Sleepless in Charlotte

The kids are all sleeping...Whew!!!!! They have been so excited about Christmas! We have a countdown calendar in our kitchen and, boy, were they thrilled for it to be the last time to move it. I'll have to admit, I don't think that I will sleep much tonight. When will I ever grow up? I just can't wait to give every one their presents. Jeff, Uncle Tim, and Uncle Kent are outside assembling something. They must be freezing! (And probably driving our neighbors crazy.) I have just finished putting all of the stockings together. Whenever people talk about it being too expensive to have more than 1 or 2 kids, I will be the first one to point out that it's not that bad. I mean, you can hand all of the clothes down, garage sale, not sign up your kids for a million different activities,etc,,, But, tonight as I was putting all of the stockings together, I realized how much more we spend on Christmas stockings alone. You have to make sure that everything is even which can send you for a whirl when you realize that one child's stocking is only half full and the other kids' stockings are overflowing. I could just say. "Life's just not fair!", right? I mean, what better time to learn? I'm just kidding!

Today, Susanna was working on some Christmas cards. She came and showed me a card. It was one to Santa thanking him for stopping by. Just as I was beginning to have one of my worry sessions (Have I taught her to love Santa more than Jesus? Yeah, I know!) she handed me another card that she had already made. It said:

Dear God and Jesus,
Thank you for Christmas. I love you!
Love,
Susanna

Woo Hoo! It made my day!

Merry Christmas to you all! Remember Him and the most amazing gift ever!

Christmas Lights...

This week we have been so busy with Christmas preparing and events. The kids have been so excited and hyper. They love to look at Christmas lights and it has proved to be a great activity for us to do when we need to get out of the house but don't have money to spend. We have spent several nights driving around town "judging" Christmas lights. Sam and Elijah get so excited about the lights. It is so cute. They both yell, "Wow!" and then yell, "More!" The other night, Luke was getting so excited about seeing all of the lights. We were driving over I-485 and Luke yelled, "Look, Mom, there is even a car parade of lights!" I had to tell him that it was traffic but that that was a great way to look at it.

I really do hate the materialism of it all though. But I do have to admit that I get so excited about seeing my kids open up their presents. I cannot wait! I love the verse that says (paraphrase) that just as we,being imperfect, love to give gifts to our own children, our Father loves to give to those who ask even more. He gave us the most awesome gift that anyone could ever receive. We are doing our best to teach them about this very special day and what it means to us. They love to play with the nativity and tell the story of Jesus using the people in the set. And I love to hear them tell the story. This holiday season is so bittersweet. The pain of the loss of my Dad is still there but I love the hope that Christmas season represents even more for that very reason.

Car rides,hotels,and the kids

We had a great time in Florida for Thanksgiving. The kids always love to see their cousins and grandparents that we don't get to see often enough. They were spoiled by their grandparents and had such a fun-filled time. They were able to ride their cousins' horses, go to a light festival at Silver Springs, and even swim. Yes, I said swim... After Thanksgiving, can you believe it? I don't know how Floridians celebrate Christmas. I think if you have 80 degree weather in December, you don't deserve Santa. I mean, you can't have everything, right? It is weird though. Here's some pictures of our trip:

Susanna and Luke with Gramma and Papa at Silver Springs

Home Sweet Home

Well, we are almost done with the house we have been working on and will be listing it on Wednesday. It has been painted, recarpeted, had new fixtures put in, new knobs on countertops,etc... The only thing that is left to do is to give it a thorough cleaning which we will do tomorrow. It has been fun, but we'll see if it sells. We are praying that is sells the first month so that we will not have to make a payment on it. Our house is still on the market. We have had one offer but their contract fell through. So, we are now just showing the house about once a week. It is always fun when they say that they will be showing the house in an hour and our house is a wreck. Honestly, if they ever opened a drawer, I would be horrified. We have had some major rushes where we have had to stuff everything everywhere. Susanna and Luke have become pros at this,I'm afraid. ; )

Flip That House!

One of my favorite shows to watch is Flip That House. I love watching a house being transformed and then hearing how much they were able to sell it for. I feel so bad for them when they put all the time and effort into the house to only lose money on it, but I am so happy for the ones that are able to flip it for a good profit. Well, Jeff and I just bought our own flip house. We are doing it with Holly and Chris. I am so excited and nervous at the same time. I am going to go over there and take pictures of the house before and then take some after pictures when we are done. I really love this house. We almost bought it for us to live in but we got too nervous about renting out our own house. It's a beautiful house and only has minor cosmetic things that need to be done. We got a really good deal on it and are hoping to flip it with some profit that will go towards the kids' scshool., since we will be sending two to Metrolina next year. If it doesn't work out, then we will be homeschooling.: ) No, I can't do homescshooling! I'm just excited that we are doing this and being able to work with Jeff on a project together.

Sam

I am just learning how to do all of the fun images but I haven't quite figured out how to get this on my other blog(where it's supposed to be). Oh well!

A New Leaf

Guess What? I am working really hard at becoming a better cook. There has always been a reason or excuse not to, but my time has come. Much to Jeff's delight, I am getting a little better. I am definitely not a Martha Stewart or even a Rachel Ray but I'm working on it. I will never be a Martha Stewart, her recipes scare me. I have never heard of half of the ingredients that she uses. Am I the only one? Well, in this endeavor, I have found a few good recipes and would like to share one tonight. Here it goes:

Apple Harvest Tart

1c. all purpose flour 1 egg
1/2 c butter 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 c. sugar,divided 3 apples peeled and sliced
2 tsp vanilla extract,divided Garnish with sliced almonds
8 oz pkg of cream cheese


Mix the flour,butter,1/3 cup sugar and 1 tsp vanilla; spread on the bottom of a round pie plate coated with non stick spray. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Blend cream cheese,egg,1/3 cup sugar and remaining vanilla together and spread over the baked crust. In a plastic zip lock bag, place remaining sugar and cinnamon and apples; shake until apple slices are well coated. Place apples on top filling mixture. Sprinkle almonds over all. Bake at 325 for 30-35 minutes. Makes 8-10 servings.

This is very good and can be made with light butter and light cream cheese. :0

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Today is my Mom's Birthday! I love you, Mom! I just wanted to give you a little top ten list just to show you I care.

Top 10 Reasons Why You Gotta Love Our Mom:

10. She was the only Mom I knew that required her girls to wear hair bows everyday....until high school. I even feel guilty on the days Susanna doesn't have one in her hair.
9. Mom with a brush was a deadly combination. It meant she was either jerking the knots out of our hair or spanking us with the back of one.
8. She hired the best babysitters around. Well, if you don't count the one who stole her jewelry or the one who smacked us with a tape measurer.
7. She taught us all the staples of a good diet: Twizzlers and a Diet Coke.
6. I won't go too much into the details of this one, but my Mom, bless her heart, when she couldn't feed me, she let her best friend help. : )
5. She is pretty, smart and witty. Or was that pretty smart and witty?
4. She set so many fun traditions for our family for holidays that we all get just as excited about Christmas as the kids do. We used to all bounce on the bed on Christmas Eve and yell, "Tomorrow's Christmas!" Chris said that Holly still does it.
3. She has taught us all the importance of being in church. She still checks in with us. Not in a Mom way, but we know that we better be able to tell her that we were at church or we'll get that look.
2. She has set an example of being in the Word daily. She knows His Word and we have always seen her Bible out on her bed for as long as I can remember.
1. She loved our Dad through sickness and health. She set such an example of loving her husband through it all. It wasn't an easy road, but she was so strong.


Happy Birthday, Mom! We love you! You know that I do since I didn't post that picture. I had such a great witty caption for that picture too. It would have been hilarious.

My God

Jeff and I have been hearing a great series on prayer by Andy Stanley at Ridge Church. The main focus of the series is about when the disciples asked Jesus how to pray and He responded with this. He also said that God already knows our needs before we ask of Him. The first sermon was about how we address God and calling Him our Father or our God. Well, I have been thinking about the many times that I have been shocked when someone has taken the Lord's name in vain. While it is wrong to take those words and not really acknowledge Him, I am learning that there are times when those words can be used to call out to Him. I was always taught to never say the words, Oh My God. I hate even writing those words but I have learned that we can cry out those words when we are calling to Him. I was telling Jeff that I can remember two instances when I have said that. I was so shocked that the words came out of my mouth, yet that was all I could say at the time. The first time was when Sam was in the hospital and I thought that he was going to die. He was having such a hard time breathing and was connected to so many machines and monitors. The whole scene was so hard to bear seeing him there struggling to breathe and eat. I remember staying up so many nights just saying, Oh my God, Oh my God. His presence would soon surround me with comfort and I knew He had heard me. The other time was the night that my Dad had passed away. We had just gotten to Mom and Dad's and Dad was unconscious in the bathroom. Holly and Jeff did the CPR and everyone else was just crying those same words. The night was a horrible, horrible night. Everyone was just crying out to God. None of us had ever prayed that way before. At least I don't think. I just remember saying that phrase outside as I waited for the ambulance and the whole way to the Hospital. It was the only thing that I could say. No other words seemed to form in my mouth that day and the following days. I don't know how we have made it this far without Dad, but I believe that He did hear us that night when we said those three "forbidden" words and He has helped us all. His presence was never felt more or ever been so sweet as in the days after His death. I am learning that maybe what I say in my prayers or the length of them is not so important as is the acknowledgement of Him as My God and the One who is ultimately in control. I thought about my Saviour, when on the cross, in human form, cried out this. When we feel the most forsaken, we recognize so quickly the need to call out to Him, our Father.

Halloween

The kids had so much fun on Halloween. We went to Mom's neighborhood because it has so many houses and well, we are serious trick or treaters. Susanna was Belle with blond hair:), Luke was Spider man, Sam was a monkey and Eli wore the good old faithful giraffe costume. That costume is on its third round. All of the boys have worn it. Our cousin Max was the Man with the Yellow Hat and Jack was Curious George. They all looked so cute. We had the normal trick or treat meal of Chili and cornbread with hot apple cider. Luke even walked into a house and yelled, Hello?, when they didn't answer their door. Then, I gave them the opportunity of picking out 10 pieces of candy and selling us the rest. We are trying to be a little healthier and I had heard of this idea from another blog. This worked out really great. Tomorrow, they will go to pick out something small in exchange for their loot. I think that they are going to pick out a DVD for their trip to Florida coming up. They still have some of their 10 pieces left and are so excited to pick out something. I figure the 10 dollars will be a better exchange than the many dentist bills that we may face.

Pumpkin Patch

We had a great time at the pumpkin patch with our family and friends, Jeff and Diane and their two kids. They were able to feed some animals and watch a cow being milked. : ) They also went on a hayride and picked out a pumpkin. It was a fun day!

Luke and Max... The Adventure Continues...

Luke and Max were on their way to preschool with their favorite chauffeur. This is their conversation:

Luke: Hey Max, Let's shoot the cars with our spider web shooters.

Max: Ok

They pretend to shoot the cars with the pretend web shooters (their hands)

Luke: Max, your web shooter just broke.

Max: My webshooter is not broke. It's working!

Luke: No, Max, it's not working. I'm sorry Max.

Max: (begins to cry)

Luke: Ok, I'll fix it. Max, It's working again.

Then, they are back to shooting. Luke is such a stinker!

It's Time to Catch Up!

I am not doing too good on this blog. I now have so much to update it with that it seems a little overwhelming. I'll start of with Susanna'a birthday. This was a couple of weeks ago. She had a party at a place for princesses. No boys were allowed. They had so much fun. They do everything for you. It was nice to relax and enjoy the party. We have always hosted the little parties and this was a nice change. I really enjoyed it. Susanna did too. I found out how shy she was during the runway show though. My sisters said that she reminded them of me. I love you Susanna!

A Day in the Life...

This week has been a blur with birthday parties, Jeff traveling, taking Sam to his appointments, locking myself and the kids out of the car at the doctor's office,etc... Weeks like this make me so thankful for the nice calm weeks that we sometimes get to enjoy. Here is a sample of one of our days : Eli woke up yesterday morning with a swollen nose. It looked so funny. One of his nostrils was so swollen. Once I was able to get a better look at it, I noticed that there was something big, bright, and pink in there. I tried to get it out for a few minutes but it was stuck. Just as I was about to call the pediatrician, I tried one more time of pressing on it and trying to rub it down. Finally it came out. Yes, this was scary and unbelievable that he slept the whole night with one of Susanna's beads in his nose. Susanna had gotten a bracelet making kit for her birthday and apparently Eli had found a stray bead. Then, we rushed to get Sam to an appointment with Sam's pediatrician. Sam had a knot on his shin that I was worried about. Well, after the pediatrician confirmed to me what I had already begun thinking, that I was getting a little paranoid with Sam. Well, he didn't say that, but I am pretty sure that this is what he was thinking. It turns out that Sam must have had some sort of trauma to the shin and it has caused a little cyst that should go away. So, we left the office and went to the car only to see my keys dangling from the steering wheel with the doors locked. I have never done this before. Thankfully, I had the kids on the outside of the car with me, right Holly? The kids were both crying and wanting to run in the parking lot. The Doctor's office was closed for Lunch. So, I called Jeff who was in Baltimore and he sent out a locksmith to help me out. We waited for about an hour circling the parking lot in our stroller. I even noticed an elderly man peeking into all of the cars. It was so strange. Then, finally, a man pulled up to us in an old beat up Cadillac telling me that he was the Locksmith. This man looked like he has unlocked many cars and not through the business line of work, if you know what I mean. I don't know where Jeff got his name from but he did unlock the door with a big block of wood and a coat hanger. The good news is that he gave us a pretty good deal. All of this in a day and more.

Our Car Rides

Every Tuesday and Thursday, Holly and I carpool to pick up Luke and Max from their preschool. These boys are the best of friends (at times) and have the funniest conversations. Here is how the conversation went today after I picked them up:

Max: Luke, why are you pushin me?

Luke: Max, I'm not pushin you, silly.

Max: Why did you squish me at your house?

Luke: (looks at me to see if I'm listening) then whispers, I'm sorry for squishin you.

Max: It's Ok. Next time you squish me, I won't cry. Ok, Luke?

Luke: OK... You promise???

Max: I promise.

Luke

About a month ago, Luke went in for his 4 year check-up. Every thing was great except for the eye exam part. The pediatrician suggested that we get his eyes checked out. So, today, I took him to the eye doctor. He did fine with one of his eyes but could barely see anything with his other one. He could only see the top picture with his left eye. The doctor has told us that his left eye has sort of shut down and we have to build up its strength. So, he will be getting glasses and have to wear a patch on his good eye. I tried to put it on tonight and he cried and cried for me to take it off. He said he couldn't see. He really couldn't. Then, he thought that he would have to wear it to preschool. He kept saying that everyone would laugh at him. I was kind of surprised that this was even a thought in his head. Susanna would have said this, but I didn't think that Luke would care so much. He will not have to wear it to preschool since he only has to wear it for 6 hours a day. If you see him, please tell him what a cool pirate he is. I am so surprised that his sight was so bad, yet, looking back there were definitely some red flags. Luke likes to play soccer but gets very frustrated when he tries to catch a ball. He usually refuses to try. The doctor said that he probably sees 2 balls coming at him. He also falls all of the time. I always attributed it to the fact that he is always on the go. But I am thankful that we have caught this now and that we have so many ways to help his eyes get stronger. God is good. Even when we hit these little bumps in the road, He is good. I'll have to shamefully admit that many times in the past year, I have my own doubts and fears that sometimes cripple me. When I cry out to Him, I sometimes wonder is He really listening? Does he care about my little problems and worries? I love this verse " 1My voice rises to God, and I will (A)cry aloud; My voice rises to God, and He will hear me." He will hear me. That's all we need most of the time is to know that He hears and that He is listening. I just love that verse because it is so matter of fact, "He hears me." There's no doubt in that verse. He is good!

Cabarrus County Fair

This Weekend

This weekend has been such a great weekend. The weather this week is what I believe Heaven's weather will be like. It is so great! We have been outside most of the weekend and it has been so nice. The kids had their soccer game on Saturday. If you saw the last video I posted, you would have noticed how hard it was for Luke to concentrate during the game. The last two weeks, we have bribed him and he is doing much better. I know I won't win any parenting awards with that strategy but I think that I have been out of the running since I gave birth to Susanna. But, it works with Luke so we will stick with it. Today, we were able to visit another church. It is so hard to be visiting around. I hate not belonging anywhere. It is a tough transition. We just hope that we find one soon. It will be so nice to have a church home. We are really taking this seriously and praying that God will help us to have an open heart and discernment as we choose a church.

T-r-o-u-b-l-e

Meet Elijah... This child is into everything. He has destroyed more things than anyone I know. This week, Elijah has blessed us with bleach stains on the carpet, drawings on the wall, ruined his clothes with my lipstick (also ruining my lipstick),toilet paper all over the bathroom, bite marks on Sam, and bubble bath poured all over the bathroom floor. This is all I can think of at the moment, but I am sure there is more. Oh yeah, he poured out all of the salt on the floor. I am still picking it up. The salt one makes me laugh because when Sam's therapist came over to the house, she kept looking at the kitchen table and floor. I had not yet discovered what Eli had done. Now, I'm wondering if she thought that I had a little business on the side. I'm just kidding, but it did look kind of funny. That's our Elijah... But, he is so cuddly and he wrinkles his nose when he laughs, and he loves to rub your arm when he's sleepy. He also yells, "Mommy" in the middle of the night. When I come in there, he just grunts until I pick him up. It's kind of cute. :) He's a little stinker, but he makes life lots of fun.

Bend It Like Luke

I know this may not be as amusing to you as it was to us, but Luke just cracks us up. We got quite a few laughs today. He did score a goal....for the other team. :) We had told him that if he ever scores a goal we would celebrate with ice cream. So guess what we did today? We went out for ice cream. We couldn't break it to him that it was for the wrong team. Notice that Luke has way more important things to do such as untuck his arm from his shirt. Susanna chose to stay down in Greenville with her friends so she is not in this one.

Susanna's First Day Of Kindergarten

Boys only weekend +Me

Well, Susanna is not here tonight and with her friends. This is her first sleepover apart from family. I know it is only one night but I miss her already. There's just something about having all of the kids under one roof. But, I will survive... Luke has his first soccer game tomorrow morning. He is so funny out there on the field during practice. I think that he is going to drive his coach crazy but it just cracks me up. The coach will set up cones for them to dribble around with the ball but he will just go straight and avoid the cones altogether. I am just hoping that Luke does not score any goals for the other team if the goal is closer. I'll try and get a little video of it to put on here for Papa and Grandma. He is the smallest one out there but he is so cute in those way too big shorts and soccer shirt!

I Married My Dad

Today, Susanna was invited to go with some friends to Greenville for tomorrow night. Susanna was so excited to go. All day she has been talking about it. Well, tonight she realized that she will be missing her first soccer game. She was crying saying that she wanted to go with her friends but she didn't want to miss her game. She kept saying that she didn't want to hurt any one's feelings.(Her soccer team or her friends that will be going to Greenville for the night) So, what does Jeff do? He told her that he would drive down there and pick her up Saturday morning so that she could do both. Greenville is about a 2 hour drive and Susanna's game starts at 9am. Jeff will be leaving at about 4:30am so that Susanna will make it to her game. I know, I know... Susanna will probably grow up thinking that her Dad will always bail her out. MMMM...this reminds me of the crazy things my Dad would do for his girls. What is it about a Daddy and their little girls?

First Try Video

Tough Decisions

This year seems to be filled with tough decisions for Jeff and I. We have had to decide on where to send Susanna to school. Would you believe that we had her enrolled in 3 different schools up until the week before school? This does not include the very distant thought of homeschooling her. We struggled with this for so long. We did decide to send her to a Christian school and she loves it. I am glad that we chose this option. I don't know what we'll do next year when Luke goes but we'll see. Secondly, we had to make the decision to start Sam on growth hormone treatment. This was extremely scary for me personally. I hate to give the kids any kind of drug unless they are very sick. I am just a tad bit afraid of the unknown. I even get a little nervous about getting their vaccines. I delay them a little just to make myself feel better. So, making the decision to give him this new treatment was extremely hard. Jeff is much better about this. He is the calm,cool, and collected one. Well, we weighed our options and prayed about this and felt that this was the best course of treatment for him. So far, we've seen pretty good results with them. Then, Jeff and I have had to make a very tough but private decision this past week. This was a tough, tough decision. Why do we have to make these decisions in our lives? Why doesn't God just tell us what to do? I think that I am learning why. Sometimes these decisions make us learn and realize how much we need Him. I am glad to know that He is with us and will gently guide us. Well, most of the time He gently guide us, sometimes it's more like a kick in the rear. Nevertheless, I am thankful that He teaches me to rely on Him.

Dirty Laundry

Our family went on vacation about 3 and a half weeks ago. Since I wanted to really enjoy the vacation, I did not do much laundry while we were there. Well, we came home with probably 10-12 loads of laundry. This includes beach towels, linens, crib sheets, bath towels, as well as clothes. Well, I have still not recovered. I have done about 5 loads of laundry a day since we have been home. At this very moment, there is probably 5 loads to do in all of the rooms' hampers. I cannot catch up. I do an extra load outside of the normal maintenance loads, and one of the kids will spill a gallon of milk on the floor. There goes another load of towels. Then, one will take off his diaper in the middle of the night(WHY?) and the cycle continues. I think that I am going to have to head to a laundromat so that I can put 10 loads in at a time and be done with it. But the bottom line is that it makes me realize that the more we clothes that we have, not only costs extra money but costs us alot of extra time. I feel the need for decluttering coming on. Every month or so, I go through all of the kids clothes or toys and get rid of the things that we can do without. Why? Because eventually all of the stuff that they have to enjoy eventually robs us of the time to play. And all of the stuff begins to control our lives. We will spend hours after hours cleaning it all up only to do it all over again and little or no time reading, playing outside, learning about God and just that time to really invest in their lives. This is something that God has spoken to me about lately. I yearn for a closer walk with Him. So, I do little things that I think are what He wants. Yet as I spend my time doing the work, I clutter my life up so much that I don't have the time to spend with Him. Before long, they very One I was trying to get closer to is further than ever. It's time to declutter my home and my priorities.

Our Day in a Nutshell...

Well, today we started early by sending Susanna off to kindergarten. It was a little harder than I expected. She absolutely loved it though. All she wants to talk about is what outfit she is going to wear tomorrow and what she wants packed in her lunch. Here we go. She was so funny when she was telling me about having to walk in the hallway with her finger on her lips and a hand on her hip. She said, "Mom, it looks so silly! Isn't that crazy that we have to walk that way?" I laughed because I would not have liked it either. After we dropped her off, Luke, Sam , Eli, and I cleaned out the car. It was in desperate need of it. My car would have won an award for messiest today. I cannot figure out how to keep a car clean. But, it does look good now. It may only last a day or so, but I am enjoying it while it lasts. Then, we went to the Park before it got too hot. We have hardly been outside lately because the heat is almost unbearable. It was so nice to get out today. It is funny how much the dynamics of our family change without Susie. Susanna would have all of the boys playing house on the playground,for sure. But today, Luke was playing superhero and forcing his brothers to go down the slide. It was so neat to see Luke lead his brothers and do some stuff he's probably wanted to do for so long. He loved being the oldest one at home. I explained to him that he will need to step it up with helping with his little brothers. He was beaming. All day, he has been saying, Now, boys, this is how you do this...
He loves his sister but is learning to be unique. He looks up to her so much and tries to be just like her. He gets easily frustrated if she does anything better than him. Sometimes he just gives up. I want Luke to recognize the uniqueness of being Luke and how special that God made Him. They both are playing soccer on the same team. They love it! Susanna played last year and this is Luke's first year. As you can guess, Luke gets a little distracted on the field but he does enjoy it. We''ll see how it goes.

Happy Birthday

To You and You!

Happy Birthday to Kent! You are a wonderful brother and I am so thankful for you. You have stepped up big time in taking care of Mom. Dad would be so proud of you! I love you!


Happy Birthday to my Mother in Law! I love you and am so thankful for you. I often hear about mother in law horror stories and am often reminded of how truly blessed I am. I don't have any stories to tell but good ones. Thank you for raising a wonderful family that I am so glad to be a part of. We all love you and miss you guys!

The heat returns...

Well, our AC has quit working for the second time this week. It sure makes me thankful for when it is working. The irony of it is that Holly's went out this week,too. We gave her the number of the people we used the first time and they came to her house that same day. So, today, we called them and asked them to come and fix it and they said that they would be out on Tuesday of next week. What? We found out that since we are getting this service through our home warranty, which Holly was not, we would be put on the bottom of the list. They know that we have to use them. Things like these tend to fire me up. I am trying to keep my testimony, but I am very tempted to give them a piece of my mind. As you can see, I have trouble being in a good mood when I am hot and my kids are fussy because they are hot, too. We stayed at Mom's house over the weekend and are trying to give her a break. I'll probably be there tomorrow night anyways since Jeff is out of town.
Jeff is taking Kent down to Honor Academy in Tyler, Texas. He will be there for a year. I cannot believe my little bro is going to college. We are sure going to miss you, Bub. The kids want you to call them often.

Wow!

I cannot believe it has been a month since I last posted. We have so much to write about but I will do that later. We got home from vacation on Saturday and our AC is not working. We began to unpack and Sam was drenched in sweat in about 2 minutes. So, we have been staying with Mom until the AC is fixed. Should be today. It has been over 100 degrees in Charlotte. Whew! The beach wasn't so bad because we had a good breeze and the water to cool off in. This is terrible without a pool, though. Hint, Hint, Jeff! I have been begging Jeff to get a pool. Jeff, being raised in Fla does not see the benefits of getting a pool when you can only use it for 4 months out of the year. :) I love to swim. I probably would not get very much accomplished because I would be in the pool all of the time. Well, the last time that we had this kind of weather during the summer, we had a great winter. Lots of snow and snowdays! Today, that sounds so great!

Joy In the Morning

I don't know why, but today I really miss my Dad. Sometimes it just hits me like a ton of bricks that he is not here. For instance, my brother Kent has his old cell phone and cell number and his car. Sometimes when Kent calls, I will think for a second that it is Dad. Or when I see his car, I will think, Dad's home. I know that this sounds weird. We all miss him. Nothing is the way it used to be and I hate that. I wish that he were here to see my kids. I have a hard time accepting the fact that my kids will probably not remember him as they get older. He loved them so much. My children are blessed with 3 wonderful grandparents. They all love them so much. But, they should have had their Grampa Dwyer, too. When I worried about Sam and his health, Dad would just listen and encourage me. He would reassure me that everything was going to be OK. I always believed him. He did that for my sisters, my brother, and my Mom. It seems like we all need him right now. I think that is why it is hitting so hard at this moment. Everyone seems to be going through some hard times and we all feel kind of lost without him. I had no idea how much pain people are in when they a lose a dear loved one. The magnitude is incomprehensible unless you have been through it. Since the death of my Dad, I look at people so differently. I remember the first time that I went anywhere after he died, which happened to be Walmart, go figure. Anyways, it felt so silly and weird to be there. I kept thinking, "How can I shop for groceries when he is not here?" Why is everyone smiling? But, the thing I remember the most is wondering how many people here are experiencing pain so heavy and terrible yet are forced to continue living. We all still have to go to Walmart. It's not just for the soccer moms, the PTA presidents, the Sunday school teachers, and everyone else who we think has it all together. There are people all around us who have just found out devastating news, has a sick child, lost a loved one,yet still has to buy milk and diapers. How can life simply go on? Without the ones we loved? We have to.. It is our calling. He has called us to get through. He will carry us through. He hurt the way we hurt. He has already paved the paths that we have to walk through. He watched His loved one die, too. A death so painful that He had to turn away. Yet, His Son's death was necessary so that our own pain would not last forever. He has promised to wash away every tear. I cannot wait for that day. Often at night, I grieve, I worry, and I stress. I guess that this is normal because the Lord has given us a promise regarding this. He does truly give us joy in the morning. The fears are not so heavy and the grief is not so strong when the sun comes up. The kids get in our bed and soon remind me of the joys that He has filled my cup with. It does run over.






I'm sorry about the topic being a little less perky, but I needed to write. Tomorrow, I'll be back to the adventures of the family.

Kids Say The Cutest Things

Tonight, the kids and I went for a walk while Jeff mowed the yard. As we were walking, a couple of girls drove by in a convertible. Susanna goes, "Mommy, I will never drive a car without a lid on it. They are so dangerous. Why don't they have a lid on it?" It was funny. She is definitely the little Mother Hen. Yesterday, my brother Kent's dog kept following Susie around the house. Susanna asked my Mom why the dog was following her all over the place. My Mom told her that the dog just really liked her. Then, Susie said, "But Grandma, I just need some alone time for a little bit." Mom got a kick out of it. I did too.

A Bit Overwhelming...

Luke and Susanna have been misbehaving quite a bit today. I don't have a voice to get on to them. My voice has been gone for about 2 days now. Let's just say that it has been a little rough today. Is it normal to have days that you feel as though you are failing as a parent? I mean, some days when everything is going wrong, I think about all of the things that could and should be done better. It sometimes terrifies me to think of this great responsibility that God has given Jeff and I. How can I make sure that they will love the Lord, love others, have a vision for their lives, be strong, know how to brush their teeth for 2 minutes, tie their shoes, sit up straight at the table, have good manners, be polite,play an instrument, button their pants,learn to write,know how to read, know their addresses,know not to talk to strangers, eat all their vegetables and fruit,be able to play ball, clean their rooms without hiding stuff under their bed, share with each other,know all the little songs that I want them to know, speak uplifting words and not words that tear down,stay away from drugs? OK, I know I am getting a little ahead of myself but the task does seem a little overwhelming, especially today. How do you have time in the day to prepare them for life? I don't mean to sound negative. I love and enjoy raising them. It would be so easy to get them to just survive this world. But, we want so much for them to thrive in this world. I want them to know that God has a purpose for their lives and a plan. He wants them to glorify Him, live and breathe His Word, show others His love, and be Kingdom-Minded. How can Jeff and I do this? We make so many mistakes, it's scary. I mean, sometimes I wonder if we even have a chance of turning out kids that are normal. We can't do it alone. We need Him every moment of every day. I think that is where I often lose focus. We can't do it alone. It's too big of a task to do without His guidance every day. I am so glad, that even though today I probably snapped at my kids too many times that His grace will see us through.

Zones

Today, Holly and I took the kids to the fabric store (Holly's idea) and then to ChickfilA to let the kids play on the playground. Every time that we do this, we realize that it is so hard to get anything done with all of the kids. Holly thought that maybe we could handle all going to the fabric store. No! I remember those days with my Mom. Out of all the stores to go with her, it was our least favorite. She would take hours deciding on what to buy. I think that our kids had the same opinion. They were going crazy. We try to get most of our errands ran on Fridays. I can usually handle them at Target, at Walmart, the grocery stores, some restaurants(kid friendly ones). I have named these the Green Zone. The kids will behave and everyone expects kids to be in those stores. Then, we have a few places considered the Yellow Zone. This means that they are mildly hazardous. It could work out and the kids will be great or it could turn into a disaster. These places are the Mall, Lowes or Home Depot, or places like TJ Maxx or Ross. I think that the problem with these stores is that the kids don't have much to look at. But, there are some places that I rarely venture with the kids: the library, the fabric store, Doctor's Appointments, and fine specialty stores. I would refer to these as the Red Zone. These places are extremely hazardous. No, I do not shop at fine specialty stores. But if I were to, I wouldn't bring the kids. These places do not appreciate kids with an extra bit of energy. If we go to any of these places, I can count on a few stern looks from workers and it makes me nervous. So , we avoid these.


The kids did have fun at ChickfilA though. It was about 100 degrees, but they didn't seem to mind. Sam and Eli were so funny trying to keep up with the big kids on the playground. We had a good day! Tomorrow morning, Susie and I have a date...yard sale. Susie loves it.

Too many fish in the Sea?

Today, we went with Holly and my friend Ally to the pool. We have 11 kids total. My kids love the pool and would go every day if they could. It is their favorite summertime activity. There are 2 reasons we don't go as much as we'd like.

1. Bathing Suits Required....Enough said.

2. The kids give me a heart attack every time. I continually count in my head...1--2---3--4 kids. Whew! But, sometimes for a brief second, I only get to 3 and panic. I hate that feeling. Sam likes to run around the pool and Susanna is swimming without floaties most of the time. They both make me so nervous.

Besides the heart attacks and the bathing suit issue, we had a great time. Next time we go, we'll bring Dad so they can show him all their new tricks. Susie, Luke, and Sam are going to take swim lessons at the Y in a couple of weeks. I could not believe how cheap the lessons were. We'll see if they are good. Sam will be in a parent and me swim class. I used to teach swim lessons, but they wanted "real" swim lessons. Why don't Moms count as teachers?

Cricket

Today, we are celebrating Kristi's birthday. I thought for the occasion that I would write the top ten things that make my sister so unique.

Top Ten List
10. She says, "Nesty" when she really means "Nasty". She says this all of the time.
9. She is the only one that I know that mispronounces her own name. On her voicemail it says, "This is Kr-i-e-s-ty." She is the only one of us that has such an accent.
8. If something is about to fall or she sees that you are about to get clobbered in the head by a falling object, she will just cover her ears. No, she doesn't come to your rescue, she just covers those ears and watches the action.
7. All of the kids love her. Is it the fact that she always brings candy?
6. She is the only one I know that can eat peanut M&M's and not a gain an ounce. It's enough to make me sick.
5. I will never forget the time that I threw a stool at Holly when I was little. (Very little) She reminded me of that incident anytime she needed to. For years, she would threaten me with that. She still does. Ok, Kristi, it is out in the open. Mom knows now!
4. She knows what she likes. She will never wear bright clothes or big earrings. Never!
3. She will watch the same movies over and over. I cannot understand this. I feel that one time is plenty, but Kristi will say that they are having a movie night. I will ask what they are watching and she will say something like, While You Were Sleeping, Sleepless In Seattle, or Ever After. She will enjoy them each time as if it were the first time watching it.
2. On a more serious note, she is very loyal. Rarely will utter a negative comment about anyone. She gets this from my Dad. And Mom too!:)
1. I think that I should have saved number 2 for number 1 on the list. I wanted to end it on a good note. So, just switch them in your head. Kristi loves a new adventure. She is on her 3rd or 4th college now. Hey, change is good!
Love you, Kristi! Happy Birthday!

Exciting News...

No, I'm not pregnant. At least I don't think so. I'm just kidding! This past Sunday, Susanna accepted Jesus into her heart. There is nothing in the world better than that. She is very excited about it. I will have to post more about it later when I get a little more time.

Being A Kid

The kids have all been playing outside in our little pool all day. They love it. Susanna and Luke like to run and jump in to it. We have also put it under their swingset slide so they can slide right into it. They put the hose on the top of the slide and have their own built in water park. While they were running and jumping into the pool, Luke said, "Mommy, don't you wish that you could be a little kid like us?" It was cute. Yes, sometimes I do. I miss those days of being so carefree.

The Library

I love the library. The kids are always excited to get new books to read. We just don't make it there often enough. I remember my mom taking us there once a week and letting us pick out 3 books. When I was little, I always chose the books about holidays. If there was a book with a Christmas tree on it or an Easter bunny, it was mine. I remember when Mom let us get more than 3. I loved to read and 3 books was not quite cutting it. Now, I can see why she limited us. Last night, I made a run to the Library and paid off our late fees. If I had known how much I owed, I would have asked for some sort of installment plan. I can never get a system for picking up the books and returning them all on time. Not to mention finding them. Why do library books end up in the weirdest spots? I have found them in the deep,dark pits of the car, buried in the couch between the cushion and the frame, in the pantry, and in the kids' drawers. It is amazing how those books always hide. I have figured out that the library is not really your friend if you have little kids. It is impossible to go there and stay under radar. Somedays, when the kids are behaving well, we will make our way there. BUT...something always happens. One of the babies will cry because they are thirsty, the kids will loudly protest about my rule of only 1 book with a cartoon character in it, or we will drop our whole stack of books, or knock over a couple of videos. The Librarians will give us that look, and our stay will be over. I usually vow to never bring the kids back in with me. Yet, we still make attempts. One day, we will be that family that is quiet and stares at other people and their kids when they get noisy. Yes, one day, my kids will be quietly sitting and studying. One Day... But for now, I'll take this rowdy bunch over the quiet ones anyday. Well, most days.:)

Rub A Dub,Dub, Three Boys In A Tub

Our Bath time can get a little bit out of control. :)

Wilmington

Have you ever asked the Lord for confirmation on something that He has told you to change or do in your life? Last week ,the Lord had been telling me something that I needed to change and do. I, being a hard-headed person, asked the Lord to reveal it clearly. I even asked Him to pound me in the head with it, so that it would be so clear to me. Well, He did! In an article that I was reading, it had a statement about the very thing that God was dealing with me. Then, in the neatest way, God revealed it again. Jeff and I went to Wilmington to get away and refocus. Jeff had arranged that we would take a 1 hour carriage ride tour. By the way, it is such a beautiful city! Well, our driver was a young man, about our age I would guess. He began to talk to us about the city and then asked us if we were born again believers. After we told him that we were, he said that he just wanted to share with us what the Lord has been revealing to him. He got out his Bible and began to read to us from Joel and Zechariah. Two books of the Bible that are not given a lot of attention. Well, he shared with us and encouraged us the whole hour. It was awesome. He loved the Lord and it was evident that the Lord brought him to us to speak encouragement as well as convict me about the very thing that God had already been dealing with me on. The verses that he read were just the words that I needed to hear. (mostly Joel 2) Yes, he read most of the chapter. Well, as we were getting out, he asked if he could pray with us. I don't believe in coincidences. God had ordained that carriage ride long before Jeff had secretly arranged it. He put that man there to speak the words that we needed to hear. How awesome is that! And, Sunday, our Pastor spoke to us about Jonah, his disobedience, his sleep, etc... It was a powerful sermon and just what I needed to hear. 25 people got saved at our campus. I will tell about that later tonight! The Lord will not let us sleep when changes need to be made. He definitely made it to clear to me. I love that about the Lord. He draws us to Him and even answers our requests for confirmation.

Daddy

Today, I wanted to honor my husband for all that he does as a father. He loves his kids so much. I love to just sit and watch him play with them. I love how he comes to their level, although at some times it can be quite scary. Jeff makes having 4 kids relatively easy. Many times, people will ask how I do it with 4 kids. Jeff is how I do it. I am so lucky! He always is willing to watch all of the kids so that I can have a little time off. He helps me all of the time with the dr appointments, the late night diaper or medicine runs, the baths, the cleaning, the diaper changes, the bedtime stories, the cooking. He prays over each of the kids as they go to bed each night. He loves our kids dearly. Thank you, Jeff, for all that you do! We love you!

My Favorites

What would our house look like without the Magic Eraser? Well, you would notice just about everything on our walls. What an amazing invention,although we still have a few pen marks that the Magic Eraser was not able to get. Here are a few of my favorite things for the kids. Am I missing anything?
I would love to hear your opinion if there is something better. I always want to know what works for other moms.

Diapers: Huggies Supreme (I don't always buy these but I do stock up when they're on sale )
Wipes: Huggies, but I also like Target brand. They are cheaper and are pretty similar.
Place to find good deals on clothes: Old Navy end of season sales, The Childrens Place Outlet-I usually find cute stuff for 99 cents, and Target
Place to find good deals for home decor: Trinkets and Treasures (My Mom's store:))
Carpet Cleaner: Folex Carpet cleaner -This used to be only available to professionals, but they sell it now at Walmart. It is wonderful and non-toxic.
Cleaning supplies: The Magic Eraser- It's wonderful for removing almost anything off your walls and we've had about everything on our walls. It's also good for getting scuff marks off of your floors.
Baby lotion: Good Old Fashioned Baby Magic. I know that there are probably lotions that are better, but this is what my Mom used. I'm going to have to try Burt's Bees, eventually. I had a baby in nursery that had that on, and he smelled so good and clean. A bit pricey though. I do know that their lotion for cracking skin for adults works great.
Kids shampoo: Anything by Loreal. They have a new one that smells like Coconut that's great. I also think that their vanilla scream one is good, too.
Kids socks: Old Navy--They have the no slip stuff on the bottom. Great for when they are beginning to walk.
Kids shoes: Usually Target.
Baby wash: Huggies Washcloths. Wonderful and easy.
Kids Books: I love the book, Old Hat, New Hat by Dr. Seuss for beginning to read. Susanna got that book from Papa and Gramma Robinson and learned to read it very quickly. We also are loving the Bob Books. They are so simple and cute.
Favorite Music: Hillsong for Kids. I love the Cd's. I don't get tired of them like I do with the kids' other cd's. They have some really fun songs as well as some great worship songs.
Magazine: Family Fun Magazine-- Always has great ideas! I get excited every time I get this in the mail.
Kid's Favorite Hair stylist: My sister Katie=) I had to put this one in
Board Games to Play: We like to play the Memory games and Disney Yahtzee
Hand soap: Bath and Body works Foam soap. The kids love this and it lasts forever. We especially like the Banana one.
Toy:
Elijah's: Stacking cups- It beats him pulling out all of the tupperware. He loves to play with them.
Sam's: Magnetic Thomas the Train- He will continually put them together and pull them apart.
Luke's: Pixter and a Bug catcher
Susanna: Polly Pockets
Kid's Video: Praise baby Dvd's- They have such a calming effect on Sam and Eli

Susie and her award

Susanna just finished her preschool for the year. They had a little presentation for her class since they were graduating on to kindergarten. Each of the kids were given a reward such as most inquisitive, most helpful, best colorer,etc... Well, Susanna got the award for best handwriting. But was she excited about it? Not in the least. She was too upset that she didn't get best dressed. I cannot believe it! She just thinks that she know it all when it comes to fashion. I told her that the little girl who got it dresses very nice, but Susanna said, "But Mom, She wears tennis shoes with her dresses." I seriously cannot recall ever telling her this. What are we going to do?

Luke's fish cake?

Susanna Helping with the Presents

Making their Crab bags

Playing in the Pool

Luke and his Party

I meant to post this earlier but I have had no access to a computer over the past week. Luke had his birthday party last Saturday. He was so excited to say the least. It was supposed to rain but it held off. We had beautiful weather. The kids had a great time playing in the water. Luke was so funny. I had reminded him how to tell each of the kids thank you after he opened their presents. We practiced this a few times on Friday night. I had also told him some things that would be nice for him to say and do. Well, after he opened every present, he said,"Thank you, I love it!" and then gave them a hug. It was so funny because he said it like he meant it, but it also sounded a little too rehearsed. We all got a kick out of it. He keeps reminding me that he is 4 now. His preschool just ended for the year. Luke absolutely loves preschool. Most mornings he likes to sleep in but if I tell him to get up for preschool, he will shoot right up. Right now, him,Susie, and Jeff went to see Shrek3. Luke loves to spend time with his Daddy. His new favorite thing to do is to go fishing. Jeff and him went last week and caught 5 fish. Luke is still talking about it. Luke also loves to play outside on the swingset. He will ask me about 20 times a day to push him on the swing. He can pump his legs, but he'd rather not.
God has given Luke a gift of caring for others. He is so sensitive about certain things. He cannot stand to see me tear up. The other day, we were talking about Papa Dwyer and I got a little teary-eyed. Luke hurried to me with a big hug and said, "Don't worry Mommy, I'll take care of you." I love that Boy!
Enjoy the pictures from the party!