Hey God

Thanks for the rescue and thanks for opening my eyes to see it.....

Equal Time

On Wednesday, we went to Olivia's Kindergarten program. There is so little that is cuter than 50 Kindergartners singing songs about the days of the week and how cool school is. And of course, Miss Olivia was the cutest of all. Not that I am the least bit biased! (That's my story and I am sticking to it!!)

AND she got a special award for music and art!!

We are so blessed to be her parents!!

WordFULL Wednesday

This morning, Miss Grace got up at 7, half an hour earlier than usual. She started talked and did not stop talking until she left for school

So, I thought you should know that she is taking a mechanical pencil to school today. One of her elbow scabs came off yesterday. Sam is the only one in class who has lead for her mechanical pencil, Mrs. Beridon has big forearms. She won't miss Mrs. B next year as much as she misses Ms. Dunham (her second grade teacher), because Mrs. B is going to substitute, Olivia is putting a spaghetti strap dress, but that is okay since she is either going to wear a shirt under it, a sweater over it, or both, Grace doesn't like the taste of the Claritin, but she only takes it in the spring, but sometimes at other times in the summer, she might take it in Cuba, Mavisabelle (her prayer partner in Cuba) sure draws good flowers, is it cold enough to wear a jacket? it's okay, there's a hooded sweatshirt in her book bag, her homework notebook needs signed, even though it isn't filled out, today is pizza day .

Sigh....that is all I can remember and I am sure it is only 1/2 of what has been said the past 40 minutes.

WOW!! Gracie's award!

Let me start this off by apologizing. My pictures from this event were AWFUL!!!!!!! But, today, I went to Gracie's 3rd grade award ceremony. She received several award for academics of which we are very proud. She was given an award for outstanding music for the 4th year. AND she got an award for performance in Phys. Ed.

Now neither Kevin nor I are overly athletic. He is more than I. In gym class we expect our kids to try their best, but don't expect award winning performances! But Grace's grade, she is the fastest girl in the 50 yard dash!! Her gym teacher doesn't grade for effort on these end of the year awards, purely on performance. We are very excited for her! A jock, in our family!!! Wow!!

Does Anyone Besids Me Find This Funny??

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/nhl_experts/post/Why-the-octopus-still-won-t-twirl-in-Detroit?urn=nhl,84176

How Quickly It Happens

You know how it is. One moment you have a sweet, smiling, cooperative, awesome child, and the next moment, that little darling turns into this........................

Sad but true. And we rarely know exactly what the cause of the transformation is. Often times a simple thing like serving the cherib a glass of water for dinner instead of milk can be the catalyst. Or maybe asking him/her to clean up the thousands of legos that they were playing with. Or, here's one of my favorite, someone repeats a word that is some how offensive. This week such words include "no", "mummy", "cracker." I just don't get it.

Sometimes, the source of anger is the way the elastic on our underwear fits. Or, if you really want to get the boy going, telling him he wears panties instead of underwear. If you happen to be creative enough to play a board game with your own rules, well, can you say WWIII? Let's just say it has been really interesting around here.

Oh, just found a new one, not letting the children play in rain when it is 55 degrees is worth several tantrums......sigh......

Sleep

Our baby, Elliana is no longer in one of these.......

She's in a big girl bed! Which she thinks is terribly exciting, waaaaay too exciting to actually sleep in! It's meant for playing in and wrapping up in blankets and pretending to sleep in!!! But actually sleep in it? Puleeeeeeeez!!!!! So, since she is only 3, I figure eventually she will sleep and so will we, right??????

Please pray

for Steve Curtis and Mary Beth Chapman and their family. Their youngest daughter was killed yesterday when she was hit by a car driven by her teenaged brother. He was backing out and didn't see her. What a tragic day for this family.

How Blessed Am I?

You Know It's Bad

When you literally have to pull this bad boy out in order to clean your daughters' room!! We are

in the process of moving out cribs and toddler beds and putting the girls in bunk beds.

So I super cleaned the girls' room. Two big bags of toys to pass on. Two big bags of trash. Two laundry baskets of dirty laundry. The bunks are currently being painted a pale pink. Will definitely publish finished product pictures!

Big Boy Bed!!

Another Rainy Day & Other Meanderings

I am really tired of the rain!!!!!!!!!! You can sure bet I am not dancing! Rain means my kids are literally running laps and around furniture. Or fighting over who sits on my lap. Or yelling each other. With 5 of them, that is a whole lot of yelling!! And my sweet babies girls, Elliana and Charis are practicing for 10 years from now, when they are 13 and 14. They talk as nasty to each other as any eighth grade girl I ever had in my classroom. You can bet that I can hardly wait until there are a few hormones added into this mix!

And Josiah? He turns into Whiny Man in this kind of weather. I still don't understand why that happens. Then he attaches himself to my right arm, usually while I am writing or trying to use the mouse or any other of the myriad of things I do with right hand, since I am RIGHT HANDED.

And did I mention that trying to help a nine year old with multiplication homework when she hasn't bothered to learn the facts is not fun. For either of us? She gets frustrated and so do I. Let's just say I have the flash cards ready for drilling this summer. She'll be thrilled, I am sure. But, that is why I exist, to bring joy and sunshine to my adorable children......sigh...they are so delusional!

This has been a long long week. Kevin has been gone until later than usual Monday , Wednesday and today. I was gone a good part of Tuesday night. For a couple of homebodies, we just haven't been here much. But tomorrow, he is taking off of work! And next week he is taking the whole week off of church! Yeah! We are going up to visit Nanny and PawPaw next weekend.

Ooo, and tomorrow we start getting ready for Operation Girls' Room! We bought 2 sets of bunk beds. They needed painted and put together. I've been buying sheets off of ebay. We're going to get rid of lots of stuff....but don't tell the girls that!!

Well, my monkeys think they need some attention, imagine that!!

Don't ask, just a little something God and I have going on.....

A Cool Phone Call

Yesterday I got a phone call from a children's hair cutting place. The owner wants to carry my bows! I am really excited and working on making up a whole bunch for to see and choose from!

You can see other products I make here.

On a Crabbiness Scale

We are already up to three Lucys! Did I mention it is only 8:45? Could be a really, really long day!!

The Eternal Debate....Or At Least It Seems That Way

My son and my husband have spent HOURS and HOURS arguing whether Tweety Bird is a boy or a girl! I thought we all finally agreed on his masculinity, when Josiah started the argument again.

Even though he has seen the episode when Sylvester dresses up his finger as a girl to capture Tweety, Josiah is convinced that Tweety is a girl! I guess I can understand confusion as the bird is often pictured with flowers. But the argument is starting to get a bit old.....

Why Are We Surprised By Honesty??

I was watching one of the morning shows this morning....okay, I admit it, I wanted to see the chick who won Survivor get her check. But another story really caught my attention. You can read about it in more detail here. What it basically says is that a teenager found $108,000 (that wasn't his) and (gasp) did the right thing!! He didn't think twice, he just returned the money because it wasn't his. The reporter then did this elaborate breakdown of how long it would take him to earn this money at his $7 an hour job. I forget how long it was, several years. Then she asked him if he regretted the decision. He said no. Duh. The right thing is just that, the right thing. I guess what catches my attention, or saddens me, is that we don't automatically assume that he would do the right thing regardless, that is is newsworthy when someone does what he/she SHOULD do!! I would like to think that most people would do as this young man did, return the money because it is the right thing. What do you think? Do you think most people would return it? Should we be shocked? Why do we react like this?

Pentacost

This is one of those stories I have told on many occasions, but have never actually blogged. So here it goes.....





5Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. 7Utterly amazed, they asked: "Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? 8Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? 9Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs-we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!" 12Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, "What does this mean?" (Acts 2: 5-12)





When we went to Cuba this past summer, I didn't speak any Spanish beyond that of Dora the Explorer

you know, roja, azul, estrella, vamanos, that kind of thing. I'd had 4 years of German and 1 quarter of French where I spoke French with a German accent. *sigh*

I have had no use for either of those languages.

Anyway, one night in Cuba there was a praise concert and Kevin and I sang. As we were getting ready to sing our first song, Matteo, who was playing piano, began speaking Spanish to the Cuban congregation. There were a few other English speakers there from our mission team, but just a handful. IN SPANISH, Matt began to explain that he would be singing in Spanish, and Kevin and I would be singing in English.

I was staring at Kevin throughout this, because I, who spoke NO Spanish, understood every word that Matt was saying. Kevin turned to look at me and I immediately KNEW that he also understood what Matt was saying.

Later we spoke to other English speaking members of our team who also understood what Matt was saying in Spanish. It was such an Acts 2 moment. A speaking in tongues. Not the type of tongues listed in spiritual gifts, but the type described here:

6When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. 7Utterly amazed, they asked: "Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? 8Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? (Acts 2: 6-8)

A real Holy Spirit moment! You see, miracles do happen today and God does continue to speak to and through His people today. The Holy Spirit is alive and at work! Praise God!!!

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!!

Getting Married

Mommy: Why are you going to marry Mackenzie?
Josiah: Mommy! Because we kissed...ON THE LIPS!!!!!

This Zoo We Call Home

You know, sometimes, it is hard to discipline my zoo without laughter. I was at the computer yesterday while Josiah, Charis and Elliana were working off energy running between the dining room table and the couch. If you've been in my house, you know that is not much space. Anyway, I look up to see them up on the BACK of the couch and Chairs looks very similar to this........

Just imagine my CURTAIN instead of the vine. Thankfully, Ris weighs nothing. Instead of pulling the rod out of the wall, it merely bent. I did my best "Sit Down!" in a mom's angry voice. Then went to the kitchen where Kevin and I just laughed! What else could we do!?!

I'm Back!!

Headache abated, I am ready to tackle baking! Erin is coming over this morning and we are getting our bake on! Stocking up on freezer pancakes and waffles, cookies, brownies, etc.

Did I mention that we are going to watch Kathy's twins ( 8 months old) in the process? Should be fun. I promise to take pictures!!

Need a laugh this morning? Check out this!

Another One of Those Days

The Sandbox

You know, nothing is ever as easy as it should be. We figured that the kids were old enough to handle a sandbox this year. So, last Sunday, Kevin filled it up with sand. Simple enough.

So we laid down the LAW. No throwing, no putting it in each other's hair etc. The first day they could play, Charis was the offender. I caught her dumping it on one of the other kids. She had to come in. For the rest of the day. Just this side of capitol punishment in Ris's mind. Everyone was outside, and she kept asking to go out, too. Thinking I would use this as a 'teaching moment' I stuck to my guns. Each time explaining patiently why she had to stay inside. Even when she asked 'WHY?' five hundred and sixty eight times!!

The next day, no problem. I just forewarned them again what would happen.

Yesterday, the four oldest kids were out back playing. Ella was exhausted and throwing an "I AM AN EXHAUSTED THREE YEAR OLD" fit. It was lovely.

Anyway, Kevin looks at back to see ALL 4 children dumping sand on each others' heads. Now be honest, I kind of expect it from the 4 year olds. I mean, ya gotta check out those limits, right? But the 9 year old? The 6 and a half year old?? So now, our sandbox looks like this.....

Actually we are considering putting the sand back in.....and banning the big kids from it!!