Has it really been over a month?

I just realized the last post was made over a month ago!

Let's see... lots of things are happening around here. 

• The girls got their first report cards of the year.  Both had As, Bs, and Cs.  Lady A is struggling with reading, but she is showing great improvement.  Princess N is also working hard but Language Arts seems to be our girl's nemesis.
• Miss E is growing up too quickly as are her sisters.  Her speech and ability to express her emotions accurately is alternatingly frustrating and hilarious.  Just this afternoon she told me, "Mama... these girls are cracking me up!"  and "I was angry when Baby Z (a friend) took the red scissors." 
• Lady A turned 8.  She fits in the seat belt in the back of our truck quite well so she has been doing a happy dance over no longer being required to use a booster seat.
• Princess N is trying her hardest to grow taller than me this year.  Almost every night before bed, she will hug me and then stand up as high on her toes as she can, stretching her body to see just how much longer she needs to grow.
• My school is going well.  I have been busy with photography assignments and history papers.  My instructor requires her students to enter the art show the college does each semester so I will be entering 4 photographs, possibly 5.  It is not guaranteed any of my photos will be chosen for the show, but it has definitely been a learning experience.  In addition, I am learning more about mounting photos for presentation. 
• Michael is back from traveling all over the place.  It is quite a blessing to have him home for a while.

That is the short list.  We also have lots of church activities in addition to everything else.  I hope you and yours are well.

First Day of School

Princess N took the motorcycle to school!

Miss E wanted desperately to attend school with Lady A.

Finally!  Miss E was able to go to her school the following week!

So excited!

Deal of the Day!

I got a call from my brother this morning.  Andrew said he was in the area and asked if I wanted to get together with him "later".  I asked what his definition of "later" was.  He said about noon.  I told him I would be done taking maternity photos for a friend by then.  We could certainly get some lunch and hang out.  Andrew said he was here for Endeavour's stop on the way to L.A. and that the shuttle would be on display until sometime tomorow morning.  I was disappointed that I wouldn't be able to make it out to the airfield because of the prior commitment.

Instead, almost immediately after we arrived at the park, a low flying airplane came past.  Sure enough, Endeavour was piggybacked on it.  I fumbled for the zipper on my camera case & pulled out the camera just as the plane disappeared behind the trees.

Later, it made another pass, but this time I had my camera in hand.

 

The girls were amazed and I was thrilled that they were able to see it as well.  It has been difficult for me to know that many of the things I grew up with around the space program will not be everyday things for my children. 

 

Fire drills for shuttle launches and regular space flights are intertwined with the memories of my childhood.  I know Princess N has seen at least 2 shuttle launches and Lady A has seen one of the last night launches. (the first night launch since the Columbia accident if I remember correctly)  But, Lady A was a baby still.  Miss E, well, her only experience with the space program of my childhood will probably be what she reads in history books and what Michael and I remember.



Today was a sad reminder of the end of an era.  With so much emphasis on playing it safe, I pray there will be men and women who are still willing to take the risks that so many astronauts and engineers and pretty much everyone who worked with the space program were willing to take.  With our ever changing technology surely there must be some way to appease those who only consider safety with the risks others long to take.

I'm not taking Drama!

Continued from Whirlwind of Schools

My school started on the same day as the big girls.  History is a breeze.  Don't misunderstand.  I have the same professor as I did for my first History class so I know (for the most part) what to expect.  It is still hard work and I still have high standards I must meet, both my own and my professor's.  I am excited though because I know what to expect and what my professor expects from me.

My other class has been a bit more complicated.  Learning the ins and outs of photography have been a great challenge to me.  I do think I finally understand aperture and shutter speed better than I did when I took Photography in high school.  The work in the darkroom has been simply amazing.  Michael has said that he knew I enjoyed photography before, but he hadn't realized just how much of a passion it is for me until I started this particular class.  I have loved finding creative ways to fulfill my assignment requirements and seeing the finished product is rewarding.  Using and manipulating the film to determine the final product is not quite as easy as a few clicks of a mouse, but the possibilities are exciting to uncover.

There is only one issue with my Photography class and I just discovered it this past week.  I have been so excited about the photography that I have somewhat neglected my History class.  I had 6 assignments due between this past Thursday and tomorrow (Sunday).  One assignment was the same as an assignment from the previous History class.  I used my previous paper as a guide & rewrote the assignment.  I have one assignment left to complete (due tomorrow).  I dislike pushing the deadlines for turning in work as I have done with this particular section and I fully intend to manage my time between the two classes better.  In other words, even if the assignments aren't completed until close to their due dates, I will at least have the reading finished.

As for the drama in the title... My very first picture overwhelmed my camera.  The estimate was over $120 to fix it.  I had seen a camera advertised for sale at the school for $200 that had 3 lenses and a couple of filters with the camera body.  Since I was unsure if the camera was still available, I asked a friend if she had a film camera.  She did, but was not going to be home until late that evening and was going to be out of town the following day.  I ended up borrowing one from the college library and my friend got home earlier than she anticipated.  I borrowed hers because the camera from the library was probably purchased when the school opened 40 years ago.  I managed to get my assignment completed and was able to purchase the $200 camera.  All of this occurred over the course of about 24 hours. 

I now have a "new" camera and a new plan for making sure I don't neglect History for Photography.

Overheard

 I have been dealing with a very painful tooth (probably root canal on Tuesday!) and was propped up on the couch trying to wait for pain medication to work.

Miss E walked into the living room and sat down next to Lady A. 

Miss E then loudly (and sadly) announced: "I wish I had homework too!"

It was all I could to not to fall off the couch because I was laughing so hard.  Lady A & Princess N had both been complaining about homework & Miss E was begging for some.

Whirlwind of Schools

Our lives have been a whirlwind lately. 

We made the (very) difficult decision to return to public school this year. 

We still believe homeschooling last year was the right thing to do.  We learned quite a bit about our girls and their needs as far as parenting vs educating.  The older two are enjoying being back with some of their school friends and I am enjoying my time with the little one.

Princess N has some amazing teachers.  They are all determined to help each child in their classes succeed, while placing responsibility on the student to take part in their own education.  Princess N is also very excited about her PE class at this time.  They are working on an archery unit.  Upon finding out that archery was the first unit, Princess N went to talk with her coach about what kind of equipment they will be using.  Princess N sounded a bit disappointed that the draw weight for their bows would be only 6-9 pounds.  (her personal bow has a 25 pound draw) 

Lady A is enjoying being with a couple of her friends from kindergarten.  The boy who sits next to her is really nice and I was able to speak with his parents at the open house this week.  The boy's dad was in the military several years ago and told me that if we needed anything while Michael travels to feel free to contact them.  I love how military and former military members take care of each other.  Four of our past five duty stations have been a good distance from a military base.  We have received so many offers that begin with, "If you ever need anything..."

Back to Lady A and school though... :)  She comes RUNNING home with a HUGE grin on her face almost every day.  This was certainly the right thing for her and her super extrovertedness.  Is extrovertedness a word?  I might need to look that up.  <--according to my spell check, extrovertedness is not a word.  Maybe I should try to get it into common use and then the dictionary can use a picture of Lady A as the definition.  What do you think?

Miss E started preschool at a local church this week.  She is attending two days a week.  At the "Meet the Teacher" night, she marched in and started playing with the other children.  She also gets to sit beside her best friend from church.  On Miss E's first day, she didn't even tell me goodbye.  She was up until almost 11pm because she was excited to go to school just like her sisters.  On Lady A's first day, Miss E grabbed her backpack and kissed Daddy goodbye because she was going to go to school with Lady A.  It was sweet, but she was crushed when I told her she had to wait a week.

And now... I'm going to follow my sweet sister-in-law's precedent.

What is that?

To be continued.....

Replay

ONE MORE TIME!

(click the words above)

Kids these days...

Dear Grandy and Aunt Sarah,

GRRRRRR! 

That is all.

Love,
Me


Now for the rest of the story (as Paul Harvey would say):

We were discussing the merits of having a sleepover in a tent in the yard in almost 100 degree temps versus sleeping in the living room.

Lady A said there might be a lot of creatures in the yard that would be curious about a tent.  I mentioned the squirrels that we see on occasion.

Princess N breaks into song.  What song you ask?  Just click on Read more and play the video.

5 more

Five more classes until I am DONE with math!!!

Five more classes that hopefully will not cause too much more pain.

I was diagnosed with tendonitis in my right wrist this afternoon.  It hurts to write, type, lift, rotate...

But I have five more classes until a two week break between semesters!

Oh, and I still have an A in College Algebra!!

Thank You Jesus!!!

I can breathe a HUGE sigh of relief!

I had a test today for my college algebra course. We spent very little time covering the final two sections of the chapter.

When I sat down to take the test today, there were a few things I could not remember how to do, most being from those last two sections.

I prayed through the entire test (and during all the reviews I did).

I MADE AN 89%!!!!!!!

It is a B, but at this point I am thrilled with a B! I worked extremely hard for that grade, but it was God giving me the ability to recall what I needed in order to solve some of the problems. Even with that grade, I still have an A overall for the course.

And all I can say is THANK YOU JESUS!!!

Overheard

Miss E is full of fun quotes today!

She sat & "read" a book called That's Not My Fairy.

She "read" it quite well until the end when she loudly exclaimed, "That not my fairy!  That Nana [Lady A] fairy!  Where my fairy?"

She then flipped the pages of the book until she found "her" fairy.

um...hello? Jesus?

Miss E was sitting in the backseat talking on her phone (an old cell phone that the girls play with) when she had the following conversation.



Miss E: um...hello? Jesus?

(pause)

Miss E: Jesus? You not let go my life?

(pause)

Miss E: Jesus?

(pause)

Miss E: Mommy, Jesus hung up.

Solve your own problems!

First, my youngest sister bought the most amazing notebook for me.

I will post a picture sometime after I actually take one with my camera.

For today, the quote will suffice.

Dear Math,

I am not a psychiatrist.  Please solve your own problems.

After 10 almost straight hours of math, I am done.

I decided it would be a good idea to review for the quiz I needed to take. Four hours into it, I had only made it through two sections.  Five and a half hours later, I made it through all four sections.

I took a break to motivate the girls on the evening cleanup and took a very short bike ride.  At 8:20pm I sat down to take the quiz.  I finished and had missed one question completely and part of two questions.  That equalled about an 86%. 

The way our class is set up, the quiz is done online and we have 2 attempts.  We keep the higher grade.  So, since I figured out what I did wrong, I retook the quiz.

I finished at 10:43pm.

I'm going to bed.

should have grabbed the camera

Tonight we had dinner with a couple from church... and NINE of their grandchildren...

It was crazy trying to fit 15 people in our house, but I loved every minute of it.

After dinner & dessert, the kids played the Galactic Dance Off on Princess N's Star Wars game.  Laughter was contagious.

There wasn't too much adult conversation, but these kids are some of the most well behaved kids I have met in a while.  It was a pleasure having them here.

Since there were 15 of us, I decided to make Pastichio with salad and Orange Creamscicle Cupcakes for dessert.  There was not much left of any of it...

I think I'm going to bed now...  Good night!

Time out!

The backyard project has been postponed.

While many people are accustomed to working outdoors in record high temperatures, the girls and I are not.

After tying up 2 bundles of sticks to take to the curb last night, I called it quits on the 3rd.  Michael was kind enough to finish it off and carry it around front for me.  It was after 7pm.  The heat index was still over 100 degrees at that point.

At 11:30pm tonight, it is 85 degrees with a heat index of 98 degrees.  At 2:30 this afternoon, the heat index was 114 degrees.  At 8pm tonight, it was about 94 degrees with a heat index of 108 degrees.

Those numbers were the deciding factor in letting the remaining branches sit in our yard. 

6/29 - EDITED TO ADD: We did finally finish the yard.  I woke up early to a heat index of 78 which was also the actual temperature.  Half an hour later when we finished, the temperature had risen 8 degrees and the heat index had risen 22 degrees.  But, we managed to take care of all but the largest branches.  Those would make good fireplace logs...

However, I did promise pictures.  I really should have taken them on day 1 or 2, but these are from day 3 with about a quarter of the branches trimmed and placed in piles.

Piles of branches

More piles of branches - the one in the center back was about waist high on me at that point



Let the sun shine in!

A single vine

Tired toes
Hurting heels
Aching back
Sore muscles

What does that equal?  Why yard work, of course!  Michael decided that he was going to pull a vine and ended up with a 3 (maybe 4) day project.

Pictures to come. :)

Recent photos

The lighting at our church is not the best for photos without a lot of equipment (or a tripod which I forgot at home).  Anyway, here are some recent photos of the girls.  They are actually from last week!

I know most of you are gasping in shock.  Why don't you sit and take a few breaths... the photos will be here when you get back! :)

Love ya!

Math

College Algebra to be precise.

Eight weeks and one day left.

In other words, 25 classes until my final.

This can be done! (somehow...)

Things that make you say... eewwww!

There are some things that just make me want to puke!

Topping the list is the roach that my sweet daughter found in her room this morning. We have not had many inside the house though our garage is often a target. I have learned to open the door at night with a can of wasp killer in my hand to spray the roaches while they run around. Our roaches are NOT frightened of people. They will charge you! So, finding one in the house this morning was disgusting. (note: this is the 2nd one actually inside the house since we moved in 2 years ago - living in SE TX, I'd say this is an amazing record)

And then... I went to lock the front door after the above dd tossed the now dead roach outside. I looked down to see a small lizard. I don't like those in my house either. Yes, they do clean out some of the spiders and flies that find their way in, but they have a tendency to stink when they die. I opened the front door, took off my sandal, and touched it lightly to encourage it to head outside. It was bleeding from the side of the head. Unsure whether it was dead or alive, I called for the broom and dustpan cause there was ABSOLUTELY NO WAY I was touching that thing while it was bleeding!! Dustpan in hand, I touched it with the broom, and it leapt onto the dustpan. I ran outside, trying to choke down the scream that was rising in my throat, and shook it off into the flower bed.

Overheard

In honor of a favorite Uncle coming for a visit, we decided to teach Miss E what a cow really says...

Us: Miss E, what does a cow say?

Miss E: mmmmm

Us: Can you say 'eat more chicken'?

Miss E: Sure! More eat chicken!


Us: Miss E, what does a cow say?

Miss E: I don't know.

Us: Can you say 'eat more chicken'?

Miss E: Sure! More eat chicken!

Us: Miss E, what does a cow say?

Miss E: More eat chicken!!! and mmmm!

Give me a Grade!

And make it an 'A'!!!

Warning: Craziness Ahead!

Yes.  It is the last weekend of the semester.  I have one more major test and one more major paper to finish along with a short essay.  And I mean short essay, the minimum length required is four sentences. 

Then I need to sit down with Financial Aid to hammer out the details and prepare for the summer semester. 

Then come the homeschooling decisions and the craziness of summer break.  Though I do plan to still work on school subjects with the girls over the summer. 

So, this is short, but I will resurface after the weekend.  I have a paper to write.

Fun Times at the Dinner Table

I stepped away from the table tonight for just a moment.

What I heard was priceless...

Princess N and Lady A were teaching Miss E some "Knock, knock" jokes.

Princess N told Miss E, "Now say 'manma who?'"  (manma = banana)

Miss E dutifully repeated it.

And then Miss E tried to branch out.  "Apple.  My Lego Apple"

Princess N responded with "My Lego apple who?"

Miss E replied, "Lego apple... (something mumbled or otherwise not understandable) red!"

Lady A had a few comments in there trying to get Miss E to repeat what she and Princess N were saying.

I love hearing our girls work together and even more to hear them teaching their little sister.

Overheard

Lady A: (speaking to our overnight guest) What does Darth Vader say when he wants a cookie?

Miss E: (in an inquisitive tone) Cookie?

These girls crack me up!

The latest

I found out this afternoon that my friend also has pneumonia and has been intubated while they treat it.  The next few days should show just how much damage was actually done by the strokes. 

The founder of Hannah's Prayer (www.hannah.org) had several strokes last year and commented on HP that she had found very few quality support resources for stroke patients.  If you happen to know of any good resources for stroke recovery support groups, please leave a comment! 

Thank you for your prayers.

EDITED TO ADD: My friend's sister is taking care of her four children at their home in Alaska.  Please pray for them as well.  The children are homeschooled and very concerned about their mom.  K's sister is attempting to homeschool the kids, figure out a wood burning stove, and life in Alaska in general.

latest update

Here is the latest update on my friend:

 Update ...she is breathing on her own (Praise!) and has some movement on one side. She can respond to some questions with a nod. Please pray that 1)her airway stay open 2)there is no swelling in her brain and 3)the clot will dissolve.

Prayer for another friend

A friend from high school has had a series of small strokes.  She lives a good distance from the contintental US and will be airlifted to Seattle.

Please pray for her recovery and for her family. 

Overheard

Today I dropped the girls off at Rachel's so I could go to the college for a little while.

As I left, Miss E screamed, "BYE MOMMY!!!" from the top of the stairs.

Rachel: That was Miss E?  I didn't think anyone could be louder than Lady A!

Me: Yep.  That was Miss E.

Mandy & Rob

Please pray for Mandy & Rob today as they face one of the most difficult days of their lives. Baby Abigail's funeral is today.

Overheard

Lady A: I need to learn self-control. I need to learn all the fruit of the Spirit.

Talk about melting a mama's heart!

Heartbroken

Please pray for my friend Mandy and her husband,Rob.

Their long-awaited daughter died yesterday afternoon. Baby Abigail was born early at 35 weeks gestation. She underwent major surgery to attempt to repair an issue with her heart. Mandy and Rob are also still grieving the death of their son Aaron who was Abby's twin. They discovered he had died at about 20-21 weeks.

Mandy was able to hold her precious daughter as she took her last breath and her heart stopped.   I am heartbroken for them.

Please pray for this family.

Overheard!

After our recent trip:

Miss E climbs into her car seat just after the truck is fully unloaded.

Me:  Where are you going?

Miss E: Back!

Overheard

Lady A's explaination of why Miss E was crying.

Me: What is going on?

Lady A: Miss E is crying.

Me: I know.  That is why I asked what is going on.

Lady A: I want it my way.  And she doesn't!

Did you remember?

Yes.  It is that time of year. (already!)

Time to change time, or at least change your clock.

Michael & I do not currently own a clock for our bedroom.  We rely on our cell phones for an alarm because they are louder than any other clock we have owned.

I woke up this morning and checked my phone.

It said 7:27.  I unlocked the phone and it said 6:27.  So, to be sure I was looking at the correct time, I turned it off and back on.  By this time, the phone said 6:29.

Okay.  That gave me a few more minutes & I wouldn't need to be rushing to get Lady A out of bed in time to go to church with Michael.

Michael opened his computer and was reading emails, etc when I noticed the clock on his computer said 7:47. I asked if it was right.  Michael checked his watch and sure enough it was right. 

I showed him my phone (which now said 6:47) and told him how I had unlocked it and it had shown the earlier time (now it said 7:47!!!).

Yep.  There it was.  That moment of panic when you realize that you really are late.

You see, it was 7:47 and they needed to be pulling out of the driveway at 8:15 in order to make it to the church on time.

Lady A needed a bath because she went to bed at 10pm.  Actually it was just before 9pm, but I usually change our clocks around 7 or 8. 

Fortunately this year we skipped all the illnesses for my birthday and started this week.  Princess N was sick yesterday so I only had two people who needed to be ready for church today instead of five. 

Even so, there was coffee to make, breakfast to prepare, hair to help rinse, dresses to find, tights to find, brand-spanking new pretty shoes to buckle and a bag to locate to carry the granola bar, apple and Bible.

If all five of us were going this morning, we would probably be leaving about now.  Was an illness the same weekend as the time change a good thing?  This time, it was a blessing in disguise!

Hope you have a great Sunday and that you made it to church on time!


And bonus points to anyone now singing songs from My Fair Lady!

In less than an hour...

...




.....




...WE HEAD TO THE AIRPORT TO PICK UP MICHAEL!!!!!

The girls are very excited that Daddy is coming home.  Even one very tired little girl isn't napping because she wants to get Daddy.

I'm glad he will be home today too!

Julia

Julia's baby boy was born this evening via c-section.  He came screaming into the world weighing 2 pounds 8 ounces.

As I said before, he has a long way to go before he can go home with his mom & dad.  I know they would appreciate the continued prayers.

Update on Julia

Julia and her son are experiencing more complications than just the elevated blood pressure.  Her son will be born via c-section today according to her doctors.

Please be in prayer as Julia and her husband cope with all these unexpected changes.  As well, while there is a higher survival rate for babies born after 24 weeks gestation, Julia's son still faces many challenges.  By being born today at 29 weeks, he faces a stay in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for at least 10 weeks.  He could spend less time in the NICU if he is doing well and more if he is not. 

prayer request

There is an amazing photographer who is in a hospital in Georgia tonight.   She is 29 weeks pregnant with her first baby to make it this far.  (I believe it is her 6th or 7th pregnancy)

Julia is fighting her body.  Her blood pressure is at a dangerous level both for her and her son.  They have made it over a week since she was admitted, but things are looking grim. 

The risk of complications increases every day her blood pressure is unable to be controlled, but at the same time, a pre-term birth is incredibly difficult for both mom & baby.  Julia's doctors are trying to minimize the risks as they try to give Julia's son the longest possible time in the womb.

We know that God already has this little guy's birthday planned, but we hope it is at least 5 weeks from now if not more.

Please pray for Julia, her husband and her son.

Birthdays are fun!

Yesterday was Sarah's birthday.

I baked her cake.

We discussed icing color and design.

I attempted to implement.

After several blunders

We ended up with a circus tent.

It is a cake that will live in infamy.

Birthday AND Anniversary

Today, we have another birthday as well as an anniversary!

My brother and sister-in-law have been married for TEN years today.  I know there have been ups and downs, but I pray that this coming year is filled with blessings for them.

And my brother is also turning another year older.

Happy birthday to the guy who made gifts next to impossible to open!  (did you see your shadow this morning?)

Love you both!

Happy Birthday!

To a pretty amazing kid!

Our nephew, Stealth-Man, is 11. 

Want to know how I know that?

Princess N was born in August.

Cousin David was born the following January.

Stealth-Man was born less than two weeks later on the 1st of Feb.

Happy birthday!

Whew!

First assignments and quizes done!

Now for a quiz and discussion of Romatic literature for English and a test and discussion of Spanish and French exploration for History.

I was beginning to stress about getting everything done and all the studying in this weekend.  Turned out I was looking at the calendar wrong and nothing was due for either class until next Sunday!

Hope you have a great week!

encouragement

We all need it sometimes.

Today it was Lady A who needed encouragement.

She was struggling with her math facts and was ready to give up.  When she first tries learning a new set of addition facts, she is frequently frustrated.  We have come up with several ways to encourage her including having her tell the math that it is going down 'cause she is going to beat it!

Today, we tried yelling.  Now, I don't allow much yelling inside the house.  Quite frankly it hurts my ears because the frequencies Lady A & Miss E reach are painful to me.  But today, we yelled.  Both of us. 

"I am smart.  I can do this. MATH IS GOING DOWN!!!"

I also don't allow much standing on the furniture.  First, I hate sitting down on dirty chairs and second, most of our dining room chairs are so worn out I never know if they will decide to gracefully retire break when someone sits down.

Today, we stood on the furniture.  Well, the girls did.  I kept my feet planted firmly on solid ground.

As I was trying to encourage Lady A, while she stood on one of our dining chairs, I noticed Miss E had chosen to stand up in her chair as well.  That was a bit more precarious due to the fact that her booster seat was hanging off one side of her chair.  As I told her to sit, I realized she was cheering too. 

Miss E was waving her arms in the air and yelling along with us, "Math go DOWN!"

Lady A got the encouragement she needed and after that those math facts were a piece of cake!

Reading the classics

Enjoy!  An interesting telling of the Three Little Pigs.

Overheard

Lady A:  Miss E, can you get me out of this situation??

Miss E: Sure!

Creativity, birthday party and random photos

Mom, Aunt Sarah, and the girls

Excuse me, you're in my way!

Mmmm... ice cream...

It's in here somewhere...

Could it be...?

I am not a cat.

Who is tallest?

We got a little bit of rain.

Well, maybe a lot of rain.

Princess N

Please?!?

Roses are (sometimes) red.

Lady A being silly again.

Creativity at work.  Time for dinner!

Photo Challenge: Simplicity

Hope you enjoy the photos.  There will probably be a lot of photos posted with fewer wordy posts since school started last Tuesday.  Things are going well so far but I will be concentrating on school for both me and the girls rather than on blogging.

15 years

I know some couples keep up with when they met and began dating as well as their wedding anniversary.  Michael & I have not done so well with that.  I recall meeting Michael after a Summer Theater production of "Meet Me in St Louis" while he doesn't recall meeting me until a month later at the first 5th Quarter of the school year.  (1994-1995 to be exact)  We met in July or August of 1994.

Saturday night, we were talking about different things and somehow landed on the subject of when we actually started dating.  Was it while we were in high school or was it the weekend he came to Florida after I returned from Ecuador?  Though we were good friends in high school and did many things together, we agreed that dating officially began after I returned from Ecuador.

Which means, this weekend marks 15 years since we began dating. 

Fifteen years of ups and downs, but I wouldn't change it.  I am so thankful for the time we have had together and I pray that we have many more years to go.

Overheard

After singing the “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes” song, I exclaimed, “PE, Music and Science!  What could be better?”

Lady A replied, “Math?”

Princess N replied, “Star Wars?”

Where the wild things hang out...

Zoo Trip - 2011

Y'all may want to sit down for this...

If you recall, I mentioned here that I had organized all the photo files on my computer.

Tonight I was trying to look up some documents and ended up organizing all my document files too.

Since I last posted pictures, we have...



Enjoyed a delicious Chicken Pot Pie

Created the Nile out of Blue Bell Ice Cream, Oreos and Nilla Wafers

Enjoyed school with big sisters

Wrapped a sister like a mummy

Made super sweet Pear Freezer Jam

Gone for a hike on a sunny day

And celebrated the birthday of a very special aunt!

Organization

This is tough for me.  But, I finally got around to organizing my (hundreds) of photos on my computer.  Now I just need to check the other hard drive to ensure I don't have duplicates AND that they (thousands of photos) are organized the same way.

So, it should be much easier to post new pictures because they are grouped by year rather than by month! :)

No photos tonight though.  It is time for bed!

School

Beginning Algebra - Check!

silly Psychology class - Check!

Intermediate Algebra - Check!

English 1301 - Check!

I just submitted my last English assignments tonight!  I am finished with my 2nd semester of college.

Now to register for History and English... (I think)

Oh boy!

Yesterday was all girls.

Today we have boys.

This is so much fun!

This group though is a bit older with an 11 year old, 10 year old, 9 year old, two 7 year olds, a 5 year old and a 2 year old.  Last night we had an 11 year old, a 7 year old, two 4 year olds, a 3 year old, a 2 year old, and an 8 month old.

Lots of girls!

We had some friends from chuch come hang out with us this evening.  It was a great time.  The four that are almost the same age played dress up, Princess N hid in my room in between helping me with the baby & Miss E.  We watched several movies and enjoyed pizza, ice cream, and cookies!

But, in all the excitement.... I forgot to get pictures!  Can you believe it??  Seven kiddos running around (and Miss E attacking the baby!) and I forgot to grab the camera. 

Ah well, it was a pleasant evening anyway!

Friends, fun and car keys

We invited a family from our church over for dinner tonight.

James & Julie still have 2 girls at home, one boy off galavanting about the country and one married daughter.

We had James, Julie, married daughter, her husband & son, and one of the girls at home come tonight.  It was a great time with lots of laughter and fun stories.  It is amazing to me how much alike we are.  Some of the stories about breaking down over homeschool curriculum were hysterically funny.  Mostly because I had done practically the same thing and received the same response from Michael that Julie did from James.

One of James & Julie's daughters was at a dance rehearsal and Julie had arranged for her to ride home with a friend.  She should have arrived home about 8pm.  At 8:23, James received a text wondering where her parents were. 

Half frantic goodbyes were said and everyone moved toward the door.  Once outside, Jessica, their married daughter, and Christian, their son-in-law, went to open their car.  Christian asked Jessica for the key.  The one and only car key.  Jessica replied that he had it.  Christian said that he had given it to Jessica to put in her purse.  Jessica replied that she had left her purse in the car.

James & Julie had given us 3 jackets this week.  All of them were on wire coat hangers.  I had told Princess N to put the hangers in the garage rather in the trash because, who knew, we might need them one day. 

Out came the flashlights, the coat hangers, and the cell phones.  Our neighbor came over, we checked to see if the deputy sheriff who lives a few houses down was home, friends were called, and no one had anything other than a couple of wire coat hangers to try to open the door.  A friend of Christian's came over and by 10:15, the car was open with the keys in hand!

Many thanks to all who came to the rescue!

It will certainly be a night to remember.

Neighbor's family needs prayer

Our next door neighbor, Louise, died this morning.

The way God causes things to work together is just amazing.

Louise's brother just moved into a new house this summer and asked the family to celebrate Thanksgiving at his house instead of going to Lubbock. 

Louise's son & daughter-in-law drove instead of flying like they normally do.

Louise's son & daughter-in-law were able to spend Thanksgiving Day and yesterday with Louise.

All of the family that could come, had come for Thanksgiving.

I do not know if Louise and her family are believers, but God's control is evident to me.

Please pray for Louise's family as they prepare for funeral arrangements and the let down that comes afterwards.

After 5 long weeks...

HE'S HOME!!!!!!

Random Ramblings

 Homemade peanut butter cups.  Need I say more?  Yum!

 Thanksgiving is next week.  Are you panicking yet?

 That also means Christmas is fast approaching.  I have a few things, but wow, still have a lot I'd like to give.  Must prioritize.

 Math final on Thursday afternoon.  Thanks to Rachel for being willing to take care of the girls.

 Two more essays to finish for English. 

 Lady A turned 7.  How is that possible?

 I will be so glad to make it through my classes.  I am ready for a bit of a break.

 Princess N & our neighbor's boy are playing Lego Star Wars.  I'm glad they play well together.

 I need to decide which classes I'd like to take next semester. I'm thinking US History & US Government. Ahhh, politics. Just in time for a presidential election cycle.

Pizza for dinner.  The girls requested it and I really don't want to cook.

overheard

 Miss E was pitching a fit just before dinner. I told Princess N & Lady A to go ahead and eat while I tended to Miss E.

Lady A was doing something that annoyed Princess N and Princess N stormed off to her room.

A few seconds later, this heartwrenching cry came from Princess N....

"Why can't she just be NORMAL???"

Happy Birthday and Semper Fi

From the Halls of Montezuma
to the Shores of Tripoli,
We fight our country’s battles
On the land as on the sea.
First to fight for right and freedom,
And to keep our honor clean,
We are proud to claim the title
of United States Marine.


"Our flag’s unfurl’d to every breeze
From dawn to setting sun;
We have fought in every clime and place
Where we could take a gun.
In the snow of far-off northern lands
And in sunny tropic scenes,
You will find us always on the job
The United States Marines.


"Here’s health to you and to our Corps
Which we are proud to serve;
In many a strife we’ve fought for life
And never lost our nerve.
If the Army and the Navy
Ever look on Heaven’s scenes,
They will find the streets are guarded
By United States Marines."

stressed

The emotions are running high in our house tonight.

We have had full blown fighting, shoving matches, and lots of screaming and tears.

Would you pray that next Saturday will be better?  It seems as though the weekends are the most difficult for the girls.

Michael thinks it is because there is no school, so I am considering having the girls do a little bit each day for the next couple of weekends to see if that makes a difference.

Officially Seven!

Happy birthday to Lady A!!!  She is officially seven!

We were teasing her earlier that her birthday would not start until she officially turned seven. (12:43 pm)  She didn't care for that idea too much.

Precious girl, you light up a room with your cheerfulness and excitement.  I hope I can learn to see the world with the same wonder that you do.

We love you!

She is a Star Wars whiz!

Princess N defeated our Pastor (and defending champion) in a game of Star Wars Trivial Pursuit!

She answered about 10 questions in a row earning at least four, maybe five, of the the "pie" pieces.  The poor guy didn't stand a chance!

300

Blogging since 2008.

300 posts.

I need more pictures!

Overheard

Lady A: "I currently don't know."  (when asked about how she could react to her sister telling her no)

Lady A: "Mama... can I get some more sleep right now?"

The things my girl is saying lately are cracking me up!

For all the Ranger Fans...

I'm sorry.

Maybe next year?

Overheard

Miss E: (every time the phone rings) "That Daddy?" (and then she tries to take the phone to talk)

In the truck at the grocery store:

Lady A to Miss E: "I need to do surgery on you!!"

What will they come up with next?

Sleepover!

The girls are having a sleepover with Grammy tonight.  I am enjoying the quiet.

However, I have just spent the last 4 and a half hours doing math.  My brain hurts.

I think I'm going to bed. :)

B-I-B-L-E

What's that spell??  BIBLE!!

I think every child who has attended a Southern Baptist church knows that song! 

Miss E has decided that she must sing it every day.  Except her version goes "B-I-B-I-B-E! Boo[k] me! Byebye! YAY!!" 

It is so sweet to hear our little one singing songs she has learned at church.

On another similar note, Lady A has requested a meeting with our pastor for Sunday morning.  She wants to talk to him about being one of the "good guys" instead of being one of the "bad guys."    Would you pray that she clearly understands?

Ebenezer

Today marks the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on American soil. 

Remembering those who perished and those they left behind. 

Remembering those who survived that awful day and those who only caught glimpses on TV.

Remembering the innocence with which we started the day and the knowledge with which we ended it.

Remembering the men and women who gave their lives in the wars that followed.

Remembering the ones who came back, forever changed.

Here I raise mine Ebenezer;
hither by thy help I'm come;
and I hope, by thy good pleasure,
safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
wandering from the fold of God;
he, to rescue me from danger,
interposed his precious blood.

(from Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing)

Blogging break

In between school and rescuing squirrels, I have realized that I need to let some things go for a little while.  Therefore, I am taking a blogging break.  I plan to keep up with the major events or serious prayer requests, but the other chatty kinds of posts will stop for a while. 

You can always call or email me if you want.  I just may not respond right away.  After all, it is squirrel season. :)

It's Raining Squirrels!

Tonight Michael asked if I could change Miss E's diaper.  I, being the loving wife I am, said, "Sure.  I'll take care of it."

As I walked past Miss E's room, I noticed a strange cat stalking in our front yard.  Near the tree.  Where we found a baby squirrel on Sunday night...

I walked out and clapped my hands loudly to scare it off.  The cat dipped its head, grabbed something small and gray with its mouth and took off running.  But only to the sidewalk across the street. 

I knew it had a baby squirrel and I was determined to chase it down.  As I was walking across our yard toward the cat, I heard a soft crying sound.  There was a 2nd baby squirrel in the grass.  Princess N came out of the house about that time & I told her to guard the squirrel.  I followed the cat, but it disappeared around a corner.  When I got there, the cat was nowhere in sight.

I returned home and got the box back out.  I put a clean sheet in the bottom (the feet can get caught in the fabric of the towels) and filled the ice pack with hot water again.

We watched the squirrel through the window for a while until Princess N called out that the cat was back.  It waited on the neighbor's driveway, watching me.  I finally put the squirrel in the garage.  About 15 minutes later, our other neighbor came home.  I took the squirrel over to show his son.  Our neighbor mentioned that he had seen the cat just sitting on the sidewalk staring toward our house.

Miss E did get that diaper change, but we also rescued another squirrel in the process.

where the wild things are

Princess N: Mommy!  I think a mouse fell out of the tree!
Me: Oookkkaaayyy... show me.

I took a look and asked her to call Daddy and ask him to bring a flashlight.

Michael: It looks like a squirrel.  I can throw it over the back fence.
Me: I'm going to call Laddie.  I'm not as heartless as you!

After speaking with Laddie, we added a hot water bottle to the box and towels where we had placed the squirrel.  Then I called the phone numbers she had given me.  The emergency clinic was willing to take the squirrel and humanely kill it.  The wildlife centers would reopen in the morning. 

I left the box with the squirrel in the garage with the hot water bottle and told Michael I hoped the roaches would not carry it off.  I sat down with Princess N and told her what Laddie told me.  There was a fairly good chance the squirrel would die during the night because of its young age.  We agreed that we both hoped it would live through the night.

This morning I called several state approved wildlife rehabilitators only to find that all but one number I tried was disconnected.  Out of a list of about 7.  The one place that I did reach is about an hour and a half from where we live.  After a trip to drop some papers off with Michael, we traveled to the wildlife center.  Since we were missing out on a good portion of the school day, I told the girls that I was going to see if they would let us tour the facility and I wanted them to think of some things they wanted to know about the center and the animals they help.  They were going to be required to write a paper about it when we got home.

The volunteer at the center was very kind to answer our questions and she even allowed the girls to take a peek at the vet room where they care for the animals that are brought in to the center.  The volunteer in the vet room allowed the girls another look at the squirrel we brought in and told us how much he weighed.  (48 grams)  She also showed us an even younger squirrel that weighed only 12 grams! 

While we were there, we also learned that Princess N will be old enough next summer to participate in a volunteer program at the center. (with a parent, of course)  I told Michael I thought it might just be a good idea for a summer project for her.

*Photo to be added as soon as I can find the cord for my camera...

2 years old

Sweet Miss E is growing up.  She is just a joy to be around.  She can give a glare that could melt glass, but her smile is sometimes brighter than the sun.

She believes that if her big sisters can do it, so can she.  She is a bundle of energy wrapped up in sheer willpower.  In many ways, she is like her sister Lady A.  What she lacks in physical stature, she makes up with her determination.

We are so very blessed to have her as part of our lives.

Oh my! How did this happen??

Princess N turned 11 years old today!

Our sweet baby girl is closing in quickly on her teen years. 

Happy birthday to a wonderful girl who we are blessed to know and even more blessed to call daughter!

We love you precious girl!

Happy Birthday Laura!

Happy, happy, birthday from all of us to you!

We hope you like your birthday, cause we sure do like you!

There...

Michael went to work last Friday and was very excited that he had Monday off.  A few hours later he texted me and asked me to pack him a bag for a week. 

He left Sunday morning and was supposed to return this afternoon. 

The trip to the airport and then back home was interesting to say the least.  We didn't realize that the toll road went from actual toll booths to a no cash road.  So, we had to find a way across town in order to make it to the airport.  We managed to get there in plenty of time. 

Leaving the airport, I decided to try to take the interstate that goes directly to our town.  I followed the signs until the signs disappeared.  I did what any smart woman would do when lost in an unfamiliar area with 3 children at 6:00 in the morning.  I called my husband who has GPS on his phone.  He couldn't find where I was, so I was on my own.  Backtracking, I missed the turn to get back to the airport.  But I did find the one road I was familiar with. 

Once headed in the right direction, I decided to take the loop around the city instead of going all the way into down town.  Well, when we went to the airport, we went east.  So coming home we should go west, right?  Wrong!  I realized my mistake and took the first exit to turn around.  It was then that I saw the signs for the original road I was looking for.  I managed to get back on the road and take the exit for the interstate.  I still ended up going through downtown, but I was on the right road!

and back again

Last night, after all the kiddos had dinner and cleaned up, I loaded them into Rachel's van.  (We are hanging out with the nephews this weekend) 

Alex kept looking at the time and mentioning that it was time to be getting ready for bed.  Later he mentioned that it was time for him & Miguel to be in bed.  About 20 minutes later, he informed us that it was time for David to be in bed.

We had been driving for about 45 minutes when Lady A asked where we were going.  My response was that we were going for a drive.  They thought that it was an okay idea.  But they were hungry and wanted me to buy them food.  I laughed and told them no.

We arrived at the airport.  Lady A was a bit confused as to why we would be going to the airport when she, her sister & her cousins should be in bed.  I simply deflected any questions with a question of my own.   "What do you think?"  "What do people do at an airport?"

Finally, I received a message from Michael.  I pulled up to the arrivals area.  As we waited in line, Alex asked if we were picking someone up.  I asked what he thought.  Alex said yes.  Lady A was unsure.  She thought about it for a little while and finally asked, "Are we picking up Daddy?"  I asked, "What do you think?"  "YES!!" 

Lady A & Miss E were both very excited to see their daddy!

peace

Numbers 6:24-26

 ​​“The LORD bless you and keep you;

​​The LORD make His face shine upon you,

​​And be gracious to you;

The LORD lift up His countenance upon you,

​​And give you peace.” ’

May be off line for a while

So, we got our internet bill in the mail today... It almost doubled with no warning.

We are shopping for a new provider unless they are able to work with us.  The department we need to speak with is closed already tonight.

At any rate, I just want to let you know that we may be only reachable by cell phone for a while.  We do have unlimited texting, so feel free to call or text.

Love you!

Back to School!

Today, we embarked on a new journey as a family.

Today, I sat with our girls, all three of them, around the kitchen table and studied the Bible.  We learned about Joseph and some of the trials he faced in his life.  Some as a result of his choices and others as a result of his brother's choices. 

Later, we created a "collage of many colors".  The girls had a good time discussing the story while they cut and glued and laughed.

Then, as we talked about the coat that Joseph was given, I asked the girls if they knew how cloth was colored in that time.  I grabbed what was on hand and steeped some tea and threw some frozen blueberries in a bowl with some hot water.  We took 2 pieces of white fabric and swirled them around in the water.  Princess N said she thought the fabric in the tea would turn a reddish color and that the one in the blueberries would be blue.  She was surprised to see the one in the tea turn brown.

Afterward, we watched "The Ballad of Little Joe."  We had been anticipating our next door neighbor's son's arrival, but I found out that he was going to a friend's house today instead of ours.

It has been a good first day of school.  Lady A still protested a bit that she didn't want to have school at home, but she did well through the lessons.

I just pray that tomorrow things go as smoothly!

Invasion! Of health!

I am so very thankful that this round of illness went very quickly!

I am also thankful that I had completely caught up on the laundry.  So when we needed 3 sets of clean sheets and 25 towels right away, we had them available.  And clean!

Of course that now means I have 3 sets of dirty sheets that still need to be washed as none of us have been back to full energy until today and Sunday is a declared no work day.  As in, we spend the day with each other rather than focus on piles of laundry or cleaning bathrooms.  (Bathrooms were done on Friday anyway...)

That is the update and thanks so much for the prayers!


Note to Mom: I have an offer of a car if you have not yet found one.  Love you!

Play it again, Sam!

Yes.  That is correct.  We are repeating the same old song and dance.

Or is that heave and wash?

Either way you look at it, 3 of us are already sick and another (me) hasn't been feeling so great for the past few days. 

Laundry is piling up faster than our poor washer dryer can handle.  Since we've had to run the dryer two times to dry one load, the laundry cycle has been lengthened. 

I would appreciate any prayers you might want to offer on our behalf.  Though ones that include this passing quickly and that no one else gets sick kinda top my list. :) 

PS: We have inadvertantly exposed our next door neighbor's son, who has in turn gone to football practice every night this week.  See where this is going?


UPDATE: All of us are sick... Princess N was the last at about 4:30 this morning.  Lady A is currently on the couch crying because she is thirsty, but she has only been able to keep down about 2 ounces of juice so far.

The countdown is on!

I try very hard to not allow my feelings about our political climate spill over into my blog.  However, I will simply ask tonight that you pray for our leaders.

• Pray that they will have an encounter with God that completely changes their life.
• Pray that they will fight to restore moral (and fiscal) sanity to our government as a result of a relationship with Jesus Christ.
• Pray that our leaders will be able to work out a plan for our nation's finances that will help our nation's economy to recover.

Clean Sweep

I've been working on purging several rooms in the house.  And pretty much trying to do them at the same time.

In some ways, it has worked well.  In others, not so much.

Trying to gather all of the toys in the same room has been a bit of a nightmare.  However, gathering all the outgrown clothing has not been an issue.

Right now, I have one storage tub of clothes that Miss E has outgrown, one that Lady A has outgrown, and one that Princess N has outgrown.  Today, I went through them and sorted out all the clothes I want to donate to our church's yard sale.

I am finished with the majority of the clothing and even found some more clothes that fit Miss E which is something I was talking to Michael about just yesterday.  I just need to have Princess N go through her t-shirts to see which ones will be going.

The toys though have been a challenge.  I had everything in the playroom sorted and placed into bags.  Then Princess N & Lady A cleaned their rooms and put the toys from their rooms in the boxes I'd already cleaned and organized.  So, I need to go through that again, but it should be much easier since I pulled out all the toys that I am willing to part with!  :)

The (kids) books have been pared down to a slightly more managable number.  There are more that I would like to donate, but I am waiting for Miss E to outgrow them.

All I have left is to review my books, clothes, and various knick knacks along with the kitchen things.  And maybe somehow get Michael to do the same. :)

Edited to add: I managed to clean out 2 more boxes in the garage and I know that 2 of the remaining ones belong to Michael.  That means I don't have to worry about them! ;)  I did stop half way through one because of the roach who had taken up residence. 

Orange and creamy is kinda dreamy

I made the best cupcakes today.  And by best, I mean the BEST EVER.  One of my favorite treats was an orange creamcicle.  The blending of the orange and vanilla was almost heavenly.

Well, I discovered this recipe. 

Out of 12 cupcakes, we now have 3 left.  Though in my defense, we did have guests tonight to help us eat them.  I did NOT give my girls multiple cupcakes.  I did however allow them to also have 2 (small) Congo Bars to go along with their cupcakes...