...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.