opening presents 

The beloved Metal Detector 

Eves first present 

After Christmas Update

We had a Great Christmas this year. The boys got most everything that they wanted. The most loved present was the metal detector. Many hours were spent outside with shovel in one hand and detector in the other. As you can see we were in t-shirts Christmas Day, which I was so happy about. No white Christmas needed for this gal.

Eve opened her first Christmas present, it was a cell phone, she is getting some early practice.

So now I am just walking behind all the children picking up choking hazards at an alarming rate. To wind it all down a bit the kids are sick and laying around, which makes for a very quite house.

I hope every one had an equilly happy Christmas this Year. And We wish Yall a wonderful safe New Year! 2006 here we come!!

Quoting Devon

Prelude(he has been drawing a diagram of a machine complete with conveyer belt, that will make chocolate cars, which at first I thought, how will you drive a chocolate car in Texas, but then was told it was candy cars, "geese...Mom..are you sure I came from your womb?)

Devon 10: "There has to be a place I can go to tell all my inventions to, because I am so chalked full of ideas!"

Me thinking to self: Ya, your chalked full of something alright!

Holiness--as I then wrote down some of my contemplations on it--appeared to me to be of a sweet, calm, pleasant, charming, serene nature, which brought an inexpressible purity, brightness, peacefulness, ravishment to the soul; in other words, that it made the soul like a field or garden of God, with all manner of pleasant fruits and flowers, all delightful and undisturbed, enjoying a sweet calm and the gentle vivifying beams of the sun. --Jonathan Edwards

Just in case your wondering

So, what does it look like in my living room on any given day, after I have exhausted all my avenues of keeping 5 rambunctious boys busy. Well here's a sample. Your jealous aren't you. LOL

still wwf 

wwf 

dog pile 

Simplicity 

The Good Old Days

I have often said, more times than I can count that I was born in the wrong time. Now, I know God does not make mistakes, but I am so drawn to "the little house on the prairie days". Living out on a hillside with my husband and to many children to count;-)! And the children being seen as a blessing and an asset instead of a burden, as so many people think.

There would be a garden, and cows, chickens, pigs and goats. All healthy wholesome foods. I would not have to pay double for food that is not covered in pesticides or shot-up with hormones and potions(of who knows what). Homemade butter, fresh eggs.

We would not owe the light company or the water company or the cable company or the phone company, I'll stop there because I could go on all day! But what about all those modern day comforts? Wouldn't you miss them? No washing machine...GASP! I think the cost of these things was to high a price to pay! Not money, but the trade off that came with these things.

There was a time, not long ago, when right was right and wrong was wrong. There was no in between. Life was simple and purposefully so. Frivolity!?! There was no need for that. Men were men and Ladies were Ladies. Those of which are becoming extinct. If you had a problem with someone you settled it "outside". Friends spent TIME in each others PRESENCE, life was hands on, not long distance, and vicarious. Life was real. It was simple, hard, tedious, respectful, genuine, real.

Yes its "real" now, but some what washed out, covered over and drowned out. Why do I morn so much for a time I never knew? Im not sure. I know that I can only find that peace now in Jesus. Not anywhere in this world. And I hope with all my hopes that God has a little piece of time carved out for me in heaven. Where life may not have been easy, but it was simple!

Violet your turning Violet!!

UM...OH-MY-GOSH!!! I was told about this stuff called *something* Violet to put on her thumbs because she has thrush on them. Well I was so excited to find it and it only cost 1.74. Well, I guess I wasn't expecting that it would rub off onto her face every time she sucked her thumb(s). I hope it wares off by Sunday, because she is going to meet her Great Grandma and uncles and cousin's for the first time. So here's my disclaimer to all those ready to call CPS...no she was not smacked repeatedly amongst the cheeks and thumb(s) and she was not used as a target while we were partaking in our annual grape throwing contest last night.

Yikes!!! 

Fine I'll Do It

So my childrens godmother is telling me on the phone yesterday that she has some stocking stuffers for the kids. Wait, stocking stuffers? You mean I am now going to have to pull out the stockings and put them up? Then they will want me to put up the tree and decorate the house. I have found myself this year, well, not in the mood to decorate. I am not exactly sure why, but it could have something to do with the fact that there is not one room in my house that is finished yet. My tree will go up in the dinning room that has a wall exposed and covered in plastic. Now thats a nice backdrop for the shimmering lights. And the stockings, where do I even hang them? I hung them last year on the entry way columns, but right now there are kitchen cabinets in the entry way and in the library. Oh YAY, you say, you have new kitchen cabinets going in! Well, they arent mine. My husband is building them for a friends kitchen. SIGH so I cant put them there. I want to put up garland and lights on the outside of the house, but there is a 35 ft lader leaning up against our balcany and I am not sure that would be real pretty. I guess I could put garland and lights on the ladder and call it Santas Way into our house. Yes I am complaining but gosh I would so love to be anywhere near done with ONE thing in this lovely home. So back to the decorations. I pulled out the stockings (still not sure where they are going)and the boys put up the tree. Need to run to wally world and get some decorations for it, it seems they are all missing. I will sew Eve and Elijah a stocking and finish our christmas cards. I will try in the midst of all that to find where I misplaced my christmas spirit. Whats that? You guys want presents to put under the tree?!? I guess I should get buisy with buying those to. LOL

I do still have Boys!

I feel like I have only been posting pictures of Eve lately, so, so I wont feel guilty here is a picture of the boys and our Christmas picture, so far, unless I can take one in the next few days with them all facing the camera.

Our christmas photo! 

My Boys!! 

SEW what....

....if the dress is 3 times to big. After 8 years of wanting to sew something, anything, I have done it. I got a sewing machine for my birthday and sewed Eve a cute, yes, pink, dress. It was really interesting to see how little I knew about sewing, which turned out to be nothing. I had never sewn anything. I found myself examining clothing throughout the day seeing how it was put together. One of the boys would walk by and I would grab his collar and examine it, while he looked at me like I had finally gone off the deep end. But I think I got it. Its not all that hard at all. SEW off I go to SEW some more.

Eve and her new dress. 

And We're Off

So sense she turned 6 months today, she decided that she would make a statement. So here it is. Crawling is now no longer a challenge. In fact once she got the arm leg motions down, she was off. Time to break out the gates and mop the floors!
Happy 1/2 birthday! I love you!

Crawling!! 

So there are 2 things you should never do..

You should never mess with a momma bear and her cubs, and you should never and I mean never take your wife's car to work on homeschoolers park day. You will here about it when you get home, by your 5 sons who wait for this day and bug me continually for 13 days until it returns again.

They will no doubt tell you of all the fun they would have had today. I am sure you will get some sad faces, and an inquisition will take place about why you had to take mommys car today...of all days.

So you have been for-warned, infact you probably would have fared better had you walked in to the mamma bears den and kicked her little cub in the shin!
Love You Honey...See You Soon!!

I am not even sure where to begin....

So lets start with Saturday, November 26th. This was the day I kissed it all goodbye! All those years of being able to hackle people "you know who you are" for being old. And you didn't even have to be old per-say, just older than 30, because I wasn't. Well now I am! 30 that is, and it...well, is no different than being 29. So as payback for all my said years of hackling, I spent my 30th b-day sick. I actually said yes to a party this year, sense its 30 and all. So, the party was fun I am told by those who ate all my cake and played poker until 3:00 in the morning, while I slept upstairs. If it weren't for the fact that I got a lot of cool gifts I would probably be more upset about it than I am. So...40, I'll see you in 9 years and 360 days.

Next well that would be Sunday. When I had 2 sick kids and a sick husband which counts as 2 kids as well, LOL. It is about 8:00 in the evening the wind is blowing like crazy and we hear a loud sound, something kinda like, our house exploding. The children who are upstairs scream and the electricity goes out. We assume what any good parent would, that the kids have done something to contribute to this mass darkness. After consoling and some interrogating, we look out the window to find that a tree has fallen on our power line and it was pulled form our home and laid in the street. On its way out it decided to take my computer, and all that is hooked to the computer, the telephone, postage meter and pencil sharpener with it, in a blaze of smoke.

Well all is fixed now and we are feeling much better. I hope that these next weeks prove to be boring and uneventfull. Because my excitement tank is full.

Still, more proof! 

Perhaps I'm Biased

But I'm afraid the picture speaks for itself. She is officially the cuttest little girl on the planet. She is rounding up to the 6 month mark here real soon ;-((

Little Princess!! 

Sibling Conversations

8 yr old son: "Devon"
10 yr. old son: "Yes"
8 yr old son: "Devon"
10 yr old son: "Jordan, when I say yes that means what"
8 year old son:(with a blank look on his face)...."Devon"
ME: laughter and choking on french fries

3 minutes later....

2,4,6 year old sons are running around the house getting out all there before bedtime energy. The 6 year old runs into the wall.
8 yr old son "guys, if yall break your bones, Im not buying them!
ME: French fries shooting out of my nose

I believe it was supposed to go something like, "If you break your arm,(neck,leg) Im not paying to get it fixed"

Our Home

Here is a picture of the front of our home. I was standing way to close to get it all in the picture. We are in our 2nd year of remodeling it and I have to say we are about 15% done LOL I dont know if we will ever be done. But I hope that someday I can enjoy it FINISHED. Rob has been working sooo much that I am starting to do things around here myself, like painting the balcany. I keep looking at the kitchen going how hard can it be to build new cabinets and counter tops? Refinish 3600 sqft of hardwood floors, shoot, Ive got that kind of time...right?? Oh well, winter is here and the fact that it has the original 100+ year old windows makes it self very apparent. But I love my home.

Here is a picture of the front of our home.  

The Cost of.....

$9,683.00

*The cost of having gone the past 9 years without going.
Why because the kids and hubby always need to go first.

*The cost of having and nursing 6 lovely children in 10 years.

*The cost, although Im sure this has very little to do with it,
of eating sweets your entire life.;o)))

*Due to the sheer largness of the number above, the amount of my
teeth that will get the attention the dentist says they need?

HALF A TOOTH A YEAR FOR THE NEXT 20 YEARS

Fine... Turn 10 then! 

No you may not!!!

You sit right back down in that seat! No you may not turn 10! Who told you that you had permission to turn 10? Stop that right now and sit back down. A party for what? You can not turn 10!! You have to stay 9! Why? Because I said so!

What....? I cant stop you....? But why not....? Double digits....? This cant be happening...!!!

As you can see this is hitting me really hard, Im not sure why...but I just cant believe my baby...my first born child...my pall...is turning 10.

If I let him get away with this...just think what he will want to do next...move out...get married...have children.

Sibling Conversations

10 year old son....mom he's breathing out of his nose!
8 year old son.....no I'm not!
me thinking to self...what will they come up with next!

HeHe...Panty Hose!!

Just the word panty makes me giggle. I have only heard the term underware for the past 10 years. Did you know that there are these little creations that ware them (panty hose)and they are soo cute. I just put some on my little one today. And did you know that she also wares pink *GASP* who would have thought that a little creation could ware pink. Well, never in my house. Then when you think you cant handle another new thing, *BOWS*, in their hair, can you believe it. A little one with actuall hair. Oh the joys this little mystery brings. What will be next? Cute red and black velour christmas dresses? Ballet shoes? All the things you can think. I am sure by the time she is 6 she will despise the color pink, but that still gives me 5.8 more years! I am just astonished at my new little creation, my little mystery.

"Panty" snicker;-))

Reality Check

You've just met the perfect homeschool family-again! Their 17 children are well groomed, orderly and well mannered. The six year old plays Rachmanioff with ease, the oldest speaks 12 languages fluently and got a perfect 1600 on the SAT - on the first try! All the children in between dazzle you with knowledge of science and the arts. The mother bakes whole wheat bread for every meal, and serves wholesome, delicious, organic food for just $50 a month. You shrivel up inside, sure that you are an utter failure and your children are damaged for life. It's time for a reality check. (by Debbi Smith)

I laughed outloud at this excerpt from HomeSchool Enrichment. How many times I have thought the same thing, maybe not outloud or for to long, but in the back of my mind. There is NO perfect homeschool family! Sshheeww....Thats a relief!!!

We call this Tandum Mowing

I was rolling when I saw this. I had sent the oldest out to mow the field, and he reqruited his brother to help. So I walk outside and this is what I saw. Talk about team work.

Tandum Mowing 

Is there a pause button?

As I was sitting at the park watching my 5 boys all spinning around on the "spinny thingy" ;-) They were all laying on there sides trying to touch the ground as they spun in a circle. It seemed like everything was in slow motion. I was soo happy for a moment that I had 6 healthy, lovely children. And then then it hit me. I dont want them to grow up. I dont want my 9 year old to turn 10 or my 2 year old to turn 3. I want them to stay this way for at least the next 10 years, then we can move up to the next year. I started thinking about them growing into teenagers and what that will bring. I dont expect trouble to come from that, just a different atmosphere in the house. I love this toddler, baby thing!! Am I weird because of that. most cant wait until they are out of diapers or weaned and I wish it would last, not forever, but alot longer than it does. I am not ready yet! Slow down! Better Yet Stop!! Wheres the pause button????

Lessons learned from the gas heater

In our home our heat comes from gas heaters. In the living room we have a large claw foot Wrangler heater with a lovely glowing fire. Because our home is on the larger size and has the original 100+ year old windows its a bit drafty. The warmest place in our home is the 3 feet in front of the heaters. So I'm sure you can imagine it is a popular place when winter roles around.

First thing in the morning you can find up to 8 people working there way into that 3 foot of warmth, slowly nudging others over so they can slide in. As we stand inthe warmth and comfort of the fire all is well. Then we must at some point step away to carry on with our day. But as we start to feel that unwelcome chill, we return to the fire for a moment to warm our bones and buns;-0 The children will bring down a few toys so that they can play infront of the warm fire. Yes, there have been a few singed hairs as someone pushes in to close, but other than that it is well respected.

So as I was contemplating this morning about the Lords presence and how we as a family could press in a bit more. The Lord brought to my attention, that well loved fire in our living room. If we could seek his face as much as we seek the warmth of that fire first thing in the morning and then through out the day. How much of a blessing that would be. My goal as a mother is to show my children the warmth and comfort of Jesus, so that they may croud around Him as they do the beloved fire in the living room.

Oh How true!!

I read this today on a blog belonging to Lori, I thought it was lovely and I sooo needed to here it. So I am sharing it with you.


Lord thank you for this sink of dirty dishes; we have plenty of food to eat.

Thank you for this pile of dirty, stinky laundry; we have plenty of nice clothes to wear.

And I would like to thank you, Lord, for those unmade beds; they were so warm and comfortable last night. I know that many have no bed.

My thanks to you, Lord, for this bathroom, complete with all the splattered mirrors, soggy, grimy towels and dirty lavatory; they are so convenient.

Thank you for this finger-smudged refrigerator that needs defrosting so badly; it has served us faithfully for many years. It is full of cold drinks and enough leftovers for two or three meals.

Thank you, Lord, for this oven that absolutely must be cleaned today. It has baked so many things over the years.

The whole family is grateful for that tall grass that needs mowing, the lawn that needs raking; we all enjoy the yard.

Thank you, Lord, even for that slamming screen door. My kids are healthy and able to run and play.

Lord, the presence of all these chores awaiting me says You have richly blessed my family. I shall do them cheerfully and I shall do them gratefully. Amen.
posted by Lori, A loyal wife and momma to many

Liver......

.....is it a subconscious thing or is it really just nasty? I have to say for me its totally a subconscious sabotage. Tonight for the first time I made liver. I figured hey, its a right of passage, right? All mothers from times gone by, "the good ole days", made liver. So I gave it a shot. The boys had never tasted this and I was curious what they would think. I watched from the kitchen to see if they would fall to the floor gasping there last breaths. Isn't that what kids are supposed to do when forced to eat liver. Although I avoided the truth and said it was just beef, hey that's partly true!. WELL, to my surprise two of them asked for seconds. One of them wont eat meat and Seth was the only one who said hey this stuff is yukky! Devon ate it without complaint. Although I suspect it wasn't his favorite. So heres where the shameful part comes in. And I have to say on my behalf, the cook has a disadvantage when it comes to liver, you have seen the before picture and no matter what, it sticks in your mind. I plated the liver all fried and hidden under its crispy disguise. Added the side of broccoli and sat at the table with the boys. I was going to do this...how hard can it be? I cut off a small piece and took a bite. Now not wanting to alarm the children I put on the best face I could. I felt like I was in an episode of Fear Factor, without the incentive of 50,000 at the end of that liver. I acted as though I needed something from the kitchen and ran straight to the trash can, where I spit out the nasty, yukky, liver. I learned that trick from my children. So there...I have confessed.

Howdy Folks, Welcome To the State Fair of Texas!...Where you will walk for seven hours, 3 of them with so many people around that you cant see 2 inches in front of your face. You will eat way to much food, spend way to much money and have a ton of fun watching your children enjoy themselves!! Come back and see us next year! 

Sate Fair 2005! 

Happy Birthday!! 

Happy Birthday Cowboy!!

Well, its been 6 years sense you joined our family. You were our special anniversay gift! You were such a lovely baby. You never cried for anything, You would wait for hours, patiently for your food to arrive. (not that you ever waited for hours, but you would have) You always laid right down and went to sleep and then waited calmly for me to come and get you in the mornings. You were a mothers dream. And then I was awoken sometime after you turned 3. Thats when I realized you were just saving it all up so that you could be more strategic in the way that you dished it out.

You are definately the cowboy of the family.....daring...loud...persistant....did I mention persistant...always annoying your brothers...sweet...persistant!! But its souls like you that accomplish great things because you try things no one else is willing to try and you never give up.

I love you very much Seth and am so glad that I have a child like you to keep me humble. Happy Birthday and you are the best anniversary present I have ever recieved.

September 23 1995

My Lovely Rob,
It has been 10 years, can you believe it? It seems to have just flown by. But what a fun and full 10 years it has been. You are my night in shining armor, you swooped me up and out of a pretty crazy life. Where would I be now if you werent here? I dare not to even think about it. But you are, and what a gift from God you have been! He knew it would take someone like you to handle someone like me. LOL!

People dont believe that we never fight, but we know its true! So what have we done with these past ten years? We have become best friends! We have had 6 wonderful children...so far! You make me laugh every day. And im sure you laugh at me on a daily basis ;-))

You are a wonderful dad, and a great provider. We are moving into a new season in life. Our oldest child is rounding closer to the teenage years, YIKES! Will we survive 5 teenage boys in our home? Its a good thing we have God on our side. I look forward to the next 10 years of our marriage and would not want to spend it any other way, than with you!

I love you! And Happy 10th Anniversary!!

This is the famous book tower. I knew they would find something to use all those books for ;-)) 

Where do the years go??

Just 8 years ago my precious second child, a son, was born, on June 19th. He was 7lbs and 3 oz, but for some unknown reason he couldn't breath when he was born. He was care flighted to Baylor NICU, where he spent the first 2 weeks of his life. Today he is a healthy 8 year who carries with him only minimal effects from his birth. He is a sweet boy who loves all things smaller than him. He is the only one of our children who showers us with hugs every night before bed. I love you Jordan and I hope that you had a great birthday!
MOM

Jordans 8th birthday party! 

Jordans party...how many dads does it take to blow up the blow up pool???? answer 3 

Jordans Party....how many kids can you fit in a 10 foot blow up pool????? 

Jordans B-Day Party..... how many children can you get on a trampoline???