Hi!

Not a lot to report at the White House so thought I would just post a few pics. :) Have a great day!

Older than my older brother.....:(

So tomorrow I will embark on my 29th year of life. I have more in my life than I could ever imagined. I have tons and tons to be thankful for. But, this is one birthday that is harder for me than most. Tomorrow I will be older than my older brother. How I wish this was some crazy riddle with a silly answer but it's not. My brother who was 8 years older than me entered into the gates of Heaven at a very young age 28. I have often thought about him this year. Thinking about how I remember at 28.

Tomorrow I will surpass him in earthly age and it is just making me so sad. I really miss him so much. We had our ups and downs like any brother and sister. I dearly miss being Paul's little sister. Of course I will always be his little sister. I just miss having him here as my big brother.

I couldn't and wouldn't wish him back here. He is in a perfect body now and I can't even fathom how he must feel, I can only imagine.

Here is a video in memory of my biggest and bestest brother love your little sis
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3LUc78vbDk

A WORM!!!!

So today had been a good day but a long day. I finally sat down to eat around 8:30pm. I had all the kids tucked in so I decided to sit down and watch some tv while I ate. I was sitting on the floor and noticed something by the molding. I asked Paul what it was. After close examination he says "Huh, it's a worm." What, a what. Is what I was thinking but my legs were already outta there. I dashed in to the kitchen totally grossed out. Thank goodness the kids were all sleeping otherwise it would be Heidi the science teacher who just loves worms and all of God's wonderful creations. Instead, it was Heidi from Jr. high who can't stand bugs and hi tailed it out of the room yelling "Ewwwwwwwwwww!!!!!!!!!!" Now my sister is like the ultimate bug killer. She lives in a rural area which has stunning mountain views. However, along with those views come some very interesting creatures. I mean not just your run of the mil scorpions and tarantulas but like on Tuesday for instance....she found a bug in the hallway that she described as centipede. I told her that I thought they felt really soft on their backs. She said ummmmm, it actually had pincher's on the back. EKKKKKKKKKKK. I love her so much and she has to be one of the bravest people I know. I told her I would have paid the bug guy $100 to come kill it for me.

Anyway, I guess tonight was a blog much to do about nothing. LOL Hope you are having a great week and please..........watch your step. :)


PS obviously no picture is needed or wanted for this entry.

We found our church on CRAIGSLIST!!!

So a few weeks ago I was at my wits end with the girls' room. There room is probably about 10feetx11feet so fitting two twin beds in is really tight. After 8 years of proudly proclaiming we would never, I mean never buy bunk beds........we gave in. (We were afraid they would get hurt) We just felt they needed a little room to play and spread their wings a little.
We searched and found a really nice set on CL. When Paul called to work out a pickup time he realized we had bought something from these people before. Indeed we had, we bought a really cute cat and dog shower curtain set. (We had flowers in the kids' bath and thought we needed something a little more neutral for the boys now.
When Paul went to pick the beds up it was too tight to fit in the van. So the couple offered the husbands help and truck to bring it to us. How cool was that. Anyway, Paul spent at least 30minutes chatting with the guy on the front porch. When he came in he proudly told me, "I found our new church." This struck me as odd or really it was God. I have been really struggling with some issues of the church we have attended for about 5years. Paul on the other hand has always loved the church so I figured finding a new church wasn't in the cards.
So Paul and I talked for quite awhile that night. We both agreed that the distance and size of our church was a little too much. (easy to get lost in 12,000 people. :0) So we decided to give this new church a try.
Paul and the kids and my mom and dad went last weekend. I stayed home sick with Preston. When he came home he said he enjoyed it and thought it might be the answer for us. My mom and dad, who have been looking for nearly 5 years, seemed to enjoy it too.
I finally got to go today and it was awesome. He preached straight from the BIBLE. He has an expository style of preaching. I loved it. It was really neat having someone explain line by line what is being said.
The kids seem to really enjoy their classes as well. I think this could really be a time of growth for all of us and that is so exciting.
Now I am off to bed after I smother my lip in carmex. It's amazing how I can go through the pain of labor and yet a cracked lip can still hurt so bad.

Happy week!!!

Brownie batter and backyard swings

So yesterday was the first day in a long time I really felt like a "good" mom. We were babysitting a few kids from our homeschool group due to a death in their family which required attending an out of town funeral for the parents. So needless to say with 8 kids running through the hosue, the day was all about the kids.

I was a little overwhelmed at first. I'm the type who quickly offers my help and then moan and groan to God and anyone who listens(sorry Cat) about dreading what I willingly got myself into. I know the bible is pretty clear about being a cheerful giver with money and I am trying to practice this with time too.

Anyway, the day went really well much thanks to my hubby. He is way more laid back than I am and goes with the flow. I am more of the dam that gets in the way of the flow sometimes.

So by mid morning I just chilled out. I thought, all that is going to get done today is taking care of the kids. You know what, that's ok.

Garrison was having melt down after melt down so instead of spanking, time outs and both of us crying......we made brownies. I plopped him on the counter and he and I made a delicous batch of brownies. He was covered in batter and I didn't even care. He was happy and so was I.

The rest of the day rolled really well. We spent some time mowing the yard. Then all the kiddos took turns swinging on the backyard swing with me. It was really nice just enjoying each other. I went to bed feeling like I had really spent my time doing the most important things. Obviously there are chores to keep up with but a day like this was just really nice. :0)

Today, I feel a little behind with school. I always manage to get the 3 R's done but sometimes neglect the fun parts of science and geography. It all comes down to planning and I am really going to work on that this weekend.

All in all it's been a nice week.

We did have one very sad event this week. My sister's sweet dog passed away. Raisin was an incredible and loyal pet. I kept telling Cathy how sorry I was and how we will all miss her so much. I cried with her on the phone telling her I wish there was something I could say to make things better. I hate when my sister cries. It's not often, but I hate it. So please keep her and her family in your prayers. I do believe dogs go to Heaven and I am sure she is already getting some good snuggling in from my big

brother.

Doesn't even compare

This morning I was feeling overwhelmed with some money issues. i was really wrestling with the frustration of having mroe month than money.Staring your morning off with 2 calls about payments being due prompted this struggle. It's not medical bills or car repairs that have caused us these problmes but just irresponsible overspending. This is something Paul and I have struggled with for the better part of our marriage. We have made huge striedes but still have muh work to do.
So I was feeling quite sorry for myself for the place we are at financially and so I went surfing for awhile. Quickly I found the blog a fellow MFW user/blogger who had just lost her precious baby boy during her 20th week of pregnancy. (For those who don't know, we lost our little boy Carter during the 23rd week of pregnancy in Feb '06) So her blog touched a nerve and I began reading her previous posts. Then I cm accross a post with the Casting Crowns song "Praise you in this storm". Thsi has been what Paul and I call our "Carter Song" since shortly after we lost him. The words are incredible and completely describe how I felt/feel.
After watching the video and of course shedding more tears, I realized how I was really missing the mark this morning. Sure, money is tight and it is frustrating but GOD is BIGGER! Hasn't he proved that to me? He scooped me up and carried me in His arms when we lost Carter, will he not walk with us through this as well? This struggle does not even compare to ANY we have already faced. Yes, Paul and I have made mistakes to cause this but God is still here. He will provide in ways we NEED and I know that. He showed me that yesterday when a neighbor showed up at our door with 5 stunningly beautiful dresses for the girls to wear this winter. Amazing how in 24 hours I could let myself doubt Him.
I am beyonf blessed to call myself a child of God, his child.

Here is the video if you would like to watch it. :0)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yr7i5L6kFT0

Hot glue and a chicken head???

These last few weeks, no more like months have been so crazy. I seriously have wind blown hair from life blowing by so fast. The crazy thing is most people I talk to feel the same way. At first I thought maybe having 5 kids causes you to feel like you are in perpetual motion but I think it's a majority of our country. I was on the phone with a friend who has 2 kids and I asked her if she felt really busy. She said absolutely. I was so amazed that she felt the same way.
So why is it that we have made so many fantastic technological advances but yet our time seems more limited than ever. We have appliances that help make our life easier in so many valuable ways yet......we feel like we have to stop and grab fast food because we either don't have time to shop or even if we did when on earth would we cook it????
I think our kids feel it too. I remember when I was young and I felt so carefree. I could lay on my bed for hours and not feel like I was going to be days behind for enjoying a leisurely afternoon. Jac stormed out of the room muttering how she wishes she could have "just one Saturday to do what I wanted". I know, at first I thought well listen here little missy, you don't call the shots on how the days run around here. I admit I was pretty upset over the fact that she feels like the days should revolve around her plans. But, then tonight I think it really hit me that the kids needs breaks too. There are days we have errands up the wazoo and I am sure it is overwhelming to them. It is to me too.
So as of tonight I am quiting the days of running around like a chicken with my head cut off. I am officially hot gluing my head back on. (You know I could have said rubber cemented my head back on and that sure would sound a lot less painful than hot glue......but)
My mom and I, both are all star quality procrastinators, often tell each other you make time to do the things you really want to do. It is so true. So this week I am going to try my best to take out all the things that just don't belong......right now. I hate to say it but I think browsing.....no stalking craigslist is going to have to be put on hold for awhile. I know there will be someone else that will be the first to find that listing of 10,000 Christmas lights tangled beyond belief free to whoever is willing to detangle them but......that's just going to have to be ok.
So if you are reading this thinking......that crazy lady must just not manage her time well. (you are right :0) ) Please share something that you have done or changed in your routine to create a little more time in your day.
These days of toddler and babies will pass so fast and I don't want to miss anymore than I already have. So if you have time, :0) , please lift me up in prayer for getting all of these things straightened out.
Ok, 6 minutes until I promised myself I would be in bed so that should be just enough time to cruise craigslist one more time right......I know...I'm going to bed. Good night

Turning the corner on colic :0)

I know it's hard to believe this sweet little face can be Mr. McFussypants isn't it? Mr. P-body has ben so colicy for the last 6-8 weeks but we really feel he is turning the corner. It has been a long several weeks to say the least but every day gets a little better. I am so thankful that we have these incredible little people in our lives.

Isn't he such a cutie!!!!!

I just love this pic of the kids. They really are a tight little bunch and it's so awesome to see. Sure, they have their fair share of fights and then some but then you have moments like these and your sanity comes back.

School is going FANTASTIC. Amazing what a difference a year makes. Last year I spent so much time wondering if we were doing the right thing. What if I was making a huge mistake? What if they don't learn anything? Now we are a year down the road and I can see tremendous gains. I really helped them learn. Not to mention all the little lessons they have helped me learn these last 12 months. I still have the lovely "yellow school bus" days every now and then. But I am so thankful to be in the spot we are today. Some days Paul and I look at each other in shock and wonder what are we doing!!!!!!!! But most days we look at our life in amazement for the life that we have. Tonight, I feel very blessed.

10 pm and still awake waaahhhhh!!!

No matter how hard I try, I cannot make it to bed before 10pm. It's so funny to think back when I was younger. Staying up until 10 was a big deal. Then staying up even later than that was huge! I can remember nights that I stayed up all night and still felt great the next day. Now if I am up past 11 I can plan on two fully charged cups of coffee just to try and roll my lifeless, tired beyond belief body out of bed. I'M GETTING OLD!!!! Apparently not really getting but I done got!

10 years

Yesterday Paul and I celebrated our 10 yr wedding anniversary. We have managed to pack a lot in to those quick 10. We have had great times and not so great times but all I can say have been blessings in one way or another. We started very early into our marriage losing my brother at a young 28 (which is the age I am now and feels very odd to be as old as my older brother was). The blessing was knowing his heart was marked for Christ and I will hug him again someday. Shortly after we welcomed our first baby into the world. Followed by 3 more little sets of feet that run through our house spreading joy and an occasional mess, or was that the other way around. hmmmm Then we were carried through the loss of our little boy, Carter. I say carried because I know God scooped this heartbroken mommy up into His arms until I was ready to walk again. Then we added our newest little guy to the bunch.
We have had our ups and our downs and we have always had each other. Marriage is a TON of work. More so than I ever would have thought. Mom and Dad, you made it look way too easy!
So we had a pretty mellow day around here but that was fine in the end. I went on a shopping trip to Target with Jac and that was just what we both needed. OK, scaring her in the toy aisle with a giant plastic tarantula may have been a little more for me. :0). Mom and Dad dropped by for a few minutes to bring us a gift which was very sweet. Then we wrapped up the night with a pizza party with the 7 of us. All in all, a very nice day.
I am planning on venturing over to church this weekend. Our church has DVD's of each service but the music is not quite the same. I need my Andy fix. :) ( He is our worship leader who is a cross between Bob Carlisle and a little bit of rock to me. )

I also want to say a huge thanks to everyone who left such encouraging words the other day. I needed them as I am sure you knew. They really touched my heart in such a huge way. I am the first in my local family to home school so at times I feel like I am on an island and it ain't Barbados. :) Thank you so much!!!

Have a fantastic weekend!!!

Uuuggggg

When you find yourself sitting on the couch absolutely glued to the TV watching Super Nanny.......not because you can't believe how some children act.....but more like you are trying to gain any useful tips to help you "get through" the day........feeling like this could very well be your own family on tv is......well it just isn't good. To say I am struggling with the kids would be an understatement. I am tired and drained and feel very overwhelmed. I love my kids and they are my world. But right now I am just wondering if we are in fact doing the right thing.
The reason we first talked about homeschooling was so Jac(dc #2) would not have to attend full time K. I felt and still feel an 8hr day away from home is too much for a 5 year old. Then Paul and I talked and we really felt led to homeschool because we wanted the kids to really have strong character, know right from wrong and have a personal relationship with Christ to guide them in their life. We never said we would homeschool forever. We felt we would take it one year at a time.
Now here I sit, curriculum bought wondering if I should just send them to public school. I feel like we dropped the ball on the girls. The things that were so important to us fell by the wayside and we were just trying to "get through" our days.
I had dreams of our kids getting along, enjoying each others company and us all having this great adventure in life. Nope. Our days are filled with bickering, griping, complaining and that's just from Paul and I. :0) JK. It's not that way all the time but it just feels like it at time.
Part of me really wants to make this work and another part of me wants to take what I feel is the easy way out. (Not that sending your children to public school is taking the easy way out. But for our season of life right now I feel God pushing me to do something I just don't want to therefor I would be taking the easy way out.)
I am tired, my clothes don't fit, my kids wear me out, money is tight and I feel stuck in a rut. More than anything I lack discipline BIG TIME. The sad thing is most of these things would go away if I could get my act together. Could it be because I am trying to handle things all on my own. I haven't been to church in 10 weeks (we are keeping P home until around 12 weeks due to him being a premie) but that's no excuse for not cracking open my bible.
I guess I am writing thise because maybe seeing all this in type will help me to realize what the problems really are. Please pray for me that .......honestly I don't even know what exactly to pray for. I am just tired of "getting through". I want more for me and I want more for my family. Maybe God is putting little thorns in my test so I can focs on what my priorities should be rather than what they are.

One of the places we learn

This is our main work area. My Dad found those cabinets on clearance for $25.00 each. I love a great deal and boy can we fill those up.
This is where the kids work. We wanted to make sure there was enough room for the older 4 to be able to work all at the same time. Some day we would like an old formal dining room table that we all could sit at but for now this works fine. :)
The rainbow storage unit is where the girls store their books by subject. The piano is where the boys make "music".
This is our homemade calendar. We used items from the Dollar Spot at Target last year. The pieces velcro to the foam board. I think this cost about $5.00 to put together. :)
This is an idea I found on Heidi Swapp's blog and we all love it. It's a tray that we put in the middle of the table and everyone has easy access to all the crayons, markers, colored pencils and other goodies. It's so functional and pretty cute too. :)

I would love to see the places you learn too. SO, if you have pics please feel free to post your links. We are still looking to fill in some gaps so if you see something missing let us know. We love all the help we can get. :0)

Our Bumbo Boy

The cool thing about having kids over the last 8 years is the new things that come out with each new baby. Now this may have been around for a while but for us it is brand new, a bumbo chair. I put P in it this morning and he looks so cute. He lasted about 3 minutes but that was long enough for me to snag a pic. Now it is back to school with the girls. Have a great day!

Ok......I can do this

So I had a mini breakdown on Saturday night. After shedding many tears I came to the realization that I am exhausted. It's like everything just hit me at once. I knew Paul was going back to work in 2 days and had no idea how I was going to handle all 5 kids! Any other time that I have had a baby I feel pretty fantastic quite soon after. But with Preston it has been really different and difficult. Having a csection and then spending the next 2 weeks after going to and from the hospital was a lot. Then finally bringing him home but then getting used to his monitor that beeps....a lot. Then trying to make sure I am spending enough time with all my babies. Wishing I felt up to do the cleaning that I know needs to be done. Wishing I was in the kitchen pulling freshly baked chocolate chip cookies out of the oven while a roast simmers in the crock pot. But I am tired and I am lucky to get the necessites of a day in.

Today is a much better day. The sun is brighly shining in my world today. Which is kind of ironic as it is really overcast today and a chance of rain. But, I love rainy days so that just adds to my day. Our 5 month old pug is getting the hang of potty training. AMEN! and yes Mother the boys will be NEXT! :0)

Today, I feel like I am going to be able to handle it all. I am getting used to the monitor. In fact this morning I was changing Preston and it went off and didn't even scare me. SO HA! It's pretty funny that me who LOVES to scare people can get so riled myself. I am very blessed and thankful today. It's amazing when you try to handle your life on your own how much easier and enjoyable it is when you surrender the reigns to the rightful owner. I am drawing from the unfailing strength that only God can give. What an awesome God!

PS and a few new pics of P!

Just a great day

So today I had my first official outting(other than the daily trips to see P) and I got to go to Target. It was about a 30 minute trip and that was enough for me. I wanted to "borrow" Heidi Swapp's very cool craft idea for entertaining the kids through summer. The girls are having a ball with the new crayons and markers and what not. Then we took it a step farther and put a clear plastic table cloth over the entire table to protect it while the kids are coloring. Then when they are done they can slide their pic under it and TADA we have a kitchen table adorned with beautiful pics from our favorite artists. :)

Then Paul and I went to see Preston. It was amazing. He was wide awake when we got there. He was waving his arms around and sucking on his hands. He seemed so "normal" today. He took the first part of his bottle and then finished the rest through his tube. He even gave us a few little cries. What a precious sound that was for us. We haven't heard him cry since the first few minutes after he was born. He is really doing well and hopefully we will soon be a party of 7 at home.

Here is a cute little pic his Daddy took. Please continue to keep out little guy in your prayers. :)

6th baby and I feel like a ROOKIE????

Our newest addition quickly made his way into the world on Friday May 18th. We got to the hospital around 1pm and by 6 pm he was being delivered via c-section(my first). He was 34 weeks to the day. He was taken directly to the nicu where he still remains. Everyday he hits a new milestone. At this point we are dealing with a little jaundice and he has a tube in his nose for eating. He does about half of his feedings through a bottle and the rest through the tube. We are hoping and praying that he comes home very soon. He is doing fantastic and was just a little early to have to deal with breathing, eating, swallowing and everything at once. Please keep our little Preston Lee in your prayers!

Preston Lee

born May 18th

weighing 5lbs 3oz

18.5 inches long

6:06pm

Is someone fooling me or is April really almost over???

WOW, I cannot believe April is ending this weekend. Crazy. The time is just flying by right now.

I took a little time last night and worked on 2 layouts. I used the same colors so I could have the pages side by side. I usually don't scrap 2 page layouts but they look so much nicer to me. So the first one is Preston's ultrasound and the second if a very brave belly pic layout. I never, ever have done these with the other kids becasue of not wanting my pic taken when I look "that" pregnant but I bit the bullet and went ahead and tried one. I know I love the pic of my mom pregnant with me in her swimsuit by the pool. We looked so cute huh Mom. :0) Anyway, Victoria actually took the pic for me. I guess we had a photography class that day. LOL

We had a great dr. appt today and now all the rest of my appts. are scheduled. Our little guy will be here before we even know it. :)

Hope you have a great day, Heidi

Sasha 1st photo shoot

Sasha has had a big day today. She started off early this morning by being introduced to Gus. Gus is an 8 month old Pug that lives 2 doors down. We are very partial to our little Sasha and think she is the most beaufiful Pug we've seen but I gotta tell ya that Gus is a looker. They both were so excited to meet each other. Gus just strolled right up to our front door and I'm sure we'll be seeing him back. LOL

So Miss Sasha was feeling pretty good about herself today. So when the kids went down their nap I took her in the office to do a mim photo shoot. I found some great fabric at WalMart last night that I thought would be so fun for backdrops when I take pics of the kids. I was so anxious to see what it would like so I grabbed Sasha and started taking some pics. She is just so cute. I took about 5 pics just to see how they would turn out. I am pretty happy. Can't wait to experiment with the kiddos. They are always such willing little subjects. LOL

Happy Thursday!!!!

Botanical Garden Field Trip

Last Friday we went to the Desert Botanical Garden. Paul had free passes from AMEX so we figured what did we have to lose. I have to admit I am not a fan of the desert wildlife. I would much prefer to be looking at palm trees and ocean waves but.........we had a fantastic time. The weather was beautiful, the kids were awesome and the plants were actually pretty cool. My favorite cactus is one that resembles and octopus. It was creepy and cool at the same time.

The best part for all of us was the Butterfly Encounter. You go inside this huge screenhouse and there are TONS of butterflies flying around. 2 of them landed on Paul which the kids loved. Some of the butterflies were just HUGE! The colors were amazing. God must have had so much fun when he made butterflies.

I was really proud of the kids. It wasn't the most exciting field trip but they had so much fun. They are still talking about it.......but I guess so am I. LOL

So here is the layout that I did last night.

Have a SUPER day!!!

Broke my streak

So last night I was doing a little cyber shopping and found this really cool flame paper from atomic cupcake. I so LOVE her stuff! I remembered that Cathy had just sent me a pic of Jeffrey driving a Ford GT. So I opened up photoshop and got busy. It felt great to get a little scrapping done. I don't think I have done any since we did that book for my Dad back in November. Oh my gosh, is that crazy.

Victoria finished her spelling book today. Yahhhooo!! It feels great to have one subject completely done! She was so thrilled and then asked me when her new book is coming. LOL

Man, I wish you could hear Sasha snoring on my bed. It is making me so sleepy. LOL 9 more hours and I can go to bed.

Well, hope you have a really nice springy day!

Tired...........

I am more tired this pregnancy than ever before. Hmmm, I wonder why? I mean I wake up tired. I love being pregnant and feel so incredibly blessed to be but I am POOPED!!!! I told my Dr. that I was feeling really tired this time around and he lovingly told me I should feel better when Preston goes to college. :) :) :)
We did get a few things done this weekend. I ordered all of the girls' curriculum for next year. I have spent hours and I mean hours researching so many different kinds of books and what not. Last year we chose a "boxed" curriculum which is pretty much everything you need for the year. Super for a rookie homeschooler like me. This coming year thought I wanted to try something a little different. So now we are doing an "eclectic" style piecing things together. It's pretty scary at first having no one to tell you exactly what you need to buy for your child. So I tried to really listen to what God was guiding us toward. So after spending all day yesterday online, I can say that everythhing is DONE! I feel so great about it too. My goal is to finish our year up this month and then start our next year in May. With our summers being so hot having something to do during the day seems to make sense to us.
One of the books we are using is Apologia Zoology 2 which explores some of the animals God created on the 5th day. The author has an amzing style of writing that just sucks you in. Like did you know that the blue whale has a heart the size of a VW Bug? Or that it has veins so large you could swim through them. Crazy huh! Look forward to more of my little tidbit this year. LOL
Well, Preston has decided to park himself right under my ribs so I think I am going to go lay down with the boys and watch "Cars". Such a great movie to round out our Nascar Sunday.

It's a jungle in HERE

So we made the big switch and put the boys together this week. It's so funny to hear these two little voices chattering away at night. They seem to really enjoy being together. Now we are starting to prep the nursery for Preston. We purchased most of the items when I was pg with Carter so now all we need are the little touches. I am a little stuck on what to do with the green wall on the right. Any ideas??? I bought the matching wallpaper border to embelish a few things in the room like the ceiling fan blades and what not. It is a work in progress and I'll update as we go along. We are almost done with the entire house and I am so happy. It's been a lot of work, a lot of fun and LOTS of paint. :)

TGIF

I love Firdays!!! I am so glad every week has one. :) Today we are off to run a few errands. I love getting any shopping before the weekenders hit. I am not a big fan of crowds especially when we have 4 little ones in tow. I am hoping to find a couple cute outfits, a trip to Joanns to grab some card making stuff and the book store to grab this really cool book called "Managers of their Households". It's a book that helps you figure out what are your most important priorites around the house and then making time to get everything done. I love organization. The downside to that is if I feel unorganized I feel very unproductive. We are also going to work on chore lists and an allowance and this should help with that as well. A lot of little arrands but will feel so great when they are all done!!! YAHHHOOO

It's a GIRL!!!!

Ok, we haven't really been able to say "It's a girl" in quite a while but we can today. We adopted our newest addition to our family this past Sunday. Her name is Sasha and she is a spunky 7 week old pug. I know some people may think that was really quick after losing our sweet Sassy and it was. Crazy as it is though Paul and I have lost now 3 precious pets in our10 years and each time we have adopted someone within about a week. It's always seemed to work out and I'm sure this will be the case with Sasha. We named her Sasha so she has SAS from her big sister. 0:)

We had checked the pound over the weekend but weren't able to find any puppes. Because we have such small kids we wanted to make sure we knew what we were getting. So we found Sasha in the paper and went and picked her up early Sunday morning. The lady we adopted her from was also named White so Sasha went from the the White house to the White house. :) The kids are just eating her up. I don't think she has spent to much time on all fours yet. Not to mention her daddy is pretty smitten with her too. She seems to be a great fit for our family and we are so happy to have her.

This weekend we are going to the nursery to pick out a really pretty tree for Sassy. We want to plant it in the backyard near a spot where she loved to sunbathe. Jac even mentioned placing her beloved ball near the tree. I think it is a great idea. Jac has had the most difficult time other than her mommy, with losing Sassy. She is so full of passion. It is so awesome when she is loving someone but just heartbreaking when she is hurting. She loves to push my buttons but her spirit is just incredible. What a dynamic little person God entrusted to us.

Have a wonderful day!!!!!!!!!!!

Off you go

I can't even begin to believe these are words I am actually even writing. Yesterday we let go of our very first furbaby. Sassy was our sweet little girl that we adopted on our honeymoon. She gave us nearly 10 years of tremendous loyalty and love. We fell in love with her as soon as we met her. She was so full of life. When Paul called to make her an appt. yesterday the receptionist said "Oh, I remember happy little Sassy." She really left an impact on all who knew her. That girl LOVED to play ball like no other. She was such an incredible part of our lives. Even my Dad cried when he found out. She really loved everyone. So many things we can learn from our beloved pets without them ever speaking a word. We love you so much Sassy! Words cannot even begin to thank you for the nearly 10 amazing years you gave us. A part of our hearts you will always be. Love, Mom and crew

It's a ......................

BOYYYY!!!!!!!!!! We are so thrilled that our little "he" looks so healthy and happy. He was a busy little guy during the ultrasound. We were able to take the girls with us and they were very entertained with their new little bro. Now we are stuck on names. Any suggestions?

This Saturday we are going yard saling for baby items. I am so excited. I love getting great deals on fun stuff. We had given all of our baby stuff away after we had Gar thinking we were done. So we will get up early and grab powder doughnuts and OJ.....breakfast of yard sale champions. LOL

Here is a pic of our little guy sucking his thumb. Thanks for looking and have a great day, Heidi

I NEED to scrap

It has been weeks so I have done any scrapping be it paper or digital. Hopefully today will be my break through. It seems like the weeks are just flying by anymore. So I thought I would post an older layout of our Toribug. So hard to believe she will be 8 soon. WOW!

Today is the girls first day of PE at the park. They are so excited to meet their new coach and fellow homeschool friends. I hope they have a great time.

Last night I felt my first "real" kick from baby "E". I was laying down listening with the doppler. It's really cute right now because you can hear "E" wiggling around in there. I was so intent on listening and then there was this big kick. It totally startled me. I think "E" had enough of the doppler at that point. It was really cute and reassuring as I never really felt our little Carter kick at all. Then I felt a few little kicks this morning too. I can't wait for the kids to start feeling them too. :)

Hope you have a super day, Heidi

Sweet 16

I was 12 years old when my nephew, Jeffrey, was born. I was the baby of the family so this was the first baby I was able to spend time with on a regular basis. I might as well rat myself out now before he does about something. When he was about a week and a half old I thought I had broke him. :( I was changing his diaper and his cord fell off. I felt terrible. I mean someone could have warned me that could happen. :) I was reassured that everything was fine and I felt much better. I love him so much. Jeffrey and I share the same sad sense of humor and he loves to laugh. Jeffrey has always felt much more like a little brother to me than a nephew. We also tend to fight like brother and sister too. Now he is taller than I am so he can take me down a little easier. LOL

Anyway, Happy Birthday buddy! I hope this year is your best year yet. I love you, Heidi

Jac is reading....... yahoooo

My goal for homeschooling Jac was to have her reading by the end of the year and by george she's got it. I am just amazed. Even though I spend everyday with her, it blows me away how much she has learned. She is just starting with the easy readers but she is well on her way. She is so proud to be reading along with her big sis.

School is going really well right now too. It sure has taken a lot of getting used to. It's fun and exciting and challenging and draining. I am still trying to decide which programs to use next year so if you get a chance please pray for guidance for me in this area. This year we did a box program that was all inclusive. Great for a newbie like me but next year I am looking for a little more structure than what we had this year.

Speaking of school, I am off to give Victoria her math test and Jac gets 5 new sight words. Have a great day!!!!

PS The pic is one of Jac from the summer daydreaming at Nana's. I thought this was a great pic for entering the world of reading. WOW

11 days to go :)

11 days until we find out if we are going to round out our family with a little girl or little boy. It's been so long since I have been able to buy little girly baby clothes but having boys is wonderful beyond my dreams so either is fine........I just want to know!!!!!
Right now I have Turner and Hootch on in the background. That is such a cute movie. Gotta love him with those droopy cheeks and pouty eyes. Not my favorite movie but still a good one. Which brings me to what would be my fav movie.................hhhhmmmmmmmmmm.............there are several that I like but my all time fav would probably be Shawshenk Redemption. Normally those are not the movies I love to see but I have always loved that one. Morgan Freeman is such a fantastic actor too.
I sure do enjoy Sundays. It's so nice to have a fresh start to the week. I am not even behind on anything yet. LOL But I will be if I don't get my grocery list done soon. :) Ugggg

7 am and........

I am dressed, hair done and make up applied. This has to be a good day right? I am not really a morning person at all. I enjoy lounging around as long as I can but today I made myself get up and get going. It feels great. My pj's will miss me today but that's ok. :)
I have to tell you about this show I watched last night. Now, first I have to say I feel that I am pretty busy with 4 kids and being pregnant. Well, last night was a show on TLC about a family with...........are you ready for this......................................16 kids. HOLY MOLY! It was amazing to watch how smooth their days ran though. The Mom totally has things under control and the kids seemed to be great kids. They range in age from maybe 5 to older 20's. They all live at home too. The Dad and a few of the boys built their house all on their own. It's so pretty on a huge piece of land. They have 6 bedroom and 8 bathrooms. Wow, it was really cool to watch. She also homeschools them all. In all 16 children only 1 is a girl. Can you imagine when she goes on her first date. LOL

Hope you have a terrific Tuesday. Make the most of it. :)

Choices

It's pretty crazy to think that it's barely into the 2nd semester at school and already we are looking onward to next fall. I am planning on choosing another program to go with for the girls next for homeschooling. Last year we waited to long to decide that once we know we wanted to homeschool I had to hurry and pick a program. The one we used was ok. I guess for this year I am looking for something a little more structured.
There are just so many options out there. It's always hard when it comes to your kids because you want to give them the best you can and sometimes it just overwhelming. The girls love being homeschooled but being the parent I know there are compromises on both sides. There are huge pros for both public school and homeschool. I guess tonight I am just tired and overwhelmed.
This week 2 big things are happening. Paul is taking over our small group from church. I am so proud of him and I think this is going to be a huge growing experience for both of us. Also, this will be our first week hosting at our house. EEEEKK. I am so excited but my house really needs some TLC. or CAB-which are the initials of my beautiful sister who always has a beautifully clean house. Maybe after she reads this she will come help me. :0)

2007

I love a new year. It's so nice having a fresh start. It is such a great feeling. This year my goal is simple, have an attitude of grattitude. It was a sermon we heard this last weekend and it just clicked for me. I can be pretty negative at times but deep down that's not who I am happy to be. I let little things get under my skin way too much. So, this year I am going to try my best to be more thankful and I think it will flood into all areas of my life. I am affecting 6 lives, including my own, everyday with the things I say and do. What a great oppertunity to impact those who I am closest too. I have so much to be thankful for and much less to pout about. Hope you have a wonderful day!