Home Improvements

When we first bought our house, it had dark green, leafy wallpaper in the kitchen, the den was painted pale yellow, the two formal rooms were painted dark maroon on the lower third of the walls, a border being the divider in the dining room, and the downstairs half bath was painted dark green. The upstairs bedrooms were also painted in vibrant colors. I'm not saying it all looked bad. In fact, the way the previous owners had the home fixed up, it was beautiful. That's probably what sold us the house - everything had a place and it all seemed to coordinate so well. But the decor was different from my own and the colors weren't going to work. So we set out to change it. We painted most of it ourselves, though we hired someone to come in and remove the kitchen wallpaper and paint it and the two-story foyer. Yes, we painted it. White. Plain white. And a very white, white. It looked nice, certainly, but over the years it has become too plain... almost drab. And of course, with three children, you can imagine the impact on the solid white walls. They had become adorned with dark lines, various color marks, handprints, odd dirty spots, and of course, the expected dents and missing paint around the corners - not to mention tea stains on the kitchen walls and ceiling (funny story behind that). We have been itching to change it. So, even with sick children, we have managed to repaint most of the open areas of the house, all a lovely shade of beige. So beautiful!

We still have the study and dining room to paint, though we haven't decided on the color just yet. We will either stick with the all beige look, or paint the lower third green - a lighter shade than our pine green carpet - and do beige on the upper section. Or we might decide to paint the whole thing a lovely shade of green, though I think I've already just about ruled that idea out. The dining room is also going to take some work because when the border was removed, the wall was damaged. We decided to retexture the walls. Heh, heh. That was a BIG mistake. We know nothing about texturing, and if you've seen my dining room you'll agree. It looks SOOO bad. Ugly, in fact. Let's just say, we over-textured. We've kept it all these years, but I refuse to paint that room until we've done something about that texturing. So poor Bill. One weekend, I will take the kids to my parents and Bill will bravely sand down the walls in the hopes of removing the massive texturing job. With any luck, just sanding it down will allow us to then paint it and have a nice, slightly textured look. But I worry we'll have to texture it again. Do we even know how this time? I'm afraid of creating another "hairy" room, as best I can describe the current appearance. Sooo... hopefully in the near future we can finish these two rooms. We'll at least do the study soon. But that dining room...

We also have a few rooms upstairs I'd like to paint, but at least for the time being I can just shut the doors to those rooms and enjoy the all new appearance of the rest of my house. Oh, and did I mention I got new appliances?!? My generous and loving husband bought me a new refrigerator and stove. My refrigerator, which was left to us by the original homeowners, worked fine, with the exception of the ice maker. It would produce ice, but you wouldn't want to use it. It had lovely black things frozen into the ice. Yum. So we've always had to use ice trays. And then there were the shelves on the door... When you'd least expect it, one of them would decide to fall off. I learned quickly not to store glass items on those shelves! I think the final flaw, which I believe is what pushed Bill to get a new one, was in its appearance. It was beginning to rust. Bill couldn't stand the sight of it, as it was on the front of the refrigerator just beneath the ice/water dispenser. And on a white refrigerator, it looked pretty bad. So now I have a gorgeous black fridge, with working icemaker, water dispenser, AND gallon size door shelves which never fall off. Can you beat that? As for the stove... Well, replacing it came as a true surprise. My old one worked fine. It did need to be releveled, as I noticed everytime I had to "fry" something in oil, all of my oil would run to one side of the pan. It also only had one large burner, and that sometimes made cooking difficult. Finally, it was hard to clean, which is why I rarely did and it looked mighty gross. So now I have an electric, FLAT TOP stove. I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!! It never looks gross, because I can clean it in no time, with very little effort. Celeste, you couldn't have been more right about that! Now... If I can just find a really good excuse to replace the old dishwasher... :)

Notice the lovely new black stove...


Notice the lovely new black refrigerator...


Pictures of recently painted den...




I'll try to post more pictures after we've completed more rooms, which hopefully will be in the next couple of weeks!

Healthy and Happy

We appear to be well, finally. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we remain that way for awhile! I especially pray we can remain well through tomorrow. Not only do Bill and I have pre-purchased tickets to go see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix tomorrow afternoon (please don't think ill of me for being a fan), but we also have tickets to the circus tomorrow night, and we are supposed to go to that with my parents and my brother and his family. So I would be devastated if someone ends up sick before we get through tomorrow - we are really in need of a fun day out of the house!

Still Here - And Still Sick

Nathan had been feverless for 4 days. We thought we were in the clear. No more sickness in this house... at least for a few more weeks. But as luck would have it, Alex came down with fever yesterday afternoon. He may have had it all day, but it wasn't obvious to me until I found him curled up with a blanket on the floor as he watched television - for an entire movie. Usually if he's watching tv, he's walking around playing with his action figures, or drawing on his DoodlePro. So I had my suspicions when I found him just sprawled out there on the floor. Sure enough, he had fever. So round four, here we go. At least I know what to expect. I think I am a pro when it comes to this particular bug. I don't look forward to another week stuck inside, or another Sunday at church alone. But at this point, I'm more concerned that we may never see the end to this. That even though Amy has already had it, it's been weeks and she could get it again. As could I. And then Nathan. And of course, Bill has never had it so he's a prime candidate. I just really want it to be over. I'm ready. I've had my fun and now I think it's time to get off this roller coaster. Please?

We're Still Here

It's been awhile so I thought I'd post real quick just to say that we have not fallen off the face of the Earth. For the past several weeks, we have been battling illness. Amy was sick for almost a week - she caught it at VBS - and then Bill went on a week long backpacking trip in New Mexico with my brother (a post for later), at which time I came down with Amy's bug and was sick for a week. Then my first day well, Nathan became ill and we had to go through it for another week. I also have very sensitive eyes and wound up with, I assume, eye infections. I've had problems with both of my eyes since being sick and am having a real problem with light sensitivity. This is one of the big reasons for my not blogging. It's very hard to type an entry on the computer when you can't open your eyes to look at the screen. :) But today things are a little better; I'm actually able to look at the computer without wincing... not much, anyway. And all kids and parents appear to be well. I hope this means we are over this last bug and can continue with our summer activities. It's been somewhat depressing being stuck inside all this time, excluding the brave attempts to run necessary errands. Thank God I didn't run into anyone out on the roads, though I did look silly wearing two pairs of sunglasses, one hand cupped around my eyes to shield them as much as possible, and at the same time fighting to keep my eyes open despite all of these measures. Probably shouldn't have been driving...

But there are many changes happening to my home (interior painting, new appliances, etc. - another future post), so being stuck inside isn't necessarily all that bad. Today is a busy day, but I will try and post soon about all we've been up to the past few weeks - besides being sick.

Today in Pictures

I haven't posted any pictures lately of the little people who make my life so exciting. So here are a few I took today for your viewing pleasure!

Oh, There They Are!

One particular geranium in a hanging basket on our deck has been a favorite nesting place for birds. Or perhaps it's just one bird who keeps coming back to her familiar home. But the plant had been deserted for a couple months since March, and then late May (I think) I noticed we had another bird, nesting comfortably in my plant. So day after day, I would check out my kitchen window and watch for signs of baby birds. Finally, it happened. There they were, two baby birds. I've enjoyed watching them, seeing them grow and grow, as the mama bird tended to their every need. Really so sweet.




This past weekend, during the morning hours, we were outside and the kids were playing and I noticed the mother bird really giving us the stare. And then later that day I took some pictures of the two birds out of my kitchen window. They weren't great photos due to the extent I had to zoom in, plus the spotty window (it's really in desperate need of a good Windexing). And of course, I also could not use the flash since it would reflect off the glass. At the time, the mother bird was away. In fact, she'd been away for quite some time and I was actually worried something might have happened to her. But thankfully, as it was getting dark, I noticed she had returned. So this time, I stepped out onto the deck and I held my camera up high and snapped a few pictures with the flash on. All three birds looked shocked, with their little eyes just bulging out. I was worried I'd frightened them, though I really tried hard to keep my distance. It was probably the camera flash that did it. The next day, I noticed that all three birds were gone. I was surprised and quite saddened by my discovery. I so enjoyed watching them each day and I just knew I'd scared them all away. I figured the mama bird had spent that previous evening searching out a new home for her and her babies, where there weren't any scary people spying on them and intruding on their space.




I've thought often about our little bird family the past two days. And then this morning, as I was doing some chores about my room, I saw out my bedroom window the mama bird and her two little birds in my back flower bed. There they were! And though the mama bird briefly flew off, she only went as far as the fence and continued to watch over her young as they ran about the flower bed. I can only guess that they've created a place amongst the bushes, though this seems unusual. Or perhaps they have a nest in one of my trees and are just searching the flowerbed for food. I do believe that their leaving had nothing to do with my scaring them away. Perhaps they outgrew the geranium - a highly likely possibility as the babies were getting fairly large and my pot isn't all that big. Whatever their reason for leaving their original home, it's refreshing to know that they are all okay and are still living somewhere in my backyard!

Inspiration to Change

Today I read a wonderful blog entry that made me rethink some things in my life. It was a beautiful post by a woman who I admire a great deal, even though we've never met. Her blog often inspires me when it comes to my role as mom and wife. Today's post was a humbling one, and one that I found rather unexpected from her. There are several moms in the blogosphere whom I consider somewhat heroes in the examples they set. They're devotion to their children, their husbands and God Himself are so clear as I read their blogs. Melissa is definitely one of those people. So it surprised me when I read her post about life and how she needed a readjustment on how she looks at things. And as I read her words, I felt encouraged to change, since a reflection on my own life certainly does not show the woman I would like to be. When I look at myself, I see a woman who often sees things in a negative light, instead of focusing on the positive. I see a wife, who often does not offer the understanding and support her husband needs. I see a mother who loves her children, but doesn't show them the patience and affection they so deserve. Obviously, this is a woman who is ready for a change.

It's not that my situation is bad. Hardly! I have a wonderful, devoted husband who loves me and works hard each and every day to provide for his family. I have three amazing children, who are beautiful inside and out. I have a home and lovely things and truly lack nothing. But it's my perspective that needs changing. It's how I view my situation, and how I respond to it.

I wrote a comment to Melissa's blog, letting her know how her words affected me and how I planned to take on a similar view of my life and the daily moments I have with my children. To enjoy the moments with them and not spend this special time God has given me constantly upset and irritated by the day-to-day frustrations, whether a result of stress from misbehaving children, especially one who tests me almost constantly, endless chores that need to be done or just some other miscellaneous mountain I am trying to climb. I sat at my computer feeling empowered and ready to take on my day. But sadly, I am now sitting at my computer, hiding from everything and everyone, to find my own moment of peace. I have not lived out what I set out to do at the start of my day, having read Melissa's insightful post. I have been snappish and irritable and incapable of dealing with the various trials I've been faced with. I am at a loss. How do I change? How do I make myself into the patient, respected and loved mother that I long to be? I'm so afraid of distancing myself from my children. How can I hope to teach them and guide them, especially in this crucial time of their lives? And how do I adjust my attitude to focus on enjoying the time with my children instead of making it miserable?

These are questions I plan to research until I have found the right answers. The answers must be out there. Somewhere. I know prayer will help, as God is most certainly the answer to everything. But no matter how hard I've tried, I have not been able to commit to a regular prayer life. I was getting up early for a couple of weeks, trying to spend some time in prayer and in God's Word. But it was difficult as each day I became more and more tired and found it harder and harder to cope throughout the day. I know that over time, it will get easier. I'll have more time to strengthen my prayer life. And that will be great. But it won't help me right now. I need to make the change in my life that will bring me closer to my children and my husband - and to God.

I hope this doesn't leave an impression on readers that I am unhappy in my life. That is far from the truth. I love my life, especially my children. But at the same time, these special little people who are so dependent upon me each and every day take a lot out of me. And as a result, I don't always respond well to those all too frequent difficult moments with said children. But I am happy. I'm just not as happy as I think I ought to be, and am definitely not as appreciative as I should be. Afterall, I have been graced with so many blessings in my life.

I am sure there are some very kind people out there who would say I am being too hard on myself. And maybe there's just a little truth to that. But I think it's necessary to be hard on ourselves in order for real change to happen. Even to slightly embarrass ourselves by openly discussing it on our blog. I can honestly say that today was a failure in my attempt to be happier in life and truly appreciate the blessings I have been given. But I think with a little more inspiration from other wonderful mothers out there, continual effort on my part, and yes, prayer anytime I can fit it in, I'll get there yet!

More Excitement

but this time it's the good kind (mostly).

Last night, I gave Amy some Tylenol for her fever. It dropped the fever fairly quickly, and the fever never came back. We got up this morning (after a somewhat difficult night - we're just not all used to sleeping in the same room!), and Amy was still feverless and in good spirits. Nathan's forehead was now only slightly bruised, not the least bit swolen. I was amazed. So when my mom called and said that my sister had invited us all over to swim for the afternoon, I thought why not? Okay. I did hesitate for a bit as I tried to determine what would be the responsible thing to do. But the boys were so tired of being trapped in the house and Amy was afterall without fever. She also doesn't like going in the water, so preventing her from swimming would not be a problem. So we went. Of course, we first stopped at Half Price Books so that I could spend a bunch of money on more books - can you ever have enough? And the rest of the day, we swam. My mom got to spend lots of time cuddling and playing with Amy, who was fine all day. And the rest of us got to enjoy the pool. What could be better on such a hot summer day?

There was one exciting moment that I could have done without, however. Alex gave us all a brief scare when he took off his floatie so he could see better (still not sure what he was trying to see) and accidentally roamed too far into the deep end. His feet suddenly wouldn't reach the ground and he began to panic and take in water. Thankfully, my mom had seen him take off his floatie and had just alerted me to watch him, so the moment he was in trouble I was able to pull him up and get him to the shallow end. He wasn't as fond of the big pool after that and spent the majority of the time in the hot tub.

Despite that frightening moment (and my really bad sunburn), all went great and after a long day of swimming, all of my precious children fell right to sleep on our way home. And now I get a moment of peace and quiet to myself - the first in a couple of days. It's going to be short, however, as I think I too am worn out. My bed has never looked so inviting. And I really should get some rest before I begin a new day. Afterall, who knows what sort of excitement is in store for us tomorrow!

The Excitement Never Ends

I'm sure all of you mothers out there can agree that life with children is filled with excitement... Never a dull moment, you could say. Today is no different. Actually, this past week has been an adventure in sickness. Amy has been sick with fever since Tuesday. We're talking fever up to 103.6. She did have one day without fever, but she was throwing up on that day. Thankfully, we have an appointment with our pediatrician for Monday - an appointment I didn't feel would be necessary, but am now so glad he suggested I make it as a precaution. I have a feeling we'll be keeping it afterall!

To add to the excitement, Nathan decided to fall and hit his head on the tile this evening while I was upstairs getting their bath ready. He has a lovely purple bump on his forehead the size of a quarter. I panicked at first, thinking back on an all too familiar trip to the emergency room for a similar episode with this same child. But thank the Lord he appears to be okay and I think we've escaped the ER this time. Of course, even though bedtime has arrived, I don't want him sleeping just yet. So I made popcorn and all three kids are happily munching on sweet kettle corn and watching episodes of Andy Griffith. No one even seems remotely tired. I've promised the boys they can sleep in our room tonight, but only tonight. Hopefully, the remainder of the night will be less exciting. A mom can only handle so much.

Plans for Homeschooling

We still have much of summer left, but I have made my plans for Alex's Kindergarten year and I have even purchased most of what I need thanks to the awesome homeschool conference Celeste and I recently attended. It was so enjoyable flipping through the different curriculum books as well as the many other books, both educational and fun. There were also such neat teaching manipulatives available as well, and though I was tempted by many, I managed to steer away from them as most were certainly not inexpensive. I was so happy when I came home with most every book I needed for the subjects I plan to teach this next year (and then some!).

I have always loved the idea of the unit study. It just sounds like such a fun approach to learning, one that will hold my children's attention better and encourage their desire to learn. There are many unit studies out there, but I went with Five in a Row, as recommended to me in a recent homeschool consultation. I was a little hesitant at first because this unit study centers on lots of reading. Unlike many other children I know, my kids are not book lovers, though I pray that they someday will be. We do go the library every week where I let them choose books, and they are read to each evening before bed. But Alex is more interested in the children's Batman or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle books. I limit him to one per week as I do not feel that these are the greatest enrichment books. And of course, I choose several books, too, so that we have a few well written books to select from. But what I want is for my children to regularly grab a book off the book shelf and sit and look at the pictures, or better yet, asked to be read to, instead of their typical use for books, constructing houses. So I pray that Five in a Row will change their appreciation for books and the sweet stories contained within. My big fear, of course, is that Alex's lack of desire to read the books will make it hard for me to follow the plan of utilizing one book a week to teach all the basic subjects. If he does not like the book, he probably won't be too interested in reading it day after day and using it as the main subject for our daily lessons. But I'm going to give it a try. I am having some difficulty with the book selection, however. They are all classics and I'm sure, wonderful books. But many are no longer in print and are very hard to come by. Anybody got an extra copy of The Giraffe that Walked to Paris lying around that they are willing to part with for less than $75?!?

In addition to the unit study, I plan to use Horizons Mathematics to work on Alex's math skills. I've heard good things about this program, though one lady did inform me that it was a little advanced for her son when he was just starting out. She had to go to a different teaching tool to get him started and then she was able to go back to Horizons later on. Alex is a slow learner and therefore may also have trouble with the Horizons books. But we won't know until we try! Should we find he's struggling, we may move to the Math-U-See program as the visual aspect of this teaching tool may be easier for him to grasp.

I am also using the D'nealian Handwriting book to work on his handwriting. He's already done a lot with writing in preschool and I believe they used the traditional method. But he is still having trouble with his writing, so we're just going to start over with D'Nealian. Hopefully that won't confuse him too much!

Finally, I am using the Explode the Code curriculum for his phonics. This also came highly recommended. Alex has always had speech issues and will continue speech therapy at the local public school his kindergarten year. Hopefully, this phonics program will help him make better sense of letters and their sounds and thereby help with his difficulty with language and speech, in addition to preparing him for reading.

I still need to work out our schedule - when our school year will begin and when we will have our breaks, when we'll cover what topics, etc. But I am so excited that I at least know what curriculum we are using and that I have most of what I need to begin the first year of our homeschooling journey.

Keep the Kleenex Coming

Every once in awhile, a movie comes along that no matter how many times you watch it, you are brought to tears upon every viewing. In fact, even the music from the movie makes you cry. I find this happens more with movies from my childhood, perhaps out of nostalgia. This morning, while parked on the couch with one sick child and while the other two were happily playing in the next room, I watched such a movie - one of my favorites. And as always, by the end my eyes were puffy and red and I was grasping for the Kleenex. It's possible that others would not be moved by this movie as much as I am, or maybe not at all. But let's just say that if it didn't sound so terrible with my last name, my daughter would be named Savannah. I love this movie. If you haven't seen Savannah Smiles, or even heard of it, you should try it. It's a tear-jerker, but it's so sweet and so heart-warming. I could never grow tired of it!

Disclaimer: Just so there are no surprises, this isn't necessarily a movie you would want to watch with younger children (unless they are sick ;) ) because there are a few instances of swearing and some mild violence, and I mean mild. But compared to most current movies, this one is quite refreshing.

Careful What You Start

When we first began Friday family fun night, we realized we might be eating some interesting dinners on the nights the kids would choose our meal. We were thinking hot dogs, macaroni and cheese, maybe even PB&J from time to time. But I never guessed we'd be eating chocolate chip pancakes... every time they choose. I'm not complaining. They are really yummy. But I do have to laugh as I listen to Nathan call them "cookies" as he devours one after the other. Does serving my children cookies for dinner get me nominated for Mom of the Year?

VBS

This week was Vacation Bible School at our church and what a week it has been! The kids had a lot of fun, though we are all tired. Poor Amy had to be awakened from her peaceful slumber every morning, and all three kids would be napping in the later part of the afternoon. And of course, this meant a late night for all. Amy didn't go to sleep last night until almost 10:45pm! But it was all worth it for such a fun, important week. I wish I could say that VBS went great this year at my church, but I really wouldn't know. I worked in the infant room where I got to cuddle, feed and play with lots of precious little babies. So from my perspective, it was awesome!

Name Meme

My good friend Celeste tagged me to do this earlier this week but I have had barely enough time this week to check email and quickly skim through a couple of my favorite blogs. Never time to post! But now that VBS is over, I am going to take a few minutes to complete it. Here it goes!

Rules: Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the following... They MUST be real places, names, things... NOTHING made up! If you can't think of anything, skip it. Try to use different answers if the person before you had the same 1st initial. You CAN'T use your name for the boy/girl name question. Once you're done, forward on to friends and back to the person who sent it to you. Now Go!

Your name: Robin

1. Famous singer/band: REO Speedwagon
2. 4 letter word: Rain
3. Street name: Rodeo Drive
4. Color: Red
5. Gifts/presents: Ruby earings
6. Vehicle: Rolls Royce
7. Items on a menu: Roast Beef
8. Boy Name: Robert
9. Girl Name: Rachel
10. Movie title: Rudy
11. Drink: Raspberry tea
12. Occupation: Rock Star
13. Flower: Rose
14. Magazine: Rolling Stone
15. U.S. City: Rapid City, South Dakota
16. Pro Sports Team: Rockets
17. Reason for being late to work: Roadwork
18. Something you throw away: Rubbish
19. Things you shout: Run!
20. Cartoon Character: Roadrunner

That was fun. :) I'd tag someone, but I don't know who's already done it. So if you haven't done it and want to - feel free and have fun with it!

Breaking in the Kayak

This morning Bill took his kayak out for the first time. After ordering and receiving all of the essentials, most important being the lifevest, or perhaps in Bill's opinion the nifty decals, which he had carefully and almost perfectly applied to his new kayak, it was time to try it out. So this morning Bill set the alarm for 6am, quickly got dressed and secured the kayak to the top of our Ford Explorer, and took off for the lake. As shown in the pictures, it was a lovely clear morning, though maybe a little on the hot and humid side. But Bill returned home a couple hours later very proud and happy with his first kayak outing. And my sweet and thoughtful husband also came home with two scrapbooking folders filled with lovely scrapbook papers that he picked up for a bargain at a garage sale on his way home. So I guess you could say it was a rewarding morning for both of us!

Brotherly Love

Most every night Nathan climbs into Alex's bed where they snuggle together until they fall asleep. It's amazing how they can fight and argue all day long, but when time for bed, they become the best of friends.

Alex and Nathan (26 months and 8 months, respectively)

Nathan and Alex this morning (3-1/2 years and 5 years, respectively)

More from Alex...

on why he's sick.

"Maybe someone got in my heart and pushed my sick buttons."

The Baby Race

I have to share about this cute conversation with Alex. This afternoon as I was unloading the dishwasher and Alex was sitting at the table happily eating his Pedialyte popsicle, he began talking to me about being sick. He told me that when people are sick they go to the hospital and then they have a baby and feel better. I quickly explained to him that just because you are sick does not mean that you are going to have a baby. Somehow, that took our conversation to babies and Alex began talking about who would have the most babies. I wasn't sure what he was getting at. I asked him who was going to have the most babies and he said maybe my brother's family (watch out Cheryl ;) ) or perhaps us (*ha!*). I told him we weren't having anymore babies and he told me that he wants to have another baby. When I asked him why, he said because when Andrew got bigger, Jacob and Nicole got another baby. And then he said something about later they will have more babies and they are going to beat us. Funny. I didn't realize it was a race... :)

Almost Made It

Yesterday was the last day of school and I thought we were in the clear. No more sickness for awhile. Of course, there is still church functions and park play and playareas at the fast food restaurants where any of my children can pick up an illness - and chances are they will. But it just seems that most of what we've had, Alex has brought home from school. And though there are many places where he could have contracted this latest bug, public school still tops my accusation list.

So here we are, first day of summer vacation, at home. What was supposed to be a day of fun activities - library, lunch and play with Granny and Paw-Paw and finally a friend's birthday party - has turned into a day at home battling the stomach bug.

Please send prayers our way for a quick recovery for poor Alex and for all other family members to remain well!

Always the procrastinator

Throughout my life, I have always been a procrastinator. I don't know why - it's just how I do things. It's often made for one long, very stressful night, but I'd always get the job done. College, in particular, holds many memories of all-nighters spent finishing papers or assigned homework. You'd think a person would learn, but sometimes I think maybe that's how I work best. Under pressure.

Last week, Celeste posted about our latest craft evening. She mentioned my test crayon bag, a pattern I bought to make for my Sunday school students when they are promoted this fall. I recently decided it would make a great gift for each of the students in Alex's preshool class, as well. I took my time buying the fabric for the bags, still uncertain if I'd follow through with the plan. But then I just decided - why not?! This was just a couple days before I needed to have them completed. All eight of them! Monday was spent purchasing everything I'd need and then Tuesday was the day I planned to sew. And sew I did. All night. But thankfully Celeste came over and stayed past midnight working on a couple projects of her own, including the most precious coasters (I'll leave the details for her to post :) ). So I had someone to keep me company for part of the time and the rest of it flew by as I worked and worked until all eight bags were completed. Aside from a few design quirks, I think they turned out kind of cute. And though, once again, I managed to complete the task I set out to do, it's possible I may be getting a little too old for the all-nighter. ;)

First Haircut

I have to admire anyone who gives haircuts to their own children. I have attempted it with my boys, only to spend at least 30 stressful minutes, trying to get them to sit still and let me continue over and over again to fix little slip ups, either my fault or the result of a sudden head movement. But this morning, I gave Amy her first cut. Of course, it wasn't a true haircut as it was only her bangs. But it was still a scary feat for me and I am happy to say that I didn't mess up her hair too much. :)

Campout Pictures and More

All campers were up by 7:15 this morning. I awoke at 6:30 and thought I heard them already downstairs, so I quickly dressed and hurried down, expecting to find a bunch of hungry people. But all was quiet and there was still no sign of life from out in the tent. It turns out, Bill did bring Nathan in briefly around 6am for a morning visit to the bathroom, and after that most of them were up. But they hung out for awhile in the tent, listening to birds and other sounds of nature, as well as a few, if not many, manmade noises. When they all came in, I knew they were anxious to eat and the quickest thing I had besides cereal was frozen pancakes. No one complained at the notion of this simple breakfast, so I went ahead with it. Then I discovered that we were low on syrup. Alex and Nathan eat waffles almost every morning and Amy does eat pancakes every morning, so we go through syrup quickly around here. I just didn't realize how low it had become! But everyone used it sparingly and we survived. I think to the adults, it was enough that there was fresh coffee. That's all we really need first thing in the morning, anyway, right?

The kids played for awhile after breakfast and then Celeste and Michael came down to visit, too. What a fun morning! I definitely think this will have to happen again in the near future, or at least when we have another pleasant evening (though that may not happen again until October!).

Needless to say, all the kids were tired this morning. I can't speak for Celeste's crew, but I can honestly say that my little ones have been anything but chipper today. Bill's company picnic was today, as well, so our family spent several hours outside again this afternoon. The kids had another fantastic time; they even got their face painted. Or at least, the boys did. Amy would never let a stranger get close enough to paint her face! But we've been fighting to keep the kids awake all afternoon. Aside from a couple small catnaps in the car, we've succeeded. So hopefully all will go to bed at a reasonable hour tonight and be refreshed and ready for church tomorrow morning. Or at least, we can only hope! ;)

Check out all the fun pictures!

Brian and Andrew

Andrew - How sweet is he!

The kids playing a game together

Brian reading to all

Alex, totally out!

A pirate and a tiger - very cute, but a lot of paint!

A Quiet Moment

As I sit here typing this in a darkened room with only light from the television and laptop to see by, Amy is snoring peacefully in my bed, snuggled close to her Kitty and one of Nathan's stuffed animals. It is 10:30pm, and I can still hear excited voices from the backyard. Bill, Alex and Nathan, along with Brian, Jacob, Nicole and Andrew, are all camping in one tent. It's a fairly large tent - fits 8-10 people, I believe. Though when you are talking about 5 children ages 6 and under, you might need to multiply the actual number when considering the total available space, at least for the playtime prior to sleep. :)

I wouldn't have thought I could see my boys any more excited than when they found out they were going to get to campout in the backyard tonight... until we told them they were going to get to do it with their friends (Nathan told me last night that Nicole is his best friend). I just love that they are getting to have these fun experiences and I love that Celeste and I have husbands who are willing to give them these types of experiences. Oh, the memories being made! In the meantime, I'm getting a little quiet time of my own. Could it get any better?

This whole event was actually just the icing on the cake when it comes to my day. I had an important meeting this morning related to homeschooling next year and I'm happy to say that it went very well. My mom had come to watch the kids and when I returned 3 hours later from my meeting, I learned that they'd been outside the entire time I was gone. And the kids still weren't ready to go in yet. I can't say that I blame them. The weather was just glorious today and it felt incredible to be outside. So, I threw aside all plans to work around the house and opted to hang outside with the kids - FOR THE REST OF THE DAY. We went in only briefly at one point, but returned outside soon after. We even ate dinner outside. Aside from the mosquitoes, it was a beautiful, amazing day. After a couple of stressful days with the kids, it was just the kind of day I needed.

And at this moment, as I glance into the backyard, I see only darkness. With the exception of Amy's soft snoring, there is only silence. I think some little people have finally reached their limit and are quietly whispering within the tent, or perhaps they are already slumbering peacefully. Either way, it looks like the guys have it under control. :)

Thank you, Lord, for this very special day - and night!!!

Happy Belated Birthday, Sis!

I'm sorry I did not post this on your birthday, but please know that I was thinking of you and wishing you the best on your special day. Happy Birthday, Lisa - I love you!

A Special Week

It has been almost a week since my dear husband's and sweet son's birthdays. It has been a long, fun-filled, crazy week. And though my intention had been to post a blog entry on each of their birthdays and then again following my son's party, I am just now getting an opportunity to sit at my computer and blog. So please excuse the long entry and many pictures. But so much has happened!

On May 9th we celebrated Bill's birthday. 10 years ago on his birthday, he took me out on our first real date to an expensive seafood restaurant. For many years after that we made a tradition out of going to that same restaurant for his birthday, just the two of us. But now there are 5 of us. And this year we went to a less expensive mexican food restaurant where they serve ice cream for dessert. Three little people were very happy and sticky upon completion of the birthday meal... actually, there were 5 happy, sticky people. :) We then went and bought Bill's birthday present together - a kayak. A man and his boat. What more could a man ask for?


Happy Birthday, Sweetheart!!!

The following day, May 10th, was Alex's birthday. His 5th birthday. I can't believe he's 5 already! I still remember bringing him home from the hospital. He was so tiny at 6lbs 3oz, and yet he had such an amazing head of hair... dark black hair - long, spiky, and sideburns even Elvis would have envied. What a cutie!


Bill took the day off and we kept Alex out of school to go to the zoo on this very special day. Everyone was a little tired after sharing in Daddy's big day, but we all had fun.





After our return home from the zoo, we went to Build-A-Bear at the mall. Nathan got to make a special friend on his birthday and we had promised Alex he'd get to when his birthday came around. So just as Alex had requested almost 6 months ago, he made a superhero bear and named him - what else - Bruce Wayne. Okay, I must confess. When asked for a name Alex said Batman. We suggested he give it a special name. I offered Batbear. Bill suggested Bruce Wayne. Bruce Wayne stuck. So here is Bruce Wayne the superhero Batbear... :)



We ate at the mall and then returned home to present to Alex his big gift from us. A new bike. And not just any bike. A Spiderman bike!


Happy Birthday, Big Boy!!!

And here is Amy at the mall after devouring one very large piece of pizza - too cute to leave out!

Finally the big day had arrived. Saturday we celebrated Alex's birthday with friends and family. Alex had been looking forward to this party for months. He had requested a "bad guy party". Well, needing something a little more specific, I suggested a pirate party. Alex loved the idea and I had something I could start planning for. Bill and I had fun with this one and I think the kids did, too!

The pirate ship I made Alex

The pirate ship Bill made Alex.





Last came Mother's Day. We got to celebrate my greatest calling in life. To me it is more a celebration of my children than it is about me being a mom. I am so grateful for these three little people who brighten my life and certainly keep it interesting. I feel so blessed to have been given these precious children to love and cherish.

My sister and her husband generously offered to host Mother's Day at their new lovely home. My sister played hostess to not only her family, but also her husband's. Thank you, Lisa, for the sacrifice you made on your own special day as a mother, to make the day special for all of us. We had such an enjoyable time, especially the kids, who are already looking forward to the next time they get to go swimming in your pool!



Even some of the "big kids" had a good time in the pool!

So that was our week. Busy, to say the least. But filled with love and lots of good memories.