What's Wrong With This Picture?

Other than the fact that my baby wants to sit in a big boy chair.

Extreme Fieldtripping

While to most kids field trips are becoming a thing of the past, to homeschoolers they are very real and happen quite often, or when Mom can manage. I have been trying to get a trip to the fire department planned for quite a while. However, due to time restraints, scheduling conflicts, and just plain confusion it hadn't happened. Then on Thanksgiving Day the kids and I got an awesome gift.

My cousin, J.B., is a fireman with the Tahlequah (Pronounced "Tal a Kwa") Fire Department in Tahlequah, OK. He told us to come by the station after we had eaten. We didn't tell the kids until we were getting ready to walk out the door. They were so excited, but this trip was well worth it.

When we got to the station J.B. let the kids simply wander around. They were in awe of all of the different trucks, hoses, tubes, ladders, etc. Although, I was disappointed that there was no fire pole. J.B. told me he was also disappointed, but said he tries to not let it affect his job.

Here the kids are climbing all around one of the trucks.

Then of course they had to try on a real fire helmet
Warrior

Professor

Princess

Then they all got their own hats.

Then J.B. pulled one of the trucks out of the garage/bay, and the fun really began. He let the kids run the sirens. They got to open doors, touch equipment, pull on hoses, and ask more questions than one adult could keep up with, but J.B. did pretty well. And to top it all off, J.B. took the kids for a ride around the block in the truck. How cool is that?

Here Professor and Warrior are buckled in with one of their cousins to take that ride.

One really funny thing was that Professor was completely fascinated by the windows in the truck. They rolled up and down using a handle instead of a button (ugh! How old am I?).

Baby J got to participate, too. Although, he was content to do it from the safety of Rock's arms.

We did put J.B's first aid skills to the test when Professor shut his thumb in the door of the truck. Praise God it was equipped with a safety feature that keeps the door from being able to pinch the finger off. Professor got off with a sore skinned thumb.

Here are all the kids with J.B. For that day he was the "Best Cousin EVER!"

Before we left we had to check out the antique truck from 1901. It is still in working condition, although J.B. said it is an all day event to get it started. This truck was also featured in the movie "Where the Red Fern Grows," which was filmed in Tahlequah.

Here are my Mom and Dad with Princess on the truck. My Mom grew up in Tahlequah, and my Dad met her while they were both attending Northeastern State University which is in town.

All in all, I'd say it was a pretty good day, and what a terrific adventure!

Thank You J.B. and the Tahlequah Fire Department! Keep up the good work!

Our Princess

Someday she is going to kill me for this.

This is what happens when you let the kids use your camera.

Why I Love Gift Cards

I come from a very pragmatic family when it comes to gift giving.
1. You don't give expensive gifts if you can't afford them.
2. You keep your personal feelings out of what you give someone (If he wants a singing fish and you can get it cheap, buy the stupid thing.).
3. The cheaper you can get the gift the better, and bragging about your bargain is totally acceptable; because that person should be completely impressed that you gave them exactly what they wanted and saved yourself money in the process.
4. Things that you have taken the time to make are always better than anything store bought no matter how inexpensive the materials.
5. Gift cards are absolutely okay to give. Especially if you didn't have time to make anything.

Our family especially likes to give and get hand made gifts. One of my favorite gifts my sis-in-law, BusyBee, at The Beehive gave me were some handmade paper Nutcracker Christmas Tree ornaments. She gave them because she and my brother were newlyweds, and she could make them cheap, but I think they are awesome (Plug: you can see many of BusyBee's handmade paper products at her Etsy store The Beehive). I spent $15 my first Christmas I was married and made crocheted tree ornaments, and for the past few years I've had complaints that I haven't been giving ornaments. My Grandmother and Grandfather are always making awesome things for we grandchildren and the great-grandchildren, and we will fight over them, steal them, hide them, and try to get out the door with them even if they aren't ours.

However, I also have to say that I love to get gift cards. Why? Well, it is simple really. It is money that is designated for shopping! It is a card that says, "You cannot spend me on groceries, car repairs, bills, or anything necessary. I must be spent on something you don't really need, but you have always wanted." As a mother of 4, I can tell you that a little guilt free shopping is always welcome, and it doesn't matter if it is a card for $5. I promise you that there is something that I will love that costs just that amount. This goes for my darling Sis-in-Law, BusyBee, who sells handmade paper products at her Etsy store The Beehive and takes special orders, who loves to get that Hobby Lobby gift card, and my Mother who loves to get that Sonic gift card. For me Creative Memories, Hobby Lobby or Barnes and Noble are winners.

So just keep these ideas in mind when you are buying gifts. And did I mention that my wonderful Sis-in-Law, BusyBee has an Etsy shop, The Beehive, where you can buy many pre-made or special order handmade paper crafts and the link to her store is in my side bar. I'm just sayin'.

The Natural Balance

Well, it has been done. The natural balance of the universe is now out of kilter, and Rock is to blame for this catastrophe.

Since we drive from TX to OK and the drive is five plus hours long, we often employ a portable DVD player. In the past, Professor has been in charge of loading DVD, starting the movies, pushing buttons, etc. However, because of the way that the screens had to be attached to our car, this trip Princess is in charge of the DVD player. Oh Mercy Me! Professor has done everything he can think of to try to get back into the drivers seat (so to speak). Princess is of course most gracious in her new found power, and is not at all letting her older brother know that he now has no power.

And how do I know that this is really getting to Professor? From the back seat I hear him ask Princess for the remote (yes, a remote for a mobile DVD player). After she so kindly refuses we hear...But I haven't gotten to push one button.

Behind the Camera

There are never any pictures of me. Well, at least any pictures that I would share with the greater world. Not that I run and hide from the camera, but because I am usually behind the camera.

As I work on scrapbooks, I really become aware of this fact; and wonder, if in about 3 generations, my great-great-grandchildren will look through the memories so lovingly and carefully preserved, see one of those rare pictures of me, and wonder...Who is that lady?

...And We're Off

This was the scene at our house last night. Warrior was eating a piece of bread, when his baby brother pulled up to him and demanded a bite. Sharing ensued. It was so cute I just had to take some pictures, but eventually the bread was gone.

Warrior left Baby J standing alone. Then...

He took his first step!

This is a picture of his actual first step. I was already taking pictures, and he took this step just as I was taking another shot.

He got just a few more steps in after this. Then we had to get the video camera and see if we could get it on moving film.

He stood for Rock, but he wouldn't come to him.

He would however come to big brother.

And big sister...as long as she had bread.

I'll post the video as soon as I figure out how to do so.

Momma's Night Out

I love my job!

There is nothing more fulfilling that having a career that centers around the husband and children with which God has blessed you.

Now, with that being said...tonight I needed the companionship of my girlfriends, and to not have to answer to my blessed title for a couple of hours. My very compassionate husband sent me on my way to my friend and Creative Memories consultant's (we'll call her Joy) home where she was having a scrapbooking get together. I didn't complete much on my album, because the pages I was working on were rather complicated. However, I did get to spend some time in the company of other women who know the joys and frustrations of Motherhood.

God blessed me when he led me to Joy. I found her on the Creative Memories website, and she has been a blessing to me. She is bubbly, vivacious, and loves God, her husband, and her daughters. And not only that, but her spirit is infectious. You cannot leave Joy's home without being lifted up. She is one of those who is for me another piece of iron and a Titus 2 friend.

After having been in her company I am being resolved to be the kind of person Joy is for me. One who's friends find comfort, joy, and encouragement in her presence. One who points the way to the foot of the Cross where we find true joy. Not necessarily by pointing to it outright, but who leads others there because they can see the true joy that only dependence upon God can bring.

So tonight, because of the encouraging words of my friend, I am going to bed, not frustrated and tired, but feeling truly blessed to be a wife, mother, and friend.

EWWWWWW!!!!!!

Everyone say it with me, because it just has to be said, along with a shiver up your spine. Now, I am not the housekeeper that my mother is, but I'm no slouch. I mean the crumbs under the high chair and in the corner are only one or two days old. So I was completely shocked, horrified and, well totally grossed out when Princess says to me, "Ew gross! Momma there is a worm on the floor." Of course I didn't think much about it, and told her I would get it after I had finished explaining what an outline was to her brother. However, almost immediately she says, "Eww there's another one. And there's another one. Momma, there are a whole bunch of them on the floor." About this time I figure it is time to investigate. And sure enough there were a whole bunch of them, but they weren't worms. No, they weren't fuzzy little caterpillars. No, they weren't grubs. No, on my kitchen floor were maggots. EWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!

Immediately I sprang into action, and after I had done my gross out dance I got everyone out of the kitchen. I put Baby J in his room, and charged Warrior and Z-Man to play with him in there. A task they undertook, but were loathe to do so because the prospect of inspecting those little white worms was much more interesting. I then had Princess and Professor put on their shoes and gave them the task of squishing the vermin. I figured this was the best way to keep maggots out of my carpet, because that was the general direction they seemed to be headed.

The children took to their assigned tasks. Warrior and Z-Man took turns coming out of the nursery to check on progress, and Princess and Professor flooded me with questions about maggots and flies while I frantically emptied the trash and searched every possible place from where they could be coming. That means I cleaned out the bottom of the pantry (nothing there but dirt from potatoes, onion skins, and dog hair). I cleaned out the bottom of the coat closet (nothing there but a vacuum, a bag of wrapping paper, a bag of unopened McDonald's toys, and dog hair). I cleaned out from underneath the fridge (a spoon, a ball, and dog hair). I cleaned out from underneath the stove (popcorn kernel, Polly Pocket shoe, and dog hair.) I cleaned out from underneath the sink (fish tank supplies, dish detergent, bucket of cleaning implements, no dog hair). I could not find where those things came from, and I decided that the dog needed to be groomed.

Just about the time I got the entire kitchen/dining room/entry way torn apart it was lunch time. Are you kidding me?!?! Time to pay a visit to the local $5 for a medium pizza place.

Needless to say I spent the entire day on my hands and knees washing all the tile in the house. During this time I was also teaching the older two. I somehow managed to have the floor finished by the time Baby J got up from his nap, but the kitchen was in chaos and I was dangerously close to becoming a blathering idiot. Because, I forgot to mention, this day was Wednesday. Which meant that I also needed to take a shower and try to at least resemble a female human, I needed to do prep for the little kids Bible study class I teach on Wed, I needed to have dinner ready early, I needed ............the list at that time seemed endless. I even called and cried to Rock who was ready to let me stay home so that I could make some sense out of the mess of the house, and maybe get a shower and a nap.

By the time Rock got home I was a little more in control, but still teetering on the edge. Rock advised going to church and leaving some of the mess, because I needed to be with my church family. I managed to get in a short shower (had to wear the do rag and make-up?), we opted for dinner at Sonic, and got to the church a little early so that I could get my lesson completed. You know, Rock was right. I needed that time with the kids in my class, and the sympathy and love of my fellow Christians. By the time we got home, I was better prepared to get that kitchen whipped back into shape - with Rock's help of course.

Call Off the Angry Mob

After many threats to my health and complaints about how little I blog here are the cutest Halloween pictures you will every see. Every year Professor makes decorations to go on our door. He draws them, he colors them, he cuts them out, and he puts them up. I think he does an excellent job, and they get more complicated with each year.

Here is Rock lighting the Jack-O-Lanterns we carved "for the kids." I'll bet you'll be able to guess who the Superman belongs to in a minute.

There they are. Aren't they cute/cool/pretty?

Baby J dressed as Little Caesar. Quite appropriate since he rules around our house. And the laurel wreath lasted just long enough for me to get this picture.

It's a bird. It's a plane. No, it's SUPERMAN!!!

Complete with curl.Up, up, and away!


Princess is what else...

a princess

Complete with Momma's sparkly earrings and a crown with "real" diamonds.




"Hey, Lady! You call him Dr. Jones!"

By the way did you know that the beard isn't real? Professor made sure to tell everyone. So that they wouldn't be deceived.

Yes, I actually bought him a whip, and yes it has now been confiscated.

Now put away the pitchforks.

The Rock Gets Older

Right here I would love to post a picture of Rock and I, but the problem is that I don't have a picture of Rock and I together that isn't a few gazillion years old or on anothe computer. Anywho, Rock's birthday was yesterday, and I love to celebrate his birthday. Why? Because the way he wants to celebrate is so simple and lovely at the same time.

We ate dinner together as a family. Then opened presents. We got him a nice leather Bible cover,because he wanted to be able to carry more than just his Bible to church. And we gave him "The Apple Dumplin' Gang" and "The Apple Dumplin' Gang Rides Again," because our family is just corny and campy enough that we love the old Disney movies. Plus it just doesn't get much funnier than Tim Conway and Don Knots.

After presents was cake, marble with canned frosting. I have yet to figure out why he would rather have canned frosting than my homemade frosting. I make a killer chocolate cake and frosting. I think he is just trying to save me a step - which I appreciate. Finally, we stayed at the table and played Sorry as a family.

It was a perfectly simply and perfectly perfect end to the day.

On his birthday Rock makes me appreciate him even more. I can't say enough about how wonderful this man is. God gave him to me because I needed him, and God doesn't make mistakes. I am the stronger personality, but Rock is the stronger person. I am lost without him, and don't want to know what my life would be like if he wasn't around. He loves me unconditionally, and I give him alot of conditions. I'm sure he gets frustrated with me (I get frustrated with me), but he loves me inspite of all my shortcomings. I thank God that he has given me such a man as Rock. He is a man who loves his family more than his work and loves God more than his family. He is my better half, my completion, my Rock.

Happy Birthday Sweetie!

The Mouth of Babes

I know I should be posting things about school, and the things that Baby J is doing, and all the wonderful things in my life, but right now I only have time to post this.

Warrior came into the kitchen this morning and after giving his Daddy and I a hug and kiss, proceeded to climb up on a chair in the kitchen to cook his own breakfast (toast). As he stood on his chair, I noticed that his pj pants were on backwards.

"Warrior, you silly boy, your pants are on backward, " I said. And without missing a beat he quipped, "That's okay. My underwear is on backwards, too."

Homeschooling Blues

Yes, we get them. We all get them. You know one of those mornings where you are ready to pack up the whole lot of them, march them down to the local public school, and forget that it was ever your responsibility to educate them.

All I asked Princess to do was to write a journal entry. There would be no grade on spelling (as if there ever is, she dictates I write) or handwriting. All she had to do was tell me about something she was excited about doing, or something she had done, or... just anything. Well you would have thought I had just asked her to write her Doctoral Dissertation.

Since it was her journal, I asked her what she wanted to write about. She decided that she wanted to write about her friend's birthday party that is happening tomorrow. For the past three days the child has done nothing but talk about what is going to happen at that party. "We are going to go swimming because they have a heater in their pool. She is going to have a Hanna Montana cake. Can we go to the store on Thursday to get her present? I want to get her a Princess doll. She has Bratz dolls, but I don't want to get her a Brat (thank goodness)." On and on and on this child has gone about this party. But heaven forbid that I should ask her to sit down and write it. Now in all fairness, she was willing to write it, as long as I sat by her and told her how to spell all the words. But, the assignment is for her to write it, misspellings, bad grammar, incorrect punctuation and all. So that by the end of the year, we can look over all of her journal entries (one every 4 weeks) and see how much of a better writer she has become.

Well, when she asked me how to spell Birthday, and I would only ask her, "How do you think it is spelled?" and then proceed to help her sound it out. That was when the tears started to flow. She could not get past not spelling the words correctly. She is having a conniption fit over invented spelling. I am about to pull my hair out, because my daughter is having a weeping fit over spelling. Spelling in a journal entry. AAARRRRRRGGGGGG!!!! Now she is so upset that we have put the assignment on hold until she can calm down and do it. Because I am refusing to give in on this.

Honestly, I have no idea where this girl gets her drama and stubbornness.

Later that same day:

Okay, the drama is over. Princess did her writing assignment, and as predicted it was pretty much unreadable. Not illegible, because she has beautiful handwriting, but she doesn't know how to spell most things and many of the words were misspelled/mispronounced. After she handed it to me and I read it with her help, I put a sticker on it and we put it in her language arts folder. Then we settled in on the couch to read Pollyanna. Now that is what homeschooling is about.

I Hate this Book

Not everyone knows that I am a reader. I love to read, and I have been trying to increase my reading of not only fiction literature, but also of history and theology. Unfortunately, my life being what it is (wonderfully busy), I haven't been able to read as much as I would like. For the past month I have been reading a book called Respectable Sins by Jerry Bridges. So what is a "respectable sin"? You know, those ones we Conservative Evangelical Reformed Christians cultivate in our hearts. I'm not talking about the gross flagrant sins of "the world," but those that you can hide from the others around you (ie. worry) or those that we excuse (ie. pride in our own spirituality and impatience with the spiritual immaturity of others).



The reason I am beginning to really dislike this book is that it is making me really look at my own sin. It is making me have to admit that I am not a good as I think I am. That I have actual sin in my life. It is making me have to be more patient with my own children, and realize that many of the sins that I try to correct in them are still in me; and though maybe not seen by men, most definately seen by the thrice Holy God. The problem is that even though these sins may not be evident to others, or even to me, they are sin. I have missed the mark. I have violated the whole law of God. I am a sinner, and I need to remember, before I judge my brother/sister/child for their more flagrant sins, that "There but the Grace of God go I."



"Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner."

You Won't Believe Your Eyes

Everyone wait with bated breath. Are you ready for this astonishing announcement? It is a miracle of miracles, a triumph of the ages, and may never happen again in this lifetime.

I started and finished the laundry all in one day.

Now husbands pick your wives up off the floor, and assure them that, while it can be done, it was most certainly an extremely freakish happenstance and that next week that woman will most definitely be taking 3-4 days to finish what she finished in one this week. However, I just had to celebrate this wonderful occasion with you all.

Now off to mop the floors.

Redecorating

Well, we started the redecorating/painting process in May, and now nearly 5 months later I have finished the projects we started, and for the most part everything is like I want it. I know you have seen the bathroom, but we also painted each childs room, moved Baby J from our room to his own room, moved Princess to a different room, painted the living room, painted the entry, dining room and kitchen, and I made window dressings for our entry, dining room, living room and kitchen. So here are the finished results for those areas.

Before

After

And I breathe a sigh of relief...until next spring when I tackle the office.

Day in the Life of a Jedi

Warrior and Z-man play so well together, and this is the dialogue that we hear from the other side of the galaxy.

W: DarthMal

Z: Yeah.

W: You're the bad guy.

Z: Yeah, I know.

W: That means I have to kill you.

Z: Not right now. I'm busy.

W: DarthMal.

Z: Yeah.

W: Are you cleaning up?

Z: Yeah.

Very shortly thereafter both warriors enter the living room where the Imperial modes of transportation are a True Value metal pick-up truck and a farm tractor.

It's tough being a Jedi on a budget.

Look Who's One!

Here is my Big Boy...Baby J!!!

We all know it is coming. Every parent knows that their babies will grow up, and with both excitement and trepidation we look forward to that happening. Excitement, because God has given us such a wonderful gift, a huge responsibility, and a glorious opportunity. We get the privelage of training one of God's creations to love and serve Him. We also get the privelage of loving that little person and seeing how God uses them to grow us. Trepidation, because we know that our time with them is short, and they become so much a part of our lives that we almost hate to see them grow.

One year ago, the Lord blessed Rock and I with the birth of our fourth child, and oh how much we love him. We can't imagine what our lives would be like without him. Thank you Lord for the blessing of our Baby Boy.

We celebrated Baby J's birthday in Oklahoma with my parents. And what a Birthday celebration it was...my Brother, the Bohemian, who Baby J is named after, and my Sister-in-Law, Busy Bee, and their two boys, Mr. Golden Curls and Lil' Spitfire, were there as well. Baby J got a double whammy of grandparents when Rock's Mother, Nan, came down for the celebration.

Here is a picture of Baby J's Birthday cake. We had us a zoo theme.

He was excited about the cake and candle, until...

We took him out of his chair to remove his outfit in an attempt to save his clothes and then put him back into his chair. Then he wasn't so happy.

Daddy soothed the savage beast by giving him a tast of the icing

He gave it a try himself and then...

I think he liked it, don't you?

Presents? Well, he got lots of neat stuff, but wasn't really sure what to do about unwrapping them. I would show him how to unwrap by tearing a little here and there, but he was perfectly happy to play with the little piece of paper he tore off. He did, however, know how to unload the gift bags.

Here he is with his Grandma Bear. My Mom always takes the kids to Build a Bear for their first birthday. She lets them choose the one they want, and that is the one they get. Baby J really likes his Grandma Bear.

All in all, I'd say it was a really good day.

Happy Birthday Baby Boy!