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Showing posts from 2011

2011 Christmas Letter

For us, 2011 was a year of learning… Thomas (9) learned to serve others by volunteering to gather and take out the garbage at a local pregnancy center.   He reports for duty every Monday and greatly enjoys the work! He also learned the value of a dollar as he worked for several neighbors and friends doing yard work and house/pet sitting this past spring and summer to earn money for art camp. Thomas is continuing to work and save his money as he plans to go with our church’s youth group to The Wilds Christian Camp in the mountains of North Carolina for one week this upcoming summer. We are excited about how the Lord will work in his life, especially while at camp. Tanner (6 ½) is learning to read in school. It has been fun to witness him read words on his own as we drive around town. He has also begun to read more books to his younger sisters, which is a great help to me! This summer and fall, Tanner learned to operate the lawn mower and leaf blower. If you know Tanner well, you kno

My Family

Here is our most recent family picture. I am including it in our Christmas card...if I can ever find the time to write them! Life for me has become even busier than it was before. I am struggling to find a balance between my expectations and reality of what I can accomplish in a day. My "To Do" list is so long and yet it seems I spend all my time between laundry, dishes, and caring for children. It is discouraging to see my list get longer instead of shorter, but I know soon enough a routine will be established and life will get back to "normal," whatever that was. On a different note, Taryn is gaining weight quickly because she eats so often! During the day, she goes about 2 hours between feedings. However, starting around 8pm, she feeds about every hour and a half. I am nursing her but find myself giving her bottles of formula more and more because she just doesn't seem satisfied, even after nursing for 30 minutes or more. On the bright side, the kids (&a

{ A Thanksgiving Blessing }

My dad and a close family friend (Donna) drove down from Ohio to visit us for Thanksgiving. They arrived around 1:30pm on Thanksgiving day. After some playtime with Grandpa and a tour of the house for Donna, the younger kids settled down for naps while Th and the adults chatted and  I finished up dinner preparations. We ate our Thanksgiving meal around 4:30pm, I cleaned up and then prepared dessert while the kids and other adults played outside, enjoying the unseasonably warm temperatures. Shortly before 7pm the kids came in and began their bedtime routines of showers/baths. We then sat and enjoyed a variety of desserts prepared by both Donna and myself. Once dessert was over, bedtime for the kids was not far behind, and by 8:30pm all of the adults were gathered in the living room for the evening. The busyness of the day left me exhausted and as I sat watching TV and chatting with the family, I realized I was having mild contractions accompanied by cramping. They were not anything

Bump!

Teagan is not known for her grace and poise. I can't count the number of times she has bumped her head, some worse than others. She had two goose-eggs on her forehead within 3 months of each other because of falls that were only stopped by her head pounding the ground.  Simply put, she is quite the klutz! TJ picked her up from preschool on Monday afternoon to find her crying. Apparently she had just had an incident in the playroom where she was running and ran into another child. Upon their collision, she fell and hit her forehead on the floor. There was no bump, not even a mark, but she was pretty upset. TJ brought her home and we proceded to try to calm her down so she could eat lunch. As soon as she was sitting in her chair, she began to vomit. We knew then that she needed to be seen by a doctor. I called her pediatrician and they recommended we take her straight to the ER. TJ gathered Teagan and had Th go with him to try to keep her awake and talking in the car. In the mean

An Unexpected Blessing

As I've shared before, money is extremely tight as we prepare for the arrival of baby #6, upkeep and maintenance on the house, and feeding/caring for a large family. I have been trying to refinish some of the dressers we already have but we still needed a dresser for Taryn (baby #6). I was just going to make space down in my bedroom for her clothes until we had the money to buy something. Imagine my delight as we were driving home from Th's football banquet and passed a house where a woman was standing outside, removing knobs from a wooden dresser. TJ noticed her and mentioned to me that, for some reason, he thought she was going to be getting rid of it. We turned the van around and drove past again, and sure enough, she was carrying a drawer to the curb. We stopped and inquired about the dresser's fate, and she happily gave it to us. It is a solid wood dresser with lots of potential. I can't wait to muster up the energy to strip the paint and refinish it. I already kno

Happy 5th Birthday, T.G.!

T.G., I had no idea how being your mom would be such a blessing! You are a sweet, kind, caring girl who loves her baby sisters so much. God has given you a nurturing spirit, and you do it so well! You are helpful, especially when it relates to babies, cleaning, or cooking. I can already tell you will be a GREAT mommy when you get older! :) You have your own ideas regarding fashion and clothing, and your favorite color continues to be pink. If you had it your way, you'd wear pink from head to toe every day of your life! You also have an expressed opinion about hair styles and how you want to wear yours each day, and you refuse to have your hair cut except for an occasional trim. I am amazed that you don't mind it so long (it's almost to the bottom of your back) but it is absolutely beautiful, especially when you wear it down. We have had to start conditioning it daily in order to be able to brush it in the mornings, and you LOVE that you get to use grown-up conditioner. :)

Small Pleasures

Since money has been (and still is!) so tight for us, my mom sent money for us to take the kids to a pottery place to do something fun for T.G.'s birthday. T.G. has never been to one before and has wanted to go since Th has been doing his homeschool pottery class. We planned it on a day when TJ's dad and step-mom were coming out so they could help us with Annie. The boys painted airplanes and the girls painted butterflies. We ended our afternoon with a Strawberry Shortcake birthday cake as a special treat for T.G. (she has recently become infatuated with her).  =)

Worried...Why?

Last Spring I began couponing, trying to plan and prepare for purchasing a vehicle that would accommodate our growing family because I knew we would not have the money to pay for something fully with cash. That has been going well and I honestly hate buying something without a coupon (but sometimes we need certain items so I at least try to buy them during a sale). Anyway, my plan was in full swing and going great: our grocery budget was cut in half or more depending on the week and so I was able to save a few dollars. In August our budget shrunk unexpectedly. We took a whirlwind trip to Ohio to visit family. While we were gone, we received a phone call from the people watching our house informing us that our A/C wasn't working. By the time we got back home, the house had warmed up to a toasty 87 degrees!!! We ended up having to replace our entire A/C unit. It was definitely an unplanned expense! We also received notice that we have hail damage to our roof, meaning we need to

"No!"

Annie is 19 months old and I haven't really updated the milestones she's recently reached. Language- Annie knows some sign language and is able to verbalize words, as well. They are listed below. Signs: yes more eat please thank you I love you cheese bird Speech: hi no more mine thank you Mommy Daddy ni-night shoes Rainbow (for cat, since our cat's name is Rainbow) nose baby please bye bye move uh-oh Gross motor- Annie is walking, running, going up/down steps, climbing, jumping (with both feet off the ground), doing somersaults (yes, you read that correctly), and just plain ol' getting into everything! She is a very busy girl who is able to keep up with her older siblings just fine. Fine motor- She can self-feed using a spoon/fork, drink from a regular cup (although I still give her sippy cups for my own sanity!), string beads onto a pipe cleaner, and push small buttons (you know, like to turn off the television or change the channel on the re

Fire Prevention Coloring Contest

October is Fire Prevention month and to celebrate, our local school district, along with some local private schools, participated in a coloring contest for area first graders. Ta won the contest for his school, and was awarded $25 and a frame that contained his winning picture and certificate. We all joined him at a local fire station for a reception where he met the Mayor, Fire Chief, and Fire Marshal. Yay Ta- we're so proud of you!! Ta accepting his award from the Mayor and Fire Chief

Busy Bag Activities

I recently joined a subgroup of my homeschool group in which we make and swap activity bags. The activities contained in each bag are geared for preschool/kindergarten-aged children, but honestly, all of my children LOVE to do them.   Each activity is supposed to entertain the child for approximately 20 minutes; however, depending on the age/skill level of the child and the type of activity, it could take him/her longer to complete the task.   I currently have about a dozen different activities that range from easy to difficult. They also include tasks that focus on fine motor skills, counting/numeracy, letters/phonics, and logic. I like them in that Annie all the way up through Th enjoy doing them, and it gives me a chance to prepare supper, throw in a load of laundry, or do whatever (like use the bathroom alone!) while they are ALL occupied at the same time.     I am in the midst of another swap so by the end of next week I will have another 18 activities to add to my collection.

Family Time!!

A couple of weeks ago, TJ and I took the kids to the Carolina’s Aviation Museum.   The museum recently acquired the US Airways jet “The Miracle on the Hudson: Flight 1549.”   We had a fun morning of looking at airplanes up close, followed by lunch at the Charlotte airport overlook where the kids were able to witness the busyness of the flightline.   It was a beautiful day spent as a family! Standing next to a main gear strut. TJ & the kids at the back of a cargo plane. Annie in the tire that was once on the space shuttle. The boys watching the documentary about the landing on the Hudson. They were enthralled by it! "The Miracle on the Hudson" Contents that were recovered from the Hudson. The cans of soda were still sealed, which is amazing to me considering the impact of the crash. Other side of the plane. Ready for our picnic at the airport overlook.

Coupon Finds!

Just a post to show some of the food items one can purchase using coupons matched with a sale. I paid around $40 for all of this, and total retail value is well over $80. I apologize I don’t remember the exact amounts but this picture was taken a couple of weeks ago.   =)

Happy 9th Birthday, Th!

My life forever changed the day you were born.  I had no idea how being a mom could teach me so much about the character of God: I have a better understanding of God's love for me because of the love I feel towards you; I also better understand God's ability to forgive because I've been both the offended and the offender.   I am better able to serve others because of the many ways I watch you serve: each week you look forward to going to the pregnancy center to gather up the garbage and take it to the curb. It's a job that seems so menial yet blesses so many people who work at and visit the center. It is an important job that must be done in order for the pregnancy center to function on its core task: to save the lives of unborn babies. You do your work purposefully and to the best of your ability, and you don't mind that you don't get recognition for it. It is a reality check for me as a mother because so often what I do goes unnoticed yet is so crucial to the

Happy 3rd Birthday Teagan!

Our family changed for the better the day you were born. Although you faced many developmental challenges, you have managed to overcome them by God's grace and great therapists. I am so happy to say that you right where you should be in all areas of development, and you continue to learn and grow each day. You are so special and so sweet! We love you!! Happy 3rd birthday, baby girl!

9/11

I'm sure everyone who's old enough to remember the events of September 11, 2001 can describe vividly the details of the day and how it's forever changed our nation. I am no exception... TJ and I were living in California at the time. He was still in the Air Force, and I worked as an Administrative Assistant at the Regional Office of Marshalls Department Store. TJ woke up first, showered, and turned on the TV to watch the news as he ironed his uniform. I awoke to TJ telling me that an airplane had hit the World Trade Center, and I remember watching the TV while trying to process everything. Keep in mind, living in CA, we were 3 hours behind the East Coast so the first plane hit at 5:46am PT. We continued watching the news coverage, and like many, were horrified as we watched the second plane hit on live TV. Even to this day, as I watch the news footage, I still find myself thinking it looks more like a scene from a movie than reality. We both readied ourselves for work a

{ Endless Projects }

I had a plan that, during the summer while on break from homeschooling and taxiing my kids around from place to place, I would: organize and file all of Th's schoolwork from last year sort through toys and prepare them for consignment/donation strip and refinish Th's school desk strip and refinish T.G.'s bedroom furniture (which includes a double headboard/footboard, dresser, night table, desk, and chair) sand and refinish Teagan's bed swap out & pack away the kids' clothes for the next size up unpack and sort through the pile of boxes in my dining room and bedroom that are leftover from our move (you know, over a year ago!) Items on my list that actually were completed: none Items on my list that are partially completed: Th's schoolwork from last year is organized but not yet filed Th's school desk is stripped and I'm in the process of painting it I had high expectations and am a little disappointed that I didn't completely f