the history of tomorrow

A Eugene Bag

2012-01-23T16:58:00.002-07:00

I have seen the movie Tangled no less than 300 times in the last 4 months. Seriously. Benjamin would wake up and the first sweet words out of his mouth were, "Good morning, Mommy. I love you!" Wait, no....I dreamt that! They were, "I want to watch Tangled". Every. Day. For 4 months. Now I know you are saying, "But, Caci that doesn't equal 300 times." And you are right...it doesn't. You have to add the 3 more times that he said those same words EVERY day for the past 4 months, and the fact that I am a ~~concerned~~ lazy mom who just wants her kids to be happy....so I let him watch it. 3-4 times-- every day. I can quote it without even looking at the screen. Most of the reason I let him watch it so many times is because I was busy sewing, and it was a good babysitter. I know that is horrible of me, but hey at least I could afford to buy groceries while he sang "Mother Knows Best" to the cashiers. One bad thing that has come from him watching Tangled is that he took a couple of my pans and threw them around pretending to fight the bad guys like Eugene does. This left dents in my pans. Not good, but they still cook the same.
Last night as he was running through the house calling Rapunzel he said he needed a "Eugene bag". I, of course, immediately knew what he wanted....because I have seen the movie so many times. So today I sewed a Eugene bag for my little man.

Here he is with his bag

Can you see how proud he is of it?

Do you want me to open it???

It even has a crown inside!!!

Let's take the crown out.....

And try to wear it.....backwards....

I even lined it with Toy Story fabric!

I had fun sewing the bag and it was great to see how happy he was to have it. I love it that he still thinks I am the greatest and the fact that I can make him smile with something as simple as a cut up pair of jeans turned into a bag!

Shopping At Walgreens

2011-06-07T13:36:00.005-06:00

Today I thought I would try another shopping trip to Walgreens using coupons. I did a little more "ahead prepping", but still it wasn't enough! I was not aware that RR (register rewards) are treated like coupons, therefore the rules for coupons apply for them as well. This means that if you are only buying 1 item but have 2 different RR's you can't use them both--well sometimes it means this--I had a couple of transactions that let me use more coupons than I had items! That messed up my whole shopping trip!! That and the fact that 3 of my children were crying about being hungry and asking me a million questions while I was checking out! I thought I was only going to do 3 separate transactions, but that turned into 6, and I ended up spending more OOP (out of pocket) than I originally thought I would. I am sure there are probably 100 people who could have done this better than me, but here is what I did!

1st Transaction:

2 Nivea body soaps which were on sale 2/$7.00 with $2.00 RR (I also had a $1.00 coupon for this)

1 Bic Soleil Disposable Razors--$5.99 with $2.00 RR (I had a $3.00 coupon for this) Of course I could be wrong and my $1.00 coupon could have been for the razors and my $3.00 coupon could have been for the Nivea---either way, I had $4.00 in coupons!

Total: $9.73 with $4.00 RR (total savings $9.98)

2nd Transaction:

3 Super Stack cans of Pringles --the kids were screaming for food!--3/$4.00 (I had a $1.00 coupon)

Ban deodorant--$1.99 (I had a $1.49 coupon AND a $0.40 coupon for this but she only took the $0.40 coupon and I didn't realize it until it was too late. She kept telling me that she used the other one but I just knew she didn't. The kids talking didn't help me either! So I didn't get as good of a deal on this as I should have)

I used $2.00 in RR from 1st transaction and paid $2.59 for this transaction. (total savings $7.40)

3rd Transaction: This was my favorite transaction!

Omega Smart Super Critical Ultimate Fish Oils--$10.00 with $10.00 RR (I also had a $2.00 coupon)

Total: $8.00 and received $10.00 in RR (total savings $16.99)

4th Transaction:

Pantene--2/$7.00 with $1.00 RR (I also had a $1.00 coupon)

Coppertone Sunblock--$9.99 with $4.00 RR (I had a $2.00 coupon which the computer didn't want to take for some reason, but after calling a manager they took it)

I used my $10.00 RR from transaction 3 & $2.00 RR from transaction 1 & paid $2.15 for this transaction. (total savings $18.28) I received $5.00 in RR. I used 4 coupons and only got 3 items in this transaction. Weird.

5th Transaction:

Colgate toothpaste--2/$5.00 with $2.00 RR (I had a $0.75 coupon)

Colgate toothbrushes--2/$5.00 with $2.00 RR (I had a $0.75 coupon)

Total $8.50 and received $4.00 RR (total savings $7.46) I don't think I did this transaction very well. But, oh well!

6th Transaction:

Pullups--$10.99 (I had a $2.00 coupon) I wanted to get the Pampers Easy-Ups because they were on sale for $8.99 with $1.00 RR and I had a $1.50 coupon, but they did not have size 2T in boys! :(

Orajel kids--$4.99 (I had a $1.00 coupon)

Caress body soap--$2.99 (I had a coupon but was unable to use it because the number of coupons exceeded the number of items I was buying when I used my RR. I had wanted to get a SoBe Lifewater for $0.99 and receive $0.99 in RR, but I couldn't find a SoBe (or a place for one) anywhere in our Walgreens!)

I used $4.00 RR from transaction 4 and $2.00 RR from transaction 5--and paid $10.46 for this transaction. (total savings $11.00) This transaction allowed me to use 4 coupons and I only had 3 items. I don't fully understand the "you have to have as many items as you have coupons" rule.

I left with $1.00 in RR, but now that I think about it I should have another $2.00 in RR from transaction 5 that I never used, but she was taking coupons left and right and not scanning them. I think she took my last $2.00 RR and never gave it back....or maybe I fed it to one of my kids!

All in all I spent $41.72 and saved $71.11. I don't think that is too bad, but I can't wait until I get better!

"5 For $5@5" and More Couponing

2011-05-27T18:16:00.003-06:00

You can clearly see the "5 For $5@5" words on the receipt.
Too bad that isn't really what they mean!

I am a huge fan of Sonic---usually. I love the fact that they have Happy Hour when you can get 1/2 price drinks! My favorite is the Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper!!! I love the $1.00 menu where you can get a Jr. Burger (that is fully loaded) for just $1.00 ($1.19 in some places, but still!). Jacob loves the breakfast burrito on the $1.00 menu and everyone loves getting a $1.00 slush. On Tuesday nights, they advertise "5 for $5@5". That means (to me, and apparently ONLY me) that you get 5 burgers for $5 @ 5 (and after 5 too). Since I believed this to be true, we recently went to Sonic on a Tuesday night after baseball to pick up some burgers. I was only planning to order burgers because we prefer to take the burgers home and get our drinks there thus spending less money on dinner. So, Ben ordered 5 burgers. The total came to $6.44. Ben swiped our bank card without thinking twice and then I asked, "What was the total?"

The typical response, "I don't know, 6 something."

I asked him, "Doesn't that seem like a lot of tax for $5.00?"

After he thought about it he said, "Yeah, I guess. Do you want me to ask when they bring our food out?" "YES! I do!" I responded. So, when our carhop brought out our burgers we questioned her about the total. She seemed confused so I simply asked, "Don't you advertise '5 for $5@5'?"

"Yes," she replied.

I said, "Well, then why does my receipt say that the total for 5 burgers is $5.95 [+tax]?"

"Hmm.....I never noticed that. I don't really know. Want me to ask my manager?" At this point I am thinking, "Seriously, no one has ever noticed this?"

"Yes, I do," I told her.

So, the manager came out and I asked her the same question, "If you advertise 5 for $5@5, then why does my total for 5 burgers come up to be $5.95?"

"Well," she said, "we do advertise 5 for $5@5, but it isn't REALLY 5 burgers for $5. They are really 1/2 price burgers. We just didn't think that 5 for $5.95 sounded catchy so we call it 5 for $5."

"Wow! Don't you think that is pretty misleading?" I asked. (And really how difficult would it be to just say "1/2 price burgers after 5?" Not difficult, and also not misleading!!!)

"Yeah, I guess it is," she nonchalantly said, "but that is how it is."

I was NOT a fan of Sonic on that particular Tuesday evening!

SOOOO, don't go to Sonic on Tuesday after 5 expecting to get 5 burgers for $5!

On another note, I recently went to CVS because they have Oak Farms milk on sale for $3.19/gallon and you get $1.00 in RR when you purchase one, so it is like getting the milk for $2.19/gallon which is a really good price around here right now. There were some other things I wanted as well, so I did my shopping. Herbal Essences products were on sale 2/$5.97 with $2.00 in RR and I had a $.050 coupon, so I got a shampoo and conditioner. They also had a deal where if you spent $15.00 on Nivea products you would get $5.00 in RR. The cream I have been wanting for a while was $15.99 and I had a $3.00 off coupon, plus I got $5.00 in RR. So, the total for my first bill was $19.98 and I got $7.00 in RR. I then went and got my 2 gallons of milk. The total came to $6.48, so I just used my $5.00 RR and paid $1.48 for the milk. I still got $2 more in RR for getting the milk, so when I left I still had $4.00 in RR! All in all I think it was pretty good! The only bad thing is I tried to use my $0.50 off coupon for Oak Farms milk, but the cashier wouldn't even scan it! She said it was in the manufacturer's limitations that it couldn't be used on milk that was on sale. I am not sure where these limitations are found because they are NOT on the coupon itself. Anyway, since she wouldn't even TRY to scan it I still have 2 $0.50 coupons for milk that are good until December. I am excited about learning to coupon and I hope to get really good at it!!

Couponing!

2011-05-05T12:55:00.005-06:00

$82.55 worth of merchandise for only $29.91!!

I am one of those people who has only ever used a coupon to get $1.50 off a package of diapers or $0.50 off of baby wipes. I have never been to the store in order to actually SAVE money on my grocery or shopping bill. I don't know why.....I have just never been interested in coupons. Mostly, I never really understood how much they can help you or how to use them properly. I have heard so many people say throughout my life that it isn't a good deal if you weren't going to buy it in the first place, and while I still agree with this (on say cat food--I don't even own a cat--or Prilosec--never used it and don't plan to start!), I have found that even if I wasn't going to buy toothpaste TODAY, I would still need to buy it SOME DAY, so why not get it while it's on sale and I have a coupon for it? Now that I have been faced with starving or applying for food stamps (ok, I wouldn't starve, but I can barely afford groceries AND gas these days!) I thought I would give couponing a try! I should be a couponer by nature simply because my Maw-Maw (my mom's mom) was an extreme couponer before extreme couponing was popular! I can remember sitting on the floor of her house cutting coupons and organizing them for her. I remember her going to the store with her coupon organizer full and only buying things she had coupons for. I think in a way this is what turned me off to it. As I grew older I just felt like there was too much to do and not enough return. Well, last night was my 1st "couponing" trip to the store and I really enjoyed it!! After doing some research from The Krazy Coupon Lady, clipping coupons from my in-law's newspaper inserts, and buying a coupon organizer I felt like I was ready for the challenge! My trip was to Walgreens which is not a store I would normally shop in in the first place, so that was also new to me. I went up and down the aisles checking to see what was on sale and what I had a coupon for....yes I know it would have been better for me to do this step at home, but like I said it was my 1st time!! I did 2 separate transactions (this was something I read about) so I could get my register rewards on the first transaction and then use them on my 2nd transaction! That was a really neat thing!

This was my favorite buy of my trip!

Here's what I did......the Gillette Fusion Power Razor (normally $12.99) was on sale for $9.89. I had a $4.00 off coupon--bringing the total down to $5.89 (plus tax), and I received $5.00 in RR for the purchase! So, it was like getting the razor (a $12.99 value) for $0.89!!! WOO--HOO! Even if that's all I did I would be super excited!! I then turned around and gave her the rest of my items--all but one was on sale, and I had a coupon for most everything else!!--and did my 2nd transaction using the $5.00 in RR at the end with all of my coupons. The only items I did not have coupons for were the Revlon make-up products, but they were on clearance for $3.59 and $2.79 each (regularly $10.99 each), so I felt like that was a good deal. Also, when I got the concealer I made sure to pick up one that had a BONUS lip gloss attached, so that made the deal even sweeter! One of the great things is that it is all stuff we already use anyway. Ben and I use the Crest toothpaste, the kids use Colgate, Annalisa uses Pantene shampoo and conditioner, and Ben was very excited the Old Spice body wash was on sale (and I had a coupon) because that is what he uses! All in all I got $82.55 worth of merchandise for $29.91!! That is an over 50% savings which makes it worth it to me!!! I also got to walk away for 3 $1.00 coupons to add to other coupons on my next visit....so I walked away with $3.00 in savings to use later! I am so excited about my trip and the money I saved! I will be doing this again, hopefully with groceries next time!

Staying Busy

2011-02-24T07:13:00.003-07:00

I know I am NO good at blogging lately! It seems I go a month or more without writing anything down...but that doesn't mean there aren't things to write down--just that I don't ~~have~~ take the time to do it! Since I posted last, Ben started a new job, I started Zumba, Cole made all 1's at UIL in band, Jacob turned 11, Annalisa started softball, and Benjamin learned how to say "hola"! See, that was quick and easy! Why don't I just sit down to do this at least once a week?
Ben now works for Pullin Ranch out of Conroe. He delivers sawdust to horse racetracks and ranches. He had a rough 1st 2 weeks, but then it got better and he really likes it. He is making a little more than he made at McKenzie's so that is also good!
For Jacob's birthday he wanted to go see Blake, Carter and Dawson, so we drove to Whitehouse for the day on the Saturday before his birthday. The boys jumped on the trampoline, played baseball, played Kinect on the X-box, ate hot dogs and just had fun all day long! It was so great to see all of them together again! Annalisa joined in with them...almost like old times! She didn't appreciate it much when Dawson tried to flip her! LOL When they are all together the boys don't see her as a girl! She is just one of the guys!
Jacob's actual birthday was on a Monday and in accordance with tradition we let him pick where he wanted to eat dinner. There aren't a lot of choices in Huntsville, so it was Chili's. He wanted cheese fries and a bacon cheeseburger, but once we got there he decided the bacon ranch chicken quesedillas sounded better! It was a great dinner with our family plus Nana, Papa and Nanny!

getting ready to open presents!

Jacob LOVES Transformers

Annalisa started softball and she has her 1st game this coming Saturday. She actually has a double header! The other day she asked me if softball was supposed to be fun. I said, "Yes, why?" She said, "Because my coach said it is serious business!" I laughed and told her she can still have fun while doing her best!! I am so excited to be watching my daughter play softball!

Benjamin spent the last 4 days playing with Alex and they are getting to be such good buds! Benjamin learned how to say "hola" but it sounds more like "hallelujah"! It is so cute! He is always keeping us laughing, that's for sure! Cole told him the other day, "Benjamin, I am so glad God let us have you." That made me tear up a little! Here is a video of him playing with Annalisa's headband:

Cole has a lot of passion! He gets very irritated at things these days....12 year old hormones exist in boys too! He got in the car after school the other day, and I could tell he was not happy, so I asked how his day was. "Fine" he responded still staring out the window. I decided to just leave him alone...sometimes that is best! A few minutes later he said, "Some people make me so mad I just want to punch them in the face!" WOW! I wasn't expecting that much passion! I said, "Well, Cole what happened?" He said, "There is this kid at school who talks like a girl, but he is always making fun of other people. Oh! It just makes me so mad!" Cole doesn't like for people to make fun of other people...ironically though he was making fun of this kid by saying he talks like a girl! That's a typical 12 year old! He didn't say much more after that and I figured he just needed to vent, but when we got home he started up again. "And he made fun of you when you drove up to pick me up!" he said. "How did he make fun of me?" I asked. "He said, 'Oh, look! That's your mom? I bet she can't even see over the steering wheel!' Oh!! I just wanted to run back and punch him in the face!" Well, I immediately started laughing! I have been hearing people ask me if I can see over the steering wheel since I started driving! I told Cole that I wasn't going to lose any sleep over that, but it didn't matter to him! He didn't want anyone making fun of his mom!!! That made me feel special! I do want him to lighten up on wanting to punch people in the face so much, but I guess the plus side is that he doesn't actually punch them! Even if he has stopped telling me he loves me when he leaves for school in the morning, I know he does!

I am still making things for my Etsy store, but not having much luck selling anything. Here are a few pics of my newest creations:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/68204145/custom-boutique-pillowcase-dress-minnie

http://www.etsy.com/listing/68354798/cow-hot-pink-black-pillowcase-dress-you

http://www.etsy.com/listing/68624444/boutique-girl-flower-sundress-with-sash

http://www.etsy.com/listing/68623830/bandana-cowgirl-blue-pillowcase-dress?ref=v1_other_1

http://www.etsy.com/listing/68355153/boutique-girl-zebra-and-hot-pink-halter

We are looking forward to Spring Break in a few weeks! Ben and I will celebrate 15 years of marriage then and maybe we will be able to take a trip to Six Flags!?!?!

Cole's Poetry

2011-01-10T07:08:00.000-07:00

Some of you may remember a few years ago when I posted a few of Cole's poems he had written for school. I was so proud of how such a young boy could write such poetic words. Since then he really hasn't written anything and doesn't unless it is for an assignment at school! I mean, he's 12! He has better things to do with his time than write a poem! :-) So, the other night he was supposed to write a poem about a color. He kept asking me and Ben what different colors were so he could jog his thinking process. We were telling him things like, "green is the color of jealousy, money, grass, boogers.....red is the color of passion, fire, heat, atomic fireballs.....black is the color of my true love's hair (he didn't get that reference to the old song).....purple is the color of royalty" and so on. He didn't like any of our ideas! He stayed up until 9 "working" on the poem and had a blank piece of paper when he went to bed. He woke up early to work on the poem and had a blank piece of paper when he left for school. However, he had a full poem written by the time he was dropped off. Here is what he wrote:

Orange is the color of a rising sun

Letting you know a new day has begun.

It is the color of a fire

burning higher and higher

The color of summer turning to fall

where leaves are raked and the piles stand tall

It is the color of the grand Canyon

With its rough walls

And its long drop where you don't want to fall

Orange is the color of a setting sun

Letting you know a new day is to come.

Ok, I know I am biased, but I thought it was pretty brilliant for him to go full circle with the color of orange! Especially since he wrote it in the car on the way to school!

(This post in no way endorses procrastination on the part of the student!)

Jan 2000- December 2010

2010-12-31T14:08:00.005-07:00

It is good to sit and reflect on the blessings that have been showered on us. It is good....but not always easy. Today I am thinking about and thanking God for the blessings He has showered on me and my family over the past 10 years. We started out the year 2000 in fear that we would lose electricity and water for some amount of time. Well, some people started out the millennium that way. I started it out asleep on the couch in my living room 26 1/2 weeks pregnant with our second child while my 16 month old was playing with his daddy. The electricity never went out, and Y2K was just a scare. On the 3rd day of the year 2000 I was admitted into the hospital in Shreveport where I stayed for 6 weeks. Ben and I began the year only seeing each other on Friday, Saturday and Sunday for 6 weeks, and he was learning what it feels like to be a single parent. The year 2000 was begun with lots of prayer by us and for us. What a good thing to know! God carried us through some very scary times during the birth of Jacob and gave us a wonderful son to add to our family!

In 2001 we felt God calling us to the mission field in WA state, so we packed up our family and moved far, far away. After we had been in WA for only 1 month our country was attacked and we felt alone and scared, but we continued to trust God.

The beginning of 2002 brought about the news that we would have a 3rd child! We were unprepared for this and very excited! It was scary because of all the complications I had with Jacob, so we decided to leave WA and return home to TX for the birth. Annalisa was brought safely into this world in September 2002, and our days have never been dull since then!

The beginning of 2003 had Ben taking photography courses and graphic design classes at the local college. He was getting very good at what he does when we approached his 28th birthday and a very serious accident involving him and our oldest son Cole. Once again we lifted up prayers of our own while others faithfully prayed for us, and God not only healed Ben and Cole, but gave them both a greater love for Him. So many people grew closer to God because of the accident, and so many relationships were forged. God has been faithful to us through every step.

2004 began with me substitute teaching for the 1st time. I got my teaching degree in 1998 while I was pregnant with Cole, but up until 2004 I had not worked outside of the home. I really enjoyed the school where I was substitute teaching, and I was offered a job there within a few months. I taught 5th grade for a year, and in 2005 I was offered a job in Longview. Ben had returned to school for photography and graphic design and he was "stay-at-home" dad to Annalisa. He was also getting better and better at playing the guitar and leading worship.

I taught 3rd grade from 2005-2007 at which time we felt the need to sell our house and move. The 2 years that I taught 3rd grade were very difficult for me emotionally, physically and mentally, and I needed a break. We moved to CO in August 2007 and Ben became the worship leader at our church there in September 2007. In 2008 we had to move out of the house we were renting and we didn't have a place to go so we moved into our pastor's basement. We lived in the basement from June until November when we were able to move into a house we had purchased and totally renovated.

2009 began with us finding out we were going to have a 4th child!!! This was VERY unexpected as it had been 7 years since we had a baby! After we found out about our newest blessing we found out that the pregnancy would also be overshadowed with complications and scary moments. Looking back on it, it doesn't seem so bad because I can see where God carried us through all of those scary times. Benjamin was born in August 2009 and is the delight of the family. I couldn't imagine life without him!!! Throughout that year we continued to lose income in various ways, so we knew we would no longer be able to stay in our home that we loved so much.

2010 began with us putting our house on the market and praying for it to sell quickly. We sold it at the beginning of May and moved back to TX. We have been in Riverside since then and Ben has a job at a bar-b-que restaurant in Huntsville. We also answered a call for Ben to be the worship pastor at Needham Road Baptist Church in Conroe, TX. We are currently looking for a job for Ben in Conroe so we can move closer to the church, but so far we haven't found anything. We had to give up our car at the beginning of this past week, so we are totally trusting God to provide for our family in all ways. We know He will.....the hard part is waiting for the blessing! I know it will come, and I know it won't be what I thought it should be, but I know it will be so much better than anything I could ever have thought of! And the coolest thing is that God knew all about it before I was even born!!!

So, as you can see .....the past 10 years have been quite a journey for us!! We have loved every minute of it and wouldn't change any of it. I love how God is forming my kids hearts and how they are learning to trust Him because of all we have been through and are still going through.

God is good all the time.....and all the time God is good!!!!

I've Been Busy!

2010-11-04T08:40:00.002-06:00

I have been so busy I haven't had the chance to sit down and write a new blog for quite a while now. At the beginning of October I put some of my crafts out at Fair on the Square in Huntsville. I sold a few things, but I was mostly disappointed as I have been at every other Craft Fair I have gone to. For some reason I don't stop making things, though! Making things is cathartic for me! I had Super Hero Capes like these:

Since then I have started personalizing the capes....like this one:

Or this one for a girl with her initial on it:

I also made crayon rolls and "travel books" for kids:

Since then I have started using my machine to embroider items such as these cute onesies:

And I have learned how to do some "in the hoop" projects and make items like these quilted monogrammed keychains:

And this Christmas gift card/money holder that doubles as an ornament:

And one other thing I am working on is aprons....for children and adults....but so far I have only made a child's apron:

I have had a couple of requested items like this hot pink and black pillowcase dress:

And this camo and purple pillowcase dress:

I am also still busy making and selling Christmas ornaments! So, as you can see I have been a busy little bee! On top of all this I am still a mother of 4, a wife, a cook, a chauffeur, a problem solver, homework helper, bath giver, diaper changer....you get the idea! I also go to school on Wednesday mornings for 3 hours at our church for a class called Faith Bible Institute. It is a 3 year course and goes through the entire bible. I really enjoy it and have learned a lot!
We recently accepted the position of Worship Leader at Needham Road Baptist Church (a.k.a. The Church @ 242) in Conroe, TX and Ben's first Sunday is Nov. 7. We are certain that is where God wants us serving, and we can't wait to see how He will use us there!
Cole played with the band at his first football game this past Tuesday and he really liked it. He was also awarded "Park Pride" which means that he has certain privileges that other kids don't have. You earn it by having good conduct, showing initiative, and being picked by your teachers. He gets free admission to all Mance Park athletic events, a front row seat at all Pep Rallies and assemblies (which he isn't excited about), the privilege of eating outside of the cafeteria, he doesn't have to have a hall pass, and he doesn't have to report to the gym in the mornings like all the other students. We also got this super sweet bumper sticker that says "I am a Park Pride Parent and I'm Proud!" What better way to embarrass your child for life than put that on your car?!? Cole wanted us to just throw it away, but Ben put it on his guitar toolbox to which Cole rolled his eyes...yes he has started rolling his eyes!
Jacob had AWESOME grades....all A's and B's. He is doing so much better in his classes than he did last year. Of course it helps that he likes his teachers and they like him! He is still having a bit of trouble with the other kids making fun of him or picking on him, but I think things are getting better.
Annalisa had straight A's and only good comments from her teachers. She loves school and always does well. She comes home telling me about the boys who want to marry her or told her she was cute that day! Oh man, I am NOT ready for her to get any older! LOL
Benjamin is growing so fast! He learned how to climb up in the chairs--which scares Cole--but last night I turned around and yep, he was on top of the table! I knew it was only a matter of time before he did it! He is so much fun and the kids tell him all the time that they are so happy we had him! That makes my heart happy!

Museums and Tents

2010-10-05T07:50:00.003-06:00

It seems like when we lived in CO there were alot more things for a family to do on a weekend than just play in the yard. There were so many places you could go and just sight see or hike, and I have been getting antsy to get out of the house and DO SOMETHING!! Ben found out that the Sam Houston Museum in Huntsville is open on Sunday afternoons, so a few weeks ago we took the family there after church. There were a lot of things to see outside before you even went in the museum: 2 of Sam Houston's houses, the blacksmith's shop, cabins, the outdoor kitchen, Sam's law office, and all of the property he lived on. It was very pretty outside, and I was so glad not to be at home! We went in the museum and spent a good hour and a half to two hours walking around and learning all about Sam. The kids really enjoyed it, so that was a plus!

The kids on petrified wood at Sam Houston's house

After we got home, Ben thought it would be fun to camp out in the front yard with the kids. He isn't real big on camping in the woods because he is HIGHLY allergic to poison ivy, but we knew the front yard would be safe! Ben, Jacob and Benjamin proceeded to put up the tent while Cole looked on. He was asking, "Who would want to sleep in a tent outside?" But towards the end of the tent erecting he decided to join in. Ben, always doing what most people would not do, also thought it would be great to watch a movie in the tent with the kids! So, he set up a TV, DVD player and fan. They took popcorn and rootbeer outside and watched Kung Fu Panda inside the tent! Jacob and Annalisa thought it was the coolest things ever, but after the movie was over Jacob decided he didn't have enough room in the tent (could be that Ben's twin size blow up mattress along with the TV, DVD player and fan were taking up most of the floor space), so he came inside to sleep. Annalisa was the only one who stayed out there all night long with Ben! I am so thankful that my kids have a daddy who will do those kinds of things with them and spend time with them! He is so awesome!

Jacob and Benjamin getting it started!

Jacob loves to build things, so this was a lot of fun for him

Jacob and Ben did most of the work

Benjamin was helping as much as possible!

Cole finally decided to help! He told me, "Mom we are country folk, but we aren't really camping folk."

All of my boys after the tent was erected

Inside the tent!

Saturday Fun

2010-09-22T07:08:00.005-06:00

Last Saturday was the first Saturday Ben had off since before the kids started school, so we planned to spend the day doing some fun stuff. The older boys wanted to go with their Papa to the model airplane show in Monaville. They had a lot of fun and got to see lots of cool RC airplanes. I think they have both decided that they now want to build and fly their own RC airplane, so this is a job for Papa! He already got a game for his computer that is a flight simulator so they can practice flying without actually crashing anything, and they LOVE it! Yesterday after school the first thing Jacob asked me was if he could go over to Papa's house to play that game! Papa is going to have a good time with the boys teaching them to build and fly RC planes.

Since the boys were going with Papa, we decided to let what we did be Annalisa's choice. We started the morning off with breakfast at What-A-Burger and then headed down to Conroe. After a quick stop at Guitar Center (NOT Annalisa's choice!) we went to the mall. Ben knew there was a water taxi you could ride, so he purposely drove next to it while looking for a parking space. Annalisa saw the boat and immediately started asking if we could ride it. Then she saw Barnes & Noble (her FAVORITE library) and asked if we could go there. On our way through the mall to the water taxi she saw Marble Slab Creamery.....gotta add that to the list of things to do! We rode the water taxi around the Woodlands and Annalisa got to sit at the very front of the boat. We went from there to Barnes & Noble, and when we walked in the front door Annalisa said, "I LOVE the way libraries smell!" My kids have always thought Barnes & Noble was a library because they can sit in the kids' section and read the books (we don't usually buy them anything even though I am a book lover! We usually take them there just to pass some time). So, we went straight to the kids' section and Annalisa got hung up looking at American Girl books. They have some really neat ones that are for crafts and stuff, but she got very excited about one that teaches you how to fix your doll's hair. It came with a special brush that won't damage your doll's hair and a DVD with tips and tricks. She was SOLD! Nanny gave Annalisa $25.00 for her birthday, and the book was $19.95, so we were getting it!

After Barnes & Noble we went to Red Robin for lunch and back to the mall because Annalisa had seen the carousel there---who can pass up a carousel? Me!! This carousel was doing circles at close to 30 mph and I wanted to throw up just standing close to it. I was sure that some kid's vomit was going to land on me during one of the rotations, but thankfully I was able to get far enough away into a "safe zone"! Annalisa's horse was appropriately named "Flash", which is the nickname her Uncle Bub gave her when she about 2 and always wore light up shoes. After the death defying carousel ride, we were on our way to Marble Slab when Annalisa spied The Disney Store! It is nearly impossible to get by The Disney Store without going in if you have a kid under the age of 11. There were girls in there trying on The Little Mermaid costume, which was very pretty, but was $100! IT IS A COSTUME for a 7 year old!!!! Are you kidding me? So, we got our ice cream and headed to Sam's--also not Annalisa's choice, but we told her at the beginning that we had to go there before going home. All in all it was a good day for everyone!

When we got home Annalisa immediately began to watch the DVD on how to fix Julie's hair and she was putting it into all kinds of braids and ponytails! I can't leave you without telling you this, though: Nana came over to bring us something, and while she was here Annalisa was fixing Julie's hair. She told Nana, "You always have to spray a little bit of water on her hair before you brush it." Nana said, "Oh, really? Why?" Annalisa said, "To keep the flies away." Nana and I both tried really hard not to laugh at this point because Annalisa was so serious. She said, "Really! It says so right here..." She turned the pages of her book frantically looking for the picture of the misting bottle with the tip....it read, "Always be sure to spray some water on your doll's hair before brushing to help maintain flyaways." I love my daughter and the way she is always able to make us laugh!!!

(Benjamin was not forgotten or left out during this day of fun--he was with me, Ben and Annalisa all day long, and he enjoyed it very much!)

Life Goes On......

2010-09-14T07:40:00.001-06:00

It seems to me like the summer just FLEW by! Where did it go? I have no idea!!! How is it that sometimes the days are long, but the years are always so fast?! I now have a 12 year old!!!! And a 1 year old!!! As well as a newly turned 8 year old!!!! And a 10 year old who is already counting down the months until his birthday in February! It is hard for Jacob when he is the only one who doesn't have a birthday in the 2 week period at the end of August--beginning of September, but once February gets here and he is the only one with a birthday he will enjoy it very much!! In addition to the 3 kids' birthdays this summer, I also celebrated a birthday of my own and Ben had one too. For some reason I am still older than he his.....he can't seem to catch up to me--or pass me for that matter! We are only about a month and a half apart, but he never lets me forget that I am older! We have now started the routine of going to school. The kids are in the 4th week of school now and I think we are getting it all figured out! Benjamin wakes me up at 5:30 so I can change his diaper and nurse him back to sleep (yes, he still nurses in the morning). I wake Ben up at 6:00 so he can get ready to go to work. I wake the older 3 kids up at 6:30. On the mornings I feel like being a good mom I fix them breakfast.....all other mornings they get cereal. I am ashamed to say that I have only been a good mom for 3 mornings out of 3 weeks of school. Well, hey I average 1 morning a week! Now that I look at it that way, it's not too shabby! Thanks to Papa (who lives next door), he has been taking all 3 of them to school. They leave at 7:10 and he gets them all dropped off by 7:45. It helps me out so much because I don't have to wake Benjamin up to take the kids to school. He usually sleeps until 8:30 or 8:45. It also gives me my quiet time with God in the mornings....and trust me I NEED THAT!!! I feel so off-kilter when I don't get it, and it can ruin my entire day. Ben has been working 7-3, so he picks the kids up from school and brings them home. They usually get here around 4, and Benjamin is always so glad to see them! Cole is in the highest level of band at his school, so he has sectionals on Tuesday afternoons from 4:30-5:15 which sort of throws a kink in things as far as driving in to town so many times, but it isn't too bad. Today he said he is just going to go to the band hall after school and stay there until sectionals starts, then I will pick him up at 5:15. He is growing up sooooo fast!!! I am not sure if I am ready for it. Jacob's year started off rough. He is new and it is a new school for all 5th graders because it is the first time that all of them are on 1 campus. There are multiple elementary schools, but only 1 5th-6th grade campus, and 1 7th-8th grade campus, then 1 highschool. Anyway, several kids have been calling him names like 'tubby' and giving him a hard time about being a big kid. That is very hard for Jacob because he is very self-conscious about his size and 10 year olds have feelings too! It makes me so angry that kids can be so mean. I think things are getting better or else he just doesn't tell me anymore, but Jacob has such a big heart. I pray for him to do well and not give up no matter what others are saying or doing around him. I pray for all of my kids every day. It is a tough world out there and I want my kids to know God, love God, experience God, trust God, and believe God in everything. I know I am not always the best mom and I am far from perfect, but I hope that one thing I do right for my kids is pray for them and give them back to God. I am so blessed that He gave them to me.

My Homework Assignment

2010-08-26T07:40:00.000-06:00

Cole came home from school with a letter from his teacher stating that since the kids would be doing homework soon "fair is fair so we would like you to write a paper for us." It went on to talk about how parents know their child best, and then it said, "in a million words or less tell us about your child at Mance Park Middle School." So, I wrote about my child only to be informed by him this morning that I did it wrong! "Mom, you were just supposed to write about if there is a certain way they need to teach me or anything special they need to know about me. Now the teachers are going to think I am a dork." He was very disappointed, but since it was 7 am and the paper was due today, I was not going to re-write it. Besides, the letter I got said, "tell us about your child." It didn't say anything about "special needs" or learning styles. Below is the paper I wrote that Cole was so embarrassed about.

We Call Him Cole

I have the great privilege, honor and blessing of being mother to one of the greatest students you will have this year! His name is Timothy Cole Newton, and we call him Cole. He is named after Timothy in the Bible (who Paul loved like a son), and the Tom Cruise character Cole Trickle in Days of Thunder. In the winter of 1997 when we found out we were going to have our first child, we decided to wait until the birth to see if our baby was a boy or a girl. We were so happy when our firstborn son arrived in the early hours of the morning on August 20, 1998.

From the moment of birth Cole has been a rule follower. It is only more recently that he is beginning to test the waters and be more daring. He has always enjoyed and excelled at school, but due to several school changes in his life he is facing this school year with much trepidation. Cole has a big heart, an infectious smile, and a witty sense of humor. He is kind and caring, but doesn’t want to seem too soft. He is very concerned with doing the right thing and not getting in trouble, however he doesn’t always speak up for himself if he is being wronged.

Cole is an amazing athlete and musician excelling in baseball, guitar (acoustic and bass), and trumpet with a few years of violin under his belt too. Drawing is also a talent of Cole’s and an outlet for him when he is bored or unsure of what to do. An avid reader, Cole finished all of the Harry Potter books prior to 6^th grade, and he continues to read for pleasure when he isn’t reading for coursework.

Being the oldest of 4 children puts a lot of responsibility on a child, and Cole handles his well. He is a typical brother to his siblings but helps out whenever needed around the house. Cole is a “homebody” and would rather stay home reading or drawing than go to a store or out somewhere, unless that somewhere is a baseball game!

At the beginning of the summer we moved back to TX from CO where we had lived for the past 3 years. In CO Cole was in the EDGE program at Horizon Middle School. Only 32 students were accepted into the program based on grades, standardized test scores, teacher recommendation, and student interview. He did very well in this program and he needs to be challenged in his school work so he doesn’t get bored.

I hope that your interactions with Cole this year help you to learn about his personality, character and heart as well as his intellectual abilities. I hope to see him grow and mature socially and academically under the care and guidance of his teachers at Mance Park Middle School.

So, what do you think? Did I do a really horrible job, and will this scar my 12 year old son for life? He was especially horrified by the first sentence! Either way, it doesn't really matter....the paper has been written and turned in!

Fun Filled Weekend

2010-08-24T12:48:00.029-06:00

On my last blog I noted that Benjamin was sick on his 1st birthday which was not fun. What was also not fun was that Cole's 12th birthday was 2 days after Benjamin's 1st birthday, and Cole's birthday mirrored Benjamin's in much the same way. Where Ben went in to find Benjamin covered in vomit the morning of his birthday, I was awakened at 2 am to the sound of one of my children in the bathroom vomiting. I thought it was Jacob because he and Annalisa had both gotten sick the evening before, but Cole and I had stayed up until 10 making his requested cake, Tres Leches, and then we went to bed feeling fine. I woke up at 1:20 with the sickness and had gone back to bed to try to get some sleep, only to wake up 20 min later sick again. By the time 2 am rolled around I was a little delirious, so I sent Ben to the bathroom to check on Jacob, only he came back to tell me it was Cole. So, he found both of our birthday boys, on their birthdays, sick! Cole and I continued to be sick until 5:30 am at which point we were able to keep down some anti-nausea medicine Ben had picked up for us on his 4 am run to the store for a plunger! The night was filled with sickness and not sleeping! Soooo we spent the majority of Friday, which was Cole's birthday, sleeping. We had planned to take him out to lunch because traditionally we let our kids pick a place to eat on their birthday ,and we take them there, but those plans were canceled! Friday evening I started Focus on the Family's The Truth Project at my church, and even though I wasn't feeling 100%, it was awesome! I spent all day Saturday doing it as well, and I was on information overload by 8 pm Saturday night.

I woke up early Sunday morning to make Benjamin's birthday cake and get ready for church. Mom, Logan, Dad, and Lynn all came to witness the kids' baptisms and celebrate birthdays with us. Ben and I are so proud to have been a part of our kids' baptisms, and we are excited to watch them grow and follow Christ!

It was HOT outside for the party, but beautiful, as always, in Ruby and Jim's backyard. Ben grilled hot dogs and we just spent time enjoying company. Benjamin was very tired during the whole party, so after cake and presents he went down for a 3 HOUR NAP!!! He hasn't napped that long in months!

After Sunday evening church we made sure everything was ready for the kids' 1st day of school. Annalisa and Jacob were excited, but Cole was filled with trepidation. I know it is hard to be 12 and be starting a new school. I was so concerned for him and prayed--along with many others--for him to have a great first day. He wasn't excited when I picked him up, but he didn't hate it either, so that is pretty good! Annalisa hasn't stopped talking about it--even in her sleep--and Jacob is enjoying his school as well. I have started a college Bible course called Faith Bible Institute and after 3 years I will earn my diploma! I also spend my days taking care of my baby boy and all the other "mom" things that go along with it!

I hope everyone had a great summer and enjoys a new school year with new beginnings!

Benjamin Is One!

2010-08-18T20:25:00.000-06:00

One year ago today I was HUGE and ready to have a new baby in my arms--not my belly! One year ago today I was scared and excited at the same time. One year ago today I was the mother to 3 beautiful children and anticipating the arrival of our 4th. One year ago today I heard Benjamin's cry for the first time, felt his soft skin against mine and looked into his beautiful blue eyes. One year ago today I became the mother of 3 boys! One year ago today I didn't know how happy one little boy's smile could make me every morning! One year ago today I didn't know how very blessed our family would be from the addition of one new life! One year ago today I held my Benjamin in my arms for the first time and it felt good! One year ago today I listened as the doctors told me that my baby had to be on oxygen and under the lights because he was jaundiced. One year ago today I listened as the doctors told me my baby boy needed a blood transfusion and a blood exchange. One year ago today I wondered how long my baby would be in the NICU before I could take him home. One year ago today I delivered, loved, and prayed for my new son.

This morning I woke up to his little cry and asked Ben to bring him to me. He carried him to me with a pitiful look on his face as he said, "He threw up all over himself and his bed." Oh! My poor baby! I quickly took him to the bathtub to clean him up while Ben stripped his bed of all sheets and blankets and took them to the washing machine. After I bathed him he fell asleep in my arms and slept most of the day on my bed as I sat next to him doing bible study and knitting. All the while I was watching my sweet boy and wishing he didn't feel so bad on his birthday! He has grown and changed so much over the past year! He started walking at 10 months and he has been 'on-the-go' since then. He loves balls, Toy Story, and water! The only fruit we have discovered that he doesn't like is grapefruit, and he is pretty much smiling all the time. I love my Benjamin!!!

I made a slideshow of his 1st year, but it won't let me post it....so if you click the picture below it should take you to the slideshow. Hope you enjoy!!!

God Is Amazing

2010-08-01T23:29:00.002-06:00

Near the end of July every year there is a faint voice in the back of my head reminding me what happened "x" number of years ago. This year it happens to be 7 years ago. 7 years ago I experienced the worst day of my life while we were at a family reunion. I remember getting ready to go to the family reunion and how we were all excited to have a mini-vacation away from home. We left on a Thursday and got there that evening--our destination was the hometown of Ben's dad--Kingsland, TX. The first evening we grilled, and Ben played his guitar and sang while we listened. He had just learned a new song--"Cover Me"--by Bebo Norman, and he was singing it for us before we went to bed for the evening. I remember the conversation I had with Ben that night as we lay in bed. For some reason we were talking about if something bad happened to one of our kids (we had 3 at the time). We were telling each other that if something bad happened at least we knew we had each other and together (with God, of course) we could get through anything.

The next morning Ben woke up and went walking to take pictures of the landscape. He had just started in photography classes at Kilgore college and was doing well. We all had breakfast, and then it was time for jet skis! Cole and Ben rode together on one while Susan rode another one with their cousin Noah. I remember sitting in a chair by the lake eating Skittles and thinking they had been gone a long time--I was wondering when I would get my turn--when I saw a jet ski coming toward us. I was happy that they were coming back so I could take Jacob for a ride. But then I realized that the person riding the jet ski didn't look familiar to me at all. It was an older lady and as she got off the jet ski she was saying something about a man and a boy in a skiing accident. She was saying things that didn't make sense to my brain, but at some point it started to compute that the man and boy she was speaking of were my son and my husband. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't find Jim and Ruby. I didn't know where my other 2 kids were. I couldn't think straight at all. I asked her if they were ok, hoping she would tell me they had a few cuts and bruises--maybe a broken bone or two--but were otherwise fine. Her answer was short and honest, "Ma'am, I don't know."

How could she NOT know? That means it is worse than I want it to be. Where are Jim and Ruby? How do I find Ben and Cole?

Finally I saw Jim and Ruby come towards me, and as I was trying to tell them what I knew it just wouldn't come out right. Jim drove us to try and find them. He was calling 911 while we were driving because we had no idea where to go. I heard him say, "life flight" and my heart sank. My head was spinning....Life flight???? That's my 4 year old baby. I hope he isn't scared. I hope he isn't hurting. My husband is injured. Will I get to them in time?

I had no idea who was injured worse, or even how they were injured. Once we got to the area where they were located I went inside the ambulance. They had Ben and Cole in the same ambulance, side by side, but Cole didn't know Ben was next to him there, and Ben had no idea either. Cole was awake and talking. He was telling the medics my name, his name, his age---I was sooo proud of him! Normally Cole wouldn't talk to a "stranger" let alone tell them anything personal, but he was telling them everything they needed to know! He was crying and telling me his head hurt. The medics were telling me they thought he may be bleeding from his ear and they thought he broke his jaw. They gave him some medicine to help him sleep until we got to the hospital.

Ben was laying next to him, but when I looked at him and called his name I was answered with a blank stare and glassy eyes. He was unresponsive and they were about to intubate him. The medics told me that Ben was going in the 1st helicopter because it was faster and his injuries were more dangerous--he had a closed head injury. Cole was going on the 2nd helicopter and they were going to allow me to fly with him. I watched them load Ben up and fly off wondering if I would ever hold him, or talk to him again. There was no time for goodbyes, no "I love you's".....it was scary and heartbreaking, and went against everything we had discussed the night before. We had talked about getting through something tough TOGETHER. I knew that I didn't have Ben to help me be strong for Cole. I didn't have Ben to help me get through this situation--this wasn't something we were going to get through together, but I still had my son I had to be strong for. I got on the helicopter with Cole, and I remember that I was still in my swimming suit wearing flip-flops. As I looked down at my feet they were covered with burrs from the grassy field I had walked across, and I was thinking, "That's weird. I don't even feel those sticking to me." I was oblivious to the pain that they normally would have caused. As we flew to the hospital in Austin I could see Ben's helicopter in the distance in front of us, and I asked the medics (through my headset) if he was doing ok. They told me that they weren't allowed to disclose that information over the airways because it wasn't secure. I remember thinking that could mean that he wasn't doing well, but I had this extraordinary peace that came over me as we flew. I am not saying I wasn't still scared--I am saying I was at peace. I felt God's arms around me at that moment, and I knew I was being prayed for. I knew I could not pray a single word at that moment, so all I did was sing the Rich Mullin's song Hold Me Jesus (which I also sang during the birth of my 2nd son). The words to that song are easy for my heart and mind to sing when no other words are available:

Hold me Jesus, cause I'm shaking like a leaf

You have been King of my glory

Won't You be my Prince of Peace?

I know that He was my Prince of Peace that day. I experienced Romans 8:26 that day; ²⁶In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.

How magnificent is it to know that as a Christian I have the Spirit who intercedes in me and Jesus who intercedes FOR ME!!! I couldn't get my brain to think one straight thought, but my Savior, my King, my Prince of Peace wasn't waiting for me to be able to think straight. He was already ahead of me and the prayers were being answered as I experienced it.

There is a LOT more to this story, but this is what I want to leave you with-- if you are a Christian, Jesus continuously intercedes for you before the Father! Hebrews 7: 25 tells us: ²⁵Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

If you aren't a Christian, or aren't sure if you are, would you like to have such a High Priest that can sympathize with our weaknesses yet was without sin? (Hebrews 4:15--¹⁵For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin).

Do you want to know the One who has appeared in the presence of God for us? (Heb 9:24--²⁴For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us;).

For more information on how to become a Christian: www.thekristo.com

Summertime!

2010-07-13T21:13:00.004-06:00

I LOVE SUMMER!!! I love the sun, the water, the time with the kids, the warm weather, and the birthdays! I love everything about the months June, July and August. This is Benjamin's first summer of his life, and he is enjoying it to the fullest! He would rather be outside than inside at all times! He loves to swing, swim, play, eat watermelon, drive the golf cart, play with the water hose--anything really as long as it is outside.

So far we have had a pretty full summer with quite a bit of rain that kept us indoors for a few weeks. Annalisa went to her first camp (it was G.A. camp) in June. She cried quite a bit the night before she left, but thanks to her wonderfully awesome and patient daddy she decided she would like to go. Once she got there she had so much fun she cried when she found out we were picking her up a day early to go to a family reunion!

The reunion was in Arkansas and we had a lot of fun there. We played golf, had a washers tournament, ate homemade peach ice cream, listened to singing and guitar playing while watching the fireflies, and went to Oil Town.

We got home from the family reunion, and VBS started the next week. The kids LOVED the Saddle Ridge Ranch theme and learned a lot of fun new songs. Annalisa and Jacob accepted the LORD as their Savior a few years ago at VBS but have never been baptized. This year they both asked to be baptized, and I think we will do that sometime in August. I am so excited for that day to get here!!!

When VBS was over I met Granma and gave the older 3 kids over to her for the next week and 1/2. While they were with her they got to go to another VBS--High Seas Adventure--at my brother and sister-in-law's church. The kids really enjoyed that VBS also and came home with some more fun songs and dances! The boys got to go fishing with Uncle Michael, and Annalisa got some good girl time with Reagan, Abbie, Emma and Sydney while she was there.

We went to get the kids from Peepaw and Granma last Thursday then left on Friday to go to Longview for Alex's 1st birthday. We had his party on Saturday. Susan did such a great job with the decorating and food preparation. She also had a 30' slip-n-slide for the kids!! They LOVED it!! It rained, which would be disappointing for any mom celebrating her kids' 1st birthday, but Susan handled it so well!! The kids thought the rain just made the slip-n-slide that much more fun!

Now we are home and don't have any plans for a few more weeks---Jacob goes to football camp the last week of July, then Ben's birthday, followed by R.A. camp for the boys. After that is Cole's birthday, Benjamin's first birthday, school starts and finally Annalisa's birthday! In the meantime I am hoping to get my Etsy shop back up and running soon. Whew! God is good and I love my life!

We've Moved!

2010-06-09T16:20:00.002-06:00

I know, I know.....I am really bad about blogging!!! So much has happened in the past month, I don't really feel like I have been able to stop and take a breath yet! We closed on our house in CO on May 13 and we left CO on May 15. The plan was to leave on May 14 in the evening, but God had other plans! OUR plan was for my brother Michael to fly to CO and help me drive my Pilot and the 4 kids back to TX while Ben drove the Penske with all of our belongings. The reason for Michael coming to help was that I don't do well driving long distances, and Ben....well once he gets started he doesn't stop!! So, on Friday (May 14) afternoon Michael called to tell me his flight had been delayed an hour and a half. Ok, not bad. Then about an hour later he called to tell me his flight had been canceled altogether. Why? I still don't know except that God knew what we didn't know.....Michael wouldn't have been able to fit in any of our vehicles if he had come. So, not only was Michael's flight canceled, but all flights from Dallas to Denver were canceled! They told him the soonest they would be able to get him out of Dallas would be 2:00 pm the next afternoon. We definitely couldn't wait that long, so after I reconciled myself to the fact that I would be driving I realized that it was for the best that Michael didn't come. As we were trying to pack the truck we were quickly running out of room and we still had a lot of "stuff" that wasn't on the truck!!! We filled Ben's Pathfinder (which was being towed by the Penske) and tied 4 bikes and a lawnmower on top of it. Then we filled my Pilot so full that I could barely see out of my side mirror. After all of that we still gave away 2 computer desks, 2 chairs, a dresser and 2 bookcases, as well as everything in our pantry! We just didn't have room!! I wanted to make sure I had room for my kids, and there was barely breathing room at that! We didn't leave on Friday night because it was raining, and Ben was helping me out---he knows I HATE to drive in the rain...especially at night!!! So, we spent the night at Brian and Stacy's apartment and got up Saturday morning to start the trip back to Texas. The weather was great for the trip which made it easier, but when we got down to having 4 more hours to go, I wanted to die!!!! I prayed, and danced, talked to myself, and sang at the top of my lungs to stay awake and not "zone out" while driving....then we pulled up to the house! The kids found their swimming suits and got in Nana and Papa's pool and I relaxed on the patio while enjoying the warmer weather--it had snowed in CO the week that we moved! Since we have been here Ben has led the worship at the first service on Sunday mornings and he has been to the prison with his dad a few times for prison ministry. We have made many trips to Huntsville or Conroe for groceries and other things for our house. Ben has umpired 5 baseball games and played the bass guitar for one of our friends who is now a worship leader in Huntsville. We spent one week visiting with family and friends that we haven't seen in a while and just couldn't wait any longer to see, and we have been in the pool quite a bit!!! Ben and I have started running in the mornings....we go about 2 1/2 miles....and in the evenings (sometimes) we run with the kids. This weekend is my family reunion, next week Annalisa will go to GA camp, then we will go to one of Ben's family reunions, and the next week is VBS and my birthday! We are definitely busy! We are learning to get along in the little house we have so graciously been allowed to live in....2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom! (less than 1200 sq. ft) It is definitely a big change from the 3 bedroom, 4 bathroom, full basement (nearly 3,000 sq. ft) house we had in CO!! I am also learning to "make do" with what little things of my own I have.....95% of our stuff is in storage! Despite the small living quarters and the kids not having any of their own "toys" or "things" they are very happy and have adjusted well which definitely makes things easier for everyone! Benjamin is 9 1/2 months old and has started taking steps on his own, talks up a storm and is an all around happy baby! We are so blessed with our children and family! I will try to do better about blogging, but I can't make any promises!

God Is Moving

2010-04-20T09:04:00.003-06:00

It has been really hard for me to sit down and blog about anything. There is so much going on with us, I am not even sure I know what I want to share! Since I enjoy giving updates on my children, I will start there. On the Friday before Spring Break Annalisa's class at school hosted a Fairy Tale Ball. The kids had been studying a unit on Fairy Tales, so they wanted to end the unit with a Ball. They spent several weeks learning how to waltz with a partner, and they were very excited. It was a day that they could dress up really nice and have a lot of fun. Annalisa was very excited about her daddy going to the ball because she knew there would be 2 dances that she could choose her partner for.....and she wanted to choose him! All I know is she was BEAUTIFUL that day, and she danced great! She was all smiles as her daddy walked out on the dance floor to waltz with her....he did add a few twirls and a dip at the end, too! She LOVED it!

The kids had Spring Break the last week of March, and although we really wanted to go to Texas we were not able to. The kids and I spent the days playing games and taking walks. We also had to make sure and keep the house pretty clean for all of the showings we were still having. Jacob was able to start his occupational therapy that week (he had been on a waiting list since last June!), and I have been so impressed with his willingness to try new, different foods since working with his therapist! He is really benefiting from those sessions!

At the beginning of March Ben's dad sent Ben's resume to a church in Nash, TX, and they called us at the beginning of April saying they would like to meet us to see if Ben would be the right fit for their church (as a worship pastor). We packed up the car and took a 2 day (18 hour) drive to Texarkana to meet them. We really enjoyed being there, and we made some new friends, but they called after we got back and said that we were not what they were looking for. Even though it was confusing and disappointing, it's ok! We definitely don't want to be there if that is not where God wants us! The kids had fun swimming at the hotel.....so they kind of got a mini-vacation out of the deal!

While we were in Nash, I apparently picked up a stomach bug of some sort because I woke up on Tuesday throwing up and continued to throw up for 7 hours straight....in the car! Before we left the hotel, Ben went inside and asked them for a "bucket". They gave him an old ice bucket with a plastic bag in it. He then went to the gas station next door and procured several more plastic bags and then gave them to me to use! I must say that I am glad we made it home that day, but seriously--being sick in the car is NO FUN!!! Thankfully none of my kids got the bug....Ben had a little sickness the day after we got home, but that is it.

During all of this time, Ben has had very little to no work. His workplace has made some decisions concerning their employees and that has left Ben with no jobs, so he has been calling other people to see if he can work for them when they have jobs. It has been a VERY TOUGH month for us in all ways, but God is good!! Yesterday we got a call from our realtor letting us know that our house is under contract, and they want to close in 25 days! WOO HOO! I only pray that FHA will move that quickly! Also, I pray that the inspection and appraisal go well, and we can get moved soon. For now our plan is to move down to Riverside next door to Ben's parents until Ben can get a job somewhere and we feel like we know where we would like to live. That is the stressful part! We have no idea where God wants us at this point, and I am being a stubborn child by asking Him to reveal it to us before school starts next fall! I would like for Cole to finally get to a place where he can stay until he graduates, but that may not be part of God's plan for our family! Please pray with and for us over the next few weeks as we get our house sold and look to God for answers that may not come just yet.

New Projects

2010-03-21T20:42:00.002-06:00

I have been knitting almost every evening.....I find it very relaxing and fulfilling. There is a sense of accomplishment each time I finish a project and know that I am able to gift it to someone. I have made several new projects over the past few weeks and I wanted to share pictures of them with you:

Here is my first baby blanket. It was very easy to knit and it ended up being very soft and comfy. My kids love it!!

Here are a few new dishcloths I knitted for my MIL's birthday:

And on this dishcloth (I already posted a picture of it previously) I had a friend add a crocheted border:

Next, I learned how to make these cute little scrubby thingies to use when washing dishes:

And I finished up another scarf:

Finally, the latest project to be completed in our house was not completed by me......it was Cole's. A few weeks ago Cole drew a picture and entered it in a contest at school. The contest was for this: 3 music stands were going to be donated to the school for a fundraiser. One 6th, one 7th, and one 8th grade student would be chosen to paint a music stand for the fundraiser. Cole's picture was chosen. He was very excited until it came down to the actual painting of the stand! He never thought far enough ahead to realize that he had never painted anything and we had no idea where to start! We have a friend from church who is a professional painter and he got us started with primer, paints and brushes. Cole finished up the stand tonight, and it will be raffled off at the fundraiser on Tuesday night. Here are a couple of pictures of the finished project:

I think he did a really good job!

Who Am I, By the Grace of God?

2010-03-10T18:46:00.004-07:00

I have joined a ladies bible study with a few other women from our church, and we meet on Wednesday mornings. We are going to study Ephesians, but after 3 weeks of meetings we have only read the 1st half of verse 1 so far! This isn't because we aren't focused.....the first week we talked and got to know each other a little better, and the past two weeks we have watched a video with speaker John Lynch. I really enjoyed the video and gleaned a lot out of it, but what I have been thinking on the most is the question that was asked of us the first week....."Who are you, by the grace of God?"

This question was prompted after our reading of the 1st half of the 1st verse of Ephesians, "Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the grace of God..." some versions read, "by the will of God". Our leader told us about how she gets so excited about those words.....Paul knew who he was by the grace/will of God, so she asked us who we are by the grace/will of God. The first thing I said I am is a princess! That's right!! I am a child of the KING and that makes me a princess. I talked about how we (the children of God) don't often live like we are children of a KING. We often live like we are the peasants in the street begging for acceptance and the forgiveness that we have ALREADY BEEN GIVEN!!! I told her about how when we are young girls we play like we are princesses all day long, and then once we really, truly become one we don't even accept it as fully as we should.

The other ladies talked about how they are wives, mothers, day care workers, teachers, soccer moms, bill payers, cooks, maids....etc. Our leader said that she wasn't going to let them get away that easily.....those are roles we play but that isn't who we are. So, they said they were going to have to think about it more to see if they could figure out who they are.

The more I thought about it the more I thought that at this point in my life I am a learner by the grace/will of God.

I am learning to be a mother to a 6 month old and a middle schooler. It isn't that I have never been the mother to a 6 month old before, but I have never been the mother of a middle schooler before....and definitely not at the same time as being the mother of a 6 month old!

I am learning to knit! I think that the craftiness that God has put in me is allowing me to learn new things at this point in my life.

I am learning to teach my kids how to be godly young men and women.

I am learning to be a stay-at-home mom again after having worked outside of the home for the past 6 years.

I am learning to be more relaxed about things that seem important to me but can really wait until another day.

I am learning to be a better wife.....Ben and I have been married 14 years, and I am finally learning not to take things personally and to let him be who he is by the grace of God.

I am learning to be the wife of a worship pastor.....because of this I am looked at and watched more closely than ever before.

I am learning that God isn't keeping tally of how many times per day I start a prayer and never "finish" it, or how many times I sit down to do bible study only to be interrupted by a child, or even how many minutes I spend in bible study every day.....He cares about my heart and the time that I DO spend with Him even if it is at 3 a.m. while I am nursing a baby.

Yes, at this time in my life I am a learner and I really don't think I will ever stop learning. I look forward to a time that I can take the things I learn and someday use them to teach others......because another thing I am by the grace/will of God is a teacher. I pray now that I can practice and change because of the things I am learning and for the opportunity to use them to teach others.

Finding God in Forrest Gump

2010-03-05T08:32:00.001-07:00

Last week was "you can't get enough of Gump" week on the television. It had been a while since we last watched Forrest Gump--we used to own the movie, but apparently ~~loaned~~ gave it ~~out~~ to someone ~~and never got it back~~--so we decided to turn it on for the evening. I was enjoying some knitting while watching, but I put down my knitting to watch the scene where Forrest is speaking at the mall in D.C. At the end of his speech, Jenny runs across the water screaming, "Forrest! Forrest!" and Forrest runs after her screaming, "Jenny!" As this scene played out, I said to Ben, "This part always makes me cry." He looked at me as if to say, "Typical female.....crying for no reason." I then went on to say, "Forrest loves her so much. Jenny has not been nice to him, she has rejected his attempts to have a relationship with her, she has returned (unopened) all of his letters, and yet when she runs after him he runs right back with arms open wide and no condemnation in his heart." I told Ben that Forrest loves Jenny like God loves us.....unconditionally.

Ben was a little surprised at what I had said and as he began to think about it, he agreed that Forrest shows Jenny the agape love that God shows to us.
Agape love is best defined in I Corinthians 13--the familiar chapter on love. What we rarely focus on from this chapter is that the love that is defined in all these verses is agape....not eros or philos. This chapter is read at weddings, for husbands and wives, but we never mention that it is impossible for us to truly agape each other without the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. It is very clear that agape is patient, kind, does not envy, does not boast, is not proud, is not rude, is never obscene, is not self-seeking, is not easily angered, keeps no record of wrongs, does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres, never fails! I don't know about you, but I know that I cannot truly agape someone without God in my life. Our human nature goes against it. Take for example Forrest Gump again......how many of us would have kept a record of wrongs [just one characteristic from the list] with Jenny? We would have said, "You didn't write back, you didn't even read my letters, you returned them all.....you must not care about ME, so I am just going to forget about you." Isn't that how we treat people? And isn't it true that most people would say Forrest was "weak" or a "wimp" because he didn't treat Jenny like that? When I watched Forrest run to Jenny with just about every characteristic of agape, I thought about how wonderful it would be for us to totally surrender our hearts to God so that we too would agape the people in our lives. If we would just surrender to the empowerment and temperament of the Holy Spirit He will fill us!

Oswald Chambers said, "Love is the sovereign preference of my person for another person, and when the Holy Spirit is in you, that other person is Jesus. The only lover of the Lord Jesus Christ is the Holy Ghost."

Beth Moore explained it by saying, "Do you realize that even the capacity to love God is completely divine and supernatural? Upon your constant request and deepest heart's desire, God will supply you with a divine, ever-growing love for Himself." If we truly love God, then we will love as God loves.....which means we will then be able to love the people that we thought we couldn't love. How exciting is that? It isn't up to us to "make" ourselves love others! It isn't because we aren't patient or kind enough [on our own]! It isn't because of any "fault" of our own because we didn't "try" hard enough. We can't do it on our own!! It is simply because we haven't surrendered to the Holy Spirit in that area. HE does the rest!!

Think on this and ask God to give you the ability to truly love Him and in turn show that love to others through agape [love].

Awe-Full

2010-02-22T15:32:00.004-07:00

There are a lot of things I would like to blog about today, but the more I think about writing them down the more I am led to just post this prayer. I stumbled upon this prayer by way of another blogger who commented on my post Jacob Aaron. After reading her comment, I decided to check out her blog, and this poem was her post for the day. It is written by Frederick Ohler, and it is entitled Awe-Full. I read this and I was speechless, but I knew I needed to share it. The first person I shared it with was Ben and he said, "That is TERRIFIC!" He then shared it in church. I have been thinking about the words to this prayer for a few days now and I really wanted to share it with you. I think Frederick nailed it when he wrote this:

Great and holy God
awe and reverence
fear and trembling
do not come easily to us
for we are not
Old Testament Jews
or Moses
or mystics
or sensitive enough.
Forgive us
for slouching into Your presence
with little expectation
and less awe
than we would eagerly give a visiting dignitary.
We need neither Jehovah nor a buddy-
neither "the Great and Powerful Oz" nor "the man upstairs."
Help us to want what we need...
You
God
and may the altar of our hearts
tremble with delight
at Your visitation.
Amen.
-Frederick Ohler

The part that convicts me the most is: Forgive us for slouching into Your presence with little expectation and less awe than we would eagerly give a visiting dignitary.

WOW! How often do I slouch into God's presence? Too often, I must admit. And with such little expectation. Do I really expect God to do amazing things every day, or do I just pretend to expect it so that I won't feel "let down" if the amazing thing I was expecting Him to do doesn't happen? All too often I just pretend to expect something and because of that I rob myself of the joy of seeing the amazing things He does do every day. I also give Satan more power in my life when I don't expect anything from God. Oh how this realization has made me cry out for forgiveness because I do believe that when we treat God with less respect than we would eagerly give to someone here on earth then that is a sin. I pray that as you read this that you will let the Holy Spirit speak to you about the importance and respect you give to an Almighty, Holy, Jealous God who loves you so much that He gave His only Son for you so that you may be able to spend eternity with Him.

I'm Addicted!

2010-02-16T20:23:00.004-07:00

To knitting, that is! I have found that I look forward to the time in the evening that I can sit and knit while ~~watching~~ listening to mindless TV with Ben after the kids have gone to bed. Since I finished the scarf, which was by far my longest (in more than one way!) project yet, I have made 2 dishcloths and a beanie hat for Benjamin.

Here is the first thing I knitted with a "design" in it--a dishcloth that has already been gifted to someone and is now in use!

After I made this dishcloth, I was still a bit frustrated that it wasn't exactly square because that meant that I still wasn't getting my stitches the right size. Ben assured me that it didn't matter on a dishcloth, but I still wanted to practice more before making something someone would have to wear. The next dishcloth I made incorporated 2 colors of yarn--another new technique for me.

On this dishcloth, I was a full 2 inches off on my gauge....it was supposed to be 10 inches square and mine is 8 inches square. Also, if you look closely you can see a full row that has been doubled--obviously I lost count of what row I was on while listening to the mindless TV! Nevertheless, I decided to venture out and TRY to knit a beanie hat for my baby boy. I followed the 6-9 month size pattern and I must say that when I finished it (it only took me about 4 hours total--2 nights) tonight and put it on his head I wanted to do a happy dance! I did get a high 5 from Ben, and I announced how proud of myself I am!!!

Here is my prize knitting creation --so far!

And I must say that the baby that is wearing the hat is also one of my prize "creations"!

This Is What Happens....

2010-02-12T08:59:00.000-07:00

When you let a 7 year old girl fill out her own Valentine Cards:

I saw this and couldn't help but giggle! I remember being 7 and having "fights" with my friends. I think it was at least once a week that I came home and told my Dad that Olivia wasn't my friend anymore. Of course, she was--we were BEST FRIENDS, but we were girls! Every little thing could be made into a BIG deal! I think it is funny to see my little girl acting the same way sometimes (not because I think it is funny for her to be ugly, but because I think it is funny that people aren't really that different), but when I read this note, I actually read:

"Don't worry...I haven't forgotten what you did to me, but I am going to be the bigger one here and say it's ok."

Really? What a Valentines Card...reminding someone that they hurt your feelings, but being sure to tell them it's ok too! LOL

Don't worry...we made a new one to give to her!

It Is Finished!

2010-02-09T15:33:00.000-07:00

I finally finished my first knitted scarf. It isn't as long as the pattern called for it to be, but I used the entire skein of yarn to get it the length that it is. Annalisa loves it and wore it to school today. It is very thick and warm, so it was a good addition to her wardrobe this morning since it was 5 degrees outside!

Jacob Aaron

2010-02-07T23:15:00.007-07:00

This post has been rattling around in my head for quite a while now.....several years really. I have been waiting for this milestone in Jacob's life to write about ~~his story~~ our story. I know that everyone has at least one story (or more) to tell, and we all have things that have changed us. This is just one of my stories I have to share.

Ten years and 6 weeks ago I was admitted into the hospital when I was just 27 weeks pregnant with my 2nd child. I was the mother of a 16 month old boy, and I had a very rare condition known as polyhydramnios which means excessive amniotic fluid. I had a very severe case of it, too. When I was admitted I was dilated to 2 cm and my uterus measured 58 cm. The doctors did an ultrasound when I arrived at LSUMC in Shreveport, and during the ultrasound I was told that my baby had Down's Syndrome. We knew that the main causes for polyhydramnios were because the baby would have hydrocephalus, spina bifada, or Down's Syndrome. It didn't matter to us though because we were going to have our baby no matter what. One of the doctor's had suggested that we wait for test results that would let us know if anything was wrong with our baby so we could decide whether or not we wanted to terminate the pregnancy. It still makes me tear up to remember that conversation.

The first night I was in the hospital the doctors told me that if they couldn't stop my labor that my baby would be born early and would probably die. They also told me that if they tried to stop my labor by draining some of the amniotic fluid my baby could die--and it would be dangerous for me. I was left laying and crying uncontrollably in a hospital bed trying to decide what the best choice would be for both me and my baby. I had never had to make a more difficult choice in my life. My mind was swamped with "what if's?"

What if I choose to have the fluid drained so I can breathe easier, but it causes me to lose my baby?

What if I don't have the fluid drained and my contractions don't stop?

What if my baby is born tonight and doesn't live because of a decision I made?

It is hard to be a mother. It is draining to believe that you really have the power to change what could or would be. I had to stop giving myself so much credit and remember that God is so much bigger than I am or any decision I could make. I had to remember that I was walking WITH HIM, not asking Him to walk with me. There is a big difference. I prayed alot, and the Holy Spirit spoke to me and reminded me that He had (and always has) great plans for me---even if they weren't the plans that I had expected. I had to trust that no matter what happened, God would still be God. He would still be on His throne when it was all said and done. He would still love me, and He would carry me through anything that happened. He would still be my Rock and my Refuge. I then chose to have the fluid drained, and they took 3 liters of amniotic fluid from me that night. The labor stopped and everything was fine.

I was in the hospital for 6 weeks after that during which time 15 liters of fluid was drained (3 liters at a time). I also only got to see my Cole and Ben on the weekends. Ben was working, going to school, and taking care of Cole all week long. The doctors stopped me from having Jacob too early 3 times before I went into labor on the night of Feb. 6, 2000. That time they couldn't stop it and early the next morning they started prepping me in case I would need to have a C-Section. I will never forget laying in the bed relaxing (because I had an epidural!) during the contractions and listening to Jacob's heartbeat. I heard it stop. It started again but was too slow. It didn't sound right. I opened my eyes and looked at my mom who was trying not to look alarmed. I asked her what happened, and she said the doctors were coming. They came running into the room to check me and immediately said I had to have Jacob right then. I was hemorrhaging and Jacob was in distress. I remember telling my mom to get Ben (he was on the phone with his parents to tell them what was happening), and I was crying as I waved to him while they wheeled me away. I remember the doctor looking into my eyes as we walked down the hall. He said, "Your baby is going to be fine. You are going to be fine. You have been here so long, and I am not going to let anything happen to you." His words were comforting to me. I believed him. Ben did get to come into the delivery room with me. That was good because I was crying and shaking uncontrollably. The only thing going through my mind was Rich Mullin's song "Hold Me Jesus"....I was singing:

Hold me Jesus, cause I'm shaking like a leaf. You have been King of my glory; won't You be my Prince of Peace?

It was less than 10 minutes and they had Jacob out and were sewing me back up. They really work fast when there is an emergency. The first thing they said was, "He's huge!" You see, he was born at 33 weeks and babies at 33 weeks are usually about 3-4 lbs. Jacob was 6 lbs 7 oz! He had to go into the NICU because he was a preemie, but he never needed oxygen, and he was always able to maintain his temperature. He did not have Down's Syndrome, hydrocephalus or spina bifada. The only thing that they told us was wrong with him was that he didn't have any muscle tone in his arms and legs. When they would hold up his arms he would just drop them like a limp rag doll. We were planning for how to deal with a child that wouldn't use his arms and legs when the doctors called us from the NICU one day and told us he had started using them! It was an answer to prayer and wonderful news. He stayed in the NICU for 2 weeks before he could come home.

Ever since he has been in our house he has been the one that makes us laugh when things get too serious. He is the one ready to help at the drop of a hat. He is the peacemaker when someone is not happy. He is the laid back kid that doesn't stress over the little things. He is a giver. He is my Jacob Aaron, and I am so happy that he is mine! I have been blessed to be his mom for the past 10 years, and I can't wait for the next 10!

Happy Birthday, Jacob Aaron!!

Quote of the Day

2010-02-06T20:49:00.000-07:00

This evening as we were eating supper I heard this:

Ben (to Annalisa)-- "I love your mom more than I love you."

Annalisa-- "Wait, what?"

Ben--"I love your mom more than I love you."

Annalisa (shrugging her shoulders and holding her hands up)--"How is that even possible?"

I guess she thinks pretty highly of herself! That's ok....I think pretty highly of her too!

Getting Creative

2010-02-04T18:59:00.009-07:00

I decided that I didn't want to go out and buy Valentine's Day cards for the kids to give to their classmates this year. I know it is only about $2.00 for a box of them, but I just wanted to make them at home. After looking up hundreds of handmade Valentine cards I decided on the ones you see below. I got the idea from here: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/photo/1598273?&si=kids%20valentines so, as you can see I am not very creative on my own. I did find my own clip art and use my own font style! Annalisa very much enjoyed putting them together so she could say that she made them. It was also a fun time to spend with her in the afternoon. I haven't done Jacob's yet, but they are going to be Transformer themed. Of course, Cole isn't giving out Valentines this year. My baby boy is growing up!

Here are a few shots of the cards we made for Annalisa's class (if you click on the picture it will open it up larger so you can actually read the cards):

Annalisa said the one in the middle that says "I dig you" is "just creepy"! LOL She said she CAN'T give that one to a boy!

Here are some close-up shots of a couple:

I also took Jacob to the dermatologist today to get his hands and feet checked out. They are peeling (only the tips of his fingers--on the palm side) and the bottoms of his toes. The dermatologist took one look at them and said he must have had a virus in the past few months. She said that is how your body reacts to a virus sometimes. So, once I thought about it I remembered that we had a 12 hour virus go through our house a couple of weeks before Christmas, and Jacob is the only one who never got sick....but I guess he did! She said to give it a few months and it will go away, but in the meantime we can keep putting lots of lotion on it. I was happy that he doesn't really have anything wrong with him and that he doesn't require any prescription creams or lotions. He will be just fine!

And I will leave you with a sneak peek of the scarf I am working on--this is the one Jacob and Annalisa are fighting over. Cole said, "Jacob, are you a boy or a girl?" Jacob looked at him like "what do you mean?" Cole said, "that has more pink and purple in it than blue....and the blue that is in it is GIRLIE!" In Jacob's defense, Ben said he would wear it!

Things That Make Me Smile

2010-02-03T09:53:00.003-07:00

I am still working on my knitting, and I have completed a dishcloth! YAY! Another project completed always makes me happy. I am happy with it even though it is riddled with mistakes throughout. We have already been using it in the kitchen, and I must say it is a very strong dishcloth and much prettier than the ones you can buy at Wal-Mart. Now I am working on a scarf that 2 of my children are fighting over to be their own!

Here is the dishcloth:

This is the "back" side--although the design is perfectly reversible!

This is the "front" of the dishcloth:

As you can tell, my work still needs work! I am still working on getting the stitches the same size so that my projects turn out the right size. You can see that this dishcloth is not perfectly square, which really doesn't make any difference when washing dishes, but it is the very reason I haven't made a hat yet! I will be working on one soon, though--Windy!!

On another note, our house is on the market and has been shown once already. Here is a link to our virtual tour listing: http://homesite.obeo.com/viewer/unbranded.aspx?tourid=579970&refURL=http://www.mlsfinder.com/co_metrolist/kw_40/index.cfm?action=listing_detail&property_id=846213&searchkey=94b3bb8a-a6e3-b96a-22a8-aea6247a531d&npp=10&sr=21&locale=en-US

I think the pictures and panoramas turned out pretty nice!

And one more thing that makes me smile.....listening to my kids play together. As Cole and Jacob were wrestling with each other last night I heard this:

"JACOB! You can't just jump on people's backs! You have to ease on!"

"I did!"

"No, you didn't! You weren't graceful like a gazelle....you were wreckless like a hippo!"

I Am Getting Better!

2010-01-23T12:21:00.003-07:00

I have been practicing my knitting, and I wanted to show pictures of the 2nd Mug Mat I made. The pattern was slightly different, but not enough to matter.

Here is what my first Mug Mat looked like:

Here is my 2nd Mug Mat:

Here is a close up of the stitches:

Here they are side by side. They are both positioned the same way with the cast on row on top and the bind off row on the bottom. Can't you see how much better I have gotten in just one day?! I am so excited about it!

I still don't think I am good enough to make a hat or a piece of clothing yet, because I haven't figured out the gauge. On the mug mats 17 stitches is supposed to equal 4", but on mine 19 stitches equals 4", so I am still off on that. It would make a big difference when making a hat, so I will just be practicing more! I think I will make a scarf soon though!

I Taught Myself To Knit

2010-01-22T11:07:00.003-07:00

As we are getting our house ready to show, I have had to pack up my sewing machine and all related materials since there was not really a "place" for them. I was using the kitchen table for my sewing machine and that just doesn't look nice when showing a home. Because I have had to pack that up while there were still numerous ideas floating around in my head of things I could make and possible sell on my Etsy shop, I decided to learn something new that wouldn't take a lot of room but could give me something to do when I am feeling crafty. I decided to learn how to knit! My mom has always crocheted, and she tried to teach me when I was a teenager, but my fingers, the hook and the yarn didn't get along too well. For Christmas Annalisa got some knitting looms and has made a hat and is working on a second one. Jacob is also making a hat, and I knitted a pinwheel on one of the looms. After making the pinwheel I decided I wanted to learn how to knit with knitting needles, so I went to YouTube. You can find almost everything you want --or don't want--on YouTube (just to prove my point I will let you know that while I was watching a video on knitting for beginners, one of the "related" videos on the right hand side of the page was "Pole Dancing For Beginners"). So, I watched video after video on how to knit, and once I thought I understood what to do, I went to Hobby Lobby with my 40% OFF Coupon and bought an "I Taught Myself to Knit" kit for around $6.00. I used the purple yarn Annalisa got for Christmas to make my first project which is a Mug Mat (similar to a coaster).

As you can see, it isn't perfectly square--it is my FIRST project! On a couple of rows I had more stitches than I was supposed to have and I think it is because I forgot to let the stitch off the needle. The more I did it, the better I got, though and I am excited about making more projects!! It really is pretty fun!

I Have My Limits

2010-01-16T10:56:00.002-07:00

In the process of putting our house on the market, our real estate agent sent out a "Stager" to take pictures of our house and put together a list of things we can do to help our house show better and hopefully sell faster. You have probably seen these people on TV, and as you watched them you said to yourself, "Really? They want them [sellers] to do that to their house?" Well, it is true. Those people exist and they DO want you to do THAT to your house. In all, the list of things that were "recommended" we do to our house would take about $5000.00 and 3-4 months.....neither of which I have. I did learn that (according to my real estate agent) only 10% of people can "see past paint", meaning they can understand that when they buy the house they can repaint and they can even possibly visualize what the room would look like in a different color. This means that the other 90% of people looking at houses are, in my mind, stupid. By the way I don't really think that 90% of people are stupid which is my point. I mean if you can't walk into a room that is bright pink and understand that you have the ability to repaint it brown or green or bright yellow or whatever color you choose then you are, should I say, narrow minded. After being irritated and complaining alot last night, I called my MIL to complain this morning. She is always willing to listen if I need to vent ,and she always has good advice to follow up with. I went through my tirade of things I am NOT going to do (remove 2 chairs from my dining room table making it possibly SHOW better but leaving one of my children chairless during meals--how does this even make sense to a sane person?--, repainting almost every room in my house, and my favorite---removing "most" of the books from my bookshelf. What does that mean exactly, and WHY would I REMOVE books from a bookshelf?), then I listed the things I will think about doing (taking down posters and pictures from the walls in my kids' bedrooms--once again possibly making it show better but leaving my kids feeling out of place in their own rooms, rearranging some of the portraits on our walls, building a shelving system in the master bath), and finally made it to the things I will do (pack up some unnecessary objects that make the house look cluttered, clean everything, paint the handrail to the staircase and buy tiebacks for the curtains in the front room). WOW! I feel even better having written it all down for you to read as well! There were a LOT more things that were recommended for us to do that also cost a LOT more money, but I won't list them all. It just boggles my mind that some people spend so much money on their house just to sell it. The reason I am selling it is because I don't have any money! HELLO!

So, when I was finished talking Annalisa asked me if she could talk to Nana. She loves any phone conversations, especially with Nana! I could hear her telling Nana all kinds of stuff, and I could barely hear Nana talking on the other end. At one point Annalisa was telling her that she was knitting a hat and that she had made her daddy a pair of pajama pants. She clarified that she had made them, "with a tiny bit of help from my mom." I think I heard Nana say something like, "Your mom is smart. She can do anything." To which Annalisa promptly replied, "She can't walk on water. She can't walk on a ceiling or jump up and touch the sky." I was trying so hard not to die laughing because she was so serious and it had taken her no time at all to list the things I CAN'T do! So, I do have my limits and even my kids know that!!

Say What?

2010-01-05T11:48:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was shopping in Wal-Mart for some boxes to mail Christmas ornaments that were ordered, and in accordance with my nature I went to the craft section. For some reason I can't stand to leave Wal-Mart without having at least LOOKED at the craft section. I know that they never have anything new, but I HOPE that they do, or that they will have some awesome clearance price on an item I have been wanting for a while. Alas, I generally walk away from the craft section empty handed, but today I knew I needed tacky tape and glue dots (Cole used all of my glue dots making a paper model of the earth--couldn't use double sided tape--Oh No! That might not work! Had to use the expensive glue dots....I digress....). As I was deciding which glue dots would be best for me, another lady came down the same aisle and started a conversation with me, "I just can't help but come down this aisle every time I am here."
Ok, so she sounds a lot like me. I laughed and nodded my head in agreement. She then looked at Benjamin and said, "You are good to be getting started so early." I had to think about what she meant and I came to the conclusion that she thought I was starting to make a scrapbook for him AND she thought he was my first child. I laughed again and said, "Oh, he is number 4! My first child has a 3 inch thick scrapbook, but the other 3 are lacking!" She looked at me strangely and said, "OH! Number 4? Wow.....you will be 92 before you get his done!"
Personally I am thinking that if I don't get him one made by the time he graduates high school, it isn't happening! And by the way, I will be a LOT younger than 92 when he graduates!

The "G" Word

2010-01-02T21:17:00.006-07:00

It is well known around our house that there are some words we just don't say. For example, we don't say "stupid" or "shut-up", and those are both referred to as the "s" words. Sometimes, for clarification, I might hear them as the "s-t" word or the "s-up" word. We also don't allow name calling. Well, Ben has allowed one name to be used if the kids really feel that they need to call their sibling a name--Nincompoop. Needless to say, we hear, "Jacob, you are a Nincompoop." Or "Annalisa is being a Nincompoop" quite often. And the #1 thing we don't allow is taking the Lord's name in vain. It is very important to understand that we don't just hold the kids to these rules....Ben and I follow them too. If there is a word or phrase we don't want to hear the kids using, they won't hear us using it either. How are we to be an example to our children if we don't practice what we preach? I know that as parents there are things we tell our kids they can't do, but we do all the time--like drink soda, or eat junk food--but it is very important to us to hold ourselves to the standard of speaking (or not speaking) only things that we would want our kids to imitate. After all, we are the ones they hear the most and we are the ones they are most likely to imitate.

So, one of the funny moments for me on New Year's Eve was when Annalisa came running in the kitchen gasping, "MOM! Cole said the 'G' word!!" This moment was not funny because of what was said, but because 0f how it was referred to by Annalisa...."the 'G' word". I must say that at first I was totally shocked thinking Cole had in some way used God's name in a non-honoring way, which is not at all like Cole. Actually it is very unlike any of my kids. They even get upset when they hear people on TV say, "Oh my God!" or anything like that.
Before I got onto Cole, I gently asked Annalisa, "The 'G' word? What word is that?"
She leaned over to my ear--we all know that when a bad word is going to be repeated it HAS to be whispered--and whispered, "Jerk!"
This goes into a whole separate blog about the English language! Why does giraffe sound like jerk but one starts with a "g" and the other starts with a "j"? We really need to get this all cleared up so our kids can know what letters the bad words start with!

P.S. For the longest time my kids thought Jesus started with a "g" because of the way you say it! Sort of like my name must be spelled K.C.

Happy New Year!!

2010-01-01T16:26:00.008-07:00

My oldest son told me last night, "Mom, you are OLD!" when I went to bed at 10:30 and slept through the midnight ball drop to welcome in 2010. I slept through any fireworks that may have been shot in our neighborhood--Ben said he woke up because of some--but I was awakened at 1:00 and again at 2:00 by my 4 month old who apparently wanted to welcome in the new year!

By this time every other year I have mailed out Christmas photos and letters, but I have not done that yet! Having a baby changes things alot....especially when it is #4!
We enjoyed Christmas but missed family. Thanks to webcams and Skype we were able to talk to family on Christmas day and the day after. Christmas day was mostly us just relaxing in our pj's until about 5:30 when we decided to keep with tradition and take the kids to the movies. We went to see Old Dogs, and I must say it was much funnier than I anticipated. I thought for sure that
Benjamin would sleep through the movie, but I was WRONG! He was wide awake and very talkative the entire movie!! Ben had to take him out a couple of times because he was so noisy (not crying--just talking!).

The kids didn't get a lot of presents this year, but they were very happy with what they did get. I am so thankful for kids that really do understand that Christmas is not about what you get.....it is about Jesus coming to earth as a baby, growing up to be a man, living a sinless life, and dying a sinner's death on the cross in order to be a perfect sacrifice for you and me. He then was raised from the dead and ascended into heaven where He sits at God's right hand. He is our High Priest whom we go through when we approach the throne of God. Christmas is about a prophecy being fulfilled, a promise being kept, and love being shown.
I hope that everyone had a great Christmas and will enjoy a wonderful New Year!

Dear Parents…..

2009-10-15T17:44:00.002-06:00

Yesterday Jacob brought a letter home from his teacher in his Parent Folder. I read the letter and when I was done, I was a bit confused and surprised by what I read, so I read it again. Here's what the letter says:

Dear Parents:

Every other week your child will receive a spelling list of 15 to 20 words. The left hand column of words is his/her core words. These words follow a spelling or vowel sound pattern. The right hand column has words that your child should know how to spell in his/her writing.

Here's where I need your help. Every other Monday, please give your child a pretest. This will help your child focus on words that are difficult for him/her. On the following Thursday, give your child the spelling test at home, grade it, and send it to school on Friday. This should only take approximately 10 minutes and will save us a lot of class time. I have attached the spelling test that you will use on Thursday. I appreciate your support.

Thank you,

Ms. Peters

Ok….so here is where I was confused……What? It's Tuesday and I am supposed to give my child a spelling test on Thursday, grade it and send it back to you on Friday? When was the interview for this job that I just got hired for?

Here's where I was surprised—"This will only take approximately 10 minutes and will save us a lot of class time." I guess I didn't know when I was in the classroom that it was even an option to pass my job off on the parents! Man I could have saved HOURS of class time if only I hadn't had to give those darned spelling tests, AND grade them!

Also, I don't know about you but I would have been a bit suspicious when all of my kids had shown up with grades of 100 every other week. I mean, really? Does she think that parents are going to let their kids turn in a failing grade on something they did at home? Or this….."Hey, Johnny! Here's your spelling list. Write these words on your paper and I will grade it in a minute when I am done cooking this chicken. Yes, I know I am "supposed" to call them out to you, but I am really busy so just copy them. You are still learning how to spell them when you copy them."

Just so you know….I am NOT against helping the kids out. This is my child and I want him to be successful. I help with homework, math facts, AND spelling words throughout the week. I just didn't sign up to homeschool, and I don't want to feel like I have to remember every OTHER Monday to give a pretest and then a REAL test on every OTHER Thursday, then grade it and send it back to school. What if I get busy and do forget? Does my child get a failing grade because I didn't do the teacher's job?

And just WHAT IF all of the kids come to school with a 100 on Friday? Does she overlook that because she is so busy doing the happy dance that she actually got all of the parents to participate and grade the home given tests and send them back?

No Talking In the Library!

2009-10-14T10:57:00.007-06:00

1982......It is a hot summer day and I am in my bedroom "teaching" my class of kids. There is a chalkboard against the wall and 5 dolls (my class) lined up against the bed. Each "student" has a paper to work on (thanks to my Aunt Melony--the teacher I always wanted to be like even if she did throw erasers at her students!), and I have a grade book to keep their attendance and grades in. Wait, what is that? Is someone talking while I am teaching? I chastise the student and put HIS name on the board....the girls in my class never got in trouble. We all know it is the boys that act up in school, and even as a 7 year old teacher I knew that! The boys hope I don't make them write lines during recess, but I don't make any promises! Outside my bedroom is my dad listening to me talk to dolls and teach them how to add. He is smiling because he is so amused by the fact that I am entertaining myself with this imaginary play time. To me teaching came naturally--even if I did fail all of the boys just for the mere fact that they were boys! It was something I always wanted to do and I knew I could be good at.

Fast Forward 27 years......I now have a 7 year old daughter who wants to be a teacher and she tells me almost every day after school! She sits in the sunroom and carries on the same type conversations with her students as I did with mine. She has the same type of imagination as I had at that age, and I do find it amusing!
Last week I decided to finally open up the boxes of books that had been sitting in the sunroom for a year now. We got a bookshelf from a family that Ben was moving, and I wanted to get the kids' books out and on the bookshelf, so we set to work. During the process of moving books from boxes to the bookshelf, Annalisa got very excited...."OOH! I have an idea! We can make this like a liberry and I can teach my class here. Mom, do you know how to make this look like a liberry?"
I gently corrected her, "The word is liBRARY....not liBERRY....it isn't a fruit. And, yes I think it is already looking like a library."

"Well, what if we get a book and don't know where to put it back? Can you put numbers on the books like in the liberr....library?"

"No, I am not going to put numbers on the books. Just as long as you get them back on the shelf it will be fine. There isn't a 'right' place for them."

"OOOH!! I have another idea....have you ever seen in the library how there is a chair and a place for the teacher to read a book to her students? Well, we can move this chair [enter Ben's photography chair] over by the window and I can read to my students in the library."

"Ok, that sounds good."

"OOOOHHHH!! Then you can hang a sign in the library that says 'Newton Library' so people will know they are in a library. Do you think you can do that, Mom?"

"No, Annalisa I can't hang a sign from the ceiling...I can't even reach the ceiling!"

"Well, I am already making a sign for our library that says it is the Newton Library."

I think during the time that we moved books, she said the word "library" close to 100 times. I have come to the conclusion that she loves to hear herself talk, and in order to hear herself she must make her conversations longer, thus the reason for repeating non-essential words!
Here is the sign she made......do you see any repetition?

And here are a couple of pictures of the library:

Once she got her class up and running in the LIBRARY :-), she decided to start a good conduct chain. Most teachers use these as an incentive for the kids to be good when they are in other classes, the hallway, or when the teacher steps out of the room. The premise is to get the chain to reach all the way to the floor and then you get a party. Annalisa is doing a paper clip chain and I know I can't wait until the day of the party! Here is her chain.....

When I asked her to come help me unload the dishwasher the other day, she asked me, "Mom, how many paper clips do you think my class should earn if they are quiet while I am gone?"
"Oh, I don't know...2? I think 2 would probably be good." She agreed that 2 would be good and continued to put dishes away. A few minutes later she stood up and looked shocked, "Did you hear that, Mom?" I didn't hear anything, but before I could answer she said, "Did you hear HIM talking while I am gone? HE is going to ruin it for everybody!"
Oh well! I guess even my 7 year old knows it is the BOYS that ruin it for everybody!! ;-)

"Yes, Ma'am.....I did."

2009-10-01T12:09:00.009-06:00

I have come to the conclusion that any and everyone who has more than one child undoubtedly has one that isn't--let's say "the most organized". My second child falls into this category. In the past, as I would wash clothes on Saturday I would realize that he only had 1 pair of dirty underwear for the prior week and 1 sock....who wears only 1 sock at a time?? Also, he tends to believe that shorts and pants never need to be washed, so there were minimal amounts of those in his hamper. When I would ask him if he had given me ALL of his dirty clothes, his answer was always, "Yes, ma'am....I did." Upon further inspection of his room I would always find more dirty underwear, socks (actual pairs) and shorts/pants stuffed or thrown in various places that escaped his vision. I am wondering what the parameters of peripheral vision are for a 9 year old boy.
In order to help him be more organized, we bought him crates and labeled them Monday, Tues, Wed, Thurs, Fri and Weekend. At the end of each day the corresponding crate should at least have a shirt, socks (2!) and underwear. We still haven't accomplished having this done correctly at the end of each day....somehow the socks fly off of his feet only to be forgotten, and the underwear.....well who knows where that goes 90% of the time?
Because I know this to be true, I stay out of the basement (boys' room) as much as possible because it only stresses me out to see the mess. Yes, it stresses me out! I just don't understand how they can't SEE the dirty clothes on the floor!! What's more....if I only had a short-span memory Jacob would get away with wearing the same shirt multiple times in one week... most likely because it is already laying on the floor by his bed when he wakes up. He often tries to get away with it!
Well, today I thought I would bite the bullet and go down there. After asking Jacob multiple times last night "Are your dirty clothes where they should be?" and getting the response "Yes, ma'am....they are." I have decided that is the wrong question! Apparently the floor is "where they should be" in his mind. I should ask if the dirty clothes are in the correct crates. I can't believe I have been a mom this long and I still don't know how to ask questions to my kids!

"Jacob, did you clean your room?" "Yes, ma'am....I did."

If you look closely you can see 4 random socks....1 is by the bookshelf!

My mom wouldn't have let me leave the house with my bed looking like that!

These are his crates....with dirty clothes on the floor beside them!

Such a mess!!

I collected 2 bags and 1 box of toys that weren't put away.

The pile of dirty clothes I collected while cleaning.
This is what his room should look like!

The theme song around our house is "He's still working on me!"

And Baby Makes 6!

2009-09-30T13:26:00.014-06:00

I know that some of you have been waiting and waiting for a new post, but I honestly haven't had time to sit down and get this done. I didn't think it would be much different to have a baby in the house since my other kids are older, but I was WRONG! Because my other kids are older there are so many more things that I have to do, but right now I am going to try to update this blog!

As I sit here typing this, to my right is a sweet, cute, bright-eyed baby boy wearing a onesie that says "so cuddly" (which is very true), sucking on a pacifier and staring at the TV. A baby boy I never anticipated having, but couldn't imagine my life without! He is 6 weeks old (yesterday) and a true blessing to our entire family.
Here is the run-down of what has happened over those last 6 weeks......
On August 18 we went into the hospital to have the C-Section that would bring our newest blessing into this world. He was born at 11:34 a.m. He weighed 6 lbs 12 oz (a bit smaller than I expected) and was 19 inches long (my shortest baby yet). He was absolutely beautiful!! I remember Ben bringing him over for me to see, and I immediately thought he reminded me of Cole when he was born. I remember laying on the operating table looking back over my left shoulder at Ben holding his baby boy with a proud look on his face. Then it seemed like everything was spinning....I saw Ben leaving the room with Benjamin but I didn't know why. I remember trying to ask him where he was going, but then everything went black. 3 hours later I woke up and was being wheeled to recovery. Cole, Jacob and Annalisa were all waiting for me to come out of surgery and there were tears from Cole and Annalisa--they were a bit worried about me since they saw me with the O2 tube on my face. While I was in recovery I hazily remember the nurse telling me she was going to take Benjamin to the NICU because his O2 levels were not good. I never thought that he would actually stay there.
What happened to me.....I had a lot of adhesions due to prior C-Sections and also the right side of my uterus was bleeding pretty bad and it took them a while to get it to stop. The doctor said I almost ended up getting a hysterectomy, but thankfully they were able to stop the bleeding. Because they had to separate my uterus from my abdominal wall I was very bruised and sore--much more sore than with the previous C-Sections. Also, I lost quite a bit of blood, so I had to have a blood transfusion the next day. After the transfusion I started to feel better and not so tired all the time. I must say that God totally had His healing hand on me through the whole procedure and recovery....and STILL!
What happened with Benjamin.....when I was 8 weeks pregnant I was told that I had antibodies in my blood. This was not good news. Because I am Rh- and Ben is Rh+ I have always had the Rhogam shot which is supposed to prohibit the formation of antibodies in the mother's blood.....but obviously it had not worked for me when Annalisa was born. Since I had the antibodies we spent the entire pregnancy monitoring the antibody levels and checking Benjamin through ultrasound for signs of anemia. We never saw anything to indicate that he would be anemic at birth, but we still knew it was a possiblilty. The other possibility was that he would be severly jaundiced due to the antibody levels in mine and his blood. It turns out that he had both the anemia and the jaundice. He ended up staying in the NICU for a full week. During that week he was on oxygen, under the special lights to bring his bilirubin levels down, and he had a blood transfusion as well as a blood exchange. Through everything he was a real trooper. It was very difficult to have to leave my baby at the hospital when I went home, but thankfully I had my wonderful mother-in-law here to take me to the hospital to see him every day. Benjamin got to come home to us when he was 1 week old, but he was still on the O2. The doctor's wanted to wean him off, so he stayed on for another 2 weeks and then they let me turn it off. He has been off of the O2 since the 1st week of September and he has done great!
The other kids LOVE having him here. Whenever he makes the smallest "peep" they run to get him, comfort him, hold him, change him...whatever they think will make him happy! I am so glad that they love him so much! God has truly blessed me with this wonderful family!!
While I was in the hospital Cole turned 11....his birthday is August 20. He had a fun time with family at Amazing Jake's and I got to see lots of pictures of all the things they did. On September 4 Annalisa turned 7 and we took her out to dinner and bowling to celebrate her birthday.
I am loving being a stay-at-home mom again! My kids are getting to do things that they couldn't have done if I were still working because there is no way I could have had the time off to get them from meetings or practices. Ben is traveling a lot with his job, but we are so thankful for the paycheck.
My life verse is Is. 40:31 "They who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength. They will mount up with wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not faint." It seems that in our marriage we have done a LOT of waiting on the LORD--this is also HOPING in the LORD--but just when it seems we can't wait any longer His promise comes true....we soar on wings like eagles....we are able to make it through the days without losing our hope in Him. Man, I love GOD and I love that He loves me!!

The Countdown

2009-08-13T13:02:00.007-06:00

I am very excited about what is going to happen in 5 days........I will have a new baby to hold! On August 18, 2009 at 10:30 am I am going to have a C-Section to deliver little Benjamin Emmanuel. After all of the scares the doctors have given me over the past 2 months, everything looks perfect with the little guy, and I am doing well. I would say "great" but it wouldn't be true. My finger joints are pretty sore, and my feet swell quite a bit at night. That isn't painful--just ugly! LOL Also, he has dropped and is laying on just about every nerve possible down low making it a bit painful to walk as of last week! All of this is going to be totally worth it though once I get to hold him and kiss him and watch his daddy and brothers and sister welcome him into this world. I am not excited about the fact that I have to undergo surgery---I hate that part---but I am excited about what it will bring about. I have been washing, drying, folding and hanging all kinds of baby clothes trying to get ready for his arrival. It has been such a long time since I have had a little one that I am sure there are things I will need but won't even think about until after he is here. I put the car seat and stroller together all by myself! Annalisa put the high chair together with direction from me--now she sits in it to watch TV (crazy girl!!)! Jacob and Cole put together the pack-n-play with no help at all. They even all went shopping with me to pick out gowns, towels, socks, receiving blankets and burp cloths. Cole said it was the most fun he ever had shopping since he got to pick things out! So, there are 5 days left and we will have a new addition to our already wonderful family to make it even more wonderful! I will post pictures after he is here!

Happenings....

2009-07-20T09:00:00.008-06:00

Well, it has been a while since I have blogged about anything! There isn't much to write about since the kids are gone. We took them to Jim and Ruby on July 3rd and haven't seen them since. Our house is very quiet, and although I am enjoying getting a few (and I mean FEW!) tasks done while they are gone, I miss them very much! They have never been away from us for this long, and we still have 2 more weeks to go. We did take the kids to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo the last weekend of June since we weren't going to see them again for 4 weeks. Baseball was over (Cole's team won 1st place!!!!), so we decided to do something special with the kids. Well, I TOTALLY forgot that we had been invited to our friends' house that evening to eat dinner with them. When Christy called me at 6:45--while I was standing in Mardel's in Colorado Springs--I about had a heart attack! I instantly remembered that we were suppposed to be at their house at 6:15! We got there around 8, and thankfully they are still our friends! We had brownies and visited until about 11. All I can say is pregnancy makes me very forgetful!

The next Friday we dropped the kids off in OK City with Nana and Papa, and they have been having fun in Texas. They spent a week with Nana and Papa, then a week with Windy (when Aunt Susan went into labor and had Alex!), then a weekend with Peepaw and Granma, and now they are headed back to see Nana, Papa, Aunt Susan, Uncle Juan, Alex, Aunt Jamee, Josh, Kate and Nanny! I don't know if they will ever want to come home to me!!

Because of some complications I am having with this pregnancy I got to see little Benjamin last Tuesday at the Perinatologist's office. I get to see him tomorrow too, and every Tuesday until he is born, so we can monitor him for anemia. So far there have been no signs of it, and I am hoping it stays that way through tomorrow's visit. He looked great, weighed about 4 lbs. 9 oz and has a big ole Newton head like my other 3!

We had some long time friends come stay with us for a few days, and we enjoyed visiting with them and 2 of their 4 beautiful children. We had Family Fun Fest with our church at the park, we went on a date to see The Proposal, Ben had his first overnight delivery-- to Montana (during which I stayed with my cousin because the house was just too quiet for me), but mostly we have just laid around the house relaxing!

This past Saturday we had a group of men come to our house to help clean up our yard and it looks so much better now!! We still have a lot to do, but this was a great start! At the same time the men were at our house, I was at the church being showered by a bunch of wonderful ladies! Benjamin got all kinds of presents and it is so weird for me to see such small clothes in my house again! I just know I can't wait to see the little guy and kiss his cheeks!!

Diapers!

A bunch of baby items given at the shower

Me--33 weeks 4 days pregnant

Hail Storm in June!

2009-06-07T20:57:00.005-06:00

Today started off beautiful and sunny! I wore capris while Ben and the boys wore shorts. The weather was nice and warm. We came home from church, and I cooked homemade cream corn, broccoli with cheese sauce, and mashed potatoes. Ben grilled a London Broil that we had been marinating in soy sauce over night. It was delicious! We had the blinds open in the dining room while we were eating, and all of a sudden we could hear the weather siren blaring. We looked out the window and the wind was picking up quite a bit. Jacob DOES NOT like bad weather, so he started to get a bit worried that a tornado might come through. We were telling him that it wasn't a tornado when we started to hear the hail hitting the windows. When the kids could see that the hail was a pretty good size they got a bit excited about it, so we went into the garage together to watch it and get pictures. The hail storm lasted about 15 minutes, then everything got calm, and the sun came out bright again!

This is our backyard covered in hail:

Cole is holding a piece of hail:

Our front yard covered in hail:

Mother's Day

2009-05-11T11:10:00.001-06:00

Mother's Day was a great day for me! We went to church, ate lunch out, and then I had a 3 hour uninterrupted nap!!! I think that was the best gift my kids could have given me! BUT, they did get me small gifts too. They all picked me out a card and some candy. In the card they told me what candy they had gotten me and why.
Cole got me Nerds because he said I am smart and he has become a nerd because of my teaching.
Annalisa got me SweetTarts because she said I am always sweet!
Jacob got me Jelly Belly's because--he said--I have so much jelly in my belly!
Now how can you not smile (or laugh hysterically) at that?!?
I just can't say enough how much I LOVE my kids!!

Easter

2009-04-11T09:33:00.008-06:00

The other day as I was taking Jacob to baseball practice we started talking about Easter since it is coming up. First we talked about Good Friday, and both Annalisa and Jacob (the only kids in the car at the time) asked me why it is called "Good" Friday. We talked about the fact that Jesus died for us on that day even though he didn't do anything wrong. I told them that if Jesus hadn't died for our sins then we would be lost in our sins, but God loved us so much that He sent His Son to die for us so that we could live forever with Him! The next thing I asked them is, "If Jesus died on Good Friday what did He do on Easter Sunday?" I thought for sure they knew the answer to this question. Annalisa thought for a minute and said, "I infer that on Easter Sunday Jesus gave us lots of candy and fun." I said, "No, that's not what Jesus did on Easter Sunday. On Easter Sunday Jesus rose from the dead. He's not dead anymore! He is alive!" And Annalisa said, "Jesus lives in my heart and helps it pump so I can be alive." Jacob then remembered that when Jesus came back to life He saw His disciples again before He went to heaven, so we talked about that for a minute, but Annalisa was still concerned about the whole "easter" thing, so she asked me if it was Jesus' first Easter. I told her that yes it was the first Easter, so she asked me, "Then did the Easter Bunny bring Jesus candy?" Trying not to laugh at her real concern for something that is not important I explained to her that candy and the Easter Bunny are not what Easter is about. This prompted me to ask the kids to really think about what Easter means to them and write it down for me. I really wanted to see if they understood that it is not about hunting eggs or getting candy. I was very impressed with what each one came up with all on their own. Annalisa was the first to write and finish:

I like Easter because Jesus dide for us and in 3 days he rose again to see His people. And
He rosed out of heven to see uther people not just us. And He did not want to diy but He
wanted to diy for us so He dide for us because He wanted us to go to heven. He did not
want us to go to the devill. So He dide so we can go to heven. And that is why I like easter.

Cole was the next to finish his paper:

Good Friday and Easter are important to me because on Good Friday Jesus gave up His
life for us that aren't perfect like Him. Easter is important because on Good Friday it was
told that He would rise again in 3 days and Easter was the third day of Jesus being dead and
that was when He rose again. I like Easter and Good Friday because those days show me
how much Jesus and God love and care for us-- for Jesus to give up His life and for God to
give up His only son.

Then Jacob gave me his:

Easter is important to me because Jesus died for our sins. He rose again in three days and
visited His disciples for 40 days. Then He went to heaven. The night before He died He
prayed to not go through with that and He sweated blood. Easter is special to me because
now we can go to heaven.

I am very proud that even though they enjoy the egg hunting and candy, deep down they really do understand what Easter is about. They may miss a few things that as adults we get, but for kids they have a pretty good grasp of what it is Jesus did for us. I LOVE MY KIDS!!!

Snow Days

2009-03-28T17:33:00.006-06:00

Last Thursday morning there was snow on the ground, but nothing on the streets, so I had the kids up, dressed, and eating breakfast before I decided to just check and see if there would be a delayed start at school due to snow. I really didn't expect there to be since there never is on the days when the streets are covered. To my SURPRISE there wasn't a delayed start---school was CANCELLED! What? We have only been here a year and a half, but the schools have not been cancelled due to snow yet. Due to "expected blizzard like conditions" all schools were closed for the day! My kids were THRILLED!! I was just sad I hadn't known earlier and slept in!! It started snowing around 8:00 and didn't stop until about 4:30. Around 2:30 we decided to get all of our snow gear on and head up to a school pretty close to our house with a big hill---good for sledding! It was FREEZING outside with the wind blowing at about 20 mph, but we braved it since we haven't had a really good snow this winter yet. The boys were excited to snowboard and Annalisa loves to sled down the hill with Ben. After Ben and Annalisa would get to the bottom of the hill I would hear, "How are we going to go down this time, Daddy? On our backs? Stomachs? How about we go down backwards?" She was so excited and loves to try new things! Cole snowboarded pretty well and only fell a few times! Ben also snowboarded....pretty good for an old man! Jacob found a new way to snowboard....he SAT on the snowboard and sledded down the hill on it. It was pretty funny to watch because the snowboard was so skinny under him! He did stand on it a few times down and did a really good job with it, but he preferred sitting! After about an hour of sledding we got back in the Pilot, headed home, changed into warm clothes and drank hot chocolate!! What better way to end a day of playing in the snow?

EDGE

2009-03-15T15:37:00.005-06:00

When I got home from work on Friday there was a letter waiting for me on the kitchen table. I opened it up and read it.....here is what it said:

To the parents of Cole Newton.
Congratulations! Cole has been accepted to Horizon Community Middle School's EDGE program for the 2009-2010 school year. EDGE is designed to provide a rigorous challenging curriculum for our most intellectually talented and highly motivated students. Students in EDGE receive advanced placement in language arts, math, social studies, and science and are placed on a team with students of like-ability.

Based on teacher recommendations as well as qualifying test scores of Proficient High to Advanced on the spring 2008 CSAP in reading and math and/or High or Very High test scores on the district's winter MAP tests for reading and math, your son/daughter qualifies for Horizon's EDGE program.

Then there was some more information about a summer class they will be offering the students for a week to get used to being in middle school without all the other students being there.
We are so proud of Cole and he is very excited also. They didn't even interview Cole (which was supposed to be part of the acceptance process) because the counselor told me his test scores were so high they were just going to accept him without the interview! WOW! Way to go Cole--and I guess Ben and I can take some credit too since we have helped him and raised him! I just can't believe my first born will be starting middle school in the fall!

Monsters!

2009-03-11T09:03:00.008-06:00

I can clearly remember being 10 years old and scared that someone was hiding under my bed ready to grab my ankles when I put a foot to the floor. I would jump off of my bed as far out as I could...supposedly farther than their arms could reach should they try to grab me. I also would make my bed while sitting ON it instead of standing BESIDE it. Once again, I didn't want to give the person under my bed something to grab onto! I know that I never really thought through the whole thing logically.....I mean who would wait under my bed for HOURS at a time just to grab my ankles and pull me under? Wouldn't they get hungry or have to go use the bathroom? I never thought about those things--I just thought that someone was there. Now I have Jacob, my 9 year old son who refuses to sleep without this "night light" that was given to him by my mom a few years ago for Christmas. It looks more like a TV screen and it shows the planets in space going across the screen. It pretty much lights up the whole room, and last night I asked him why he even uses it since he wraps himself up like a mummy when he sleeps---head to toe wrapped up! He is in complete darkness inside his blankets, so why the "night light"? He said that he has to turn it on because the monsters are scared of the light. Really? So I asked him, "Jacob, when was the last time you saw a monster?" He matter of factly replied, "Never...because they are scared of the light." (Duh, MOM!) Ok then....point for Jacob. I said, "Well, Jacob you haven't seen any because they don't exist." He then said, "Well, you can believe that if you want to, but I don't believe it." Ok then....so when Ben went down to tell them good-night I told him to tell Jacob about all the monters that live in his room! I bet that helped! I just think it is so funny that kids get these things in their heads that they believe to be true and then scare themselves silly over it!

100th Day of School

2009-03-01T16:25:00.010-07:00

I think that the 100th day of school is probably the MOST fun day of school for all kindergarten and 1st grade students out there. This past Wednesday was that day for Annalisa. She had to make a vest out of a grocery bag and decorate it with 100 things. She used my stamps, stickers, and markers to draw hearts and circles. It took her a while to get 100 things on it, but when she was done she was proud of the finished product. When she was at school she made glasses that are the number 100 and a decorated hat. Here are a few pics of her in her 100th day ensemble.

Glucose Test Result

2009-02-24T09:53:00.003-07:00

Just a quick post to let everyone know I got the results back from my Glucose test and I DON'T have gestational diabetes! Woo-hoo! I didn't figure I did....but they will make me take the test again around 27 weeks to re-check for it.

February Updates

2009-02-20T13:57:00.008-07:00

I haven't posted in a while because I have not felt well! I have been EXTREMELY tired and nauseous all day every day for the past 6 weeks at least. The nausea seems to be letting up now that I am 12 1/2 weeks along, but the tiredness is hanging on. On February 7 we celebrated Jacob's 9th birthday! It has always been Jacob's wish to have a swimming party for his birthday. He even "put off" his birthday until July one year just so he could have it at a pool! But this year we were fortunate enough to find an indoor swimming pool here in Aurora. So, even though the weather was in the 40's outside, the kids were swimming in a heated pool, and having a blast! There was a big water slide that the kids loved going down and also a sprayground. Jacob liked to spend most of his time in the Olympic size pool where the diving boards were. He jumped off the low dive (his first time on a spring board), and then looked at the high dive curiously. He pointed to it while looking at me (asking permission to jump) and I said, "Go for it!" He climbed the ladder cautiously, walked to the end, gave me a small wave (as if to say, "If I don't survive this, know I love you."), then jumped! He loved it! He did say his hands stung because he slapped the water, but he climbed up again and jumped a second time. Even though we didn't technically have a "party" there, one of Jacob's friends did come and go swimming with him. After the swimming, we went to the house and ate mac-n-cheese then everyone had some of the peanut butter brownies that Jacob had picked out and made all by himself earlier that morning. It was a great birthday for him and the kids slept really well that night!!

The kids finished up their 3 1/2 weeks "off track" yesterday, and we sent them back to school! YAY! We have been attending meetings about enrolling Cole in middle school for the fall. We are applying him for a program called EDGE. Horizon Middle School is the only school in the district that offers it, and it would be Advanced classes for all of his CORE subjects. He has to have a letter of recommendation from his current teacher, an application filled out by us (his parents), they will interview Cole, and they will look at his MAP and CSAP test scores in order to decide whether they will accept him or not. His current teacher is just positive he will be accepted, but I am still nervous for him and hope that he is accepted, because Cole definitely needs the challenges of Advanced classes. He has also decided he wants to take Band (that is a year long elective) and PE for sure. PE in middle school here is an elective and it only lasts a semester, so if your child doesn't pick PE they don't get any type of exercise during middle school. That is strange to me because when I was going to Caddo Middle Magnet, PE was not an option, it was part of your day and it lasted all year long. If he gets accepted into EDGE he has to have 2 full years of a foreign language while in middle school, and he wants to do Spanish.
I went to the doctor yesterday to do the glucose test for them early....they want to make sure I don't have gestational diabetes since I tend to have big babies....and I don't know the results yet even though they said it would only take 24 hrs, but I don't really think I have it. I will know soon enough! While I was there I got to hear Peanut's heartbeat!! It was 170 bpm, and I know that a lot of you think that a fast heart rate means it is a girl, but that is not true! Jacob's heart rate was 165-170 and he is definitely NOT a girl!! Annalisa's wasn't even as fast as Jacob's. While my doc teased me that Jacob would be a girl based on the heart rate, he said in all actuality it is still a 50/50 chance it is a boy and 50/50 chance it is a girl. So, while Annalisa is hoping for a girl, and it certainly could be, I will wait for the sono to tell us.....this is the FIRST one of my babies I will have them tell me the sex of BEFORE the birth! I LOVE NOT knowing, but I figure since I have NOTHING this time and people really want to be able to buy for the baby I won't torture them anymore....I had my fun 3 times around! But just maybe Peanut will be shy that day and they won't be able to tell for sure.......I will secretly smile if that is the case!

And Baby Makes 6!

2009-01-30T11:48:00.007-07:00

I figured it was about time to post something new...and I could think of nothing better to post about than the fact that we are expecting another little blessing to enter our home (he/she is already in our hearts!) on or around Sept. 1! Yes, Ben and I were VERY surprised at this little curve ball God is throwing in our direction....but we have been thrown many curve balls by God and we never duck....we don't want to miss something good! Annalisa is super excited about this news, and she has been full of questions: "So, do you just like stand on a scale or something and it tells you that you are pregnant?" "Can the baby sleep in my room?" "What will I do if the baby keeps me up because she is crying and I have school the next day?" "How do babies get milk out of your boob anyway? Is that like a straw for them?" She is so curious about everything...but my favorite thing she said was not a question. It was right after we told them we would be having another baby. Annalisa just kept giggling and batting her eyes. I asked her what was wrong and she said, "Well, it's just that I thought I would never get to see a BABY that you had....but now I will!!!!" The boys are excited, but definitely not to the extent that Annalisa is! We went to the doctor on the 27th and saw the little peanut on the sono. Everything looks good so far! I don't see the doctor until March 23, but I have been asked to come back in the next 4 weeks to take the glucose test early (but I will still have to take it again at the normal time of 27-28 weeks) since I tend to have big babies! Neither me nor any of the kids have ever been diagnosed with diabetes, but I guess this is just a precaution they want to take. I will keep you updated on how that goes. We will be happy for any and all of you to pray for us as Ben tries to find a job, I try to overcome all day nausea, and we hope for a healthy and safe pregnancy.

Saying Goodbye

2009-01-11T16:19:00.007-07:00

Yesterday morning we suffered a loss in our family, and we had to say good-bye. While Cole was eating breakfast his brother and sister were arguing as usual. Annalisa suddenly yelled at me that Cole was crying. I immediately thought that Jacob must have said something mean to him, but normally Cole just gets him right back, so I looked into the dining room to the tear-streaked face of my oldest child. I asked him what was wrong and he just hung his head while continuing to cry. I was pretty concerned at that moment, so I asked him again what was wrong. He then held up his head and said, "Rodriguez died last night." He left the table to go cry some more. I was puzzled, and went to him...."How do you know he died?" I asked. "Because he wouldn't move when I checked on him." Now there were LOTS more tears. We had been concerned about Rodriguez for about a week because he hadn't been acting like his normal self. We got him some crickets to eat even though it wasn't really his feeding time, and although he is normally super excited for crickets to be in his home, this time he didn't even move. He acted as if none were there, but the next morning he was getting up and moving around a lot more. Cole was even excited that he had turned back to his green color--sometimes he was brown depending on the humidity in the house. Ben and I hadn't felt like Rodriguez would make it much longer--even though we had read that White's Tree Frogs can live up to 15 years. Cole was going on having Rod for 4 years--alot for a 10 year old! My biggest fear was that Cole would find him dead, and I didn' t know how he would deal with that--I also didn't want him to HAVE to deal with that. What can I say? I am still his mom, and it is in my blood to want to shelter him from those kinds of things, but this time I missed it. When I went to check on Rod he was definitely dead. Annalisa started crying too about how she LOVED Rodgrievous (she never was able to say his name correctly), but Jacob was just matter-of-fact about the whole thing and very uncaring about Cole's feelings. He said things like, "Oh, gross! He looks so bad! Why do his eyes look like that? Why is his foot stuck like that? Where is all of his color?" and lots of other quetions that just upset Cole. Ben fashioned a box for us to bury Rodriguez in, and after we carefully wrapped him then put him in it we buried him in the backyard. Cole cried the whole time, but Annalisa had nice words to say for Rod. Today as we went to church Cole told me he was still sad, but after church he told me he had worked through his sadness. He said that now he thinks he can talk about it without crying. He may even want to replace Rodriguez at some point. I am so proud of him, but I am sorry that he has had to learn about loss at such a young age. He took very good care of Rodriguez while he was alive, and I told him that Rod had many adventures (moving to Colorado from Texas, moving while in Colorado, staying with Nanny for a week, etc) that other frogs only dream about!! He lived a full life!!

Eight

2008-12-19T16:08:00.006-07:00

I have been tagged by my cousin Amanda to make lists of eight things (I am assuming I was supposed to use the same lists she used)......so here goes:

My 8 Favorite Restaurants:

1. Texas Roadhouse
2. Chick-Fil-A
3. Posados
4. Bodacious
5. Formosa Gardens
6. What-A-Burger
7. Taco Bueno
8. Marble Slab (that can be a restaurant!!)

8 Things That Happened Today:

1. I got out of bed (and that is HUGE considering how sick I was yesterday)
2. I wrapped a few Christmas presents
3. I ate a meal without throwing it up
4. I enjoyed getting some Christmas cards in the mail
5. Ben hugged me
6. Annalisa gave me a poem she wrote at school
7. The temperature was warmer than 39 degrees
8. I talked to Windy on the phone

8 Things I Look Forward To:

1. Summer Vacations
2. My anniversary
3. My kids' birthdays
4. Trips back to Texas
5. Visits from friends and family
6. Sledding with my kids
7. Friday night dates with Benny
8. Susan's baby being born

8 Things I Am Scared Of:

1. My dad's "mean" face
2. Roaches--those suckers can fly!!
3. Falling off the ladder while it is positioned on the stairs
4. Something happening to my kids or husband
5. Flying
6. Using a ruler--I hate measurements!!
7. My kids not knowing how much I love them
8. Missing important things in my kids' lives

8 Things I Wish For:

1. My kids to mind me!
2. Peace and quiet
3. A date with Ben
4. Ben's photography business to take off
5. My friends to not move away
6. Good friends for my kids
7. My kids to love and serve God
8. A Merry Christmas

8 Things I Watch on TV:

1. Psych
2. Heroes
3. Chuck
4. Pushing Daisies
5. The Soup
6. The Office
7. My Name is Earl
8. Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives

So, now I tag.....Beth, Janette, Jamee, Meredith, and Michael....don't you just LOVE me????

Christmas Wish

2008-12-17T11:52:00.006-07:00

There are some things that you just have to share with others, and I feel like this is one of them. Jacob is my stubborn, hard-headed, sneaky, intelligent, fun-loving middle-child. He is hard to get up in the mornings, happy to go to bed at 8:30, always ready to play a video game or read a comic book, and in love with Jesus! What more could you ask for in a child???? I have prayed for Jacob since I found out I was pregnant with him...then when the complications came I prayed harder and even more. When he was born 7 weeks early I prayed that God would grow him to be a strong young man that would KNOW how much He loves him. So far my prayers are being answered, but trust me I have NOT stopped praying for this boy! Today I got a letter from Jacob's teacher that just made me so proud of my son and so happy to know that God is allowing me to be his mother, his nurturer here on earth. This is what she wrote:

"This morning, our writing prompt was to write about a present that they really want to get and why. The majority of the kids wrote about getting a Wii or some other kind of toy. I just wanted you to know that Jacob read his and he said that for Christmas he really just wants everyone to get along and have fun together, because "Christmas is not about getting presents, it's about loving each other and celebrating Jesus' birthday." I thought that was SO sweet! He almost made me cry! It's obvious he is taught very good values at home - you should be proud! :o)"

Don't we all hope that our children will learn the true meaning of Christmas? Don't we pray that they will not be afraid to share that with others? I am so proud that Jacob not only believed it enough to write it, but was willing to read it in front of his class! I LOVE THAT BOY!!!!

Tag-You're It!

2008-12-04T19:09:00.005-07:00

So, I have been tagged by my friend Janette! Apparently when you are tagged you are supposed to retrieve the 4th picture from the 4th album on your computer and post it. So, here it is:

Christmas Morning 2007

And now I tag Windy, Melissa, Amanda, Beth, Meredith, and Jamee! Can't wait to see your pictures!!

....

2008-11-28T17:43:00.011-07:00

THANKSGIVING

I AM THANKFUL FOR....

my friends and family who came over to my house for Thanksgiving dinner
my children who fill my house with laughter each day
Benny who has worked on our house every day for the past 8 weeks
our church family
Brian and Stacy for keeping our stuff in their garage...and working on our house
Cynthia for keeping my flowers safe
my Heavenly Father who blesses me each and every day
blogging in my kitchen on my laptop
cameras
my Dad and Lynn surprising me on Thanksgiving
Canasta at Windy's kitchen table.....it's so much fun!
sleeping late
Melissa for taking me to the NKOTB concert
my brothers who always call and make me feel special
dates with Benny
Dennis and Becky for letting us live in their basement for 6 months
bedrooms to send the kids to
homemade dinner together at the dining room table
praying with my kids before they go to sleep at night
hugs from my children
Psych, Heroes, The Office, My Name is Earl, Pushing Daisies and The Soup
Susan and Jamee and phone calls with them
being BEST friends with my husband!

Moved In...But Not Unpacked!!

2008-11-25T10:11:00.005-07:00

This past Saturday I dropped the kids off at the church at 8 am for Kid's Craft Day, headed back to Pastor Dennis and Becky's house, woke Ben up, and started packing our things!! Ben was extremely tired because he had only just gotten back from working in NM at 3 am.....so he didn't have much sleep, but he still worked hard ALL day. We had lots of help from our church and we had everything moved out of Dennis and Becky's in one trip (excluding bikes), and 1 trip to clean out Cynthia and Fernando's garage, and I think 2 trips to clean out Brian and Stacy's garage. In all, we were done getting things INTO the house by 5 pm. Now we just have to unpack!! We have been there 3 nights now, and the kids are sleeping great. Annalisa was so proud to find her big Dora doll and sleep with her! Today the cable guy comes so we can have cable TV and internet at our house! That is great because last night we had to go to Brian and Stacy's to watch Chuck and Heroes....which was fine for us, but not good for the kids who needed to be asleep in their beds. I will take more pics after the house is more organized and unpacked, but for now enjoy the few I have taken and posted under the Photos tab.

TOMORROW!!

2008-11-21T11:45:00.006-07:00

Tomorrow is the most anticipated day of the year for our family---MOVE IN DAY!!! We are so excited that it is finally here! Ben has been in NM since Wed working for Brian's father-in-law, so he hasn't even seen the carpet yet! He will be home either late tonight or early tomorrow morning, and even though I know he will be tired, I also know he will be ready to move in to our house! Here are some pics with the new carpet......( I will post more pics as we get moved in and decorate the house)...oh and the bottoms of the walls are not painted because that is where the baseboards will eventually go....when we get enough money!!!

Master Bedroom

Office Area

Annalisa's Room

Cole enjoying being able to lay down on the floor!

boys laying on the floor in the basement

Reliving Our Youth

2008-11-18T13:19:00.011-07:00

It is a hot, humid day in S'port, LA during the summer of 1990. NKOTB are going to be in concert tonight at Independence Stadium and Melissa and I don't have tickets, so we spend the entire day trying our best to win or track down tickets. The concert starts at 7 pm and at about 4:30 we go home depressed and sure that we have missed our only chance to see our favorite group perform live in our hometown. Uncle Johnny comes home from work at about 5, and we notice something in his shirt pocket. Could it be? He smiles that "I know something you don't know" smile as he pulls the tickets out of his pocket! He got 3 tickets to the concert!!! How awesome is that?? So, we head to Independence Stadium for what we think is the best concert of our lives! Uncle Johnny even admits that it is a great concert although he is deaf and yelling at everyone else for the next three days! What a great summer night filled with excitement!
Fast forward 18 years......Melissa and I notice that NKOTB will be in concert at Broomfield Event Center in Colorado which is where we both live now. We look for tickets and ticket prices and are excited to know that they aren't sold out, but since I just purchased a house and have been doing a lot of remodeling it is not something that I can really spend money on. This is a bit upsetting to me because I definitely don't want to miss the chance to see them in concert again after so many years with my same cousin/BFF. The Wednesday before the concert Melissa comes to my work place with an envelope and pulls out the tickets that she got for us to go to the concert!!! I am speechless and totally excited! Even though this means I have to miss an evening of working on the house I know that it will be totally worth it!! We decide to leave the house at 4 on Friday evening, stop at Cinzetti's for dinner, and head to the concert which starts at 8. Leaving at 4 was a good idea because the traffic was horrendous. We were on the road for over an hour when we decided to head toward the event center (instead of straight for the restaurant) and then backtrack to the restaurant. It is supposed to only be 15 min from the event center, and if we go that way there is no traffic.....so we head off of I-25 onto 36. We pass an exit ,and Melissa asks if we were supposed to exit there, but I say, "No, that road is not written on your directions." An hour or so later we will find out that we should have taken that exit, and we would have saved ourselves a lot of time and heartache, but we wouldn't have enjoyed all the laughs we had. We got to the event center and decided to try to follow the directions from Cinzetti's to the event center backwards because this should get us to Cinzetti's....only one problem....the street names change regularly, and we can't find the streets we are looking for. I call the ever resourceful Bubba who is undoubtedly in front of a computer and can get us there safely. He tells us which direction to go, and we head that way. After about 10 minutes Bubba calls back and says that he thinks we are going in the wrong direction....too far North...we need to turn around. What??? So, we turn around, cross several lanes of traffic while being honked at and flipped off, then we are headed the right way. Bubba stays on the phone with us through every intersection and turn until we are back at that road that we should have exited on an hour earlier!! It takes us about 45 min to get to Cinzetti's even though it was only supposed to be 15 min. We get to Cinzetti's and enjoy a delicious dinner before heading to the Event Center for the concert. When we leave Cinzetti's we have a better idea of what we are doing and we get to the Event Center in about 10 min. We get free parking (SA-WEET), and when we get in the elevator in the parking garage one girl busts out with, "I think I am going to pee my pants when they take the stage!!!" Melissa and I burst out laughing, and we are both thinking that maybe she should hit the restroom before the concert starts! The opening acts are Lady Gaga and Natasha Bedingfield, but the crowd isn't really into either one. There are women in the audience with side ponytails, mini skirts, and their NKOTB shirts from the late 80's. We laugh alot and can't wait for them to take the stage. Once the room goes dark and the music starts the crowd goes crazy!! It is like everyone is 15 again! They sing all their old hits and a few new ones....still doing all the dance moves and getting the crowd all revved up. About halfway through the concert we notice that the security guards are putting up a barrier about 10 feet from us, but we really don't know what's going on....then they come through the crowd and get on a revolving stage about 20 feet from us!!! It is soo cool to be that close! We take pics, scream at the top of our lungs and enjoy ourselves!! The concert is definitely worth it, and we drive home at close to midnight....our ears ringing, our throats dry, and NKOTB music resonating in our heads.....we relived our youth and it was AWESOME!!!

Science Vs. God

2008-11-13T08:39:00.002-07:00

I got this in an email from my mother-in-law and I wanted to share it with others. This is really good. You have to read all of it to totally understand!

'Let me explain the problem science has with Jesus Christ.' The atheist professor of philosophy pauses before his class and then asks one of his new students to stand.

'You're a Christian, aren't you, son?'

'Yes sir,' the student says.

'So you believe in God?'

'Absolutely.'

'Is God good?'

'Sure! God's good.'

'Is God all-powerful? Can God do anything?'

'Yes.'

'Are you good or evil?'

'The Bible says I'm evil.'

The professor grins knowingly. 'Aha! The Bible!' He considers for a moment.

'Here's one for you. Let's say there's a sick person over here and you can cure him. You can do it. Would you help him? Would you try?'

'Yes sir, I would.'

'So you're good...!'
'I wouldn't say that.'

'But why not say that? You'd help a sick and maimed person if you could. Most of us would if we could. But God doesn't.'

The student does not answer, so the professor continues. 'He doesn't, does he? My brother was a Christian who died of cancer, even though he prayed to Jesus to heal him How is this Jesus good? Hmmm? Can you answer that one?'

The student remains silent.

'No, you can't, can you?' the professor says. He takes a sip of water from a glass on his desk to give the student time to relax.

'Let's start again, young fella Is God good?'

'Er...yes,' the student says.

'Is Satan good?'

The student doesn't hesitate on this one. 'No.'

'Then where does Satan come from?'

The student : 'From...God...'

'That's right. God made Satan, didn't he? Tell me, son. Is there evil in this world?'

'Yes, sir.'

'Evil's everywhere, isn't it? And God did make everything, correct?'

'Yes.'

'So who created evil?' The professor continued, 'If God created everything, then God created evil, since evil exists, and according to the principle that our works define who we are, then God is evil.'

Without allowing the student to answer, the professor continues: 'Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things, do they exist in this world?'

The student: 'Yes.'

'So who created them?'

The student does not answer again, so the professor repeats his question. 'Who created them? There is still no answer. Suddenly the lecturer breaks away to pace in front of the classroom. The class is mesmerized.

'Tell me,' he continues onto another student. 'Do you believe in Jesus Christ, son?'

The student's voice is confident: 'Yes, professor, I do.'

The old man stops pacing. 'Science says you have five senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Have you ever seen Jesus?'

'No sir. I've never seen Him'

'Then tell us if you've ever heard your Jesus?'

'No, sir, I have not.'

'Have you ever actually felt your Jesus, tasted your Jesus or smelt your Jesus? Have you ever had any sensory perception of Jesus Christ, or God for that matter?'

'No, sir, I'm afraid I haven't.'

'Yet you still believe in him?'

'Yes.'

'According to the rules of empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, science says your God doesn't exist. What do you say to that, son?'

'Nothing,' the student replies. 'I only have my faith.'

'Yes, faith,' the professor repeats. 'And that is the problem science has with God. There is no evidence, only faith.'

The student stands quietly for a moment, before asking a question of his own. 'Professor, is there such thing as heat?'

'Yes,' the professor replies. 'There's heat.'

'And is there such a thing as cold?'

'Yes, son, there's cold too.'

'No sir, there isn't.'

The professor turns to face the student, obviously interested. The room suddenly becomes very quiet. The student begins to explain.

'You can have lots of heat, even more heat, super-heat, mega-heat, unlimited heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat, but we don't have anything called 'cold'. We can hit up to 458 degrees below zero, which is no heat, but we can't go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold; otherwise we would be able to go colder than the lowest -458 degrees. Every body or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit energy. Absolute zero (-458 F) is the total absence of heat. You see, sir, cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat we can measure in thermal units because heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.'

Silence across the room. A pen drops somewhere in the classroom, sounding like a hammer.

'What about darkness, professor. Is there such a thing as darkness?'

'Yes,' the professor replies without hesitation. 'What is night if it isn't darkness?'

'You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is not something; it is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light,
flashing light, but if you have no light constantly you have nothing and it's called darkness, isn't it? That's the meaning we use to define the word. In reality, darkness isn't. If it were, you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn't you?'

The professor begins to smile at the student in front of him. This will be a good semester. 'So what point are you making, young man?'

'Yes, professor. My point is, your philosophical premise is flawed to start with, and so your conclusion must also be flawed.'

The professor's face cannot hide his surprise this time. 'Flawed? Can you explain how?'

'You are working on the premise of duality,' the student explains. 'You argue that there is life and then there's death; a good God and a bad God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, science can't even explain a thought. It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death is not the opposite of life, just the absence of it.'

'Now tell me, professor. Do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?'

'If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, young man, yes, of course I do'

'Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?'

The professor begins to shake his head, still smiling, as he realizes where the argument is going. A very good semester, indeed.

'Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavour, are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you now not a scientist, but a preacher?'

The class is in uproar. The student remains silent until the commotion has subsided.

'To continue the point you were making earlier to the other student, let me give you an example of what I mean.'

The student looks around the room. 'Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the professor's brain?' The class breaks out into laughter.

'Is there anyone here who has ever heard the professor's brain, felt the professor's brain, touched or smelled the professor's brain? No one appears to have done so. So, according to the established rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science says that you have no brain, with all due respect, sir. So if science says you have no brain, how can we trust your lectures, sir?'

Now the room is silent. The professor just stares at the student, his face unreadable.

Finally, after what seems an eternity, the old man answers. 'I guess you'll have to take them on faith.'

'Now, you accept that there is faith, and, in fact, faith exists with life,' the student continues. 'Now, sir, is there such a thing as evil?'

Now uncertain, the professor responds, 'Of course, there is. We see it everyday. It is in the daily example of man's inhumanity to man. It is in the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. These manifestations are nothing else but evil.'

To this the student replied, 'Evil does not exist sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just
like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God.

God did not create evil.. Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God's love present in his heart. It's like the cold that comes when there is no heat or the darkness that comes when there is no light.'

The professor sat down.

Cole's View On Allowance (age 10)

2008-11-10T11:06:00.005-07:00

"I don't think you should pay me for something I should do anyway."

I am keeping this quote so I can show it to him when he is a teenager trying to get money from me for cleaning his room! How refreshing to hear a child say he should be doing certain things without a "reward"!

Another Weekend Update!

2008-11-10T10:16:00.006-07:00

Saturday was the end of Week 6! We are hoping to move in by the end of this week, if I can get the painting finished up. Everything is looking so good and moving along so quickly now. We got the toilets and sinks in the 2 upstairs bathrooms, new flooring in both bathrooms, and everything upstairs is painted! I am so excited about how good it is all looking! Ben has worked himself to the point of sickness though.....just a bit of a sinus cold, but it is keeping him from resting well at night. I am praying everything gets finished up quickly so he can finally get a good night's rest!! The kids have been out of school for the past 3 weeks, which has kept him extra busy. They track back on tomorrow and will be in until the Thanksgiving holidays. I got to thinking about it yesterday and I realized that this Thanksgiving will be the first one since we were married that we won't see any family. Even when we lived in WA Jamee came and visited over the Thanksgiving holidays. I am a bit stressed and sad over this revelation. I wish I had a ton of money and could either fly someone up here or fly my whole family back to TX. I love Thanksgiving and family together....I will have to pray about this, so I won't get depressed!

Enjoy the photos under the photos Tab.

Progress

2008-11-06T11:01:00.005-07:00

Progress is being made on our house....slowly but surely! I am excited to say that nearly all of the upstairs is painted and ready for the carpet to be installed! We had a very busy weekend (this past weekend), and I was able to get a lot of painting done. Then, on Monday a couple of ladies from our church came over and painted the guest bedroom, my closet and my bedroom area for me. Now I only have to finish edging in the closet area, then paint the guest bathroom and the hallway upstairs. Ben has gotten the back door installed, the french doors installed,the wall put up separating the kitchen area from my office area, the wall put up separating the dining room from the living room, new flooring in the sunroom, all the lights installed in the living room, and sheetrock up in the kitchen and dining room. He has been super busy because we are doing our best to get it all finished up by the end of next week!!! Wouldn't that be sooo awesome? I am so excited that everything is coming together and it is looking so nice! There are more pictures in the photo album labeled "End of Week 5" under the Photos tab.

I'm Not Scared!

2008-10-28T16:33:00.005-06:00

I am just enjoying finding all kinds of old pictures that bring back so many good memories! A couple of months ago my brother, Jeffrey posted this picture of us when we were young....we used this picture for a Christmas card....with our Rottweiler Yogi. Yogi was a great dog, but a lot of people were scared of him because he was so big....and maybe a little overzealous! As my cousin John put it, "I remember Yogi grabbed me by my coat hood one winter and almost strangled me. Now I see why he was so angry. You were strangling him with your beast love all the time :)" It's true that if you tried to leave the backyard Yogi would nip at your ankles or grab you by your coat hood to try to get you to stay....he never tried to hurt anyone, though! Despite telling my cousins this, I think Melissa spent the better part of her childhood on the top of the monkey bars if Yogi was out of his kennel! There was NO WAY she was going to take a chance that he might nip at her! Not only did we have a big dog in Yogi, but my grandparents always had Doberman's that "took care of us" while we were out there. One of their Doberman's wouldn't even let bees get close to us...he would nip them out of the air in order to protect us from them!

So, my dad has always loved BIG dogs and back in 2001 he got Bear for Lynn. Bear is part Rottweiler and part German Shepherd (I believe), but he is a BIG BABY!! He really is a good dog, and some of the funniest memories I have from when Annalisa was little are those of her feeding him. She would put the dog biscuit in her mouth and Bear would take it from her mouth....she had NO fear of him even though he was like 10 times her size! (Now, what kind of mother lets her 1 year old child hold a dog biscuit in her mouth so a HUGE dog can get it from her and hopefully not bite her in the process???) Annalisa also used to walk around the house with Bear while he held her hand in his mouth....he never bit her, just led her around. Because we lived with Bear while Annalisa was sooo young (it was right after Ben's accident and we had to be in Dallas for 4 months while he was recovering), she developed a great bond with him that still holds to this day! Here they are together last year...still BFF'S!

What Kind of Peepaw Are You?

2008-10-28T16:11:00.009-06:00

So, referring to my previous post "What Kind of Mother Am I?", I have to say that I must be a better mother than my dad is a Peepaw. How did I come to this conclusion, you ask? Well, it's simple....at least I had given her FOOD before she fell asleep....looks like all he gave her was a tupperware lid to play with....she obviously fell asleep from lack of energy, and her shoes are probably tied so tight that she lost circulation in her legs thus making it impossible for her to move from that spot!

I found this pic and post from my dad and just wanted to share it....so the next question is what kind of mother leaves her child with a grandparent who lets her fall asleep on the floor???? (and just so you will know...there are MANY more pics of my kids sleeping in places OTHER than their beds!)

Posted By: Mike Newman
Date Posted: Sep 8, 2003

Description: I'm supposed to be babysitting Caci's kids while she goes on a job interview. Cole and Jacob are watching Spiderman. I thought Annalisa was playing with the "Tupperware" until I walked into the living room to check on them.

Apparently, I should have known she was sleepy. Although, at first I wasn't sure if Jacob had knocked her out - "accidently", of course.

I also didn't know when her diaper needed changing. She kept banging on her momma's bedroom door, so I let her in and she tried to crawl on the bed. Then I realized that's where Caci changes her diaper. Lo and behold, she was soaked.

In my defense, I didn't have to do these things with my kids. My wife took care of all of that stuff. So, the fact that she has a clean diaper and is in her crib sleeping peacefully before Caci gets home is a feather in my cap. Right?!?

What Kind of Mother Am I?

2008-10-27T15:04:00.006-06:00

I found this picture as I was looking through old photo albums I have saved on my computer. I am guessing Annalisa was at least 2 (she is not wearing a diaper), maybe 3 years old. There are so many things wrong with this picture.....like, what kind of mother am I to feed her Cheetos? I mean, doesn't everyone know how unhealthy (and addictive) Cheetos are? I should have been feeding her grapes, or apples, maybe banana slices, but not Cheetos!!
Also, what kind of mother am I to not give my daughter some pants to wear??? For crying out loud, she was probably mortified to be running around in her panties all day!
I can't help but wonder what kind of mother I am that I didn't put her in her bed when she fell asleep?? What kind of mother lets her baby fall asleep on a hard wood floor and leaves her there?? She will probably have back problems for life because of this, and I will most definitely be to blame!
And most importantly, what kind of mother takes a picture of the situation--apparently finding it cute?
ME!!!

Weekend Update!

2008-10-27T11:29:00.012-06:00

The weekend started out with us going to a Corn Maze on Friday night. It was mine and Ben's first Corn Maze and it was pretty fun! We didn't go in the haunted maze like most of the youth did, but we had enough fun in the one that wasn't haunted! It was very dark and we only had 2 little glow sticks to guide our way! Once our eyes got adjusted to the dark it wasn't so bad, though! The kids stayed with my cousin Melissa and they went to see HSM3....which I heard was very good!

On Saturday morning 3 men from our church came to help us work on the house. They spent all day Saturday taking the flooring out of the back

room, the cabinets out of the kitchen, and getting light switches to control the correct lights! They were a HUGE help, and I am so thankful for their willingness to spend a Saturday doing dirty work! Ben and Brian stayed late Saturday evening getting new sheetrock put up where the wall had been molded. It is so much nicer now! On Sunday some more guys came over and helped finish taking the flooring out of the fireplace room, then Ben and spent until 9:30 putting new insulation in. We got 1/2 of the flooring put down as well. I cannot explain how happy I am to get those nasty cabinets out of my kitchen!!! We had our new stove, dishwasher, and microwave delivered on Saturday! They are so pretty!! I am excited about all that has been happening, even though it is a little bit at a time!

Newest Photos

2008-10-24T14:32:00.015-06:00

Update

2008-10-22T08:22:00.014-06:00

I am doing my best to keep up with everything that is going on, but we haven't been getting in from working on the house until close to midnight every night since last Friday. We didn't have much extra help this weekend, so it was extra long days for Ben, Brian, me and Stacy.

On Friday afternoon Annalisa had her author's tea at her school. She read a book that she wrote called Dear Zoo. The children used the format of the already popular children's book Dear Zoo and then just added their own animals and adjectives. It was pretty cute and I am very proud of her. If you are on Facebook you can watch the video of Annalisa reading her book on my profile page. I tried to upload it to Blogger but after 20 minutes I got irritated...it must be too big of a file for Blogger! After school Annalisa came back to work with me so she could go to Peyton's Kit Kittredge birthday party that evening. There were a lot of girls and it was very fun. Annalisa enjoyed being at an all girl birthday party!

After the party (7 pm) we went over to the house to help the guys work. I can't remember what we did that night! I know that on Saturday, with Stacy's help, I got the main floor bathroom painted and ready for a new door. On Sunday Ben put the new door on and now the main floor bathroom is finished except for the flooring. Cynthia and Fernando (from our church) came Sunday afternoon and they were big helpers! Cynthia put Kilz on the walls in Annalisa's room and the guest bedroom upstairs, and Fernando put sheetrock mud on the walls. When we were trying to wash out some paint brushes Cynthia asked me if we had a garbage disposal because the sink wasn't draining so well---as I was telling her that I think we have one but we haven't used it, she turned it on and glass starting coming up out of it! I am so glad that none of it flew into her face! She promptly turned it off but informed me that the good thing was that now the sink was draining better! Later, after Cynthia left, I turned the sink on and the sprayer nozzle shot off at me like a canon and water started spewing out of the hose all over the kitchen! I couldn't do anything but laugh! I was in that "It's after 10 pm and everything is hilarious" mood! Ben wrapped Caution tape all over the sink!

On Sunday night someone from our church was being nice and rolled up the windows to Ben's car for him (1969 VW bug) and locked the doors. Well, Ben doesn't have a key that easily unlocks the doors, so he never locks it. He called me at 11 pm to let me know that he couldn't get into his car (I was already home with the kids because we had gone in 2 cars), and he drove the church van home. So, Monday was the first day Ben hasn't worked on the house in the past month. He got his car unlocked and now has 2 keys for it.

Last night Stacy and I put Kilz on the walls in the Master closet area and we pulled staples out of the floors. That is not fun!!! I will go back tonight after work and see what else there is to do!

The Patriots

2008-10-16T10:23:00.006-06:00

BubbleShare: Share photos

Last night Cole was in his 5th grade play, The Patriots. He said that they only perform this play once every 4 years, and we were lucky enough to get to see it! Cole was very excited about his costume for Benjamin Franklin! He did a really great job with his dancing, singing and reciting of lines. It is so fun for me to watch him perform because he used to be so shy and I never would have thought he would get up in front of people and perform. There were 2 performances yesterday--one at 8:30 in the morning for the school and one at 6:30 in the evening for parents. I went to get Cole from our house after I got off work--(sidenote: I saw what Ben and Brian had been working on! They almost finished putting all of the lights in the upstairs, and they started putting up the walls for my walk-in closet! It looks soooo good, and I am soo excited!)

When I got to the house there was screaming coming from upstairs, and Annalisa met me on the stairs telling me that Cole had splinters in his hands. I got up there and saw Brian trying his best to get splinters out of Cole's finger. Brian really stepped up to the plate--Ben doesn't do anything that might cause blood to flow, so he basically just told Cole to figure it out on his own. I am glad I got there when I did, but I did have to cut his fingers open a bit in order to get out the HUGE splinters that were deeply buried in his fingers. Apparently he had been skateboarding and flew into the fence...which he informed me has "bad wood".

I guess this just proves Jacob point....you see, a few days ago when Jacob got in trouble at school, I told him he was grounded. Later that day he asked me if he could skateboard, and I said "No....that sounds like fun, and you are grounded from doing fun things." Jacob promptly told me that skateboarding isn't fun because he falls and gets hurt, and sometimes people laugh at him when he falls, and that really isn't fun! After I saw the splinters in Cole's finger I decided that maybe Jacob was right....skateboarding can't possibly be fun....I will use it as punishment next time they are in trouble!

Days Seventeen and Eighteen

2008-10-15T15:14:00.008-06:00

Wow! We are well into week 3 of work now, and I think Ben is actually getting excited again. He hit a bit of a slump there when things weren't going as fast as he had originally hoped, but I think he has done an AWESOME job, and I am so glad he has been able to do it. He has had a lot of help from some of our church family too, and that has been a huge blessing! As of last night there are lights in Annalisa's room and closet, a wall/doorway for her walk-in closet, indirect lighting in the Master Bath, lights in the Master Bedroom and an archway in the Master Bedroom. I am getting so excited to see what it will all look like when it is finished. It will be so nice and we will have made it exactly what we want! Ben is excited for me to come this evening and see what else he has done....I wonder??

Cole has a play tonight in which he will be Benjamin Franklin. He is very excited, and when they told him he would be Ben Franklin he thought that was cool because when he was in 2nd grade he was Ben Franklin for the wax museum at his school. He should be a great Ben Franklin now!

Jacob has had much better days at school. He is very big on making people proud of him and it upset him to think that his teacher was disappointed in him for his behavior, but like I said before she really loves having him in her class, so that is a plus for him!

Annalisa has an Author's Tea on Friday that I will be attending. She will read something that she wrote, we will apparently drink tea, and the thing she is most excited about is the Log Cabin they built out of old toilet paper rolls and paper towel rolls.

I can't wait to see it!!

Days 12-16, 2 Flights, & 2 Office Visits

2008-10-13T15:39:00.018-06:00

I haven't posted much because I left town last Thursday to go back to Texas for my Papa's funeral. I went and saw the house before I left town, and when I got back on Saturday I went again and saw some more progress. It is hard at this point to show alot of the progress in pictures, but I will share the pics I have. Ben and Brian (along with some other guys from our church) have been working faithfully day in and day out for 2 solid weeks now (Saturday was the start of week 3). We are getting very close to me being able to paint.....then the carpet will be installed and we can move in! YAY! When I went and looked at the downstairs bathroom I saw that Ben had bought a new cabinet with sink! It is sooo much prettier than what was there! I am glad he has good taste!

My plane flights were pretty good considering I hate to fly. On the way to Texas I was sitting next to a lady and her baby daughter---Abbie. She asked me to hold Abbie while she went to the bathroom.....I didn't think twice about it before saying, "Sure." Abbie and I laughed and played, then I looked away for a second and felt something warm hit my leg. She had spit-up all over my leg, and it was pooling in my seat next to my leg. I only had the little napkin they give you with your drink, and while I was trying to clean it up with that, Abbie's mom returned to her seat. She was watching me clean it up which horrified her, and at that same moment Abbie spit up all over me again. Her mom started saying, "No, Abbie! No!" She then apologized profusely to me, but at that point what could be done about it? My dad's dog Bear licked it all off of me quite well when I got to their house.
When we landed in Texas we stopped on the runway while we were waiting to taxi to our gate. While we were stopped, the pilot came over the loudspeaker, "If you will notice, the "fasten seatbelts" sign is still illuminated. My computer shows me that 18 of you have already unfastened your seatbelts. What that means is that when we begin taxiing to our gate, the computer will think you have already exited the plane and the luggage doors will open and begin dropping your luggage on the runway." You should have seen how fast people began fastening their seatbelts! It was pretty funny! I had a very good visit in Texas. I really enjoyed seeing all of my cousins....all 18 of us were there together. The funeral was very nice, but it is still hard for me to believe that I won't see or talk to Papa again.

My trip home was pretty bumpy and there was a lot of turbulence during the descent into Denver....that made me pretty airsick....the reason I hate to fly! But, I made it in and was very happy to see my family at the airport.

I make it a habit of asking Jacob pretty regularly if he has any notes from his teacher or if there is anything I need to know about his day at school because Jacob is NOT one who will offer up information willingly. So, this morning before he left for school I asked, and he promptly told me there were no notes, which technically was true, but there was definitely something I needed to know about his day at school on Friday. I got a call from his teacher about an hour ago letting me know that on Friday Jacob was sent to the office for choking another student. It turns out that a girl was bothering another boy in the line at recess. The boy kept asking her to stop, and she wouldn't, so Jacob intervened. He put his arm around her and dragged her away from the other kid, thus getting himself in trouble. He told the teacher, "She was bothering the boy and wouldn't stop, so she was driving me crazy." He was sent to the vice-principal's office, but she wasn't in the office on Friday, so his teacher discussed with him what he could have done instead of trying to handle it himself. Then today during bathroom break he was brought back to his classroom by another teacher who said that Jacob and another boy were "wrestling and choking each other". Jacob denies having choked anybody today, but he did say the other boy was choking him. Either way he was sent again to the vice-principal's office, and she said he owes her recess for 2 days. I am about at my wit's end with this kid. I love Jacob to death, but he seems to make bad decisions lately and spanking and grounding him don't work. I don't know what else to do right now so I am praying for guidance. Cole and Annalisa are so NOT like that. They would die before they would get sent to the office.....Jacob goes regularly. At least his teacher told me she enjoys having him in class, and she thinks he is a great kid who makes her laugh....she agrees with me--he is all boy, and he makes bad choices before thinking about it. If you have any ideas, feel free to share!!

Days Ten, Eleven and Other News

2008-10-08T14:15:00.014-06:00

Well, days ten and eleven of work on the house have come and gone. I don't have many pics to show for it because I haven't been going over there after work due to the many miles away that it is and the high price of gasoline. But, I did go after work yesterday and I took a few pics. The guys have been working hard on sewage and plumbing. There aren't many pictures you can take of that kind of work, but as of yesterday afternoon the bathtub in the extra bathroom upstairs was put in. YAY!! Progress makes me so happy!! I know that today Ben and Brian went and bought the surrounds for the tubs and were going to get those put in. It also seems that Ben wanted it to feel more like home so he went ahead and hung a picture on the wall!

On Monday night we went to the Texas Roadhouse for dinner not knowing it was Kid's Night. They had face painting, a guy who could make anything you wanted out of balloons ("except a porcupine," he said), and a sundae bar. The kids really enjoyed it....well Jacob and Annalisa really enjoyed it. Cole is beginning to think he is too old for that kind of stuff! Jacob was a bit disappointed when he asked the guy to make him a triceratops out of balloons and he got back what looked like a rhinoceros with Goofy's eyeballs. Jacob rolled his eyes and made a face like, "are you sure you know what you are doing?" The man proudly exclaimed, "My first triceratops!" I don't think he knows that "Tri" means "three" and that there should have been 3 horns on top of the head, but hey he is only working for tips so I will give him a break.

On another note, yesterday morning I got a phone call I didn't expect to get. My older brother called to let me know that my Papa (my mom's dad) had died the night before. We still don't know what happened, but I fly out tomorrow at noon and land in Dallas at 3 pm. I don't enjoy flying at all, so pray for me that it is a smooth flight! The funeral will be Friday at 2 in Carthage, TX, then I fly back home from Dallas Saturday at 2 pm, so it will be a very rushed trip. I don't have many pics of Papa on my computer but this is one I do have. I am very thankful to have known my Papa for so many years because alot of people don't have their grandparents around when they are adults. I do have many fond memories of summers at his house working in the garden or playing in the woods....I will always have these memories and cherish them! He is always my Papa, and I will never forget how his voice sounded when I walked in the door and he said, "Hello, Beautiful!"

Days Seven, Eight and Nine

2008-10-06T09:34:00.012-06:00

Friday was day seven. Work was called off early because we had plans to eat dinner with some family members that were in town, and then we had plans to watch Iron Man at our church on the Big Screen. It was our second time to see it, but there were others who hadn't seen it yet, so we had to be there...it was a night of resting! So, Saturday was the first day of Week Two! We did accomplish quite a bit this weekend, even though the pictures don't really show it. The things that were done were some of the small, behind-the-scenes tasks. John (my cousin), Ben and Brian spent all of Saturday running cables and wires so that they would be hidden in the walls. That took quite a few hours. Thanks a MILLION for all the help John John!! Jimmy spent Saturday getting all of the staples out of the floor in our living room area. This is a tedious task, but it must be done before the new carpet can be put in. GREAT JOB JIMMY!! Melissa and I worked on all the staples in the UGLY yellow linoleum that was under the tile in the entry way. We would have done more if we hadn't been told that we couldn't hammer anymore....the guys were talking to each other about the wires, and they couldn't hear each other over our hammering. Melissa did a WAY better job than I did....as she pointed out to me on several occasions! On Saturday I also began the task of taking the baseboards off the walls. When Cole saw me doing that, he immediately convinced me that he could do a better job than I was doing, so I turned it over to him! And Ben and Brian continued to work in the upstairs bathrooms. The kids learned that sheetrock will draw on the driveway just as good as chalk, so they entertained themselves drawing all over the driveway!! I love it when kids use their imaginations and are completely satisfied with something as simple as a piece of sheetrock!
On Sunday, we worked hard all afternoon. I spent several hours pulling nails out of 2 x 4's that we are re-using for the walls we are building. I probably pulled nails out of 30 boards.....it was a tough job. I have bruises and scrapes on my legs and arms, but I am so glad I got that job done. Ben and Brian got 3 of the walls put up, and they are now ready for sheetrock. We brought the youth back on Sunday night, and they did an AWESOME job cleaning trash off the floors!! WAY TO GO!! They also began the process of pulling up the bad flooring in the front sunroom. That proved to be a much harder task than we originally thought, but they did great getting it started. I am not sure what is happening today (Day 10), but I am sure I will write something about it once I find out!

Day Six

2008-10-03T09:00:00.007-06:00

I went to the house yesterday after work and saw the mess that the guys have been making! Ben is so tired and worn out....and I know Brian is too! Brian has been such an awesome help for Ben (and Anthony too after school is out)! The guys took all of the carpet out of the basement, replaced the toilet on the main floor with the toilet from the extra bathroom upstairs (now NO MORE LEAKS!!), completely gutted the extra and master bathrooms upstairs, took the sheetrock out of the pantry in the kitchen, and took all of the sheetrock off the wall in the dining room (where the mirrors had been hanging). They have done so much!! The demolition is pretty much done (today should be the last day) and then we will begin the remodeling process. Hopefully we will get quite a bit of help this weekend and we will be able to make some noticeable progress. Ben and Brian are both AWESOME and I am SOO thankful that I have a husband who can and WILL do this kind of work!!! There are a few pics from Day 6 in a photo album under the Photos tab---I have pics of the washroom and the boys' bathroom in the basement because I have never shown pics of those two rooms yet.

Day Five

2008-10-01T20:10:00.007-06:00

I don't have any new pics for today because I didn't go to the house after work. I know that first thing this morning Ben had the Roto-Rooter guy out. For $300 he ran a camera down our sewer pipes so he could see what the problems were. Then for another $200 he fixed the problems...lots of tree roots blocking the pipes. We should be good for a while now. After Roto-Rooter he finished pulling the plumbing out of the upstairs bathrooms. They created a huge mess, so I heard, but only have one more day of demolition before the remodeling will begin. I will go over to the house tomorrow after work so I can get some pictures and I will hopefully have more to write about then.

Day Four

2008-10-01T10:50:00.010-06:00

Yesterday was Day Four of work on the house, and it was filled with lots of trips to the store for plumbing parts. Ben had to cap off several water lines and fix a leaky toilet on the main floor. He also tore all of the old shelves out of the huge pantry so I can have more counter/cabinet space in the kitchen and a smaller walk-in pantry. At the end of the day he found out that the main water line coming in to the house was leaking, so we left and went again to Home Depot for some more parts so he can fix it today. I don't know if I mentioned it, but on Monday Home Depot came out to measure for carpet, and they can install it within 72 hours of us calling to say we are ready. We are going to run wires for lighting and paint the walls before we tell them we are ready for the carpet, though. Also, just to clear things up for those of you who are thinking that we have torn down every wall in the house....we have only torn down two walls so far (one between the Master Bedroom and the extra bedroom upstairs so the Master Bedroom can be one large Master Suite, and one where Annalisa's closet was so we could give her an extra 3 or so feet on that side of the room). Also, Ben did take the closets out of the basement, but those weren't any walls torn out. He is also tearing up the existing Master Bathroom so I can have a tub in there and a bit bigger of a bathroom. So, we aren't tearing the entire house apart even though it may seem that way in the pictures!! Right now the work is going a bit slower, but we are still making progress, and one more day of work is one more day closer to us moving in!!!

These are the only 3 pictures from Day 4 of work!

Day Three

2008-09-30T09:35:00.010-06:00

Yesterday was Day Three!! It was the first day I wasn't able to work with Ben....I had to go back to the real world of an office job. When Ben got to the house, he found that we had been the victims of our youth group....they put tons of political signs in our front yard and made a sign for us to keep....It says "Welcome to your new house. Hope every day is a New Day"--our church is New Day: The Church...so that is where that sentiment comes from. Ben was able to work with Brian (our youth minister) all day on demolition, then when he got the kids from school they were more than willing to help break down some walls! What kid doesn't want to swing a hammer into a wall and see it break into pieces? It was super fun for them! Ben also got the water turned on, and the electricity is now in our name. We have been advised to have Roto- Rooter come out before we start using the plumbing consistently...mostly because the house has been vacant for a year and a half, and there are lots of trees in the yard....we don't want to flood the basement with pipes that are blocked off from tree roots. So, I will try to get in touch with them today and see about getting them out there. Ben is moving the plumbing in the master bath and the extra bathroom upstairs....so I can have a bigger bathroom with a TUB, not just a stand-up shower. We are combining two of the upstairs rooms to make one big master bedroom with a walk-in closet and bigger bathroom. Annalisa's room is being rearranged a bit too....we broke out the existing closet to add area to the side of her room that will back up to our room....then on the other side of her room it is shaped a bit like an "L" and it is the perfect place for a walk-in closet for her. Mostly the guest room will stay the same. He also got the closet torn out of the basement to open it up more for the boys and he will be adding some shelving and half-walls for their clothes. All in all the work is going pretty quickly right now....when he has to run the wires for lighting it might slow down a bit though. There are no lights in the ceilings in the bedrooms or the living room. For some reason the contractors in CO think everyone wants to buy lamps and have those for their lighting purposes....what idiots!!

Be sure to check out the pics from each day under the Photos tab at the top of the page!

Day Two

2008-09-29T09:11:00.009-06:00

We started the day off with Believer's Baptism at church. We had 6 people baptized, and it was awesome!! After church we changed into our work clothes, grabbed some tacos at Taco Bell, and headed over to the house for WORK!! Today we met some more of our neighbors who were very full of information about our new house. For instance, the house has been vacant for about a year and a half and the lady who lived there had 10 dogs that she kept locked up in the fireplace room. NICE! She also liked to feed any animal that would come around, so her yard was always full of raccoons....again, NICE! We got a lot of help from the youth group in the evening time. They are serious about demolition and they got quite a bit done in just a couple of hours. We worked upstairs and got all the ceilings scraped, all the carpet removed and wallpaper pulled off of walls. We also demolished a wall and downstairs removed tile from the bathroom and entryway. The students also began scraping the ceilings in the basement and that will probably be finished by Ben today. He will be working hard every day for a few weeks...until we can get moved in. Cole worked hard all day again and he is probably very sore today. I am sure he has some fun stories to tell his friends at school, though! Again, there are pics in the photos tab.

Day One

2008-09-27T22:38:00.006-06:00

We closed on our house yesterday afternoon at 3:30 just as planned! It went really smoothly, and we are very thankful for that. Today we went over to OUR house :-) and started the work! We worked from about 11:30 this morning until 7:30 this evening. Jimmy came and helped us until about 3:00 or so, and he did a great job. Today we got all the popcorn scraped from the ceilings on the main floor as well as all the carpet pulled up. We also took the ugly gold cover off the fireplace and took the huge mirrors off the wall in the dining room. In the pictures you will see that there has been some water damage in some areas, but Ben will fix that. We found out the house has been vacant for about a year and a half....that's why the yard looks so horrible, but we will fix that later! Most of the pictures were taken by Cole because he wanted to be in charge of the camera, but I also took some of them. Cole was a huge help! He wanted to do some of everything. Jacob was happier just playing with the tools in the garage and skateboarding. Annalisa was upset that she wasn't big enough to help! Just click on the Photos tab to go to the photo album of pics. I will try to have more tomorrow!!

Good News and More Poetry

2008-09-25T12:43:00.012-06:00

So, the closing on our house is set to be tomorrow at 3:30! We are so excited about this, and we plan to spend the weekend getting the house cleaned up. We have a few projects we need to complete, which will all totally depend on how much money we have left because the plans we had last year for buying a house (when we sold our house in Kilgore) have all changed for various reasons, and now we are doing our best with what we have been blessed with. We are hoping to paint, change all the carpet (HAS TO BE DONE NO MATTER WHAT), and add a few walls in various places. It will be so nice once we are finished! I can't wait!
I also stole Cole's poetry notebook again and will post a few of the poems he has written. The first one is untitled....he didn't finish it, and he wasn't really excited about me reading it--mostly because it is a very sensitive subject for him--the accident.

Family gathers around
jet skis in water
my dad gets on and
I get on too
We start to go
a bad mistake we
made as an
unexpected BOOM
comes over the water
paramedics come as we
are taken away with
broken jet skis still floating

This next poem is called Poetry Hides and I think he wrote it over a period of time in class. I like the descriptions he puts in it.

Poetry hides in the cotton ball clouds as they soar like eagles in the sky
Poetry hides in raindrops as they sky dive into puddles
Poetry hides in the running of a river as it sings a beautiful song
Poetry hides in the glimmer of the moon as it reaches down the road
Poetry hides in the wheat fields as the wheat dances with the wind
Poetry hides in the laugh of my sister as she has fun
Poetry hides in the strict voice of my dad as he tells me what to do
Poetry hides in the thump from my brother as he stomps down the stairs
Poetry hides in the glimmer of my nana's eyes as she says good-bye
Poetry hides in my mom's smile as she tells me good job.
Poetry hides in the voice of my papa as he says "Come here."
Poetry hides in my great-grandma's soft hands as she wraps around me like an octopus
Poetry hides in a waterfall diving into the life below
Poetry hides in the aroma of a daisy as the smell dances around my nose
Poetry hides in the rumble of an earthquake as it cracks through the road

The last poem I will share is the one he wrote for Nanny. I just think it is so special that he is old enough to know her well, and has had the opportunity to get some of those thoughts on paper.

Flour color curly hair
Flour color curly hair
Flour color curly hair

board pieces clack as I
get "kinged"
cards smack down as we play
Uno
scrambled eggs hiss on
the pan as they are cooking

Happiness flows through me
as I go to her house
she is another mom
to me

Sparkling glasses hide behind
pages
Clean ironed pants dance as
each step is taken

Flour color curly hair
Flour color curly hair
Flour color curly hair

I will write more about the house as we get in, and I will post "before and after" pictures of the work as it progresses. Thank you to all of you who have prayed with us over this summer that we would find a place. We are definitely blessed to have such good friends. May God bless you as He continues to bless our family.

Poetry

2008-09-19T08:12:00.006-06:00

It's hard for me to believe that my firstborn child is growing up so fast! Cole is now in the 5th grade,10 years old and impressing me more and more every day with his abilities. His teacher is making them keep a poetry notebook this year. I think I was in 5th grade when I wrote my first poem. I wrote all through high school, and still have the book with all of my poems in it, but I stopped writing when I went to college. Some of the poems in Cole's poetry books are poems they have to copy, and some are poems they have written themselves. He wrote a poem about Nanny (Ben's grandmother) that brought tears to my eyes. He was glad I was crying because he told me, "Mrs. Alden said our poetry is supposed to bring about emotion in people." This morning he showed me a poem that I thought he had copied from someone else. He didn't. He wrote it on his own. He was supposed to write from the viewpoint of a tree that was close to where he lives. Currently we are living in our pastor's basement and in their backyard is a Blue Spruce, which is what Cole wrote about. I was impressed that he even knew it was a Blue Spruce!

Blue Spruce

I am always blue
As I look upon you
I will remain here
No matter what

I tower above you mortal man
For I will live forever
You can trust me
I will not lie
Or let a secret out
No matter what

You can touch me I will not hurt
I won't flinch I won't cry
I won't even die
No matter what

From seed to birth
I remain here
Until the end
No matter what

I just wanted to share it because I thought the language shows how mature Cole is getting and the thoughts he is able to get onto paper and convey to others. There are more poems that I am sure I will share at another point, but this is the only one I could steal away from him this morning before he left for school!

Another Setback

2008-09-04T19:43:00.005-06:00

So, even though the court date for our house has been set for the past two weeks, when the attorneys got there today they decided they weren't ready to deal with our case. Therefore, no signature is on our paperwork. They have now moved our court date to Sept. 18th. The bank has said they will accept our offer on the house through Sept. 26th, which means we have to close before then. HOPEFULLY the attorneys will have everything in order by the 18th and can sign the piece of paper they need to sign so we can get a house! We were thinking we would be closed by the end of next week, but that won't be happening.

Photos Tab

2008-09-04T16:01:00.007-06:00

Just a small post to let you know the "Photos" Tab at the top of my page now redirects to a site I created through Shutterfly for you to view all the photos I upload. Check it periodically to see what new photos I may have uploaded!

Getting Closer!!

2008-09-03T15:17:00.008-06:00

So, for those of you who are interested in what is happening with the Newton's house hunting adventure......we are getting closer to closing on a house!! Tomorrow is set to be the court date for the house. Apparently whoever lived in the house died because it is now owned by the city, and they have to sign off on the paperwork. That has been one thing that has taken a long time in this whole process. Well, tomorrow is supposed to be the day!! Then, we have been told we can close very shortly after that!! The only thing that could stop us from being able to close is if the FHA inspection does not go through. So please pray with us that everything goes smoothly with that. It is scheduled to be done either this Friday or early next week. Before we can move in, though, some minor things must be done. The carpet has to be replaced, but since we like paint on the walls we will paint before the new carpet is put in. Ben is going to do a little remodeling also before the new carpet is put in, so even if we close next week we may not get to move in for a few weeks after that, but either way it should be soon!! We have been living in the basement for 3 months now, and we are ready to be able to send the kids to their rooms again! But, when we say we have been in the basement for 3 months, we know that means we are 3 months closer to getting our own house! This has been a good learning experience for our children, though and they know that God will provide for and care for His children even if it is in ways that we didn't expect. I have posted the few pics of the house that I could get off the internet in hopes that everything does work out and we do get this house.