Hope on her birthday!

Happy Birthday Hope!

We celebrated Hope's 3rd birthday on Tuesday and had a fun day at home together. I tried to upload the photos just now and my batteries died and we are out of them. I decided to go ahead and post before January comes! :)

I cannot believe she is already three....from the day she was born and the months following she drew out emotions in me I have never felt before when she was diagnosed with VSD. (Ventricular Septal Defect...aka hole in the heart or in her case 3 holes) I remember getting the news that it wasn't just one hole as suspected but three and that we had to watch her for symptoms and there was talk of surgery, etc.. We then went to Mardel's afterward to shop and all I remember is the incredible pain, hurt and fear and wanting to enjoy and savor every moment with her and my other children. I began missing my five year old son whom we had put in pre-k that year. That day solidified homeschooling for us (something that was always on our hearts) and even though I definitely need my breaks from my children, (or I would go crazy!) I am thankful for what baby Hope has brought to our family. She still has one hole in her heart and we are thankful the other two closed on their own. She has no symptoms and her Cardiologist says she can play quarterback when we gets older if she wants to. ;) She brings so much life to our home...she is loud, rambunctious, playful, , demonstrative and hilarious! Everything she says is either said in loud excitement or in sad despair. We can't wait to see what plans God holds for her future!

We love you Hopey Bope!

This is what happens by the time you get to #4!

Do you forsee therapy in this little guys future??

For the Frugal mom

Coming off of my last blog where I mentioned that there are more areas of homemaking skills that I would like to acquire....becoming more frugal is one of them. I have a husband who is very frugal (and that is an understatement) and after thinking for many years that he was just hoarding all of our money and just didn't want us to enjoy it, ;) I have come around to see how it has benefited us greatly.



Now, It seems my grocery bill keeps getting higher and my own spending on miscellaneous items such as clothing, household goods and decorating, etc. can sometimes get a little (okay, a lot) out of control. I want to be a better steward of our money especially during these economic times. I found these great sites that I am getting some great ideas from and thought I would pass them along to you. Hope you enjoy.

www.moneysavingmom.com
www.grocerycartchallenge.blogspot.com
www.thehappyhousewife.com
www.frugalgranola.blogspot.com
www.free2befrugal.blogspot.com

and these last two just amaze me. You will find tips on EVERYTHING!
www.pleasantviewschoolhouse.blogspot.com
www.kellishouse.blogspot.com

I was tagged by my friend Crazy Daisy to tell 7 random things about myself…..

1) When I was single, I made a list of qualities that I wanted in a Christian husband and made a copy for my friend Cheryl for her to keep me accountable when I was dating. On my Wedding day, she gave it back to me and congratulated me for finding the mate who met them all. Now almost ten years later and I am learning he is so much more! (Mark still has the copy and keeps it in a special place).

2) I am obsessed with researching. Whatever issue I am concerned with or want to know more about, I tend to over research it….usually stressing myself out!

3) I have a lot of friends who say that since they were little girls, all they wanted to be was a mommy. That was the last thing on my mind when I was young or in my early twenties. When I got saved at twenty-four I had a great mentor, Laura Sartin, who poured into my life and shared a lot with me about being a wife and mother. Needless to say, I was “hooked” with my first experience of motherhood and now LOVING my role as “mommy”….four babies later.

4) I was offered a really good softball scholarship to OU that I turned down. This is something I have regretted for many years but realizing how different my circumstances would have been if I had taken that opportunity not yet being a Christian. I have now rested in the fact that I am where I was supposed to be.

5) I have a huge fear of planes (and elevators too) and that’s not good when your husbands favorite hobby is flying. :)

6) When I first got married, I knew NOTHING about managing a home. I couldn’t cook, clean or even grocery shop right….and you can forget about sewing, gardening, and those other domestic duties… I was pitiful! With the help of close friends and my husband (My mother-n-law raised her son well….thank you Vernell) and my own research ;), I have come into my own. I was a good student and after a few years, I have become a more confident domestic goddess. There are still some things on my list I want to learn, but I am proud of how far I have come.

7) I get my batteries charged by being around others. I love people. I love to watch and study them, trying to figure them out. I should have been a counselor.

Now I am tagging my friends Eyes Wide Open, Serene Chaos, The Robertson Crew and The Call of the Wild to tell 7 random things about themselves. Can’t wait to “figure you out”. ;)

My four little Pumpkins!

Our trip to the Pumpkin Patch

For Halloween we went to my family's for pictures and candy and then we went to a friends house to Trick or Treat on their street.

Tonight, we are all inside and cozy without a care in the world because the garage has been fixed!! My husband is awesome...along with my step-dad. They got it done in a day and now we can get the house painted on schedule. Needless to say, my bad week turned out not to be so bad afterall. Hopefully I will be able to say the same this next week come Tuesday. ;) I might still want to go into hibernation for the next four years.

What a week and it's not even over!

Well, first of all, to put all of this in perspective it is not that bad of a week when my mind considers what REALLY could be worse. To me right now though...at this very moment...I have reached for the bowl of Halloween candy that my kids got from "Trunk or Treat" the other night and picked out most of the chocolate!!

When Mark isn't working he is home working on big house projects which have been going on for quite some time now. He is usually a big help to me since he is off three and four days a week and he really helps me with the kids (even teaching them school) so that I can get housework done and errands ran. With not having his help I am now more stressed with the house not being clean, having no quiet time and having to run my errands with three kids and a baby (which has never been a problem for me before). Not until some unidentified two year old who is throwing fits and whining practically all day has kidnapped my daughter Hope and has taken her place. She is relentless! McCain behind in the polls hasn't helped things either.....but all of these things is not the kicker....NOOOOO. Tonight, on my way to pick up Dawson and Carys at Awana's, I pulled out of my garage and hit the little middle "thingy" (no, I don't know what it is called) that divides our 2 car garage and tore our garage off of the foundation!! At first I didn't think it was that bad but it is. The garage is sitting whoppyjawed (that's a real word right??). More work and more money to be spent for my dear husband who sweetly told me it was no big deal even when I know it is for him.

I wish I was a bear right now so that I could just hibernate for a long time and wake up to all the house projects done; a happy three year old and a clean house. If only.

By the way, if you happen to see Hope, please tell her that her mommy misses her and to come home ASAP. :)

"Somewhere in the Middle"

This song has become my favorite song and daily I listen to it when I jog in the mornings. The great thing about running for me is that I can really get into deep uninterrupted thoughts that can really be emotional for me sometimes. I don't know why, maybe it's the endorphins??? This song hits home to me because it is me....I am caught in the middle right now. I know what God is calling me to do/to be and one moment I want to run from it and the other moment I want to embrace it....other times I think I am there but in reality I am not.

I found the song on "Youtube" and tried to upload it so you could see it from my blog but I couldn't figure it out...grrr. I hope you don't mind following the link instead and if any of you feel sorry for me you can comment and tell me how to upload videos. :) If it doesn't work at all....I am SOOOOOO sorry...just go to Youtube and type in "Casting Crowns caught in the middle."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DveYBno-pmQ

Catching up

Well, it has been awhile so I am playing catch up. It has been real busy with a three month old and three active kids. The moments I have the time to post, there just isn't much to say! :)

Dawson had his birthday party and the boys had a great time. We started off bowling then came home and had a scavenger hunt in our neighborhood. The neighbors loved it and were very helpful and both teams actually got all the items listed. We then played flashlight tag in the dark until they were finally wore out and came inside to watch a movie as you see above. We declared lights out at midnight but they kept playing and wrestling with each other until they started to get hurt so we finally made them settle down at 1am. Wouldn't you know that they would be up at 7am!!! Aaaahh! I took a good nap that afternoon.

Carys' dance class had an open class where parents could come in and watch and at the end each little dancer had to pick a parent to dance with. Carys picked her daddy. I thought it was sweet that Hope joined in.

We went to the zoo last Friday and had lots of fun! Here is a picture of the kids....can you see Shepard on Dawson's back? Don't worry....Mark is holding him. :)

Riding the turtle

Little Shep

We then went to the park outside of the zoo afterwards. All of the kids were begging me to take pictures of them on everything.

Our Care Bear

Hopey Bope or little monkey

Sheppy!!




I just had to put this on. It looks like Shepard is just as serious as Dawson as he figures out his Sudoku puzzles.

Happy Birthday Dawson!

I can't believe you are already 8! You are our firstborn bundle of joy whom we brought home with excitement mixed with fear as we learned how to take care of you physically and (are still) striving to raise you spiritually so that you may have an understanding and love of Scripture and a lifelong passion for Jesus Christ. We have enjoyed watching you grow into a smart, funloving, silly yet tenderhearted boy that just plain wears us out!! We wouldn't have it any other way.

Here is the Birthday boy with the cute little puppy cake his NaMa and PaPa brought him

NaMa and PaPa stayed for a few days and brought presents and cake and fun for Dawson's birthday. The kids get so excited to stay in the hotel with them when they come visit....that is the highlight because they get to spend lots of alone time with them.

We also had a celebration with MiMi and PaPa too but I forgot to bring my camera....as always! He had a great time celebrating with his cousin Kaitlyn who is one day younger than he is. I am also in the midst of planning a little birthday fun with a few of his friends that I will post later.

We love you Dawson!

Projects, Projects, and more Projects!

Since we moved into our home in May, we have had many projects! This is one of our major projects we are doing to the house. We tore down the existing screened in patio and had a structure for a new balcony built last week. Mark plans on completing this project himself. He really enjoys learning and doing home projects. We have finished painting the girls' and the boys' rooms but still working on last minute touches. I will post those along with the new completed balcony as we finish....which could be awhile. ;)

First day of school!

Nobody slept well last Sunday night in anticipation of the first day of school on Monday. I would like to say for the kids it was because they couldn't wait to get back to Math and Reading, etc... but no, it was because they were getting a special breakfast and first day of school gifts!

Here they are eating sausage, bacon, donuts and chocolate milk

(at least I added protein)

Anxiously waiting to open their gifts...Hopey too!

Wow mom, thanks for the glue and pencils! :)

(They got some Bibleman action figures as well)

Bibleman helping Dawson do grammar

The kids dancing around the table while learning their States and Capitols

Dawson's 2nd grade curriculum

(plus memory work and LOTS of reading)

Carys' Kindergarten curriculum

(plus memory work and reading her first books)

We have had a great first week of school. The kids (and mom) only whined a little when bedtime got earlier and the mornings came too soon. I think we have now adjusted and are getting our routine established. We also have PE class, piano lessons, group theory, bowling league, dance and soccer thrown in the mix (and of course having friends over) so we are finding our days packed full and I haven't even mentioned church activities! Oh, my poor unsocialized kids! :)

Shepard is two months today and all smiles!

Friends & Bibleman

We have had a lot of good times with friends these last few weeks. It was really refreshing as it seems I have been couped up with the baby so much with the heat. Our Friends Troy and Cheryl are Stateside and came to B'ville to visit and it is always a joy because we only get to see them every two or three years. It is amazing to see how fast their kids are growing. I remember changing their kids diapers and now they are teenagers. Sheesh! We really enjoyed their visit. The boy's talked theology and politics and us girls talked about our kids. :) That's moms for ya. They are a really neat couple who are missionaries in Wales and are very passionate about reaching the lost. We could just sit and talk for hours...and we did.

Troy, Mark and Shepard while eating dinner at Mazzio's

Cheryl, Shepard and I



All of our kids

Then last night we went to see Bibleman Live in Oologah, Oklahoma! We kept it quiet for some time so it would be a surprise for the kids. Dawson was soon catching on.....I guess he is quite the eavesdropper on my conversations. When did that start happening that he was actually interested in adult talk???? However, he was thinking it was going to be a movie. We went with the Holley's, Dickinson's and the Girard's and had a great time watching the newest movie they are about to release. Then Bibleman appears in person and the kids got SO excited. He allowed the kids to ask him questions and talked about how they can be Biblemen and girls too by reading the Bible and hiding it in their hearts. Afterwards he was available to take pictures and talk with the kids so we had him sign their capes and took some pictures.

The majority of us waiting for the movie to start

Dawson and Bibleman

Carys and Bibleman


Hopey and Bibleman

It was really cute because after I took Dawson and Carys' picture of Bibleman I turned off my camera and then all of a sudden Hope jumps right up to Bibleman just like you see in the picture to get her picture too. It didn't dawn on me that she would want a picture with him....I am still in the mode of her being too young for all of this but yet she wants to be smack dab in the middle of everything big brother and sister do. She is our little firecracker! She knows what she wants and goes after it with gusto.

We finally found something that works!

These last few weeks I have been preparing for the school year and just had to share our chore system because it is the first one that I have come across (and I have tried many!) that actually is working and has been for over a year now. "Managers of their Chores" by Steve and Teri Maxwell, who also author "Managers of their Homes", is a pretty good size book that walks you through what chores your children can be doing for their age plus how to teach them correctly so you cut down on chores half done. The greatest components of the book though are the chorepacks that come with it and the sample chore charts from other families. Unbelieveably, my kids love their chorepacks because they clip onto them so they won't forget what they are supposed to be doing! I wish I could say the same for their chores but at least they get them done and to my satisfaction. For more information, check their website at www.titus2.com.

"This is the best day ever mommy!"

I have noticed on some of the blogs that I read that they do "Thankful Thursdays" where they list everything they are thankful for every Thursday. Well, today isn't Thursday but these last few days I have had days that have left me overwhelmingly grateful that I needed to share.

For starters, I have had sick kids this last week. (no, this is not what I am thankful for :)) Hope was sick first then Carys came down with a high fever Friday. On Saturday I loaded her up along with her brother Shepard and we headed to the Immediate Physicians Care since our Pediatrician's office was closed. We found out she had strep throat and got our prescription. After we left I decided to zip into Staples real quick to grab a few school supplies. While shopping we came upon a table with all kinds of "pretty" paper clips. Carys was so excited and begged that we get some so we got a small container and filled it up with these cool paperclips that will look so pretty with our schoolwork. She squealed with delight as she was jumping up and down. (for those of you who know Carys, I am sure you are envisioning this) On the way to the drug store I announced that she could pick out a drink and some candy when we got there. Again, she got overly excited and exclaims..."This is the best day ever mommy!" I laughed to myself that she was having the best day ever while running 101 temp and couldn't swallow without terrible pain. Thankfulness flooded in as I smiled back to her through the rear view mirror. I am thankful for such a happy, thoughtful little girl who gets excited about the small things in life.

I am also thankful for Mark's job change because now our insurance covers the doctors here in B'ville again. I used to have to go to Owasso for every visit and it got tiring. Today, I took Shepard for his one month checkup and got to see our favorite doctor....Dr. McQuillen! I am thankful for such a wonderful, caring, listening Doctor who not only knows us by name but knows what is going on in our lives. It had been a year since we went to him and when he saw us in the hall he came right up and said how much he missed us. He chit chatted with us for quite awhile before we even got into the room. Now that's a Doctor!

I am thankful for the clear bill of health for little Shepard. We had health issues with little Hope when we was born with 3 holes in her heart. (runs in my family) We didn't find out with Hope until her 1 month check up because the blood pressure in babies don't fall until then to detect the murmur. I was holding my breath as he checked out Shepard's little heart and relieved that he is fine. Thank you Lord!

I left the dr.'s office feeling so thankful for my family that I could just burst. As Carys would say..."This is the best day ever!"

Now, would this had been the "best day ever" if I had to drive to Owasso and find out Shepard also had a heart defect????? No. Would I be thankful? No, not right away. It is hard for me to be thankful at the moment when things go wrong. I know I am supposed to but it doesn't come right away. sigh.

Cookin' with the Jones Girls

My girls love to help me in the kitchen and I am getting used to letting them help more. I have to remind myself of the precious memories we are making and how soon they will be gone. The song “Cinderella” by Steven Curtis Chapman usually brings me to tears as I know that my little princesses will be grown too soon. So amidst all of the messes, extra time, and inconveniences of letting them help, which can usually have me frustrated with them, I am trying to step back and look at the big picture.

Mark stole this picture of us making bisquits. If I would have known, we would at least have done our hair. :) Now, before you decide twice about ever eating a dish from the Joneses (I can hear your gasps now)…I promise their hands were clean and they didn’t lick anything…that I noticed anyway.

ps. Little Shep is one month old!

4th of July Pictures

Well, the morning of the 4th I got all of my children all dressed up in Red, White and Blue and took their pictures and planned on taking more pictures of the fun festivities that were in store for us for the rest of the day. Our Sunday school class was having a swimming pool party and then a trip to Hudson lake to watch fireworks. As the day grew longer and Mark still knee-deep in painting Dawson's room and me not looking forward to staying inside with the baby (very hot day) while everyone was outside, we opted for staying at home. We did get to see a small fireworks show outside in the backyard so we are glad the kids didn't totally miss out. We made up for it the next night as we got together with close friends for a cook-out. The kids had a blast because when all of us get together, you are talking tons of kids! Mark and I really enjoyed the time with our friends as well.





Dawson trying to mimic brother

Fears

Tonight I am letting a fear freak me out. Spiders! Just a few days ago, while talking to some friends, one of them was telling us of a girl who got bit by a recluse spider and her kidneys almost shut down and she almost died. Now, I am already terrified of spiders as it is....add something like this and I am over the top. Well, it just so happens that the next evening...not kidding...I walked into the entryway into our garage and two big spiders started to scatter. I screamed and the kids come running wondering where the spider is because the only time I scream is when I see a spider. Mark comes and gets it and what is it? A recluse! I could hardly sleep for fear that maybe we are infested with them. To top it off, tonight I grabbed a throw blanket to put up and a big spider went scattering. It went hiding too fast to tell what it was but in my mind, it was a recluse. So now, I am sitting here scared of these little things. It also has me thinking about fears and how they can totally paralyze. I wish I could say that spiders are my only fears but they are not....add to that list elevators and airplanes (and I am sure there are some others I have forgotten). There are so many scriptures that I hold onto and memorize to help me when I am faced with one of these issues. So why do I still struggle? Is it because they frighten me enough to need Him or is it that I haven't totally let go of that fear and given it to him?.....or both???? I call Him "My Hiding Place" most of the time, I just wish I could learn to stay there awhile and not run in and out.

"Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, them I am strong."

Oh, the newborn stage....

Wow, it is amazing how easily I had forgotten about the newborn stage from just 2 1/2 years ago with Hope. I was expecting to be very busy with my little newborn but the memories of all my other three babies come flooding back as I am taking care of Shepard in his first week of life. It makes me wish I would have enjoyed the newborn stage better with the others but the sleepless nights; constant dirty diapers; and feeding every few hours kept me from it most of the time. Maybe because this is our last or maybe because I am older, but I am really enjoying every minute with Shepard...even at mid-night; 2am; and 5am! Now ask me a few weeks from now and I may tell you a different story. :) I wish I could freeze time and enjoy my babies forever. For now, I am going to catch some Z's while I have the chance.

Here I go!

Well, I have finally decided to bite the bullet and start a blog. I have really enjoyed reading my friends blogs...so much so that it is a daily habit. I feel like I know them so much better because of it and enjoy reading about their daily/weekly activities and stories. I also thought it would be great for family out of town to keep up with what our family is doing. With that said, please forgive this new blogger as I learn how to upload photos and such. :) This site will not look too pretty for awhile. My only hope in creating this blog is that I will have "something" to write about.