond today....

Well, as you might have guessed, we have had experience with this lately. 2 events changed our plans this week. We were planning on going to my MIL's this weekend so that she could watch the kids and DH and I could get some time together. That didn't happen. Summer came down with a runny nose, fever, and vomiting. So much for the weekend. Then, on Sunday, I backed out of the garage and was not paying attention to what I was doing. I backed straight into DH's car! The parking gear does not work now. He had to put the emergency brakes on so that it wouldn't roll. I feel terrible about it. Not only that, but now we only have one car and the kids and I are the ones that are going to suffer. The consequences of not paying attention are great!
I was talking to Charlotte yesterday and she asked me why I shouldn't get in trouble for "not paying attention". I told her I am getting in trouble and its much worse than a spanking! She said "How?" I told her that now I have to stay home all day instead of being able to go out. And if we choose to get the car fixed, thats money that needs to be spent. She said "What about lying. You don't get in trouble if your an adult." (You have to understand that she is having a little problem with this herself lately) I said "Oh yes we do! If we get caught in our job lying, they could fire us! Also, if we have kids, then we teach them to lie and they will ultimately teach their children too. So, see we would have affected 2 families by lying! That is definately bad consequences!" She quieted after that.
I have learned this lesson of planning over the last couple of years so it doesn't bother me as much as it might have 5 years ago. I used to get upset over ANYTHING that didn't go as planned. But,we know that God is God. My knowledge only comes from experience and public school(which isn't much!) Therfore, I have no clue what he has in store for me from day to day. Sometimes I like his suprises, sometimes I don't. Ultimately, it doesn't matter. It may stink for a while but I know that I will learn something out of it because his planning is never worthless.

Moving in

Well, we are almost moved in. It's a good thing too because I hurt! Yesterday I spent alot of time putitng together some patio furniture. The table wasn't hard but the chairs, lets just say I was about ready to eat on the floor! Thekids were pretty good yesterday. I took the girls to their first brownies meeting for the year. They love it soo much. I took the three littlest ones to BarnesnNoble. I got to hang out with another homeschooling Mom. It was nice to talk and not worry about moving for a while. Alex is getting BIG!! He did good last night on his feedings. Lately he has not gotten up in the middle of the night and STAYED up. He just goes right back to sleep. I will have to upload some more pics today. I have a lot planned for today but will probably only accomplish about half. I am planning on staying at the house and organizing stuff. Everythings everywhere right now and its driving me and Jason batty.

Emergency Room

Well, there has been some major developments over the last 72 hours!! We went to get the house on Tuesday but something bad happened while we were there. Toby fell and passed out. We took him to the ER and they said he seemed fine. They thought he passed out from holding his breath. The scary thing about this is that I dreamed it. It has been about 2 months since I dreamed it but I have been on "hightened" alert since my dream. It was sooo real and I lived it Tuesday. So, that being said, we decided AGAINST the house. Even though I loved it soooo much, I couldn't live with myself if something else happened, like an accident in the pond. On Wed. we looked at another house that was perfect. I couldn't have asked for a better house for us. The only draw back is that it is 30 min. away from Jason's work. He loves this area though, he wanted to live here before we saw the house on the farm. The house we looked at before that was in this area was very small. This house is 2300 or 2400 sq ft, and has 4 BR, a bonus, and a study!! We will be moving in within the next week or so. This weekend we are going to see my new nephew!!! Hopefully Jason and I will be able to get some alone time together to talk. The best thing about this new house is that it has a screened in porch. I am looking forward to eating out there and talking with Jason. It seems in this small apartment that the sounds just bounce off the walls and make a bee line for your eardrum! The kids are excited as well. Summer is stirring so I have to get Sum Sum the Bum Bum out of her crib.

New house

Well, i think we decided on our rental house. As of right now, I LOVE it!!!! I never thought I would find a house in Columbia that I love. I fell in love with it the first time I saw the front door! Its on a horse farm and has tons of walking trails around it that go on for miles. Here are some pics of the outside. As you can see, the kids can just walk up to the horses. This is right beside our driveway. There is another house right behind ours that the horse keeper sleeps in. She is just hired to take care of them. I am very excited but apprehensive as well. We will only get dial up and it has gas heat. We had gas heat in our last home but it was new. I don't know how insulated this one is. The man that owned the farm actually built the house himself. He used the wood from the farm for the inside and of course you can see that its brick on the outside. We will be moving on the 1st. I am praying this is a wise decision.


We were going to attempt to buy a home but I just don't think that would be wise. We are not very familiar with the city and I don't know how long we might be here. Plus, I REALLY don't won't to get into debt again!! We just finished paying off everything but the car so I don't want to take on 180,000, which is what we would have HAD to do to get a home big enough and in a decent neighborhood. This rental house is 9 miles away from Jason's work yet it seems and feels like 100!! I hope I won't be too scared in it! I am going over there again today to fill out the application but the lady basically told us we have the house. YEAH!! I might try to post some pics of the inside but the lights are off so I don't know how good they will be....

Apartment living and Family Additions

Well, I thought I would TRY and get a word in while the little one naps.It's been really tough lately. This apartment is getting smaller by the minute! I can't wait till November. I really don't know if we will find something we like but I am praying!! We will be renting because we feel that's the best decision for us right now. I can't wait till I can let the office know what I think about this place!
Now for some GREAT news!! I have a new nephew!!! He is gorgeous and big, nine pounds! My sister-in-law did a great job. I can't wait to meet him, hopefully within the month. It is such a wonderful blessing when we add to our families, isn't it!
Well, I sang with my mom at her church last Sunday. We did a great job and I got asked back! I walked away pleased, something that doesn't usually happen! i was especially worried about this performance because we only practiced without the vocals one time before we had to perform it. That is a first for me. I wish I could sing more with her but she lives almost 2 hours away and there is no way we could ever practice. Maybe one day we will move up there again. Mom gave me a bunch of her old clothes too. I've been trying to dress more feminine and even though most of these clothes aren't dresses, they are very feminine. It makes me feel so much better about myself when I dress that way. Well, baby boy is waking up!

Peak-a-Boos and Bahá'í's

You gotta love it when your little one plays peak-a-boo, no matter how many times you play!
Here are some recent pics of the newest addition-adorable huh!


Yesterday we went to the house of a lady from one of our homeschool support groups. We had a blast! Kaitlyn and Charlotte got to play with some kids from their Girl Scout Troup, so that was great. i got to catch up with some ladies and meet new ones too! I had an interesting conversation with one of them about their religion. She is of the Bahá'í faith. She told me that they basically believe that all religions share similar beliefs in God and that they can all come together and worship and learn. I am not a very aggressive person in my beliefs and it's at these times when I wish Jason were around. He has so much more biblical knowledge than me. I just said that it must be difficult with sermons. The "teacher" must only be able to preach uplifting and positive sermons instead of scriptural. She said no, that they teach out of all the "holy books" and it is common that the congregation can't differentiate which one it is!! I thought wow; they must not read them then! On a side note, I do respect these peoples desire to believe in a God and lead a positive life. However, it's sad that some of them will probably never see the fruits of their efforts. The only true way to heaven and happiness is through God's son, Jesus Christ. Believe that he is the son of God, that he came to earth, died, and rose again on the third day. It is by his stripes that we are healed. Believe and you will be saved. Unfortunately, I am not a very good evangelist for Christ. I do not go out and proclaim the gospel. I have a problem with ruffling people’s feathers. Granted, it wouldn’t have been the best place to get into a biblical discussion. I still feel a little bad though.
Today I am planning on going to the library to get some books for Kaitlyn’s school. The ones I got are too difficult right now. I was afraid of that. But, you gotta do what you have to. So, I am taking the book list from sonlight for the intermediate level 2 books and I am going to get them from the library. I think she will do great with those! I really want to work on my skirt today but I don't know if I will get a chance.

Crafts

Don't you just love crafts! Here are some of my crew painting plaques we made out of polymer clay.

Some updates!!

Well, I wrote a whole page of updates but it didn’t go through. So, lets start over!

-We had our 5th blessing on June 23rd! He was 6.7 lbs with apgars of 9/10. I NEVER had a baby with an apgar of 10. The surprising thing is that he has a whole in his heart. They believe it will close on its own. He also has an irregular heartbeat that they are hoping will go away. He has a cardiologist appt. on Aug. 29th. I am optimistic though.

-My SIL will be having her baby within the next week or two. She is having a little boy who I can’t wait to meet! I believe they will be awesome parents.

-We started the new school back with Sonlight curriculum. The girls are doing great so far. Kaitlyn is a little bit of a procrastinator, but aren’t all kids at 6??

-The new homeschooling school year is gearing up. We will begin going to activities this month. Girl Scouts will be starting up Aug. 31st. They are ecstatic about that. The only downside is that I can’t really participate because I have the babies.

-I go back to the Dr. for my 6 wk. postpartum checkup on Aug 7th. I have a cystocele that I will need surgery for later on in life.

-I might be singing with my mother at her church the weekend of the 18th! I am very excited about this because we have never sang together. Hopefully I will be able to travel up there and practice!

That’s all I can think of at the moment. I did want to share how well I am doing compared to my previous postpartum periods. I am so thankful that things have been going better than expected! I have been quite regimental in the care of myself so maybe that is what it is. Dh has been extremely helpful. He takes Alex (the newborn) at night so that my mommy brain doesn’t get any worse. There are several things that I have been doing over the last month that I think are crucial for this time period I am in:
1. Vitamins, SAM-E, Alfalfa in the morning
2. Exercise for at least 15 min.(t-tapp)
3. Quiet Time
4. Get fully dressed for the day( I will talk about this in another post)
5. Go to bed at 9 (I get up at 4)
6. Have snacks(fruit shakes)
I believe that’s it but if I think of anything else, I will post it later. This seems to really ground me. Hopefully once the kids get older I can exercise for longer periods so I won’t have to do it everyday but for now, this will have to do!

Locks

Before I get into the topic of locks I wanted to summarize my weekend. Bittersweet indeed! All week I had been looking forward to the weekend but I now find myself relieved that it's over with! Saturday we had a really good day. We went to a new park downtown and it was awesome! It was open and had lots of stuff for the kids to do yet close enough you could keep your eye on them. I meant to bring the camera but forgot. Sunday was a trip. We went to church which went as expected, tough to get ready but feeling good because we went. :) Then the nightmare started. Toby screamed the whole way home and Summer wouldn't take her nap. When everyone FINALLY got a nap and woke up, we went to the zoo. The first stop was the penguins. They were so neat! They are kept indoors and as we were about to leave I decided I would put sunscreen on the kids. When we made our way to the exit door, we were greeted by God's humor. It was pouring!! I felt so silly. Here I am putting sunscreen on my kids when its pouring outside. Well, we left, and as soon as we did, it cleared up. I kept telling myself maybe there was a reason we weren't supposed to go. I expected to hear in the newspaper this morning how a lion got out of his cage at the zoo and thankfully noone was hurt because of the rain. Funny huh. I guess we make what we can out of our circumstances.
Ok, Locks. Here's some history:
The oldest known lock was found by archeologists in the Khorsabad palace ruins near Nineveh. The lock was estimated to be 4,000 years old. It was a forerunner to a pin tumbler type of lock, and a common Egyptian lock for the time. This lock worked using a large wooden bolt to secure a door, which had a slot with several holes in its upper surface. The holes were filled with wooden pegs that prevented the bolt from being opened.
So you ask why my fascination with locks? I hope this man was rewarded greatly. I LOVE locks!! Think about all the times we use them. The bathroom, house, car, safe deposit box, bedroom!! I am so thankful that I have locks to keep my kids away sometimes and right by me at other times. Next time you turn that key, say a thank you to all those locksmiths!!

Heart update..

Well, it doesn't look like I have the heart of the Grinch! YEAH!! I half expected to see a ball of fire on the ultrasound because of all the heartburn I have. But, the doc said everything looks great. The only thing he saw was that I have a redundancy in one of my chords or something. He said it is fine and shouldn't be a problem. I am very greatful. It was awesome to see my OWN heart on there. I have seen plenty of baby's hearts but not my own.
Today we have just relaxed. The kids watched ALOT of tv today, bad mommy that I am. :) BUT, they needed a break from the weekend. Charlotte learned how to count by fives today. She was so suprised and shocked. She was having a hard time today. I told her baby steps. Like everything, it takes time. It's not "fun" until you learn it. She wants things to come easy to her. I know how that feels! I still struggle with those feelings. BUT she has prevailed and I am happy for her. The kids played outside alot today as well. They dug up rocks and stuff. Summer loves outside! She mostly likes coming in and out. She thinks she is one of the big kids now. Its so cute. When Jason got home we all walked down to the park. She got to ride on the seesaw. At first she was scared but she eventually came over to me and wanted me to put her up on it. She likes it alot now. The kids all played and we came back home. Quiet now... Everyone is in bed and I am thinking about getting a bath with the stuff Emily gave me for mothers day. Its supposed to be very relaxing.....Calgon(or whatever its called).....take me away!!! :)

Recooperating...

Well, its Monday again. Time to recooperate from a great weekend at the in-laws. Jason and I were able to get some time to sit and talk over the weekend and it was SOOOOOO nice! The ONLY downside to a luxury like that is coming back to reality! Sometimes I think its not good to have too much time off from the reality of every day life. It just takes so much effort to be comfortable with the stresses of normal living. By normal living I mean crying babies, fussy five year olds, and NEVER ENDING cleaning!! Don't get me wrong, I actually love cleaning but when its coupled with other distractions, it can get very stressful.
Well, I have decided what I am going to do about the kids school this year. We will be starting Aug. 1st with some supplementation throughout the next couple of months. I want to be able to get past the baby's birth before we dive into the new year. Besides, I want to get Kaitlyn up to speed with the reading that's ahead of her. She will be reading chapter books this year. So hard to believe! Charlotte is really looking forward to her reading books as well. Charlotte has a mind for math though. She loves to add in her head. She amazes me sometimes. Jason will ask her " If you have five tables and each table has 3 napkins on it, how many napkins do you have?" She will spit out the answer in no time. I think she makes a mental picture of the tables in her head. You can see her going from one to the next. She loves to do her math sheets. I can't wait for her to be able to write though. She has a great imagination.
Coming back from my MILS yesterday was tough! We miss it up there so bad. The car trip back home was a nightmare. Jason said he will not be going up there for fathers day. It's just to much. We were told that one of the big companies up there is hiring alot of tech people so he is thinking about applying. I don't know if he will though. I know he likes where he works now. I hate being this far away from family. But, if this is the place we need to be, then so be it. I told Jason that I support him in whatever decision he feels best. He knows how I feel and takes that into consideration but for the most part, I feel like it should be up to him. He's the one that has to go into that office everyday, work, and deal with whatever the people throw at him! We will see where God places us, it's always interesting!
Natalie seems to be doing well. We talked alot about the pregnancies and labor. Its getting so close now and I am getting a little nervous. 3 stair stepped is a little scary! I am now in my 31st week! I had Toby at 34 wks. That really puts things into perspective. God-willing, this one won't come early.
I have a doc. appointment today for my heart thing. They are planning on giving me a heart ultrasound. We will see how that goes. I have a feeling everything is going to be fine. I feel like a big hypochondriac!! I will update later.

Teeth

I just had to write about something that has taken over our household! The effect that teeth has had on us this last week has been a very memorable experience! Summer has cut 5 teeth and Kaitlyn lost her second one! Summer has been extremely fussy as you can imagine. She doesn't handle pain very well at all. Charlotte has been very jealous over Kaitlyns loss. I keep telling her that her time will come but in the mind of a five year old that is not very consoling!

Limbo anyone?

Living in limbo is harder than I expected. We don't know where we will be in 3 months. Its difficult with all these kids, especially living in an apartment with only one car! I do rejoice however. We are in a great position to gain ground with finances and Jason's career. I keep reminding myself that no matter how "secure" we may feel or want to be, we are ultimately in the hands of God. He alone knows our future. I guess I am glad that its not totally up to me! It just gets tough always wondering and not being able to make plans. I pray that God will honor our decision to live below our means and to "tough" it out. I guess I just get tired of survival mode! I must say however that this is truelly NOT survival mode. We have been in MUCH worse situations!! My feelings somehow feel the same though. Funny how they can decieve us so much. Once we take a step back things don't look near as bad as we thought they were. Here is an article on survival mode......

Survival Mode

Most of us are familiar with the term survival mode. It’s that state we find ourselves in when intense situations arise in our lives. I know this state very well. In fact, it had become very comfortable for me. As a child my father was consistently in survival mode. He would say “If we can just get past this”. I didn’t say much back to him because he was my hero. Sometimes I wonder what his response would have been if I had said “Then what? How would things change?” I don’t think he would have had an answer because there was no other way to live that he knew of. He only knew how to live at this state, not “in the here and now”. I don’t remember ever really enjoying a moment. I was always thinking about the moments to come.
Survival mode serves a very important role in our ability to cope through tough situations so I am not saying it is a bad thing. However, if it becomes a way of living, you can never enjoy the moments you have right now. Even when you are not currently in a difficult situation you could find yourself thinking about how much better the future could be if you could just get past today. Today might not be that bad if you take a good look! Slow down, take a couple of deep breathes, and pay attention to what your five senses are saying. Your brain is not one of your senses! Shut it off. Sure our children need to see us successfully cope with life situations, but they also need to see us enjoy what’s going on around us right now!

Some updates

I forgot to add in some updates for the last month.
-I have been wearing a heart monitor but my palpatations have virtually dissapeared!! Can we say hypchondriac!! I was afraid of that.
-Toby is potty trained!!! Yippeeee
-We are contemplating getting a new vehicle soon
-Charlotte is doing awesome with her reading. She is on lesson 70 of "Teach your child to read in 100 easy lessons." I am sooo proud.
-Kaitlyn has taken a step back in her reading and I think its because she is reading too much on her own. She doesn't make SURE the word says what she thinks and she moves on even if she doesn't know what it is. She is not doing as well with her sonlight books and I think this is the reason. I don't know what to do. I don't think she is ready for the level that I was going to put her in. I am going to talk to Jason about it. We will see.
- We got our new curriculum in!!! The kids are excited about starting the new year.
-Summer is doing great with her walking and she will wear shoes now!!! Yeah!! She is soooo cute in the mornings. I love to be her cuddle buddy.
-I fell and hurt my knees REALLY bad but I think they are on the mend. I am hoping it will not effect them in the long run.
There, I think thats it for now......

Continuing on....

Well, I promised myself I would contribute to my blog instead of writing in word so I am just going to start copying over some of the things that I have written over the last month. I don't have much but here goes:

Too Much!

Every mother questions whether she is doing an adequate job in raising her children. Some mothers think they have to be super mom. Other mothers remember to give their children a bathe only when they notice they haven't had to wash towels in a while. Whichever type of parent you are, I am sure you have those days when you feel completely overwhelmed. At the end of the day you look back and think "What did I do all day? I got nothing done!"
As a mother myself I struggle with these thoughts often. Sometimes I can't go to sleep because I am too busy fretting about a day that is already gone! I go over in my mind all that I should have gotten done to be a good mother and wife. If you have this problem I think I have something that might help.
We have all heard of "list" people. These are those annoying people who make lists for everything and have to check everything off in order to cope. I am NOT one of those people! However, I do propose that you at least try my experiment. The first thing in the morning take inventory of how you feel. Pay attention to your body and mind when you do this. Think about the most important things that need to get done for that day and write them down. Be realistic. After you have written down the most important things, start another section for extras. Extras are things that are there for you IF you get to them. If not, at least you got the necessary things done! You should feel great! Remember, give yourself flexibility when making and completing lists. Noboby wants to feel controlled by a piece of paper. The completion of your list creates self assurance that you got what you needed to get done. There is no reason to give away anymore of your precious sleep time worrying about what you could have accomplished.

Yeah! Another week coming to a close. This week went by pretty fast because I had that doctors appt. We really didn't get much done but it sure felt great just relaxing for a change. This evening we will be going to my mom's house to stay. She is having a play Sunday and I cna't wait to see it. The kids always enjoy spending time with the grandparents. My father called last night and we got to chat a bit. He told me that he has had the same problems with his heart that I do! However, they never could find anything wrong with him. I feel silly going to the cardiologist but better safe than sorry. My dad seemed really overworked. If he is not careful he will not be able to last much longer! I worry about that. He is one of those workaholics. Well, today we will be taking DH to work so that I can pack the car. I think we might go to the library this morning and return our books. Last week we got this hilarious video for potty training boys. It is a cartooon and shows their anatomy and everything. It's actually quite cute! Yesterday we stayed at the house. The girls went back and forth from playing the nintendo, coloring, listening to some stories, and doing an easter craft. Toby and Summer played so well together! I will never forget that! Summer is only 1 and she was playing an easy game of hide and seek with him. It was so cute. I am going to try and get some pictures this weekend of the kids. We will have alot of time to hang around tomorrow so maybe I can sneak in some! Well, heres to wrapping up another week!

On a side note......Just a few updates from last week.
-Our peanut butter pine cone got snatched by SOMETHING. We never saw it coming!
-My visit to the cardiologist is next Friday.
-We revised our plan for our website and we are happy now:)
-I didn't get much done to my website maintenance project because the owner is busy and hadn't had a chance to look at my revisions. Oh well.

Plan changes

Well, unfortunately the website is going to need to be changed some. I thought the way we had initially planned it, that we would succeed. I now think that I was wrong. I am going to wrack my brain today to figure out which way to go with it now. Maybe I will do a brainstorm. Yesterday I had another heart "flutter". i don't know where they are coming from. We will see.

Well, last week was tough. I didn't feel like I got anything done. I had "bad days" tuesday and Friday so that was a bummer. I am optimistic about this week. We are taking the week off from homeschooling "mostly" so we can pace ourselves. I am planning on working on the website alot this week. Last weekend I got several worksheets pretty much done. I have been doing t-tapp for about 3 times a week and it seems to be going well though I don't see alot of improvement. I am thinking about going to a clinic in NC in May. I just don't want to go by myself! Oh well. Nobody in this family seems to want to exercise so I guess thats not possible. I heard something again this weekend that I tend to forget. "Treat yourself as good as you want to be treated" I don't really spend a whole lot of time on me so this is a hard one. I mostly clean up all day and be "mommy". Don't get me wrong, I love my job! I think its fun and very rewarding. I think the most stress I get comes from me feeling like I am not doing enough for them or I feel just like a "lousy" mommy. This past weekend Dh's mom came down and spent a large part of the day with us. It was great. Normally she takes the kids and we really don't get to spend that much time with her. I think we all had a really good time. I did have another heart palpatation. I am going to the doctor this week so I will tell him then. This is the 4th time that has happened since I got shocked by the stove. It's probably nothing though. I need to go workout and put summer down for a nap......

Bad days.

Today has been one of those "bad days". Don't ask me what that is because I can't explain it. There have been some good things though. I am just about finished on a website maintenance project, we finished school for the day, and I AM alive!! Can't forget that. This past weekend was great. Dh and I got to spend time together that was much needed! I love him so much. He is my best friend. It gave us renewed energy to finish some projects we have. Unfortunately Mondays are not my best day. I seem to get more motivated later on in the week. So, hopefully I will be a little more productive. I still have a few things I want to do today. WE are planning on going to the library in a bit. I want to learn how to sew but I am not sure I will be any good at it.

Fridays

I love fridays. Today I am going to start packing for the weekend. We still have school left to do today and cleaning. Other than that, I am taking it easy. The last couple of days I have been a little more emotional than I prefer. I can't stand when it starts effecting your productivity!! I will write more later.
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Okay, school is done and our little pinecone project is hanging outside. We covered a pinecone in peanut butter and seeds. Hopefully some lucky little birds will bring us a little happiness in the days to follow. I have to give the kids a bath and exercise before I can take a little break. Hopefully Summer will be good for me. We will see. I am letting Toby watch pooh right now. I am trying my best to cut back on tv and it seems to work pretty well until i let them watch something and then Toby begs me for the rest of the day. Its annoying. Summer likes TV now too. Its just sooo convenient when I have to get some work done!
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Well, I made it through the day. I did everything I needed to do EXCEPT workout. Our dvd broke. I did do some exercises that I remember from the tape. The kids are quiet and I am ready for a relaxing weekend. DH and I are supposed to go and eat with my sister tomorrow at noon and then go exploring around town without kids. YEAH!! I know I will miss them though. I dread coming back on Monday. Those are always tough. I just need to make sure I take my supplements through the weekend or my hormones will go crazy! Heres to some restful sleep....God willing.