Life's Journey with 7

My New and Improved Bedroom

2012-01-15T22:57:00.000-05:00

When we moved into our house over 11 years ago, we painted my bedroom yellow. It remained yellow for all 11 years and showed the wear and tear of everyone of those years. I guess it was on the bottom of my list to repaint because most people don't ever see it.

When I found out Paul was leaving for a week, Iimmediately thought of redoing my room. Problem was, I had fallen the day before at the gym and skinned and hurt my knee. I couldn't even bend it. Plus, I really had no idea what colors to paint it and I had very. little. money. for anything.

But, I began to look around at Goodwill for a new comforter. I thought if I could get an "inspiration" piece, I could decide on colors. I couldn't find anything, so I began thinking maybe I wouldn't do anything to the room while he was gone.

Wednesday morning, I woke up and my knee felt alot better. I was able to bend it and move around much better, so I decided to search Goodwill one more time. I told myself walking in if I didn't find anything, I was giving up the idea.

And then I saw it. I am a lover of quilts and I fell in love with this one. It was the right price and I loved the colors. GAME ON! I ran home and started moving furniture and cleaning. Next morning, I went to Walmart with a giftcard, and purchased all the paint. I literally decided what colors to use while standing in front of the paint aisle at walmart. I was unsure if I was getting the right colors and now that it was Thursday, I was unsure I could finish.

Long story short, I finished about 2am Sunday night and I LOVE the colors! I did everything myself (with the exception of moving the bed)- paint, clean, move all the furniture and clean up. It was a BIG job, but I do love the way it turned out. Paul was speechless. He could not say anything for about 30 seconds (which for him is a long time!). He did get a hint of something different when he walked down the hall and smelled paint, but other than that, he had no idea.

I'm so glad it's done!!

My weight loss journey

2012-01-02T23:47:00.001-05:00

I am almost embarrassed to post this photo. Well, that's not entirely true. I AM embarrassed to post this photo, but I will swallow my pride and post it anyway. (And the sad part is this is not even at my heaviest. I had already lost about 30 lbs. here)

I was at my heaviest weight when I discovered I was pregnant with Emma. Most everyone knows the story of my sky rocketing blood pressure and how zija helped lower it considerably during pregnancy. Zija also helped keep my gestational diabetes in check. It not only kept it in check, it just about reversed it. By the time Emma arrived, Paul and I were big zija fans. I could hardly wait to get on the weight management system, seeing how well it worked for Paul.

And it worked just as well for me. From the time of Emma's birth (July) to November, I lost 50 pounds without much effort on my part. Literally. I took the zija products, which resulted in decreased cravings and smaller appetite. I did not exercise and I did not eat any special foods. The weight just fell off.

From about December to June, I did not lose anything. I did not try to lose anything, although I was still taking the Zija, I was not working with it. For some reason I was not motivated to do anything related to weight loss, other than the zija, and it showed on the scale. I didn't gain anything back, yet I didn't lose anything either.

I knew I needed to start exercising, so Paul and I joined the wellness center at the beginning of July. It was torture at first, but the zija xm+ helped so much with energy. It didn't take long to begin enjoying going to the gym and it didn't take long to see results, both on the scale and in my stamina.

From July to December, I lost 50 more pounds, totaling 100 pounds total. I still can't believe I've lost that much. I follow no special diets and I can eat anything. I have found that my tastes are changing and I want healthier choices, and less of them.

I started this weight loss journey with only one requirement: I was not going to do anything that I could not maintain longterm. I have been on several diets, only to lose the weight, go off the diet and put the weight (and then some) back on. Some people can do it; I cannot. I do not want to be on or off; I want it to be my life.

Zija is amazing. It has given me increased energy and decreased cravings. I feel healthy. I feel great. I walk/run a 5K just about every day, along with 2 or 3 exercise classes a week. I can keep up with my little children without getting breathless. For Christmas, I bought Paul and I tennis rackets and balls so we can play tennis because we both enjoy being active. What a difference.

I still have a ways to go, but that's ok. I've had such a great start, thanks to God and His amazing grace and the amazing moringa tree from which zija comes. I find it very satisfying that it is something that God made that has helped so many people, not anything synthetic and man made. How awesome is that?

For more info on zija, check out http://drdz777.myzijastory.com.

Christmas 2011

2012-01-02T12:00:00.000-05:00

Dinner at Nana and Poppy's. I think we had 24. We're so used to having that many that it doesn't even seem out of the ordinary.

Emma at the little kids table. The table originally had settings for 2- Ben and Andy and Emma was going to sit in the booster by me. But once she saw that table, she claimed her seat and was NOT giving it up for anybody, especially not her brother.

Emma's new rocking horse from Nana and Poppy.

Anna and Ellie opening gifts at Nana and Poppy's.

Our tree before we got started. Notice the bottom 1/3 is bare. The lights stopped working and Emma and Ben removed all the ornaments on the bottom. Good thing it was about time to put it away.

Emma LOVED her new shopping cart and in true girl fashion knew exactly what to do with it.

I love this picture. Look at her little toes. She had just woken up and was unsure of what was going on.

Big kids and some gifts. Paul Jr opening his new leather bound Bible from his dad. We all loved that Bible!

Not sure what was going on in this picture, but Emma was not happy about it.

Notice in the pic below that Ben is so excited about his gift and before he even closes his mouth from his elated scream, Emma has her hand on the gift, ready to take it. Aren't kids fun??

Super Ben

Super Dad

Super Sam!

What a day. We wanted to do so much because Zack was here for such a short time. We had decided that after dinner at Nana and Poppy's, we'd come home, open gifts, play a game and then watch a movie, all the while eating "fun" snack foods. Well, we opened the gifts, made it through 2 rounds of Twister and never even got the movie going. We all made ourselves sick on the "fun" food, and some were even in bed by 9. Too much of a good thing is not always a good thing.

But it was a great day and a fun weekend with the whole family together. I'm beginning to accept the fact that this is going to happen more and more as my children grow up and move out. It is bittersweet and almost unbelieveable that that much time has passed since Paul and I were moving out of our parents houses.

The Circle of Life.

Who would have thought?

2012-01-01T21:01:00.001-05:00

Paul was kind of down on Friday. The mounting pressures of two jobs plus pastoring plus being a father of 7 were catching up to him and he called me late that morning. I could hear the frustration in his voice as he related some of his concerns to me.

"Paul. You need to get away for a couple of days to hear from God and to clear your head" I replied to him. He has done this several times in the past and he always comes back refreshed and reenergized. We have a rustic, rural Christian camp about 30 minutes from our home and he usually gets away there, away from all distraction of computer and phone and family and friends.

"I know" he said, "but my schedule is so busy these next few weeks, I don't know how I could manage it."

I told him he needed to do it, and we left it at that.

An hour later I got another phone call from a very different sounding Paul.

"Remember how you said I needed to get away?" he started with. Hmmmm. I wondered where this was going. "Well, I just got a crazy phone call. Listen to this..."

He went on to tell me that one of his closest friends had an extra ticket on a 7 day Carribean cruise. This cruise was a "Defending Your Faith Apologetics" cruise with 21 hours of teachings from some top preachers. His friend had bought a ticket for someone else and that someone else cancelled at the last minute and he was offering to Paul the extra ticket, as a gift.

Whaaaatt?? That was not what I meant when I said he needed to get away. I meant rural, rustic Camp Eunice, not a plush luxiourious Carribean cruise! I swallowed my pride and asked him what he was going to do.

"Well, I would have to leave on Sunday and I have lots of shifts at the funeral home next week plus lots of stuff for church. What do you think I should do??" he said.

"If it was me, I'd do whatever I had to to make it happen. How often do you get offered an all expenses paid cruise with your best friend and alot of teaching/preaching??" I told him.

And he did it. He talked to everyone, got everything taken care of, and left a few hours ago to drive to Galvaston TX so he can set sail tomorrow for 7 days.

This was a gift from God to my husband. He confirmed it left and right. He even provided spending money for Paul that didn't come out of our bank account.

My prayer is that Paul comes back refreshed and recharged and with his head clear. I'm happy that he can go and that God has blessed him so abundantly.

2012-01-01T20:47:00.001-05:00

Goodbye 2011. You were a good year. You brought many good things and many provisions of God. You did have some hard times and some lean times. Many lessons were learned in you, and many lessons were ignored in you. God remained faithful every second of you. I'm thankful to have lived through you, but I don't think I'd want to live through you again.

Hello 2012. You are a brand new year, a brand new start. The possibilities you hold are endless! We don't know where we will be at the end of you, or what changes you will have wrought. I pray that I come through you, closer to God and bringing Him much glory.

Happy New Year.

Family Pictures

2012-01-01T19:50:00.003-05:00

While Zack was home for a few days, we decided to snap some family pictures. It has been many years since we've had a nice picture of the entire family. These pictures came out nicely, I think. My children have different opinions. I'm not sure what was going on with Sam, Ben and Emma. They had strange faces in every picture we snapped.

Paul and I. 160 lbs lighter. Woo-Hoo.

Zachary. Silly, strange Zachary. My how we have missed his presence in our home.

Paul Jr. I think he was imitating Tebow. Not sure however.

My seven children. I look at this picture in amazement. How do I have such grown up children?? Time goes so quickly!

Happy Birthday Zachary Brian!

2011-12-28T22:34:00.001-05:00

Today, this beautiful baby turns 19 years old.

And this onery, mischevious little boy is now a man.

And this handsome man is making his parents very proud. I was so blessed, as was his father, by his piano special on Sunday in church. Zack, you have a gift. Don't waste it- keep using it to bless others, but most importantly, to bless your Father in heaven.

Have a wonderful birthday son. You are much loved.

Christmas Eve

2011-12-28T16:23:00.001-05:00

All my children around our table once again

Baked penne, chicken and broccolli in a smoked mozzarella sauce with cheesy garlic bread. Yes, it was delicious!

Zachary

3 of the 4 boys

Emma was not happy at all. Ben and Sam on the other hand, were beside themselves with excitement.

We had a beautiful Christmas Eve service at our church that evening. It was candle lit, with lots of carols and special music. I would have loved to snap some pictures, but with it being so dark, none would have come out.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T08:40:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas from our family to yours.

It occurred to me this past week, as we were waiting for Zachary to arrive, that generations have shifted. I remember, as a kid, driving out to Kansas to visit my Grandparents. I have vivid memories of pulling into their driveway, and Grandpa and Grandma would excitedly open the door, their faces full of anticipation. Their kids had arrived.

In more recent years, it was my mom and dad opening the door, welcoming my family to their home. They had usually waited all day for us to get there, and you could almost feel the excitement in the air when we arrived.

Friday night, it was Paul and I waiting for our child to arrive. And it is us who now know the feeling of having all the kids home and under one roof. And it is us who are so full of excitement and contentment.

Where did the time go? It doesn't seem so long ago that I was a young girl in the back seat of my dad's car, kind of curious about all the excitement brought about by our arrival. And now, I am a middle aged mother who is experiencing that excitement.

The blink of an eye. It happens in the blink of an eye. Every moment is precious because time is so fleeting and relentless. It never lets up.

Enjoy this day, every second of it. I intend to.

A Christmas to Remember

2011-12-25T00:05:00.001-05:00

We received the expected news early in the season: no Christmas bonus this year. Things have been very tight at the church and there was no money for Paul's bonus. We knew it was coming, so we were really not surprised. We use this bonus to fund our Christmas, so we realized that this would be a very different Christmas.

Paul told me we had about $100 to use for Christmas. With a family our size, that would not go far. But it was ok. We have everything we need. And, in the back of my mind and in my heart, I knew things would be taken care of. I was kind of anxious to see how God was going to take care of us, because one way or another, I knew He wouldn't let us down.

5 nights ago we had a group of people come to our home and deliver Christmas. They loaded our tree with gifts and handed Paul and I a couple of giftcards to Walmart. In the past few weeks, we have received sizeable checks in the mail, some of which were from people we do not know. Yesterday, we received an enourmous check from a church down the road who just wanted to bless us.

God came through. Again. He used several people to bless my family tremendously this Christmas. This is a Christmas we will never forget.

New Pajamas

2011-12-23T09:00:00.000-05:00

Yes, I'm cute.

and I know it.

Emma and the Cake

2011-12-22T12:53:00.000-05:00

We walked into the kitchen the other morning to quite a surprise.

Somebody had tried to get a piece of cake without asking mom.

Emma, was it you??

No mommy. I didn't touch the cake.

Really, I didn't. Don't you believe me?

Honest, I didn't.

But since it's here, I might as well have a bite.

Mmmmm.

I might as well have some more.

Wow, even some on the cabinet.

Mmmmm. What a nice breakfast.

Ladies Christmas Dinner

2011-12-22T12:38:00.003-05:00

On Tuesday evening, I hosted our Annual Ladies Christmas Dinner. This has become a favorite evening for many of the ladies. This year we had a baked potato bar, salads and desserts.

The food was wonderful! Emma agreed- she ate the entire baked potato.

Lauren and Noelle

We also had a white elephant gift exchange, which is always alot of fun. Ellie and Joy were discussing the possibilites of each gift here. The "hot" gift of the exchange was a box filled with several different mini perfumes. It was snatched several times, and the lucky person who had it at the end was Ellie, much to the chagrin of her sister (and her mother!).

Darleen and Carol solving the world's problems.

Emma was still eating.

It was a great evening with a bunch of great ladies!

How Time Does Fly

2011-12-19T08:52:00.005-05:00

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

Sunday, December 18

2011-12-18T16:33:00.000-05:00

My Night of the Giver

2011-12-18T12:00:00.000-05:00

Tonight was my night of the Giver. I always do the same thing every year. We always go out to a movie and then to dinner. This years movie was Hugo. What a great movie! Everyone of us enjoyed the story, especially Anna and Ellie, who had read the book.

Afterwards, we went home where I had lasagna in the oven and choclate pie for dessert. We all enjoyed dinner and pie. Another great evening.

Sunday, December 11th

2011-12-17T12:00:00.000-05:00

Two little cherubs. (HA HA HA HA HA). But they do look cute!

Awwww. And she actually let him kiss her.

And thought it was great!

Sweet.

Not sure what the looks on their faces are all about, but with these two, it could mean anything.

Sam is now a big boy, too big to get a picture with the "babies".

Still has the "tongue in cheek" addiction.

Silly boy.

Fantasy in Lights

2011-12-16T12:00:00.000-05:00

Paul started off our holiday tradition of The Night of the Giver by taking us to Callaway Gardens to see their "Fantasy in Lights" show. We went, about 9 or 10 years ago and loved it. He got a great deal (on Groupon) and decided it was time to do it again. Anna and Ellie both went with us the first time, but neither girl had any memory of it. It was a cold night, about 45 degrees, so we bundled up and brought plenty of blankets.

The Nativity in Lights

We rode the trolley through all the lights. I think they said there were over 8million lights. It was amazing. As you ride through the different venues, different Christmas plays. It is really something to see. Emma hardly moved the entire 60 minute ride because she was so enthralled by the lights. I didn't get any pictures on the trolley because it was so dark.

Afterwards in the Christmas village. Emma was unsure of the big Christmas characters walking around.

But not Ben!

We had a great night. Thanks Dad!

Annual Open House Party

2011-12-15T12:00:00.000-05:00

We had our annual open house on Wednesday, December 7th. We started doing this a year or two after we moved here, so it is now a tradition for us to hold this the first week in December.

I like it early because it motivates us to get all our decorating finished early in December.

The tree looked so pretty, as did the rest of the house.

Emma looked so cute, as always.

But she was not into getting her pictures taken.

"MOM! I'm done already!"

She was all about the donut holes. Everytime I looked at her, she had one, licking the sugar off and eating it.

I don't know what Paul was telling Beverly, but whatever it was, it was exciting!

Decorating The Christmas Tree

2011-12-14T12:00:00.000-05:00

Sunday, December 4th

2011-12-13T22:12:00.000-05:00

Emma looked so pretty in her new Christmas dress.

I had bought this dress a while ago and was waiting for her to wear it.

Love, love, love little girls Christmas plaid dresses.

She has, in fact, one new dress for every Sunday in December. And they are all plaid.

Ben and Emma waiting for church to begin.

Randomness

2011-12-12T00:11:00.001-05:00

I cannot believe it is December 12th and this is my first post in December. That should give you a clue as to how busy I've been.
This past week has been especially busy. I felt like I hit the ground running Monday morning and didn't stop until Saturday night. Thankfully this week coming up is a bit slower paced.
We had our annual open house last Wednesday, which explains why the first part of my week was busy. Anna and Ellie came up with a great idea Tuesday. 1 day before the big party. Want to know what it was? They wanted to paint their room. ugh.
I must have been temporarily insane when I agreed to it.
So we ran to Walmart late Tuesday afternoon, and they began to paint. They had no real experience painting and were kind of excited to be able to do it all on their own.
That excitement lasted about 13 minutes as they soon came to realize that painting wasn't really that fun. And cleaning up from painting was even less fun.
But they did it and their room looks great. (Minus the purple paint on the ceiling and baseboards)
I think I used 10 magic erasers to erase all the artwork that Ben and Emma have left me on the walls. I should buy stock in that company.
I have several posts with lots of pictures coming up. I'm not sure how many I'll get up tonight, or I should say this morning seeing as how it is after 12am.
Emma loved decorating the Christmas tree, as did Ben. It's so hard for the little ones to learn that yes, it's ok to touch the ornaments once, but then, no more. We've had some training times to be sure, but she has done ok with the tree.
We did lose one ornament when we were decorating this year. A baby's first Christmas ornament. Emma's from last year. Of course. It couldn't be one of the hundreds that don't really mean anything. Sigh.

Thanksgiving, 2011

2011-11-29T00:00:00.001-05:00

Emma enjoying pickles.

A table full of family. We had 21 this year and somewhere along the way, Paul and I lost count and poor Renae didn't even get a seat at the table. But I don't think she minded!

The 3 girls that didn't want their pictures taken. Sorry girls. NOT

Lots and lots and lots of good, delicious food.

Emma enjoying Aunt Faith.

The Night Before Thanksgiving

2011-11-28T23:56:00.001-05:00

Emma was helping me make sure I got the chocolate pie just right.

She had to have several tastes to make sure.

I think she likes it!

Sam and Ben make Pilgrim hats and turkeys for dessert.

I think they might have eaten more than they made.

But we had fun making them.

Emma being Emma!

Family Pic

2011-11-27T16:40:00.001-05:00

Our family took a picture for our church's directory today. With so many of us, it's a wonder we got a nice one! Take 1...

Take 2...

Take 3...

Take 4...

Take 5...

Take 6...

Ah. Success! We are all looking at the camera, although some of us could be smiling more!

Giving Thanks on Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T22:23:00.001-05:00

Right now, it is 10:23pm, November 24th, Thanksgiving night, 2011. I am sitting here in the semi darkness of the living room. Right down the hall, 2 little boys and 1 little girl are asleep in their beds, their bellies full of good food and their hearts full of good memories. 2 older girls are in their big brothers room, watching Bones on the computer and 1 husband is asleep in bed, visions of deer hunting, I am sure, running through his mind.

It is quiet in the house. The only sound is the sound of the dishwasher, washing the dishes we used today at our thanksgiving feast. We had, like you I'm sure, an abundance of food. None of us pushed away from the table wanting for anything. We were warm, full and happy.

I am so blessed. God has poured out his blessings on me, and on my family. We have everything we need, and just about everything we want.

My children are healthy and happy. My heart breaks for the mother who puts her children to bed, knowing they did not get enough to eat today, or for the mother who worries about the depression one of her children is battling.

My husband dotes on me and is affectionate and loving. What about the wife whose husband is abusive? Or the wife whose husband is involved in pornography? Or the wife whose husband is in heaven?

It is so easy to get so wrapped up in us, that we don't see the bigger picture. That we miss the fact of how blessed we are. The songwriter said it best: "Sometimes in my little mess, I foget how big I'm blessed".

But even in all these blessings, it is easy to miss the point. The point is not the blessings. The point is the Gospel. The point is that everyone who has been called to Christ, is blessed. It's not about health (although we appreciate that). It's not about happiness. It's not about thoughtfulness, food, houses or money.

It's about Jesus.

If we have Him, we are above all people, most blessed.

Have a blessed day in Him!!

Emma at 16 Months

2011-11-18T23:40:00.001-05:00

Emma turned 16 months old a few days ago.

She weighs 28 pounds. She says mama, dada, Paul, Bubba, Anna, Ellie, more and some version of Sam, Ben, Schnitzel, Sheba, shoe, and thank you.

Emma sleeps about 10-12 hours each night and takes one afternoon nap of about 2 hours.

She is still a great eater. Her favorites seem to be black beans, macaroni and cheese and scrambled eggs and toast. She loves her cup and drinks mostly water.

Emma does NOT like to be left out of anything. She wants to be included, just like the big kids.

Her hair is a mess of curls and on humid days, it is a mess of very tight curls! She doesn't care to be still for anyone to brush it and she doesn't care to leave any bow in it for very long.

Emma is one very busy little girl and she keeps us busy chasing after her!!

Random Things I Wish Someone Would Have Told Me

2011-11-11T23:16:00.001-05:00

(Or maybe a more accurate title would be Random Things I Wish I Would Have Listened to When Someone Tried to Tell Me)

Put away the folded clothes as each load comes out of the dryer. It is much less overwhelming to put away one load than five.
Young boys are loud and dirty and nasty. They do gross things and laugh at silly things.
Young boys never seem to tire of fighting/wrestling/competing.
When there are kids in the house, the housework will never be complete. There will always be more that needs to be done.
Time flies when children are little.
Food does not last long. Even if you think you bought enough groceries at the store to last a week, it won't.
Doing small things everyday add up to big things in the long run.
You will reap what you sow. You will reap more than you sow. You will reap later than you sow.
Children will do in excess what their parents do in moderation.
The grace of God is amazing.
Love covers a multitude of sins.

Camping

2011-11-06T19:25:00.006-05:00

We went camping a few weeks ago with good friends of ours. I didn't take too many pictures and it seems the ones I did take were mostly of Emma. Imagine that??

Her hair was crazy here and she was smiling so nicely.

Here is our redneck campsite. Paul was concerned (almost obsessive) that it might rain, so he rigged up this tarp so we would have a place to stay dry. Thankfully, we didn't need it.

Our tent. Paul and I actually brought 2 twin sized mattresses and slept very well.

Not sure what she was doing here, other than getting dirty.

She got sooooo dirty during these few days. When we got home, she had dirt caked under everyone of her fingernails.

Tending the fire

It was soooo cold the morning we left.

The foliage was beautiful.

All tired out on the way home.

The Fair

2011-11-06T19:08:00.002-05:00

Paul took all the kids to the fair a few weeks ago. He decided on the spur of the moment to go and I already had plans to meet a friend for dinner. Truth be told, I can take the fair or leave it, so it was really no sacrifice for me to stay home. (And the several hours alone did more for me than the fair ever could!!)

Emma watching the circus.

The petting zoo, although this animal looks like something out of a horror movie.

Emma takes after her mom and was very unsure of the big animals.

Blue eyed Emma Grace.

Ben and his happy face.

Not sure what he was doing here.

Getting ready to watch the lumberjack show.

Mmmm. Corn on the cob.

I'm told Emma would not share and insisted on having her own ear of corn.

Ben loved the corn too.

It was a great day!

2011-10-30T16:32:00.002-05:00

Something momentous has happened at our house.

I didn't even realize it had happened.

2 weeks ago, we had dentists appointments.

I dread these. Not because it's the dentist; because I am reminded that Sam needs to stop sucking his thumb.

He has been a thumbsucker since he was 2 months old. I vividly remember the first time he really sucked his thumb. I was relieved. He could now comfort himself and put himself back to sleep. He was our first thumbsucker. Anna sucked two fingers for a while, but none of the others even took a pacifier past 6 months.

I had no idea how to even begin to get him to stop doing it. Last time at the dentist, they gave me some suggestions.

I was a bad mom and didn't do them.

I wouldn't even give it a second thought, but it has affected his teeth, and he has started getting in his adult teeth.

So I braced myself to be lectured by the dentist after Sam's appointment.

He came bounding out after his appointment. "How did it go?" I asked. "Great" he said. "Did they tell you to stop sucking your thumb" "Nah. I don't suck my thumb anymore".

Hmmm. I had heard that before, when he decided to stop and didn't suck it for, say, 5 minutes. I wasn't convinced. "Sam. When did you stop sucking your thumb?"

"A while ago mom. The lady asked me to put my thumb in my mouth in the dentists office and I did and it felt weird. I haven't sucked my thumb in a long time."

I stopped to think about this and realized, I hadn't seen him sucking his thumb, in a while.

I got home and told Paul and he realized the same thing.

He stopped doing it all by himself, when he was ready. No bad tasting liquid on the thumb, no safety pinning socks to his pajama shirt, none of that.

Wow. What a relief!

Jamestown Settlement

2011-10-23T17:40:00.000-05:00

We decided on the spur of the moment (as we were drivng home) to stop in at Jamestown Settlement. It is a recreation of Jamestown , an Indian village and 3 clipper ships, set back in 1607. We had visited Plimoth Plantation when the big kids were younger and we really enjoyed it, so we decided to stop here. We were not disappointed. It was a great experience. I am sure that Paul and I enjoyed it the most!

Emma and Ben looked so cute in these matching strollers.

He LOVED doing this!

Scooping out the charred part of the log to make a canoe

Oh my!

We were very glad our pews in church are NOT like these.

The warriors!

We finally really got on the road about 4pm and knew we were in for a long ride home. We arrived home around 3am and fell into bed. It was so good to be home.

Tuesday and Wednesday in Virginia

2011-10-23T17:20:00.000-05:00

Tuesday we went to some friends of my brother and sister in law's house. They live right on the water and have a beautiful property, along with an inground pool. Their little white dog spent the entire time running around the pool and then jumping in. If someone was in the pool, he was jumping in. Turns out he is OCD and can't stand people in the pool and jumps in the entire time. Poor doggie swallowed so much chorine water that he was up all night.

Ellie and Emma

Sam enjoying the pool. The water was very cool, but once you were in, it was nice. (Or so I'm told. I didn't venture in)

Part of their property. This is the guest house.

Beautiful James River.

Emma enjoying her time in the pool

Sam playing the James River, which is really the ocean.

Tony, Paul, Anna and Ben after a long walk out into the river. They walked and walked and walked and the water did not get over chest high.

Anna and Paul kayaking

Emma playing in the buff!

And loving it!

Paul took Ben and Sam on a kayak ride.

Ellie

Tony relaxing

Emma was wiped out.

Eating breakfast at Uncle Tony's

Sitting on the dock at Tony and Elena's

On either side of the dock they have a crab pot and catch and then eat fresh crabs daily

Another beautiful sunset

Benjamin was convinced that this little structure was a "little preach" and demonstrated how to use it.

Like Father, Like Son

Monday in Virginia

2011-10-19T21:58:00.005-05:00

We traveled through the night on Sunday, September 25th and arrived in Virginia around 9:30am. We did pull over somewhere in New Jersey because Paul couldn't keep his eyes open anymore. I thought about offering to drive for about 5 seconds before I drifted back to sleep. I am not cut out to drive in the night. Ellie and Anna took Emma out and let her walk around for about an hour because she had woken up. She loved it!

Monday we spent napping and trying to catch up from the lost sleep the night before. In the evening, Paul's brother Tony took us to the marina to watch the sunset. It was beautiful.

Paul and Tony

A dirty little boy. :)

Me and my boys.

A flower for mom.

Beautiful!

Friendly's

2011-10-13T20:50:00.003-05:00

Emma excited about something.

Anna with a new friend. That was a big frog. Needless to say, I screamed when she brought it INTO THE TRAILER AND INTO THE ROOM WHERE I WAS. Yes I did. And I'm not even ashamed to admit it. I do not like creepy crawlies and my children know it. She momentarily forgot this in her excitement of finding such a big frog. At least that's what she told me as she was apologizing. :)

We left Connecticut Sunday evening. Sam couldn't stay in the dampness anymore, so we decided to drive all night to VA. Paul made a spontaneous decision to stop at Friendly's on our way out of town. None of our kids had ever remembered eating Friendly's ice cream and he wanted them to have the experience.

Emma, of course, was all for it! She started posing as soon as I brought out the camera.

Ben loved the idea of eating ice cream.

Mmmmmm.

Sam was excited also.

As was Anna. And Ellie? No pic of Ellie? Well, Ellie decided to delete her picture off of her mother's camera. I don't think she will be doing that again!

Mmmmm. If you have never been to Friendly's, you need to go. This was some sort of cracker jack sundae and it was delicious.

This, was of course, a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup concotion and I think we licked the dish clean.

Emma loved them both!

Next stop, Virginia!

More from Connecticut

2011-10-10T21:22:00.002-05:00

Paul's Aunt Gail

Emma got so tired out

This was Ben after he got stung by a bee 7 times and we gave him Benedryl.

All the Dziadul grandchildren

The newest great grand child, Wyatt

Chris and Wyatt

Tony, Elena, Chris, Suzi, Josh and Wyatt

Paul and his brother Ron

Tony, Sherry, Paul, Ron

The Dziaduls

Paul and Uncle Eddie

Emma, Ben and a few others

2011-10-09T18:37:00.000-05:00

While at the funeral, Ellie did a great job keeping Ben and Emma quiet. Emma spent the time picking up whatever she found on the ground, and then eating it. Thankfully, she spit it all out before swallowing. When the funeral was over, I took this series of pictures of her and I think they turned out very cute.

Ben spent the time collecting rocks. He actually put a line of rocks by each vehicle that was parked in the small circle. He also picked flowers for me, Anna and Nana, and didn't understand why he wasn't allowed to pass them out during the funeral.

After the flowers, he found a berry bush. A red berry bush and he picked a few. And then squished them.

He tried to wipe his hands on his white sweater, which, by they way, is no longer white. :)

Zachary. It was so nice to see him and he brought much comfort to his father while he was there.

Paul and his two oldest sons. What a handsome bunch. I know funerals are not the ideal place to take pictures, but I couldn't resist snapping one of these three all dressed up.

After the service was over, the funeral director showed us the grave of "Bobshi and Jadju"- Paul's great grandparents. I thought it was so sweet how Samuel got right down and helped clean off the grave of his great, great grandparents.

The Funeral

2011-10-08T20:48:00.001-05:00

He found a berry bush and got busy.

Hello again.

2011-10-08T20:41:00.000-05:00

Wow. It's been a long time since I posted.

Silence is golden, except on a blog. I never intended to be away this long. I never intended to be away at all, but as I am sure most of you know, Paul's second oldest brother, Tim, passed away quite unexpectedly on September 20th, his 51st birthday. He suffered a heart attack and was unable to be revived. Paul wanted the entire family to travel to the funeral, so 36 hours after we received the news, we were packed in the van with 5 of the kids, leaving our home for the 22 hour drive to Enfield, Connecticut. Paul's parents, sister and Paul Jr. left at the same time we did, but arrived a few hours ahead of us. Zack left KC Friday morning and arrived in the afternoon, just in time to be picked up at the airport to attend the viewing.

We were away 7 days. We stayed in CT through Sunday, September 25th and then drove all night to Virginia, to stay with Paul's brother Tony and his wife Elena. The live right on the water and we had such a wonderful time with them. We arrived home late Thursday night, September 29th and I feel like we have been playing catch up since then.

We took 1001 pictures in the time we were away. Don't worry, I am not going to post all of them. There are some I would like to share, so look for several posts coming up in the next few days.

Samuel Isaac

2011-09-20T21:22:00.000-05:00

Paul and I are always on the lookout for jobs that Sam can do by himself. We are both of the mindset that boys need work and need to be kept busy. Problem is, there is not much around here that Sam can do by himself other than feed/water the dogs and take out the trashes, which he already does on a daily basis.

Today Paul told Sam that the van needed to be cleaned out. That in itself was an understatement. We had let the van get out of control and it was downright messy. I heard Paul telling Sam that he needed to do that today, so I mentally reminded myself to make sure he got it done.

An hour or so later, Sam came bursting into the house and asked me to get him some garbage bags.

"Dad told me to clean out the van and I need some bags" he exclaimed.

I gave him a handful of Kroger bags and sent him on his way.

A while later he came back in with about six Kroger bags filled to the brim with clothes.

"These are all the clothes that are in the van and now I'm getting the trash out" he said with a smile on his face.

Hmmmm. I thought. He seems awful cheerful for doing such a mundane job. I went out on the porch to watch him for a while. He was cheerful. And he was excited to be almost finished with a job that Dad gave him. He was almost beside himself when he finished up a few minutes later. I went out to check his work and I was impressed. He did a great job and removed everything from the van.

I told him what a great job he had done. Paul told him that when he got home later in the afternoon. Sam seemed to grow two inches after hearing his dad affirm his work.

Tonight as I was praying with Sam before bed, I thanked God for Sam's hard work in the van. I kissed Sam goodnight and as he was leaving to go get in his bed he said to me,

"Mom, if that van ever gets messy again I'm going to take care of it."

I need to take a lesson from Sam. Attitude is everything, especially when it pertains to a mundane job.

I do love that boy.

Perspective

2011-09-15T22:06:00.002-05:00

Sometimes, I need an adjustment of my perspective.

Have you ever been so close to a situation that you fail to see the truth in it? I've been there. In fact, I am there right now. It seems that ever since Paul returned from Brazil about a month ago, things at my house have been crazy. I feel overwhelmed and very incapable of handling all that my life entails. Some of it I am sure is my age and these crazy hormones. Some of it is honestly, having a very full plate at this season in my life. I've not been able to get into a routine with our schoolwork yet and I feel like most days we flounder with schoolwork, housework, churchwork, child training work, etc. Most days I feel like I run all day, yet am unproductive.

All this (plus the uncertainty that comes with parenting all ages) has led me to feeling sorry for myself. To doubt God's goodness in putting all this on me when all I want to do to please Him. To question some things that I know are not questionable. And to make me feel like running away some days.

Tonight, my perspective was adjusted.

I was invited to a dinner for pastor's wives. I had never been before and wasn't even sure I'd know anyone there. I went out of respect for the lady who invited me. God knew I needed to be there.

A pastors wife named Ann spoke. She is 65 years old and has been in the ministry her entire married life. She and her husband have ministered for well over 40 years. They have sacrificed to do God's will.

And they lived happily ever after. Right? Isn't that the way the story is supposed to end? I mean, they gave their lives for God. Doesn't God owe them great things in return?

In the course of their marriage, God blessed them with 5 children. One became an alchoholic and had a baby outside of marriage. One left her husband for the homosexual lifestyle. One was infertile. Her parents were brutally murdered. His father was brutally murdered. His mother died after a blood clot hit her heart.

Isn't that enough God? I mean, how much can a person take?

The woman that spoke tonight, the woman who lived through these horrific things, was blind. She lost her sight in the last few years because she is a severe diabetic. Her kidneys do not function, so she must do dialysis every night.

She did not complain.

She did not have a pity party.

She stood before us and told us how good God is.

She sang a song entitled, "Praise the Name of Jesus".

And I'm going to feel sorry for myself because I have a house full of kids and schoolwork and housework? Because I feel I can't keep up?

Oh God forgive me for my foolish attitude. Forgive me for not seeing the blessings in my daily life. Forgive me.

Fun at the Park

2011-09-13T21:53:00.000-05:00

Emma at 14 months

2011-09-09T14:57:00.000-05:00

Emma turned 14 months old on September 6th.

I can hardly believe she is that old. She is so curious and loves to explore. Everywhere. All. the. time.

She didn't want to get her pictures taken this morning and let us know.

Pouty face.

But she got over it and cooperated again. She is wearing mostly 24 month clothing. I do not know how much she weighs; I do know it is hard to carry her around for any length of time.

She loves her sisters and her brothers, but she fusses with Ben.

The baby squat.

She loves Dad and will scream when he gets home or say "HI" really loudly.

She is a delight to us all and we are blessed to have her in our family.

Sweet little face.

Pretty Painted Nails

2011-09-09T14:54:00.000-05:00

What pretty fingernails. Hey, wait a minute. That hand is too big for Emma and too small for Anna or Ellie. Whose nails are these??

Why they are Benjamin's! He decided one afternoon that he wanted to paint his nails. He went into his sisters room and into the drawer and did just that. He did not make a mess and did not show anyone what he had done. I only found out later that day as I was getting after him for something else and saw his nails.

He is a real stinker!

Emma's Bedhead

2011-09-09T14:46:00.000-05:00

Emma has quite a head of hair and it can be quite unruly, especially when she wakes up.

She thought it was quite funny this morning.

Look at that head of hair! Her hair reminds me the most of Zack's when he was this age, although hers is curlier and she has more of it. Anna also had a curly head, but not until she was a bit older and hers was much lighter. Strange. 3 curly heads, 3 straight heads and 1 that started a bit curly and turned to straight. All from one gene pool.

Paul brought back a ring for Emma from Brazil. It is the cutest thing when she wears it. She, of course, spends the whole time trying to get it off. If we can get her to forget about it, she does great!

Flying Kites

2011-09-09T14:40:00.000-05:00

Paul bought kites for Sam and Ben last week and they were so excited. However, they weren't as excited when they found out they had to wait for a windy day to fly them. A few days later their patience paid off as Paul, Sam, Ben and Ellie flew the kites right before we had a storm hit.

It was great fun.

Sucess! 2 flying kites.

Random Thoughts

2011-09-05T19:27:00.002-05:00

I've been sick for about 3 days now. Nothing major, but enough to keep me in bed. I'm not sure I want to get better because it is going to take me a week to get this house back in order. Why does it always take twice as long to fix than it does to mess it up?

School is going well. We're still trying to find our "groove"- it's still a struggle to get it all in, everyday.

Emma is a wild woman. She reminds me so much of her older sisters. She is wild like Anna, but in certain areas she is like Ellie. As I was looking through pictures I noticed that she looked alot like Anna, which most people say, but she also looked an awful lot like Zack. Her hair really reminds me of his. Anna's was much lighter and much frizzier; Zack's is about the same color as Emma's and his was just about as curly.

Paul has settled back into the routine of his life after spending 2 weeks in Brazil. I think he'd go back pretty soon if he was given the opportunity, although he does enjoy the a/c!

Ben's face has just about all healed. It was pretty ugly there for a while, but after lots of zija oil, it is now a pretty pink.

My husband surprised me with a new computer. Not just any computer- it is a "baby" computer that turns into a touchscreen device. The monitor flips around and it has a flat screen touch screen. It is pretty cool. I was speechless I was so surprised.

And, I found a few places in the house where I can sit and catch the neighbor's wi-fi signal. It's not a strong signal, but it does the job.

Can't believe it is already September 5. Emma turns 14 months old tomorrow. Time sure does fly.

First Day of School 2011-2012

2011-08-31T21:25:00.000-05:00

Emma Grace 14 months old VERY independent

She was not into getting her pictures taken on this day.

Benjamin Robert 3 1/2 years old Preschool

Samuel Isaac 6 years old First Grade

Elizabeth Adrian 12 years old 7th grade

Anna Elizabeth 15 years old 10th grade

My class this year

We began school on Wednesday, August 17th. Our school is a bit different this year as Ellie is attending a classical school on Mondays. They have structured her curriculum, and assign her the work and she completes it during the week. It is very rigorous- much more so than our homeschool ever was. But it is so good for Ellie. She is learning things that she never would have. I'm proud of her and her hard work these past 2 weeks.

Anna is doing a different kind of school also this year. She is doing a unit study called "Far Above Rubies". It is an amazing plan that has her learning many different things throughout the year. I am excited for her (and a bit tempted to do some of it along with her!)

Sam is loving first grade. He is reading so well and loves having a real math book this year. Right now we are learning about spiders. He retains just about everything he hears and loves to correct me when I say something wrong. (Reminds me so much of his older brother Paul!)

Benjamin is doing preschool with Anna. He loves it and she is doing a great job with him.

Emma wants to be included in everything! It is proving difficult to keep her entertained while schooling the other children, but I've no doubt we'll figure it out. In my opinion, this is the hardest age to entertain during schooltime. She spends some time in the playpen and some time on the blanket, but other than that, someone has to be watching her and playing with her.

I'm looking forward to this school year and seeing how much we all learn!

This is our fifteenth year of homeschooling- only by the Grace of God!

Welcome Home Dad

2011-08-31T21:15:00.000-05:00

Paul arrived home from Brazil Sunday afternoon August 21st. We were so glad to have him back home and the kids (and me!) were so excited. He came home loaded with gifts for everyone!

We weren't sure Emma would go to him right away, but we were wrong. Once she touched his new goatee and knew it was him, she clung to him and laid on his shoulder. We were all relieved!

Ben wearing Dad's ear plugs. Paul wore them every night so he could sleep amidst all the snoring from the other men.

Our new family hammock. Everyone loved it.

Especially Emma!

She just couldn't get enough of daddy!

Dad also brought home some tea and a tea cup and straw. It was, um, interesting.

Welcome home Paul. You were greatly missed.

Emma

2011-08-31T21:00:00.000-05:00

Emma loves her black beans

but they sure do get her messy!

She fell asleep like this one day in her crib. It was too cute!

16 Days

2011-08-20T12:39:00.001-06:00

16 days ago tomorrow, Paul left on a missions trip to Brazil. This is the first time he's ever done anything like this and the first time he's been out of the country while not on a cruise.

16 days is not that long, relatively speaking. It's only a bit over 2 weeks. But it seems like forever since he left. I've come to some conclusions while he's been gone:

I don't like being in charge all of the time. It's exhausting.
When Dad's not here, our routine disappears. I'm not sure why this one is true, but it is.
When Dad's not here, we all sleep late. Every. last. one. of. us. Even Emma and Ben who are usually very consistent with their wake up times. I know why this one is true. (Paul is known in our house as the sleep Nazi)
Our church is empty without Paul, even though everyone else is there. And I know I'm not the only one who feels this way.
At least half of the time our door was left unlocked all night long. And the flowers wilted before anyone remembered to water them.
My young boys need the strong hand of their father consistently in their lives. It is very evident that Dad has not been around these past few weeks.
I didn't realize how accustomed I am to hearing from Paul every few hours. To only hear from him every few days was hard. The knowledge that I couldn't reach him even if I needed to was hard. Thankfully, I didn't need to reach him.

16 days. I'm glad it's over and he'll be home tomorrow. We need him.

Random Thoughts

2011-08-14T15:51:00.000-06:00

Paul has been gone for a week. I've been able to talk to him about every other day, which has been nice.
He is doing well and enjoying the experience. He is working hard, building buildings and he has been able to preach a couple of times at the local church, along with teaching the locals.
I'm ready for him to come home. It's not the same without him.
Zack and his cousin Jacob flew here yesterday and then left today after church with Paul Jr. for Florida. This is their first trip with no adult supervision other than themselves. They were almost beside themselves with excitement.
It has been hot. Really hot here this summer and especially the past few weeks. I'm ready for Fall. No, make that WINTER.
I'm attempting to start school this week. I say attempting because I have so much to do to get ready for it. We will do something to start this week even if it's not the whole thing.
Zack played for the offertory in church this morning. He did a fantastic job and I think everyone in our church is as proud of him as Paul and I are. His first piano teacher even played a duet with him after church, just for "old times sake".
Ellie is attending a classical "school" one day a week. They will tutor her that day and give her the assignments for the rest of the week which she will work on at home. It is a very rigorous school, something that will challenge her. I'm hoping I can keep up!! I know she can.
Anna will be doing something totally different because the school does not go past 9th grade. I will blog about it after we get started and I know more about it.
Sam is anxious to get started as a first grader. He is a joy to teach because learning is still fun to him.

My Seven Children

2011-08-14T15:48:00.000-06:00

Poor Ben. I tried to trim his hair and I messed it up. Badly. I thought maybe it wasn't so bad, but my big kids assured me. It was VERY bad. So Zack took pity on Ben and gave him a buzz. He still looks cute.

Sam and his buddy Zack

Awwww. These 2 little guys were so excited that Zack was coming to visit. They went to bed last night, but awoke when they heard Zack come in and then just had to come out and see him and sit in his lap. It does my heart good to see my children loving each other.

My four sons. It amazes me that 4 boys, raised by the same mom and dad and in the same home can be so different in personalities and looks. Each one is special and each one is loved.

Jacob, my nephew, and Zack. They are 10 hours apart in age and have waited their whole lives to live near each other.

The whole gang of boys.

Of course, in the midst of pictures, there was some fooling around and some showing off of strength.

Not to be outdone, Sam had so show them his strength.

With a little help from his big brother.

And here she comes, the little princess. She is walking so well now she can even walk in her shoes.

The first picture and the worst picture!

Emma: Mom. Am I really related to all these people? Puhlezzz!

That's better.

My seven children.

Ben even has his special happy face on.

Paul-21

Zack-18

Anna-15

Ellie-12

Sam-6

Ben-3

Emma-1

My heart is full today. It would be overflowing if my husband were here....

Emma Grace

2011-08-14T14:59:00.000-06:00

Ellie decided to paint Emma's toenails one evening. I don't know how she ever painted such small spaces.

Are they not so cute????

She fell asleep eating one afternoon with her hands folded like this. Too cute.

Awww.

So sweet. (and sticky!)

Saying Goodbye to Dad

2011-08-07T15:40:00.000-06:00

Paul left early yesterday morning for his missions trip to Brazil. It was tough saying goodbye to him, especially for Sam and Ben.

"Circling" up and praying that God will bless the people going and the people there and the effort.

"I will miss you Dad but can you bring me back a monkey?"

Goodbye Paul. I will be counting the days till we pick you back up. Our family is not the same without you!!

Dad's New Hammock

2011-08-07T15:32:00.000-06:00

Paul received his hammock for his missions trip the other day, and oh what excitement there was when he set it up. (Anything is exciting for 3 and 6 year old boys!)

Careful Dad...

Isn't it a bit low??

An inch clearance? Is that enough??

Whew. I didn't think he was going to make it without scraping the ground.

Especially when you add Benjamin! But they did it.

Ben thought it was great. Dad was hoping he'd be able to sleep in it for 2 weeks.

Sam thought the whole thing was fun!

And couldn't wait until his turn.

Dieting

2011-08-07T14:52:00.000-06:00

I am a professional dieter. I have been on several different diets over the years. Low calorie, low carbs, low fat, protein power, weight watchers, think thin, weigh down, and a few more I can't think of.

They all worked.

While I was ON.

Problem was, I didn't stay ON. After a while, I got off. And didn't get back on. And gained back everything I lost. And then some.

I was frustrated to the point of not wanting to try to lose weight. I hated the thought of doing all that work and losing the weight to eventually gain it all back. And I was pretty sure I would gain it all back because I didn't want to stay on a diet for the rest of my life.

While I was pregnant with Emma, I was introduced to Zija, a wonderful all natural health product. Zija helped me tremendously while I was pregnant with Emma, so much so that I couldn't wait to try their weight management system after I delivered her.

She was born 13 months ago. I started on the weight management system a few months later, and the first 40 or 50 pounds seemed to fall right off. Then I got off track for several months, busy with other things and I didn't lose much more weight. I hadn't been exercising or on a "diet" up to this point.

Paul suggested we check out the local gym. I was all for that. I enjoy going to a gym and exercising and I knew I would love going with him. So we checked it out and joined about a month ago. We have been very faithful in going 5 or 6 days a week for an hour or two. But we refuse to go on a diet. We eat normal food and don't count anything. We do try to make wise choices, healthy choices. (Come on, you can't eat cake everyday and expect to lose weight!) We try not to eat after supper and try to drink mostly water.

After a month, I've lost 20 more pounds. I've got my stamina back and feel pretty good.

I still take the zija religiously. It is complete nuitrition, along with an energy boost and appetite suppressent. Some days I have to remind myself to eat. They came out with a new product that helps you burn fat while you sleep and helps you sleep better. I have noticed an improvement in my sleeping in the few days I've taken it. Zija works so well because it is from a tree that God created. God always knows what's best, doesn't He?

I'm excited that I'm losing weight without dieting and getting healthy in the process!!

Before Church This Morning

2011-07-31T22:09:00.000-06:00

Summer Rain

2011-07-31T22:04:00.000-06:00

Ben and Emma

2011-07-31T22:03:00.000-06:00

I wonder if these two are going to be the dynamic duo their siblings Zack and Anna were...

Emma Sleeping

2011-07-31T21:59:00.000-06:00

Random Thoughts

2011-07-27T21:45:00.000-06:00

We've gotten used to not having Internet at the house. We almost went through withdrawals at first, but now, it's normal. Paul Jr. and I are amazed at how many books we have read since the Internet has been gone.
The girls have finished their first week home since their long vacation. Most of it was good. :)
Paul and I joined a gym and have been going about 5 or 6 times a week. It's hard. Very hard. But there is a satisfaction when you are done, knowing that you worked very hard for an hour or an hour and a half. I enjoy it very much.
Paul leaves for Brazil a week from Saturday. He'll be gone for quite a few days. I will miss him, but I am glad I am not going. I think I would hate every minute of it.
Emma is now a pro at walking. She walks all the time and is even climbing up on things now. She still doesn't say many words.
Ben and Sam are busy being little boys. They play, wrestle, fight, and make loud noises. All. The. Time. But we enjoy their antics. (mostly)
Anna is doing well in driving. I think she does a fine job. Don't ask her father.
We have to get rid of our big dog, Sheba. She is too big and we cannot contain her. The kids are disappointed, but all of them understand.
Zack is coming for a visit in August. Yay! It will be good to see him again.
Ellie is not sure she is ready to start school up again. She has really enjoyed the summer, especially her vacation in Kansas with her grandparents.
Life is busy and full. We are so blessed.

Messy Emma

2011-07-24T18:30:00.000-06:00

Goodbyes.....

2011-07-24T17:23:00.000-06:00

It's always hard saying goodbye to Grandpa and Grandma. :(

The Ride Home

2011-07-17T15:45:00.000-06:00

We left Kansas Monday morning. It was only Paul and I and the three little kids, which made for a very interesting ride home. It didn't take us long to realize how much Anna and Ellie do for these little ones that we don't even think about. Putting them in their car seats, for instance, and taking them to the bathroom and a host of other things. It didn't take us long to realize it was going to be a long ride home.

This one sat in the back by himself and singlehandedly took every piece of dirty clothes out of the bag and every book and paper out of my bag. He also had to stop and use the bathroom many, many times and was always in need of food or drink.

These two were much calmer, thankfully.

We stopped for the night in Paducah, Kentucky, about halfway home. Emma loved being free in the hotel room, but she especially loved these closet doors that were mirrors. She spent alot of time in front of them kissing herself.

Ben enjoying the hotel.

And so was Sam.

Before we left Paducah the next morning, Paul let me go to the Quilters museum. I have always wanted to go and I finally made it. It was very interesting and enjoyable; however, I couldn't take any pictures inside, so these are the only two I got.

Home again- finally!

Emma taking a bath in the sink. She's almost too big, but it's so much easier to bathe her in the sink.

Kansas Part 3

2011-07-14T15:08:00.000-06:00

Kansas Part 2

2011-07-13T14:41:00.000-06:00

Bubbles with Grandma

Tired out from the pool (or maybe staying up half the night in the tent)

Sweet little face.

Love her chubby hands.

Brothers playing in the green grass. Ah, summertime.

The Royal Gorge

2011-07-12T17:15:00.000-06:00

I was really looking forward to going to see the Royal Gorge. I have heard about the Royal Gorge since I was a kid- it's part of a old story in the Adrian family. My parents and my brother Jonathan drove to Colorado after dropping off Rebecca and I at our grandparents house in Kansas. My parents drove to the Royal Gorge bridge, to cross it. No way was my mom driving over the gorge with my dad, so she made him stop the car so she could get out before he started over the bridge. She got out and my father continued for about 30 seconds. The car stopped and out my brother got. He was very young at the time, maybe 3 or 4, but he was not going over that bridge with Dad at the wheel.

I've heard this story over and over again growing up, so when Paul discovered the Royal Gorge was only 30 minutes away from Colorado Springs, I was excited to go. Except I wasn't sure I wanted to drive over the bridge.

So we took the railroad instead, and viewed the bridge (the tallest suspension bridge) from under it.

It was a great plan and very enjoyable.

The train tracks followed the rushing river all through the gorge.

God blessed us with another perfect day.

On the train we were able to sit in the a/c cars, or stand in the open air car. The weather was so perfect, we stood in the open air car for most of the trip, enjoying the cool breeze in our faces.

Our first glimpse of the bridge. Now I understand why my mom wouldn't cross it. (Just kidding. I've understood all these years why she wouldn't cross it with Dad!)

It was something to see.

The train ride was so relaxing.

The tram that crossed the gorge.

We saw this deer by the side of the tracks when were we almost back to the station.

The next morning, we left Colorado. This is what Pike's Peak looked like as we drove away.

And this is what we looked at for over 8 hours on the way back to my parents house.

Emma at One Year Old

2011-07-07T23:20:00.000-06:00

This is Emma, eating her breakfast on the morning of her birthday. She is still such a happy baby, usually very content. The one exception? Going to bed. She does not like to go to bed and she will let you know it.

She weighs 26 pounds and wears size 2t, depending on the clothes. She takes steps, but does not walk yet. She crawls very, very fast and has begun climbing on anything around.

I am just transitioning her to one nap a day. She was taking 2, but it wasn't working out and it might have been why she fought going to bed. We will see.

Emma enjoys eating. Her favorites seem to be macaroni and cheese and green beans, although she will eat almost anything. She also really enjoys cantaloupe and watermelon.

She only says a few words: Hi, which is the clearest and the word she says the most; What's that?, usually said in a whisper; dad, mom, Ellie and a bunch of other sounds, but those are about all the words we can decipher.

Her eyes are still a brilliant blue and her hair is a mess of curls. We get stopped wherever we go by people commenting on how cute or beautiful she is. And, I must agree. She is beautiful!

She favors her sister Anna, but not completely. Sometimes she looks so much like Anna and other times, she doesn't. I see Zack and Ellie also in her, and at times, Ben.

Here she is eating mac and cheese. It's a tradition in our house to choose your birthday meal, and I just assumed Emma would choose mac and cheese.

I'm pretty sure she agreed with my assumption!

Her first birthday cake that I made her. I was thrilled with the way it came out. Sometimes cakes don't always come out the way I have them pictured in my head, but this one did!

She was tentative at first, only sampling the frosting.

But once she had some, she didn't stop!

Mmmmm!

A fistful of cake.

My birthday buddy and me! I am told very frequently that Emma looks like me. Sometimes, I think she does. Other times, not so much.

Ooooh, the presents.

A cool walking toy.

Winnie the Pooh and a beautiful dress from Nana and Poppy.

Happy Birthday Emma. We sure do love you.

Happy First Birthday Emma Grace!

2011-07-06T12:00:00.000-06:00

Birth

7 weeks

2 months

3 months

4 months

5 months

6 months

7 months

8 months

9 months

10 months

11 months

One year old pictures coming...

Wednesday Afternoon in Colorado Springs

2011-07-02T18:04:00.001-06:00

We had Wednesday afternoon totally free. Focus sent us off for the afternoon with a delicious boxed lunch and Paul and I headed to Helen Hunt falls. We had not heard of this waterfall until we spoke with another pastor at the table with us. He highly recommended it over the "touristy" 7 falls, so we took his advice and went.

It was beautiful and hardly anyone else was there. We ate our lunch on a bench overlooking the falls and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We walked around a bit and noticed all the hummingbirds around the feeders.

The same pastor also told us about an old dirt mining road that would give us spectacular views . So we took it. What he didn't tell us was that it was only wide enough for one vehicle in most spots and that there were no guard rails, only piles of dirt between the car and the mountainside. Needless to say, I rode in the van full of anxiety!

The views were spectacular. Every so often we would come upon one of these tunnels. They were something to see. The walls and ceilings were carved out of black quartz.

They were fairly short.

After we got down off the mountain (and I breathed again!), we headed to Garden of the gods, a very unique red rock formation. We had been here in 2008 and decided to drive through again.

Pike's Peak

We still had some time left, so we walked through the small town of Manitou Springs. It is at the foot of Pike's Peak and has some interesting stores and shops.

It is also the home to several springs.

Before we headed back, Paul wanted to stop at a Jewish restaurant and sample the cuisine. He loved it. I loved the American fries I got too.

It was a very full, very fun day. We very much enjoyed our time sightseeing together.

Heard from the Backseat...

2011-07-02T18:00:00.002-06:00

As we were driving back from Kansas, Paul was flipping around to different radio stations. He landed on one that was playing old church music on an organ. We listened for a moment and then heard a small voice pipe up from the backseat:

"DAD! Turn this music off- my ears are DYING!"

He kept us in stitches most of the way home. And the times we weren't in stitches? We were in the bathroom, because he needed to go. every. hour. on. the. hour.

Benjamin Robert.

What a kid!

Focus on the Family

2011-06-27T20:15:00.000-06:00

We were looking forward to going to Focus on the Family ever since we were here in 2008. At that time, we drove to Colorado Springs anticipating touring Focus only to arrive and discover it was the one day a year they were closed. We were so disappointed, but the kids were even more disappointed than we were. So, it was an extraspecial treat to be able to go this time.

HB London and Paul at the conference. HB London is a "Pastor to Pastors". He pastored for many years, after which he came to Focus for the primary reason to head up their pastoral care ministry. He is a meek, humble, wise man. He spoke twice and I don't think I'll ever forget what he said or the spirit with which he said it.

Praise and worship during the conference.

Gary and Barbara Rossberg were two of the speakers. They spoke on marriage, as did Emerson and Nicole Eggerich. Both couples did an excellent job and we learned alot from them.

Focus treated us so well. They fed us every meal the 3 days we were they and they were all excellent meals. Paul is here eating brunch the last morning. The quantity of the food was only outdone by the quality of the food.

As most of you know, Adventures in Odyssey is produced by Focus and they have a replica of Whit's End, which is where the stories take place. My kids love this program and this is why they were so disappointed to have missed coming here in 2008. We walked through and were very impressed with the quality.

This is the room they tape all the radio recordings for Focus on the Family.

HB London speaking to the pastors and their wives.

Focus overlooks Pikes Peak, and the first night when we came out, the sun was just about finished setting over the mountain. It was beautiful.

Paul and I both agreed that this was the best conference we had ever been to. If we ever have a chance to come again, we will jump at it!

Next up: Helen Hunts Falls, Gold Camp mining road, Garden of the gods and Manitou Springs

More quilts

2011-06-23T17:14:00.004-06:00

The week before we left for Colorado, I decided to make a baby quilt. It was for a special little boy, and I so enjoyed making it. The fabrics are in fun blues and browns.

On the back is little monkeys. Which got me to thinking. This baby has a sister. Who loves mokeys. Certainly it wouldn't be that hard to make one more quilt. Even though we're leaving in 3 days. And I have a ton of packing and cleaning to do.

I went to the store, just to "look" at the fabric. And I found this perfect monkey fabric and decided I could do it.

And I did. With a few hours to spare. :)

I loved making this quilt. I love the fabric and the way it came together.

Cute, cute, cute.

Can't wait to make the next one!

And the next one is for Sam. He is the only one of my children that I have not made a quilt for. I have one started for him and my goal in the next few weeks is to finish it.

It's not a cute monkey quilt.

It's a super hero quilt with Superman, Batman and Spiderman. 6 year old boys. Gotta love them!

The Road to Colorado and Pike's Peak

2011-06-23T16:22:00.005-06:00

Paul and I left KC, headed to Colorado Springs early on Monday morning. We had made this same trip 3 years ago when we traveled cross country, but then, we had traveled at night. We wondered if we had missed anything interesting, not being able to see this part of Kansas/Colorado because of the darkness.

Our question was answered.

We didn't. miss. anything.

Seriously, the landscape looked like this about 30 minutes from my parents house to about 30 minutes from Colorado Springs. Pretty much nothing. I enjoy looking at fields and crops and different things, but this was a bit much. And the strange thing was, with no kids in the car, we were silent. We weren't mad at each other, we were just enjoying the quiet. It was blissful.

Once we hit Colorado Springs, our boring drive ended and the spectacular sights of the Rockies took over. This is the view we had from our hotel, beautiful Pike's Peak. We had wanted to drive up Pike's Peak 3 years ago, but we were pulling a trailer and there was a terrible storm at the top of the mountain, so we didn't do it. Paul had always wanted to go to the top since then. I wanted to go to, but I wasn't sure about the heights. Paul decided we would take the train to the top. Ok, I was glad he wasn't going to be driving, but I still wasn't sure.

This was the inside of the train. I needn't have worried. It was very smooth and easy. We really enjoyed the ride up and especially the cool, cool breeze in our face on the way up. What a treat!

Aspen trees- aren't they beautiful? Another advantage of taking the train was the guide. She gave up the history of Pike's Peak and pointed out many things on the ride up. It was very interesting.

A deer we saw in a meadow on the way up. Guess who was so excited about that??

Getting closer to the snow capped peak. God gave us a gloriously brilliant day to view the Peak. The day before was hazy and smoky- this day was perfect.

Here's why they call it the "rocky" mountains. The top was all rock.

SNOW!

We made it! We both experienced dizziness and weakness when we were at the top. Just a bit of walking and we were breathless.

Paul at the top of the world.

The view was amazing. We could see 5 states on this day.

Mile high donuts. They were delicious.

The cog train. They only let you stay up here around 30 minutes so you don't experience high altitude sickness.

2 big horn sheep we saw on the way down. There was great excitement in the train when these guys came into view.

The ride down was very relaxing. So relaxing in fact that many people slept on the way down. I would recommend the train as a great way to view Pike's Peak- we really enjoyed it.

Coming Soon- Focus on the Family

Kansas, Part 1

2011-06-21T19:54:00.006-06:00

We had a goal of leaving Georgia by 10pm on Wednesday, June 1st. We pulled onto 475 at 9:55pm- pretty good for our family! The kids were all excited and Paul and I were already tired. Ben and Sam had a meltdown before we even got off our road. Paul and I looked at each other knowingly- it was going to be a long trip. And it was.

We arrived in Basehor, Kansas around 12 the next day, exhausted, sore from sitting in the van for so long but happy to have arrived. It was so good to see Zack and hug him. He ran right out to meet us when we pulled in and the little ones mobbed him, wanting Bubba to hold them.

The weather was hot when we arrived, much like what we had left in Georgia, but the difference was that the evenings and morning were cool and so comfortable. We enjoyed sitting out on my parents deck in the evenings and visiting while the kids swam and Emma crawled around the grass.

Emma was eating grass here and Paul was trying to get it out of her mouth.

Dad? Where's your head? Dad??

Oh there you are! (Look at the beautiful grass. Paul and I lusted over my parents yard)

Emma loved being outside and free. She crawled and crawled whenever we put her down.

Emma and Grandpa

She was intent on getting his toothpick.

Saturday morning Paul took the boys to "Dairy Days" in the small town my parents live in. They had a blast!

Jumping houses...

Inflatable slides...

Clowns...

Balloon swords (which pop when they hit the ground)...

My mother loves to play badminton and she has taught all the grand kids to love the game. Of course, it is an irregular game when you play it with the 18 year old boys...

Zack and Sam

Sam discovered he LOVED badminton and he was pretty good at it. He even had to take home the special racket Grandma gave him.

Zachary Brian. Oh how I miss him.

Anna and Zack. I'm not really sure why they look so unhappy but take it from me, they weren't.

Grandpa and my nephew Jacob, Zack's twin cousin.

Now there's some smiles! Zack, Anna, Emily and Emma. We were having a birthday party for everyone!

Paul and I left early the next morning for Colorado. (To be continued)

June 18th

2011-06-19T21:46:00.004-06:00

Yesterday, Paul and I celebrated our 23rd anniversary.

23rd. As in 2 years away from 25.

How can 23 feel so short and so long, all at the same time?

It's amazing how much we have become a part of each other. Some days I'm not sure where I end and he begins.

God has gifted us with a sweet, harmonious relationship. (Well, most days anyway.) We enjoy blessed times together.

Life as a married woman, for me, is good. I realize that this is not so for everyone and I am eternally grateful to God for His grace that enables Paul and I to live in such harmony.

23 years. Wonder where the next 23 will take us?

Where am I??

2011-06-19T21:43:00.004-06:00

We no longer have Internet at our house. I, for the next several weeks, have no older children to help out at home. These two factors mean I am temporarily disconnected from the Internet. I can go to the church or library and go on the Internet there, however, it's very hard with 3 young children that I can't leave at home, because, for the next several weeks, I have no older children.

See my dilemma?

Don't give up on my blog; I will update when I can. I have lots of beautiful pictures from our vacation to post, if I can find the time.

See ya around.

Emma at 11 Months

2011-06-08T21:55:00.003-06:00

Emma turned 11 months old on Monday, June 6. She is still a delightful, although active, baby.

She has enjoyed being at Grandma and Grandpa's house and getting to know her aunt and uncle and cousins. She is friendly and does not know a stranger.

I've been told she's been taking alot of steps while I'm away in Colorado. She can walk, but prefers crawling.

She's done with baby food and eats whatever we're eating. She takes 3 or 4 bottles a day, but will be done with the bottle in a month, when she turns a year old.

One more month and we will celebrate her first birthday! Amazing.

Sam's last day of Kindergarten

2011-06-03T15:39:00.002-06:00

Sam finished his Kindergarten year on Wednesday. We were determined to finish before we left for Kansas, and we did!

Sam has done great this year! He is quick and smart and can read simple words and books.

He has worked hard to finish this entire year of schoolwork.

We're both excited to move on to first grade.

Good job Samuel!

Memorial Day Picnic

2011-06-03T15:26:00.006-06:00