Sunday, April 26, 2009
The End of Procrastination
Have you ever put off a job on your "to do" list so long that it starts to haunt you every time you think about your "to do" list? Well, that's how it's been for me with needing to update this blog. It's been about 5 months since my last post and A LOT has happened. In fact, our lives in a few areas are completely different. So, how do I catch up on all this momentous history- this huge elephant of a project? One bite at a time. Actually, I'm going to try to do this a chronologically as possible....stay tuned....
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Puppies!!!
Last Sunday Sadie had her puppies! She had 8 cuties, but by the next day we had lost the runt. It was born with a cleft palate- no roof of it's mouth. All the rest are doing great and eating constantly.
The kids can't keep their hands off them, though! Several of them are always being held or carried around. Caitlin even came out a few minutes ago with one tucked into a little basket bed. These dogs will DEFINITELY be socialized! LOL!
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Our whirlwind
What a whirlwind the past 2 months have been. Here are some quick updates just so I get them noted.
Sept 4-6 We took a 2 day trip to the beach. It was nice and relaxing though very HOT! We spent the mornings on the beach and retreated to both the indoor and outdoor pools in the afternoon. We saw lots of dolphins and walked the boardwalk in the evening. I got severely sunburned on my arms and legs so I was a bit miserable the last day! The kids had a blast. Brent tolerated the sun and sand like a loving dad! LOL!
Two days later our dog, Sadie decided to go into heat! We planned on breeding her but up til then couldn't find anyone locally to send her to! BUT, God, in His faithfulness led me to a website where a sweet lady from PA was advertising her dog as a stud! Her ad was brand new and she was only an hour and a half away (all the others were about 5 hours!). Over the next week we talked and arranged contracts and such. It worked out great because we were going to have Tara and Eric take Sadie the next week while we were in Williamsburg. But, I hated to have her at their house with her in heat. (that's asking a lot!) So it ended up that the lady in PA took Sadie the whole week we were away! God is so good!
Which leads me to.... Williamsburg (Sept 14-17)! This year we were able to go with the Bynions. It was so enjoyable to be able to chat with them, since we never feel like we have enough time to really get into long conversations. The kids mixed great and we had no problems. Well, we didn't have any problems with the Bynion kids, but I'm sure our tends-to-get-wild children were draining on them! The details about the trip deserve a post of their own.
The night we came home from WB, I had a sneaking suspiscion that there was a chance I was pregnant. I took a test and yup, I was right. So, I guess #5 is coming late May/early June. Morning sickness hit pretty quick, though not as horribly as when I was pregnant last fall with the one we lost. So, as of now, it's still lingering! yuck.
After that we had a bunch of miscellaneous activities....Walk with Isaac Fundraiser...Janelle's baby shower, 2 days of Unit 2 Tapestry planning...Abbie going to the hospital with chest pain.......going to the movies to see FIREPROOF... going to see Mom T's newly resanded floors as a surprise birthday gift from Dad...Brent being away for 3 days...Marriage Enrichment weekend.... Brent away for 6 more days....small groups... Brent away for 6more days...the Explorer overnighter with rock climbing (let me just tell you- they don't sleep!)...Caitlin in Williamsburg with Nini... Jake's birthday dinner at Cracker Barrel....Cait's birthday dinner at Chili's...and now, Brent away for 2 days! All this with morning sickness and schoolwork! Needless to say not a lot of housework is happening around here!
The next month doesn't look like it will be slowing down much...Brent will be away a total of 15 days in November, too! I miss him already! Oh, well. Not much I can do about it. Have to find joy in the midst.
So that's our crazy life right now.
Sept 4-6 We took a 2 day trip to the beach. It was nice and relaxing though very HOT! We spent the mornings on the beach and retreated to both the indoor and outdoor pools in the afternoon. We saw lots of dolphins and walked the boardwalk in the evening. I got severely sunburned on my arms and legs so I was a bit miserable the last day! The kids had a blast. Brent tolerated the sun and sand like a loving dad! LOL!
Two days later our dog, Sadie decided to go into heat! We planned on breeding her but up til then couldn't find anyone locally to send her to! BUT, God, in His faithfulness led me to a website where a sweet lady from PA was advertising her dog as a stud! Her ad was brand new and she was only an hour and a half away (all the others were about 5 hours!). Over the next week we talked and arranged contracts and such. It worked out great because we were going to have Tara and Eric take Sadie the next week while we were in Williamsburg. But, I hated to have her at their house with her in heat. (that's asking a lot!) So it ended up that the lady in PA took Sadie the whole week we were away! God is so good!
Which leads me to.... Williamsburg (Sept 14-17)! This year we were able to go with the Bynions. It was so enjoyable to be able to chat with them, since we never feel like we have enough time to really get into long conversations. The kids mixed great and we had no problems. Well, we didn't have any problems with the Bynion kids, but I'm sure our tends-to-get-wild children were draining on them! The details about the trip deserve a post of their own.
The night we came home from WB, I had a sneaking suspiscion that there was a chance I was pregnant. I took a test and yup, I was right. So, I guess #5 is coming late May/early June. Morning sickness hit pretty quick, though not as horribly as when I was pregnant last fall with the one we lost. So, as of now, it's still lingering! yuck.
After that we had a bunch of miscellaneous activities....Walk with Isaac Fundraiser...Janelle's baby shower, 2 days of Unit 2 Tapestry planning...Abbie going to the hospital with chest pain.......going to the movies to see FIREPROOF... going to see Mom T's newly resanded floors as a surprise birthday gift from Dad...Brent being away for 3 days...Marriage Enrichment weekend.... Brent away for 6 more days....small groups... Brent away for 6more days...the Explorer overnighter with rock climbing (let me just tell you- they don't sleep!)...Caitlin in Williamsburg with Nini... Jake's birthday dinner at Cracker Barrel....Cait's birthday dinner at Chili's...and now, Brent away for 2 days! All this with morning sickness and schoolwork! Needless to say not a lot of housework is happening around here!
The next month doesn't look like it will be slowing down much...Brent will be away a total of 15 days in November, too! I miss him already! Oh, well. Not much I can do about it. Have to find joy in the midst.
So that's our crazy life right now.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Our Expensive Summer Whim
Living in the country is never dull. The kids are always outside building something, inventing something or destroying something. This spring Brent and I were dragged into the woods to see their "tree fort" that they had built. Upon observation, we decided that it was a)very creative, b)made with wood they weren't allowed to use, c)too high- not sure how they were able to get up that high... and d)too dangerous!
So, instead of crushing their spirits, Brent decided to throw up a few new boards with a safer floor. That, unfortunately, was too small to fit everyone comfortably (and safely) so the project kind-of grew...
Would you believe I don't have a picture of the finished project??? I'll work on editing this post this week with a final pic!
So, instead of crushing their spirits, Brent decided to throw up a few new boards with a safer floor. That, unfortunately, was too small to fit everyone comfortably (and safely) so the project kind-of grew...
Would you believe I don't have a picture of the finished project??? I'll work on editing this post this week with a final pic!
Sewing Project
About a year ago we bought a polar fleece quilt kit at Joann's. Cait worked on it for a while, but it was hard using my old sewing machine that bunched up the fabric and broke the thread so often. And, whenever she wanted to sew, I was already in the middle of a project on my new machine. SO, this summer she finally found some free time on my new machine so that she could finish it. She did a great job and learned how to sew some pretty straight lines!
Dangerous Stuff
This is what you get when some kids find the camera and take pictures without you knowing it.... (There was also one of my backside, but I'll spare you all the visual trauma..)
Friday, September 19, 2008
Mummies
This year we started using a new curriculum called Tapestry of Grace. It is mainly history based but also includes literature, Bible, art, and writing and some grammar. So far we love it. This year we will be studying ancient cultures- Egyptian, Israelite, Mayan, Greek, Roman, etc.
To start, we studied Ancient Egypt and had a ton of fun trying to mummify a chicken
and then using toilet paper to mummify Muzzy.
To start, we studied Ancient Egypt and had a ton of fun trying to mummify a chicken
and then using toilet paper to mummify Muzzy.
5K
In order to keep up with the requirements of his job, Brent runs regularly. It has gotten difficult to find time that isn't taken away from family time to do this, so he started taking Caitlin along with him. She loved the one on one time and actually found that she liked the challenge.
Recently, she attended a "Do Hard Things" conference where she was challenged by some older teens to "rebel" against the low expectations that culture has for teens. She was encouraged to try new things and do things that she would consider hard. Brent suggested that she push herself and train to compete in a 5K race. Her first reaction was "NO WAY!" but after she considered the "do hard things" mentality, she decided to step out of her comfort zone and go for it. In addition, she decided she wanted to go even further and try to collect $500 worth of pledges to help raise money for a health facility at River Valley Ranch.
This was even further out of her comfort zone as she would have to actually write a letter to family and friends and ASK them for donations! Definitely, not her cup of tea! She learned a lot about trusting God and gaining confidence in Him.
We were so proud of her determination and her ability to raise, not only$500, but $790!!! Tons of family and friends, even people she didn't know but had read the letter, supported her in this unusual plan of hers to "do hard things". What a faith builder!
And, she ran her personal best time! She completed the 5k (3.2miles) in 31 minutes and 30 seconds. That's a 10 minute, 10 second mile! Way better than I could even dream of doing!
As a reward for her efforts, she won an ipod, and for raising the most money in her category, she won a BIKE! She was beaming and I'm so glad she was blessed by her ability to trust God in this circumstance.
In addition to the 5K, Grant and Jacob participated in the 1 mile, Kids Fun Run. They can't wait for their turn at the 5k next year!
Recently, she attended a "Do Hard Things" conference where she was challenged by some older teens to "rebel" against the low expectations that culture has for teens. She was encouraged to try new things and do things that she would consider hard. Brent suggested that she push herself and train to compete in a 5K race. Her first reaction was "NO WAY!" but after she considered the "do hard things" mentality, she decided to step out of her comfort zone and go for it. In addition, she decided she wanted to go even further and try to collect $500 worth of pledges to help raise money for a health facility at River Valley Ranch.
This was even further out of her comfort zone as she would have to actually write a letter to family and friends and ASK them for donations! Definitely, not her cup of tea! She learned a lot about trusting God and gaining confidence in Him.
We were so proud of her determination and her ability to raise, not only$500, but $790!!! Tons of family and friends, even people she didn't know but had read the letter, supported her in this unusual plan of hers to "do hard things". What a faith builder!
And, she ran her personal best time! She completed the 5k (3.2miles) in 31 minutes and 30 seconds. That's a 10 minute, 10 second mile! Way better than I could even dream of doing!
As a reward for her efforts, she won an ipod, and for raising the most money in her category, she won a BIKE! She was beaming and I'm so glad she was blessed by her ability to trust God in this circumstance.
In addition to the 5K, Grant and Jacob participated in the 1 mile, Kids Fun Run. They can't wait for their turn at the 5k next year!
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Health Update 2
Well, after a long wait, I finally had a doc appt today. Basically, it wasn't too helpful. My 24 hour heart monitor only showed 1 pvc even though I felt it and pushed the button 274 times. So my doc isn't sure what is going on there. The echo showed that I have a mild mitral valve regurgitation (not prolapse). The mitral valve doesn't close all the way so some of the blood trickles through. But, she said that I shouldn't have palpitations because of that. It is unrelated to the palpatations...
Next step is to go to a cardiologist, however she said that the cardiologist will probably want to put me on beta blockers. But, beta blockers lower your blood pressure and I already have low blood pressure issues, so I'm not going to do that. I can't be passing out with 4 kids around- can you imagine?!!!! I'll probably go to the cardiologist to see whether he has any other ideas or tests, but as of the reports, I have a mostly healthy heart. That's great, but I still wish they could have discovered some reason for the palpatations. They are getting pretty annoying.
Well, after a long wait, I finally had a doc appt today. Basically, it wasn't too helpful. My 24 hour heart monitor only showed 1 pvc even though I felt it and pushed the button 274 times. So my doc isn't sure what is going on there. The echo showed that I have a mild mitral valve regurgitation (not prolapse). The mitral valve doesn't close all the way so some of the blood trickles through. But, she said that I shouldn't have palpitations because of that. It is unrelated to the palpatations...
Next step is to go to a cardiologist, however she said that the cardiologist will probably want to put me on beta blockers. But, beta blockers lower your blood pressure and I already have low blood pressure issues, so I'm not going to do that. I can't be passing out with 4 kids around- can you imagine?!!!! I'll probably go to the cardiologist to see whether he has any other ideas or tests, but as of the reports, I have a mostly healthy heart. That's great, but I still wish they could have discovered some reason for the palpatations. They are getting pretty annoying.
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