My goal, for the blog at least, is to post once every day this week (during the week). Wish me luck!
The kids took a field trip to the fire station. As always, it’s a blast to go to our fire station. The firemen are always good with the kids and very excited to educate them!
It’s been awhile since we have been. So, for this trip, I gave Ace the camera. Here’s the field trip proof straight from Ace’s eye!
That’s just a tidbit of what Ace caught. I thought that might be all you could handle in one post. He has a great eye for details! For the record, Josiah was there. He just opted out of the photo opportunity (which was done by Mark…obviously since Ace was in the picture).
September and some of October was spent frantically trying to get costumes made for five anxious children. It wasn’t for Halloween, though. Last year, we had attended a local living history park event called Colonial Times. We left with a very anxious older daughter asking sweetly if she could have a colonial dress to wear next year. And of course, if one wants one, they all do.
And I was happy to provide. Although Mark and I were a little tired as we sewed (yes, we, Mark finally revealed his secret talent of sewing) buttons on to vests at 11:30 at night.
But the results and the smiles were so worth it!
Aren’t they adorable??? Ceili Rain put her dress on and said, “I a princess.” She saw Zoe in her dress and made the same declaration. Guess what? They don’t make boys’ colonial costume patterns unless you want them to look like a mini version of an adult George Washington. Which I didn’t! So, I had to get creative. The knickers are pants bought at Goodwill. I cut them off and put elastic in the bottom to make them poof and look like short pants. The shirts are Goodwill too. I cut the folded over collar off and serged it. The vests were a lucky find of a pattern of multiple vests. I had some old looking buttons that we sewed on (Did I mention we did that at 11:30 at night?).
The rat catcher. He was trying to recruit new workers for himself. The sweet little boy in the yellow shirt took him seriously. He turned around, looked straight at me and in all seriousness announced, “I’m going to go look for rats.” And took off while his mom was talking. We quickly got her attention and she called him back and had to break his heart. So sad.
M. LeFarceur de Villeverte, And if you can translate his name, you’ll get a good giggle. This guy has actually won awards for his lace making. But he’s not a lacemaker. He’s a lace merchant! Lacemakers are all the poor people…like us. He was quite the entertainment and after Ceili Rain stopped freaking out over his make up, she enjoyed him too.
There’s a group in our area that does English Martial Arts. That includes fencing and other things. They were there and this year, they let the kids hold their swords. Can you see the look of utter excitement spread across Liam’s face? Ceili Rain thought it was cool, although she couldn’t hold it up by herself!
Benjamin Franklin and his wife. We caught them at tea time!
There were sheep and goats and turkeys and chickens to pet. And the animals were all more than willing to let us get all around them!
Mark and the kids really enjoyed the blacksmith this year. They stayed there while Bryant and I got a bit of drink. They saw him make a nail. That’s all I know about that.
The toymaker is always a blast! Except when you’re trying to dodge toys!
Liam enjoyed playing the dulcimer. He’s got a lot to learn if he’s going to actually play it though!
This blog is not just a place for others to see what’s going on but for me to write things so I don’t forget.
So, here’s what went down this week (besides our normal business that seemed amped up on steroids).
Monday was a very cold morning. I’m not sure what the outside temp was, but it was nice and chilly. I delayed getting up waiting on the heat to kick in. When it didn’t, I finally resigned to actually having to get up and get a shower.
It still wasn’t warming up when I got out of the shower. Right before breakfast, I checked the temp and realized it was set at 71 but was reading 69. Hmmm…not good.
A call in to Mark and by late morning my hero had arranged for a heating/cooling repair company to come out. They reset the thingamajig but also warned Mark that when that starts to happen that the machine is just buying time before it bites the dust. He also showed Mark where there was a lot of rust on the inside. Our unit was 14 years old and we knew that it’s time with us was nearing an end.
And so it ended. After calling and checking and comparing quotes, we got a new system put in on Thursday. Oh, it shut off again on Tuesday.
While shelling out that much money is not ideal in any case, we saw God’s hand and protection all over us in numerous ways:
1. It wasn’t cold. After Monday, even the temps this past week were very comfortable. We kept the windows open in the afternoon to cool the house off.
2. Since it’s between seasons, we were able to have someone come out immediately. If we were in winter mode, we would have to wait for a week or so. And the company that did it was awesome! We were really grateful for their attention to detail, speediness, and general personalities.
3. We knew that parts of the unit were rusty. We knew it was old. But what we didn’t know until they took it out was that the thingamijigs that transport heat, etc (read: carbon monoxide) had holes in them. Which means, we had carbon monoxide seeping in to our home every time the heat ran. We have a carbon monoxide tester in our home (and I recommend that anyone who has a gas heating system does…it’s really a good safety measure), but it never went off except when it needed it’s batteries changed. The heating/cooling guys surmised that because our house is “old” that it’s not as tightly secure as newer homes and was letting out just enough carbon monoxide to keep the alarm from going off and us from getting deathly ill.
4. So, even though carbon monoxide was coming into the home, because we haven’t been running it often, we never noticed. If it had been cooler weather, there could have been a potential for lots of health issues all around.
We are very grateful for our new unit and more than that, that God protected and provided when we needed it (even when we didn’t know we needed it).
I didn’t realize how long it’s been since I posted pictures. So here’s enough to make your eyeballs bleed. These are from the first of the month after the kids spent a week with Papa & Grandmere and had a blast!
I was a little absent from blogging last week. I guess that was obvious. We’re fine here. Malachi is growing and moving and grooving and having himself a little party in my tummy and I love it! The kids are all, for the most part, well (the sniffly noses that come with fall weather excluded).
It’s just that our family has friends that were hit with some hard news to swallow. The “C” word. Cancer. Breast cancer to be exact.
I told another friend today that I never thought we’d be the pink ribbon kind of people but things look different when you really know someone who’s been diagnosed with it. And now we have.
It’s a reality check. We’re young (okay, relatively). We have children. But we’re not immortal. There’s still sin and disease and death and all these yucky things we have to deal with are a part of it. I know this. None of us are immune. I know this too.
But it’s hard. When you know you have a friend who is several hours away facing such hard decisions for herself and her family. She has a two year old. And a one month old. I pray for strength for her and her husband every day. And for their two precious children.
And if you think she fits the risk factors she doesn’t. Barely 30. Breast feeding mama. She even eats tons better than I do. Grows her veggies and all. But there it is. That “C” word doesn’t care about risk factors or any other numbers science puts out.
While this diagnosis hangs over them. Here I sit grumbling and complaining because my back hurts or a kid is whiny or I have to go to the bathroom for the tenth time in ten minutes (the joys of carrying low…at least I can breathe). My complaints seem so miniscule and remind me once again to lift them up in prayer.
So, if you see the Crimson Cruiser sporting a “Save the Tatas” sticker (like Mark would ever let me do that), you’ll know what’s up. I know we’re not the only ones who have loved ones dealing with diseases but this is the closest it’s hit for us. And, hopefully, if you’re reading this, you’re lifting up this family or others you know up to God. He alone is Jehovah Jireh, the Provider, the Healer, the Sustainer.
And as I type, all I can think of is 2 Corinthians 12:9, But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Paul suffered so greatly for Christ but even in the darkest points, he knew Christ would sustain him and lift him up for His glory alone.
This review is way past due. It started with me somehow missing the product over email (it wound up in cyberspace) and then proceeded with me dealing with the adventures of first trimester hyped up with progesterone.
But now, I’m ready!
Super Star Speech is a new at home speech program. Josiah’s adorable and he’s four and he hasn’t quite gotten his “l” and “r” sounds. Super Star Speech has a book to help address that issue.
Zoe was three when someone recommended I have her tested for speech. She had just a few sounds, like Josiah, that weren’t quite there. She was tested and qualified and we went through a year of speech therapy. And it really helped.
With that bit of speech background, I knew that Josiah was a little behind but not that bad. We can, for the most part understand him. When I received the book, everything in it was a lot like what I was told Zoe had been doing in her speech sessions. I was really impressed with the professionalism yet ease of guiding a parent in to helping children learn and speak certain sounds.
I received the Superstar R&L because I knew that was where Josiah’s weakest points are. When I read the introduction, I realized that those two sounds are really attained until about six or seven years of age. Josiah’s four, but I knew, that a bit of gentle coaching would help him attain those sounds he’s missing. Plus, to teach him properly to read, it really does help if he can form all his consonant sounds orally. Our school schedule has changed just enough that I’m able to work in the Superstar here and there throughout our weeks. As the year, progresses, I fully anticipate seeing his speech improving!
I really wish that I had this program when Zoe was younger. I searched everywhere for an at-home program but had no luck! I’m so glad this resource is now available!
The book lays out just how to teach certain sounds. It provides games, a list of words that both start with the sounds and have them in the middle. There are also lesson plan sheets. So, you can cater each lesson to the need of the child. The books are available in spiral bound for $18.95 or you can get the e-book version for 30% less at Currclick.
Malachi Ian to be exact. Yep, we finally worked Ian into a name! Malachi has been one of Mark’s favorite names for awhile now. We had started out with another name but when I mentioned Malachi Ian, Mark was all for it.
Malachi means “messenger of God” and Ian means “God is gracious.” We truly feel blessed to have little Malachi growing strong and healthy. God has graciously blessed us with this little one (and all of our little ones) and we are reminded of that more each day.
The five oldest went with us to the ultrasound and they were all excited! Ceili Rain wasn’t sure what to think and now she wants to see the baby all the time. She is still insisting that he is a princess but she’s slowly realizing that we are talking about something totally different and is working around to calling him Malachi.
*And big thanks to Tracy for taking this quick shot with my rinky dink camera (and not her way super cool slr) so I could put it up on the blog tonight! We’ll do it right when family pictures roll around!
This afternoon, I told Ceili Rain I wanted a hug and kiss and asked her where they went.
“I don’t know! Maybe the lion ate them.”
So, I told her she better find that lion because I wanted a hug and kiss and a chase began only to be ended quickly because we realized daddy was home and a daddy trumps lion chasing any day.
And since daddy was home, she had to follow him in to our closet where she spotted my dresses.
She came out with one hand on her hip and the other over her mouth grinning.
“I saw your princess dresses, Mommy!”
Mark said she spotted my dresses hanging up and asked in wide eyed wonder, “Are those Mommy’s princess dresses?”
I have proof she’s silly and fun and just adorable.
I’ve still got the clothes boxes down from the Great Seasonal Swap Out. She found a pair of one of the boy’s swimshorts and decided she need to pretend to go swimming.
Here’s the result:
Someone please tell me how to get blogger to realize I’ve saved and uploaded my pictures the right way!
Pay no attention to the overturned shopping cart, toys, puzzles and other various things scattered all over my floor. This is real life people! I will clean up if you come over though. Well, most of the time. For now, let’s just focus on the most adorable 2 year old around.
A quiet night at home one night led to me playing on pinterest and finding a tutorial for a maternity dress out of a t-shirt.
I was so excited because for about fix or six months I’ve been holding on a t-shirt that I love but couldn’t wear anymore. Not because I was pregnant. My belt (that I wore before I was pregnant) tore several holes in the shirt. They were big enough and so many in number that I couldn’t really fix them by sewing them. But, I held on to the shirt because I loved the cut and style…and I got it for like $2 at Target. Here’s what it looks like now:
So, I spent more than intended by purchasing the linen. And I didn’t realize until I put it together that the linen is heavy on a lightweight shirt.
But, I loved the result! And I love the dress! It is very comfortable and it was very easy to make. If I hadn’t messed up on it and had to pull out some very stubborn stitches it would have taken an hour.
I’ll make another one, if I have time, the right fabric, and the right t-shirt (which I’m searching through my closet for right now).
My latest sewing endeavors this week include making vests for three boys and turning black Goodwill pants into knickers. We have a colonial days festival coming up and I have five very eager children who want to dress up for it. The girls are pretty much ready (except for their drapes which should take about two minutes to do). The boys…well, I haven’t even got the pattern cut out for the vests yet. Help!
But, here’s one more look at the dress and includes a good shot of my 19 week baby belly!
Don’t forget to get your vote on as to whether Seven is a boy or girl! Go to my main page and see the poll on the top left. We are praying we’ll find out this week!
A sweet mom brought pudding for the Cubbies to snack on at church. Ceili Rain is half a cubbie so she gets to go in and do all they do only she doesn’t get a vest or patches. Anyway, I asked her if she had thanked the mom and she said she hadn’t so she went to do it. And she did, and the mom was talking to someone else and they were trying to make sure they got her name right. The mom asked her, “Ceili Rain, is that your name?” Ceili Rain shook her head yes and then slowly shook it no. The mom asked, “Well, what’s your name?” “I a princess,” is how she responded.
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Ceili Rain got up one morning this week and said, “Where’s my baby? Oh dere it is.” And pointed to my belly. I asked her if the baby was a girl or boy. “A girl. No, no, no. I jus’ kiddin’. Da baby is goin’ to be a pwincess!” I just pray she’ll be okay if the baby turns out to be a prince.
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If we (she) lose something of Ceili Rain’s and you ask her where it is. She’ll say, “I don’t know. Maybe the lion ate it.” We’re not sure where the lion is hiding but we’ve never met him. He does, however, release them eventually because we typically find them.
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If she feels like something is itchy like a nose or a fly, then a ladybug is to blame. For instance, she got something in her eye and was scratching it and she said, “Mommy, a ladybug is in my eye.”
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Everything belongs to Ceili Rain…my baby, my Bryant, my daddy, my mommy, etc. She’s happy to share us but we’re all hers. And I’m okay with that!
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We’ve heard that last week while Mom and Dad were away that Ceili Rain was either talking or singing which is typical here too. She loves to sing “Hold my heart…mama…dada” and is learning “Jesus loves me” The “Hold my heart” is probably because we all enjoy listening to Jamie Grace. When we hear her song on the radio, she’ll yell out, “Jamie Grace! Mama! Jamie Grace!” She’s going to be super bummed that we can’t take her with Zoe and I to their concert.
We’ll just turn up this video really loud and pretend we’re at a concert.
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I want to remember some of Bryant’s words at 14 months so I’m writing them down here. Ignore my mommy brain trying to dump.
-Roll Tide: “oooo tide.”
-Amen: he thinks that’s how we should begin and end prayers and he’ll even fold his hands!
-Mama and Daddy and he knows it now!
-ball: one of his favorite words
-go: when racing down the hall
-ready, set, go which comes out “uh, uh, goooo!” when he really wants to race or he’s throwing the ball down the hall
-Ace: and if Ace slips out to take the trash Bryant will stand at the door and call him. Word has it he called for Ace a lot last week while mommy and daddy were away.
-Zoe: o-e
-Josiah: Diah
-Ceili Rain: a-a (Cei Rai)
-Raffe: ra-e (Ceili Rain’s giraffe
-Paci: Papi
-Papa: for Papa
-Grandmere:mandmere
-hi
-bye
-uh oh
-more: mo
-doggy: goggy
